TGITDNMAR (8/14/09)

It's that time again for TGITDNMAR, which (obviously) stands for Thank God It's The Day New Movies Are Released.

I don't know who I should apologize to - you, Hollywood, the month of August? For years, I've railed against it (and February) as the perennial dumping ground, but then people saw G.I. Joe and said it wasn't terrible. They saw A Perfect Getaway and raved about it. Now this week, we've got the hotly-hyped and anticipated District 9, along with less anticipated (but still interesting to many, for varied reasons) films like The Time Traveler's Wife and The Goods. Throw Ponyo on there, too. And next week's Inglorious Basterds, and maybe even Taking Woodstock (hitting theaters 8/28). Could this be an actual, real slate of films for the eighth month?

Granted, this might have something to do with lowered expectations, but I'll take what I can get.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
As of rightthissecond, The Goods is getting blasted on Rotten Tomatoes, with a mere 17% freshness rating, with reviewers unafraid to bust out Cash for Clunkers references to the film's quality.

Ugh. I'm getting a very Strange Wilderness feeling to this. In case you don't recall, that's a very, very bad feeling.

Yet despite all that, I'm not sure if I can resist. Former Chappelle's Show writer Neal Brennan directs an all-star lineup of comedic actors that make me laugh, almost the least of which is star Jeremy Piven, who mostly just gets on my nerves these days with his one-trick pony act. Supporting him, however, is Ed Helms, David Koechner, Tony Hale, Rob Riggle, Gina Gershon, 80s TV vets Alan Thicke and James Brolin (wtf?), and last but certainly not least, my Facebook buddies Ken Jeong and Matt Walsh (as well as Walsh's former UCB partner Ian Roberts). Pretty sure Will Ferrell even makes an obligatory cameo.

There's a good chance it's awful. But there's a better chance that I need to find out for myself.
Fletch's Chance of Viewing (in the theater): 54%

The Time Traveler's Wife
A large part of me looks at this and screams "Run away! Weepy chick flick!" But, to be honest, another part looks at it and says "This is actually an interesting concept...and besides, Ron Livingston and Stephen Tobolowsky are in it - how bad could it be?"

Take away the melodramatic aspects, and I do like what's going on here. Roles for women are so lame these days because they're always pushed to the side and not the central focus; here's a chance to take an interesting story and tell it from the woman's perspective. I don't see a theatrical viewing in my future, but I might like to catch this at some point in the future.
Fletch's Chance of Viewing: 8%

District 9
You probably haven't heard about this, but this weekend is a record-setting one even before any of the box office totals come in. That's right - it's the first weekend with two films directed by guys named "Neil" to come out. Ever! Of course, there's an asterisk next to the record since one spells his name "Neal" and the other spells his "Neill," but historians are willing to overlook that minor nuisance. Anyway...big, big news, huh? This is the kind of Insider Insight™ that only Blog Cabins is capable of bringing you.

And oh yeah, this has been at or near the top of my Most Anticipated list ever since the first trailer appeared. Seeing it tonight.
Fletch's Chance of Viewing: 100%

Ponyo
This might be fantastic, but I'm not about to kill my 13-year streak of not watching anime for some "goldfish princess" movie with a poster stolen from Finding Nemo.

Suck it, Ponyo. :D
Fletch's Chance of Viewing: 1%