Peter Travers pretends he's sorry for us pour souls stuck at home with the worst new movies in theaters, while he jets off on a plane to enjoy the Sundance Film Festival. At least he gives us a little sneak peek at the goods.
Since January is traditionally the worst month for new film releases, this week's At the Movies is a guide to what
not to see this weekend.
Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers' Scum Bucket runneth over starting with
The Tooth Fairy, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a hockey player whose punishment for telling a girl that the tooth fairy doesn't exist is a two-week community service as the fairy. Yes, it's for kids, but that's not a good enough excuse for how horrible this film is.
Similarly terrible is
Extraordinary Measures, starring Brendan Frasier and Harrison Ford. In this film, the man who played Han Solo, Indiana Jones and
Blade Runner turns in a Lifetime-worthy performance as an eccentric doctor who helps Fraser create a cure for Pompe disease. It's based on a true story, and while the reality of the story might be riveting, the film itself is TV movie quality.
Actor Paul Bettany contributes a pair of stinkers this week, too: the apocalyptic horror flick
Legion, in which he plays an archangel sent to save mankind, and the Charles Darwin domestic drama
Creation, where he stars with his real-life wife Jennifer Connelly.
In an effort to seek refuge from these January flicks, Travers is heading to the Sundance Film Festival this weekend to feast his eyes on films like Howl, starring James Franco as the beat poet Allen Ginsberg, and the rock biopic The Runaways, featuring New Moon's Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning as Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. To follow Travers as he watches indie cinema's best in Utah, follow his voyages over at his Twitter.
>>>Watch every episode of our weekly Peter Travers video podcast by subscribing via iTunes (when prompted, click “Launch application”). Every Friday, a new episode will be delivered to your iTunes. [If you don't have iTunes, download it here.]