[Ed. note: Each week I'll be breaking down the big summer blockbuster movie releases. If you're curious about what's coming out in future weeks, be sure to check out the Summer Movie Preview. For more info on this week's releases, please check out our full length reviews of Land of the Lost, The Hangover and Every Little Step. And for all things film, please visit our movie site.]
FRIDAY, JUNE 5TH
Box office Gold: Land of the Lost
Worth seeing? Only if you're a big Will Ferrell fan, or if you fondly remember catching episodes of the early ’70s TV version of Land of the Lost produced by puppet-masters Sid and Marty Krofft. The show was ambitious in scope but low in budget, while the big-screen edition sports star power (Ferrell, up-and-comer Danny McBride), an experienced director (Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events’ Brad Silberling) and mountains of pricy CGI. Despite the glossy exterior, the most endearing elements of the TV show — rampaging dinosaurs, monkey people, the alien-looking Sleestaks, even the white-water rafting intro — have made it into the movie. With much of the draw of the 1970s TV show wrapped up in its no-budget production values, it’ll be interesting to see if this high-tech reboot manages to retain the charm of the original.
Counter-programming: If Land of the Lost is a little too goofy or kid-targeted for your sensibilities, there’s also Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss and Rachel Dratch in the set-in-Greece romantic comedy My Life in Ruins. If that’s not bangin’ your baklava, perhaps you’ll like The Hangover, the latest from Road Trip director Todd Philips about three guys retracing their steps after a Vegas bachelor party gone wrong ends with the groom M.I.A. And there's always Every Little Step at the Tampa Theatre. Step is like crack for theater geeks, but it's also a damn fine movie for anyone who's ever dreamed of something better for themselves.
Previews after the break.
This article appears in Jun 3-9, 2009.