Last week brought a rather weak new crop of films, the best being Street Kings (which was merely mediocre) and the worst being the abysmal Prom Night. Looking at what this weekend has to offer there is no doubt there is considerably more of interest here. Whether you are looking for laughs, thrills, or fantasy, this week offers up something to quench your thirst. I know I have high hopes for a couple of these movies. So, if you are looking for something to see, hopefully I can help.
88 Minutes. (2008, 108 minutes, R, thriller, trailer) What if you received a phone call and were informed that you had but eighty-eight minutes to live? That is the question asked of Al Pacino in this film. Pacino plays a psychologist who has helped put many accused killers behind bars. It appears that one of them is setting him up, putting him on the other side of the tough questions. I cannot say this looks good, but it does look like it could be fun. Neil McDonough plays a man imprisoned due to what could be faulty testimony, and his performances are generally quite good. Jon Avnet directs the film. This is his first big screen outing since 1997's Red Corner, and he is working from a screenplay by Gary Scott Thompson, whose most recent work has been as the creator of the recently canceled Las Vegas.
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. (2008, 90 minutes, PG, documentary, trailer) This release came out of nowhere. I had not heard of it prior to seeing it pop up on the theater schedule the other day. Anyway, it does appear to be an intriguing release. Ben Stein stars as he goes out and looks into the stonewalling of educators and scientists who believe in intelligent design. I am hoping to get a chance to check this one out.
The Forbidden Kingdom. (2008, 113 minutes, PG-13, action, trailer) Here is a movie I have been looking forward to for a long time. The pairing of Jet Li and Jackie Chan is a martial arts lover's dream, or at least it should be. They are the two premiere martial artists of the generation, and they aren't getting any younger. I only hope that they get a lengthy match-up in the film. The second trailer that came out looked absolutely amazing, while the first did not grab me as much. The difference? The first focused on Michael Angarano's character, and it did not look all that good. I only hope the present day content is limited. The story has Jason (Michael Angarano) finding a mystical fighting stick that transports him back in time where he teams with a band of rebels to free the Monkey King. Rob Minkoff (The Haunted Mansion) directs, which scares me a little, from a screenplay from John Fusco (Hidalgo), who is a practitioner of Shaolin kung fu and has written a draft for the Seven Samurai remake.
Article comments
1 - caerbannog
Before going to see Expelled, be sure to read the material at this site.
You'll be in a much better position to write an informative review if you get some background on the movie first.
The movie is a tin-foil hat hatchet-job on the scientific community. Don't let yourself get taken in by it.
2 - ennui
The story behind the movie is surely much more interesting than the movie itself. The producers misrepresented the project to key scientists to obtain interview footage, copied animation from XVIVO/Harvard and others, and try to link evolution to atheism and fascism. It is a monumental piece of dreck.
3 - Savvyconsumer7
I went to see "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" today (opening day.)
As Ronald Reagan said, speaking at the Berlin Wall, "Freedom is being suppressed." Scientists have been silenced for investigating realms threatening to today's neo-Darwinian worldview, such as Intelligent Design. As with the Berlin Wall, in academia, there is freedom only on one side of the wall ... there is freedom on only one side of the Darwinian divide.
Thanks for bringing this discussion to light ... great presentation, Ben Stein. I highly recommend "Expelled".
4 - David
Expelled is aimed at a key audience of teenagers and morons who haven't got a clue of biology or history for that matter.
5 - Dlanor
Expelled is a great documentary, especially if you have an independent, mature mind.