Engaging Culture

Get Him To The Greek – This movie could be confused for “Forgetting Sarah Marshall 2″, but it’s not. That’s because it exists in some alternate universe where Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) is a Rock-and-Roll icon. I didn’t find him funny or entertaining in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and, from the looks of the Red Band Trailer, I won’t find this outing funny either. I actually enjoyed Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Despite the raunch that I’ve come to expect from comedies these days, at its heart it had a sweet romance that I fell for. Plus Jason Segel puts himself so far out there (metaphorically and quite literally) that you are forced to go on this emotional roller-coaster with him. And it’s a fun ride. But Get Him to the Greek looks like it has all the raunch with none of the heart that makes me love some of Judd Apatow‘s movies. I think it will do fairly well with the college aged and teens whose parents don’t know better than to let their kids go see this movie. But it looks far too juvenile and lacks the substance that I want from a movie. Predicted score: 45

Killers – I’m torn by this movie. The trailer makes it look like a fun date movie that both sexes might even enjoy. Let’s face it, we’ve seen good Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) and we’ve seen bad Katherine Heigl (The Ugly Truth), which one this incarnation is will soon be seen. And Ashton Kutcher is… And now the producers have come out saying that the film won’t be screened for critics. This is usually a company’s way of shielding themselves from getting bad press before the movie even comes out. That way, with no one to warn them, the unsuspecting public will be lured in by tricky marketing schemes and give the movie a good opening. But soon enough word-of-mouth will bring the film crashing down. A very similar movie will be coming out in just a few more weeks starring Cameron Diaz and Tom Cruise called Knight and Day. I think that Killers will end up being killed by Knight and Day. Predicted score: 63

Ondine – Colin Farrell scoops up the title character (Alicja Bachleda) in his fishing net and thinks she is a mermaid. According to legend, this Ondine is unable to gain a soul unless she marries a man and bears his child. So there’s your plot, a watery tart looking for a soul vs. a skeptical Irish fisherman. Sounds laughable, but the trailer feels dirty because it shows the gritty reality of this kind of life. I think director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Michael Collins) will be able to join the stark reality with the fantastical, to make this a great film. Check out the trailer and see what you think. But I’m giving it a Predicted score of 82.

What movie do you think will be better? Which do you think will make more? Are you excited about any of these upcoming movies?