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Paranormal Activity is pants-wetting, tear-producing, shrieking scary!
Not sure which movie to see this week in theaters? Let me help you out. The following is a list of films playing in the majority of theaters around the nation, "majority" being the key word, because many of the best films released in the past few weeks are only in limited release:
1. Paranormal Activity - See-it if you can - One of the top ten scariest movies of all time - This film about a "real" haunted house is finally earning a wider release, and you HAVE to see it when it finally arrives in your town (because it will). Paranormal Activity is an absolutely terrifying faux-documentary (think Blair Witch Project) that will have you finally believing that horror movies can scare the living sh*t out of you again. And if you haven't read the story about Steven Spielberg, the haunted DVD copy of the film, and him being inexplicably locked inside his own studio, read it here: The film that jolted Spielberg into ‘yes’
2. A Serious Man - See-it - The latest Cohen brothers film closely related to their own small-town Jewish background is not only one of their best, but hands-down of the best comedies of the year.
3. Zombieland - See-it - The perfect mix of hilarity and gore make Zombieland the perfect Halloween-time film - not to mention the well-kept secret cameo by the perfect person from the most perfect horror comedy of all time.
4. The Damned United - See-it if you can - After tackling Tony Blair and David Frost, actor Michael Sheen turns in maybe his best performance to date in this sports film about historical football manager.
5. An Education - See-it if you can - Author Nick Hornby (best known for the novels High Fidelity, About a Boy and for the football memoir Fever Pitch) wrote the screenplay for this romantic comedy about a woman who meets an older man (Peter Sarsgaard) and gives up an Oxford education.
6. Toy Story 3D & Toy Story 2 - See-it - Toy Story was the first movie shot entirely with CGI (computer generated imagery) and the first in a string of critically acclaimed run of Pixar films, so it's no surprise that the double-feature redone in 3D is worth your 2 hours and 49 minutes in theaters.
7. Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - See-it - A delicious family comedy with a plate full of slapstick and a side of quirky humor.
8. Boys Are Back - See-it if you can - A funny yet touching film about a sportswriter/father played by Clive Owen, in his best performance to date and likely Oscar-nominated role.
9. Good Hair - See-it if you can - A movie starring Chris Rock, Maya Angelou, Al Sharpton (three names you probably thought you'd never hear in the same sentence) about black America's obsession with their hair.
10. Yes Men Fix the World - Rent-it - A hilarious documentary about two men posing as corporate execs in nothing but thrift-store suits lie their way into business conferences with hilarious results.
Other films in theaters that didn't make the top ten:
Couples Retreat - Skip-it - The talented ensemble cast is certain to sell tickets but those movie-goers will want to "retreat" 20 minutes into this lackluster bare-bottom comedy.
Whip It - Rent-it - Drew Barrymore's directorial debut features brilliant performances from upcoming leading ladies, Ellen Page (Juno) and Kristen Wiig (SNL), in an action comedy about the sport of roller derby.
Capitalism: A Love Story - Rent-it - Michael Moore's new documentary is a lot of the same (close-up emotional breakdowns, higher-up confrontations, and persuasive arguments) but just as interesting and entertaining as usual as well.
The Invention of Lying - Rent-it - Ricky Gervais's film about a world that hasn't discovered how to lie is as imaginative as it is funny - the final act is unfortunately far less original than the opening.
The Informant! - Rent-it - Don't let the poorly marketed trailers fool you, this film is not a slapstick comedy, it's an ironic satire, and Matt Damon is quietly hilarious playing this corporate whistle-blower named Double-O-14.
Surrogates - Skip-it - For a Bruce Willis film, Surrogates is massively being under-marketed - a sign that something disappointing abounds. Go rent Minority Report and then I Robot instead.
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell - Skip-it - A disappointing film adaptation one of the shocking books written by the always shocking and hilarious Tucker Max starring a midget, a fat girl, and a gaggle of strippers.
Fame - Skip-it - Sorry all you SYTYCD fans, this reinvention of Fame is a dummied-down, unsophisticated version that's targeted at teens to make them think fame is all that truly matters in life.
Pandorum - Skip-it - Read this sentence and tell me you actually care what happens to these "two astronauts stranded on a spacecraft soon learn they're not alone."
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