There are 3 major releases showing up in theaters starting today, and it’s a mixed bag with the children left out (read: no computer animation movies, phew). With all of them looking to get their grubby little hands on the money you worked all week to earn, let’s take a look at which ones deserve part of that $40 (That’s a lot right? The man with the cattle prod watching over me right now assures me that it is.)

Black Snake Moan

Director: Craig Brewer
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci, Justin Timberlake
Rated: R for strong sexual content, language, violence, drugs
Plot: Bluesman (Jackson) falls for a wild woman (Ricci) with a past of childhood sexual abuse.
Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809233868/trailer
This sounds somewhat interesting due to the rumored potential of this director and the cast certainly doesn’t hurt it’s momentum. The topic sounds very adult focused theme and might not appeal to everyone. The critics haven’t exactly overwhelmingly approved it, but they’re not always right. Interesting side note: WWTDD reported that Christina Ricci repeatedly sent sexual photos of herself to the director in her attempt to land the role. Must’ve been convincing pictures, because here she is.

Wild Hogs
Director: Walt Becker
Cast: Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence, John Travolta, William H. Macy
Rated: PG-13 for crude and sexual content, and some violence
Plot: A small group of suburban middle aged men hit the road on their bikes looking for an adventure and find it with a gang of Hell’s Angels.
Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809426511/trailer

Sigh. Well I already wrote about how Travolta’s career officially passed away today with this release. I’m convinced they landed all these actors due to some obscure clause in their contracts. Not that they’re all hot in Hollywood these days, but to do this kind of movie? Interesting note? None, no good can come from this.

Zodiac
Director: David Fincher
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo
Rated: R for some strong killings, language, drug material and brief sexual images
Plot: Gyllenhaal and Ruffalo play newspaper reporters from the San Francisco Chronicle that work along with Downey as a homicide inspector to find a serial killer. All three become obsessed with tracking down the cryptic killer.
Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809233125/trailer

Looks awesome. I’m a huge fan of David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Panic Room) with his directoral style. It’s based off the true story of an unsolved serial killer known as the Zodiac from California in the 60’s and 70’s. Here’s another strong cast with a strong story and great director which should combine for a really good movie. The murders are supposed to be “intense and graphic”, so if you’re squeemish you might be better suited to go and see Wild Hogs catch something else.

So there’s your weekend movie preview. Out of the three I’d choose Zodiac due to David Fincher’s past successes as well as the strong casting. I don’t think you could get me into Wild Hogs even at matinee prices, but if you’re in the mood for a simple, silly, feel-good then maybe it’s the one for you. Let me know which you’d pick or even if you’ve already seen any of them.