Four more for Friday … enjoy

AMC Select keeps moving the films in an out, all during a period of weather when most people are working in the yard, heading for the lake or merely soaking up some rays.

Oh, well. Whoever said that movie exhibition companies are any better at marketing than Bernie Madoff was good at investing? Anyway, here’s what’s opening in Spokane/Coeur d’Alene on Friday:

“Land of the Lost” : Here’s one that I’ve been waiting for. Will Ferrell films have become a genre all to themselves, some of them bad (“Anchorman”), some of them good (“Blades of Glory,” “Talladega Nights”). From the trailers, always a suspect source, this variation on the 1970s movie series looks like a lot of fun. Ferrell plays a clueless scientist who bumbles onto an alternate universe, and no one does bumbling better than Ferrell.

“The Hangover” : This tale of four guys getting lost in Las Vegas on the eve of one’s wedding might be even better than “Land of the Lost.” Of course, it was written by the guys responsible for “Ghosts of “Girlfriends Past” and “Four Christmases” – though it was directed by Todd Phillips, the guy who helmed “Old School.” Again, the trailers – ooh, I hate to have to depend on those – make the film look like just the kind of nasty, offbeat comedies that I enjoy. And who doesn’t appreciate the “Numa Numa” song? Maya-HEE, Maya-HOO, Maya-HAH, Maya-HA-HA…

“My Life in Ruins”: Several years ago, in 2002 to be specific, Nia Vardalos hit it big with her little film “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” This broad ethnic comedy benefited from Vardalos’ comfortable presence and all the Greek jokes that she wrote for it. Now comes this film, which boasts this simple plot line: “A travel guide rediscovers her romantic side on a trip around Greece.” Only she didn’t write it. Considering all the people trying to make it in Hollywood, can Vardalos make a miracle happen twice? It’s a chick flick, so there’s a ready audience out there.

And then there’s the AMC Select effort:

“The Brothers Bloom”: River Park Square has been showing trailers for this little romantic comedy for months. It stars a range of familiar faces, from Oscar winners Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz to independent darling Mark Ruffalo. Brody and Ruffalo plays brother who make their livings as hustlers, and Weisz seems to be their latest mark. But she may be more, and smarter, than she seems. Anyway, this offbeat comedy could be promising. Claudia Puig of USA Today, at least, calls it an “entertaining saga.” So there.

Happy viewing.

Below: The trailer for “Land of the Lost.”