Bloglander

Not so much monetary debt (we have enough of that in real life at the moment), but pretty much every film this week owes at least a stylistic debt to previous genre work, if not being a wholesale remake, as in the case of The Debt, a remake of a 2007 Israeli film. Here's to fresh ideas!

APOLLO 18
Chumming up next to the various horror progeny of The Blair Witch Project, this movie is told through “found footage” of a classified mission to the moon in December of ’73. As violent terror quickly ensues, the astronauts discover their purpose is to observe and conceal something of great distress to the Department of Defense. (EW) Rated PG-13[Thumbs Up]

ATTACK THE BLOCK
This invasion-from-space movie centers around a counsel estate (a big apartment building known as a block) in London, where young punks regularly do sorta bad things. But when hairy, toothy, vicious creatures hit their turf, our “heroes” stand them off with baseball bats and fireworks. This is very low-rent, quite inventive, rather funny sci-fi, with a bit of a gory edge, accents you can cut with a knife, and a message about what it takes to be a hero. (ES) Rated R

THE DEBT
This is a remake of a 2007 Israeli thriller about a team of Mossad agents who screw up a mission concerning a heinous Nazi doctor in the 1960s, never stop thinking about it, and must deal with new repercussions in the 1990s. The original was a strong film; the new version is better, tighter, more tense. The team in the flashbacks is played by Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, and Marton Czokas. The grown-up versions are Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds, and Tom Wilkinson. Directed by John Madden. (ES) Rated R

THE GUARD
Sergeant Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson) investigates a curious murder in his little Irish town, only to find it connected to a massive drug smuggling ring being hunted by FBI agent Wendell Everett (Don Cheadle). This sounds less like a comedy and more like a spin-off of Traffic, but it's wholly the former. The loveable, yet racist curmudgeon is forced to work alongside a by-the-book detective, producing a high-brow buddy-cop movie. (EW) Rated R

L'AMOUR FOU
When fashion legend Yves Saint-Laurent passed away, his lover of over four decades, Pierre Bergé, had to endure the auctioning of his estate. This documentary follows Bergé as he recalls memories sparked by the material goods being taken out of the home and discusses the origins of the famous designer. Fashion lovers will delight, but critics fear there is little else one may relate to. (EW) Not Rated

A LITTLE HELP
Jenna Fischer (The Office) expands her acting repertoire as Laura, a recently widowed mother of a 12-year-old son in this simultaneously depressing and uplifting indie comedy. When Laura's husband drops dead in their driveway, he leaves his family zero financial comfort, and their son spreads the rumor that his father died in 9/11. Laura swiftly finds herself entangled in a web of lies in addition to struggling through life. (EW) Rated R

SEVEN DAYS IN UTOPIA
Lucas Black (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) has daddy issues. After a miserable debut as a pro golfer, he storms out on his father and wrecks his car outside of Utopia, Texas. While waiting for it to get fixed, Robert Duvall appears and helps Lucas fix his own life as well. Get it? Metaphor. Now here's another comparison: It's like The Legend of Bagger Vance but with Boo Radley instead of the Fresh Prince. (EW) Rated G

SHARK NIGHT 3D
A group of walking-hormone teenagers vacations at a lake place only to be have their sexual conquests squandered by a pesky shark. Drats. Apparently Jaws impregnated Lake Placid, and David R. Ellis of Snakes on a Plane fame gets to deliver the offspring. Expect the standard B-movie romp, complete with predictable terrors, faux nudity, and one-dimensional characters, but that's just good, campy horror. (EW) Rated PG-13