Now-a-Dollar Oct 14 | Buzz Blog
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Thursday, October 13, 2011

A&E / Culture

Now-a-Dollar Oct 14

Posted By on October 13, 2011, 10:19 AM

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A quartet of disappointing late-summer releases make their way to various discount theaters this weekend. ---

The highest profile -- and therefore perhaps most disappointing -- belonged to Cowboys & Aliens, from director Jon Favreau (Iron Man). The story benefits from Daniel Craig's antiheroic performance as a mysterious stranger who wanders into an Old West town at the same time that aliens attack. But overall, it feels far too grim for something that's so preposterous: too serious to be enough fun, and too weird to be taken seriously.

Another awkward mix of tone and content, 30 Minutes or Less stars Jesse Eisenberg as a slacker pizza-delivery guy who's kidnapped, strapped into an explosive vest and forced to rob a bank by a couple of greedy idiots (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson). While there are funny people here doing funny things -- Aziz Ansari is solid as Eisenberg's best friend -- this proves to be a case where the performers' various comedic shticks clang off one another rather than creating harmonious music.

And the other two weren't even screened for press: The reboot of Conan the Barbarian featuring Jason Momoa as the titular sword-swinger, and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, Robert Rodgriguez's latest I-made-it-in-my-basement disposable kid flick. The latter came with a scratch-and-sniff card. Maybe Conan might have done better with one of those.

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Scott Renshaw

Scott Renshaw
Bio:
 Scott Renshaw has been a City Weekly staff member since 1999, including assuming the role of primary film critic in 2001 and Arts & Entertainment Editor in 2003. Scott has covered the Sundance Film Festival for 25 years, and provided coverage of local arts including theater, pop-culture conventions, comedy, literature,... more

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