The List: 1/29/10

I heard from more than a few people this week expressing shock and disbelief that I spent my hard earned money and valuable time to sit through Tooth Fairy. First off, these are the same folks who ride me for "seeing everything", so quit acting surprised when I actually do it. Second, I was hopeful that it wouldn't be as awful as I was expecting it to be. Sometimes that works for the better. In this case, it didn't. A pretty painful experience all around.

My lukewarm response to this glacial politi-thriller aside, Mel Gibson puts on one helluva dynamic performance here. He is the main reason to see this film, along with another bulldozing performance by Ray Winstone, who's got two films on my list this week. Based on a BBC series of the same name, it's the story of a cop, investigating the murder of his activist daughter, finding a trail that leads directly to a world of corporate espionage. I'm expecting this to do some huge business this week, probably beating out Avatar.

Just look at that poster. Can't you tell it was made by the same guys who brought us Sexy Beast, another Brit gangster flick. I was no fan of that film, considering it more style than substance, but to be honest that's how most British crime films are nowadays. Still, it's hard to deny just how cool most of the players are, in particular Ray Winstone, who seems to have the classy English hood market cornered. Here he stars as a man who's distraught over his wife's infidelity. Rather than moving on like any normal guy would, his buddies devise a scheme to help him seek revenge, by kidnapping his wife's new beau and either torturing or killing the poor chump. I don't know if we'll see any ears getting cut off, but I wouldn't put it past 'em.

If there's time....

I'm always happy when a film sneaks up on me. It's so rare that I haven't already snuffed out every film that comes down the pipe, but this one totally flew over my head. Matthew Broderick stars as a negativist, with a worldview that puts him in direct competition with Oscar the Grouch. However, when his roommate falls deathly ill and his sister(played by Sanaa Lathan) comes to visit, she inspires an awakening in him that might change his outlook on things. Sounds a little like American Splendor meets The Visitor. This one could go either way. If it's too sappy, I'm taking my Swedish Fish and heading home early.

No...a thousand times no...!!!

God that poster is terrible. Josh Duhamel looks like a serial stalker, eyeballing Kristen Bell like she's the fresh catch at a corner seafood market. And what exactly is that look on her face? Is that supposed to be cutesy because she's biting her nails like a nervous schoolgirl? What the hell is that? Here's what I know about this junk: it's about a girl who throws coins into a wishing fountain, asks for love, then gets more than she bargained for when multiple goofy suitors come calling. Something has gone seriously wrong on the promising path that was Kristen Bell's career. As a capper to this movie's crapitude, it's directed by Mark Stephen Johnson, who brought us such masterpieces as Ghost Rider and Daredevil. It'll take similarly powered superheroes to drag me into this thing.