Conan the Barbarian

Starring: Jason Momoa, Rachel Nichols, Stephen Lang, Rose McGowan, Ron Perlman, Said Taghmaoui

Directed by: Marcus Nispel

Plot: Cimmerian warrior Conan sets out on a mission of revenge but soon discovers he may be the only hope to stop a vicious warlord from conquering all of Hyboria.

Rotten Tomatoes Freshness: 26%

Critic Consensus: “While its relentless, gory violence is more faithful to the Robert E. Howard books, Conan the Barbarian forsakes three-dimensional characters, dialogue, and acting in favor of unnecessary 3D effects”

Fright Night

Starring: Anton Yelchin, Colin Farell, Toni Colette, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Imogen Poots

Directed by: Craig Gillespie

Plot: High school senior Charlie begins to suspect his new next door neighbor, Jerry, might be a vampire.

RT Freshness: 78%

Critic Consensus: “It may not have been necessary to remake the 1985 cult classic, but the new Fright Night benefits from terrific performances by Colin Farrell and David Tennant — and it’s smart, funny, and stylishly gory to boot”

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World

Starring: Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Jeremy Piven, Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Rowan Blanchard, Mason Cook

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez

Plot: Retired spy Marissa Cortez and her whole family are called into action when the evil Timekeeper threatens to take over the world.

RT Freshness: 9%

Critic Consensus: N/A

One Day

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Tom Mison, Tim Key, Rafe Spall, Jodie Whittaker

Directed by: Lone Scherfig

Plot: After spending one day together in June of 1988, Emma and Dexter continue to stay in touch and meet for the next twenty years.

 

Community has been making movie references since it’s first episode but lately they’ve been doing whole episodes based on specific genres.  If you haven’t been watching the show, it follows the misadventures of Jeff Winger, a disgraced lawyer who has to go back to college to get his legal degree.  Attending Greendale Community College he becomes friends with his Spanish study group which includes single mom Shirley, activist/feminist Brita, grade obsessed Annie, old guy Pierce, former high school jock Troy and movie/tv nerd Abed.

Two weeks ago they did a gangster film parody where the gang took control of Greendale’s chicken finger supply with  Abed as the Don, but this week they outdid themselves with a parody/tribute to action movies as the entire campus got caught up in a paintball war. It started out like a typical Community episode;  Jeff  and Brita  were getting on the study group’s nerd with their constant bickering, which they attributed to built up sexual tension.  The dean arrives to tell the gang that the Spring Fling event is going to start soon with a fun paintball match where the winner will get a TBD prize (It was supposed to be a Blu Ray player but someone stole it).  Jeff couldn’t care less and goes to take a nap in his car.  He wakes up an hour later to find the campus in chaos as the prize has been turned into priority registration for next semester’s classes.  Check out the whole episode below and see if you can get all the references, I think I’m going to need to watch it again but I got Terminator, The Matrix, Face/Off, Predator and Rambo just to name a few.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Starring: Bill Hader, Neil Patrick Harris, Anna Faris, James Caan, Bruce Campbell

Directed by: Chris Miller, Phil Lord

Plot: Inventor Flint Lockwood invents a machine that turns water into food that goes haywire and starts raining food all over the world.

Rotten Tomatoes Freshness: 86%

Critic Consensus: “Quirky humor, plucky characters and solid slapstick make this family comedy a frenetically tasty time at the movies.”

Jennifer’s Body

Starring: Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried, Johnny Simmons, J.K. Simmons

Directed by: Karyn Kusama

Plot: Flag team captain Jennifer is sacrificed by a rock band to get a record deal, but the sacrifice is botched and Jennifer becomes possessed by a demon and starts seducing and killing the boys of the town.

RT Freshness: 36%

Critic Consensus: “Jennifer’s Body features occasionally clever dialogue but the horror/comic premise fails to be either funny or scary enough to satisfy.”

The Informant!

Starring: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey

Directed by: Steven Soderbergh

Plot: Mark Whitacre becomes an informant to the FBI when he finds out about Archer Daniels Midland’s price fixing practices.

RT Freshness: 70%

Critic Consensus: “A charismatic turn by star Matt Damon and a consistently ironic tone boost this quietly funny satire about a corporate whistle-blower.”

Gamer

Zach:  In the future people will control over people in video games, and everything will still be shooters.  Nothing too exciting about this one but it could be fun in a Death Race or Running Man kind of way.  Michael C. Hall looks like he’s having fun as the insane host of the game and when Gerard Butler isn’t making romantic comedies he’s usually a bad ass.

Brian: I appreciate the return of the directing one-two punch that is Neveldine/Taylor (Crank, Crank 2) but I’m just not loving this trailer. It gives me “Wanted” vibes. But like Zach said, good to see Gerard Butler in an action film again. I’m holding my judgment on this movie though.

Whiteout

Zach: Another graphic novel based movie, Whiteout is about a US Marshall who has to investigate a murder in Antarctica.  It looks like it could be a decent thriller and Antarctica is underrepresented as far as movie go. (The Thing says hi)

Brian: Seems like “The Thing” meets “Sphere”, so… mixed? Looks like it could provide some decent thrills but I’m just not sold yet. Also, lots of snow. And blue.

9

Zach:  Only Tim Burton could think up living sack dolls who must fight off marauding robotic animals.  The movie looks gorgeous and has a great voice cast including Elijah Wood, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Connelly, Martin Landau and Crispin Glover.  I could live without the Coheed and Cambria at the end but otherwise it looks extremely interesting and I might have to go check it out.

Brian: That Coheed and Cambria song is so overused, but I have a soft spot for it in trailers if it’s used to hype up bad-ass action. (Which it does in this case.) I wasn’t expecting much from the start of the trailer but this looks like an exciting thrill ride. Can’t argue with this voice cast either.

Extract

Zach:  What else can you say except it’s Mike Judge and I don’t think he’s ever steered us wrong before so I’m expecting this to be just as hilarious as everything else he’s done.  I’m glad that this is actually getting promoted and in more than 4 theaters, unlike the criminally mishandled Idiocracy.  Also, how can you go wrong with Jason Bateman?

Brian: Ew, Affleck. Oh well. I’ll stomach his turn as the goofy “stoner” friend because I like the rest of the cast. Trailer has some good laughs, but I didn’t bust out until Jason’s little smoke up at the end. Hilarious. Mike Judge has proven himself to be a very funny guy, and I don’t see this movie being any different. At least they’re giving it a chance in theaters.

The Informant!

Zach: So apparently Matt Damon can kick ass and also be hilarious, he’s a double threat!  This movie looks awesome and has kind of Coen brothers feel to it, Lebowski Coen brothers not “kill everyone with a cattle gun” Coen brothers.  With Steven Soderbergh directing and Joel McHale and Scott Bakula co-starring hopefully it’s able to deliver.

Brian: If the movie is as funny as the trailer, deal me in. Damon’s nerdy little goofball executive is amusing, and this movie seems like a bunch of smart slapstick. I’ve trusted Soderburgh before, “Traffic” and “Ocean’s Eleven” are excellent. But it’s good to see him move to a straight up comedy for a change. Could be good or great.

More info from Rifftrax:

“The year was 1984. While the fascistic regime foretold by Orwell had not yet come to power the nation had been brought to its knees, the victim of repeated playings of Karma Chameleon and Sister Christian. The country needed something to believe in, something besides aerobics or Emmanuel Lewis’ winning the People’s Choice Award. And so they came, a ragtag group of heroes in a beat-up pickup, complete with a beat-up gun rack: Jed, Aardvark, Daryl, Arturo and their brave, though prone-to-sniveling compatriot Robert (played by the prone-to-sniveling C. Thomas Howell.) The dawn may have been a red one, but they would make sure that when the sun set, it would be red… white and blue!

Joining Mike for this very special RiffTrax is Joel McHale, the Daryl to Mike’s Arturo, or perhaps the Jed to his Aardvark, or maybe the Aardvark to his Daryl. The point is, it is the perfect partnership with which to assail the enemies of freedom, i.e., the makers of Red Dawn!”

http://www.rifftrax.com/rifftrax/red-dawn