Review: The Hunt (a.k.a. Jagten)

Release date: July 12, 2013 (July 26 in the DC area)
Running time: 106 minutes
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrøm
Who to see it with: Someone examining the dangers of misguided, but somewhat rational, panic

Lee:

The Hunt (originally titled Jagten, which Google translates as "search") is a Danish film about a man struggling to survive a community's hysterical reaction to a terrible accusation. Mikkelsen plays Lucas, a divorcee who works in his small village's kindergarten. A few villagers think that Lucas's work there is a bit odd, but both he and the children seem to greatly enjoy each other's company. Kindergartner Karla seems particularly taken with him, but Lucas's rejection of an inappropriate gesture leads her to retaliate by making disturbing claims to an authority figure. She thinks her comments are mean but silly, unknowingly beginning a dangerous chain reaction that has harsh consequences for her once honorable caretaker. This couldn't come at a worse time considering his new romance and an ongoing fight for custody of his teenage son.

Stories involving such dark themes often unfold like mysteries or focus on the victims, making The Hunt unique in its straightforward focus on a clearly innocent man's living nightmare following his wrongful defamation. Mikkelsen is great as Lucas who attempts, but sometimes fails, to remain calm and stoic in the face of allegations that he finds ridiculous. In America, he is probably best known for his villainous roles in Casino Royale and NBC's Hannibal, but his imposing presence fits the kind but increasingly troubled Lucas well. There's a moment where Lucas reacts unusually harshly toward a loved one, and a few times where his choices of words seem a bit unwise, but his actions generally fit his disbelief that those closest to him can turn against him so easily.

The story mostly avoids melodrama, instead depicting relations between Lucas and the others in a very tense, quietly angry manner. It does a great job of humanizing the village, with much of the first act being a warm, lightly comedic introduction to the town. Watching Lucas's reputation fall due to the villagers' leading questions and assumptions is maddening, but it's understandable that people feel the need to take the side of a seemingly innocent, impressionable child rather than that of a longtime friend and neighbor. It feels like a realistic exploration of the emotions and behavior exhibited by adults after a shocking discovery, and accurately portrays the ways in which adults can wrongly, if justifiably, project their own negative intuitions and experiences onto children. The Hunt is a gripping drama about a man battling the dark side of society's natural, but sometimes misguided, tendency to condemn the accused.

See it.

Trailer: Kristen Bell's dramedy, The Lifeguard

I guess movies about an older woman not sure about what to do with her life and meeting a younger guy are a Sundance thing these days. Melanie Lynsky's Hello I Must Be Going won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Kristen Bell's The Lifeguard was an official selection at the 2013 Sundance film festival and follows a 29 or 30 (unclear from the trailer) year old woman who doesn't know what the next phase of her life should be. She goes back home and begins lifeguarding to try and figure this out. Because of her regression in life (moving back home and getting a job that would normally be considered something that teenagers do), she begins to act like a young adult. The trailer gives us glimpses of late night parties, drinking, and what looks like a cradle-robbing relationship. It looks like the movie will force Kristen Bell to choose between her new situation and moving on to the next stage of her adult life. The lifeguard hits VOD on July 30 and theaters on August 30.

Good Deal: Alien Anthology on Blu Ray for $19.99

The classic Alien Anthology is an Amazon Gold Box deal for today! You can pick up the four movie, six disc set from Amazon today for $19.99. The set includes multiple versions of Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien Resurrection and also includes additional making of and behind the scenes discs. If you haven't seen these movies, you should. They're classic sci-fi films and at this price, it's an easy recommendation.

Link.

Trailer: Pacific Rim's Fourth Trailer - Resistance

Pacific Rim's fourth trailer has gone live showcasing a little more of the movie releasing later this week. The fourth trailer, titled "Resistance" showcases some of the people you meet who are fighting back against the monsters (Kaiju) in the Jaeger program. You get to see glimpses of some of the mechs (Jaegers) and some of the Kaiju that they fight. The trailer also showcases some of the great special effects that make the movie enjoyable. And, you also get to hear the voice of GLaDOS early in the trailer! Pacific Rim is surfacing later this week on July 12. Lee thought it was a see it. David thought it was a rental, but a very high rental that you could enjoy in theaters.

Weekend box office for July 3 - 5; Despicable Me 2 strands Lone Ranger

Illumination Entertainment's Despicable Me 2 lead the box office this weekend. It's $82.5 million take just barely beat Monsters University's $82.4 million and was a significant increase over the first installment's $56 million opening, and it managed to get that much business despite opening on Wednesday. Its total gross already exceeds $142 million. Monsters came in a respectable fourth with $19.5 million. If DM2 continues to perform well, it could be the year's biggest animated film.  Lone Ranger could only muster $29.4 million during the weekend and a $48.9 million total. However, its audience numbers throughout the weekend remained fairly high which could indicate a decent performance through July, though it will definitely disappoint Disney executives.

Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain filled its limited number of theaters, grossing $17 million at less than 900 theaters, and The Way, Way Back really packed its 19 screens. The Heat could become one of the summer's most successful non-sequels, especially if Pacific Rim is not well received. Its relatively light drop and a lack of direct competition for the next few weeks will likely make it one of Bullock's and McCarthy's highest-grossing films. World War Z is quickly closing in on current highest-grosser Mr & Mrs. Smith's final $186 million tally. See data about other films here and read more analysis here.

Box office estimates for July 5 - 7, 2013:

1) Despicable Me 2; $82,518,000; $142,076,000 total; opening weekend

2) The Lone Ranger; $29,432,000; $48,936,000 total; opening weekend

3) The Heat; $25,000,000; $86,398,000 total; 2nd weekend

4) Monsters University; $19,590,000; $216,127,000 total; 3rd weekend

5) World War Z; $18,200,000; $158,758,000 total; 3rd weekend

6) White House Down; $13,500,000; $50,478,000 total; 2nd weekend

7) Man of Steel; $11,415,000; $271,206,000 total; 4th weekend

8) Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain; $10,100,000; $17,460,000 total; opening weekend

9) This is the End; $5,800,000; $85,554,000 total; 4th weekend

10) Now You See Me; $2,770,000; $110,415,000 total; 6th weekend

What to Watch This Weekend: July 5, 2013

I hope everyone has recovered from their July 4th festivities! There are some good movies out and available for streaming! Here's our recommendations for this weekend.

In Theaters: Despicable Me 2

THE MINIONS ARE BACK! And already setting records for opening weekends. Get to the theaters and see the enjoyable sequel to the charming 2010 animated movie. It's an enjoyable sequel with more of everything you loved about the first movie! David recommended that you see it, so get going!

On DVD: Venus and Serena

Do you love sports movies? How about 30 for 30? If either of those appeal to you, or you just want to take a close look at two of America's premier athletes who happen to be sisters and Wimbledon champs, then check out this film. I absolutely loved it when it was in theaters, so now you can enjoy it from the comfort of your home!

Streaming (Netflix): Drive

Nicolas Winding Refn's dialog-limited, 80s-style, award-winning movie is available for streaming. Drive is a beautiful film starring Ryan Gosling as a mysterious stuntman and mechanic who falls for the wrong girl (Carey Mulligan). Drive is a pure 80s-noir film with a synth score and neon credits. 

Streaming (HBO Go): Pitch Perfect

Do you like a capella and Anna Kendrick? Or do you just like charming movies with lots of song and dance? If so, you'll want to check out Pitch Perfect. It's a surprisingly fun movie that features a lot of great singing and remixes without any instruments. 

Box Office: Despicable Me 2 set for a big five-day debut, while Lone Ranger stumbles

Despicable Me 2 is cleaning up at the holiday box office, opening on Wednesday with a $34 million gross and expected to gross at least $140 million by Monday. It's the third-highest opening day for an animated film following Toy Story 3 and Shrek the Third, though the others did not benefit from releasing one day before a holiday. The Lone Ranger, on the other hand, only managed to take in about $9.7 million and will likely end the weekend with less than $50 million, a disappointing start for a blockbuster with a budget of at least $215 million. The first Pirates film opened on a Wednesday in mid-July, made $73 million during its first five days, and ultimately reached $305 million by attracting relatively large audiences through September. The mixed reception of TLR may give it less staying power. With a limited release, Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain opened with $4.8 million in less than a quarter of the theaters given to the blockbusters, and may finish the weekend around $18 million. See more detailed analysis of this and past Independence Day box offices here.