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Delhi Safari
Who: Jason Alexander, Cary Elwes, Brad Garrett, Christopher Lloyd, Jane Lynch, Vanessa Williams, Troy Baker
What: An animated children's movie about a leopard cub, a monkey, bear, and parrot who travel from their forest to Delhi to demand that humans stop destroying their home.
When: May 28th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: This isn't a Disney or DreamWorks animated movie - it's from a company called Fantastic Films - but does feature some recognizable actors voicing the animals. Call it a step up from 3D animation on TV during the day or weekend. Kids who enjoy the Madagascar and Ice Age movies will probably find this movie watchable.

The Devil's in the Details
Who: Lane Garrison, Ray Liotta, Emilio Rivera, Raymond J. Barry
What: Garrison plays a veteran soldier who comes home to live quietly with his wife and father (Barry), but a drug lord (Rivera) demands that he help smuggle drugs with an "or else" threat against his family. Liotta plays a former SEAL who comes in to provide outside help.
When: May 28th - DVD, online on demand, and streaming
Why: Once again, I'm interested in Liotta kicking but, and the gun play.

Gangster Squad
Who: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick, Michael Pena, Giovanni Ribisi, Mireille Enos, Nick Nolte, John Polito
What: A fictionalized version of Los Angeles in 1949, when real life mobster Mickey Cohen was becoming the Al Capone of the city. Brolin plays a cop who is instructed to form a small squad and begin off-the-books vigilante destruction of Cohen's operations in order to force him out of the city. Gosling, Mackie, Patrick, Pena, and Ribisi form the team, and Stone plays the dame to both Penn's gangster and Gosling's cop. Nolte plays the chief of police.
When: May 28th - DVD, online on demand, and streaming
Why: A step above the popcorn of Christian Slater's Mobsters, but below that of Bugsy (which includes Cohen as a minor character) and The Untouchables (which the movie emulates in many ways). Penn's performance is so gnarled and snarling it's almost like that of a comic book villain. Gosling has a strange high pitch to his voice, and unfortunately Stone is little more than eye candy. But still I found the popcorn movie sufficient entertainment, especially when Robert Patrick was on screen.

Generation Um
Who: Keanu Reeves, Adelaide Clemens, Bojana Novakovic
What: Reeves plays a driver for an escort service, who's become very dissatisfied with his life. One night he steals a video camera to record the antics of the girls he drives, as a way of highlighting the mindless life he's been witnessing.
When: May 28th - DVD, online on-demand, and streaming
Why: It seems like Reeves is in fewer and fewer movies as time goes on, so it's of interest to me as someone who watched his rise to movie stardom see what he's up to now. The girls are cute enough, but unfortunately the disillusionment his character is expressing comes through in the trailer - why would I really want to watch it?

The Numbers Station
Who: John Cusack, Malin Akerman, Liam Cunningham
What: An espionage thriller, starring Cusack as a CIA agent in charge of a secret numbers radio station in England. Akerman plays a local who reads the numbers on air with little idea of what she's in for. The two of them have to run for their lives when the station is attacked, part of a deep conspiracy.
When: May 28th - DVD and online on-demand
Why: The story behind numbers stations is fascinating, and I love that they made a movie about it. It's probably just the hook, though, and the movie is more like Safe House, featuring the attack and chase to survive long enough to expose the truth.


What I'm watching this week:

It seems like it's been a while, but this week offers at least two family-friendly choices,in Angel in the House and Delhi Safari. They're a little too toothless for my taste, though. Collette would be worth watching, but I think she's best when she's edgy. And I'd rather see Madagascar again than watch a mimic of it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, despite the great looking visuals of Back to 1942 and the potential for sexy voyeurism in Generation Um, they both look too depressing for me to want to watch. If I hadn't already seen Gangster Squad, it would top my list for the week. I knew it wouldn't be stellar, but I like gangster movies in almost every form. And it's decent enough viewing - for a clone of The Untouchables, the pace is actually better in Gangster Squad. The one movie I really want to see this week is Dark Skies. Even knowing basically everything about the movie, it still looks to me like it will be gripping. That fear of "what would you do if you couldn't do anything about it?" is pretty primal. Likewise, The Numbers Station and The Devil's in the Details look pretty predictable and generic, but they still appeal to my interest in gunfights and fistfights.

Coming next week:

Escape From Planet Earth, A Good Day to Die Hard, It's a Disaster, The Last Ride, Mama, Warm Bodies

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