In Theaters This Weekend: March 1st, 2013


We get a decent medley of genres tomorrow as we have four movies hitting with absolutely nothing in common! I'm not sure the quality levels are very high, but there should at least be a good variety for movie-goers. "21 and Over", "Phantom", "Jack the Giant Slayer", and "The Last Exorcism Part II" all hit in wide variety, although I am unsure as to why and how The Last Exorcism got a sequel.. Didn't we get a pretty definite ending the first time around? Oh well, ON TO THE STATS!

"21 and Over" is the directing debut for a duo of writers that have worked on similar comedy-styled movies in the past, including "The Hangover". As I said, this is their first try at directing, but between the two of them I am confident that something funny will come from it. I am not promising a good movie mind you, I am simply stating that they have done funny stuff in the past in a similar fashion, so I don't see why they shouldn't be able to repeat the magic here. This is obviously geared towards the teen crowd, and if you like comedies similar to "The Hangover", this might work for you. Now as far as Rotten Tomatoes is concerned, we don't have a score in yet. By tonight or early tomorrow we should be seeing things roll in though, so you might want to keep an eye on that before heading to the theater. Just to be sure. Or you can just risk it...for brisket. I know that doesn't apply here, but you get the idea. On a related note, if you're going to a theater that does serve brisket, then it's always worth the risk, regardless of the film (many of you are wondering what the hell I'm even talking about right now).

"Phantom" is a movie about overcoming the failings of your past to succeed where others anticipated failure. This movie seems chock-full of hope, and if any of you know me at all you will understand exactly what that means to me. The downside is that it seems like this movie won't really break any new ground...or even really pick up the pickax, for that matter. It's currently sitting pretty with an 18% on RT, while director Todd Robinson wades through the countless Documentaries and TV dramas to try bringing a script to life on the silver screen. Maybe he will pull something off or maybe he will just sink beneath the waters like so many others do. This isn't a film that I think will resonate very well with me or most fans, but if you want a war story about a captain that is losing his mind while Fox Mulder...sorry, David Duchovny, leads a team of rogue KGB agents to stop him, well here it is...that seems like a very specific thing to want, but luckily for you, someone made it!

"Jack the Giant Slayer". I still have very little to say on this movie other than the fact that it has a great cast and Bryan Singer is directing it. I bet it's a fun movie for some audiences, but I am curious as to why the movie is happening at all. I don't know, maybe I just don't catch on to trends in Hollywood or something? Well anyway, JtGS is gripping a 61% currently at RT, which honestly is already much higher than I expected it to be. I imagine that as more critics see and review this film (currently 41 reviews), this number will drop. But, we'll see. I would say wait for the weekend to pass before goin' in for this one - if going at all - but eh, just put on your adult pants and tighten the belt. It won't be the worst movie of the year, I can guarantee you that. Kids should enjoy this film though, and as the reviews don't state it's the worst movie in existence, it shouldn't be that excruciating to sit though for parents/adults. In closing, everyone remembers that Singer directed the first two X-Men movies, "Superman Returns", and will direct the upcoming "X-Men: First Class" sequel, right? Good, I just wanted to make sure we ended our Bryan Singer discussions on a positive note.

Finally, "The Last Exorcism Part II". Why? Obviously there is no RT score here because, duh, this is going to get destroyed. Why is this even happening? I mean, I understand that horror films are making great returns on their mini-budgets these days, but I just wish we didn't need to see a sequel for every film that made a buck. Out of anger for this even existing I would say skip this one just so Hollywood gets the idea that we don't want or need a sequel to EVERYTHING! I honestly have nothing positive to say about this movie, other than that it did at least provide a decently creepy poster. See the film if you want, but just realize this is nothing more than a money play, and whatever your thoughts of the first film were, things will probably be much worse here. I might think less of you if you waste your time in the theater for this one.

As for some box office numbers, I imagine "Jack the Giant Slayer" will probably come out on top, if for nothing other than its big budget, fancy effects, appealability (it's a word) to younger audiences, and known cast. In a weak winter season, those aspects can help raise a film to the top (see: "A Good Day to Die Hard"). Something maybe in the $20MM range seems likely here. "21 and Over" should do a great job of pulling in the teen crowd. It may split some of the spoils with "The Last Exorcism Part II", as they're both targeting about the same audiences, but I'd say probably something in the $10MM-$15MM range for both of these seems likely; I give the edge to "21 and Over" between the two. "Phantom" probably won't do very well because, who's even heard of it? Maybe $5MM, but who really knows.

There we have it, folks! It's a done deal and we are ready to face the weekend without fear in our hearts. Go fourth and do me proud, Soldiers of Cinema!