Maybe the year’s first inevitable blockbuster arrives this week, and it is the duty of our critic Piers Marchant to take notice of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which he receives as “little more than a giant, cinematic toy catalog, with nearly everything you see on the screen — including the figures themselves, much of their advanced weaponry and their cool, off-road vehicles, helicopters, and motorbikes — available in cheap plastic form at your local department stores.” But don’t expect that to deter the crowds for this established franchise.
On the other hand, there’s The Host, which isn’t the excellent South Korean monster movie from 2006, but the latest project by Twilight entrepreneur Stephanie Meyer. Yet despite the presence of some strong talent (Saoirse Ronan, Diana Kruger, Bill Hurt, director Andrew Niccol) the result is underwhelming. Our Dan Lybarger says its biggest problem is that the human beings portrayed in the film don’t seem worthy of saving from the alien menace they face.
In better news, Like Someone in Love, from MovieStyle editor Philip Martin’s favorite Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, also opens this week, as well as the not-bad sci-fi romance Upside Down.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full reviews.