This week, we have four movies opening up, all with a different story to tell. The Last Exorcism comes into the weekend on a great burst of momentum, with critics and crowds both raving about it. Takers finally arrives, the studio hoping no one notices that Chris Brown is in it too much. Centurion was once thought to be the breakout film for director Neil Marshall. The American? Well, the more I think about it, I get the feeling Clooney just didn’t want to leave Italy to make a movie. Here’s your slate of movies for the weekend.
The Last Exorcism – Lionsgate appears to have a big ol’ hit on their hands with this one. Advanced screening crowds have been raving about this, comparing it to The Blair Witch Project and saying it is this year’s Paranormal Activity. In The Last Exorcism, a minister who leans toward the entertainment side of religion is asked to come perform an exorcism on a teenage girl, and agrees on a documentary crew filming it. Apparently things get a little too real for the preacher man. This is getting unbelievably great buzz from critics for a horror film. Also, forget about the PG-13 rating, it’s apparently crazy scary. Check out the creepy trailer here.
Takers – At long last, the wait is finally over. After what seems like two years of watching the trailer for this everytime I would step inside a theatre, we finally find out if this is actually good or not. Because that’s the thing, we don’t know. Usually when a studio leaves a film sitting on the shelf for this long, there’s really no doubt that it’s a stinker. In those situations, however, the stars of said films didn’t go 3 rounds with Rihanna in the middle of a busy street. In Takers, five expert bank robbers risk everything by thinking outside the box and going after an armored truck and the $20 million inside. The great cast includes Matt Dillon, Idris Elba, and Zoe Saldana. Watch the trailer again here.
Centurion – Centurion has many things going in its favor. The story of a group of Roman soldiers fighting for their lives after being decimated behind enemy lines by a guerrilla attack, the movie is filmed liked a more realistic 300. Yes, I know 300 was based on a skirmish, but no one’s performing slow motion dropkicks in Centurion. As the titular Centurion, Michael Fassbender shows everyone why he is being cast in seemingly every movie now. Also, while it may be argued that Neil Marshall hasn’t directed a breakout movie yet, all three of his feature films so far (Dog Soldiers, The Descent, Doomsday) are considered modern day classics of their genres. If this is playing in your town, give it a shot. If you haven’t seen the trailer yet, catch it here.
The American (opening 9/1) – Opening on Wednesday, George Clooney‘s latest has him starring as an assassin who, after a hit goes bad, declares retirement after one last job. Hanging out in Italy, Clooney becomes friendly with the local priest and makes a nice looking lady friend while the job details are ironed out. I may be wrong, but my Spidey-sense is tingling on this one. Considering this is being released in September, instead of a month when it would actually make money, I have a feeling this will be to hit man movies what Solaris was to sci-fi. In other words, if you are up for a lot of adult conversation, fine, it’s about time in fact. Just don’t expect Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Directed by Anton Corbijn (Control) and written by Rowan Joffe (28 Weeks Later).