It’s that time again for TGITDNMAR, which (obviously) stands for Thank God It’s The Day New Movies Are Released.
The Watch
What’s the opposite of a reactionary called? Is it just a non-reactionary? Wikipedia tells me it’s a radical…this does not compute. Anyway, to put it plainly, when bad things happen in our society and then people lose their shit, I get irritated. For instance…when a movie calledNeighborhood Watch – which is about an alien invasion, for chrissakes – changes its title in the aftermath of a shooting (and yet, ironically, goes with the “Got Protection” tagline…oy), I get irritated. Or when a shooting happens in a theater and suddenly the reporting of box office numbers becomes verboten (one has…what to do with the other, exactly?), I get irritated.
I didn’t necessarily intend to get all political up in here, but I can’t say that the title change didn’t turn me off somewhat to this flick. That’s not to say that I would have been gung-ho for it in any case, but it’s out there and done with. Mostly, I just get irritated every time I see the trailer for this because it smells like an American quasi-remake of Attack the Block, which I’m fairly certain is a much better film than this one will be. One can hope, though, right?
Also, just for fun, for some reason it tickles me that Stiller, Vaughn and Hill are all trying to look tough as can be while relative newcomer (and Brit) Richard Ayoade looks slightly…curious? Quizzical? Cracks me up.
Dylan’s Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 44%
Step Up Revolution
Just in case you didn’t get enough revolution from The Dark Knight Rises, thankfully the Step Up series has got you covered.
I…I…I’ve got nothing on this. Never seen a single one of these, never really plan to (unless I watch the second one just for Kai, what with it being his favorite movie and all). Speaking of Kai…
Dylan’s Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 0%
Kai’s Chance of Viewing (perhaps not in a theater given his distaste for them, but in general): 10000%
Finally – I don’t typically cover limited releases in this space, but I should (and perhaps ought to add at least a blurb for some of the higher-profile ones).
This week, I’m interested in Ruby Sparks (let’s say 73%), thanks to the involvement of directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), who brought along Paul Dano and composer Nick Urata (lead singer of one of my favorite bands, DeVotchKa) for their follow-up to that 2006 hit.
Also, I haven’t heard much, but I’m pretty sure I heard Matthew McConaughey is fantastic in Killer Joe. What a year for him and Channing Tatum, huh? 2012: The Year of Beefcake Redemption? Vin Diesel, where are you now?
Wayne (7)
Andrew (6)
John (5)
Josh (5)
Justin (4)
Steve (4)
Lauren (3)
Nick (3)
Andy (2)
Dave Enkosky (2)
Vin Diesel is actually returning with the next Riddick movie this year (at least, I think it’s coming out this year… maybe not). And it’s returning the style of the series to its roots, thank God.
The only reason The Watch interests me is Richard Ayoade, who is hilarious as Moss on The IT Crowd.
Twitter: manilovefilms
July 26, 2012 3:50 pm
Hooray for Vin! What other beefcakes can we redeem this year? Lorenzo Lamas, anyone?
Never seen The IT Crowd, though I have seen those commercials for Staples or whatever with Charles Barkley, does that count?
You need to see The IT Crowd! It’s on Instant Streaming, and episodes are only like 23 minutes or something.
Also… the next Riddick isn’t coming out until 2013, sadly
. Oh well…
I find it amusing that antonyms of reactionary also include left-winger, liberal, progressive, accepting, broad-minded, unbiased, and tolerant. I didn’t even think of reactionary as a political word, but thesaurus.com sure does.
My bosses, on the other hand, would tell you that proactionary is the opposite, and it’s the only way to be. In other words, they should have changed the name of that damn movie BEFORE that shit went down in Florida. Also, proactionary isn’t really a word.
I didn’t find Attack the Block to be all that funny, so I’m hoping The Watch is better in that regard.
Twitter: manilovefilms
July 26, 2012 3:54 pm
Yeah, I came across the same thing with reactionary. I just wanted the apolitical definition/antonym.
LOL at proactionary and your bosses. Yes, that’s exactly what should have happened (changing the name before anything happened). And then I wouldn’t have said anything.
I wonder…Brad Pitt’s next flick had it’s name changed recently from the pretty-cool Cogan’s Trade to the musically-influenced Killing Them Softly. I much preferred the first. Do you suppose that if someone were to be killed softly (and publicly) in the next few months that they might change it back?
No, you’re right – Attack the Block isn’t laugh-out-loud funny, at least most of the time. But it is awesome and has some humor, so I say close enough.
Twitter: agracru
July 26, 2012 6:58 am
The temptation to compare The Watch to Attack the Block is strong, but it’s actually more of a marriage between that and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, which it resembles much more closely. I like the idea, but it’s pulled off with minimal intelligence; it’s a big, dumb, frat house comedy before it’s a science fiction film. In fact, it’s a lot like sci-fi for people who don’t like sci-fi. Wasn’t a fan. I did like Richard Ayoade, and I thought Vaughn worked well with Hill, but that’s it. (Oh, a good running gag about Stiller desperately wanting a black friend, though it doesn’t get carried through all the way.)
I enjoyed Step Up Revolution far more. Really. Good dancing, and I think that’s all those movies need to be about. Everything about its plot and dialogue is just ridiculous– it’s like Ocean’s 11 for hip hop dance– but that’s part of its horrible charm. Not worth watching in 3D, though, and I really dislike the tendency of these films to cut the hell out of their dance sequences.
Twitter: manilovefilms
July 26, 2012 3:57 pm
Wait a sec…Stiller and Vaughn in a big, dumb, frat-house comedy? I don’t believe it! I can’t!
I was a big fan of Vaughn’s early on (loved him in Swingers, and was impressed with his steps outside comedy (even if the films weren’t totally great, he’s pretty great in The Cell and Clay Pigeons). But he’s been a pile of shit and shitty movies (Old School and Wedding Crashers excepted) for most of the last decade. That said, I will eventually see The Watch for him and Hill (and to make myself familiar with Ayoade, I suppose).
You’re a trooper for even having seen Step Up to the Four.
Twitter: agracru
July 27, 2012 6:38 am
It’s not a surprise, but it’s not a stretch, either. The problem is that it’s neither a thoughtful sci-fi movie nor a funny frat house movie, so I’m not sure what value it has.
DVD rental if you’re going to watch it. Ayoade is pretty great here, but I’m only familiar with him through his direction/writing on last year’s very good Submarine.
I laughed my way through most of Step Up Or Step Hard; I think it knows what it is, so it practically invites you to do so.
Still not sure about The Watch. Completely agree with you on the title change. I’m usually a pretty big Stiller fan, and Vaughn is hit (Wedding Crashers) or miss (Swingers) with me. The reason why I might skip this is Jonah Hill, even if he was bearable in 21 Jump Street.
Beasts of the Southern Wild opens up this weekend, so I’ll be checking it out next Tuesday.
Twitter: manilovefilms
July 26, 2012 3:58 pm
Swingers a miss? Ok, so I know it doesn’t age all that well with the swing movement long since having died down, so it might be a “you had to be there movie” to some extent, but a miss? I know it’s not fantastic, but it’s plenty charming with the two leads alone.
I want to be interested in Beasts, but I haven’t been able to muster any motivation for it just yet.
Swingers is not a miss at all. Don’t listen to him.
Yay!!! TGITDNMAR two weeks in a row!!!
Thank you for mentioning Ruby Sparks! It has Shirley written all over it! And worth mentioning writer and co-star Zoe Kazan. The Exploding Girl was god awful and slow, but still could see her charm.
Twitter: manilovefilms
July 26, 2012 4:01 pm
We deliver for you (most of the time)!
Did Shirley just refer to herself in the third person? Dylan thinks that’s nutso.
Kazan is the one principal in Ruby Sparks I’m not familiar with at all. Only thing I saw is some magazine article talking about her and Dano.
Twitter: agracru
July 27, 2012 6:45 am
I’m embargoed on Sparks until it opens here in Boston (next week), but it’s very, very good. This is coming from someone who’s pretty cool on Little Miss Sunshine. I will say that the primary architect in Sparks is very clearly Kazan; Dayton and Faris just brought her vision to life. Switch Kazan out for someone else and you’d have a much reduced movie.