It's an interesting week, because I don't feel like there is any breakout hit – it could be The Expendables 2 that wins the box office but it also could be the more family friendly ParaNorman and in some odd bizarre world, it could be Sparkle. Well, I think probably not on the last one, but being that it is the last movie that Whitney Houston appeared it, it could become some sort of cultural phenomenon. However, if you are in the mood for some true action, The Expendables sequel once again teams up some of the greatest stars of the genre for what I can only assume will be one bad-ass mother fucking movie. I hope so, at least.
My choice…ParaNorman! (Matt Marko's review will most likely not be posted until Monday, so look out for it then). I'm a sucker for stop-motion animation and weird dark stories, so I'm looking forward to this one. My only question is - I am a bit curious why they didn't hold this one for October as it seems like perfect Halloween fare.
In Theaters: August 17th
 | 1. The Expendables 2 Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Crews and Randy Couture…..need I say more? |
 | 2. ParaNorman The LAIKA and Focus Features stop-action follow-up to Coraline, and if it's anywhere near as good, I'm sold. |
 | 3. The Odd Life of Timothy Green After a married couple (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton) cannot have a baby, they make a wish and bury it in some dirt and then the next morning there comes little Timothy Green – out of the garden. That's right, he was not birthed, he was born in a garden. It looks very sticky sweet and sentimental, but hey, maybe you're in the mood for that right now. |
 | 4. Sparkle Sadly, I don't know if this movie will stand on its own, or just be known as the last movie Whitney Houston appeared in before her sudden death. The movie stars Jordin Sparks as Sparkle – a girl that is raised by a single mother (Houston) and struggles to become a star. It attempts to honor the heyday of Motown, but doesn't seem to sparkle quite enough. |
 | 5. Cosmopolis I'm curious to see this simply for the David Cronenberg weird factor and having no idea what to expect from him. |
 | 6. The Awakening I like Rebecca Hall, I love Dominic West, but this ghost story doesn't look any fresher then say The Others and I feel like I can guess the "twist" just from trailers. |
 | 7. Robot and Frank I'm not gonna lie, but this…this is the one that looks like it might win my heart. |
 | 8. Compliance I'm really confused by this movie and more than anything really disturbed by its concept, but it is 92% fresh on rottentomatoes, so maybe I should give it a a chance? |
The Expendables 2 was an alright movie, I would stick with that.