Kip Mooney
On Ride Along 2 And The Rest Of The Weekend’s New Film Releases.
Ride Along 2.
Director: Tim Story.
Writers: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi.
Cast: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart, Tika Sumpter, Olivia Munn.
Playing At: Wide.
Ice Cube and Kevin Hart yell at each other for two hours again, this time with Hart as a full-fledged cop trying to take down a drug dealer (Benjamin Bratt) alongside Ice Cube. I can take both Hart and Ice Cube in small doses, but as leads they're often grating. At least they've got the vastly underrated Olivia Munn and the usually entertaining Ken Jeong for back-up.
13 Hours.
Director: Michael Bay.
Writer: Chuck Hogan.
Cast: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, David Denman, James Badge Dale.
Playing At: Wide.
The siege of the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012, would absolutely make for a compelling movie. (I'd especially like to see Zero Dark Thirty's Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow tackle the story.) But there's something about Michael Bay, he of the last four Transformers movies, doing this that makes it seem a little too 'Murica. That's certainly not to take away from the brave men who lost their lives that night, but like Lone Survivor and American Sniper, it's got a tightrope to walk that those films didn't always balance so gracefully.
Norm of the North.
Director: Trevor Wall.
Writers: Daniel Altiere, Steven Altiere, Malcolm T. Goldman.
Cast: Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, Ken Jeong, Bill Nighy.
Playing At: Wide.
Your kids are out of school on Monday, and they want to see something with a talking animal. Here's that thing. Have fun.
Anomalisa.
Directors: Charlie Kaufman, Duke Johnson.
Writer: Charlie Kaufman.
Cast: David Thewlis, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan.
Playing At: Angelika Dallas.
If you're an adult who wants to see an animated movie, there's this lovely gem from Charlie Kaufman, about a disillusioned self-help guru (David Thewlis) who starts a relationship with another hotel guest (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and reconsiders his life. Our own Javier Fuentes called it one of the best movies of the year.
Chimes at Midnight.
Director: Orson Welles.
Writer: Orson Welles.
Cast: Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Margaret Rutherford, John Gielgud.
Playing At: Texas Theatre.
Due to protracted legal battles, very few people have ever gotten the opportunity to see Orson Welles' remix of multiple Shakespearean plays. Welles plays Falstaff, the obese, mischievous knight who fights for his son's loyalty. This completely remastered version has killed it in limited release the last few weeks, and curious cinephiles in DFW finally get their chance to see this on the big screen.
Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict.
Director: Lisa Immordino Vreeland.
Playing At: Angelika Dallas.
This doc takes a look at Peggy Guggenheim, who used her tremendous wealth to amass an incredible collection of all kinds of art while living an unapologetically hedonistic life.
The Man Who Fell to Earth.
Director: Nicholas Roeg.
Writer: Paul Mayersberg.
Cast: David Bowie, Rip Torn, Candy Clark, Buck Henry.
Playing At: Texas Theatre.
Showings: Friday, January 15; Saturday, January 16.
I was originally going to pick the Alamo Drafthouse's Kill Bill double feature on Wednesday, but then cancer had to go and be a bitch and take the life of David Bowie. But the Texas Theatre leapt into action to show his first lead performance, which is apt, since Bowie often seemed like he was not of this world. The Drafthouse has also put together a tribute, with a sing-a-long slated for Saturday night at 9:30 p.m.
