There’s a struggle at the box office this weekend, not just amongst the films, but the characters themselves. Many of them are wrestling with personal problems and decisions that could ruin their lives. In two of this week’s new releases, Nazi treasures send people on dangerous missions.
A smooth talking con artist, on the verge of bankruptcy, goes on a mission to find a painting that could lead him to riches in Mortdecai. His quest takes him around the world in search of a secret code that unlocks a bank account holding Nazi gold. Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Bettany, Jeff Goldblum and Olivia Munn star in the one hour and forty-six minute caper based on Kyril Bonfiglioli’s novel. The comedic action film is rated R for language and sex.
A recently divorced woman has a fling with a young man who just moved into the neighborhood in Boy Next Door. She regrets her decision to sleep with him but he can’t take no for an answer and begins to terrorize and blackmail her. Jennifer Lopez, Ryan Guzman Kristin Chenoweth and John Corbett star in the film. The thriller runs for one hour and thirty-ine minute. It’s rated R for violence, sex, nudity and language.
A battle between the magic and the mysterious breaks out in Strange Magic. Both groups are trying to get a hold of a secret potion. The Disney animated film is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and features the voices of Alfred Molina, Kristin Chenoweth, Maya Rudolph, Peter Stormare, Evan Rachel Wood and Alan Cumming. The PG, musical film is playing in limited theaters.
A woman struggles with constant pain and continues to push everyone in her life away in Cake. Following the suicide of a fellow chronic-pain support group member, she tries to find out more about the deceased’s life and in turn finds a connection with the woman’s husband and son. The one hour and thirty-one minute drama stars Jennifer Aniston, Felicity Huffman, Sam Worthington and Anna Kendrick. The limited released film is rated R for language, drugs and sex.
An actor on the verge of suicide finds hope in an unlikely relationship in The Humbling. His friend’s young, lesbian daughter brings the spark back into his life as he struggles with getting older. The one hour and fifty-three minute comedic drama is based on Philip Roth’s novel and stars Al Pacino, Dylan Baker, Kyra Sedgwick, Dianne Wiest, Charles Grodin and Greta Gerwig. The limited released film is rated R for sex, language and violence.
A young woman returns home following her brother’s car accident in Song One. With her brother left in a coma, she tries to connect with him by doing things that he likes to do. In doing so, she meets and falls for his favorite musician. The PG-13 romantic drama stars Anne Hathaway and Johnny Flynn. The limited released film plays for one hour and twenty-eight minutes.
A recently unemployed man organizes a team to go on a treasure hunt inside a sunken U-boat in Black Sea. Their dangerous submarine mission takes them into the deep sea where they struggle to survive and keep their greed in check. Jude Law stars in the one hour and fifty-five minute drama. The limited released film is rated R for language and violence.
The story behind boxing star Manny Pacquiao is told in Manny. The limited released documentary showcases his rise from a poor teenager in the Philippines to a world champion boxer with strong ties to his native homeland and its people. The PG-13, one hour and twenty-eight minute film features commentary from celebrities like Liam Neeson, Mark Wahlberg, Jeremy Piven and Jimmy Kimmel.
A World War II Navy plane crash lands in the South Pacific in Against the Sun. Three men must battle extreme weather conditions, malnutrition, sharks and even each other if they want to survive. The PG drama is based on real events. The adventure film is running in limited theaters for one hour and forty minutes.
A telepathy and telekinesis institute patient, possessed by the devil, attracts the United States Department of Defense in The Atticus Institute. The Department tries to use her as a weapon for destruction but soon discovers that her powers cannot be contained. The unrated, horror film runs for one hour and twenty-three minutes.
A college football star joins the real estate business in Americons. Set in California in 2007 at the height of the housing boom, the limited released drama shows the dirty side of the business and how blind faith could cause a downward spiral. The one hour and twenty-five minute film is rated R for language, drugs and sex.
A widowed woman struggles with being a single mom to a teenager with ADHD in Mommy. The new neighbor across the street lends a helping hand, bringing hope back into the family’s life. The French Canadian film is subtitled in English. The limited released drama runs for two hours and nineteen minutes. It’s rated R for language, sex and violence.
Two women form a dominatrix style relationship in The Duke of Burgundy. While one wants a more normal relationship, the other becomes addicted to eroticism. The unrated, limited released drama runs for one hour and forty-six minutes.
A father pays for one year of surprise beatings by dominatrices in R100. When one encounter goes terribly wrong, the man finds himself the target of many women with a variety of skills that inflict pain. The limited released Japanese film is subtitled in English. The unrated drama runs for one hour and forty minutes.
Movies like The Boy Next Door and The Atticus Institute will keep audiences in suspense this week. On January 30, another new thriller debuts, The Loft. Next week, Kevin Costner’s latest drama, Black & White, also hits theaters.
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