Imagine this: Friday rolls around and you decide you want to go to the movies. There’s only one problem. You look up the week’s new releases, and none of them strike your fancy. Feeling disappointed, you open Netflix and scroll endlessly trying to find something that grabs your attention.
Each week, reporter Shane Weinstein takes a look at what major motion pictures are hitting theaters and offers suggestions of alternate films to take in on Netflix. Here are his alternatives for the week of Jan. 23, 2015.
Photo courtesy of Lucasfilm Animation.New This Week: "Strange Magic" (Featuring the voices of Alan Cumming, Evan Rachel Wood and Maya Rudolph)
Netflix Alternatives: "The Croods" (2013, Featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone and Ryan Reynolds)
From the mind of George Lucas comes “Strange Magic," an animated musical that stands as a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” But if the poorly edited trailers or negative reviews have you contemplating whether or not to skip this one, save your money and watch Dreamwork’s Oscar nominated “The Croods.” Featuring Nicolas Cage and Emma Stone as the Croods, a prehistoric family who finds their lives rapidly changing. Laughs abound as screenwriters Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders navigate mature themes delicately by balancing them with a surprising sentimentality. This weekend, save your money and journey with “The Croods” instead of investing in Lucasfilm’s latest release.
New This Week: "The Boy Next Door" (Starring Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman and Kristen Chenoweth)
Netflix Alternative: "Fatal Attraction" (1987, Starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close)
Ryan Guzman stars as a young man who has a one-night stand with his neighbor (Lopez) and then proceeds to develop an obsession with her. If the concept of an affair with repercussions sounds familiar, it is because it’s the very same concept found in the 1987 classic, “Fatal Attraction,” in which Michael Douglas stars as a married man who has an affair after the woman he slept with gains feelings for him. The film went on to be nominated for six Oscars and has since spawned a play adaptation. If you can’t get yourself to spend money on something you’ve already seen, stay at home and rewatch the classic.
Photo courtesy of Infinitum Nihil.New This Week: "Mortdecai" (Starring Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor and Olivia Munn)
Netflix Alternate: "The Naked Gun" (1988, Starring Leslie Nielson and Prescilla Presley)
Based upon a series of novels by author Kyril Bonfiglioli, Johnny Depp plays the titular Charlie Mortdecai, an art dealer who gets caught up in a plot to recover a stolen painting. However, if Depp’s shtick has gotten a bit tiresome for you but you’re still in the need for a comedy about a bumbling yet loveable character, look no further than 1988 David Zucker vehicle “The Naked Gun.” Leslie Nielson stars as Frank Drebin, the same character he played on the TV show, “Police Squad!” The film serves as a perfect choice for fans of “Airplane!” and while it’s certainly an acquired taste, for those who enjoy that type of comedy, it’s tough to beat.
New This Week: "Black Sea" (Starring Jude Law, Scoot McNairy)
Netflix Alternate: "Phantom" (2013, Starring Ed Harris, David Duchovny and William Fitchner)
Jude Law stars as a submarine captain who agrees to search for a sunken World War II ship that is supposedly loaded with gold. If the film flew underneath your radar, Netflix offers another solid submarine drama for your viewing pleasure. Loosely based on a true story, “Phantom,” stars Ed Harris as the captain of a Soviet submarine. He finds himself and his crew in the middle of a crisis at sea. While this film had a very limited theatrical run, it features several strong performances and is certainly worth a watch this weekend if “Black Sea” is not playing in your area.
That’s it for this week. Be sure to check back next week when I have alternatives for “Project Almanac” and the Academy Award-nominated “Song of the Sea.”
Contact this reporter at seweinst@asu.edu or Follow @S_Weinstein 95 on Twitter
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