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Title:
Hancock
Stars:
Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman
Plot:
An apathetic, hard-living superhero (Smith) who has fallen out of favor with the public is approached by a public relations professional (Bateman) who has ideas as to how he can repair his client's image.
Buzz:
What we keep thinking about here is the fact that Peter Berg, despite being one of the most versatile people working in Hollywood, has never directed a blockbuster. Until now, right? Right, but only because this is a Will Smith starrer; the man who hasn't had a flop since the year 2000 is one of only a few actors who could have greenlighted this project. (With most any other actor, Hancock would be a January release and, at best, a dicey superhero prospect.) But the question remains: Will Hancock hit the heights of Tony Stark and, to a slightly lesser extent, Bruce Banner? With Smith in anti-hero mode, a hard-fought PG-13 rating, and a definite lack of buzz, we're wondering if this might underwhelm. Maybe that why Sony has all but suppressed the relationship between Will and Charlize's characters here.
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Title:
The Wackness
Stars:
Josh Peck, Ben Kingsley, Olivia Thirlby
Plot:
New York City, 1994: College-bound pot dealer Luke Shapiro (Peck) trades weed for therapy sessions with Dr. Jeffrey Squires (Kingsley) while developing a crush on his psychiatrist's step-daughter (Thirlby).
Buzz:
Chances are if you came of age in the early 90s, The Wackness is already on your radar, thanks to the buzz Jonathan Levine's second movie has built since its Sundance debut back in January. First there was the report of Ben Kingsley macking on co-star Mary-Kate Olsen (only while cameras rolled), then came the ire-raising purchase by Sony Pictures Classics that preceded the first trailer. (First Showing has the second trailer online.) Personally, I'm primed for a second look at the film, which has been trimmed by about 15 minutes since Sundance; I found it to be warm, honest, highly stylized, and truly concerned with the relationships between its characters. Josh Peck, who will reunite with co-star Olivia Thirbly in Safety Glass later this year (we think), might just become the new It Boy with his sleepy, toned-down performance. And maybe if Wackness strikes, we'll get to see Levine's oft-delayed debut All the Boys Love Mandy Lane this summer.
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Title:
Kabluey
Stars:
Scott Prendergast, Lisa Kudrow, Teri Garr
Plot:
Despite being somewhat inept in most every way imaginable, Salman (Pendergrast) looks to help his sister-in-law (Kudrow) raise her two sons while her husband is fighting in Iraq. To do so, he takes a humiliating job with a failing Internet company as their mascot -- a giant, blue, cartoon-like character who has to hand out fliers all day.
Buzz:
Okay, an average-looking guy in an ill-conceived blue costume is shaping up to be my summer superhero, and though he won't generate the same attention as Will's Smith's Hancock this holiday weekend, doesn't he seem way more entertaining? Lookee here for more background on Scott Prendergast's trials and tribs as a first-time writer/director/star, and know that the festival circuit adopted this comedy as one of the best films of the year.
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Title:
Diminished Capacity
Stars:
Matthew Broderick, Virginia Madsen, Alan Alda
Plot:
A Chicago journalist (Broderick) suffering from memory loss takes leaves from his job and returns to his rural hometown, where he bonds with his Alzheimer's-impaired uncle Rollie (Alda) and his old flame (Madsen). Quickly a plan is hatched for the trio to head to a memorabilia convention in the city, where Rollie hopes to sell a rare baseball card that has gained the attention of local ne'er-do-wells intent on scheming the old man out of a potential fortune.
Buzz:
You might best remember actor-turned-director Terry Kinney as Tim McManus, the prison employee who conceptualized "Oz," and it looks like Diminished Capacity's chances of raising his profile as a filmmaker are rather slim. Like so many other promising features at Sundance earlier this year, DC wound up at IFC Films with little fanfare soon after the festival ended. Reviews all seem to state that the story's forced quirkiness sinks the otherwise intriguing pairing of Broderick and Alda (who don't get the highest marks for their respective performances, by the way), although the script saves its worst nuances and tics for its supporting characters -- so you might not be treated to the best work by Bobby Cannavale and Dylan Baker, either.
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