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Weekend Movie Forecast: <em>Cowboys & Aliens</em> Vs. <em>Crazy, Stupid, Love</em>

By

Robert Horan

Published Jul 29, 2011

Modified Jul 29, 2011

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What can be said about Cowboys & Aliens? It could be an amazing exploration of American genre pictures, the clash of two of our mythological frontiers, or a dark perversion of a John Ford movie. That, or it could be the next Wild, Wild, West. The film stars two of our best action stars, Harrison Ford (the fading veteran) and Daniel Craig (arguably our most dignified leading man) and is directed by Iron Man's Jon Favreau. Most of the movie's success will ride on Favreau, the script, and the overall tone. Chances are it's just going to be okay, but how great would it be if it turned out to be brilliant, and they had to start putting Cowboys & Aliens on college syllabi? Just a thought.Reviews have been alright, with Nick Pinkerton from The Voice saying: "Director Jon Favreau's experiment in genre crossbreeding—a Western-sci-fi mashup pumped full of inspirational all-in-this-together spirit—is a cute, crowd-pleasing idea, though more decadent than a revitalization of either genre. The sci-fi element is such standard-issue space-invader stuff as to be hardly worth consideration as anything other than a gimmick. The Western tropes are more lovingly dealt with, but here the genre, which has long striven toward maturity, is made “fun” again through dislocation from historical fact."It should be noted that Favreau is a capable storyteller among blockbuster blowhards. As in his handling of the first Iron Man, he displays here the rare ability to patiently lay down the track along which his narrative will move, and he gets some good work from his performers."

 

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By

Robert Horan

Published Jul 29, 2011

Modified Jul 29, 2011

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Click on the film stills for details and reviews on this week's new releases and repertory screenings, which include: Crazy, Stupid, Love, Cowboys & Aliens, The Smurfs, The Future, The Interrupters, El Bulli, Cooking in Progress, Attack the Block, Sleep Furiously, One From the Heart, Life in a Day, and Fright Night.

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