New Releases

There is a variety of new films coming out this week, but nothing that really seems poised to grab the top box office spot.

Benji, Off the Leash. Now who thought we needed another Benji movie? Anyone? Didn't think so. Also, this one has been flying completely under the radar, I had no idea it was even coming out, much less having been made. To that extent, were there any commercials for this? I know I haven't seen any.

Exorcist: The Beginning. Here's a movie that has had a storied production. First it was made, to completion, with Paul Schrader directing. The studio didn't like it, so they fired Schrader and brought in Renny Harlin to, essentially, make the film again. How the studio let it get so far,I have no idea, you would think that they would have been paying attention to the production. Another sign of trouble is that this, like AvP last week, was not screened for critics. I guess they didn't like this one either.

Intimate Strangers. This is opening at the local arthouse, and looks to be interesting. I remember seeing a review for it a few weeks back that was on the positive side. The basic idea is that a woman seeking a psychiatrist enters the wrong office and the man in the office does not correct her, and listens to her story.

Open Water. This opened in limited release last week, this week it goes national, and probably poses the best threat to hit at the box office. Reviews and word of mouth have been stellar for this indie film that had a budget of less than one million dollars. It is based on actual tales of people being left behind by their tour boats on scuba diving expeditions. This time a couple is left alone in the water with sharks in the water around them, real sharks, not animatronics. It has a short running time at barely 80 minutes, but that is probably enough for tale such as this.

Without a Paddle. I'm not sure why this movie was even made. It really looks bad. It stars Seth Green, Matthew Lillard, and Dax Shephard as childhood friends that go on a camping trip filled with problems. I don't know about this. It looks like a waste of time to me, so I will leave it at that.

Until next time!