New Releases!

The American - Don't let this movie's rotten tomatoes rating fool you. While it only stands at 60% (which isn't terrible, but not great), the reviews have been very divisive. Critics who like the movie apparently love it, and those who don't seem to be strongly against it. While I haven't seen the movie, and I'm not sure why the reviews have turned out this way, I'm still intrigued to see this one. Anton Corbijn is a strong director (his film, Control, was our hidden gem of the week), and Clooney's work of late has been very strong, so I'm very excited about this one.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Machete - Now here's a movie that is getting mostly positive reviews across the board. It is apparently very gory and cartoonish, which is exactly what it needs to be. This one looks like a lot of fun.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Going the Distance - This movie has been getting poor reviews so far, and it looks to be bland, but this is another example of a movie I want to see for no reason at all. I can't explain why, but I would like to see this eventually.
Rating: 3 out of 5

The Tillman Story (limited) - This documentary based on the apparent cover-up by the military about Pat Tillman's death has already been praised about, even to the point that some are saying it's a two film race between this and Restrepo for best documentary feature at the Oscars. The trailer is very interesting, and director Amir Bar-Lev has handled conspiracy documentary quite well in the past with his film, My Kid Could Paint That.
Rating: 4 out of 5

Mesrine: Killer Instinct (limited) - You may recall last week I previewed the first part of this film in my new release section. This week, they are releasing part 2, one week after they released part 1. Again, this still looks interesting, and I really like Vincent Cassel, but learning that this culminates into about a 4 hour viewing experience makes me less inclined to watch either film.
Rating: 3 out of 5

The Winning Season (limited) - This seems to be a strange follow-up for James C. Strouse after his 2007 drama Grace is Gone. I am a fan of Sam Rockwell, and I get the feeling that this movie is a lot better than the trailer makes it out to be, but that remains to be seen.
Rating: 3 out of 5

A Simple Noodle Story (limited) - This is a Chinese remake of the Coen Brother's Blood Simple. If that sounds interesting to you, by all means check it out. Not for me, though.
Rating: 2 out of 5

White Wedding (limited) - This South African wedding comedy actually looks to be quite sweet and entertaining.
Rating: 3 out of 5

Last Train Home (limited) - This is a documentary about 200 million Chinese migrant workers all trying to go home for Chinese New Year. It seems like it would be a good film if that falls into your level of interest, but unfortunately it doesn't appeal to me.
Rating: 3 out of 5

So, a pretty mixed bag coming out this week. What do you want to see?