1. Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark (FilmDistrict, 2,760 Theaters, 99 Minutes, Rated R): If you are wondering why it took so long for Hollywood to come up with a film with this title, well, obviously, you’ve never seen the 1973 TV movie of the same name that starred Kim Darby.
Both films are haunted house flicks, only now instead of a young housewife (played by Darby) being taken over by demons, it’s a little girl (Bailee Madison) who is sent to live her father (Guy Pierce) and his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes).
Of course, being that this is co-written by Guillermo del Toro, there will be some sick twists (the demons feed on human teeth in order to stay alive), but this is essentially a remake of a film that wasn’t all that original in the first place. Don’t know how that will go over at the box office.
2. Colombiana (TriStar, 2,614 Theaters, 107 Minutes, Rated PG-13): I am immediately distrustful of any revenge flick that is rated PG-13. I mean, who wants to see kid-friendly payback? But Hollywood being what it is, and wanting to make sure the teens can get in to see the film, this will be a PG-13 revenge flick.
Zoe Saldana plays a Columbian woman whose parents were murdered when she was a little kid. She has devoted her life to tracking down the people who killed her family, all the while working as an assassin for her uncle.
The fact that Saldana’s character is not an innocent adds a bit of flavor the the genre. Not that it needs flavoring, revenge films always are in demand. Should be interesting to see how well this one does.
3. Our Idiot Brother (The Weinstein Group, 2,614 Theaters, 90 Minutes, Rated R): Paul Rudd is an actor who is just as at home in goofy comedies such as The 40-Year Old Virgin and Wet Hot American Summer as he is indie flicks such as The Oh in Ohio and The Shape of Things. This film seems to fall somewhere in between.
Rudd plays the titular brother whose well-meaning intrusions into his family’s lives has unexpected results.
There is a pretty strong cast surrounding Rudd, but will it be enough to make the dual nature of the film work?
