Author: Billy Tatum (Page 5 of 8)

What should’ve been a much ballyhooed science fiction film could be a reason why there’s no “Take your son to work” day.

The $150 million dollar sci-fi epic “After Earth” hits theaters this weekend, but the big story may be about how nepotism may cripple this film out of the gate. Starring Will Smith as a military general who attempts to connect with his son when they crash land on a post-apocalyptic Earth, the film has been skewered by critics. A weak screenplay (written by director M. Night Shyamalan) based on a story by Will Smith, coupled with the bad performance of Smith’s son Jaden has drawn the ire of critics.

Although “After Earth” doesn’t have any big ticket competition debuting this week, the holdovers from last week will attempt to make this a soft opening for the Fresh Prince and son. Last week’s trio of blockbuster sequels “Fast & Furious 6”, “The Hangover III”, and “Star Trek: Into Darkness” should have a say in how far “After Earth” goes. And then, there’s magic…

“Now You See Me” features the story of what happens when a group of magicians rob banks to give to the poor or at least people who don’t ask for rabbits. Performing the slight-of-hand is Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman.

If battling aliens, father-son duos, race cars and prestidigitation aren’t your thing, you have options:

The Kings of Summer – If you miss “Stand By Me”, get ready for this coming of age film about three friends who decide to spend their summer building a house in the woods. It stars Nick Robins, Gabriel Basso, and Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”)

The East – A beautiful P.I goes undercover to take down a criminal group who are taking out major corporations. Wait, that’s a bad thing? Stars Brit Maring (“Sound of My Voice”), Alexander Skarsgard (“True Blood”), and Ellen Page (“Juno”)

Shadow Dancer – Continues the undercover theme as a member of the IRA who has to choose between spying on her family or going to prison for her part in a bombing. Stars Andrea Risenborough, Aidan Gillen, Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson (“X-Files”)

It’s a showdown of two guys who are no stranger to posing in really nice suits.

Warner Bros. “The Great Gatsby” is seeking to show industry execs that it has a special superpower, knocking down reigning #1 box office champ “Iron Man 3”. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey McGuire, the period piece epic is seen as the ultimate counterprogramming to the superhero sequel. Set in the 1920s, “The Great Gatsby” follows Midwest writer (Tobey McGuire) as he gets sucked into the rollercoaster lifestyle of his millionaire partyboy neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio).

“Iron Man 3” pulled in $174 million last week and destroyed all of its competition. It remains to be seen if “Gatsby” can cause a changing of the guard with an audience that is likely to skew heavily female.

So you don’t want guys who can fly or decadent millionaires with a jazz soundtrack? No problem, there are athletes, laughs and even a natural disaster to keep your attention.

Peeples – Craig Robinson is out of “The Office” and headlining this comedy about a man who crashes his girlfriend’s snooty family reunion to ask for her hand in marriage. Kerry Washington stars as the girlfriend and David Alan Grier as the patriarch. Also stars melvin Van Peeples and S. Epatha Merkerson.

Venus and Serena – There’s a reason we’re still relevant in international tennis: Venus and Serena Williams. They’ve dominated for over a decade and provided inspiration and scorn from fans and detractors. In this documentary, see how the sisters fought career and life-threatening disease with the heart of a champion.

Aftershock – What happens when you mix a horror film with an earthquake? A group of people who happened to be in an underground club in Chile finds out the hard way. Stars Eli Roth and Selena Gomez.