For some movie lovers, Friday, March 11 can’t come soon enough. We’re looking at the release of three major genre films, one of which has been using the media to capture the attention of people everywhere for months on end. ‘Battle: Los Angeles’ has created games, faux websites to report UFO sightings and has also (allegedly) manipulated a video to make it seem as though a UFO paid a visit to the Rock of the Dome. Can they put their money where their mouth is and deliver a movie that’s as monumental as they’ve been letting on? Only time will tell. In any event, here’s more info on what’s being released this Friday.
Let’s talk about ‘Battle: Los Angeles’ a bit more since I’ve already touched on it briefly. For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world – Buenos Aires, Seoul, France, Germany, China. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world’s great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It’s up to a Marine staff sergeant (Aaron Eckhart) and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they’ve ever encountered before.
Also making an appearance at the end of the work week is the newest thriller entitled ‘Red Riding Hood.’ Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider Peter (Shiloh Fernandez), but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry (Max Irons). Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie’s older sister has been killed by the werewolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village. For years, the people have maintained an uneasy truce with the beast, offering the creature a monthly animal sacrifice. But under a blood red moon, the wolf has upped the stakes by taking a human life. Hungry for revenge, the people call on famed werewolf hunter, Father Solomon (Gary Oldman), to help them kill the wolf. But Solomon’s arrival brings unintended consequences as he warns that the wolf, who takes human form by day, could be any one of them. As the death toll rises with each moon, Valerie begins to suspect that the werewolf could be someone she loves. Panic grips the town as Valerie discovers that she has a unique connection to the beast–one that inexorably draws them together, making her both suspect…and bait.
And finally, I’ve saved the lighthearted film for last. ‘Mars Needs Moms’ debuts this Friday with the rest of the group. Take out the trash, eat your broccoli—who needs moms, anyway? Nine-year-old Milo (Seth Green) finds out just how much he needs his mom (Joan Cusack) when she’s nabbed by Martians who plan to steal her mom-ness for their own young. Produced by the team behind “Disney’s A Christmas Carol” and “The Polar Express,” “Mars Needs Moms” showcases Milo’s quest to save his mom—a wild adventure in Disney Digital 3D™ and IMAX® 3D that involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader (Mindy Sterling). With the help of a tech-savvy, underground earthman named Gribble (Dan Fogler) and a rebel Martian girl called Ki (Elisabeth Harnois), Milo just might find his way back to his mom—in more ways than one.
With such a variety of movies to pick from – from alien invasions, a fairy tale gone wrong, and a comedy that the family can enjoy – there’s really no excuse to stay away from the theater this week. If you decide to check out one of these films, be sure to let us know what you thought of it in the comments below.
