'Forgotten' Kingdom, '88' Marshalls, 'Sarah' Minutes
By Connect Mason Reporter Matthew Todd
Flop sweat, familiar humor and Americanized foreign flicks await this weekend's movie-goer audience.
But before we take the plunge...
Last Weekend’s Recap
Most of the films covered last weekend were mainly limited releases. "Prom Night" and "Street Kings" were the only two that opened in a wide selection of theaters. "Prom Night" was “Prom King” thanks to its popular horror genre and its audience-friendly PG-13 rating (grossing $20.8 million; around my predictions). On the other hand, "Street Kings" opened with an abysmal $12.4 million despite all its star-power. "Smart People," starring Dennis Quaid, Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen Page, meanwhile grossed a somewhat average $4 million in 1,106 venues.
"The Forbidden Kingdom" (Lionsgate/The Weinstein Company, PG-13)
This week, the high-profile and heftily-budgeted release is the greatly anticipated Jet Li/Jackie Chan vehicle, "The Forbidden Kingdom." The plot is simple (and very bizarre) revolving around a young American man who is transported back to ancient times to help an army of warriors free the king of China.
Much like other Americanized versions of Asian-set stories (i.e. "Memoirs of A Geisha"), the only way to really draw in a wide audience is for the film to be in English. Li and Chan sound as if they’re hopelessly straining to speak English, while the American actor, Michael Angarano, seems hopelessly out of place. The movie could have been a lush tale gyrating around the history of China and the exquisite art of kung-fu, but the script sounds utterly bland, the fight sequences overdone and the acting very lackluster. "The Forbidden Kingdom" may have come with a high price tag, but really, couldn’t they have had a more enticing preview?
"88 Minutes" (Sony Pictures, R)
Dr. Jack Gramm (Al Pacino) is a university professor who also works as a forensics psychiatrist. He receives a death threat claiming he has only 88 minutes to live. Therefore he must narrow down the possible suspects before it’s too late.
The preview suggests a kinetic thriller of framing, deception and murderous misunderstandings. While Pacino is always a joy to watch, I have too many doubts about this mind-games suspense. The film seems to take as many twists and turns while trying to maintain a frantic pace. As I’ve been painfully disappointed by "Double Jeopardy" and "Along Came A Spider," I have hardly any faith in this one either.
"Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (Universal, R)
After a terrible break-up with his TV star girlfriend, Sarah Marshall, Peter heads to Hawaii on a vacation to attempt to forget about her. But to his surprise, Sarah is also vacationing at the same resort with her new boyfriend.
It's a romantic comedy about moving on and finding life after love... done Judd Apatow style (sort of). While written and produced by the top comedy chefs behind "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Knocked Up," I wasn’t as hopeful about the film after watching the rather so-so preview where the laughs seemed sporadic. But that can be a good thing considering much of the humor is probably too deliciously crass and dirty to be shown. If the critics are as strongly for this film as they were for "Virgin" and "Knocked Up," then it could be one of the funniest comedies of the early year.
Box Office Predictions
For me, it’s a real horse-race between "Forbidden Kingdom" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." But I won’t lie, "Marshall" seems much more appealing and could turn out the kind of audience that put "Knocked Up" No. 1 with $30 million last year. I will call first place for "Sarah Marshall" with a $27-31 million gross, while "Kingdom" might settle for second with $18-23 million. "88 Minutes" seems to reek of flop sweat, therefore I’m only predicting a $4-7 million opening weekend.
My Pick: "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"