Into The Final Turn

As summer '06 comes to unofficial close, with Labor Day weekend upon us--when all is said and done, the headline film isn't even expected to be the number one movie. What an odd way to the Blockbuster season.

The Wicker Man (reviews) is based on the novel by Anthony Shaffer, and stars the hit or miss Nicolas Cage. The buzz on this one is not very good. Given that, I think I will stay home and watch the 1973 version, and leave it at that

If the "Wicker" remake won't be number one, Ben Fritz and Dave McNary of Variety wonder if the actioner Crank (reviews) will come out on top? Will biz get 'Crank' call?

Dave Karger of Entertainment Weekly says the answer is "No"

Judging the unanimous raves from critics though on Rotten Tomatoes as I write this post, the answer to the question in the Variety article may be "Yes" indeed.

Karger predicts: Last week's No. 1 movie (Invincible--My review coming soon...) will make a goal-line stand against the new thriller over the sluggish Labor Day weekend

The other new releases for the week include the street basketball flick Crossover (reviews), which critics seem to loathe quite a lot...The controversial documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated (reviews, in limited release) that blows the lid right off the Motion Picture Association of America and exposes how it operates. The film has gotten a lot of media play this week, and as a result I am itchin' to see this. I hope it either goes wide or gets a quick release on DVD...The Mike Judge comedy Idiocracy (reviews limited) is barely registering on the cinema radar. Maybe it will go the way of his other live action film, Office Space (very funny!!), and become another cult fave...Last but not least, that perennial pooch Lassie (reviews limited) returns to the big screen...

If you are near your computer over the holiday weekend watch out for some special posts...If not, happy Labor Day folks!!