In case a bunch of apes ravaging the streets of San Francisco, or Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds swapping bodies and housemates doesn't fit your bill this weekend, we've added in a new blog post/category called 'Sleepers to See,' where we'll throw in one or two more viewing options for all of you discerning moviegoers.
This week, we present a couple of movie picks that opened last week in case you missed them.
First up is Crazy, Stupid, Love, which did respectable business at the b.o. for a rom-com last weekend, placing fifth with $19.1 mil in change. The thing, though, that could keep this one going this weekend and beyond is the stellar word of mouth. Unlike all the raunch coms that have taken over the summer, there's something different about Crazy, Stupid, Love.
It's smart. Or rather, it values smarts over gags. Other than Bridesmaids, which also had intelligence to muster alongside its raunchy side, movies that exhibit levels of complexity you associate with real flesh-and-blood people have been in short suppy this season.
Crazy, Stupid, Love, with its story about a 40-something couple manuevering through a separation, and the funny, painful and painful/funny fall-out for those in the immediate vicinity, could have been a set-up for something more formulaic or derivative.
Instead, directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra lead a stand-out cast (Steve Carell, human and relatable as the hubby/dad; Ryan Gosling, scene-stealing as his womanizing mentor; and fine perfomances from Julianne Moore and Emma Stone) in a film that's messy like life, entertaining and touchingly genuine. Check it out. Then let us know what you think. Or if you have seen it, let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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Next up for your viewing consideration, and with a strong recommendation to those who like '80s flicks, or the days when movies did their jobs in 90 minutes, is Joe Cornish's Attack the Block. The best way to describe Attack is to name its influences: Assault on Precinct 13, The Warriors, The Outsiders, Goonies, Gremlins, Critters, Predator, Rumble Fish, Over the Edge.
If any of those films bring a smile to your heart, then run to catch Attack the Block asap. Or if you're a fan of Edgar Wright's Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz (Wright's a producer here, and Cornish – a Brit comedian and actor – appeared in both), then your summer blockbuster has arrived. Forget Thor. Forget Captain America. Forget Cowboys & Aliens. This sucker has energy to burn. It's the widescreen spectacle – on a limited budget – that those films, and especially Super 8, wish they could be.
The premise: aliens have landed in a London ghetto. Now, it's up to a scrappy teen gang to save the neighborhood, kill the pesky creatures, and look cool doing it. That really is it. But it's the economy of filmmaking, the energetic performances of the young leads, and especially the star-making turn of John Boyega as gang leader Moses that will get you cheering in the aisles for this low-budget wonder.
When I was a kid, I remember sneaking into the living room, and unbeknownst to my folks, watching Walter Hill's cult classic The Warriors on HBO from under the couch, thrilling to the actions of larger-than-life heroes with names like Swan and Ajax as they battled their way home to Coney Island, rumbling with rival gangs like The Orphans and The Baseball Furies (while The Warriors were bare-chested fighters in leather vests, The Furies looked like Kiss in full make-up, outfitted with bats and baseball outfits).
The only part I didn't like about The Warriors (otherwise perfect in my 8 or 38-year old brain) was that Warriors leader Cleon was cut from the film too early, making way for the other awesome Warriors to come to the fore. I've always wondered, though, what a movie with Cleon as the focus might look like.
Now, with the ultra-cool Attack the Block, I know. And so should you, if fun, non-stop, endlessly entertaining action-adventure/horror movies are your thing. And once you do experience it, or if you have already, comment below and help spread the word.
