Wide Release Films June 29 2012

Seth McFarlane makes a like action film starring Mark Wahlberg about having to grow up and leave childish things behind. The childish thing here (a living teddy bear) he makes sound exactly like Peter Griffin. The whole thing is about as appealing as a Cleveland marathon.

Even less appealing, Steven Soderbergh has made a film about a male stripper who wants to be a designer, starring and based on the life of Channing Tatum. Soderbergh has a habit of making genre films that aren’t genre films and pissing off audiences. After Haywire, I am going to start avoiding him.

One director who actually knows his audience is Tyler Perry. I have great respect for him do to his ability to make similar films that reach a long overlooked audience. I had little respect for most of his work (he seems to hate woman, making them either venomous or dependent on a male savior). That being said, this looks to be his mainstream hit. Madea and Eugene Levy (maybe he will stay with comedy here and avoid a big I was molested and need some one to take care of me reveal).

From Transformers writer Alex Kurtzman comes a drama. Guy makes good with new family. My fiancee wants to see it so I likely will too.

What I like about Soderbergh is that he does the weirdest things. Haywire is not a great film, but I like it’s place in his body of work. It supplements his experiments in in using non-actors with specific ‘skills’ and creates an environment around that idea. I thought it worked better for The Girlfriend Experience than Haywire. So maybe Magic Mike will be different because using a former stripper who’s actually an actor. Seems like the product will have a bit more truth to it.

I will definitely see Ted. Not sure about Magic Mike based on the trailers, though it would be hilarious if it’s Soderbergh-vibed with some Limey editing. People Like Us looks formulaic, but mildly interesting.

On the limited release side, Beasts! And Take this Waltz.

@dennis brian: More like Tyler Perry has manipulated an audience. So yeah, I’m not gonna see Tyler Perry’s HOLY SHIT, THIS MOVIE HAS MY NAME ON THE TITLE SO PEOPLE WILL SEE IT.

May not see Ted because of how irritating Family Guy and all those other McFarlane deals are. I do like Marky Mark though.

I saw the trailer for Ted without any sound – are Mila Kunis and Mark Wahlberg supposed to be a couple? Cause that’s kind of ridiculous.

I am interested to see how they fit a talking teddy bear into an apparently otherwise normal reality. How did the teddy bear come alive? Are all teddy bears alive? Are his friends surprised and scared when they see it? Etc etc etc…

In McFarlane’s world nothing makes sense.

^ Okay, yeah, I guess that makes sense. I guess everybody in Family Guy is totally fine with Brian basically being a person… except apparently that blind girl he dated.

I do like Family Guy, but I’m not sure if McFarlane will be able to sustain a full-length movie.

There are some instances that I find Family Guy to be funny, but like you, I can’t see how long his schtick can last throughout an entire film.

@tommy: Well, I guess we can look at how The Simpsons translated into the big screen. It worked way better than I expected.

I don’t know. I didn’t care for it too much. It was well after Family Guy and that’s when FG started to get popular again so The Simpsons began taking on that same type of comedy that is FG and that’s when I tuned out.

Um, The Simpsons did not become like Family Guy. In fact, I like to think of Family Guy as The Simpsons’ inferior cousin. Family Guy feels too reliant on pop culture and cutaway gags; The Simpsons is straight-up satire.

No well it didn’t become like FG, but when I stopped watching it, there were these random instances where things would happen for no reason just as they do in FG. They’re not the same, just similar. They both should stop.

The Magic Mike trailer makes me want to take a shower. Even though it’s Soderbergh, I have zero interest in seeing this movie.

I am super excited for Ted though. I don’t watch much Family Guy but I appreciate MacFarlane’s humor. Wahlberg seems like the perfect actor for this type of role.

In addition to Ted, the movie I’m most looking forward to this weekend is Beast of the Southern Wild. I have a feeling this movie might make my top ten for the year and I’m very glad it’s opening soon.

@santino: Man, I hope it’s already in Houston when I get back. It looks amazing as fuck.

Well….Moonrise Kingdom is finally opening here this weekend so……yeah…that’s where I’ll be…..

But Ted looks interesting….just not 10.00 bucks interesting if that makes sense.

…as for the stripper movie…no thanks.

@rgrimes: It ain’t just a stripper movie. It’s Steven Soderbergh’s stripper movie :P

Um, The Simpsons did not become like Family Guy.

Maybe not exactly like that, but for the past couple years it’s felt like watching the Simpsons channeling Family Guy channeling the Simpsons. A replica of a replica of a replica.

I thought the Simpsons movie was good, but I think there’s more things about the Simpsons that can sustain the whole movie. I care way more about the characters in the Simpsons than I do about the ones in Family Guy. And, overall, the storylines in the Simpsons are more compelling than Family Guy’s, which seem to be just vehicles for jokes. And I don’t even mean that in a bad way.

But, then again, it isn’t a Family Guy Movie, so McFarlane’s probably (well, hopefully) changing his schtick a little bit to make it into a worthwhile movie. But I have a feeling the first 30-45 minutes are gonna be pretty funny, and then when the plot starts kicking in it’s gonna get really annoying.

Am definitely seeing “Ted” opening weekend, someway, somehow. “Magic Mike” doesn’t interest me in the slightest and neither does the vapid “Madea’s Witness Protection.” I already slogged through my first Tyler Perry film and wouldn’t die unfulfilled if I didn’t see another.

I don’t watch McFarlane’s shows anymore but when Family Guy first came out I loved it. Definitely open minded about Ted. He has a style of observation that’s cynically insightful, but also a little dickish.

@DFFOO

When he was 8 he wished upon a star that his teddy bear could really talk, and it magically came true.

I don’t think Simpsons has turned into Family Guy. It’s definitely more sensitive in its American liberalism. It’s taken to choosing some hot topic to riff on and writing a character-driven story around it. There’s one liners, but they’re not just vehicles for 80 year old pedophile jokes, philanderer jokes and handicapped jokes like Family Guy. I would compare it more to a PG rated, liberal South Park than Family Guy.

There was a time a decade or so ago Simpsons turned into the ‘Homer fall down show’, but it dragged itself out of that pit.

Wait – is South Park conservative?? I’ve never really watched it…

I usually don’t have a problem going to the movies solo, but I’ll probably blush a little when I approach the ticket booth and say, One for Magic Mike. But I love my boyfriend enough not to drag him to it. That’s probably the only one of these films I’ll see in theaters and the only other one I’ll eventually watch is probably Madea.

haha magic mike! i’ve never seen a madea movie. are they good? or does it depend what i mean by ‘good’

@jirin the simpsons is still god awful. sure it isn’t homer dumb herp derp every episode now. but while the writers have good intentions, and they want to recreate what made the show so great early on, it’s obvious they don’t have the talent previous crews did. heart + edgy is difficult to get right.

Well me and Bijoux are going to see Magic Mike. We will enjoy our nice little stripper movie while everyone stays home.

I might see magic mike… but only because it’s about a stripper!

I knew when this weekend’s films were posted I was going to be the only one excited for Magic Mike. But I’m really excited. Lol.

I’ve only seen one Madea film. Laughed a bit and thought it was decent, but the lover expressed interest in this one so we’ll probably end up watching it.

Edit : yay!! I’m not alone.

i honestly can’t wait for Magic Mike, we’re setting up a midnight premiere of it at my theater with poles on the stage and my bosses are trying their damnedest to get male dancers for a pre-party for the movie. Soderbergh directing male strippers starring Channing Tatum? just crazy enough to work…

also it helps that my boss is very flamboyant and is named Mike and is in love with Tatum.

LOL plus you’re hoping a lot of hot drunk girls show up right? bijoux have u seen male strippers before? they’re hilarious. i somehow have a feeling this won’t be playing here lol

Ruby : no I have avoided that. But when I was in driver’s ed my teacher did always have us turn back towards school using the parking lot of Boxers and Briefs.

But I have a feeling none of these strippers around here are anything like Channing Tatum .

Soderbergh isn’t enough to draw me to Magic Mike….I’m not a huge Soderbergh fan to begin with…..add Channing Tatum to the mix and I’m out…..