Movie Review: “A Perfect Getaway”

Seen on: August 10, 2009

The players: Director: David Twohy, Writer: David Twohy, Cast: Steve Zahn, Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez, Marley Shelton, Chris Hemsworth

Facts of interest: Twohy also directed "Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick."

The plot: Two newlyweds travel to Hawaii for a hiking trip only to discover two dangerous killers are on the loose not far away from them.

Our thoughts: David Twohy’s “A Perfect Getaway” is one of those thrillers trying to mislead audiences so it can pull off a huge twist in the end, but as far as I’m concerned, it clearly failed to surprise me. The film is by no means a total waste of time, but its lack of suspense and inability to engage my interest makes it something I would not want to revisit.

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Box Office: 'G.I. Joe' grabs No. 1 with $56M

Weekend of August 7 – 9, 2009: “G.I. Joe” rises as “Funny People” falls

Paramount’s summer action spectacle “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” raced to the top of the North American box office this weekend with a solid $56.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Directed by Stephen Sommers and based on the popular Hasbro action figure, the film starring Channing Tatum, Dennis Quaid, Marlon Wayans and Sienna Miller scored an average of $14,025 per theater at 4,007 locations.

Debuting in second place with $20.1 million was Nora Ephron’s comedy “Julie & Julia,” which stars Meryl Streep and Amy Adams as two women whose passions for cooking guide them to new happiness.

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'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra' takes box office lead

Stephen Sommers' action film "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" stormed to the top of the North American box office Friday with a solid $22.3 million in ticket sales.

The film based on the popular Hasbro action figure opened at 4,007 locations, scoring an average of $5,565 per theater. The action-packed spectacle follows a unit of soliders tracking down a ruthless weapons manufacturer planning to take over the world.

At No. 2, Nora Ephron's comedy "Julie & Julia" finished with a daily gross of $6.5 million at 2,354 locations. Based on two true stories, the film starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams follows two women whose passions for cooking guide them to new happiness.

This weekend's third new entry, "A Perfect Getaway," only made it to No. 7, earning $2.1 million from ticket sales at 2,159 locations. The thriller with Milla Jovovich follows a bunch of couples encountering their worst nightmare on a Hawaiian vacation.

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I'm hungry for 'G.I. Joe' action and have an appetite for 'Julie & Julia'

Friday is approaching fast, and in anticipation of this weekend's new movie releases, here are some of my final thoughts and feelings about the new flicks before they hit theaters. On the menu this week: "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," "Julie & Julia" and "A Perfect Getaway."

Let me start with "G.I. Joe," which will certainly storm the box office and win the race without a problem. The action flick directed by Stephen Sommers opens at a solid 4,007 locations Friday, making it quite easy for the Paramount release to take the crown.

Although I used to not be excited about "Joe," the recent positive buzz surrounding the film kind of got me interested to find out what this one is all about. Earlier this week, Paramount announced critics would not get to see the flick, a move that usually involves films that suck.

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This week's new movie releases - August 7, 2009

This week, we're looking at three wide releases: Stephen Sommers' "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" with Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum and Sienna Miller; Nora Ephron's "Julie & Julia" with Amy Adams and Meryl Streep; and David Twohy's thriller "A Perfect Getaway" with Timothy Olyphant and Milla Jovovich:

G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA

Synopsis: From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. JOE team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organization to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.

First thoughts: To tell you the truth, at first I wasn't too excited about this one, but now that I've seen some cool spots and I've heard some very positive feedback from folks who've seen it already, I admit I'll walk into the film expecting a bunch of entertaining action.

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Trailer for David Twohy's 'A Perfect Getaway' hits

Here's the first official trailer for Rogue's upcoming thriller "A Perfect Getaway," which arrives in theaters Aug. 14, 2009. In the flick, a happy couple travels to a remote island only to discover something terrible happened there some time ago. When they run into other couples and find it impossible to trust each other, things begin to go terribly wrong.

Chris Hemsworth, Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Kiele Sanchez, Marley Shelton and Wendy Braun. The film is directed by David Twohy, whose credits also include "Pitch Black" and "The Chronicles of Riddick." I can't say I love the trailer, because this just looks like something we have seen too many times already...

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