This Weekend, Watch This
A comparison of the new releases for May 27, 2011
By Curt David
May 27, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com

That is so weird....He had a full head of hair just a second ago....
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, Lost in Translation, The Transporter, and Transformers - 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 crush Hermione Granger returns to the screen in seven weeks!!!).

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 May 27th, the wide releases are Kung Fu Panda 2 and The Hangover 2. I'll compare these two movies and maybe also throw in a couple suggestions for how to cure a Hangover.



Kung Fu Panda 2 The Hangover 2 WINNER (1 point per category)
Clearest TitleThe first Kung Fu Panda grossed $215 million, so that's 215 million reasons for it to win this round. Oh wait, the first Hangover grossed $277 million, 62 million more reasons to win this round. Drink some extra water, because The Hangover clearly wins this round.
Best Genre
and Rating		Animation

Rated PG for sequences of martial arts action and mild violence. 		Comedy

Rated R for pervasive language, strong sexual content including graphic nudity, drug use, and brief violent images. 		Get some extra rest before watching Kung Fu Panda 2 win this round for the non-corrupting genre.
Cleverest Tagline
(out of 5 stars)		"Prepare for the return of awesomeness"

This sounds like a good tagline for a Kung Fu movie and uses the word awesomeness to indicate the humor in the film. I get it.

3/5 		"The Wolfpack is back."

People want to see a second movie about these characters, so the tagline gives them what they want.

4/5 		Take some extra vitamins as The Hangover scores its second point.
Best Part of TrailerIt looked cute. I liked the parade dragon gag. It looked funny. Screaming in frustration is always funny. Avoid caffeine as The Hangover 2 scores yet another point.
Coolest Lead ActorThe voice of Jack Black from The School of Rock and King Kong. Bradley Cooper from Limitless, The A-team, and Alias. Drink Gatorade while Bradley Cooper wins this round. (Seriously check out Alias- great show).
Best CastThe voices of Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Lucy Liu, and Victor Garber (from Alias!). Ed Helms (The Office), Zach Galifianakis (Due Date), Justin Bartha (National Treasure), and Mike Tyson. Since the first cast is just voices, it can't out right win. Both movies will split the point. (And perhaps take a pain reliever, but watch out for mixing those with alcohol).
Best Street Cred
For the Production		Director Jennifer Yuh has been on the animation and art departments on a ton of animated movies. Director Todd Phillips has also directed Due Date, The Hangover, and Old School. Get some exercise with Todd Phillips as he runs away with this point.


So out of a maximum of 7 points per movie, Hangover 2 scores 5 and 1/2 points and Kung Fu Panda 2 scores 1 and 1/2 points.

You may interpret this column for your own movie preferences. For example, if you are not 17, feel free to watch Kung Fu Panda 2 this weekend. 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, The Hangover 2 is the best movie to watch this weekend.
Conclusion 2: Justin Bartha starred in my favorite chick flick: The Rebound, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and released everywhere except the United States. Check it out if you can.
Conclusion 3: Happy Memorial Day. And thank you for those American servicemembers who gave their lives for our freedom.