About Flagpole. (Athens, Ga.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 2011)
Some releases may not be showing locally this week. • indicates new review 50/50 ;Ri Cancer is scary and depressing It's even scarier and more depressing when it happens to a young person So how is Jonathan Levine's second film so dam funny and uplift ing’ Joseph Gordon-tevitt (the only young actor who can compete with Ryan Gosling m a battle of control and nuance). Seth Rogen (he excels in these sweet, supporting, puerile roles), Anna Kendrick (proving her Oscar nominated performance in Up in the Air was no duke) and screenwriter Will Reiser are how Adam Lerner works for NPR. he works out. he doesn t smoke or drink, he recycles, he has a beautiful artist girlf'iend (Bryce Dallas Howard) a potty-moulhed BFF (Rogen) and an overbearing mother (Angelica Huston) he avoids He also has cancer Don't be tooled by its mild-mannered "Disease ol the Week" appearance, this film, loosely based on screen writer Reiser s own struggles to beat cancer, is like Terms ol Endearment lor 20-somethmgs ABDUCTION (PG-13) Taylor Lautner, whose apparent acting idol was Derek Zoolander, has translated his however- many-pack into a Taylor made bomb Abduction attempts to force moviego ers fo recognize Lautner as a superstar at gunpoint, and it's as terrible a movie as you suspect it to be BEATS RHYMES & LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST (R) Called Guest is charted Irom their first appearance in the 1980s through their 90s peak as alternative hip-hop inno vators to the troubled 2006 reunion and beyond (where will Tribe go trom here’) Would you have guessed this doc was directed by actor Michael Rapaport’ I would not have, but he uses his actoriy connections to snag interviews with seemingly everybody including the Beastie Boys. Mary J Blige, Common, etc THE DIG YEAR i PG) Sieve Martin Jack Black and Owen Wilson star as three bird- watching pals compet ing to see the most species ol North American fowl in a year Director David Frankel has hit it big before ( The Devil Wears Prada a nd Mar ley and Me), but this movie teels like a big Christmas release So why is it coming out in October’ BIUTIFUL (R) Bnitiful, the latest loughly literate him from Alejandro Gonzalez Innantu <s much like his other films (Amores Petros 21 Grams and Babef) I! is hard to like but easy lo appreciate All 147 minutes are spent in the sometimes painful, rarely peace- lul life of Uxbal (Academy Award nomi nee Javier Bardem), a Barcelona street agent tor African and Chinese immi grants who also dabbles in the spirit world Part of the Hispanic Heritage Month Film Festival, the film will be introduced by Dr Catherine Simpson, lecturer trom Romance Languages, and followed by a Q&A CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER i PG-13) Director Joe Johnston smartly gives Captain Amenca The Firs! Avengei a sort ot Saturday matinee serial feel Ninety- pound weakling Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) wants to do his part in WWII. but army doctors keep 4Fmg him until Dr Abraham Erskme (the ever wonder ful Stanley Tucci) approaches with his super soldier serum Soon. Steve Rogers turns into a muscled up super hero called Captain America, who must stop rogue Nazi, the Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) trom devastating the world CARS 2 (G) Cars 2 is an above-aver age childrens cartoon Unfortunately, an above-average children's cartoon is wav below Pixars 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-Fand Up CONTAGION (PG-13) Steven Soderberghs new "What it ’ epi demic chiller is an excellent feature- length Twilight Zone" What it a deadly new. highly communicable virus entered the population’ How quickly and effectively would the world's governments and health agencies (represented by Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet. Bryan Cranston and Marion Cotillard) respond 0 What sort ot wildfire would spread via the blogo- sphere (Itianks, Jude I aw)’ How would the rest of us respond as loved ones (like Gwyneth Paltrow) quickly and mysteriously tall ill’ Screenwriter Scott Z Burns (The Informant0 answers all these queries as Soderbergh depicts this possible apocalyptic scenario COURAGEOUS iPG-f 3) On a completely technical level, you'd never know you were not watching a Hollywood production about lour law enforcement officers forced to face themselves as men and fathers alter a tragedy I've seen several Hollywood hits that looked worse (direction cinematography, editing, etc) Now the bad The talent in front ot the camera still reeks ot amateurism Awkward reaction shots and line deliveries ol stilted homilies and forced proverbs mar the professional Hollywood slick production values. At least there's no "big" name bible beater, a la Kirk Cameron in Sherwood's previous release, Fireproof, to really show up the down home actors CRAZY. STUPID. LOVE. (PG-13) Whal a crazy, stupid idea! Write a mature comedy script Cast pretty, tal ented, appropriately aged stars Direct them with care, humanity and simplic ity Who would ever think those actions would develop into the summer's most charming wide release’ Only almost I just invented stem cell smoothies. everyone who doesn't greenlight studio projects Steve Carell stars as Cal Weaver, whose wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), suddenly bombs him with a divorce pronouncement that leads him to a local bar where Cal meets inveter ate womanizer Jacob (Ryan Gosling) While Cal the nice guy is learning to objectify women. Jacob the man-whore is tailing lor law student Hannah (Emma Stone) DOLPHIN TALE (PG) A lonely 12-year-old. Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), fescues a dolphin (real tail-less dol phin. Winter, as herself) caught in a crab trap With the help of a marine vet (Harry Connick Jr), his daughter (Cozi Zuehlsdorf!) and a doctor who special izes in prosthetics (Morgan Freeman). Sawyer helps save the dolphin by fashioning a take appendage DREAM HOUSE (PG-13) I'm not sure how Dream House happened It's hard to imagine this script having attracted so much A-list talent—Oscar winners J»tn Sheridan and Rachel Weisz, plus Daniel Craig arid Naomi Watts seeing as the frozen thriller corpse they dumped into the cinematic wasteland ol September is DOA A fam ily (headed by Craig and Weisz) moves into a new home only to discover the last family was murdered there When tne young daughters claim to have a seen a s»’ange man around the house papa Wifi (Craifli believes ill be the DRIVE (R) Drive slides through the alleys and sidestreets of its criminal Los Angeles with the precision, skill and style ol its nameless Driver (Ryan Gosling) called Ihe Kid by his boss/ handler. Shannon (Bryan Cranston, BTW why aren't you watching Breaking Bad" yet?) Stuntman by day, getaway man lor hire by night, the driver slides his leather driving gloves on and gets his bumpers bloody when a cute neighbor (Carey Mulligan) with a little tyke runs atoul ol some local toughs Gosling must hail Irom an alien world tilled with cool because he's certainly more so than any other actor working today (besides maybe George Clooney maybe) His near silent Driver says all he needs to with a single look that says whatever the recipient needs to hear FOOTLOOSE (PG) Any child ol the ‘80s or watcher ol basic cable is famil iar with the Kevin Bacon-John Lithgcw hit about a rebellious youth who brings Kenny Loggins and dancing back to a small Baptist-run town. Newcomer Kenny Wormald was the producer's third choice (behind Zack Efron and Chace Crawford), but I'm interested in seeing Hustle & Flow filmmaker Craig Brewer s New South lake on this tale Dennis Quaid should make an adequate replacement tor Lithgow, but half the appeal of the original came from the soundtrack. Can any new tunes live up’ With Julianne Hough and Adele native. Ray McKinnon FRIENDS WITH 3ENEFITS (R) No. you didn t like this movie better when it starred Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher Just act like No Strings Attached doesn't exist, and enjoy the tar superior genre stylings of Friends with Benefits THE FUTURE (R) Popular indepen dent 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 cal changes the course ol time and space tor a couple (July and Hamish Linklatef) 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 lor the Golden Bear at the Berlin Internalional Film Festival HARRY POTTER AND THE OEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (PG-13) By now everyone knows what i tiij'T) the Pjjtfe! universe -is connived by director David Yates ii pt npfrrwd rhe final !• ■ r Pnivrs i art MOVIE LISTINGS Schedules often change after our deadline Please call ahead CINE ! 706-353-3343) checV #ebiite lor show times Beats, Rhymes & life (R) 9:30 (starts F. 10/14) (no 9:30 show Su. 10/16). 2:45 (Sa. 10/16 & Su. 10/16) Crazy Stupid Love fPG-13) 9:45 (no 9:45 show Su. 10/16). 2:45 (Sa. 10/15 & Su. 10/16) Drive iR) 5:00. 7:15 (starts f 10/14) The Future R) 5:16. 7:30 (starts F. 10/14) (no 7:30 show W. 10/19) Manhattan R) 7:30 (Tu. 10/11) Senna (PG-13) 5:15 IW 10/12 & Th. 10/13) The Whistleblower (R) 7:30 (W 10/12 & Th. 10/13) UGA TATI CENTER THEATER (706 54? 6396) Horrible Bosses (R) 3 00. 6 00. 9 00 (f. 10/14 Su, 10/16) Singin’ in the Rain I NR) R 00 (Th. 10 13) CARMIKE 12 BEFCHWOOD STADIUM 11 706 h il l and GEORGIA SQUARE $ www.flagpole.com for updated tunes. In the final journey to this magical world. Ihe entire cast and crew deliver an emotionally impactful, thrillmgly magic-filled final installment lo one of the biggest blockbuster franchises of all time. THE HELP (PG-13) An audience- wooer a la The Blind Side, this '60s Mississippi set melodramedy will draw raves Irom your mother, grandmother, aunt the ladies of Ihe church, etc. but the whitewashed world of The Help lacks the proper depth to feel real Every black servant is a saint, every white employer a demon HIGHER GROUND (R) Actress Vera Farmiga tries her hand at directing with this religious drama based on Carolyn Briggs' memoir, This Dark World. Corinne’s (Farmiga) crisis of taith throws a tight-knit, evangelical Christian community into turmoil Farmiga did good to get “Deadwood"s John Hawkes. who received a well- deserved Oscar nom for Winter's Bone. as a costar Farmiga received a nomi nation lor the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize HORRIBLE BOSSES (R) Nick (Jason Bateman). Dale (Charlie Day of the best sitcom on TV. ‘It s Always Sunny in Philadelphia") and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) work for some horrible bosses (Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell). With the help ol a murder consultant (Jamie Foxx), these three friends decide the solution to their employment problems is to murder each other s boss. This dark, dirty take on Strangers on a Train does everything right in the most wrong sort ol way II you don't like Bateman. Day or Sudeikis. King ot Kong director Seth Gordon's film will lay comically flaccid before you, but you have better taste than that The three leads, gifted with immaculate chemistry, timing and wicked tone, make this darkly silly murdercom work • THE IDES OF MARCH (R) George Clooney knows how to make a good political film In his latest direct ing effort. Oscar-nominated director Clooney guides Ryan Gosling through the prickly patch of a presidential primary election, as Governor Mike Morris (Clooney) seeks the Democratic nomination His strategist Stephen Myers (Gosling) learns Ihe painful truth that the best man tor the job might not be the best man A well-picked cast and the sharp script by Clooney/Grant Heslov/playwright Beau Willimon lend the film the air of a dark, less comedic episode ot "The West Wing ’ KILLER ELITE (R) What seems like another kinetic adioner in Jason Stalham's interchangeable (besides the two hits of Crank) is actually a pretty solid exercise in real men (Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro and a bunch of British toughs) playing war Danny (Statham) is a retired inerc, pulled back into the game to save his mentor, Hunter (De Niro) His latest renegade op places him in direct oppo sition with former SAS specialist. Spike (Owen) Gary McKendry confidently directs the action and spying in his feature debut, based on the non-fiction book wutten by Ranulph Fiennes THE LION KING thuikirg he ki ed his father a quilt rid den !n>>: :.ub <: ees into exiie and aban* Jo: s his identity as the future king MONEYBALL PG To Based on Bennet Miller s follow-up to the Oscar winning Capote actually makes base ball statistics interesting Oakland As General Manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) attempts to build a championship ballclub through On Base and Slugging Percentage rather than traditional scouting Does it work’ Anyone famil iar with Major League Baseball already knows the answer. MYSTERIES OF LISBON 2010 Based on the 19th-century Portuguese navel by Camiio Caslelo Branco, the Ibenan Peninsulas version o! Charles Dickens. Mysteries of Lisbon follows Joao, a bastard child of two aristocrats, seeking the truth about his parents From there, three decades unfold across Spain. France, Italy and Brazil •REAL STEEL (PG-13) Did you ever wonder what Rocky would be like with robots’ Me neither, but it’s more fun than you would think Hugh Jackman charismatically glides through this last food family movie as former boxer Charlie Kenton, who gets a second chance at everything— fatherhood, professional success, love (with Evangeline Lilly) and the world championship title (of Robot League boxing)—in a kinder, gentler preapocalypse Real Steel is pretty much what Transformers would have been had any of that trilogy Ird a heart or some humanity, and it's less headache-inducing to watch SENNA (PG-13) The late Brazilian Formula One racer Ayrton Senna gets the documentary treatment in this film from BAFTA Award winner and Cannes Film Festival nominee Asif Kapadia (The Warrior art the short. The Sheep Thief) The three-time Ft champion, revered as a saint in his native country, died like NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt, felled on live television by the sport he loved Senna won Sundance's Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary THE SMURFS (PG) The live action/ CGI hybrid vers'on of The Smurfs is not as bad as its atrocious trailers would imply, thanks largely to the smurfish talents of Neil Patrick Harris < THE THING (R) I love John Carpenter’s The Thing, ol all his films, I think it's his strongest (I slill person ally preler Halloween art Big Trouble in Little China) Perhaps against my better judgment, I am looking forward to this prequel detailing the events that unfolded at the Norwegian research facility prior to the opening of JC's 1982 Antarctic chiller Granted, the cast lacks a Kurt Russell (or Willord Brimley or Keith David), but The Warrior’s Joel Edgerton is coming on strong VERTIGO (PG) 1958 Hitch's most beautiful lilm also deals with his most disturbing social taboo, necrophilia. Though Jimmy Stewart's Detective Scottie Ferguson, suffering from the titular affliction, does not engage in any indiscretions with the dead, he does tall in love with a woman (Kim Novak) whose similitude to another dearly departed lady is uncanny WHAT S YOUR NUMBER? (R) I'm pretty sure I've already mentioned this (in several previous reviews), but Anna Faris is a seriously valuable, misused talent Abandoned to another flimsy romcom, Faris amusingly tumbles from one lame setup to another as Ally, a young woman trying to find love before she sleeps with her 21st guy THE WHISTLEBLOWER iR) Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) stars as Kathryn Bolkovat the Nebraska cop who during a one year stint as Bosnian peacekeeper, outed the UN's complicity •n the cover up of cases of sex traf ficking Director Larysa Kondrackis feature debut Aon Audience Awards at the Palm Springs Internal :oal Film Festival and the Whistler Film Festival Orew Wheeler 12 ftur 20 OCTOBFR
