This week at the movies, we’ve got undersea terror (Sanctum, starring Ioan Gruffudd and Richard Roxburgh), and a psycho roomie (The Roommate, starring Leighton Meester and Minka Kelly). What do the critics have to say?
James Cameron loves high drama under the sea; his directorial credits include Piranha 2: The Spawning, The Abyss, and that little movie about an ocean liner that sank after hitting an iceberg. Cameron is the executive producer on Sanctum, and critics say the film maintains his flair for arresting visuals, but unfortunately the characters and plot are nothing particularly special. Sanctum is the story of a group of cave divers who become trapped after a tropical storm. They’re lost in a vast undersea cavern, short on supplies, and desperate to find a way out. The pundits say Sanctum has moments of tension and visual wonder, but it’s undercut by one-dimensional characters and remarkably middling dialogue. (Check out Five Favorite Films with Cameron, director Alister Grierson and writer Andrew Wight.)
It looks like the folks behind The Roommate forgot to list a “critics wanted” ad, since it wasn’t screened prior to release. Minka Kelly stars as a college student whose new roomie (Leighton Meester) becomes obsessed with her. Hey kids, stop scouring Craigslist for a second and guess that Tomaometer! (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we present a list of memorable movie stalkers.)
Into Eternity, a visually stunning documentary about the construction of a huge nuclear waste facility, is at 100 percent.
Cold Weather, a comic mystery about a would-be sleuth looking for his missing girlfriend, is at 79 percent.
The Other Woman, starring Natalie Portman in a dramedy about a newly married woman dealing with a complex family life, is at 36 percent.
Waiting for Forever, starring Rachel Bilson in a comedy about a young woman who reconnects with an obsessive former flame, is at 10 percent.
Frankie and Alice, starring Halle Berry as a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder, is at nine percent.
