The Week of April 22nd is a little weak in offerings. This may be the weekend that you finally see Zootopia if you haven’t already. Maybe you’ll take this time to see The Jungle Book or Hardcore Henry. Or, maybe one of these movies will strike your fancy. Here are the flicks for this week and keep an eye out for a Disney double feature review of Zootopia and The Jungle Book later this week.
Billiam’s Pick of the Week
A Hologram for the King: I know, I know. The Huntsman: Winter’s War is the bigger movie of the week, but frankly it looks bad. Mind you, it does look better than the first one that starred the open mouthed Kristen Stewart. However, A Hologram for the King looks better. It could be just me though since this looks like Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, one of my favorite movies but just substitute Ewan McGregor for Tom Hanks. Hanks plays a down and out business man who has one last chance to make everything right and it all comes down to the king of Saudi Arabia liking his plan for a hologram projector to be used for confrences and stuff like that. There’s more to it though, that’s just the basic premise. It’s really about Tom Hanks finding himself. This is based off a David Eggers book that’s now on my list of books to read, though I don’t think I’ll be able to do it by the time the movie comes out. Check out the preview. This seems like it’s the only movie coming out that week that’s worth a watch
Elvis and Nixon: This one could be the other movie worth seeing. It depends on if you think that the guy who plays Elvis does a good job. He doesn’t look the part which bothers me quite a bit. Even Kevin Costner in 3000 miles to Graceland looked better. Michael Shannon plays the king of rock and roll and Kevin Spacey plays one of the most infamous presidents in American history. The trailer I saw just showcases both actors playing their roles but didn’t do much for plot besides Elvis wanting to help take down commies. I’ll give this a watch, but once it comes out on Blu-ray.
The Huntsman: Winter’s War: Okay, time to talk about this one. I want to like it. I really do. But it looks like it has a thin plot and the creators are hoping to lure people in with flashy CG and big names. I wouldn’t doubt it if the only reason some of the actors did the movie is for a fat paycheck. Chris Hemsworth, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, and Charlize Theron are all accomplished actors who have had fantastic performances, but I bet you that the powers that be at Universal gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse. The first movie was all flash and no substance and the trailers have given me no reason to believe that this one will be any different. The plot is about a war between two sisters who are both queens in their own right and the Huntsman and his compatriots are dragged into the middle. I normally like anything that involves the war between the Summer and Winter courts, but this one looks too bastardized and without the fun factor to make it forgivable. I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to watch this. The only reason I would is if I hear good things about it.
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ale of Tales: If what I gathered from the trailer is correct, then this movie is about a group of street performers telling three different stories. Check out the trailer, it looks like it will at least be entertaining if not good. The only reason I knew about this one before this blog was my friend Glenn putting on a movie trailer channel on YouTube while we hung out. Salma Hayek and John C Riley are the two biggest names that lend their fame to the movie, but even without A list (or B list?) actors, this premise and presentation seems interesting enough to warrant a watch. I may even try to see it in theaters. No promises though.
Also Coming Out 4/22
Compadres: A cop and a hacker team up to find the guy who killed the cops wife. Starring Eric Roberts and Kevin Pollak.
The Meddler: A woman joins her daughter in Los Angeles after her husband dies. Starring Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J.K. Simmons.
Sworn Virgin: A woman escaping servitude becomes a “sworn virgin” and becomes a man. The release date for this one is questionable as last week it was on IMDB’s list of upcoming movies and now it’s gone. Google says that was released last year. So who knows what the truth is.