This Weekend, Watch This
A comparison of the new releases for October 8, 2010
By Curt David
October 8, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com

Why would you make the baby walk toward the evil like that?
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, Freaky Friday, Saturday Night Fever, and Any Given Sunday 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 (Dear Ms. Emma Stone: How you doin'?).

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 October 8th, the movies in wide release are Life as We Know It, My Soul to Take, and Secretariat.

Life As We Know ItMy Soul to Take (in 3D)SecretariatWINNER (1 point per category)
Clearest TitleWho doesn't like documentaries?Who doesn't like movies about traveling from one foreign city to another?Who doesn't like movies about secretaries? Oh wait, my father just told me that Secretariat is a horse. While unnecessarily long for a horse's name, I guess that movie wins a point for clearest title.
Best Genre
and Rating		Comedy Rated PG-13 for sexual material, language, and some drug content.Horror Rated R for strong bloody violence, and pervasive language including sexual references. Sport Drama Rated PG for brief mild language. Well, my dad is looking over my shoulder now as I type, so I guess the movie with only "brief mild language" is going to win this round.
Cleverest Tagline
(out of 5 stars)		"A comedy about taking one step at a time" Adorable tagline! As it refers to persevering through life slowly AND babies! Clever. 4/5 stars "Only one has the power to save their souls" Who is this one? 2/5 stars"The Impossible True Story" True stories are always inspiring to watch, but that wasn't that clever. 2/5 starsCrap, I typed the word "babies" and my dad went to get my baby photo album. This should be fun. And point for Life As We Know It.
Best Part of TrailerThis may be the first Katherine Heigl trailer I actually liked. Movie looks kind of cute.I sort of liked the trailer, however, that probably means it wasn't that scary.Blind Side meets the Triple Crown. Looks inspirational. My vote is for Life As We Know It, my dad's vote is for Secretariat. The trailers will split the point.
Coolest Lead ActorKatherine Heigl from Roswell, Grey's Anatomy, Knocked Up, and 27 Dresses.Max Thieriot was a child actor in Catch That Kid, The Pacifier, Nancy Drew, and Kit Kittridge: An American Girl. Diane Lane from Jack, The Perfect Storm, Unfaithful, and Nights in Rodanthe. Dad likes Diane. I'll be grounded otherwise. Point for her.
Best CastJosh Duhamel (Las Vegas), Josh Lucas (Sweet Home Alabama), Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls), and cameos by Will Sasso (Mad TV) and Andy Buckley (The Office).Denzel Whitaker (The Great Debaters) and Nick Lashaway (The Last Song)John Malkovich (Con Air), Scott Glenn (Hunt for Red October), James Cromwell (Babe), Dylan Walsh (Nip/Tuck), and Kevin Connolly (Entourage)Awww, I saw Babe and Con Air with my dad in the theaters. Good movies. That helps give the point to Secretariat for most prestigious cast.
Best Street Cred
For the Production		Director Greg Berlanti has also been the executive producer of Brothers&Sisters, Eli Stone, and Everwood.Director Wes Craven has also directed The Hills Have Eyes, Nightmare on Elm Street, and the Scream Trilogy. Director Randall Wallace has also directed The Man in the Iron Mask and We Were Soldiers.My dad just fell asleep watching golf, so I am free to give the point to the master horror director (and writer) Wes Craven.


So out of a maximum of 7 points per movie, Secretariat scores 4 1/2 points, Life as We Know It scores 1 1/2 points, and My Soul to Take scores 1 point.

You may interpret this column for your own movie preferences. For example, if you like to watch horror in 3D, go see My Soul to Take. 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, Secretariat is the movie to watch this weekend.
Conclusion 2: Diane Lane just entered the Top 5 Scoreboard for 2010. She is in fifth place for best actress (and just pushed Drew Barrymore off the list). Click the above link to see the chart.
Conclusion 3: I'm pretty sure Grey's Anatomy was an adaptation of the medical book Gray's Anatomy.

For the "This Weekend, Watch This" list of the Top 5 Titles, Trailers, Taglines, and Actors so far in 2010...click here.