At The Movies With Peter Travers: “Drag Me To Hell,” “Up” and “Dance Flick”
A pair of must-see summer films hits theaters this weekend, joining a packed multiplex filled with popcorn epics and Scum Bucket blockbusters. Thankfully, Rolling Stone movie critic Peter Travers is once again your guide for what to see and what to avoid.
Despite its ridiculous title, Travers says there’s no reason to feel guilty about seeing the guilty-pleasure horror film Drag Me to Hell, which marks Evil Dead trilogy director Sam Raimi’s return to his scary roots after helming the blockbuster Spider-Man series. The film, which stars Alison Lohman as a banker afflicted with a demonic curse, stretches the limits of PG-13, but its Raimi’s dark humor that hit almost as hard as the shocks. Travers recently sat down with co-star Justin Long, who plays Lohman’s fiancé in the film, for an upcoming episode of the new online series Off the Cuff, so keep an eye on the Travers Take tomorrow to see the series’ debut.
Also in theaters is Up, the latest masterpiece by animation giants Pixar. Travers gave the film four stars in the new issue of RS, and notes that Up more than keeps Pixar’s 1.000 batting average when looking at their 10-picture filmography.
The story of an old man, a chubby boy scout, a house afloat thanks to thousands of balloons and a journey to South America, Travers says this film will be considered one of the best movies of 2009 by year’s end. Screening in both 2D and 3D, Travers says the standard version is the way to properly experience the film and its incredible colors.
Since only two movies — two great movies — are out this week, Travers revisits Memorial Day weekend to find some fodder for his Scum Bucket, selecting a film that flew under the radar of badness: Dance Flick. The latest film from the Wayans Brothers and the newest in a terrible series of spoof films like Superhero Movie, Epic Movie, Date Movie, Dance Flick doesn’t fail in reaching the same unfunny heights as its predecessors, pumping out one skit after another that doesn’t work. Seriously, the only reason you can have for seeing Dance Flick over Up is because your cousin is an extra in it or something and you feel obligated. Avoid.
Read this week’s movie reviews: