Opening This Week: Fury, The Best Of Me, The Book Of Life

[Nellore Pedda reddy]

Opening This Week - October 17 

 

Fury (2014)

 

134 min    -   Action | Drama | War

Metascore: 62/100 (20 reviews)

April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.

Director:  David Ayer

Stars:  Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña

 

THE BUZZ: It could be said that David Ayer, best known for his stories set on the streets of Los Angeles, has been making war movies his entire career; Fury finds the filmmaker looking back in history for the first time, and this is definitely his first 'event picture' as a director. Reports of Ayer's manly approach to his work -- he likes to have sparring sessions before cameras roll each day -- has us thinking how ecstatic Shia LaBeouf must have been in such an environment. For the most part (i.e. barring Sabotage), Ayer has found the balance between commercial and critical success, but we're not certain this film's engineering is as sound as it once seemed - the first reviews express disappointment in these characters and their climatic showdown.

 

[Nellore Pedda reddy]

The Best of Me (2014)

 

117 min    -   Drama | Romance

 

A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.

Director:  Michael Hoffman

Stars:  James Marsden, Michelle Monaghan, Luke Bracey, Liana Liberato

 

THE BUZZ: Nicholas Sparks's novels become some of Hollywood's most bankable movies, and the writer is a free agent when it comes to partnering with studios. Here, it's no surprise that Relativity Media has reunited with Sparks for a second outing; Safe Haven did quite well for the studio, which often comes up short as a distributor. Business-talk aside, Best of Me seems grounded with a real-world premise and potential Notebook-like chemistry between leads Michelle Monaghan and James Marsden - two key elements in what might become one of Sparks's top box-office outings.

[Nellore Pedda reddy]

The Book of Life (2014)

 

95 min    -   Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy |Romance

Metascore: 63/100 (10 reviews)

Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart, embarks on an adventure that spans three fantastic worlds where he must face his greatest fears.

Director:  Jorge R. Gutierrez

Stars:  Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Ron Perlman

 

THE BUZZ: Curious that there are no explicit references to Dia de los Muertos/Day of the Dead in Fox's promotional campaign for one of their loveliest looking animated projects - it seems both disrespectful to audiences and a really curious business decision.