Weekend movie preview: What new film should you go see?

I really hate this time of year at the box office. I'll be honest, after a summer of blockbusters and a few pretty interesting indies, late-August almost never has anything interesting to offer. That bodes true again this year, because some of the films opening this weekend are, to be frank, complete and utter junk. From the action-thriller (term used loosely) Getaway to the One Direction biopic This Is Us, I just don't see a whole lot for us to get excited about right now.

If you haven't seen The Butler or Elysium or heck, anything else, see those movies before you spend your hard earned cash to see Getaway. Apparently, it might be one of the worst films of the year. I say this because on Rotten Tomatoes currently, Getaway has managed to get a 0% rating on the Tomatometer. Yep, that's zero, goose egg, as in, every single critic who reviewed this movie didn't like it. Getting a zero is not an easy feat. If you want to see a stinker, I guess Getaway, starring Ethan Hawke, Jon Voight and Selena Gomez, is a perfect choice. Here is the trailer for Getaway, in case you're curious (I was):

Getaway - Official Trailer [HD]

Yeesh. This looks lame. If any of you brave the theater to see this, and all the critics are wrong (i.e. you actually liked it), please do let me know. In the meantime, I'm steering clear.

As far as other new movie openings, the pickings are slim: If you have a One Direction fan in the house, brace yourself for the 1D, Morgan Spurlock-directed biopic This is Us. Don't think you can handle two hours of 1D goodness? Your only other wide release option is the suspense thriller Closed Circuit, starring Eric Bana. This John Crowley-directed international mystery didn't fare too well with major movie critics, but of the week's new movie offerings, this seems like the best bet to me.

If you are in dire need of a movie this weekend, and you can't bear to blow cash on so-so Hollywood dribble, let me start by suggesting a rental: I've got a round up of the new DVD releases here. I think I'll be kicking back over the Labor Day holiday and watching a few DVDs instead of braving the theater to see some of these movies that are coming out.

Photo courtesy of CinemaVine.com