There are lots of releases for this Friday, but only four caught my attention: the Twister-like Into the Storm, a reboot ofTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that will surprise some, a feast of cuisines in The Hundred-Foot Journey, and a thriller with Paula Garces aka Aluna, The Maid’s Room, that’s more than its title. Something new and hopefully some surprises! —Angela Ortíz
Into the Storm
Yes, I know: Twister! But you know, while I watched the movie I didn’t think of Twister. The events in this film take place in one day in a small town that is hit by an onslaught of tornadoes. Screenwriter John Swetnam told us that the events are based on real ones, just really amped up for the film.
It’s a really good cast, like the dwarf king in the Hobbit trilogy Richard Armitage, The Walking Dead’s Sarah Wayne Callies, Veep’s Matt Walsh, Nathan Kress from Nickelodeon’s iCarly, Final Destination’s Arlen Escarpeta, Max Deacon, Friday Nights Lights’ Jeremy Sumpter, wonderful character actor Kyle Davis, Eastbound & Down’s Jon Reep, relative newcomer Alycia Debnam-Carey, and character actor Scott Lawrence.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
I have to admit, I didn’t expect much from this film. Reboots usually disappoint or take such a different turn you don’t recognize the original story. This TMNT still has the same sensibility just hyped-up. It’s entertaining and will hold the newcomers to the TMNT world, though I know some TMNT purists might have some things to pick on. It has a decent cast in Will Arnett, Megan Fox, William Fichtner, Johnny Knoxville, Noel Fisher, Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Howard, and Tony Shalhoub.
The Hundred-Foot Journey
Producers Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey have given us a movie about cultures and cuisines. It all takes place in the quaint village of Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in the south of France, and makes me reminisce about 1987’s Babette’s Feast. And you can’t go too wrong with Helen Mirren in the cast, along with Manish Dayal, Om Puri, and Charlotte Le Bon.
The Maid’s Room
This thriller seems to give the viewer much more than its title would indicate. The plot summary: “a Hitchcockian thriller that explores the escalating tension between a Latina maid and the entitled, morally bankrupt family for whom she works.” Lets hope it lives up to the Hitchcock name. It stars Paula Garces in the lead, Annabella Sciorra, Bill Camp, and Philip Ettinger. Andyou can find out more on Garces here.
