11 January 2008

This week is the first of the year with more originals (or any).

Opening wide this week:

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale: Why is the name so cumbersome? Well, there are two reasons. 1) Director Uwe Boll is a horrible filmmaker with no sense of the appropriate. 2) The name of the video game on which it is based (Dungeon Siege) had to be inserted into the title. There does not appear to be a dungeon in the film, but the presence of Ray Liotta suggests there was some threat of imprisonment afoot during the casting process. Not original.

First Sunday: If only using a day of the week in the title and casting Ice Cube qualified this film as a Friday remake. This is, for the purposes of score keeping, original. It is, however, clearly dreadfully unoriginal. Also, it was shot in Baltimore.

The Bucket List: "I know what stomach cancer looks like. I've seen it, and you don't eat three cheeseburgers a day with french fries when you got it." Or probably go on whirlwind sky diving adventures. Absurd and preposterous, but I guess it's original.

The Pirates Who Don't do Anything: A VeggieTales movie: Why is the name so cumbersome? Well, there are two reasons. 1) Director Mike Nawrocki is a horrible filmmaker with no sense of the appropriate. 2) The name of the bible-y video series on which it is based (VeggieTales) had to be inserted into the title. Not Original.

Opening limited:

The Grand: Improvisational picture about a poker tournament starring David Cross and Woody Harrelson and Dennis Farina and Shannon Elizabeth and Michael McKean and Werner Herzog. It is original, and most likely not playing near you.

Running with Arnold: Documentary on Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial campaign. original.

Liberty Kid: 9-11 cost you your job? You could always join the army... or deal drugs. Original.

The Business of Being Born: Documentary about the controversies of natural childbirth "are explored through intimate footage of several couples and their birthing experiences" (rottentomatoes.com). Thanks Ricki Lake. Original.


The Score:
week: 5-2
year: 5-5

note: 5 original films, but 3 are playing in two or less cities. My number-writing choices are inconsistent.