Column By JIM O’DONNELL This week we are opening “Into the Storm,” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” “Lucy,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” (great film!) will hold for another week. “Sex Tape” and “The Purge: Anarchy” will end this Thursday.
This summer movie season has been a tough one to choose the right films for our town and, let’s face it, most of the films this season were not that good. Yes there were a few notable ones, but not many. Nationally, box office receipts were down 25-45 percent – as were we. Granted I passed on some I shouldn’t have. Some we chose not to open on the break and some we will never open.
Upcoming film choices aren’t any easier. We are booked for “The Giver” as I was told it was a popular book in our community. Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, both fine actors, are in it so I thought it was a good bet. As of this writing I’m not sure. I chose it over “Let’s be Cops” which I also thought was another stupid movie but it is looking better and better all the time. I might have messed up that one as well but will bring it in as a one-week run as soon as I can.
This brings me to “The Expendables 3.” Really? I didn’t bite on that one either partly because I hate to see patrons pay good money to see a bunch of old tough guys shuffle around a third time and I understand there has been roughly 2 million illegal downloads already before the premier. I don’t think we’ll have room for it now with only four screens but the advantage is we can take a look and decide if we want it later. We will open “The Hundred Foot Journey” on either Aug. 22 or 29, and I will bring in “Let’s be Cops” after that. If we had eight screens, we could show them all but, alas, we only have four. Also, “A Most Wanted Man,” Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s last film, is on the top of our list as soon as we make the cut.
August and September, which usually have pretty poor film choices, looks pretty good. Plus, we can fill-in with some good art movies and other we passed on earlier. Hopefully, the fall will make us well again with “Hunger Games” and “The Hobbit” and, when we do open films late, we hope you all stay on the hill to see them. 2015 is predicted to be the best year for film in a decade. We’ll see about that, wish I had a crystal ball…
Movie poster for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Courtesy/Reel Deal Theater
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April O’Neil (Megan Fox) and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett) to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan. Based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles characters created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman with a Screenplay by Josh Appelbaum & Andre Nemec and Evan Daugherty, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is produced by Michael Bay (director and executive producer of the blockbuster Transformers franchise), Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Galen Walker, Scott Mednick and Ian Bryce, and directed by Jonathan Liebesman (Wrath of the Titans). (c) Paramount
Movie poster for “Into the Storm.” Courtesy/Reel Deal Theater
Into the Storm: In the span of a single day, the town of Silverton is ravaged by an unprecedented onslaught of tornadoes. The entire town is at the mercy of the erratic and deadly cyclones, even as storm trackers predict the worst is yet to come. Most people seek shelter, while others run towards the vortex, testing how far a storm chaser will go for that once-in-a-lifetime shot. Told through the eyes and lenses of professional storm chasers, thrill-seeking amateurs, and courageous townspeople, “Into the Storm” throws you directly into the eye of the storm to experience Mother Nature at her most extreme. (C) Warner Bros
Coming attractions include: “The Hundred Foot Journey” (definitely), “A Most Wanted Man,” “Let’s be Cops,” “Hercules,” “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” and “Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.”
We apologize about the large LED movie sign on the east wall of the theater. We can’t seem to get anyone out to fix it. We believe it just needs a power supply and the company we bought it from is out of business like so many companies nowadays. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Note: Do not trust other websites for Reel Deal Theater movie times as they are often incorrect and we’ve been getting a lot of confused patrons who use these random sites including Google. For correct show times, visit www.reeldealtheater.com or use the Los Alamos Daily Post listings for show times. If you have any requests, email me at odonnell455@gmail.com and I will respond when I know something.
Don’t forget, if it’s your birthday, the movie of your choice is free!
You can see our full schedule, show times and trailers at www.reeldealtheater.com.