Friday film roundup: More Summer Slowdrums
This week’s film roundup from Past the Popcorn:
As the Blockbuster Hit Parade continues into July, the major studios remain reluctant to release smaller films to compete against the behemoths. And one of this week’s major releases, The Rise of the Silver Surfer, didn’t have advance screenings for the press.
Nancy Drew, however, is being released today to take advantage of an audience that’s been kind of missed by the kid- and adult-friendly blockbusters. It’s kind of a throwback to the tween-oriented films of yesteryear, and updates Nancy’s persona only slightly for the times. It may not be a great film, says Kathy Bledsoe, but “if the fans are happy, who am I to judge? I predict that we will see more of Nancy.”
Bledsoe also enthuses over the documentary Crazy Love, out in limited release. The film tells the bizarre story of a stalking that culminated in violent assault and a prison term — and, later, to obsession- and revenge-driven marriage. It’s by no means for the kids, and is dark and puzzling, but Bledsoe says the PG-13 film “elicits a full range of emotions from hilarity to scorn to complete disbelief, and the pace never drags or bores.”
Also this week, to fill the lull of new releases, Greg Wright has a long talk with AnnaSophia Robb and Josh Hutcherson, the stars of Bridge to Terabithia, who are out on the promo circuit to promote the film’s DVD release next week. The young actors talk about their approach to their work, upcoming projects, and how faith plays into the story of Terabithia.
