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September 2009
Do you like going to second run movies?
The recent closure of the Beaver Valley movie theater in Beavercreek brings to mind something that I don’t hear much in the discussion of moviegoing: the second-run experience.
Somewhat surprisingly, I don’t go to second-run houses much anymore. That’s partly because I do most of my moviegoing in first-run houses because of this blog.
However, it’s also because, I have to admit, I don’t find the second-run theater as appealing as I once did. I’ll go every once in awhile, but I’m a stickler for presentation, and by their nature, that’s not the best feature of second-run houses. I’ve been rather spoiled by the big screens and digital sound of the megaplexes, and you don’t typically find those in a second-run house. Moreover, by the time the prints reach the second-run theaters, they tend to be beat up and scratchy, and for me, that takes away from the experience.
Probably most importantly, I’m not personally fond of the second-run places here. The Danbarrys in Huber Heights or behind the Dayton Mall are OK, but I’ve seen better second-run places. It would be nice if, for instance, someone would take the old Showcase Cross Pointe and turn that into a sub-run, but that seems like wishful thinking.
Considering all the stories about the recession and how moviegoing supposedly booms in such times, I find it curious how news stories very rarely mention how well second-run houses fare in such times. Since they’re not telling me anything, let me ask you:
Do you go to second-run movie theaters, like the Danbarrys? Why or why not? If you do, do you go to second-run houses instead of first-runs, or in addition to them? What has your experience been there?
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What Are You Watching? Monsters, Aliens and such?
Today’s DVD selection brings us monsters, aliens, misfits, and a porn star starring in a movie by an Oscar-winning director.
Away We Go: John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph play an expecting couple who travel around the country to find the right home, only to realize everyone else is crazier than they are. The movie gets a little too self-consciously kooky at times, but the strong performances of the two leads keep the movie grounded. Directed by Sam Mendes, the film makes a fascinating companion piece to his much bleaker (and underrated and misunderstood) relationship movie, Revolutionary Road. GRADE: B+
The Girlfriend Experience: One of Steven Soderbergh’s experimental movies got quite a bit of press for casting porn star Sasha Grey in a non-porn role. I intend to watch it soon to see if it deserves press for being a good movie.
Monsters vs. Aliens: I enjoyed this funny, often inventive mash-up that pits a band of underground monsters against an alien force, but like so many DreamWorks animated features, this movie is noisy, busy and shallow in story and character. It’s fun to watch, but it could have been even better. Full review: GRADE: B
Management: Some will be curious to pick up this indie title because Jennifer Aniston is in it. It didn’t get much of a release (I’m not even sure it played Dayton) and reviews were mixed.
The Wizard of Oz: Some movie about a girl with ruby slippers walking down a road paved with yellow bricks comes out on DVD again today. For those who are not yet Blu-Ray converts (like myself), there isn’t much new material if you already own one of the special editions that came out a few years ago. However, If for some strange reason, you don’t have a copy already, you really ought to remedy that. GRADE: A+ (of course)
Speaking of Blu-Ray, check out fellow blogger and fellow movie buff Zack McGhee’s roundup of Blu releases.
What Are You Watching?
Fame: I didn’t watch much on the small screen over the past week, but I did catch the original Fame, as promised. Those who mainly remember the TV series may be surprised at how gritty and emotionally intense the movie was. That’s very typical of the films of director Alan Parker, who is particularly skilled with musical material, as also evidenced by Pink Floyd The Wall, The Commitments and Evita. The “fly on the wall” narrative gives short shrift to too many characters and leaves a lot of story threads dangling, but at its best, the movie resonates and pulses with energy, especially during the musical sequences. GRADE: B+
Standard question for Tuesday: What have you seen lately?
Permalink | Comments (3) | Post your comment | Categories: On Video/DVD, What Are You Watching?
Free Roman Polanski?
Director Roman Polanski, who was jailed over the weekend by Swiss authorities in connection with his 1977 sex crime will fight extradition back to the United States, his lawyer says.
Quite frankly, I can’t blame him for fighting this latest obstacle in his ongoing legal battle.
Make no mistake, what Polanski did all those years ago was despicable. Polanski’s tragic past, including surviving the Holocaust and enduring the horror of his wife and unborn child’s murders at the hands of the Manson family, does not excuse his crime. The fact that he is one of cinema’s greatest talents certainly does not excuse his crime.
When you get down to it, he, by his own admission, took advantage of a 13-year-old girl, to put it mildly. Many people cannot look past that fact, and I understand that.
However …
Many people will point to alleged prosecutorial and judicial misconduct in the case, noting how Polanksi did plead guilty and did serve time, but, upon learning that a judge was about to renege on a plea bargain and throw the book at him, Polanski fled the U.S. and has never returned.
But that’s not the crux of the matter for me. The crux of the matter for me is that Polanski’s victim, Samantha Geimer, who has since identified herself, has long said she wanted the case against Polanski to be dropped so the ordeal could come to an end.
If the person most directly and seriously harmed by Polanski’s crime forgives him and wants the case dropped, I ask you - who is anyone else to say Polanski should continue to be punished?
What justice would be served by now? What’s the point? To me the whole thing seeems like a waste of time, energy and taxpayer dollars.
But that’s just me. What do you think?
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‘Surrogates’ too robotic for its own good
Surrogates very effectively shows what it’s like to be a fake human being. That’s why it doesn’t quite work.
Although it sports clever action scenes, good performances and an intriguing premise, Surrogates fails to connect because it’s too mechanical for its own good. Bereft of emotion, the movie left me cold. Fascinated as I was by some of the ideas, ultimately I didn’t really care about the characters.
That’s a shame because Surrogates, based on a graphic novel by Robert Vendetti and Brett Weldele, had a lot of potential. At first, it struck me as kind of a low-rent Minority Report, depicting a near future that uses innovative but unethical technology. In this movie’s case, that technology is robots, or as the title would have it, surrogates. Originally, the surrogates were created to help the disabled and the military.
As humanity so often does, however, it lets the technology get out of hand. Surrogates become so popular, almost everyone uses at least one. From a remote location, humans can make the surrogates do risky adventurous things they wouldn’t attempt themselves.
This becomes especially dangerous when a terrorist finds a way to kill the surrogates. Not only does a specialized weapon disable the robot, it also taps into the robots’ feed to the human. So when the surrogate dies, the human dies with it. Investigating the crime is Greer (Bruce Willis), a police detective who is himself so attached to his surrogate, he hasn’t left his house in years.
Besides this fascinating plotline, Surrogates has a number of strong points. The cast is uniformly strong. Willis plays a burnt-out shell of a man very well, Radha Mitchell proves her action prowess as Willis’ partner, who is also a surrogate, Rosamund Pike is affecting as Greer’s wife, who is even more lost to surrogates, and James Cromwell is as compelling as ever playing the surrogates’ reluctant creator.
Director Jonathan Mostow’s other credits include Breakdown, U-571 and Terminator 3. As he did in those films, Mostow shows strong action chops in this movie. A chase with Willis and Mitchell is not only exciting but rather funny, as Willis blithely mows down one surrogate after another.
For all his technical skill, however, Mostow isn’t nearly as good at telling a human story, and that’s where Surrogates finally breaks down. The screenplay by John D. Brancato and Michael Ferris, who also wrote Terminator 3, never hides its twists well, and it’s so caught up in technology itself, I found it hard to care about anyone.
It’s doubly ironic, then, that the movie comes out the same week The Wizard of Oz celebrated its 70th anniversary. This movie has a brain and even a little courage, but somewhere along the way, someone forgot to give it a heart.
GRADE: C+
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What’s opening Friday, Sept. 25?
The last weekend of September brings us two sci-fi movies and a remake of an 80s musical - all of which are uncertain prospects. None of them has much in the way of advance buzz.
Fame: The musical remake is starting to look to me like a High School Musical imitation, so my interest is flagging. I do, however, have the original Alan Parker film at home from Netflix. I’ve never seen it all the way through; I hope to include it in my next What Are You Watching post?
Pandorum:Crew members aboard a spaceship wake up with no knowledge of their mission or their identities. Dennis Quaid is in the cast. I just can’t get a read on this one.
Surrogates: This is the best prospect of this week’s openings. Bruce Willis leads the cast as a man forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of surrogate robots. Jonathan Mostow directs, and I’ve liked his work, which includes Breakdown, U-571 and Terminator 3. My review will post Friday.
At the arthouses
The Neon opens Soul Power, a documentary about an overlooked music festival that took place amid the “Rumble in the Jungle” in the 70s. Neon also hosts the Downtown Dayton LGBT Film Festival. The Little Art opens Inglourious Basterds.
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Do you want to see older films in 3D?
3D seems to be all the rage these days, what with almost every animated film getting the treatment, and a few live action ones (Harry Potter) besides.
Now there’s also a movement afoot to take older films, convert them to 3D, and rerelease them theatrically. Pixar is releasing Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3D as a double feature on Oct. 2. Reportedly, 3D issues of Titanic, Star Wars and The Matrix are also in the works.
I wonder, though - is there really that much of a market for this? The Toy Story reissues make sense, because they serve as a primer for Toy Story 3, coming out next June. I’m all over that. I can see Star Wars working, because, well, it’s Star Wars.
But Titanic? And The Matrix? I guess The Matrix would be fun, but Titanic? I dunno. When I’m watching that film, I’m not sitting there thinking, “You know, what this movie really needs is for the iceberg to be in your face!” I’m not sure 3D would be a boon to that particular film. Adding flashy 3D effects to what is in many ways a tragic story just seems … tacky.
So would you be interested in seeing older movies in 3D? Do you want to see any of the mentioned titles in 3D? And here’s something to think about: What older movies would you LIKE to see in 3D? Ghostbusters pops into mind as a fun possibility: Comin’ atcha with crossing streams!
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What Are You Watching? Skip ‘Ghosts’
The summer’s early movies continue to roll out on DVD, but this week’s picks are not much inspiring than last week’s.
Battle for Terra: Nobody cared when this animated film made it to theaters. I doubt people will care that much more even on DVD.
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past: Recasting A Christmas Carol with a selfish playboy in the lead (Matthew McConaughey) could have worked, but the movie never connects because of an utterly pedestrian script bereft of laughs. Jennifer Garner is as appealing as ever, but not enough to make this worthwhile. GRADE: C
Next Day Air: If I were to name this movie based on my interest in it, I would call it Return to Sender.
Observe and Report: Seth Rogen has one of his best roles as a mall security guard suffering delusions of grandeur, and I admire the movie’s willingness to go out on a limb for a laugh. At the same time, I’m not sure the movie always knows whether it’s rooting for or against its lead character. The ending in particular, is a cop-out, pun slightly intended. Still, it’s funny enough to recommend it - but maybe I feel that way because I saw it immediately after Paul Blart: Mall Cop. GRADE: B
What Are You Watching?
Camille: I often do not care for costume dramas like this one, but with George Cukor directing and Greta Garbo pulling out all the stops as a lovelorn courtesan, this movie was an affecting exception. GRADE: A
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: I watched the 1931 version with Fredric March, who won an Oscar for the role(s). It’s a bit primitive by today’s standards, and the Hyde makeup is just this side of silly, but excellent performances by March, and by Miriam Hopkins as the “bad” girl Hyde goes after, sell the picture. Inventive direction from Rouben Mamoulian helps too. GRADE: A-
Johnny Guitar: This maybe the single most bizarre Western I’ve ever seen, with always the always intriguing director Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause) upending Western stereotypes, pitting Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge against each other and filming the whole thing in florid Technicolor. It’s overwrought but fascinating. GRADE: A-
3:10 to Yuma: I watched the 1957 original with Glenn Ford and Van Heflin, playing, respectively, a criminal and a ranch owner trying to take him into custody. This version relies more on a psychological battle of wits between the leads than the 2007 remake does, and it works very well. However, this is a rare instance where the remake is actually a little better, with more layers to the story and characters. GRADE: B+
What have you seen lately?
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The Wizard of Oz: Happy 70th birthday!
The Wizard of Oz turns 70 this year, and I intend to celebrate by attending one of the hi-def theatrical screenings of the movie on Wednesday - it plays at 7 PM at the Regal in Beavercreek, and at Showcase Cinemas Dayton South. Click here to see if another location suits you better.
What is there to say about this film that hasn’t already been said? I can only offer my own perspective. It’s one of my 10 favorite movies of all time. Next to Yellow Submarine, it’s probably the movie I’ve seen more often than any other. I think Oz has got it all over that other “great” movie of 1939, Gone with the Wind, which I think is considerably overrated.
And I’ll go even further to state that Judy Garland should have been nominated as Best Actress, rather than tossed the miniature juvenile award. - and I think she should have won over Vivien Leigh. And if you take issue with that, frankly, dear reader, I don’t give a damn.
But I’m not here just to trump Oz at Gone with the Wind’s expense. I can’t think of a movie that’s more beloved than Oz, nor can I think of one that’s permeated the national consciousness as deeply. Think about it. I’ll bet at least once a month you’ll hear someone make reference to the film in some way, whether it’s an anguished “I’m melting” or someone playing the Wicked cast recording for the umpteenth time.
Its regular airings on CBS for years and years (which I actually miss) went a long way toward giving that movie the foothold that it has on our hearts. Are you like me in that even when you watch a DVD of Oz, you still expect there to be a commercial after the Cowardly Lion dives out the window in the Emerald City?
And I have a personal connection with Oz a lot of people can’t claim. Earlier this decade, I toured the Sony movie lot in California. That used to be the MGM lot, where The Wizard of Oz was filmed. (Indeed, the only exterior shot in the entire movie is the clouds behind the opening titles.)
Since Sony owns the lot now, the emphasis is very understandably on Sony product - but a little too much so for my taste. And here’s a glaring example of that.
My group was walking around the sets on one of the big soundstages, and the tour guide was droning about a law drama with Tony Danza that was on TV at the time (and was off the next year, I believe). I will NEVER forget how we were walking out the door, and almost as if he were teasing us, the tour guide casually said “Oh, by the way, this is where ‘If I Only had a Brain’ was shot.”
I just about choked and I wasn’t even eating. I wanted to stay there and breathe the air a little longer!
Oh, and one other thing. I hate to break it to you, but that’s not really a man who hung himself in the background after the Tin Man joins them. It’s one of the birds they placed on the set to make it look more exotic. I know, the truth is no fun, but the myth is ridiculous. (The Dark Side of the Moon synch IS fun, though).
So why does The Wizard of Oz endure for you? What are your favorite scenes? Do the flying monkeys and the witch still give you nightmares? What do the kids today think of it?
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Matt Damon transforms into The Informant!
When director Steven Soderbergh flipped a shot upside down early in The Informant!, that told me two things: that I couldn’t quite trust what the movie told me, and that I was in for a memorable ride. The first great film of the fall has arrived.
In telling the story of whistle-blower Mark Whitacre, a Warren County native who fingered his employer in a giant price-fixing scheme, the movie takes a great risk in asking its audience to laugh at a true story of a mentally ill character. The gambit works, thanks largely to an Oscar-caliber performance from Matt Damon, who makes Whitacre troubled, devious and sympathetic all at once.
In 1992, Whitacre informed on the agricultural giant ADM, agreeing to spy on the company’s questionable practices for the FBI. Whitacre gets so caught up in his role, at one point he calls himself 0014, “because I’m twice as smart as James Bond,” he brags.
As it turns out, Whitacre is not exactly innocent himself, having embezzled from the company. When this comes to light, Whitacre, increasingly dogged by bipolar disorder, concocts an elaborate web of lies that eventually derails his life.
Some may call The Informant! a jauntier version of Erin Brockovich, another Soderbergh film about corporate malfeasance, and that comparison is apt. However, the movie also reminded me of Michael Clayton, which Soderbergh executive produced. Like that George Clooney vehicle, The Informant! takes place in the present day (at least as much as you can say the 90s are the present), but it has the look, feel and even the sound of a movie made in the 1970s.
Soderbergh, who as usual photographed the movie himself under the pseudonym Peter Andrews, gives the images a hazy quality indicative of Whitacre’s elusive grip on reality, and the claustrophobic shots heighten Whitacre’s sense of anxiety.
The movie’s great masterstroke, though, is the bright, trilling score by Marvin Hamlisch. The composer did much of his great work in the 1970s, but Hamlisch exaggerates the sound so that the music smacks of a 1970s TV commercial. The hyper-happy tone ingeniously underscores Whitacre’s ridiculous stories, making for a sharp satire.
But is Whitacre’s predicament supposed to be funny? The real story certainly wasn’t. And yet, the audience I saw the movie with laughed frequently and loudly. So did I. And I didn’t feel guilty about that in the end.
The movie isn’t laughing at Whitacre himself or at his disorder. It’s laughing at how surreal the whole ordeal seemed. It’s a fine line to walk, but The Informant! never loses balance, because the screenplay by Scott Z. Burns is so sharp, and especially because Damon always keeps Whitacre’s humanity.
Much attention will be paid, and rightly so, to Damon’s remarkable physical transformation - it’s hard to believe this relentlessly awkward guy is the same actor who played Jason Bourne - but Damon’s emotional intensity grounds the picture. It’s an absolutely top-notch performance.
Like some of Soderbergh’s other movies, The Informant! sometimes gets so caught up in being clever it comes across as a little cold at times. Regardless, I believed in The Informant!, even if, and maybe even because I could never quite believe Mark Whitacre.
GRADE: A
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Meet the real-life Informant!
Tomorrow I will write about Matt Damon’s performance as Mark Whitacre, an FBI informant who fingered his employer in what was then the biggest price-fixing case in U.S. history.
Today, however, I’d like to introduce you to the real Mark Whitacre, a Warren County native. I spoke to Whitacre about the experience of seeing his story become a movie; you can read my interview here.
My review of The Informant! will post Friday.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Interviews/articles
What’s opening Friday, September 18?
September’s one A-list movie opens tomorrow; there are a few other high-profile prospects that might not be high-profile movies.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: My enthusiasm for this animated feature had been kind of muted. Given the positive buzz so far, I might check it out after all.
The Informant!: The first great movie of the fall. Review posts Friday.
Jennifer’s Body: I had been kind of curious to see this horror-comedy. Now, given some of the reviews that desecrate Jennifer’s Body, suddenly I’m not so curious.
Love Happens: But does much happen in this latest Jennifer Aniston romance? My gut tells me no.
At the arthouses
Neon hangs on to Departures and opens Adoration, about a high school French teacher who gives her class a translation exercise based on a real news story about a terrorist who plants a bomb in the airline luggage of his pregnant girlfriend. Also opening: Tetro, the latest film from Francis Ford Coppola, which really hasn’t attracted much attention despite the director’s credits.
The Little Art opens the well-regarded In the Loop.
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What Are You Watching? Not Wolverine, I hope
My tribute to Patrick Swayze pushed my DVD post back by a day, but really, we aren’t missing that much.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine: Actually, my headline is a little mean. The movie isn’t that bad, but it isn’t that good, either. Hugh Jackman remains as watchable as ever, and that carries the movie a long way, but this pallid entry is a far cry from any of the other X-Men movies - yes, even the third one. Full review. GRADE: C+
Easy Virtue: This adaptation of the Noel Coward play didn’t attract great attention in the theaters, bit I’m curious because of the cast, which includes Colin Firth, Kristin Scott-Thomas and Jessica Biel.
Next Day Air: If one were to gauge my interest in this movie by mail order titles, I would call this one Return to Sender.
What Are You Watching?
I’ve hit quite a strong streak lately in movies I’ve seen on the small screen.
Becket: An absolute acting powerhouse, thanks to sterling performances by Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton. I liked this even better than the similarly themed A Man for All Seasons. GRADE: A
Bubble: This is one of Steven Soderbergh’s better experimental movies. It’s a fascinating and surprising look at the dark side of small town life, made with non-professional actors. It’s a bit self-conscious, as these movies tend to be, but gripping nonetheless. GRADE: B+
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir: Having rewatched the immortal All About Eve recently, I decided to check out this movie also directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. It’s a very charming romance, with fine performances from Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison and Addison DeWitt himself, AKA George Sanders. Also features a fine score by Bernard Herrmann. GRADE: A-
Great Expectations: Hands down, this 1947 movie by David Lean is the best Charles Dickens film adaptation I have ever seen, outside of the Alistair Sim version of A Christmas Carol. This deservedly one an Oscar for its striking black and white photography. GRADE: A+
Topaz: Until last weekend, this is one of the few late-period Hitchcock movies I hadn’t seen. I can see why it underwhelmed people in 1969; it’s not so much a Hitchcock thriller as an James Bond-ian espionage story with distinct Hitchcock touches. Still, as critic Leonard Maltin accurately states on the DVD, even second-tier Hitchcock is still better than first-tier most anyone else. GRADE: B
Two Lovers: It’s too bad Joaquin Phoenix antics got more attention than his actual performance in this underseen and underrated film. He gives a very fine performance as a disturbed man caught between two women: the steady loyal Vinessa Shaw and the unsteady, irresistible Gwyneth Paltrow. GRADE: A-
Young Mr. Lincoln: This John Ford film isn’t always mentioned among the great films of 1939, but it ought to be. Henry Fonda was quite simply the man. So, for that matter, was Abe Lincoln. GRADE: A
What have you seen lately, on any size of screen?
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Patrick Swayze, 1952-2009
I would be lying if I said I was a particular fan of Patrick Swayze’s, and if I said I thought he was a particularly great actor.
However, I would also be lying if I said I wasn’t saddened by his passing, and if I said I didn’t understand why he appealed so highly to so many people. He always struck me as being very gracious and genuine. He had a certain kind of charisma that could appeal equally to men and women. Just look around the Internet at the tributes. He’s remembered not only for Ghost and Dirty Dancing, but Point Break and Road House, among others.
To me, Swayze was more of a great personality than a great actor. The review of Ghost in Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide reads, “Swayze runs the gamut of expressions from A to B.” That’s a bit cutting, perhaps, but not entirely off base. Swayze’s work in Ghost, or any of his other movies, was never of any great range.
Nevertheless, Swayze absolutely sold that role in Ghost. He brought conviction to that part. He made me me and many other people buy a story that really was pretty silly sometimes when you get down to it. The same could be said for Dirty Dancing. But more than anyone or anything else, Swayze sold both of those films. He was the main reason those movies were huge hits, and why they still resonate for a lot of people many years later.
Swayze had his limitations as an actor, but to his great credit, he knew his limitations and worked well within them. Not many other actors could have made “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” an oft-quoted line, but Swayze did it. Swayze carved out a distinct corner for himself in the movies, and it’s sad that corner is empty now.
What was your favorite Swayze movie? What was the key to his appeal for you?
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Sometimes movie theaters DO have their act together
It’s funny that I just ran a post about the best theaters to see a movie. As I predicted, a number of people said they preferred to stay at home. However, I had an experience Sunday at a movie theater in Columbus that reminded me just how satisfying it is when a theater does care about its patrons.
I visited the Studio 35 movie theater in Columbus, where I caught Inglourious Basterds a second time. It’s a large, single screen theater (itself a rarity these days), and toward the back there was a group of rather rowdy moviegoers who cheered “YEEEAAHHHH” and made other, um - boisterous responses whenever a Nazi bit it - and that happens quite frequently in Basterds.
Now, these folks may have been members of the Columbus branch of the He-Man Nazi (pronounced gnat-zee) Haters Club, but I think it was more likely they were OD-ing on the booze the theater serves. Mind you, I’m all for Nazi-bashing, but not to the point of annoying other people in a movie theater.
At any rate, by the fiery end of the movie in which a great many Nazis burn to a crisp, I noticed the he-men were not making noise anymore, most likely because they got the boot. Even better, as my best friend and I left the theater, the manager apologized to us and handed us free admission passes.
And you know what? The manager did that WITHOUT being asked. In fact, I wasn’t even going to say anything because the troublemakers were taken care of, but that’s truly going above and beyond with customer service. Color me impressed!
And on top of all that, this was a movie theater that was cool enough to show A Hard Day’s Night and to play the Beatles Rock Band game on the big screen. Even the DVD projection quality for A Hard Day’s Night was excellent.
Why can’t more movie theaters be like that? And have you got any similar happy movie theater experiences of your own to share?
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What’s your favorite place to see a movie?
Normally today would be the day I review a new movie, but I already did that on Wednesday when 9 came out. I didn’t want to have to pull the capsules out again, so I’m going to ask for a review of sorts from you - a review of movie theaters.
What’s your favorite place to see a movie?
There are a lot of ways I can answer that question. My favorite place of all is probably the Victoria Theatre in Dayton, when they show their Cool Films series - not only for the movies, but for the nostalgia factor. As I have mentioned a number of times, that’s the first place I can clearly remember seeing a movie - Yellow Submarine.
But then, Victoria isn’t in the business of showing movies year-round. When it comes to mainstream Hollywood fare, my favorite place to see a movie is probably the Cinema de Lux at the Greene. The screens are large, projection and sound are high quality, and the seats are quite comfortable. However, I have no emotional attachment to the place - like most megaplexes, it lacks the personality and charm of older theaters.
The Neon Movies in downtown Dayton is probably my favorite theater overall by default. The films are high quality and the audiences are well behaved - a quality that’s increasingly rare these days. However, I miss the days when it was a single screen theater and the programming had more variety.
Speaking of things I miss, my favorite place to see a movie of all time is really one that no longer operates - and that’s the Page Manor theater in Riverside. When that theater was open in the mid-1990s as a second-run house, it had just about everything I could want - a huge 50-foot curved screen, digital sound, 70-millimeter capability and a wide range of movies.
Not only did it play films that most second-run theaters would bypass, like Peter Weir’s Fearless, but it had a midnight movie series that was second to none. Thanks to that series, I saw everything from A Clockwork Orange to the first three Indiana Jones movies back to back to back - on that HUGE screen. When another group reopened Page a few years ago, they paled in comparison. I very much miss the place.
So, if you can I’d like you to consider my question two ways: What’s your favorite place to see a movie now, and what’s your favorite place that no longer operates? If you want to shake things up and say your favorite place to see a movie is your house, do so - that would be telling.
So do tell.
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Do you see an animated movie because of the voices?
I notice that a number of animated movies, including 9, which opened on Wednesday, promote their voice casts. But I have to wonder …
Do you really go to see an animated movie because of who does the voices? I usually don’t.
In the more distant past, animated movies rarely promoted who did the voices. Typically, the story and/or a name brand (e.g. Disney) gave people all the reason they needed to go.
Non Disney-Pixar movies especially seem to rely on the name-dropping, I notice. But did you really go to see Monsters vs. Aliens because Reese Witherspoon was the lead? Or will you go see 9 because Elijah Wood voices the title character? Maybe it’s just me, but I tend to doubt it. I would guess these movies sell themselves more on their stories/visuals.
Disney-Pixar usually avoids this tact, because they can usually rely on their strong name brands to sell a movie. And Pixar, certainly, usually doesn’t cast for star power, but for the right voice. After all, Ed Asner (Up) and Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille) are not exactly A-list draws, but both of those movies made more than $200 million.
Ironically, one of the few instances I can think of where a voice DID sell a movie is Disney’s Aladdin - and Robin Williams had specifically requested that his name NOT be used in publicity, and he later butted heads with Disney when they did.
So have you ever gone to an animated film because of the voices? If so, which ones?
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What’s opening Friday, Sept. 11?
September usually turns out to be a pretty mild month for the movies, and this weekend is no exception.
9: This actually opened on Wednesday; my review of it is here.
Sorority Row: Maybe horror fans can help me with this one, but I really don’t see the point. Isn’t this basically I Know What You Did Last Summer, with a few nips and tucks?
Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself: Perry’s movies appeal to a lot of people; I am not one of them. I will say I’m rather intrigued by a Madea movie with a semi (?) serious spin, though.
Whiteout: This action movie, starring Kate Beckinsale as a US Marshall investigating spooky goings-on in Antarctica, has received no press screenings in this market, and there are only two reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, only a day before opening. One can’t help but wonder if the movie would be better titled Wipeout.
At the arthouses
The Neon opens Departures, this year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, and O’Horten, a drama about the retirement of a train engineer. Little Art opens Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone, an animated film about a young hero who must pilot a giant robot in a battle against alien invaders.
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9: Animation 10, Story 5
9 boasts the most stunning computer animation I have ever seen outside of a Pixar movie.
Now if only it boasted the best story I’d ever experienced outside of a Pixar movie - but alas it does not. The screenplay is OK, but it does not come close to matching the astonishing visuals onscreen. If it did, 9 would be one of the best films of the year. As it stands, the movie is a dazzling diversion, but it had the potential to be more than that.
Enlisting the help of Tim Burton and Wanted Director Timor Membaktov as producers, “visionary” director (a suspect phrase, after Watchmen) Shane Acker has expanded his Academy Award-nominated short from 2005, but not by that much. Running only 72 minutes, not counting credits, the picture feels slight - often exciting, but slight.
The title refers to a little mechanical doll-like character (voiced by Elijah Wood) who comes to life and discovers his scientist creator has died. The scene strongly reminded me of Edward Scissorhands - it’s no small wonder Burton got involved in the movie.
The world 9 has inherited is a bleak, desolate one, with no humans left alive anywhere. Machines have won a war against man, and mechanical monsters roam the planet looking like an unholy cross between the droids of The Matrix and the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. The only other life forms are other dolls like 9, each with its own number.
When one of the other dolls, the kindly 2 (Martin Landau) is captured by said monstrosity, it falls to the others to rescue him, although the crotchety 1 (Christopher Plummer) constantly objects to doing anything dangerous.
As bleak as this world is, it’s still beautiful in its own spare way. The animation is so astoundingly lifelike, I forgot that I was watching animation, just as I did when I saw WALL-E. The plentiful action scenes are terrific, with the “camera” dashing over, under and around the action with wild abandon. There is also one lovely quiet scene, in which the characters play an LP copy of the immortal “Over the Rainbow,” standing on the record.
As effective as these scenes were, the story, penned by Acker and scripted by Pamela Pettler (Monster House), didn’t stay with me. There’s simply not much there there. Of all the characters, 9 and the skeptical 1 are the only ones who truly stand out. A female doll voiced by Jennifer Connelly barely registers. It’s that rare movie that could actually stand to be longer.
Still, for the amazing animation alone, 9 is well worth seeing. It would have been even better if it were worth remembering.
GRADE: B
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What are your favorite movies about school?
Since the only DVD of note coming out today is the Crank sequel, I think it best just to mention that it’s available and switch to a new topic, which I think is timely considering what’s in the news today (oh boy):
What are your favorite movies about school or education?
I recently posed this question to some area educators and got some fun responses, which you can read here. I also made my own list of some of my favorite movies about school/education.
The Breakfast Club: Still the movie that best gets inside the skin of the misunderstood teenager. Watched it again recently in the wake of John Hughes’ passing; it still holds up very well.
Carrie: Admit it. Wouldn’t you just love to exact revenge in high school on some people the way a telekinetic could?
Election: This acerbically funny comedy, starring Reese Witherspoon in one of her best roles, skewers high school overachievers, underachievers and jocks, and the ever-so-noble teacher. Pick Flick!
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Well, OK — it’s the best movie about being out of school.
Freedom Writers: This underrated drama with Hilary Swank does a fine job of portraying both teachers and students. I actually like it better than Dangerous Minds or Dead Poets Society.
Mean Girls: Tina Fey brilliantly adapted this hilarious movie from a nonfiction book about high school cliques.
The Miracle Worker: Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke both deservedly won Oscars playing, respectively, Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller.
Rushmore: Extracurricular activities were never funnier than in this Wes Anderson comedy starring Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman.
School of Rock: Dewey Finn (played by Jack Black) may not have been a “real” teacher, even in the movie, but I sure wish more music teachers were as fun as he was.
Stand and Deliver: I agree with many of the Middletown and Edgewood educators that this is a very inspirational film, with an outstanding performance by Edward James Olmos as a savvy, persistent math teacher. And math was always my weak subject!
Partly by design, and partly by coincidence, I have recently watched a number of movies that centered around teaching or education in some way.
The Class: This Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language film, about a French teacher’s attempts to reach sometimes unruly students is sharply observed and engrossing. It has teachers and students interact in fascinating ways that one rarely sees in the movies. Only debit: I would have liked to have gotten to know the students even better. GRADE: A-
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: I hadn’t seen this film in a long time, and revisiting it, I found it really has not aged well. The tone runs all over the map, from crass and crude to sweet and profound. A great cast makes it still worth watching, but I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the writer, Cameron Crowe, had directed instead of Amy Heckerling. GRADE: B
Goodbye Mr. Chips: At its best, this movie about a shy teacher who wins over his students is very charming, and much of the movie struck personal chords with me, as I tend to be shy myself. However, I wish the romance with Greer Garson were not cut short quite so abruptly, and as good as Robert Donat is in the lead, he still didn’t deserve to win the Oscar over Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind, and especially Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. GRADE: B+
These Three: I recently watched the remake of this film, The Children’s Hour, also directed by William Wyler. Both versions are about how a child’s lie destroys lives, but in this version, the lie centered around a heterosexual love triangle between Miriam Hopkins, Merle Oberon and Joel McCrea. In the remake, starring Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn and James Garner, one of the women was a lesbian - as was the case in the play of the same name. Both versions are powerful and very well acted, but I hold the minority opinion that the remake is superior because the themes ring truer. GRADE: B+
Tell me your favorite movies about teaching/school/education.
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Don’t labor to find a movie this weekend - click here!
At first I lamented the fact that lack of screenings meant I could not review anything new this week. The only movie that truly interested me was Mike Judge’s Extract, and reviews of that are pretty mixed. Gamer didn’t ring my bell, reviews or no. And ye gods, after seeing the abysmal reviews for All About Steve, I’ve decided the less I know about Steve, the better. Ty Burr of the Boston Globe calls it “easily the worst movie of the week, month, year, and Bullock’s entire career.” As they said on the old Batman series, POW!
Really, it seems to me the best bet this weekend is the double feature of District 9 and Jaws playing at the Holiday Auto drive-in in Hamilton. They’re also playing Halloween II, but considering what I thought of its predecessor, I’ll be leaving after the credits roll on Jaws.
There are still a number of good movies playing in theaters now. My capsule reviews will link you to the full reviews, if I’ve written them. If you don’t see the film you’re interested in here, try the Reviews category.
District 9: This terrifically inventive science fiction thriller, about a government bureaucrat trying to round up feared aliens, boasts great action scenes and a brain to boot. Cleverly directed by Peter Jackson protege Neill Blomkamp, this is one of the rare movies that leaves the door open for a follow-up — and made me actually want one. GRADE: A
500 Days of Summer: One of the best films of this year is this story of a romance gone wrong as Joseph Gordon-Levitt tries to figure out why his relationship with Zooey Deschanel never worked out. The movie is filled with wonderfully inventive ideas, ranging from split-screens to a stream-of-consciousness timeline. It’s the best offbeat romance since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. GRADE: A+
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: My second favorite film of the series, after Azkaban. GRADE: A
Inglourious Basterds: Quentin Tarantino’s World War II rewrite is uniquely his, for better and for worse. He doesn’t escape the self-indulgence that has marred his work lately; however, the cast is outstanding, and the best parts of this movie are as good as anything the director has made. GRADE: B+
Julie & Julia: This wonderfully entertaining movie is a double chronicle of Julia Child’s quest to get her first book published and of writer Julie Powell’s quest to cook every recipe in that book within a year. It’s a great showcase for two of our best actresses, Meryl Streep (as Child) and Amy Adams (as Powell). GRADE: A-
Ponyo: Disney gave this Japanese animated film a wide release, wanting to introduce Japanese animation master Hayao Miyzaki to a bigger audience. Good call. His work in general, and this film, certainly deserve to be seen by a great many people. It’s not quite up to his masterpiece, Spirited Away, which won the Best Animated Feature Oscar, but this tale of a sea creature who wants to be human has a lovely, lilting quality that will especially appeal to young children. And it’s filled with the sort of breathtaking imagery only Miyazaki could create. Who else could dream up an ocean where the waves themselves are fish? GRADE: A
Feel free to comment on any film mentioned here, or even any film that’s not. What do you recommend, or discourage, for the holiday weekend?
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December’s movies: Disney 2D, Avatar and more
December’s roster of movies is probably the one I’m most anticipating. Read on to find out why. Recap the previous installments of September, October and November.
DECEMBER 4
The pitch:A guard for an armored truck company is coerced into stealing a truck containing $42 million. Naturally, things don’t go as planned.
The buzz: Decent trailer and cast. including Matt Dillon and Laurence Fishburne. We’ll see. From the director of Vacancy.
The prospect: B
The pitch: Tobey Maguire returns from being held as a POW in Afghanistan to find that his ex-con brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) has become entangled with Sam’s wife (Natalie Portman), who thought her husband was dead.
The buzz: The cast and the director, Jim Sheridan, who made My Left Foot and In the Name of the Father, certainly bode very well.
The prospect: A
The pitch: A widower whose only connection to his family was through his wife sets out to reunite with each of his grown children.
The buzz: Robert De Niro, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore and Sam Rockwell star; Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine, Nanny McPhee) directs this remake of an Italian film with Marcello Mastroianni. Good pedigree; again, we shall see.
The prospect: B
DECEMBER 11
Did You Hear About the Morgans?
The pitch:An estranged couple (Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker) who witness a murder are relocated to small-town Wyoming as part of the witness protection program.
The buzz: Hugh Grant must work well with director Marc Lawrence; this is their third film together, after Two Weeks Notice and Music and Lyrics. Never did see the former but enjoyed the latter; I hope this is as good.
The prospect: B
The pitch: Peter Jackson directs an adaptation of Alice Sebold’s novel about a murdered girl who watches her family from the beyond.
The buzz: This is one of the fall movies I most want to see. There are two more this month.
The prospect: A
The pitch: Disney makes its long overdue return to hand-drawn animation in this tale of a princess who kisses a frog and becomes a frog herself.
The buzz: Call me an optimist, but I have a strong feeling all those people who’ve complained about the film will shut up once it actually comes out. With Shutter Island out of the schedule, this is now the fall movie at the very top of my must-see list.
The prospect: A
DECEMBER 18
The pitch: James Cameron returns to feature film-directing with this 3D sci-fi opus about humans battling for control of a distant planet.
The buzz: Did the much-maligned trailer live up to the hype? No. (No trailer could.) Do I still trust Cameron to come up with something astonishing, as he so often has? Yes.
The prospect: A
DECEMBER 25 (Ho ho ho)
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel
The pitch: Introducing the girls: The Chipettes.
The buzz: The trailer for the first movie disgusted me, so I never saw it, but I know many people, especially kids, loved it. I remain dubious. A subtitle as silly as “squeakuel” does not give me much hope.
The prospect: C
The pitch:: Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin fight over Meryl Streep.
The buzz: The director is Nancy Meyers, whose work has actually gotten better in recent years. The Holiday wasn’t great, but Something’s Gotta Give was quite good; we’ll see where this falls.
The prospect: B
The pitch: Elementary, my dear reader. There’s this detective, see, and …
The buzz: Love the cast, including Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams, but by all accounts, director Guy Ritchie hasn’t made a decent movie since Snatch.
The prospect: B
RELEASE DATES TBA
The pitch: Clint Eastwood directs a later-life biopic about Nelson Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman.
The buzz: Clint Eastwood directs a later-life biopic about Nelson Mandela, played by Morgan Freeman? One, please!
The prospect: A
The pitch: A Midwestern professor sees his life fall apart when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won’t move out of the house.
The buzz: It’s the Coen brothers. The trailer is hilarious. Even when they work with a mostly unknown cast, I’m so there.
The prospect: A
Lots of A-range picks this month. What movies of the fall are you most or least anticipating?
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November’s movies: Scrooge, Twilight, Nine, etc.
How much we need to give thanks for November’s movies remains to be seen, but the months slate does hold some promise. In case you missed them, I covered September and October already.
NOVEMBER 6
The pitch: Cameron Diaz and James Marsden come into possession of a mysterious box that promises fortune but portends doom.
The buzz: The premise sounds Twilight Zone-ish; the director is Richard Kelly, who made the cult hit Donnie Darko and the less acclaimed Southland Tales. Hard to get a read on this one, but I’ll put my faith in the cast, which also includes Frank Langella.
The prospect: B
The pitch: Scrooge is haunted by those pesky spirits again, this time in mo-cap 3D, Polar Express-style.
The buzz: As I stated before, I’m growing weary of Robert Zemeckis’ fixation on motion capture animated movies, but I have to admit, the footage here looks very impressive. If it’s as good as Polar Express was in IMAX 3D, this stands to be one of the best movie Carols.
The prospect: B
The pitch: Milla Jovovich goes to Alaska to investigate unexplained disappearances in a town. Is it alien abduction?
The buzz: Can’t get a read on this one way or the other.
The prospect: C
The pitch: The movie with fall’s quirkiest title is about a reporter (Ewan McGregor) who meets a man (George Clooney) who claims to be a member of the U.S. Army’s First Earth Battalion, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.
The buzz: Based on the cast and the title alone, I’m quite intrigued; Clooney’s instincts lately have been very sound.
The prospect: A
NOVEMBER 13
The pitch: It’s the end of the world as we know it … and I don’t feel fine.
The buzz: Roland Emmerich, who made The Day After Tomorrow and Independence Day, blows stuff up real good again, this time taking good actors like John Cusack, Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor with him. Those names are not enough to rescue me from Emmerich destructo-fatigue.
The prospect: C
The pitch: Love Actually writer-director Richard Curtis returns with a 1960’s comedy about a pirate radio station run by a band of rogue DJs.
The buzz: Early reviews have been less than kind, but I can’t help but be interested in a film by this director, with actors as funny as Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy and Nick Frost around. This was originally and more cleverly titled The Boat That Rocked.
The prospect: B
NOVEMBER 20
The pitch: This is the true story of Michael Oher, a disadvantaged teen who made his way into the NFL.
The buzz: This is an entry in the true-life/feel good sports drama, and this one was directed by John Lee Hancock, who mined similar territory very successfully in The Rookie. Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw co-star.
The prospect: B
The pitch: The inhabitants of Planet 51 recoil in fear at an alien invader - an astronaut.
The buzz: The premise has potential, but these movies with second-rate CGI rarely work because they usually have second-rate stories too.
The prospect: C
The pitch: An overweight, illiterate teen pregnant with her second child goes to an in alternative school, where others hope she can turn her life around.
The buzz: This developed considerable buzz for the performance by Mo’Nique and the trailer looks very powerful. It’s based on the acclaimed novel Push.
The prospect: A
The pitch: When the relationship between vampire/teen Edward and Bella is threatened, ta-da! Enter a love triangle, via Jacob.
The buzz: Twilight SAGA? Oy. Pretentious, much? All churlishness aside, I did like the first film, and I’m curious to see what new director Chris Weitz brings to the franchise.
The prospect: B
NOVEMBER 25 (Wednesday before Thanksgiving)
The pitch: Angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a fox, look to get rid of said fox. Based on a story by Roald Dahl.
The buzz: I found it rather interesting that the trailer pimps the voice talent (George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Bill Murray) without saying word one about who made it: Wes Anderson, who directed Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. For that reason alone, I’m sold.
The prospect: A
The pitch: A film director (Daniel Day-Lewis) struggles to find the meaning of his life and work - and sings too.
The buzz: This musical adaptation of Fellini’s 8 1/2 looks to be one of this fall’s huge Oscar tickets, with a cast also featuring Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz and Sophia Loren. The director is Rob Marshall, who scored rather big in this genre with Chicago.
The prospect: A
The pitch:Rain plays a rogue ninja who helps a Berlin-based Interpol agent who has linked a secret society of assassins who trained Raizo, to a series of murders.
The buzz: The premise sounds a little ho-hum, but I’m intrigued by the director James McTeigue, who also made V for Vendetta.
The prospect: B
The pitch:Robin Williams plays a successful businessman whose life turns upside down altered when an old flame turns up with twins in tow. Williams enlists his best friend and colleague John Travolta to co-parent.
The buzz: The director who made Wild Hogs returns with another movie about angsty middle-agers trying to be funny. Wild Hogs never interested me, and I’m sorry to say that these days, Robin Williams’ presence in a comedy is not the good sign it used to be.
The prospect: C
The pitch: Cormac McCarthey’s post-apocalyptic novel comes to the big screen.
The buzz: This was delayed from last year, and early negative reviews have dampened my enthusiasm, despite the book’s stellar reputation.
The prospect: C
The pitch: George Clooney plays a corporate downsizing expert who meets the woman of his dreams (Vera Farmiga).
The buzz: The new film from Jason Reitman, the director of Juno, has gotten some absolutely stellar reviews from early screenings, and Paramount is throwing its weight behind it as an Oscar contender. I’m more than a little intrigued.
The prospect: A
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October preview: Where the wild movies are
My fall movie preview contunues to descend with a look at the offerings of October. Here are September’s movies.
OCTOBER 2
Well, this WAS going to be the weekend Scorsese’s Shutter Island was going to come out, but since that got kicked to next February (mumble, grumble) here’s what else is coming out.
The pitch: Michael Moore takes on the current financial boondoggle in his imitable fashion.
The buzz: : Should Moore’s films be taken as the gospel truth? No. Do I find them very entertaining audio-visual op-ed pieces? Yes.
The prospect: A
The pitch: In a world where no one ever lies, Ricky Gervais breaks the mold for personal gain.
The buzz: Gervais can be an acquired taste, but when he’s on, as in the underrated Ghost Town, he’s very funny.
The prospect: B
Toy Story/Toy Story 2
The pitch: You’ve got a friend in me …
The buzz: Pixar’s classics get the 3D treatment in a double feature. That’s the best deal of the fall.
The prospect: A
The pitch: Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore compete in a roller derby.
The buzz: I can’t stand in skates without ending up on my derriere, but I am very interested in this film for one reason in particular: Drew Barrymore directs.
The prospect: B
The pitch: Zombies in an amusement park.
The buzz: Zombies in an amusement park? I’m in, especially with a strong cast that includes Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson and Abigail Breslin. The trailer is a hoot!
The prospect: A
OCTOBER 9
The pitch: Four couples head to a retreat, with some not knowing it’s really a required form of therapy.
The buzz: I’m starting to get a little bored with raunchy comedies, but I like the cast: Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau (who co-wrote), Kristin Davis and Kristen Bell. The director is Peter Billingsley, best known as Ralphie from A Christmas Story. No word if anyone shoots their eye out in this movie.
The prospect: B
OCTOBER 16
The pitch: Gerard Butler exacts revenge against the killer of his wife and daughter, with Jamie Foxx as the prosecutor who works against him.
The buzz: The plot runs backwards chronologically, which, of course, has been done in Memento, but I trust director F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job) to put a fresh spin on it.
The prospect: B
The pitch: New stepfather goes murderously bazooey.
The buzz: Unnecessary horror remake #3,491.
The prospect: D
The pitch: Maurice Sendak’s beloved book gets pictures that move.
The buzz: Will it be as good as the book? ‘Course not. Is it likely to be a very unique experience, with director Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) at the helm? ‘Course.
The prospect: A
OCTOBER 23
The pitch: The biopic of famed aviator Amelia Earhart.
The buzz: Director Mira Nair tends to leave me somewhat cold sometimes, but the movie does have a great subject and a talented lead in Hilary Swank.
The prospect: B
The pitch: The popular Japanese character gets his CGI movie.
The buzz: I don’t know enough about this to make a sound call, but I will say that if it’s CGI, and it’s not distributed by a major studio, it tends to be negligible.
The prospect: C
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant
The pitch:A freak show’s most mysterious attraction recruits a teenager who becomes embroiled in a battle between vampires and their deadlier counterparts.
The buzz: Salma Hayek as a bearded lady? That alone has got to be worth a look. Only concern: This was once slated to come out in the graveyard known as January. Paul Weitz (About a Boy) directs.
The prospect: B
The pitch: No! Let me go! AIEEEEE!
The buzz: Snore.
The prospect: F
OCTOBER 30
The pitch: A concert movie culled from Michael Jackson’s final rehearsals.
The buzz: I’m torn. On the one hand, I’m curious to see what these shows would have been like; on the other hand, I find the whole enterprise a ghoulish cash-in.
The prospect: C
The pitch: Michael Cera concocts multiple schemes to lose his virginity.
The buzz: I like Cera, but how long can he go on playing the awkward, lovable youth? Director Miguel Arteta does have some good indie cred, including one of Jennifer Aniston’s best movies, The Good Girl.
The prospect: B
What do you like/dislike here?
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Catching up on many top-tier DVD picks
I wasn’t sorry I missed last weekend’s theatrical slate of The Final (yeah, sure) Destination and Halloween II many, but I was sorry I missed last week’s very strong DVD slate. I’ll recap this week and last week’s releases for you.
New this week
Earth: I usually catch most Disney product but never felt all that compelled to catch what was really an elaborate TV documentary retrofitted for the big screen. Did I miss much?
Sin Nombre: This film about a Honduran teenager who reunites with her father, hopefully to realize her dream of a life in the U.S., received strong reviews when it played the Sundance Film Festival.
State of Play: This newspaper-centered drama about Russell Crowe investigating the death of a senator’s aide got more attention for likely being one of the last movies about newspapers than for the film itself - and that’s actually fair. Parts of the film are very strong, but especially toward the end it overplays its hand with a twist it didn’t really need. Still well worth a viewing. GRADE: B+
Also out now
Adventureland: Every year has at least one movie that should have done much better at the box office than it did, and this title is this year’s movie that got away. Mis-sold by its studio as a stoner comedy, its actually a funny, thoughtful coming-of-age story that measures up to the work of the late John Hughes. Full review: GRADE: A
Duplicity: Here’s another movie that should have fared much better than it did in theaters. This Julia Roberts/Clive Owen vehicle about competing romantic spies was criticized, even by some critics, for being “too smart.” Personally, I’d rather watch a movie that engages my attention rather than just letting my mind coast, but that’s just me. The writer-director is Tony Gilroy, who also made Michael Clayton. GRADE: A
The Informers: This adaptation of a Brett Easton Ellis novel only barely got released on the heels of Mickey Rourke’s Oscar nomination. By most accounts, they needn’t have bothered. In my estimation, Easton’s work, including American Pyscho and The Rules of Attraction, does NOT translate well to the screen.
Rudo Y Cursi: This import didn’t get much press, but I can’t help but be curious to see the reunion of the stars of Y Tu Mama Tambien, Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal. The director is Carlos Cuaron, who co-wrote Y Tu Mama Tambien with the director of that movie - his brother Alfonso.
Sunshine Cleaning: Amy Adams and Emily Blunt star as siblings who start a crime-scene cleaning business. Much like another Adams movie this year, Julie & Julia, this movie is an outstanding showcase for two very fine young actresses. GRADE: A-
Trouble the Water: A rap artist and her husband set out to chronicle their Ninth Ward neighborhood - then Katrina hit. Said to be a compelling companion piece to Spike Lee’s When the Levees Broke.
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