by Brian Logee
Theater or Renter: March 2010
March 3, 2010 in Movies by Brian Logee
Theater or Renter: March includes three SF movies Alice in Wonderland, Repo Men, and How to Train Your Dragon. Will we watch? Will we rent? or do we even care?
Rules of the Game: Watch the trailers. Rate the Trailer. Then share with us your comments: does the movie, it’s trailer and buzz make you want to watch it in the theater, rent it, or not interested at all, and why?
Alice in Wonderland:
Release Date: MARCH 5th
Listed as: Fantasy
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Tim Burton
Music by: Danny Elfman
Produced by: Richard D. Zanuck, Joe Roth, Suzanne Todd, Jennifer Todd
Written by: Linda Woolverton
Stars: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Michael Sheen, Stephen Fry
The Plot / Story: This movie is a continuation of Alice’s adventures picking up 10 years after she has left Wonderland and forgotten the earlier visit. She returns and learns that she must help the inhabitants to slay the Jabberwocky, the dragon who terrorizes the inhabitants of Wonderland under the rule of the Red Queen. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
Comment: Under Tim Burton’s direction I expect Alice in Wonderland to be a dark and strange trip down the rabbit hole. The music should also be very good under Danny Elfman’s direction. The cast involved in the project is stellar though there is concern over Jonny Depp’s Mad Hatter coming across more like his Captain Jack character. The problem I’ve had so far is how some of the characters look from the posters and trailers, especially the Cheshire Cat who is my favorite character. I expect some of this is due to Disney’s push to make this a 3D movie. The pros outweigh the con’s so Alice in Wonderland is still a theater for me.
Repo Men:
Release Date: MARCH 19th
Listed as: science fiction, action, thriller
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Produced by: Scott Stuber
Written by: Eric Garcia, Garrett Lerner
Stars: Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Liev Schrieber, Alice Braga, Carice van Houten, Chandler Canterbury
The Plot / Story: In a future where artificial organs are readily available for purchase, just don’t default or they will repo them. One of the best repo men finds himself outfitted with a new heart, then forced to go on the run when he falls on hard financial times. Based on a novel by Eric Garcia of the same name. (Wikipedia) (The Official Site)
Comment: The what if sets this movie in a world that I don’t want any part of and believe we would never have, though with our nation moving towards fascism it may not be as far off. It also fails to be pitch it’s self as a warning tale. The trailer bored me. I like Jude Law and Forest Whitaker but it’s just not enough putting Repo Men into the Not Interested category.
Update: I still hold fast to my opinion about Repo Men but Bob the Elementalist, Eric and I did get into a fun conversation on genetic manipulation during witch we realized there could, with our current laws, be a situation where the genetic additions to a person would be copy written by the corporation and they could end up repossessing those additions.
How to Train Your Dragon:
Release Date: MARCH 26th
Listed as: Fantasy
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
Director: Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois
Produced by: Bonnie Arnold, Michael Connolly, Tim Johnson
Written by: Adam F. Goldberg, Peter Tolan, Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Stars: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson
The Plot / Story: Young Viking Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third is sent to the Isle of Berk in the North Sea, where he is to subdue a dragon as a rite of passage. Based on the book How to Train Your Dragon
- Another trailer for How To Train Your Dragon.
Comment: The movie has an interesting premise but I’m concerned that it may be too kidsy and not a family movie. I’m still having difficulty with the look of the dragons which I hope will be fixed once I’m fully into the movie and watching it on a big screen rather then just getting little glimpses from a trailer. How to Train Your Dragon is still on the fence between theater and renter though I’m now leaning towards theater.
, 
