Movies in Northwest Arkansas: April 20-26
Most of the area theaters picked up the same three movies this week: Fracture, a murder mystery starring Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling (above); In the Land of Women, a romantic comedy-drama with Adam Brody, Kristen Stewart, Meg Ryan and Olympia Dukakis; and Vacancy, a thriller starring Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale.
The most promising new release won't make it to Northwest Arkansas this week, however. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's Hot Fuzz (above) looks like a spot-on send-up of the buddy cop genre, just as their Shaun of the Dead was a brilliant homage to George Romero's Living Dead zombie flicks. Focus has pushed Hot Fuzz pretty heavily through television ads, and AMC has done a great job in booking independent in foreign films at their Fiesta Square theater, so I guess I'm a little surprised this isn't playing around here.
A quick look at Rotten Tomatoes shows Hot Fuzz with an 88-percent freshness rating; only 68 percent of critics like Fracture, and even fewer like In the Land of Women and Vacancy. I know, I know — money drives bookings. But this is a college town! Give the kids something hip for once!