New Releases

This week brings a variety of films to the local cineplexes. Let's jump right in, shall we?

Collateral. This is a movie I've been looking forward to for awhile know. Tom Cruise as a bad guy, something new for the star. The trailers look good, the cast looks good, creative looks good, let's hope it stands up. The basic premise is a hitman, played by Cruise needs to make a few stops, so he hires a cabbie, played by Jamie Foxx, to drive him. Of course Foxx finds out what his fare is doing, and needs to do something about it. It has gotten very good reviews, particularly for Foxx, who appears to be breaking out from his comedic trappings (he also plays Ray Charles in an upcoming biopic). The film was directed by Michael Mann, who also brought us The Last of the Mohicans, Heat, and TV's Miami Vice.

Little Black Book. Brittany Murphy returns in another romantic comedy, co-starring Holly Hunter. I must admit, I had no idea this was coming out, when I saw the title it rang zero bells, but now I remember having seen a trailer for it awhile back. Seems to be garnering mixed reviews, Ebert seemed to like it though. It is about a television assistant checking up on her boyfriend's exes. Might be worth checking out, but it isn't terribly high on my watch list.

Maria Full of Grace is opening at the local arthouse, and it looks to be an interesting piece. Not sure if I'll make it out to see, but will be worth keeping an eye out for when the eventual DVD comes out. It concerns a young, pregnant girl from Colombia who becomes a mule in order to try to get a better life for herself and her unborn child. From what i have read it features a great performance from Catalina Sandino Moreno, who stars as Maria.

Napoleon Dynamite. This actually opened awhile ago, but is just now making it to my neck of the woods. This is another movie I've been looking forward to checking out, although it's success as a movie seems to be rather middling. It is about a high school misfit and his friends escapades. Just another teen comedy, some would say, but this one is infested with strange characters doing strange things. Looks like it may be right up my alley.