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Some releases may not be showing locally this week.
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER (PG-13)
Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is
a boy. Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel)
is a girl. The films narrator lets you
know from the get-go their story does
not come from the happy ending
department. Boy meets girl; girl breaks
boy's heart into tiny pieces. (500) Days
of Summer brilliantly shows us their
entire relationship, from cute beginning
(an office romance ignited by karaoke
and alcohol) to whiskey-drowned end.
ADORATION (R) For an assign
ment. high school student Simon
(Devon Bostick) weaves the story
of his parents (Noam Jenkins and
Rachel Blanchard), both killed in a car
accident, with a news story about a
terrorist. Controversy arrives when his
fact-meets-fiction tale goes viral.
ALIENS IN THE ATTIC (PG) A fam
ily moves to Maine and discovers
the top floor of their new home has
been invaded by aliens. The cast is
all over the place. First, there’s High
School Musical alum Ashley Tisdale;
then you've got *SNL” vets Kevin
Nealon and Tim Meadows. Director
John Schultz (The Honeymooners)
won some awards for his 1996 debut,
Bandwagon. I honestly caul decide
whether I'm looking forward to this or
dreading it more than I did G-Force.
ALL ABOUT STEVE (PG-13) Poor
Bradley Cooper. The Hangover didn't
come out soon enough for him to avoid
being in a romcom starring Sandy
Bullock. Eccentric crossword creator
Mary Horowitz (Bullock) falls in love
with cameraman Steve (Cooper) after
just one date. First-time feature director
Phil Traill’s 2003 short Dangle, was
well-received, but I’m not curious to
see how he fares with cookie-cutter
comedy. With Thomas Haden Church
and Keith David (not to be confused
with David Keith).
AWAY WE GO (R) Burt and Verona
(John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph)
are searching for a place to raise their
yet-to-be-born child after Burt's selfish
parents (Catherine O'Hara and Athens-
born Jeff Daniels) announce their
plan to move to Belgium. Away We
Go, written by novelists Dave Eggers
(A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering
Genius) and his wife, Vendela Vida (co
founder and co-editor of The Believei),
reads like a quirky, literarily humorous
National Book Award finalist.
> CARRIERS (PG-13) Four friends
(Star Treks Chris Pine, Piper Perabo,
Emily Van Camp and ThumbsuckeTs
Lou Taylor Pucci) try to outrun a deadly
virus decimating the United States.
With the big, empty hotel, Carriers
resembles a Dawn of the 28 Shinings
Later, but the flick, the feature debut
of Spanish writing-directing brothers,
Alex and David Pastor, has a cool
sheen to it. I don't imagine anyone will
remember Carriers once the adaptation
of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic
masterwork. The Road, comes out.
CLOVERF1ELD (PG-13) More experi
ence than movie, Cloverfield immerses
you in a fake attack on New York City.
It’s a lean (the movie is only 84 minutes
long), mean monster movie that com
pletely fills in the template blanks, yet
what make* Cloverfield so striking is
its structure. Shot on handheld digital
cameras, the entire film sustains the
illusion that everything is happening
right then and there to the small band
of interchangeable 20-somethings.
The thing I want to talk about most is
the monster, floating theories about its
appearance and origins (smartly left
unknown per the film's internal logic),
but I wont That would spoil a lot of
the fun of a monster movie that feels
amazingly real.
DEPARTURES (PG-13) (NR) This
year’s Oscar-winner for Best Foreign
Language Film bested The Class and
Waltz with Bashir. Now it’s time to put
up or shut up. A recently unemployed
cellist, Daigo Kobayashi (multiple
award-winner Masahiro Motoki)
returns to his hometown and begins
a new career as an "encoffineer,’’ the
person who prepares the deceased
for burial and the next life. Director
YOjirO Takita's film snagged 28 other
international awards to go along with
its Oscar.
DISTRICT 9 (R) I will not fill your
minds with ringing, hyperbolic
endorsements such as. "District 9 Is
Dude! I told you to fix the AC.
the Best Movie This Year!' Instead,
111 go with, "District 9 Is the Freshest
Sci-Fi Since Pitch B'ack." For the past
20 years, Insectile aliens, derisively
nicknamed 'Prawns,' have resided
in slums constructed just outside of
Johannesburg. This new underclass of
illegal aliens anger the populace, and
the South African government hires pri
vate military corporation, MNU (Multi-
National United), to relocate the Prawns
from the outskirts of Johannesburg to
a specially constructed concentration
camp. Problems arise when paper-
pusher Wikus Van Der Merwe (Sharlto
Copley) is appointed to head the
relocation operation by his corporate
father-in-law. While attempting to
get alien signatures on the proper
forms, Wikus contracts an alien virus
that mutates his DNA. Single dad
Christopher needs Wikus' help to
get his kid, the cutest alien since E.T.
phoned home, off the planet.
DTOUR (NR) 2008. Just when Pat
Spurgeon's rock and roll dreams come
true, his kidney fails. Daily dialysis
and finding an organ donor put a
whole new twist to life on the road.
Director Jim Granato won the Golden
Gate Award for Bay Area Documentary
Feature at the San Francisco
International Film Festival. Featuring
performances by Rogue Wave, The
Moore Brothers, John Vanderslice,
Nada Surf and Ben Gibbard. Pad of the
ACC Library's iFilms series.
EXTRACT (R) Office Space writer-
director Mike Judge may have disap
pointed with his 2006 follow-up.
fdiocracy, but Extract looks like a return
to the workplace antics at which he
excels. Nice guy Joel (Jason Bateman)
owns an extract plant and has to deal
with a cadre of professional idiots and
personal problems. The cast, including
Kristen Wiig, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck,
J.K. Simmons, Clifton Collins, Jr.,
David Koechner and more, is shap
ing up as fall's strongest comedic
ensemble.
THE FINAL DESTINATION (R) The
most successful post-’80s slasher
franchise returns with a 3D installment.
Again, some numb nut disappoints
unseen, ever-present Death by way
of a prophetic vision, this one about
a deadly accident at a stock car race.
I really hope Halloween //slaughters
FD4at the box office. Still, the silly,
scary Final Destination flicks know
exactly what they are and should please
the segment of the horror audience
rubbed raw by Zombie's meaner film.
FOOD, INC. (PG) Fast Food Natiorls
Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan,
author of The Omnivore!j Dilemma,
peek inside the pantry of America's
corporate kitchen, analyzing the effects
of a corporate-controlled food industry
on the country's farmers and the health
o! its citizens.
GAMER (R) Neveldine/Taylor, the
love 'em or hate 'em auteurs behind
Crank and Crank: High Voltage, take
online gaming to the next level in this
Running Man/Death.Race wannabe.
Gerard Butler stars as Kable, a death
row inmate and popular 'Slayer'
looking to overthrow the game's
mastermind, the inexplicably old
Southern Ken Castle (Michael C. Hall,
“Dexter'). I'm looking forward to this
overly kinetic film despite my better
judgement. With Kyra Sedgwick, John
Leguizamo and Amber Valletta.
G.l. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
(PG-13) In the not too distant future,
G.l. Joe is no longer merely a real
American hero; he's now a real global
hero led by General Hawk (an appro
priately stiff-jawed Dennis Quaid) and
backed by the most talented soldiers
from the world’s top militaries. The
lineup includes popular characters like
Snake Eyes, Scarlett, the lesser-known
Heavy Duty and Breaker, recruited to
battle a new threat: the world's largest
arms dealer. Where Transformers is
clearly a blockbuster of the 2000s, G.l.
Joe remains boxed in its original pack
aging from the late 1980s, to which my
inner eight-year-old bellows a hearty,
‘Yo, Joe!”
G-FORCE (PG) G-Force is being
touted as Ober-producer Jerry
Bruckheimer's first 3-D and family film.
The heroes may be furry, well-animated
guinea pigs voiced by Sam Rockwell.
Penelope Cruz, Tracy Morgan and
Nicolas Cage, but the loud, busy
action movie definitely hails from
Bruckheimer's gated Hollywood neigh
borhood. It's as good—or as bad—as
any old Bruckheimer production.
HALLOWEEN II (R) Writer-director-
rocker Rob Zombies reinvention of
bogeyman Michael Myers continues
in what trailers promise to be the last
installment. (Riiiiiiiight.) Authorities
never discovered the body of the hulk
ing masked killer (ginormous Tyler
Mane), and Haddonfield, Illinois has
lived scared ever since. Meanwhile,
Michael's sis, Laurie Strode (Scout
Taylor-Compton) isn't quite adapting
to her role as sibling to the spawn of
Satan. Malcolm McDowell returns as
Dr. Sam Loomis. This flick looks genu
inely scary.
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-
BLOOD PRINCE (PG) In his sixth
year at Hogwarts, young wizard Harry
Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his pals,
Ron and Hermione (Rupert Grint and
Emma Watson), must contend with
Death Eaters, a puffed-up new Potions
prof and love potions. In his second
Potter film, director David Yates gets
what makes the books so special and
translates that quality to the big screen
unlike any of his predecessors; five
time screenwriter Steve Kloves has
perfected extracting only the essentials
from Rowling's doorstops. Half-Blood
Prince is the prettiest Potter film as
well.
THE HURT LOCKER (R) See Movie
Pick.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (R)
Once upon a time, the world was at
the mercy of a madman. Then The
Basterds,' a gang of Jewish-American
soldiers led by a Southern mountain
man, swept across Nazi-occupied
France. The world lived happily ever
after. The hyperbolical trailers are right.
You've never seen war until you’ve
seen it through the eyes of Quentin
Tarantino. Inglourious Basterds is the
film both critics and moviegoers have
been waiting for since the '90s trifecta
of Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and
Jackie Brown. Anyone only exposed to
the previews will be shocked to hear
that Basterds is QTs most mature film,
despite its graphic, gratuitous violence
and howling hilarity.
JULIE & JULIA (PG-13) I'm afraid
I don't 'get' Meryl Streep. I certainly
understand how talented she is, and
I feel it's just and deserved if the
Academy chooses to reward her for a
MOVIE LISTINGS
Theater schedules often change after our deadline. Please call ahead.
ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650)
0 Tour (NR) 7:00 (Th. 9/3)
BEICHWOOD (706-546-1011)
Due to production deadlines, Beechwood movie times are
only accurate through Sept. 3. Visit www.flagpole.com for
updated times.
(500) Days of Summer (PG-13) 5:05, 7:20, 9:30
District 9 (R) 4:10, 7:10, 9:50
The Final Destination (R) 5:10, 7:30, 9:50
G.L Joe: The Rise of Cobra (PG-13) 4:20, 7:00, 9:40
Halloween Q (R) 5:15, 7:35, 10:00
The Hurt Locker (R) 7:05, 9:50
Inglourious Basterds (R) 4:30, 8:00
Julie & Julia (PG-13) 4:05, 7:00, 9:40
Post Grad (PG-13) 5:05, 7:20, 9:30
Shorts (PG) 4:15
Taking Woodstock (R) 4:05, 7:00, 9:40
The Time Traveler's Wife (PG-13) 4:25, 7:25, 10:05
CARMIKE 12 (706-354-0016)
Due to production deadlines, Carmike 12 movie times are
only accurate through Sept. 3. Visit www.flagpole.com for
updated times.
District 9 (R) 1:45, 4:20, 7:10, 9:45
The Final Destination (3D) (R) 1:45, 4:15, 7:05, 9:35
G.L Joe: The Rise of Cobra (PG-13) 1:30, 4:15, 7:05,
9:45
G-Force (3D) (PG)12:20, 2:35, 4:50
Halloween U (R) 1:30, 4:05, 7:10, 9:40
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (PG) 12:30,
4:00, 7:30
Inglourious Basterds (R) 12:45, 1:45, 3:55, 5:00,
7:0*, 8:15,10:15
Julie & Julia (PG-13) 1:00, 4:00, 7:00,10:00
Post Grad (PG-13) 7:30, 9:40
Shorts (PG) 1:15, 3:25, 5:35, 7:45, 9:55
Taking Woodstock (R) 1:15, 4:00, 7:00, 9:55
The Time Traveler's Wife (PG-13) 12:15, 2:45, 5:15,
7:40, 10:10
CINl (706-353-3343)
Adoration (R) 7:15, 9-‘30 (new times F. 9/4:9:30)
(add! times Sa. 9/5-Su. 9/6: 2:15) (no 9:30 show
Su. 9/6)
Away We Go (R) 5:00, 9:45 (new times F. 9/4:9:45)
(addl times Sa. 9/5-Su. 9/6: 3:00) (no 9:45 show
Su. 9/6)
Departures (PG-13) 4:30, 7:00 (starts F. 9/4)
Food, Inc (NR) 5:15, 7:30 (new times F. 9/4: 5:15,
9:45)
Made in LA. (NR) 6:00 (M. 9/7)
GEORGIA SQUARE S (706-548-3426)
Due to production deadlines, Georgia Square Five movie
times are only accurate through Sept. 3. Visit WNW.flagpole.
com for updated times. A ,
Aliens in the Attic (PG) 5:20, 7:35, 9'55
My Sister's Keeper (PG-13) 4:05, 7:20,10:05
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
(PG) 5:25, 7:50, 10:15
Public Enemies (R) 4:C0,10:00
Star Trek (PG-13) 7:15
Up (PG) 5:25, 7:50, 10:15
TATE CENTER THEATER (706-542-6396)
Cloverfield (PG-13) 8:00 (Th, 9/3)
Star Trek (PG-13) 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 (F. 9/4-Su. 9/6)
record 16th nomination. It's less her
acting prowess that boggles me than
her mystique, the power she holds
over women over 45. As I watched
Streep gloriously honk her way through
Nora Ephron's delicious new film as
the famous TV chef Julia Child. I was
pleasantly entertained; much of the
decidedly older crowd was in hyster
ics. Julie & Julia is the twin culinary
tales of Julia Child and Julie Powell
(the delightful, cute Amy Adams), a
lowly government employee who finds
meaning—and a book deal—in cook
ing all 524 of the recipes in Child's
Mastering the Art of French Cooking
in 365 days and blogging about it. You
might think the Sleepless in Seattle
auteur is breaking up with her longtime
partner, the romcom, but J&Jis still
about couples—three to be exact;
Julia and Paul Child (Stanley Tucci);
Julie and Eric Powell (Chris Messina);
and Julia and Julie—in love. Julie &
Julia isnl a fancy French delicacy; it’s
Hollywood comfort food prepared with
love and laughter.
MADE IN L.A. (NR) Documentary
film about the development of a
workers' center in Los Angeles.
Discussion about the workers' center
in Athens follows the screening. Part
of the Economic Justice Coalition’s
Celebration of Workers' Rights.
MY ONE AND ONLY (PG-13) I am at
a loss for words after learning that My
One and Only is based on the life of
the tan one, George Hamilton. I wasn't
expecting that. Renee Zellweger stars
as Anne Deveraux, a glamorous ‘50s
vixen who cruises the eastern seaboard
seeking a new husband and daddy for
her two boys. George (Logan Lerman,
set to hit it big in 2010's first Percy
Jackson & the Olympians flick) and
Robbie (Mark Rendall). With support
ing actors Chris Noth, Kevin Bacon,
David Koechner, Eric McCormack and
Steven Weber.
MY SISTER’S KEEPER (PG-13)
Writer-director Nick Cassavetes, son of
acclaimed independent filmmaker John
Cassavetes, should stick to weepies.
As interesting as his teen crime noir
Alpha Dog was (and it wasn't nearly
as intriguing as Brick), it was The
Notebook that revealed his adroit ability
for audience manipulation via source
treacle. A teenage girl, Kate (Sofia
Vassilieva), is dying. Her 11-year-old
sister, Anna (Abigail Breslin), was
genetically engineered to save her older
sister. Now Anna doesn't want to be
poked, prodded and cut any more so
she hires lawyer Campbell Alexander
(Alec Baldwin) to sue her parents.
Kate and Brian (Cameron Diaz and the
undervalued Jason Patric). for medical
emancipation. An overstuffed pepper
of melodrama (a dyslexic brother,
a grieving judge, etc.), My Sister's
Keeper never lets one tragic ingredient
overwhelm the tear-inducing whole.
Rather than one big contrived knockout
punch (complete with swelling music).
Cassavetes sticks and moves, unleash
ing an episodic flurry of sorrowful
jabs like a teen cancer romance (Say
AnythingwWh chemo). The wonderfully
acted, written and directed My Sister's
Keeper proves that a little (or a lot of)
emotional manipulation is not always
a bad thing. Criers, beware, this tear-
jerker requires a whole boxful.
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE
OF THE SMITHSONIAN (PG)
Everything about NatM.BotS improves
on the lifeless original, especially the
thankful lack of monkey antics of which
there are a mere toned down few.
POSTGRAD (PG-13)AlexisBledel,
billed as 'the star of The Sisterhood
of the Traveling Pants’ but known and
loved as Rory Gilmore, takes the solo
reins in Post Grad. Recent college
graduate Ryden Malby (Bledel) can't
find a job, so she moves back in with
her parents (Michael Keaton and Jane
Lynch). Ryden also has to choose
12 FLAGPOLE.COM • SEPTEMBER 2,2009