It may only be a big deal in this area, but ‘Red Dawn’ is finally hitting theaters this week.

It seems like it’s been forever since the film was shot in southeastern Michigan – including scenes in Mount Clemens.

It was filmed when Michigan was being inundated with movie projects – that have since dried up. Still, I know a lot of fans in the area that are excited to go and see the film – and see what exactly they recognize from the area.

‘Red Dawn’ is the remake from that 1980s cult classic starring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen. It wasn’t exactly a great movie – and parts of it were actually laughably bad. The whole United States being invaded thing wasn’t believable then – let alone now. Still, I’m curious how they’ll pull the project off.

The film stars Chris Hemsworth – and he was cast long before he gained fame as Thor – Adrianne Palicki, Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games), Josh Peck, Isabel Lucas, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Connor Cruise and Brett Cullen.

The interesting thing about ‘Red Dawn’ is that it languished in project hell for several years. This film could really go either way.

It could be so bad that they kept delaying the release date before deciding to drop it and move on. However, this is usually when film distributors drop movies they think are worthy of awards (Twilight notwithstanding). I doubt ‘Red Dawn’ is going to win an Oscar – but the filmmakers must be proud of something.

The film opens Wednesday – and I’m actually looking forward to seeing it.

‘Red Dawn’ does have competition in the form of ‘Life of Pi’ and ‘Rise of the Guardians.’

I know very little about ‘Life of Pi,’ other than it looks vaguely interesting. It’s based on a beloved book – which means the movie is going to disappoint fans regardless. Still, I’m interested in checking it out.

‘Rise of the Guardians’ is an animated film for the kids, featuring voices by Alec Baldwin, Isla Fisher and Hugh Jackman.

DVD

The only movie of any interest that’s being released on Blu-Ray and DVD this week is ‘The Expendables 2.’

It’s become a running joke that every aging action star that’s not Samuel L. Jackson and Denzel Washington is praying for Sylvester Stallone to do another Expendables movie.

The truth is, though, these are fairly entertaining.

As a fan, you have to be willing to overlook some bad acting and ridiculous puns – and yet there’s something endearing about the films. Just like the first movie, Jason Statham actually steals the flick – but Dolph Lundgren is also a winner.

If you love action and aren’t rigorous about reality, ‘The Expendables 2’ is probably right up your alley.

The only television set of note that is being released Tuesday is season four of ‘Different Strokes.’

Video Games

There are two titles of note being released this week.

The first is ‘Hitman: Absolution,’ which follows cold-blooded assassin Agent 47 as he takes on his most dangerous—and personal—contract to date.

Betrayed by those he once trusted and hunted by the police, Agent 47 finds himself caught in the center of a dark conspiracy and propelled through a corrupt and twisted world.

This was made into a movie several years ago. I wasn’t impressed.

Next up is ‘Rise of the Guardians,’ which is the movie tie-in to the film being released Wednesday. From what I’ve read about the game, it doesn’t sound like it’s going to be anything special.

Music

Local music personality Kid Rock is debuting ‘Rebel Soul’ – which he also produced. The album features 14 songs – with a variety of “explicit” songs.

I like Kid Rock’s music – but I can’t remember the last time I really got excited about a song of his. I’ll be interested in sampling the record, but I can’t guarantee I’ll buy anything.

Pitbull is releasing ‘Global Warming’ – which has both deluxe and regular versions to pick from – and songstress Rihanna is unveiling the 17-song compilation ‘Unapologetic’ – which is bound to have something catchy on it.


What do you think? What are you most interested in this week?