In Theaters: 02.08.08

Here is a tagline that fits this week perfectly: “More of the same.” We have only a few new titles and most of them look like garbage once again. Before we get into that, let’s recap last week. Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus dominated the box office with roughly $31 million in receipts. It even managed to hold up against the Super Bowl. It’s too bad the rest of the box office couldn’t say the same. Rambo dropped considerably from its opening weekend mark of $18.2 to $7.1 million. This weekend should be a different story since movies won’t have to compete with all the excitement surrounding the Super Bowl. Even though I said I wouldn’t predict these things anymore it’s safe to say Fool’s Gold will be at the top spot by the end of the weekend.

Fool’s Gold stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey who play a divorced couple that attempt to work out their differences to find some sunken treasure. The trailer didn’t make this look to promising. Scenes where McConaughey can fly an aircraft just because he had a Playstation are just too far over the top. The comedy looks strikingly similar to How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days, a film that also featured both actors. I’ve never held too much hope for McConaughey (although I did like him in Contact and Dazed And Confused) I’ve always thought Kate Hudson could deliver a standout performance if put in the right role. This film makes me wonder if I should put those theories to rest.

Martin Lawrence continues his string of shitty movies with Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. Lawrence plays Roscoe, an acclaimed talk show host that has been avoiding his roots for the past nine years but with his parent’s 50th wedding anniversary coming up that is about to change. Going against his will (and probably convinced by his new fiancée) he returns only to find things are exactly how he left them. Since I haven’t liked any Lawrence film ever I suspect I won’t enjoy this one either. One major disappointment is that they somehow convinced Louis C.K. to be a part of this debacle. Why Lou, why?

Perhaps the most disgusting release of the week is The Hottie and the Nottie. The point at which anyone thinks it’s a good idea to put Paris Hilton in a leading role is beyond me. It’s a romantic comedy where the “titular beauty” Hilton attempts to make her ugly friend attractive by making her over. It sounds like an even more conceded attempt at making She’s All That - if that is even possible. Here is the trailer. Feel free to knock yourself out.

Next week looks a little more promising. Jumper could turn out to be a surprise hit. I just hope the love story doesn’t get in the way of what could be a good Science Fiction movie. There is also the children’s fantasy film The Spiderwick Chronicles which could also go either way.