Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire and Natalie Portman team up in this Oscar-bait-scented drama about a soldier (Maguire) killed in action and the toll it takes on his wife (Portman), their kids and his deadbeat brother (Gyllenhaal), who ends up bonding with the family in the war hero's absence. Just when wifey, kids and brother -- now apparently romantically linked to his sister-in-law -- have formed somewhat of a cohesive unit and have begun to emerge from the shell of mourning, they find out soldier boy ain't dead at all.
Low jinks ensue when a gaunt, haunted-looking Maguire returns home and immediately suspects some post-funeral hanky-panky between his wife and brother. Accusations are hurled, furniture is mauled and much screaming and gnashing of teeth occurs, culminating in a confrontation between a belligerent Maguire and some cops with their guns drawn. Way to bring the dramz, Spidey!
Release date: Dec. 4
Chance of box office success: Not great. Much as this seems like a must-see on paper, war-related flicks haven't exactly been raking in the box office biz (see: Rendition, The Kingdom, Grace Is Gone).
Should you see it?: It's a must-see in my opinion, but methinks the rest of the world will wait for it to show up on Netflix.
(Not a very clear video, but an entertaining one nonetheless)
What I heard and saw from the nosebleeds at American Airlines Center:
Pre-show music: Michael Jackson's Bad album
1. "Crazy In Love"
2. "Naughty Girl"
3. "Freakum Dress" (complete with muscled up male freakum dancers)
-- Costume change to the sound of "Get Me Bodied"
4. "Smash Into You" (Beyonce appears in a white getup at the top of a magical staircase; large screen that serves as concert's backdrop shows sea scenes.)
-- I think to myself, "Why is the sound system so tinny for us top-section dwellers? Can we get a behind-the-head speaker or two up in here?" --
5. "Ave Maria"/ "Angel" (The wedding dress costume is weird. And the lyric is "reverie," not "memory.")
6. "Broken Hearted Girl" (People who only showed up to dance are starting to get antsy with all the slow stuff. They get up and get snacks.)
7. "If I Were a Boy"/"You Oughta Know" (nice, rocked-up segment in which Young B sports Robert Palmer shades)
-- Costume change to the sound of "Beautiful Nightmare" --
8. "Diva" (She's on the magic staircase again. Everyone is dancing.)
9. "Radio" (bookended by funny footage of Beyonce as a kid)
10. "Me Myself and I" (B takes a moment before this female empowerment anthem to give props to her all-girl band.)
11. "Ego" (As if the double entendres in the song weren't enough, her dancers are holding and dancing suggestively with large sticks.)
Paul Potts, the plain Jane-turned-music superstar, was Susan Boyle before Susan Boyle. Discovered on Britain's Got Talent, the former salesman has toured the world performing the opera that won him raves -- and that debut season of the show -- in 2007. Hear for yourself how the tenor has sold millions of albums and stolen the hearts of fans. 8 p.m. Nokia Theatre, 1001 Performance Place, Grand Prairie. $59.50-$79.50. ticketmaster.com.
Relax at Cool Out Mondays with music supplied by Schwa, Fugita 5, Hot Flash and Big J. Happy hour specials all night. 10 p.m. The Cavern, 1914 Greenville Ave. Free. thecaverndallas.com.
Paul Slavens presents his weekly show in Denton. 10 p.m. Dan's Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St., Denton. Free. 940-320-2000 or danssilverleaf.com.
Sun Club presents Disco Workout, featuring dance music from "the '70s and beyond," at 10 p.m. at Hailey's, 122 Mulberry St., Denton. No cover. haileysclub.com.
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