New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

Any Day Now
Who: Alan Cumming, Garret Dillahunt, Isaac Leyva
What: Set in the 1970s, Cumming and Dillahunt play a gay couple who are left with an abandoned Down Syndrome teenager and go on to fight for the right to raise him as part of their family.
When: April 23rd - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: I'm particularly a fan of Dillahunt, who has been both evil (on Life) and funny (on Raising Hope). Cumming is currently seen on The Good Wife.

The Impossible
Who: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast
What: Based on a true story of survival from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, a tourist family is separated and struggles to find each other amidst the devastated landscape.
When: April 23rd - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: I saw this in theaters and thought it was so gripping it should have been a Best Picture nominee at the Oscars. It did earn Naomi Watts a nomination for her performance. The initial impact is a sight to see. Be ready for some rough injuries and sniffles and tears, but it's well worth it.

K-11
Who: Goran Visnjic, Kate del Castillo, D.B. Sweeney, Jason Mewes, Portia Doubleday
What: Visnjic plays a once-powerful record producer who wakes up in a jail ruled by a transsexual diva, played by Castillo, in this drama.
When: April 23rd
Why: The subject matter isn't exactly my genre, but I find Visnjic interesting. He currently appears on the TV series Red Widow.

The Mark
Who: Eric Roberts, Craig Sheffer, Gary Daniels
What: A techno thriller about a man implanted with a biometric chip sought after by both good and bad guys for its ability to control people.
When: April 23rd - DVD, Ultraviolet, and Netflix streaming
Why: This is the type of movie that meets my low-budget action thriller tastes. Eric Roberts is always good for this.

Parental Guidance
Who: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush, Tony Hawk
What: Crystal and Midler play grandparents who have to watch over the kids in this family-friendly comedy.
When: April 23rd - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: Although it's been two decades or more since they were well-known movie actors, Crystal and Midler probably still have their fans around. I'd watch this for Marisa Tomei. Director Andy Fickman previously directed The Rock in Race to Witch Mountain and The Game Plan.

Pawn
Who: Michael Chiklis, Nikki Reed, Forest Whitaker, Common, Ray Liotta, Martin Csokas, Stephen Lang, Jonathan Bennett, Sean Faris
What: A couple at an all-night diner is caught in the crossfire between the mob and police as a robbery turns into a hostage crisis.
When: April 23rd - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: Liotta, Chiklis, Csokas, Lang, Common - this is a bevy of tough guys promising action and thrills.


To the Arctic
Who: Meryl Streep (voice over narration)
What: A nature documentary about a polar bear and her two cubs and their life in the changing Arctic.
When: April 23rd - DVD and Ultraviolet
Why: Nature documentaries are always good options for family viewing (as long has you don't mind seeing prey become dinner.)


What I'm watching this week:

Based on a goal of watching 200 movies per year, I try to watch - or limit myself to - four movies per week. In this edition of the Watchlist I'm covering two weeks of release. To start, I'll suggest The Impossible. I've already seen it but it was missed by most moviegoers, lost among the glut of holiday Oscar contenders. There are some agonizing images of wounds, both physical and emotional, but this is a drama everyone should see. Another one I've seen, and which many other people have as well, is Django Unchained. It's not Tarantino's best work, and some may find the violence and depictions of slave abuse off-putting. There are fun moments, and I actually felt it was important to face a reminder of the time with open eyes. Jumping to direct-to-video fare, the one I want to see most is Pawn, starring a bevy of tough guys in an action thriller. It sounds like the perfect Friday night viewing to me. I'm pretty selective about musicals, so though I'm hesitant about Les Mis, I have to see it. The clips of Hathaway's key moment look like she found the perfect pain for what otherwise sounds like an uplifting song. I do want to see This is 40 too because of the people involved, but at 40 I'm a little worried this will be something of a downer. I'm a little more interested in Save the Date. I'll watch anything with Lizzy Caplan, and many would say that about Alison Brie. The two together make the movie sound very tempting, both for comedy and dramatic possibilities. Families looking for something to watch together will be able to pick up Parental Guidance. Lastly, I haven't forgotten about The Hobbit, and I've already rented it. The thing is, it's just an inferior rehash of Lord of the Rings, and ultimately you can probably skip it because it's just a warmup to the next two sequels. But that's blasphemy for some moviegoers, and McKellan and the visuals make it at least interesting.
Note: you may find A Haunted House and Promised Land available - I'll include these in a future column according to their Netflix release dates.

Coming next week:

The Details, The Guilt Trip, Not Fade Away, Silver Linings Playbook

Continued:       1       2       3