Jonathan's taking the week off, so I'll be subing in for him in his Screen Time duties. He didn't leave me with the best week to work with. All I see that's that's remotely interesting is a comedy that's been divisively recieved and a rehash/update of a sci-fi concept that places Mr. "300" in the world's most deadly video game. It's not much to work with, but I'll do my best:
"Extract"
- Mike Judge, director of "Office Space," returns with this story of the manager of a plant making the titular walnut product. Now "Office Space," due to its dry and witty rampage through the grind of cubicle work, was one of the best slacker comedies to come around in a good while. I have my doubts as to Judge's ability to lower himself down to the level of factory workers in a country setting with the same success that he had with angsty office workers. I just can't help thinking that he's too aware of his own cleverness to bring life to a set of stereotypes that is so apart from his usual suspects.
- Ben Afleck, sporting a full beard and the most ratty hair you've ever seen, looks like he's going to nail it as the stoner best friend. The only times I've laughed out loud during the trailers for this one were when he was making some offensive remark about drugs or women. If he's as good as those glmpses promise, his character will be a definite contender for best politically incorrect role of the year.
- Mila Kunis, while insanely cute, has never shown the kind of detached wit in her acting necessary to pull off a Judge female character. I'll admit that she'll be good to look at, but her presence in the ensemble makes me seriously question the casting.
"Gamer"
- "The Running Man," a campy action extravaganza starring Arnold Schwarzenegger that came out in 1987, explored the idea of convicts being punished in a game show format. In a twist on American Gladiators, they were hunted down by hulking, well-armed goons. It was an interesting concept that deserved a better treatment than it got. Flash forward to 2009, and we get "Gamer." The game show has changed to a video game in which death row inmates are controlled by players at home in an imitation battle field. Once again, great concept, but in the light of the cringe-inducing scenes in the trailer (especially Ludacris's painful last shot), it looks like this too won't live up to its promise.
- Gerard Butler has to be the most type-cast actor in Hollywood right now. From "300" to "The Ugly Truth," he's been made into a raging brute that's nothing but crass, tough one-liners and a mean left hook. Hopefully he can break out of that in the film's softer moments, but I don't think there's going to be many of them for him to exploit.
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