This Weekend, Watch This
A comparison for the new releases for April 19-21, 2012
By Curt David
April 19, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com

Cute overload.
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, The Ugly Truth, Coyote Ugly, and The Good The Bad and The Ugly 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 (eight weeks until I can see Catherine Zeta-Jones on screen again!).

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 April 20th, the new movies in wide release are Chimpanzee, The Lucky One, and Think Like a Man.

ChimpanzeeThe Lucky OneThink Like a ManWINNER (1 point per category)
Clearest TitlePretty sure I know what's going to be in this movie. No idea what's going to be in this movie. This movie must be about sports, food, and sex. Chimpanzee just gots to be a nature documentary. Point for clearest title.
Best Genre
and Rating		Documentary:
Rated G		Drama:
Rated PG-13 for some sexuality and some violence. 		Comedy:
Rated PG-13 for sexual content, some crude humor, and brief drug use. 		Chimpanzee will win a point for having a different rating than the others.
Cleverest Tagline
(out of 5 stars)		"For Oscar, every day is an adventure"

3/5 - Kind of cute with a baby monkey on the poster, presumably named Oscar. 		"From the acclaimed best-selling author of The Notebook"

2/5- Not really a tagline, but does help to define the movie. 		"Let the mind games begin."

2/5- Kind of interesting, guys vs. girls mentality		Chimpanzee just scored a turkey, for having a tagline I cared about.
Best Part of TrailerYou have to be missing a heart not to like that trailer. Whoa, that trailer had a little too much Zac Efron. It kept my attention throughout. Cute little monkey baby, lost family, adopted by another monkey. Another point.
Coolest Lead ActorThe narrator is Tim Allen from Home Improvement and The Santa Clause fame. Zac Efron from High School Musical, 17 Again, and Hairspray. Gabrielle Union from Bring It On.Despite too many slow moving camera shots of Zac in the trailer, I'll still give him this point.
Best CastReal cute monkeys.Blythe Danner (Meet the Parents)Sherri Shepherd (The View), Taraji P. Hensen (Benjamin Button), and Chris Brown?!Chris Brown? No. He's going to get the first negative point ever awarded in this column. A 1/2 point for the first two movies, and a negative 1 point for Think Like a Man.
Best Street Cred
For the Production		From directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield who have also directed Disney Nature's Earth and African Cats. Director Scott Hicks has also directed Shine and No Reservation.Director Tim Story has also directed the two Fantastic Four movies. Have you seen a Disney Nature movie? They're legit. Point for the animals.


So out of a maximum of 7 points per movie, Chimpanzee scores 5 and 1/2 points, The Lucky One scores 1 and 1/2 points, and Think Like a Man scores negative one point.

You may interpret this column for your own movie preferences. For example, if you watched The Vow last month, feel free to watch The Lucky One 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, Chimpanzee is the best movie to watch this weekend.
Conclusion 2: I went to the zoo last week and the monkey exhibit freaked me out. I think it was because of last summer's The Planet of the Apes. I hope Chimpanzee redeems this animal for me.
Conclusion 3: No Reservations is my 12th favorite Catherine Zeta-Jones movie.