The Weekend Report: You Haven't Seen The Last of Me

So it turns out that in terms of this week's releases, I was totally bass-ackwards about what to expect. Nothing like a heavy dose of reality to bring you down from those delusions. Beastly, my third most anticipated film of the month, has arrived to some pretty atrocious reviews. I don't exactly regret placing it where I did on my list, because much like in Nina Sayers, I thought I saw a flash of something greater. In this case, it appears I was wrong. So getting back to the basics of good and bad, now that that line has been clearly spelled out for us, lets continue with the bad. Tell me how a cliche 80's comedy called Take Me Home Tonight could possibly ever be good, because I can find no answer to that. This weekend, I'd rather be anywhere else.

And now that we have the unabashed drivel out of the way, lets get to what actually has a surprising chance this weekend. I am of course speaking firstly of Rango, the animated western about lizards, lizard-like mammals, and perhaps a creature or two we can't quite define. This film has no real right to succeed, and yet I've read some rave reviews calling it the most beautifully rendered animated film ever. This is a very suspect phrase, especially considering it's concerning an animation company other than Pixar. Then again, to be honest, Pixar doesn't have that great chances with their feature this year, so it's probably a good idea to find a few reasonable alternatives while we have the time.

The film that should be the big ticket item this weekend, and yet somehow hasn't gotten that sort of fame, is The Adjustment Bureau. I guess people might be hoping a little too highly for another Inception, and that's not what this film is, as I've said before. It looks like an inspirational and potentially emotional romance about choosing your path through life. I don't expect something truly great, but I expect something good, which we've had a great deficiency of this year. To have two potentially good films coming out this weekend after we've received two months of settling for less? That's just a miracle in my eyes. In box office respects, I'm certain that this weekend will be a huge step down from the same weekend last year, just because they had the massive boost of Alice in Wonderland.

For Your Anticipation: Don't Cry For Me Argentina

It doesn't seem like we're in the best position for starting out the month of March, especially with a Topher Grace comedy gracing us with its presence. It's hard to be optimistic for a film whose title happens to be a song that I hate, and it has nothing to do with the film, but Take Me Home Tonight has perhaps one or two things going for it. It's a simple story about two guys who go out to get drunk and meet ladies at a party in the 1980s. It's kind of difficult to go wrong with something as ripe as that. There's no higher expectations that could never possibly met. If it's the bare minimum, it will make its due.