What Will You Be Watching This Weekend? Zero Dark Thirty, Killer Joe, Jack Reacher, The Guilt Trip, Total Recall and a Christmas Movie Marathon

Finally! The work week is over and you’ll have some free time to relax, crack a cold one, pop that corn and nuke some ‘chos all in the noble pursuit of cinematic entertainment! Every Friday we’d like to hear what everyone will be watching over the weekend, whether it be on TV, DVD and Blu-ray or in theaters.

So let us know what’s on your movie agenda this weekend! Here’s what I’m thinking about watching…

IN THEATERS…

I’m all for any movie that accurately portrays the steel-balled badasses that make up the Navy SEALS and if anyone can get close to doing these men justice on screen it’s director Kathryn Bigelow in ZERO DARK THIRTY, which begins it’s limited screening this weekend. I’m not sure how accurate the action-thriller based on the decade long manhunt for Osama bin Laden really is but I have only heard amazing things about Jessica Chastain‘s performance and our own JimmyO gave ZERO DARK THIRTY a glowing review, which you can scope out for yourself right here.

My mom is really excited to see a Seth Rogen movie. It must be the apocalypse, because I never would have considered that possible but it sure looks like I’m taking her to see THE GUILT TRIP at some point this weekend. The roadtrip comedy stars Rogen and Barbra Streisand as son and mother and I guess my mom finds the trailers hilarious. Unfortunately for me our own Chris Bumbray felt a bit differently in his review. At this point I’m hoping for a few chuckles but not expecting much more than that, it’s not always easy being a good son but it’s times like these where you just have to step up and take one for the team. Pray for me schmoes …

After date night with my mom I’m going to need a cinematic palate cleanser and I think a judicious portion of Tom Cruise‘s JACK REACHER will be in order. Most reviews have been pretty lukewarm but the consensus is that it’s a fun popcorn flick and just the fact that Werner Herzog plays the antagonist puts a big stupid grin on my face. Be sure to check out our official JACK REACHER review right here.

Check out all of the THEATRICAL RELEASES right here

 

ON TELEVISION…

This weekend is looking pretty dead on the TV front, almost all of the shows I follow just wrapped up their seasons (holy sh*t at that DEXTER finale!) or are on a mid-season hiatus. Which just means I can focus on what’s really important over the holidays; family, food, and spiked eggnog! The good news is if you turn on the TV and click around you’re going to find Christmas movie marathons all over the place. I’d be willing to bet that at any given time between now and Christmas Day you’ll be able to find ELF playing (which is awesome). But it’s actually getting kind of hard to find some of the Christmas TV classics actually airing.

Case and point; I was scanning through TV Guide trying to figure out when A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS would be airing and it turns out it already happened. Crushed. The worst part? They showed it at the end of November … who’s in charge of your schedule ABC? Blockheads?!

So while it won’t be technically on TV I picked it the classic Peanuts made-for-tv special just so I could rediscover for the 25th time what Christmas and the holidays in general are really all about. Feel free to join in the festivities and dancing, I’ve been told I do a mean Linus:

ON DVD & BLU-RAY…

I know I’ve said this before but it is worth repeating; Mathew McConaughey has had an amazing run of movies in the past year not least of which was his dark turn in KILLER JOE, which finally hits shelves this weekend. I managed to catch it a film festival several months back and enjoyed the hell out of this darkly comic deepfried Texas trailer trash film noir. While this flick by director William Friedkin got the NC-17 mark of death that resulted in a severely and ultimately very limited theatrical release it should be towards the top of your list to check out. Don’t just take my word for it though and be sure to check out the official JoBlo review if you need a refresher.

Also out this week is the TOTAL RECALL remake that stars Colin Farrel this time around as Douglas Quaid. This Swarzeneggar and Marsless remake seemed to be more or less a rehash of the 1990 Paul Verhoeven adaption but it does look pretty slick and it sure doesn’t hurt that Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale get to strut their stuff. All said and done TOTAL RECALL is at least worth the price of a rental to me just to see where it does differ from the original.

As for the rest of my home viewing it’s time to dust off the perennial Christmas classics such as HOME ALONE, LETHAL WEAPON, ELF, DIE HARD, SCROOGED, CHRISTMAS VACATION and yes even WHITE CHRISTMAS and RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER will all get played. Hell, on the rare occassion that I get snowed in I’ll even pop in THE THING just ‘cuz!

Tis the season to snuggle up with a hot beverage and and enjoy a multitude of movies. Have a Merry Christmas schmoes, I know I will!

Check out all of the DVD/BLU-RAY RELEASE DATES/COVERS right here

 

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU WILL BE WATCHING THIS WEEKEND BELOW!