For those of you whose parents won't be treating you to free food, gifts, and a reminder of why you're so happy to live away from home, a weekend movie might be just the way to pass the time. And what a weekend it is. We have Chris Kattan taking one for the SNL team, Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton battling for love, and legendary director David Lynch returning with his latest offering. Whatever is in your bag, one of these three debuts should cover it. If not, make your roommate's parents buy you dinner.
Corky Romano
Fledgling director Rob Pritts takes on the formidable task of directing a Saturday Night Live star on the silver screen. This time, brave soul Chris Kattan (better known to some as "Mango") plays the title character. Corky Romano is a Mafia kid out to find what the FBI has to say about his tainted lineage in order to save his father and his cronies from jail. Romano decides if he can't beat 'em, he might as well join 'em. He dons a Federal Bureau badge and digs for info, despite having been shunned by pops at an early age for not fitting in. The film's tagline ponders "Who is Corky Romano?" and soon, everyone is wondering - is he a super agent, a geek, or just an obedient son? More importantly, can Kattan overcome the curse of SNL overachievers?Bandits
The age-old love triangle returns with a new, scandalous twist and big-name stars. Joe (Bruce Willis) and Terry (Billy Bob Thornton) are bank robbers content to go along their merry debauchery-full way, garnering a lot of money and fame in the process. They're the perfectly balanced team - Joe is debonair and charming, Terry a neurotic hypochondriac. Unfortunately, to Kate (Cate Blanchett), they also combine to make the perfect man. During an unexpected run-in she joins their team to escape her mundane life. But America thinks the duo has captured her, and will do everything in its power to save this damsel in distress. Will the loser get the girl? Will Angelina kick Blanchett's ass back to England? We can only wait until Friday to find out.Mulholland Drive
Director David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, The Straight Story) was awarded Best Director for this film at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. Lynch fans have eagerly awaited this script for some time - the project was originally a pilot for a television series on ABC which would've marked the small-screen return of Lynch a decade after his Twin Peaks changed television history. ABC decided not to pick up the series, and so the pilot was never aired. Fittingly, the mystique of Hollywood saturates this piece in which a woman (Laura Harring) is abandoned on Mulholland Drive following a car accident and suffers from amnesia. She finds her way to the home of an aspiring actress, and together they piece together the puzzle of her forgotten life. Look for oddly familiar faces (such as Achy-Breaky Billy Ray Cyrus and Dan Hedaya, everyone's favorite Wonder Years dad) and trademark Lynchian wackiness.
