About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 27, 2011)
Some releases may not be showing locally this week. • indicates new review ATTACK THE BLOCK (R) A teen named Moses (John Boyega) and his gang attempt to protect their housing estate. Wyndham Tower, during an alien invasion The feature debut of comedian turned filmmaker turned heads at South by Southwest, but no one has heard much about it since. Still, the sci-fi flick, taglined “Inner City vs Outer Space," sounds much more intriguing than recent alien invasions entries such as Skyline and Bottle. Los Angeles BAD TEACHER (R) Nothing humor ously new is said in Bod Teacher. another in a popular line of adults behaving badly around/toward children (a subgenre academically known as a Billy Bob comedy) As very bad teacher Elizabeth Halsey. Cameron Diaz reminds the moviegoing public that there was something about Mary, and sh? had a lot to do with it. I thought was the summers funniest comedy behind Bridesmaids THE BLUE ANGEL (NR) 1930 Director Josef von Sternberg catapulted the inimitable Marlene Dietrich a lover he directed six more tunes into the international spotlight with this clas sic of German Weimar cinema After following his students to a speakeasy Professor Immanuel Rath (Emit Jannings) becomes obsessed with dancer Lola Lola (Dietrich) Based on the novel by Heinrich Mann, Der Bioue Engel was filmed simultaneously in English BRIDESMAIDS (R) Considering its competition, calling Bridesmoids the funniest movie of 2011 may be as much an insult as a compliment to this hilarious comedy, written by and star ring Kristen Wiig (winner of the year's It's About Time Award) This female- driven flick needs to be judged and compared to its raunchy, hearty broth ers all raised under the banner of the House of Apatow These bridesmaids prove to be just as funny and dirty as the groomsmen of The 40 Yeor Old Virgin. Knocked Up. etc. • CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (PG 13) Do you remember The Rocketeer? I do. and so does Coptom America director Joe Johnston, who should, seeing as he directed the 1991 throwback. Johnston smartly gives Captain America The First Avenger (talk about unnecessary subtitles) the same sort of Saturday matinee serial feel. Ninety-pound weakling Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to do his part in WWII, but army doctors keep 4Fing him until Dr. Abraham Erskme (the ever wonderful Stanley Tucci) approaches with his super soldier serum. Soon, Steve Rogers turns into a muscl^L up super hero called Captain America, who must stop rogue Nazi, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), from devastating the worid Like Green Lanterris Ryan Reynolds, likable beefcake Evans was born to play a superhero, he’s as All-American as you can get But Captain America works a lot better than Green Lantern Fighting Nazis iri WWII also places Caplam America in a world stylisti cally foreign from that of his modern Avengers teammates—Iron Mari. Thor and the Hulk The old-fashioned adventuring becomes Cap Be sureto slick around through the credits for an Avengers leaser CARS 2(G) Ca r s 2 is an above-aver age children's cartoon Unfortunately, an above-averaqe children's cartoon is way below Pixar's capabilities Any other animation house can make a Cars or a Cars 2. Pixar should leave the kiddie entertainment to DreamWorks/ Sony and concentrate on singular mas terpieces like WALL-Eand Up CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS (NR) 2010 A lot has been said and written about legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog's documentary, filmed m France's Chauvet Cave, where the oldest known pictorial representations of mankind can be found (Even more has been made about him shooting this documentary in uncharacteristic 3D.) Closed to the general public, Herzog had to receive special permission to film inside the cave. Along with footage inside the cave itself, Herzog inter viewed expert scientists and historians and snapped pictures of the nearby Pont d'Arc natural bridge COWBOYS & ALIENS (PG-13) Cowboys & Aliens stars Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford in a Wild West showdown with extraterrestrials This neo-western is directed by Iron Man's Jon Favreau and written by "Lost’ s Damon Lindelof and the Roberto Orci/ Alex Kurtzman collaborative Surrounding Craig and Ford are Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano. MOVIE LISTINGS Schedules often change after our deadline Please call ahead. ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650) Questioning Faith (NR) 7:00 (Th. 7/28) CINE (706-353-3343) The Blue Angel (NR) 7:15 (F. 7/29) Cave of Forgotten Dreams (NR) 9:30 (W. 7/27 & Th. 7/28), 5:00 (F. 7/29-Th. 8/4) Classic Looney Tunes Cartoons (G) 3:30 (Sa. 7/30 & Su. 7/31) The Double Hour (NR) 7:15. 9:30 Cstarts F. 7/29) (no 9:30 show Su. 7/31) Midnight in Paris (PG-13) 5.15, 7:30 (W. 7/27 & Th 7/28) The Tree of Life (PG-13) 4:00, 7:00, 9:45 (no 9:45 show Su. 7/31). 1:15 (Sa. 7/30 & Su. 7/31) Accurate movie times for the CARMIKE 12 (706-354-0016), BEECHWOOD STADIUM 1 1 (706 546 1011) and GEORGIA SQUARE 5 (706-548-3426) cinemas are not available by press time. Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times. Clancy Brown, Keith Carradine and Walton Goggms. How could this not be the summer blockbuster for which you re saving your midnight showing? CRAZY. STUPID, LOVE. (PG-13) Steve Carell stars as Cal Weaver, a married man struggling to balance his wife (Julianne Moore), marriage coun seling (with counselor Ryan Gosling) and a relationship with his kids Bad Santa scripters and / Love You Phillip Morris directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa bring Dan Fogelman's script to the screen. (Fogelman's previous credits include a lot of work for Disney including Cars. Bolt and Tangled.) With rising star Emma Stone. Kevin Bacon and Marisa Tomei. FAST FIVE (PG-13) As the "plot" goes, Dorn (Vin Diesel). Brian (Paul Walker) and Dorn's sister/Brian's squeeze Mia (Jordana Brewster), are on the lam after a daring, non-fata! prison break Other stuff goes on to set up the Ocean's 11 on wheels heist that climaxes the movie Most of the other stuff is boring, but when the car-based action gets moving, it is a pedal to the metal blast. •FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS (R) No, you didn't like this movie better when it starred Natalie Portrnan and Ashton Kutcher Just act like No Strings Attached doesn't exist', and enjoy the far superior genre stylings of Friends with Benefits Two pals. Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis), decide to add sex to their BFF to Do List. Naturally, it gets complicated by emotions arid standard "Will they or won t they?" subdrama The comedy thinks a bit highly of itself. It's still just a romantic comedy that makes all the same moves it ridicules in the Jason Segei/Rashida Jones in-movie romcom But JT and Kunis bedazzle the movie with sparkly comic rhinestones that easily outshine that other similarly themed romcom starring two former Kunis costars THE FUTURE (NR) Popular inde pendent filmmaker, Miranda July (her debut. Me and You and Everyone We Know, was all the rage in 2005), returns with her second feature. Adopting a stray cat changes the course ot time and space for a couple (July and Hamish Linklater) The film, narrated by the cat. Paw-Paw (v. July), sounds a bit more intriguing and original than much of the indie fare that emerges from the festival scene Nominated tor the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (PG-13) It's over The final battle rages over and through the hallowed halls of Hogwarts as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe). Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) attempt to end Voldemorl's (Ralph Fiennes) evil reign. The last few Horcruxes must be found and destroyed if Harry is ever to truly defeat You-Know-Who HP7.2 is filled with blood, death and violence yet is still fit for the entire family (besides the littlest ones). HORRIBLE BOSSES (R) Horrible Bosses is the summer's funniest movie (since the last time I crowned a lilm such) Nick (Jason Bateman) works for an evil corporate shark played perfectly by Kevin Spacey (with a wink and a nod to the darkly fun Swimming with Sharks) Dale (Charlie Day) is getting seriously sexually harassed by his seriously hot dentist boss (Jennifer Aniston). Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) answers to a cokehead douchebag that resembles a balding Colin Farrell (Farrell) With the help of a murder consultant with a very blue name (Jamie Foxx), these three friends decide to murder each other's boss. JUMPING THE BROOM (PG-13) Jumping the Broom has all the familial melodrama of a Tyler Perry production without Madea's tonal aggression. When uptown girl Sabrina (Paula Patton) meets downtown boy Jason (Laz Alonso), they quickly get engaged The wedding on Martha's Vineyard highlights the divide between the two families, led by tough-verging-on- unlikable matriarchs played by Angela Bassett and Loretta Devine. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (PG-13) Owen Wilson stars as the iatest Woody stand- in. Gil. a Hollywood hack trying to fin ish a novel while on a family business trip to Pans On a magical midnight walk. Gil runs into Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston and Alison Piil). gets writing advice from Papa Hemingway (Corey Stoll) and Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates) and falls for Picasso's girlfriend. Adriana (Marion Cotillard) This funny, heartwarming charmer should please lit teachers and anyone looking for an intelligent breeze to freshen up the romcom genre. MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS (PG) Tom Popper (Jim Carrey) is a ruthless real estate something-or-other. who's a rather sorry husband (to Carla Gugino) and father (to Swing Votds wonderful Madeline Carroll and Maxwell Perry Cotton), that is, until he inherits six penguins from his late absentee father. Then Popper becomes the best poppa a penguin or progeny could pray for. QUESTIONING FAITH (NR) 2002 After his fellow seminarian, Alan Smith, died of AIDS, Macky Alston attempted to answer the question, “Why does God permit such senseless tragedies?" His crisis of faith led him to interview people from a wide range of religious faiths, from born-again Christians to Muslims to atheists to Orthodox Jews RIO (G) Another week, another aver age animated children’s movie that won't quite pain the adults forced to accompany them. After Rango. 2011's animated output has some minor big. quirky boots to fill. Rio isn't quirky It mashes together several popular car toon plotlines THE SMURFS (PG) I already smurf this movie Why, ch why. must the Smurfs be moved to New York City? The voice cast is full-on familiar Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf, Katy Perry as Smurfette. Alan Cumming as Gutsy Smu4, George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf. Paul "Pee Wee Herman" Reubens as Jokey Smurf. Kenan Thompson as Greedy Smurl and B J Novak (“The Office") as Baker Smurf •THE TREE OF LIFE (PG-13) Terence Malick films are not simple entertainment to be gulped down, digested and evacuated in one two- hour sitting. The Tree of Lite certainly lends itself to interpretation and lengthy post-film dissection A man (Sean Penn) must come to terms with his dead brother, coldly caring father (Brad Pitt, whose jaw is clenched so tautly he has an overbite) and loving mother (Jessica Chastain). He relives his '50s childhood through the fragmented memories of his mind's scrapbook The narrative of Jack's childhood is recalled in snatches of imagery. The result is a gorgeous, interconnected series of moving Impressionism. Too bad Malick indulges in the most egregious of art house pretension in the film's prologue and coda. Between those two esoteric bookends is a funny, heartfelt, tough coming-of-age tale that is the best film I have seen this year. VISIBLE SILENCE—MARSDEN HARTLEY, PAINTER AND POET (NR) Through the use of over 60 of Marsden Hartley’s paintings and drawings and an equal number of photographs from around the world, the artist's life is traced from its origins in Lewiston. Maine to Europe and across the United States until his secluded end in a small Maine fishing village. Director Michael Maglaras and Paul Manoguerra will provide an introduction. WINNIE THE POOH (G) Disney brings Winnie the Pooh and all the other denizens of the Hundred Acre Wood back to the big screen in the hand-drawn animated tradition of old Walt himself. Five of Pooh creator A A. Milne's stories are being retold, and the voice cast is refreshingly non- starstudded. ZOOKEEPER (PG) James is Griffin, a nice guy who nicely takes care of nice animals for a nice living A pretty girl, Stephanie (Leslie Bibb), broke his nice heart because he's a nice zookeeper. Drew Wheeler C/d'ttllti/iUtb'iilV/l • FUCICSfclNNY * Cii.* 4 ***"3 FLtOCSt4INNY.COM f® flwtls fectM joys,anJ J 0 h Me spoiled s/i»elj-sl<^er? Yeiyei.TU i^e//- P«cei(a.rj D 0^9,'/, s\ory novt<> sickly /-r/c. EUe. SCI-F- WVJlL j q$ Cap uni Li/cjcjiti j~aks. on Ehe. SM, VJorU| k M$eJ f,,, this- c\ taf»e.f °t/\i > s- qoijecl p£rioe( o4 C*p ^ ^ THE \/JOKu\) of TonozzoM Bizv bo/>d$ So \A/C ^ jit, \ mi t 11 11 — ■■ -m ,n "Goas of l'WaiTGAe M Witt qoafaw+ees -Wo fltfte+'GaHS ^Ur\CeJi ttuvibs Of £t>f/\ , bof ttat atesvtf M&w t taoe. AO is5oef> Witt ‘IkW himger • M*y t-w* ww** s * f «''2!S!5 ‘SS&i, P°;W. 14-^octsS 60 * io« g ex^edf> ^ ttvfe i^ooie (ioGb C<v\fwoe. tte. -^voo/dis -^o TX> l ■ rvyvi ~ * il v df poshrrtg./ ^Vi % '^3 v tte, i(W iwf W\Ww IV \aW Wl V tooesW ^>0) [\AocV pouter IPevJeloPM SJpgvWofa' tAgflfl-lAjgQfflflSr e y mc«wiy x z*» 10 FLAGPOLE.COM-JULY 27, 2011