What to see this weekend: 11/30-12/02

As we bridge the gap between the month of November and December this month there stands a vast array of directions you can head if you're looking to spend some money at a movie theater this weekend. As I've indicated in previous posts, there is some good shit in theaters. Between The Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall, Lincoln, Wreck-It Ralph, Flight, Argo and Life of Pi, you have a huge variety of movies you could see that are all above 75 % on the tomatometer. I'm still skeptical about Life of Pi because I haven't seen it and it looks too effects driven, but all those other films I mentioned above are well worth seeing, and are probably still playing at a local theater around you.

That goes with the season though. While the summer is mostly a hodge-podge of the big budget blockbuster bullshit, the fall has the quality films that are trying to nose their way into oscar contention. Sure Twilight still exists right now unfortunately, but at least there are some meaty dramas and action films out there that you can sink your teeth into.

The only two new films hitting the box office wide this week are Killing Them Softly and The Collection. The former is probably only the one worth seeing. 

The Andrew Dominik directed, Brad Pitt starring, Killing Them Softly, sits at a solid 80% on the tomatometer. In the film, a hit on a mob ran poker game leaves them hurting financially and scrambling to find the culprits. Brad Pitt is hired as the enforcer who is set to investigate and bring down the guys who knocked over the game. It takes a refreshingly new perspective of the mob world by turning it upside down economically. Some people don't like that it too obviously mirrors our own recession but I don't see why that's a problem.

Despite adoring solid critical praise the film hasn't really earned any awards buzz of any sort making it a missable film considering the competition there is out there and the high price of tickets these days. Brad Pitt's performance may be something to check out because some of the critics have called it the saving grace of the film. This is no surprise to me because Pitt and Dominik's last project The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (TAOJJBTCRF) was well received for it's acting. Some critics called it Brad Pitt's finest performance in his career. It makes sense then, that the two would be attracted to make another project together. The rest of the cast is pretty stellar too, with Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, and Ray Liotta in supporting roles. 

It's definitely something I'm going to go out and see, but if you're unsure about the movie then you should probably hold off. There are some really good flicks out there right now and it might be worth waiting for it to hit the premium channels. If you love Brad Pitt and mob movies though, this could be a good one to check out.

The Collection looks like a really shitty horror movie that is coming out a month too late. I recommend not seeing this because there are actual good movies out there that exist and this is not one of them. That's really it. If you didn't read my reviews for Skyfall, Silver Linings and Lincoln here are the ratings I gave each.

Skyfall - 9

Silver Linings Playbook - 8

Lincoln - 7.5

All I highly recommend and I'll let you know my official thoughts on Killing Them Softly after I see it.