A Viewer's Guide to Weekend Movies: The Best 'New' Wide Release is 30 Years Old
The best-reviewed wide release out this weekend is Ghostbusters. Not a remake, not a sequel; the original, 30-year-old Ghostbusters is getting an anniversary re-release. And it leads the pack by a country mile.
Let's get this summer movie season over with.
In Theaters
Beyond Ghostbusters – which, let's be honest, you know what you're getting – we have two new, poorly reviewed movies in wide release. The first is the abhorrently titled As Above/So Below, which is a found footage film about Parisian catacombs. Have you really been craving a found footage film about Parisian catacombs? If so, please come forward and declare yourself, because we don't believe you exist.
The aimless career of Pierce Brosnan continues in The November Man, a spy thriller that is exactly what you think it is. Our David Sims tried to diagnose Brosnan's problem earlier this week, but if you feel like you need to support him, be our guest.
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In Limited Release
Ah, MUCH better. Starred Up is an exciting-looking film – starring the gorgeous-looking Jack O'Connell – about a prisoner with anger management issues. We loved it, and we're incredibly excited for what O'Connell's next steps are, so this is a great way to get on that bandwagon early. (For what its worth, other critics are quite excited about it, too.)
The Congress, starring Robin Wright, has been available on demand for a while, but it's now in a very limited release. If it's in your town and you're a fan of Wright's, consider checking it out – it's not a perfectly made film, but she's great in it, and 76% of critics agree.
Video on Demand
Starred Up is also available on demand, so there's really no excuse for you not to see it this weekend. Additionally, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon's The Trip to Italy is hitting on demand. It's a melancholy little film – both hilarious and heartwrenching, according to our parent publication – and a spinoff of the actors' 2010 series The Trip. No need to be familiar with the series, though; you'll enjoy this no matter what.
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Streaming on Netflix
We don't usually recommend TV shows here, but it's an incredibly bad weekend for new streaming releases (since we've hit the end of a month, things are in transition), so we're making an exception. Parenthood season 5 just hit the streaming service, which means you can take the time to catch up with the entire series before its sixth and final season premieres. It's not always the best show, but it is warm and familial. That's something you don't get in a lot of series these days.
Movies on TV
Does anyone still like The Hobbit? Probably not. But The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug premieres on Saturday at 8 p.m. on HBO, so feel free to give it a whirl. (Please don't feel free to say the phrase "The Desolation of Smaug" too much. In fact, never say it again. Thank you.)
On the other hand, The Kings of Summer, airing at 5:25 p.m. Sunday on Showtime, is absolutely worth your time. It has a good cast of familiar folks (Nick Offerman, Allison Brie) and got lost a little bit last summer against natural competitor The Way Way Back (also a great film). If you're gonna be around Sunday afternoon, we strongly recommend it.
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This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/entertainment/2014/08/a-viewers-guide-to-weekend-movies-the-best-new-wide-release-is-30-years-old/379398/
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