Weekend Movie Guide: I'm with Leather

John Krasinski and George Clooney What's so amazing about this picture is that John Krasinski is only 5'7" | Photo courtesy of Universal

I'll be in the minority when I attend Leatherheads this weekend because I'm not going to see George Clooney. As an increasingly obsessive fan of The Office (I record the repeats on TNT), I'm paying to see my man John Krasinski finally--let's hope--be in a good movie. After mega-stinkers like License to Wed and The Holiday he is way overdue to be in a film that properly utilizes his narrow but sharp comic instincts.

Shine a Light feels like it's about twenty years overdue. Don't get me wrong--I still love Scorsese (though I'd rather see him try something along the lines of The Age of Innocence again). The Rolling Stones, however, seem like an awfully creaky subject. I accord full respect to any band that can still fill a stadium after forty years of playing, but I'll pass on buying a movie ticket and stick with a DVD of Rock and Roll Circus instead.

Norah Jones Actors have tough lives, don't they? | Photo courtesy of MGM

There was a good deal of anticipation for My Blueberry Nights when it was originally announced. After all, Chinese auteur Kar Wai Wong (Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love) was directing and the cast was suitably eclectic: Natalie Portman, David Straitharn, Rachel Weisz, Norah Jones (?). A poorly-received screening at Cannes last year blunted much of the media hype, but not my enthusiasm. It's on the weekend list.

I will say this for The Ruins--thank God, it had the balls to go for an R-rating! As any reader of this column knows, there are few things I detest so much as lame, PG-13 re-makes of Asian horror movies that are strictly designed to bring in listless, fumbling teenagers. The Ruins has a decent literary pedigree, some hot Laura Ramsey nudity and maybe a few genuine scares. That's enough for me in this Dark Age of horror.

Nim's Island may be the oddest curio I've seen in awhile. On the one hand, there's a palpable Spy Kids current running through it, but on the other hand you have Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler (two of my favorites) in the cast...of a kid's movie...which is an adventure/comedy. Somehow it doesn't all add up--which is a good thing in my book. I felt the same way about Galaxy Quest and Sky High and enjoyed both.

Tickets & Showtimes

Leatherheads
Shine a Light
My Blueberry Nights
The Ruins
Nim's Island

Reviews

Leatherheads
Shine a Light
My Blueberry Nights
The Ruins
Nim's Island

Previews

Leatherheads