New at BOP: Review: Matrix Resurrections Movie Review: Moonfall Movie Reviews: Scream The #1 Movie in America November Forecast The Many Saints of Newark October Forecast New Trivia Question All site updates Share & Save   Tweet Print this column

While things have somewhat improved in the last few years, the first weekend of the New Year remains a dumping ground for films seeing their first release. For the most part, studios are content to let December releases and expanding Oscar hopefuls run the show, not challenging with films that have much potential.

Illustrating this point, of the three new wide releases, Happily N'Ever After premieres on just 2,381 screens, under two-thirds of this week's most widely distributed film, Night At the Museum. The first CGI animated effort from mid-major studio Lionsgate, Happily N'ever After comes onto the scene several years too late, and with about as derivative a product as could possibly be imagined.

Taking its cue from the Cinderella fable, this film Shrekifies that story up (it at least comes by that connection honestly, sharing a producer). Sarah Michelle Gellar is the Princess Ella, whose happy ending with Prince Humperdink (this is a kids' movie, right?) is threatened when the Evil Stepmother (Sigourney Weaver) deposes The Wizard in charge of all that.

On the surface, there's nothing wrong with an update of the story – after all, it worked for Shrek and to a much lesser extent, last year's Hoodwinked. However, the end result looks as sloppy as can be, with animation that might have been impressive ten years ago, but now might be bested by Saturday cartoons. Indeed, the press notes boast about its speedy production time of 15 months. Just one question here – as a movie-goer, am I supposed to care about that, or should I rather be entertained?

All signs point to the likelihood that you won't be if you go see this film, which starts out the year with a rock bottom critical reception. A lot of last year's animated films are hitting DVD now; parents would be much better served checking out one of them. A weekend of about $6 million would be pretty generous for Happily N'Ever After.

Freedom Writers is the latest entry in the inner-city-teacher-as-savior genre as popularized by films like Stand By Me, Dangerous Minds, and recently, Take the Lead (which twisted the genre by using dance rather than academics). Hilary Swank stars in this movie as a real-life teacher in a Los Angeles high school who attempts to save her students' future through a writing project. Patrick Dempsey also stars in the film, along with a group of up-and-coming young actors, many of whom you've probably seen on TV but couldn't place.

Though potentially inspiring, Freedom Writers looks rather by-the-book and has received a middling critical reception. Tellingly, it's being released on only 1,360 screens, a sign that Paramount doesn't have much faith in the film's prospects. Swank, despite her two Oscars, is still not much of a draw and really doesn't have a success that's due to her and her alone. Look for about $5 million for Freedom Writers in its debut.

Code Name: The Cleaner is the requisite horrible action comedy for January, this time starring that match-up we've all been asking for, Cedric the Entertainer and Lucy Liu. Cedric plays an amnesiac janitor who stumbles into an espionage plot and is duped into thinking he's a super spy. Hilarity theoretically ensues as he bumbles his way through a conspiracy, which if you listen to critics, makes about as little sense as possible. Given that director Les Mayfield was also responsible for such classics as The Man, Blue Streak and Encino Man, well, let's just say you've been warned.

Continued:       1       2