With Christmas around the corner, a fun and eclectic list of movies are scheduled for release in theaters today.
Jim Carrey stars in “Yes Man,” a comedy about a cynic who changes his closed perspective on life by saying “yes” to everything. Will Smith leads a great cast in the drama “Seven Pounds,” about a man looking to redeem his life by helping seven complete strangers. Then there’s “The Tale of Despereaux,” an animated tale of a courageous mouse with unusually large ears who turns out to be the only creature capable of saving the kidnapped human princess.
Yes Man - It’s been a long time (since 2003’s “Bruce Almighty” to be exact) since we’ve seen the real Jim Carrey, the one who soared to stardom and giant paychecks by acting like a giant idiot. Scott von Doviak of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram breaks it down: “It’s no comedy classic, but it packs enough laughs into 104 minutes to justify the price of admission.” And though Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly says, “It has more chuckles than guffaws,” not all movie critics are excited about the movies comedic results. “Jim Carrey works the premise for all it’s worth, but it doesn’t allow him to bust loose and fly,” writes Roger Ebert. Basically, if you’re a fan and you’ve always wanted to see the irrepressible Jim Carrey do the schtick that made him famous, here’s your chance.
Seven Pounds - Currently on a streak of 8 films in row making a $100 million or more at the box office, the reigning King of blockbusters, Will Smith, stars in this heavy drama about a man who looks to help seven random people in hopes of finding his own salvation. The movie is made by the same filmmakers who cast Will in “Pursuit of Happyness,” which earned a pile of money and earned Smith his 2nd Oscar nomination. According to most critics, however, Will’s super-watt appeal will really have to shine if he hopes to maintain his flawless, flopless box office veneer. While some critics were lukewarm about the film, a bleary-eyed Josh Bell of the Las Vegas Weekly panned it: “The only person you’ll want to cry for is yourself, for having been fooled into sitting through the whole thing.” Associated Press critic Christy Lemire states, “‘Seven Pounds’ is a clever one, all right, but it might actually be too clever for its own good.” The big question here is whether or not Will’s dedicated fans will turn out in droves to see his latest dramatic effort.
The Tale of Despereaux - featuring the voices of Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman and “Harry Potter’s” Emma Watson. When the Princess of Dor goes missing, only tiny Despereaux — recently rejected from the Mousedom for his differences from other mice - comes to the rescue. The voice talent for this animated tale has received kudos from critics like Pete Hammond of Box Office Magazine who says, “The all-star voice cast, led by Broderick’s sweet and noble reading of the title mouse, is superb.” And “while the story does not quite come to magical life, the themes of courage, hope and decency are sweetly inspiring,” according to Claudia Puig of USA Today. Many critics like Roger Ebert hailed the movie’s craftmanship: “The Tale of Despereaux is one of the most beautifully drawn animated films I’ve seen.” Overall, perhaps this movie is not quite as good as last year’s “Ratatouille” according to most who have seen the film, but it’s still excellent entertainment to take your kids and family to.
IN SELECT THEATRES…
are a couple quality films featuring lead actors destined for Academy Awards consideration. First, there’s “The Wrestler” featuring Mickey Rourke in an incredibly determined and powerful performance as a washed-up former professional wrestler trying to manage life long after the height of his success. Also there’s “Nothing But the Truth” starring Kate Beckinsale, most often recognized for her roles in skin-tight black leather, who plays a political reporter under fire for exposing a female CIA agent’s cover.
Leave a Reply