This Weekend, Watch This

A comparison of the new releases for November 12, 2010

By Curt David

November 12, 2010

....and I think it was called, The Train That Couldn't Slow Down

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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, Dangerous Minds, A Beautiful Mind, and Megamind 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 (I'm actually not sure the next time I'll go to the cinema...when is your next movie coming out, Emma Stone?).

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 November 12th , the new movies in wide release are Morning Glory (released on November 10th), Skyline, and Unstoppable.






Morning Glory SkylineUnstoppableWinner
(1 point per category)
Clearest TitleMorning Glory is a name of a flower, so this movie will probably be for women. Skyline is the name for the outline of buildings against the sky, so this movie will probably be for...I actually don't know. Unstoppable is the name for something that will probably cause explosions...this movie will probably be for men. Morning Glory and Unstoppable split the point for the clearest title.
Best Genre
and Rating
Comedy

Rated PG-13 for some sexual content including dialogue, language, and brief drug references.
Science Fiction

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, some language, and brief sexual content.
Action

Rated PG-13 for sequences of action and peril, and some language.
My apologies Skyline, your non-clear title suggested you'd be a boring movie, but well played with the genre...point.
Cleverest Tagline
(out of 5 stars)
"What's the story?"

Meh. The movie will be about a morning news show.

1/5 stars
"Don't look up"

Or you'll be abducted, not bad.

2/5 stars
"1,000,000 tons of steel. 100,000 lives at stake. 100 minutes to impact."

Tagline makes this "train movie" much more exciting.

4/5
3 taglines this week. 2 were forgettable. 1 was unstoppable. Point.
Best Part of TrailerThe music. Whoever picked the inspirational chick flick music should get a promotion. Alien Invasion and some well-timed failed rescue clips. Not sure about character development. It's the movie Speed on crack cocaine. Also, don't know how it can be "inspired by true events." I actually liked the first two trailers, but Unstoppable was even better.
Coolest Lead ActorRachel McAdams from Mean Girls, Sherlock Holmes, The Notebook, and Wedding Crashers. Donald Faison from Clueless, Remember the Titans, and Turk from Scrubs. Denzel Washington from St. Elsewhere, Remember the Titans, Malcolm X, Training Day, The Hurricane, and Man on Fire. Rachel- you were this close (holding up thumb and index finger) to taking over Denzel, but he'll still win the point this time around.
Best CastJeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park), Patrick Wilson (Phantom of the Opera), Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Diane Keaton (Something's Gotta Give), and a cameo by 50 Cent. Eric Balfour (24), David Zayas (Dexter), and Neil Hopkins (5 episodes of Lost) Chris Pine (Star Trek), Rosario Dawson (Sin City), Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl), and T.J. Miller (Cloverfield). Skyline- you were this close (holding two hands far apart) to winning this round, but Morning Glory wins this point.
Best Street Cred
For the Production
Director Roger Michell has also directed Notting Hill. Directors Colin and Greg Strause have also directed Aliens vs. Predators, and worked visual effects on Avatar and 60 other sci-fi movies. Director Tony Scott has also directed Man on Fire, Top Gun, Crimson Tide, and Enemy of the State. It's tough for me not to give the word Avatar the automatic point, but Tony Scott has the most street cred.



So out of a maximum of 7 points per movie, Unstoppable scores 4 and 1/2 points, Morning Glory scores 1 and 1/2 points, and Skyline scores 1 point.

You may interpret this column for your own movie preferences. For example, if you watched The Devil Wears Prada, you'll want to see Morning Glory. 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, Unstoppable is the movie to watch this weekend.
Conclusion 2: Directors Colin and Greg Strause are brothers. How did I figure that out? They are credited as "Brothers Strause" in their movies.
Conclusion 3: The 2010 Top 5 chart is getting competitive. Usually the tagline or trailer of Unstoppable, or the cast of Morning Glory, would make it onto the chart, but not this late into the year.

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



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