1. The Words (CBS Films, 2,801 Theaters, 96 Minutes, Rated PG-13): Bradley Cooper is in danger of being typecast. However, this typecasting is a very specific and unique–he’s becoming the go-to guy for films about writers who become successful by disreputable means and who eventually run afoul of older men played by Oscar-winning actors.
In last year, it was Limitless, the disreputable means was a drug that increased his mental faculties, and the Oscar-winner was Robert De Niro. This time, his writer character becomes famous by stealing another man’s novel manuscript and passing it off as his own, causing him to come in conflict with the manuscript’s true author, played by Oscar-winner Jeremy Irons.
This is the second film in the past month that Bradley Cooper starred in that was written and directed by longtime friends of the actor (see Hit and Run). While that’s a commendable use of his fame, I wish his friends had better material for him to work with.
2. The Cold Light of Day (Summit Entertainment, 1,511 Theaters, 93 Minutes, Rated PG-13): And then, we have this one, which, to be honest, I knew next to nothing about before I started writing this post. That’s never a good sign.
But what I could find out from the Internet, this film is about a Wall Street trader (new Superman Henry Cavill) whose family is kidnapped while vacationing in Spain. Turns out, the Wall Street trader (an occupation that just SCREAMS action hero) is the son of a CIA agent (Bruce Willis) who made off with a very important MacGuffin, er, briefcase that a lot of shady people want to get their hands on. Now, the bad guys want the briefcase in exchange for the trader’s family.
Just want to point out that both films released this week onlt add up to a 25% fresh rating COMBINED over at Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, that’s only with about 50 reviews in, but still. Even the Cleveland vs. Philadelphia game should be better than that.
