March 20, 2011 - 4:27pm
Weekend Movie Guide: At least we have 'The Fighter'
BY DAVID TAO
Every year, Robert de Niro releases another film that further tarnishes his cinematic legacy. Last year, he brought us "Little Fockers," the latest installment in an inexplicably popular series that never seems to end. The year before that, he tried (and failed) to revive his career with "Everybody's Fine," a depressing Oscar-bait Christmas movie. And in 2008, he brought us "Righteous Kill," a promising team-up with fellow screen legend Al Pacino that ended up playing like "pretend you're a policeman day" at the nursing home. Since then, Pacino has won an Emmy, while de Niro continues to actively sabotage his career. His latest paycheck job is a mediocre thriller called "Limitless," where he plays a boring one-note business mogul who's exploiting co-star Bradley Cooper, who's hooked on a drug that turns him from deadbeat, directionless writer (yes, I'm seeing the irony here) to a guy who suddenly, in his words, "knows everything about everything." It's not as bad as it could be — the premise at its core is intriguing — but it's written by Leslie Dixon, whose previous credits include such masterpieces as "Freaky Friday" and "Pay It Forward." Odds are that the premise is going to be totally squandered. Plus, the trailer features a highly misused snippet of "Power" by Kanye West. Somebody's late to the party.
Also releasing this weekend is "The Lincoln Lawyer," featuring Matthew McConaughey as the eponymous lawyer, who runs his entire practice from the back of his Lincoln. McConaughey isn't the most talented leading man in Hollywood, nor does he have the best track record ("Ghosts of Girlfriends Past," "Fool's Gold," "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" — need I continue?) but apparently critics are digging this movie. I'm not sure why, since the only difference between this and any other courtroom drama is the gimmicky fact that McConaughey's character works out the back of his car, but hey, critics are right most of the time. Except when they're not (cough, "The King's Speech").
The last of this weekend's releases is "Paul," starring the Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the guys from "Shaun of the Dead" and the highly inferior "Hot Fuzz," as two UFO junkies who meet an alien, voiced by Seth Rogen. While it's still written by Pegg and Frost, they've ditched Edgar Wright for Greg Mottola, the director of "Superbad" and "Adventureland." While I'm not sure adding Seth Rogen is a good idea here (or ever), Mottola will probably bring a fresher take to their comedic material. Critics are on the fence about this one, but if you're a fan of any of the four films I just mentioned, it might be worth checking out.
If independent is what you're aiming for, and let's face it, it probably should be, the Michigan Theater is also playing host to the 49th Ann Arbor Film Festival, featuring a variety of film-related events, screenings and Q&A sessions. Strictly speaking, none of this will happen over this weekend, but it's a chance to appreciate smaller films that often push more boundaries and are far more creative than lowest common denominator studio fare.
For those who'd rather stay in, "The Fighter," featuring Mark Wahlberg as the title character, comes out on DVD and Blu-ray this week, and has the added benefit of two Oscar-winning performances by Christian Bale and Melissa Leo. It may seem like just another boxing movie, but it explores familial dysfunction just as deeply as it portrays Wahlberg's physical struggle in the ring. Get it.
Full disclosure: I have a continuing relationship with NBCUniversal, which owns Universal Studios, the distributor of "Paul."
