This Weekend, Watch This
A comparison of the new releases for October 14, 2011
By Curt David
October 13, 2011
BoxOfficeProphets.com

This girl will *not* go out with you.
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, Clue, Clueless, and Without a Clue 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 Catherine Zeta-Jones, the only time I watched the Oscars this decade was the time that you were nominated).

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 14th, the movies in wide release are The Big Year, Footloose, and The Thing.



The Big Year Footloose The Thing WINNER (1 point per category)
Clearest TitleBased on a book about a bird watching competition. A remake of the 1984 movie. A remake of the 1982 movie. Footloose and The Thing have the most recognizable titles. Each will split a point.
Best Genre
and Rating		Comedy:

Rated PG for language and some sensuality 		Teen Dance Drama:

Rated PG-13 for some teen drug and alcohol use, sexual content, violence and language 		Sci-fi Horror:

Rated R for strong creature violence and gore, disturbing images, and language 		Each genre is distinct, each will win a third of the point.
Cleverest Tagline
(out of 5 stars)		"Everyone is searching for something"

This tagline does not increase my desire to see the film.

0/5 		"There comes a time to cut loose"

Clever nostalgic song lyric tagline.

4/5 		"It's not human. Yet."

Creepy foreshadowing tagline.

4/5 		Footloose and The Thing split the point for the best taglines.
Best Part of TrailerThe actors are likeable, but I didn't laugh once in this "comedic" trailer Gorgeous "teenagers" dancing all up on each other. One of those movies. Since I never saw the original, this looks like an excellent original horror movie! Seriously, I really liked The Thing's trailer. One of the few horror films ever to win a point in this category.
Coolest Lead ActorSteve Martin from Bringing Down the House, Father of the Bride, and host of Saturday Night Live. Kenny Wormald was a dancer in the movies You Got Served and Clerks II. Mary Elizabeth Winstead from Live Free or Die Hard, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and Final Destination III. While maybe not in this week's trailer, Steve Martin is the epitome of a wild and crazy guy. Point.
Best CastJack Black (The School of Rock), Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), John Cleese (Monty Python), and Rashida Jones (The Office) Julianne Hough (Dancing with the Stars), Dennis Quaid (Day After Tomorrow) and Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day) Joel Edgerton (Warrior) The Big Year and Footloose will split the point for the most impressive cast. (What can I say, I find Andie MacDowell charming).
Best Street Cred
For the Production		Director David Frankel has also directed Marley & Me and The Devil Wears Prada. Writer and Director Craig Brewer has also written and directed Black Snake Moan, and Hustle & Flow. Writer Eric Heisserer has also written the Nightmare on Elm Street remake and Final Destination V. The other guys are catching up, but right now David Frankel has the most street cred.


So out of a maximum of 7 points per movie, The Big Year scores 2 and 5/6 points, The Thing scores 2 and 1/3 points, and Footloose scores 1 and 5/6 points.

You may interpret this column for your own movie preferences. For example, if you liked the movie Step Up, feel free to watch Footloose. 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 Big Year (mainly because of its cast and director) is the best movie to watch this weekend.
Conclusion 2: BUT, I feel I have a moral obligation to suggest the best movie of the week, and while not the official winner, I think The Thing is going to be the best movie to watch this weekend! (And in all actuality, I would rather watch Footloose than The Big Year as well).
Conclusion 3: I was right to put "teenagers" in parentheses. The main high school girl in Footloose is 23 years old and the main boy is actually 27 years old!