New Movie Friday: Rio! Scream 4! The Conspirator!

‘Rio’ looks like a lot of fun, especially since I have a bit of a crush on George Lopez, who voices one of the birds. Also in theaters today is ‘Scream 4’ (Hayden Panettiere’s been making the late-night talk show rounds) and ‘The Conspirator,’ which I haven’t heard much about. Let’s take a look…

Rio the Movie

‘Rio’ I love the tagline for this movie: “One out of every 8 Americans is afraid of flying. Most of them don’t have feathers.” That sums up this cute family movie about Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg), a domesticated macaw from small-town Minnesota who meets the fiercely independent Jewel (Anne Hathaway) and takes off to Rio de Janeiro to be with the bird of his dreams.

Of course, it’s not love at first sight – Blu can’t even fly, for crying out loud. But the two birds are thrown together in an adventure about friendship, love, courage, and being open to life’s many wonders. Bonus points for colorful backdrops, vivid characters, a heartwarming story, and cool Latin and contemporary music. Rated PG for mild off color humor; ‘Rio’ official site; 96 min.

‘Scream 4’ – I haven’t seen any of the original ‘Scream’ films, but I’ll probably check this out to see what all the hubbub is about. Then again, I’m not really that into scary movies, so I’m still debating whether to see it.

Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey and Gale, now married, as well as her cousin Jill and her Aunt Kate. Unfortunately, Sidney’s appearance also brings about the return of creepy Ghostface, putting the whole town in danger.

Directed by Wes Craven, ‘Scream 4’ also stars Hayden Panettiere, David Arquette, Alison Brie, Aimee Teegarden, Courtney Cox, Lucy Hale, and Kristen Bell. Rated R for strong bloody violence, language and some teen drinking; ‘Scream 4’ official site; Twitter; Facebook; 111 minutes.

‘The Conspirator’ – Mary Surratt (Robin Wright) is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she’s forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer (James McAvoy) to uncover the truth and save her life. Sounds like a cool movie for history buffs.

Directed by Robert Redford, ‘The Conspirator’ also stars Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Kline, Justin Long, Alexis Bledel and Evan Rachel Wood. Rated PG-13 for some violent content; ‘The Conspirator’ official site; 123 minutes.

Comments

  1. NoPotCoooking Avatar

    I have not seen any of the Scream movies either. I always thought those sequel movies got worse as they went along, but there are so many names in this one I wonder if that is true!

  2. MyKidsEatSquid Avatar

    I’m anxious to read your review of Rio–I heard glowing reviews so far but it’s one of those movies where you wonder if all the good stuff is in the trailer.

  3. Sheryl Avatar

    I’m so looking forward to seeing The Conspirator – might manage it this weekend! As for the other two, think I’ll skip ’em.

  4. Alexandra Avatar

    Rio sounds great. I was looking for a movie to see with my granddaughter during her visit next month. Thanks!

  5. merr Avatar
    merr

    Aw…that Rio does look cute. I no longer do scary films – just can’t take it! Have not heard of The Conspirator…one to look into.

  6. Alisa Bowman Avatar

    Rio is a must see in this house. I’m looking forward to it!

  7. Jennifer Margulis Avatar

    My vote is for Rio too. This weekend, we’re there (if I can find childcare for the baby who’s too big to bring but not big enough to watch a movie yet…)

  8. Ruth Pennebaker Avatar

    Dying to see Conspirator — even if the reviews have been uneven. I’m still upset about Lincoln’s assassination, though; if only he’d stayed home that night.

  9. Deutschland Avatar

    These days you got to have a sequel !
    The writing behind the film is excellent, the idea of teens imitating the movies with more twists than twister. An action packed slasher movie with mystery behind it all no imortal killer just messed up teenagers.

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