An interesting week at the box office, as for the first time in a few weeks, we have three big movies opening…and they are all of a very different variety. It is like a melting pot of film with, an animated "family" film, an apocalyptic romcom and a semi-fake historical vampire film.
When looking at reviews, it seems that Brave is the one to see this weekend, but if you aren't in the mood for a Pixar film, that might not be for you. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter appeals to me on paper. I mean, we ask for originality, so here we go. But— and this is a pretty big but— nothing that I have seen has actually indicated to me that the genre crossover works and that it is actually, well, good. More than anything, I am worried about the tone of ALVH, as it feels like it takes itself just a bit too seriously for me. And then there is the Steve Carell and Keira Knightley comedy about what you do when an asteroid is about to hit the earth and there is no brave action star who can come in and destroy it. Again, original concept...also again, looks like mildly poor execution. So…there we go. It's summer, and, well, that is all I have to say about that this week.
In Theaters: June 22nd
 | 1. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Is it funny? Is it serious? I'm confused. Help. |
 | 2. Brave It's a Pixar movie. It can't be anything, but great, right....right?! |
 | 3. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Steve Carell is amazing, as is Patton Oswalt, and I could take or leave Keira Knightley, but know I am probably in the minority on that one. And yet, there isn't really anything about this combination that excites me. It just sounds, I don't know, slightly bizarre. |
 | 4. To Rome with Love It looks like a movie in which Woody Allen does what he does. However, after my love for Midnight in Paris and Vicky Christina Barcelona, I kind of stay on a high note with his films and I'm not sure this one with continue that trend. |
 | 5. Kumare A social experiment to impersonate a spiritual leader and build his own following believing "if you act like a guru, you can become a guru". He sets out on a mission to prove how blind faith can be kind of absurd. Yet, what he finds turns out to be a little different than he expected. It won the audience award at SXSW, and I know people who have seen it, and say that it is pretty spectacular, and like a "real life" Borat. Not sure where it is playing, but if it is near you, see it and report back. |
 | 6. The Invisible War A documentary about the epidemic of rape and how it is handled in the U.S. military that is not really talked about. I'm not sure if this sounds necessarily enjoyable to watch, but it sounds like one every American should see. |
 | A film based on the story of Hank Williams and his final ride across the country with a local kid who drove to gigs across the south. Sounds a little creepy to me. |
I don't think I could feel more discontent towards Vampire Hunter at this point.
With it's very poor reviews Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter looks like it's going to flop.
I loved the novel ALVH, which was a pretty serious take on the subject and fairly historically accurate, and I was happy to hear the original writer was doing the screenplay. However, every review I've seen says it has nothing to do with the novel other than the premise, and the previews make it look like Matrixy garbage.
@AlKusanagi: @Moviemaniac: @FinalDasa: WAIT FOR MY REVIIIIIIEW
@litrock: I'm sorry to say I've pre judged this already. Your review would have to be very glowing in order to convince me even to consider seeing it. I'm a huge American history nerd and just the fact that they want me to believe Lincoln somehow fought vampires as a younger man turns me off to this movie.
@FinalDasa: Lol, it's not THAT glowing. If you think the concept is inherently some sort of sacrilege then nothing I or anyone could say would change your mind. I do think the movie is pretty awesome, though.
@FinalDasa: Seriously, you should check out the novel. It revolves around Lincoln's journals and it uses his actual writings, speeches, and historical events to contextualize the story. Basically, vampires are largely responsible for the institution of slavery in the US since they view them as cattle to do with as they please and no one asks questions about what happens to them.
@AlKusanagi: Honestly that makes me hate it even more. My personal problem is a lot of people will have their only knowledge about Lincoln (and now slavery) come directly from this film. And the same people won't be excited and pumped to see Lincoln, which may just be a better film.
@FinalDasa said:
Well, those people would have NEVER been excited to see Lincoln anyway, so at least now they'll know who the guy on the penny is.
1. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter: The positive reviews from both Roger Ebert and Matthew Marko here on Screened, gives me hope that this could be good.
2. Brave: I'll go see it, because I love Pixar.
3. Seeking a Friend For The End Of The World: I would like to see it, but I think I would like to hear some feedback from my theater's customers if it's good or not.