1. Aliens In The Attic (FOX, 3,106 Theaters, 86 Minutes, Rated PG-13): You know, I have a firm belief that just because something is a kids movie doesn’t mean that it has to be stupid. Pixar proves this on a yearly basis. You can entertain a kid with an intelligent plot and good story instead of relying on silliness and stupid antics. to get laughs.
I can’t really say I’ve seen many ads for this one (which is strange because it has the highest theater count for the week) but what I’ve seen it looks like it falls into the latter brand of kid movie, the stupid silly side.
The plot involves a family that must fight a group of pint-sized aliens who have invaded the attic of their summer home. Pretty simple plot there. The script must have taken a whole 30 minutes to write.
When the biggest star draw you have in the cast is Ashley Tisdale, you are in trouble. Thank gawd my daughter isn’t old enough to want to see this stuff.
2. Funny People (Universal, 3,008 Theaters, 146 Minutes, Rated R): Regular readers of these posts know that I am a fan of Judd Apatow. He has yet to put out a film that didn’t entertain me. Granted, he has only put out two films which he directed himself, 40 Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, but both won me over with their mix of ribald humor and boatloads of heart.
This one is a more serious effort from Apatow. It involves a successful comedian who faces his own mortality when he finds out he has cancer. If the trailers are to be believe, the cancer goes into remission, and he decides to make the most of the second chance he gets.
As is typical, many of the Apatow Repertory Players are in the cast. While there won’t be as much laughs as in his previous films, there should be as much heart.
3. The Collector (Freestyle Releasing, 1,325 Theaters, 88 Minutes, Rated R): Horror movies are the one genre where a good hook can mean more than a big budget. All you need is something to set you apart from the rest of the genre and you have a shot at success.
Whether it be a possessed preteen, a killer that enters your dreams, or a faux-documentary about witches, once you have a hook, you possibly can bring in audiences in.
This one has a pretty interesting hook. A man intends to burglarize the house of an affluent family. When he gets there, he finds that someone else has already broken in and is torturing the family. Now, the man who wanted to steal their belongings is the only one who could save their lives.
Of course, this premise doesn’t really lend itself to sequels. So if this hook does bring the audiences in, it should be interesting to see what they do for a follow up.
