Atomic Popcorn would like to invite you to an advance screening of JUST WRIGHT, a new film starring Queen Latifah, Common and Paula Patton.  The promotional screening will be held on Thursday, May 13 at a Baltimore theatre.

In addition to the promotional screening, we are also pulling together details for a special JUST WRIGHT Girls Night Out event in Baltimore to be held the week of May 10.  The first 100 ladies to attend will receive a JUST WRIGHT gift bag, and we also hope to bring in vendors for summer fashion tips, makeovers and manicures!

Synopsis:

JUST WRIGHT stars Queen Latifah (BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, VALENTINE’S DAY) as Leslie Wright, a straight-shooting physical therapist who gets the gig of a lifetime working with NBA All-Star Scott McKnight (Common – DATE NIGHT). All is going well until Leslie finds herself falling for Scott, forcing her to choose between the gig of a lifetime and the tug-of-war inside her heart. Oblivious to her romantic overtures, McKnight is instead drawn to the affections of Leslie’s gorgeous childhood friend Morgan (Paula Patton – PRECIOUS), who has her sights set on being an NBA trophy wife. Is Leslie destined to play the role of “best friend” forever or will Scott finally see that what he always wanted is right in front of him? Set against the exciting world of championship basketball, the game of love takes on the battle of the sexes in the romantic sports comedy JUST WRIGHT, starring three of Hollywood’s most charismatic personalities as they navigate the full-court-press of love.

Directed by Sanaa Hamri (THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2) and written by Michael Elliot (BROWN SUGAR), the film stars Academy Award® nominee Queen Latifah (THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, CHICAGO), Paula Patton (PRECIOUS, DEJA VU), Common (TERMINATOR SALVATION, AMERICAN GANGSTER), Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun), Pam Grier (“The L Word”), James Pickens, Jr. (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and features NBA all star cameos. The film is produced by Debra Martin Chase, Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere.

Check out the trailer below:

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Make sure you check out our other free screenings in the Baltimore Area.

How do you feel about Valentine’s Day?

Are you one of those romantics who buys into it wholeheartedly, anticipating the day so you can lavish your loved one with affection and attention? Maybe you  just enjoy getting caught-up in the kitsch of candy hearts, roses and chocolates? Or are you one of the others, who thinks the holiday is a cheap and shameless ploy by the card companies to cash-in on romantic feeling? Maybe it’s all a scam by couples to make single people feel like crap? Have I hit one of your buttons yet?

Well, if you aren’t in the camp you enjoys the kitsch or wholeheartedly buys into the ethos of the holiday, then you should stay far, far away from Garry Marshall’s Valentine’s Day. It has been created with a singular, shallow purpose; cash in on the moonstruck miasma already associated with the day.

In fact, I can’t even guarantee that if you like the holiday, you will enjoy the movie. There isn’t a worthwhile character or thoughtful sentiment in the entire thing. Marshall has produced by-the-numbers claptrap before, but this is his epic of empty feeling. A mammoth herd of stars show up and tromp through several vignettes following a variety of people living through February 14th from start to finish.

I was reminded of Richard Curtis’ Love Actually, where a formidable and lively cast portrayed characters living and loving their way through  Christmas.  This movie has little of that one’s charm, and none of its substance and wit. Curtis may have packed his picture full of twee sentiment, but he had the courage of his convictions. The only conviction that V-Day has is the unfortunate belief that a well-placed pop song will cure any flat or tedious scene. There’s alot of music here as a result.

Are there any highlights? Well, if you enjoy seeing actors you recognize playing themselves and vindicating all those cheesy romantic feelings you have always had about the magic of Valentine’s Day, then maybe. Otherwise, there are snippets of humor and flashes of feeling, but they are buried underneath the grueling script which feels more like an airline schedule than a plot, making sure each thread is taking off and landing on time.

Among the cast, I found Jennifer Garner to be the most appealing and likable performer. She’s playing a woman named Julia who is circling potential romantic entanglement with her best bud, Reed, who also happens to run a florist shop on V-Day (how cute). There’s not enough here for her to do anything significant with the character, but she has the energy and the sweetness necessary to make something like this work. Maybe if the film had focused solely on her and Kutcher’s Reed it would have stood a better chance. Instead it throws us Julia Roberts, Hector Elizando, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel, Topher Grace, Patrick Dempsey, Taylor Lautner, Anne Hathaway, Kathy Bates, George Lopez and Queen Latifah. I could have done without the lot of them. Well, ok, we can keep Latifah. She’s also one of the few bright spots.

Valentine’s Day is a movie without a single surprise. If you watch the trailer right now, you will understand everything that wants to be said, and what will happen to all of the characters. You will also know if it’s a movie you will like. If you find yourself rolling your eyes, you’re better off sitting this V-Day out.

Rating: ★½☆☆☆ 

PHILIP BARRETT: I’d never been introduced to the Ice Age films until this most recent outing. Oh sure, I’d heard of them and was mildly interesting in seeing the first one, but for whatever reason I never got to it. The first did receive pretty decent reviews while the second was pretty much reviled by anyone under seven. Fox still thinks there’s an appeal (or they heard the term “STRIKE!”) and have decided to give us a third entry in the franchise.

ANDY GATHMAN: I saw the first Ice Age when we were visiting relatives and my then-three-year-old happened upon the movie box and insisted on watching it with us. Though he was enthralled, laughing wildly throughout, I felt I could take it or leave it. It seemed very much a movie for children and not nearly as well developed as, say, Shrek (Dreamworks) or Finding Nemo (Pixar/Disney). On this third installment, however, the Ice Age franchise seems to have improved upon the original formula and worked in plot and character nuances that held my attention and interest through the duration of the film. My son (now four) loved it, and I enjoyed it as well.

PHILIP: And I’m sure the film will play well to kids, as well it should. It’s not exactly a terrible movie, but it’s not without it’s problems either. The biggest one in my opinion stems from how unnatural the actors seem to be at times. A couple of times I felt the actors were talking “at” each other rather than “to” each other. The best example I can use is in the begging when Diego and Manny are having a discussion. Denis Leary and Ray Romano seem to be operating on different plains.

ANDY: I agree that the film has some problems. In particular, it doesn’t get off the ground very smoothly. The conflict Sid and Diego have with Manny as he is preparing for a child isn’t very convincing to begin with. At the same time, I applaud the attempt to explore one of the difficult dilemmas faced by every new parent: how to maintain loyalty to one’s friends on the verge of a change that is bound to change everything. And as clumsy as the conversation between Manny and Diego was, that is when I thought things really picked up steam.

PHILIP: It’s a theme the film builds upon over the course of it’s run time and no doubt it’s a nice one to follow. Things didn’t really kick off for me though until we’re introduced to Buck voiced by a true talent in Simon Pegg. He’s silly without going overboard and gives the picture a much needed shot to the arm that it was teetering with before he came into the fold. He’s Solid Snake but more outlandish, and the film is way better for having him.

ANDY: For me it picked up considerably when Sid happens upon the dino eggs, and begins attempting to raise them as his own. Though it was a brief section of the movie before mama T-Rex takes Sid and her babies away, they made the most of the scenario and piled on plenty of gags. How can you not when you have a prehistoric sloth attempting to be mommy to three baby dinosaurs. Favorite moments for my son (judging by the laugh-factor) were the toboggan ride with the three eggs and the playground mess. But your point is well taken—without the addition of Buck, the mad one-eyed weasel, the movie would have groaned to a dragging conclusion. As it turns out, he stole the show from the moment he makes his vine-swinging entrance, until he finally says goodbye and destroys the cave linking the surface with the cavern that time forgot.

Like Vince says, "you're gonna love my nuts."

PHILIP: That’s what surprised me most about the film was that I was able to feel something good for a character. A sense of depression came to me when Buck wanted to go back. I wasn’t crying my eyes out but at the same time I wanted him to go back with the rest in case there’s an Ice Age 4. Touching on Sid though, I absolutely hated him. Understandably he’s the village idiot but there was something in John Leguizamo’s voice that didn’t sit well with me. Whatever it was had me rolling my eyes anytime he ungraced us with his presence.

ANDY: Certainly that’s one of the main themes of the Ice Age movies—a herd formed not because everyone is alike but in spite of everyone’s differences. When you get down to it, there’s something to dislike about each character, and yet their commitment to one another is what keeps the “family” intact. Sid, though, is certainly is the least lovable of the bunch. Still, they choose to love him, even when they are given an obvious out (“Uh oh, the dinosaur took Sid away. Too bad…may he rest in peace.”) Manny in particular risks not only himself but his whole family to rescue the “village idiot.” Why does he do this, when he loathes the creature as much as we do?

PHILIP: Because of the dedication to family, and also an interesting point. Plus, you’d be hard pressed to find a group or family that doesn’t have the moron of the bunch (some parts of my own family would make the case that it’s me, but they can snuff it.) The point Andy is making is that Sid, regardless of how bad of an idiot he acts like, is still a part of their family. Thus they feel the need to protect him and rescue him, even if he’s the black sheep. We might be being a little bit too analytical of a kid’s film, but it’s nice to see that some thought was put forth rather than none.

ANDY: Yes, we digress, but as I mention earlier, I appreciated that the filmmakers found a script that worked on multiple levels. Woven through it all are plenty of jokes and sight gags to keep you laughing, right up to the end. All told, it was a better than average kids movie, and I’d say probably the best of the Ice Age trio. Two days later, my four-year-old is still talking about it, and I didn’t find myself cringing when he asked if we could see it again sometime soon. For anyone considering this movie, chances are your kids will love it, and you won’t hate it.

PHILIP: I concur. I fully expected to come into this getting another silly, asinine kids film. While at times this is what the movie gave me, I came away liking parts and was completely taken with Buck. A note though, I saw this film in 3D and I don’t know if it’s the glasses but the animation didn’t look as pristine as it should. Up had a similar problem too but this was just atrocious. In any case though, the film will play fine to it’s audience and at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.

Andy’s Grade –

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Rating: ★★★☆☆