Best New Movie Bets: March 14 | 'Need for Speed', 'Veronica Mars' & more

"Need for Speed" starring Aaron Paul

“Breaking Bad” alum Aaron Paul stars in this ridiculously plotted answer to the “Fast & Furious” franchise. The film is a gamble for the critically lauded Paul, who is making his first big-screen push since "Breaking Bad" ended, in a video game adaptation. The cheese factor for this movie is off the charts and movies adapted from video games have had a history of low success both in box office and critical praise. In my opinion, “Hitman” is the only quality adaptation that’s broken the mold.

While attention is aimed at Aaron Paul, there’s another actor looking to make waves in “Need for Speed”; Dominic Cooper who's been on the fringe of his big Hollywood break for a while now. He’s an actor capable of spanning a range of characters from a romantic lead (“Mamma Mia”) to a seedy gangster (“Dead Man Down”). His landmark performance came in the chilling film "The Devil's Double" where he gave a remarkable turn, in a dual role as both the depraved Uday Hussein and his victimized double.

Stealing the show is his forte and in the flashy role of a villain, he seems poised to do that in “Need for Speed”. Add in British ingénue Imogen Poots coming into her second supporting role of the year (“This Awkward Moment” being the other) and you have several rising careers riding on a movie that could prove make or break. Read Eclectic Pop's Full Movie here

"Veronica Mars" starring Kristen Bell

For the last 10 years you’d be hard pressed to find a greater saga in fandom history than the “marshmallows” who banded together to save their favorite show when it was on the verge of cancellation in the UPN/WB merger and again after it was cancelled on The CW in 2007.

It’s been 7 years since the series left the airwaves and its dedicated fans have been working around the clock ever since to get closure or a continuation of the story.

Last year through Kickstarter, MTV reports that fans raised $2 million in less than ten hours so their beloved Veronica (Kristen Bell) could come back to life on the big screen. Series creator Rob Thomas penned the script and most of the original cast has returned to reprise their roles.

No matter the box office results over the weekend, the best reward has already occurred with fans finally getting their happy ending. It’s also a huge testament to social media and the fans who’ve used it to accomplish their goal. The “marshmallows” have also given hope to every other fandom who feels their show ended too soon. The next question is which TV show (if any) will follow in its footsteps?

"Better Living Through Chemistry"

This dark comedy boasts a notable cast that includes; Sam Rockwell, Olivia Wilde, Michelle Monaghan, Ray Liotta and Jane Fonda. After reading the summary it is easy to see why they were all intrigued.

The story follows a conservative pharmacist (Rockwell) who’s boring life gets a major jolt of excitement when he begins a torrid affair with his married customer (Olivia Wilde) and things start spinning out of control.

Rockwell is one of the most underrated actors in the business and he can elevate even the worst source material. Thankfully, he appears to have something to work with in this script, which seems to be a promising use of his talents.

"Enemy" [Limited Release]

After collaborating with director Denis Villeneuve on last year’s exceptional thriller “Prisoners”, Jake Gyllenhaal had reteamed with Villeneuve for “Enemy”, an innovative thriller operating on an original premise. When a man (Gyllenhaal) spots his doppelganger in a movie, he begins a search to find him and unravel the mysterious link between them.

While Gyllenhaal is a major draw, he has two impressive co-stars to aid in his efforts, actresses Melanie Laurent and David Cronenberg’s casting darling, Sarah Gadon. In the current Hollywood film arena, it is difficult find a refreshingly unexhausted storyline and “Enemy” appears primed to provide just that.

Comments