the big bad swim Tagged Articles at Cinematical

While there's more than enough new content for everyone this weekend, we're going to focus on the three more talked-about films, and try to get a sense of which flicks will cause you to open the wallet. Surprisingly, if you're down for a raunchy teen sex comedy, Summit's Sex Drive might just be your best bet come Friday night. Oh yes, I bet you didn't see that coming. Buzz on both Max Payne and W. has been lukewarm, with a lot of Twitter hate being thrown at the former. Previewing Eric D. Snider's upcoming review of Max Payne for Cinematical, he unfortunately has this to say: "I know we've often complained that these movies were ALL action and NO substance, but this one has gone in the opposite direction. Well, except there's not really any substance, either."

Our own James Rocchi was a bit indifferent with his excellent upcoming W. review for Cinematical, noting: "If distance grants perspective, though, you could also argue that proximity grants immediacy, and argue that Stone's W. is not meant as a somber, serious look back but rather a cautious, nervy attempt to peer into the recent past, a film with, in the words another Presidential candidate recently borrowed, 'the fierce urgency of now.'"

But perhaps neither of these films do it for you. If that's the case, might I suggest a little indie currently airing on Starz called The Big Bad Swim. It's a darling of a film, and it's available through Starz On Demand through October 30th. Quiet, quirky and kinda fun. Check it out. (Paid for by Guys Who Really Dig Jess Weixler)

Based on the description, I'm going to go out on a limb and say this one is like The Sandlot ... but for swimmers. With swimming slowly becoming the next go-to sport for big-screen "feel good" films, Disney has decided to hop in the water with Pool Rats; a new comedy to be directed by Andy Fickman. With a script being written by Fickman, Nichole Millard and Kathryn Price, project reunites the same creative team (writers, directors, producers) behind Disney's The Game Plan -- an upcoming family comedy staring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. While the filmmakers would like to produce a film that's in the vein of Meatballs or Little Darlings, expect the flick to still project Disney's family-friendly vibe (which kind of stinks, because I'd love to see a Sandlot-type film featuring a bunch of foul-mouthed knuckleheads).

Based on Fickman's own real-life experiences, the film will revolve around the "wild times" one man has while coaching a neighborhood league swim team during a summer that changes both his life and the lives of his swimmers. Pic follows in the footsteps of the Lionsgate film Pride, which received decent reviews, but failed to make any kind of splash when it hit theaters this past spring. For my money, I'm a huge fan of the little-seen indie The Big Bad Swim -- starring one of my favorite up-and-coming actresses, Jess Weixler (Teeth). That film is about a group of local folks who sign up for a swim class and, in turn, learn a lot about themselves and help change the lives of those around them. I'm not sure whether the film was ever picked up (I know it played a ton of film festivals), but if you ever get a chance, I highly recommend it. As far as Pool Rats goes, there's no cast or production start lined up yet; expect it to arrive at some point next summer while most of us are looking for a way to cool off during those ridiculously hot days.