New Movie Friday

*Sigh* I really hate 2010. In years past, the last few weeks of December brought a host of blockbuster cinema experiences and festival darlings and it was up to me to choose which ones I wanted to see most and which ones would have to wait for DVD. But not this year. Just end already, 2010. Just crawl into your hole and die.

"Tron: Legacy" - Garret Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, Olivia Wilde

A sequel 30 years in the waiting, "Legacy" centers on the son (Hudlund) of Kevin Flynn (Bridges) who joins his father in a digital world to race against evil. No one else is saying it so I'm going to. The original "Tron" sucked. The special effects were, for the time, mind blowing but hey, Michael Bay does some great effects, too. Now, to be fair, it's been years and years since I've seen "Tron" so maybe my memories of it are a bit vague. I tried to check it out last week but Netflix doesn't even make it available for rental (that's got to be a bad sign, right?). That's not to say I'm not interested in this movie because I am. Visually, it looks stunning and I quite like both Bridges and the "good-when-given-direction" Hedlund. I'm just saying, though, there's a great chance that this is all style, no substance.

"The Fighter" - Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo

A look at the life of boxer Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and the brother (Bale) who helped him become a legend. Now this, this is something I'm excited to see. It debuted last week in limited release to critical applause and has subsequently garnered numerous award nominations from both the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards. This looks to be absolutely magnificent and I cannot wait to check it out.

"Yogi Bear" - Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Tom Cavanaugh

The big screen adaptation of the "classic" (?) Saturday morning cartoon that everyone (?) loves. Seriously, I think "Yogi Bear" might be the embodiment of what's wrong with 2010. There is NO STINKING WAY that this movie could be anything but TERRIBLE. And maybe even more to the point, why cast Justin Timberlake when he's A.) not appearing on screen and B.) doing a voice that makes his own, distinct voice almost unrecognizable? Stupid. Just stupid.

"How Do You Know" - Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Jack Nicholson
The story of a love triangle involving Wilson, Witherspoon, and Rudd. James L. Brooks is a tremendous writer and director whom I trust. But the truth is, I cannot shake the feeling that this is going to be miserably mediocre. I also have no idea how in the world a romantic comedy that just barely avoided an R-rating gets approved for a $160 million budget. That is just BEGGING for a complete and utter disaster. We'll see how it goes but I'm not optimistic.

"Rabbit Hole (limited release) - Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart
A couple tries to deal with the death of their son. A festival flick that got a lot of love and attention early on, "Rabbit Hole" is faltering a bit in the first round of award nominations. By some accounts this is the performance of a lifetime for Kidman but that's not saying a whole lot for me given how robotic and lifeless I've always found her to be.

"Casino Jack" (limited release) - Kevin Spacey, Barry Pepper, Jon Lovitz
A biographical film about infamous lobbyist Jack Abramoff (Spacey) and his fall from grace. (Not to be confused with "Casino Jack and the United States of Money," a documentary on the same subject from earlier this year). Since I despise politics almost as much as John Travolta, I usually steer clear of all politically charged films. Still, though, this one is getting Oscar buzz for Spacey and Pepper is one of my very favorite actors. If this popped up on Instant View, I might be inclined to add it to my queue.