Advanced Screenings of The Hurt Locker

Having just briefly discussed the current mediocre state of the franchise film industry, I discover that there will be advanced screenings of The Hurt Locker playing this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Event Cinemas in the city. These are no doubt some trial screenings to gauge the popularity of the film and the potential success it will have in such a foreign environment. The fact that it is nominated for 9 Academy Awards might also be a reason. In previous years, the Best Picture winner has become much more popular following it's success at the most-watched award ceremony. No Country for Old Men was only playing for a session or two a day, and then following its win, it began to draw half a cinema of patrons and began playing three/four times a day. Slumdog Millionaire played for months and months purely through word of mouth, and the resulting growth in awareness and popularity. If Inglourious Basterds wins Best Picture, cinemas are not going to be able to make money from the victory, but DVD sales will soar no doubt. The Hurt Locker is a fantastic film, and I believe worthy of the top honor. Anyone that hasn't managed to see a screening of this film (it's original release was in 2008) should make an effort to see it. It's a gritty war portrayal of a bomb disposal unit stationed in Iraq, and the courage/de-sensitization it takes to be one of these men. Other film releases today include Valentine's Day, The Wolfman (the re-make of the classic horror tale starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins) and Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. Happy viewing!