1. Dolphin’s Tale 2 (Warner Brothers, 3,656 Theaters, 107 Minutes, Rated PG for some mild thematic elements): When I first saw ads for this one, I thought for sure that it was a direct to home video release. I mean, there’s no denying the fact that the first Dolphin Tale was a hit, but not one that I think would deserve a sequel, let alone one in movie theaters.
But a sequel we get. This time we follow Winter, the dolphin with a prosthetic tail, as she tries to adjust after her poolmate and surrogate mother dies. Complecating matters is the fact that the humans at the aquarium have to find her a poolmate fast else Winter will have to go to another location.
The cast is back from the first one, so that’s good. The film might not be a bad way to spend a family visit to the movie theaters.
1. No Good Deed (Sony/Screen Gems, 2,175 Theaters,84Minutes, Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence, menace, terror, and for language): Looking at this film, it’s hard not to feel like you’ve seen it before. There have been numerous films where trusting, naive people have inadvertently let psychos into their world, and soon end up fighting for their lives.The only difference is who the psychos are. They could be cops (Unlawful Entry, Lakeview Terrace), roomates (Single White Female), tenants (Pacific Heights) or ex-lovers (Fear, Fatal Attraction), or, as seen here, complete strangers.
This film has two things going for it, however:Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson. These are two of the best, if somewhat underrated, actors working today (and in Henson’s case, judging from what I saw at the Person of Interest signing at NYCC last year, one of the nicest too). And considering most of the movie will be a cat and mouse game between the two, they can only elevate the film.
Unfortunately, the film also has two things going against it. The film was originally supposed to come out in October of 2013, but was pushed back three times. Add this to the fact the film wasn’t screened for critics, supposedly because the studio didn’t want the secret plot twist to be released, you know, because film reviewers always reveal the twists in every film they review, and you have some solid evidence that the film might not be good enough for even Elba and Henson to save.
