This Week’s Theatrical Releases.

1. 3:10 to Yuma (2,652 Theaters, Rated R): I don’t know about you, but I like westerns. I’ll admit that they are an acquired taste, but it is definitely a taste I’ve acquired.

Why do I like westerns? I could give you a whole bunch of reasons like “I enjoy the way they show America’s past” or “I like the primal struggle between law and lawlessness you find in them”. These reasons are essentially true. But the real reason I like westerns is because my father liked westerns.

Every weekend, my father would find a western on cable and sit down to watch it. John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, even Audie Murphy found a home on our TVs on those days. And even if I didn’t watch all of them, they seeped into my consciousness through osmosis.

This one looks like a good one. It’s a simple concept. Christian Bale is trying to get criminal Russell Crowe to the train so he can get shipped up to the big city to receive his punishment. Crowe’s gang is trying to stop him. It is a solid concept, which probably is why this is the second time we’re seeing it (this flick is a remake of a 1957 film of the same name).

The cast is first rate. I am a big fan of the leads and also some of the supporting cast such as Alan Tudyk, Ben Foster and Gretchen Mol. And I loved James Mangold’s last effort, Walk the Line. So this should be one great movie.

2. Shoot ‘Em Up (2,108 Theaters, Rated R): You can bring some comparisons between this movie an 3:10 to Yuma.

Both movies feature great casts and solid, simple concepts (In this one, Clive Owen protects a newborn baby from a bunch of criminals). But I think the similarities will end there.

This one seems to be high octane action from start to finish. Sort of like The Transporter meets Sin City with a bunch of old Warner Bros. cartoons thrown in for good measure.

The film got more that its fair share of buzz coming out of the San Diego Comic Con. And it does boast not one, but two Oscar nominees in the cast (Owen and Paul Giamatti). But the plot, while simple and solid, does seem to be a little short on logic and more of a means to an end.

It’s so rare when two movies come out in any give week that I want to see. Which one will I see? That’s a good dilemma to have. While 3:10 to Yuma might be the better film, this one looks like much more fun.

The only trailer for this film on IFilm is the red band trailer, which is only to be viewed by people over 18. So instead of posting that, I decided to go with a more family friendly car chase from the film.

3. The Brothers Solomon (700 Theaters, Rated R): I guess a sure sign that the the summer movie season is over is the fact that all three movies this week are rated R.

Not necessarily that they are meant for a more mature audience. You can consider this movie an offspring of the Will Farrell/Ben Stiller comedies. The ones where the lead characters are usually pompous boobs, yet somewhat lovable. Only, in the case of this movie, much less so.

This film has the stink of Saturday Night Live all over it. SNL cast member Will Forte wrote and stars in it, director Bob Odenkirk once wrote for SNL (and The Ben Stiller Show, to bring that name up again), SNL castmate Kristen Wiig is the female lead and co-star Will Arnett is married to SNLer Amy Poehler.

The movie, however, seems more stupid than dumb, more raunchy than witty. I do like the fact that Lee Majors and Jenna Fischer are in the cast. But I am not big on Kristen Wiig. She is this era SNL‘s version of Melanie Hutsell, only with one annoying way of speaking in lieu of one annoying facial expression.

Now with the predictions. This is what I guessed for last week:

1. Halloween
2. Superbad
3. Balls of Fury
4. The Bourne Ultimatum
5. Rush Hour 3

And this is how it turned out:

1. Halloween
2. Superbad
3. Balls of Fury
4. The Bourne Ultimatum
5. Rush Hour 3

5 for 5! 100% percent accurate this week. This makes me 14 for 25 in 5 weeks, with a prediction percentage of 56%. Quite the spike in accuracy, but it’ll taper off after this week. This is how I see it.

1. 3:10 to Yuma
2. Halloween
3. Shoot ‘Em Up
4. Superbad
5. Balls of Fury

What do you think?