Friday Features, Dec. 21 – 25, 2012
It might not be Friday anymore, but that doesn’t mean the movies aren’t any less thrilling. This week, we take a look at Friday’s releases and the new films coming out leading up to Christmas morning. This includes the much-anticipated Les Miserables, which, no one should be surprised, contains no Asian Americans. (Sad face.)
For those uninitiated, each week, we take a look at Hollywood’s new release films and grade them on their Asian-American presence, or lack thereof. So sit back, grab some holiday yule and prepare for Friday Features.
Dec. 21, 2012
Studio: No. of AA: 2
Rating: C+
Dubbed the “sort of sequel to Knocked up”, This is 40 stars Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann as they deal with turning 40 and living for family and each other. A Judd Apatow film, it’s been getting laughs from viewers since Friday.
Studio: No. of AA: 0
Rating: F
Based off a series of books by Lee Child, Jack Reacher stars Tom Cruise as a controversial pick for Jack Reacher, a would-be menacing figure of a man who works to take down a criminal assassin. I actually won tickets to this from 92.3 NOW in New York, but was too sick to attend. (Sad face.)
Studio: No. of AA: 0
Rating: F
Seth Rogen takes his mom, Barbra Streisand, on a crosscountry work journey where the two bond over their misadventures. Those missing Seth Rogen’s face or any Hanukkah-themed films this year should check out this holiday treat.
Studio: No. of AA: 0–10+
Rating: F–A+
Following a family caught in the wake of the 2004 Southeast Asian tsunami, The Impossible stars Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts as parents separated with their children and their fight to reunite and help other affected, along the way.
Universal Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Summit Entertainment
Dec. 24–25, 2012
Studio: No. of AA: 0
Rating: F
Quentin Tarantino’s latest masterwork, Django Unchained follows Christopher Waltz and Jamie Foxx as two men looking to enact revenge on the KKK, Leonardo DiCaprio and other slave-trading bigots, in a far-flung, action-soaked film sure to be a hit with Inglorious Bastards fans.
Studio: No. of AA: 0
Rating: F
The latest adaptation of the critically-acclaimed book and play, Les Miserables is getting Oscar buzz for Anne Hathaway’s performance as the whore Fantine, who sings “I Dreamed a Dream.”
Studio: No. of AA: 0
Rating: F
Bette Midler and Billy Crystal star as grandparents sent to watch their children’s children. But can the out-of-touch grandparent connect with 21st-century grandkids?
The Weinstein Company
Universal Pictures
Fox Studios
Overall rating this week: D+ – A+
Tags: Anne Hathaway, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Billy Crystal, Ewan McGregor, Jack Reacher, Judd Apatow, Knocked Up, Lee Child, Les Miserables, Leslie Mann, Naomi Watts, Parental Guidance, Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen, The Guilt Trip, The Impossible, This is 40, Tom Cruise
