"Action + Half-Naked Men = The Perfect Date Movie"
The latest visually striking sword and sandals flick (a la 300) comes from director Tarsem Singh, the same guy who brought us The Cell and The Fall. So, what this means is, good or bad, you know that Immortals is going to be a ocular-gasm of epic proportions. Maybe in more ways than one, that is if you're going to see Henry Cavill (aka the new Superman) & Co. trot around all loin cloth-clad and ab-tastic. Probably not for Mickey Rourke though...that guy's stomach looks like the inside of an old baseball mitt.
Anticipation-O-Meter: 3 out of 5 six packs
"The Movie Star-Filled Drama That Lets Us Know Tis the Season for Movie Awards"
Veteran actor turned Academy darling, and all around grumpy Gus, Clint Eastwood brings us his latest awards' hopeful in J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the infamous inaugural director of the FBI. Dress it up however you like (in a suit or perhaps a nice ladies' frock...hey-oooo) but the first-time teaming of Eastwood & DiCaprio could give us our first big serious heavy-hitting contender of the awards season. Anticipation-O-Meter: 4 out of 5 fingerprints
"The Comedy That More People Will Likely Laugh At Than With"
Remember when Adam Sandler use to make movies people couldn't wait to see? Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, etc. Now he makes movies people can't wait to go away so that they don't have to be reminded of their existence. Jack and Jill certainly looks to be one of those. Sandler plays himself AND his identical twin sister. Seriously, now it just feels like he's actually starring in the movies he was joking about starring in with Funny People. Anticipation-O-Meter: 0 out of 5 fat suits
"The Indie Documentary That You May Not Have Heard Of But You Should Probably See"
Iconic documentarian Werner Herzog (Grizzly Man) presents his newest award-winning doc, Into the Abyss, that centers around a series of conversations with death row inmate Michael Perry to examine to bigger picture of killing, both by an individual and the justice system/death penalty. It's a subject that sounds like it could easily be fodder for a crime channel reality show but, knowing Herzog's style, it is likely as personal and impactful as it gets. The film is now playing in Dallas exclusively at The Magnolia.
Anticipation-O-Meter: 3 out of 5 orange jumpsuits
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