This Weekend, Watch This
A comparison of the new releases for March 26, 2010
By Curt David
March 26, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com

A little overdressed for the jacuzzi, aren't you, fellas?
New movies are released into theaters every weekend. How do you decide which movie to watch? Some people could pick a movie based on the title (surprisingly, Raging Bull, Bull Durham, and Rocky and Bullwinkle all have different genres). Some people watch trailers (misleading), some people listen to their friends (friends can be idiots), and some people only go to the movies if their Hollywood crush is on the screen (My Top 5: The fifth best Catherine Zeta-Jones movie of all-time is Traffic).

More likely than not, each weekend there is a movie that you have never heard of in the theaters. I'll save you the hassle of researching every movie, by comparing the new releases for each weekend in this column. Then, I'll tell you which movie to watch.

For the weekend of March 26th, the new movies in wide release are Hot Tub Time Machine and How to Train Your Dragon.

Hot Tub Time Machine How to Train Your Dragon Winner
(1 point per category)
Clearest TitleWhoa. A Time Machine! That's a Hot Tub! I understand the whole movie from this title! Whoa again. A movie about training a frickin' dragon! I don't understand the whole movie, but this is still pretty clear. Finally, a weekend without unclear titles (and a weekend without short titles). Hot Tub Time Machine scores 2/3 of a point and How to Train Your Dragon scores 1/3 of a point.
Best Genre &
Rating		Comedy

Rated R for strong, crude sexual content, nudity, drug use, and pervasive language. 		Animation

Rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language. 		Dragons give me nightmares. I don't think it'll matter that they are animated. Therefore, Hot Tub Time Machine gets the point.
Cleverest Tagline
(out of 5 stars)		Kick some past

Hahaha. It's a pun. Usually you throw in an expletive at the ending of that phrase, but this movie is about Time Machines....Kick some past! haha, awesome.

5/5 stars 		N/A

Not having a tagline makes me angry.

0/5 		"A Ferocious Adventure," "Mamma said Don't Play with Fire," or "DRAG on your kids to see this movie!"

Okay, maybe I didn't create the best taglines, but at least I tried. Kick some Past gets the point.
Best Part of TrailerNot the funniest, but the concept of waking up in 1986 is entertaining. Awww, the dragons are cute! And misunderstood by the human race! How to Train Your Dragon gets the point for Best Trailer and made me want to have a pet dragon.
Coolest Lead ActorJohn Cusack from Sixteen Candles, Con Air, High Fidelity, and 2012. Jay Baruchel from this month's She's Out of My League and this summer's The Sorcerer's Apprentice. John Cusack, who was in High Fidelity AND America's Sweethearts with Catherine Zeta-Jones, gets the point.
Best Cast MemberCraig Robinson (Darryl from the Office) and Chevy Chase (my parents say he was in a lot of funny movies). Craig Ferguson (The Late Late Show), Gerald Butler (300), Jonah Hill (Superbad), and Kristin Wiig (Saturday Night Live). I do like Kristin Wiig. Yet, Darryl from the Office trumps almost everyone. Throw in the Chevy Chase guy, and you get yourself an automatic point.
Best Street Cred
For the Production		Director Steve Pink also directed Accepted, produced High Fidelity, and acted as the limo driver in America's Sweethearts. Co-Directors/Writers Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders also directed/wrote Lilo & Stitch (plus Mr. Sanders helped write the story for Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Mulan, Aladdin...and was the voice of Stitch). How to Train Your Dragon has some serious animation credibility. Point for them.


So out of a maximum of 7 points per movie, Hot Tub Time Machine scores 4 2/3 points and How to Train Your Dragon scores 2 1/3 points.

You may interpret this column for your own movie preferences. For example, if you like 3D movies, go see How to Train Your Dragon. However, if you are still on the fence, please read the following conclusions from the scientific data gathered in this column.

Conclusion 1: On paper, Hot Tub Time Machine is the movie to watch this weekend.
Conclusion 2: This is probably the second or third time in the history of "This Weekend, Watch This" that I completely disagree with conclusion one. Tricky how that happens, as I am the author, but no matter, I want to see How to Train Your Dragon.
Conclusion 3: I looked up the word "pervasive" (from Hot Tub Time Machine's rating) in the dictionary, which said, "having the tendency to permeate." Am I the only one confused at the meaning of "pervasive language"?
Conclusion 4: Kick some past! HAHAHAHA! That never gets old!