NOW SHOWING IN THEATRES: MAMMA MIA! KIT KITTEREDGE

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Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

IN THEATRES

If you recall, Mike and I saw an hour of previews at the theatre for the movies that were being released this summer. We were asked to rate the movies based on the trailers; which ones we thought would do well, and which ones we thought would bomb, based on a scale from 0-5, 0 being super sucky. The next day, I posted the list of movies with a new rating on my blog; not based on how well I thought they would do in the theatre, but based on how watch-worthy I thought they were. These are two very different things, of course, as there are many movies I wouldn't see that I think the public would flock to.

Personally, I was super geeked about all the comic book and superhero movies that were being released. It was like Christmas, and I couldn't wait to see Iron Man, Hulk, Dark Knight, and Hancock. I was pleased with all of them (As a side note, they are coming out with a new Punisher, and Watchmen!)

If you remember, there were several movies on the list that I gave a zero on the theatre list and a no $ to (signifying that you would be better off giving your money to a inept charity than to pay $.99 to rent it), due to the terrible trailor we saw. The two that come to mind were Mamma Mia!, and Kit Kitteridge: An American Girl. Coincidentally, both movies are currently playing in the theatre right now, as is the Dark Knight, which I rated a 5.
Before I continue my bash, I will begin by imploring you not to wait until the Dark Knight comes out on video to see it. I realize some of the Batman movies have been less than worthy. I assure you this is not one of them. Heath Ledger's performance is eerie and off-the-charts amazing, and reviews for the movie in general have been across the board positive. You can see it again when it comes out on DVD. Agreeing with the critics, this is certainly the darkest of the batman movies, and Ledger's permance makes the movie. A must see. Iron Man was fun, but this was made better. I can't say which I liked better, as they were so very different. All I can say is that you MUST see it.

Now, onto Mamma Mia! First, the demographic is women over 30 who appreciate Abba. Interestingly enough, that would be me. Heck, I even own Abba's greatest hits (although I do not actually listen to anything but Christian music, I still have a stash of old Cds). Even though I am the targeted demographic, I cannot imagine seeing this movie. First, you realize that although the song choice might be great, can you imagine Streep and Brosnan singing them? Dancing Queen? Can you say cheeeeeez? Hokey at best. Critics are bashing this left and right. At Celebration Cinema, workers are shamefully wearing Mamma Mia! T-shirts in a last ditch effort to promote what they know is a non-producer. The staff begrudgingly wears them, and when questioned, tentatively answes that they have not seen the movie themselves. The poor staff would appreciate wearing Dark Knight T-shirts, but of course, they need not advertise that movie. Yes, Streep is a near flawless actress, I dare say the best of her kind. Yet even she cannot perform miracles--which is what it would take to save this sad little number.
Now, onto Kit Kitteredge, which I bashed equally. Never has a trailer looked as boring as this. Never a trailer looked more like an advertisement for a product rather than a trailer for a movie. The trailer was but 60 seconds long and I nearly fell asleep. And I have insomnia. Not really, that just sounded funny. Shut up; it was so, funny. But in reading critics reviews, I must say it didn't get bashed as much as I would have expected. Ebert actually didn't bash it at all. (gasp!) It did get ripped on for it's political agenda and undertones, and a few said it did lean towards the boring side as the makers attempted to accurately depict the depression during WWII. Apparently the acting is quite good--it still looks like a snoozer to me, but like I said, the critics aren't being quite as harsh as I thought they would be.

Oh, and the X-Files is coming soon, and that looks absolutely great, and the plot is being kept super secret.. shhhh.... The original cast is back and it is a stand alone story.
PS, I waivered on my opinion of the Wanted trailer, saying it would be really good or really hokey; it was hard to tell. Thumbs up; this was a great action flick. My only problem with this movie was the constant vulgar references to Jesus/God, most notably in the beginning. They went a little overboard with that. The character of Janice had a potty mouth. I said yesterday this was out of the big theateres. I wrongly assumed they were pulling it Friday to make way for Batman, which they ran all through the night. Actually, this is still playing in one theatre at Celebration-you still have a chance to see it if you go this week.