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50/50 (R) Cancer is scary and
depressing Hs.even scarier and
more depressing when it happens to
a young person So how is Jonathan
Levine's second tilm so darn tunny and
uplifting'? Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Seth .
Roqen. Anna Kendrick and screenwriter
Will Reiser are how Don't oe tooled
by its mild-mannered "Disease of the
Week appearance, this film, loosely
based on screenwriter Reiser's own
struggles to beat cancer, is like Terms
of Endearment for 20-somethings
2046 (R) (2004) A thematic sequel to
Wong Kar-Wai's Days of Being Wild
and In the Mood for Love. 2046 stars
Tony Leung (Infernal Affairs) as Chow
Mo-wan whose affairs with several dif
ferent women span hundreds of years
Wong Kar-Wais fantastical romance
was nominated for the Cannes Film
Festivals Palme d'Or and won 22 other
international awards (it was nominated
for 30 more') Tne film is screening as
part of Cine's Fall Director Spotlight
Series Introduction by UGA Film
Studies Professor Chris Sieving
► AVERY HAROLD & KUMAR
CHRISTMAS (R) Six years after the
doped duo's adventures in Guantanamo
Bay Harold and Kumar (John Cho and
Kat Penn) get into the 3D Christmas
spirit after Kumar burns down Harolds
father-in-laws prized Christmas
tree This tragedy sends them on a
night-long search for the perfect tree
that involves Neil Patrick Harris and
shooting Santa Claus Ttie trailers are
making sure to push the high quotient
of sex and violence, especially during
Sunday's NFL games on Fox
AMERICAN GRAFFITI (PG) 1973
George Lucas shot to superstardom
and gained the clout needed to produce
Sfar Wars, with this successful low-
budget tale of 60s teen nightlife which
essentially means lots of cruising, drag
racing and drive-ins. Lucas' cast is
like a night sky overflowing with future
stars Harrison Ford. Richard Dreyluss,
Ron Howard. Cindy Williams and
Suzanne Somers all appear, however
brief Along with Young Frankenstein.
this film is one of the few my mother
force-fed me during my formative
youth, forever forging my cinematic
soul in unbreakable stone
ANOTHER HAPPY DAY (R) This
Lynn who is thrust into some familial
dynamics during a weekend wed
ding at her parents' Annapolis estate
Ezra Miller, soon to be seen in We
Need to Talk about Kevin, won the
Hamptons International Film Festivals
Breakthrough Performer Award Writer-
director Sam Levinsons feature debut
won the Sundance Film Festival's
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and
was a nominee for the Grand Jury
Prize With Kate Bosworth Demi
Moore. Thomas Haden Church. George
Kennedy and Ellen Burstyn.
APOLLO 18 (PG-13) Have you ever
watched a boring school doc about the
moon and thought all that was missing
were some scares 9 That assessment
sums up Apollo 18 pretty well. Boring
and in need of some scares Three
astronauts embark on a classified
mission to the moon and discover
something deadly This newest entry
in the found footage subgenre has all
the weaknesses of its predecessors—
shaky, blurry camerawork poor
lighting, lots of dead air—plus
some cardboard American Heroes as
potential vies and not a lick of scares
The found footage genre has never
lent itself well to action, but the lazy',
glacially paced Apollo 18 makes the
Paranormal Activitys and Blair Witch
Pro/ect look like action-packed sprints
COLUMBIANA (PG-13) 1 young
woman (Zoe Saldana) after witness
ing her parents’ murder as a child j n
Bogota grows up to be a stone-cold
assassin.
COURAGEOUS (PG-13) The technical
skills of director Alex Kendrick and the
folks (they are from Albany) behind
Sherwood Baptist's latest evangelical
epic have vastly improved since fheir
breakthrough hit, Facing the Giants
On a completely technical level, you’d
never know you were not watching a
Hollywood production about four law
enforcement officers forced to face
themselves as men and fathers after a
tragedy
CRAZY. STUPID. LOVE (PG-13)
What a crazy, stupid idea 1 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 9 Only almost
everyone who doesnt greenligh! 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 falling for law student Hannah
(Emma Stone)
DOLPHIN TALE (PG) I am not a
sucker for sentimental animal mov
ies Were I. then I am sure Dolphin
Tale would have fit the bill. A lonely
12-year-old. Sawyer (Nathan Gamble),
rescues 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
ZuehlsdorH) and a doctor who special
izes in prosthetics (Morgan Freeman).
Sawyer helps save the dolphin by
fashioning a fake appendage
DRIVE (R) Drive slides through the
alleys and sidestreets of its criminal
Los Angeles with the precision, skill
and style of its nameless Driver (Ryan
Gosling), called the Kid by his boss/
handler. Shannon (Bryan Cranston,
BTW why aren't you watching
“Breaking Bad' yet 9 ) 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 afoul of some local
toughs Gosling must hail from an
alien world filled 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 Director
Nicholas Winding Rein (The Pusher
trilogy. Bronson. Valhalla Rising) cre
ates an L A that would make a younger
Michael Mann jealous, were it lit a little
more bluely; Cliff Martinez's pulsing
electronic score would sound at home
in Manhunter. The odd cast mixes
well An against type, eyebrow-less
Albert Brooks digs into his straight
from Elmore Leonard former B-movie
producer turned small time gangster.
Drive’s leading the race for my favorite
him of 2011
FOOTLOOSE (PG-13) What Hustle
£ f/ow filmmaker Craig Brewer has
done in remaking the seminal '80s flick
is impressive Brewer relocates the
dance banning town of Bomont from
Oklahoma to Georgia, adding another
film to Brewer's resume of intriguing
cinematic stories about the New South
Ren MacCormack (Kenny Worrnald,
looking like he transferred from Rydell
High) migrates south to live with his
aunt and uncle (Kim Dickens and
scene-stealing Ray McKinnon, an Adel
native and Oscar winner) There he
runs afoul of Rev Shaw Moore (Dennis
Quaid). who instituted the dancing ban
after his son died in a car accident,
and woos Moore's beautiful, troubled
daughter. Ariel (Julianne Hough,
'Dancing with the Stars’) Brewer's
movie has a nice rhythm and does
the South more justice than any other
major Hollywood release
FRIGHT NIGHT (R) This remake
of the 1980s horror comedy classic
is good. It's better than good, even.
Former geek Charley Brewster (Anton
Yelchin), who is dating lithe hottie.
Amy (Imogen Poots). has hit the high
school lottery until his old friend
“Evil' Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)
confides that Charley's strapping new
neighbor. Jerry (Colin Farrell), is a
vampire When Ed disappears. Charley
starts investigating Scon enough, he's
fighting a 400-year-old vamp with the
help of a Vegas stage magician. Peter
Vincent (the oh. so wonderful David
Tennant) Practically everything, old
and new. works in the updated Fright
Night
FROM THE BACK OF THE ROOM
(NR) The Riot Grrrl movement ol the
mid-'90s didn't start, nor did it end.
female involvement in DIY punk.
This documentary chronicles the part
women have played in the musical
movement over the past 30 years and
boasts interviews with women ages
17-40. including Kathleen Hanna ol
Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, Slade ol Tribe
8. Cynlhia Connolly (the author of
Banned in DC). Dyanne from Harum
Scarum. Allison of Bratmobile and
Party Line and many more
GARBAGE WARRIOR \NR) The
epic story of radical Ea.thship eco-
architect Michael Reynolds, and his
light to build olf-the-grid self-sufficient
communities.
HARRY POTTER AND THE
DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 (PG-
13) It's over The final battle rages over
the and through the hallowed halls of
Hogwarts as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe),
Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert
Grint) attempt to end Voldemort's
(Ralph Fiennes) evil reign HP7.2 is
filled with blood, death and violence yet
is still lit for the entire family (besides
the littlest ones)
THE IDES OF MARCH (R) Based on
a play, George Clooney's new political
drama definitely has some shades of
a Redford film An idealistic staffer.
Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling), learns
to play dirty politics ton the campaign
trail of a hot. new presidential candi
date (Clooney, pulling double duty)
It remains to be seen whether or not
Clooney's new picture can set the
pace for the early Oscar front runners
With Paul Giamatti. Phillip Seymour
Hoffman Evan Rachel Wood, Mansa
Tomei. Jeflrey Wright and more.
• IN TIME (PG-13) Based on its
incredibly entertaining science-fiction
concept, In Time could have rivaled
Source Code for the year s most excit
ing new sci-fi film. In the near future
(that oddly enough looks like the past),
time is money. A tew people have
a lot. most people don't have near
enough. In the ghettoized time zones,
poor people run everywhere, never
sleep late and are always looking at
the clocks, tattooed on their arms in
glow-m-the-dark green The wealthy
are ensconced in their high rises in the
safety of immortality. When poor guy
Will Salas (Justin Timberlake) is gifted
a century, he is forced to go on the
lam as the worlds law enforcers, the
Time Keepers led by Inceptions Gillian
Murphy, are hot on his tail Fortunately,
he has the daughter (Amanda Seyfried)
cl one of the richest men in tow The
flaws in this disappointing film lie not
in the high concept but in the poor
storytelling. Several massive plot
holes and geographic inconsistencies
could be overlooked, but the film loses
its momentum when writer-director
Andrew Niccol (Gattaca) decides
to make the dead end-ish Bonnie
and Clyde/ Time Bandits angle the
A-storyline
LITTLE GIANTS (PG) 1994 Former
football star Kevin O'Shea (Ed O'Neill)
is the elite coach ol a peewee football
powerhouse Kevin's little brother
Danny (Rick Moranis) takes excep
tion when his skilled daughter, Becky
“Icebox' O'Shea (Shawna Waldron), is
rejected by her uncle solely because
she's a girl. Together, Danny and Becky
put together a team to take on Kevin's
Cowboys for the town's sole spot in the
state peewee football playoffs
THE MIGHTY MACS(G) In the early
70s. Cathy Rush becomes the head
basketball coach at a tiny, all-girls
Catholic college Though her team
has no gym and no uniforms and the
school itself is in danger of being sold,
Coach Rush looks to steer her girls to
their first national championship.
MONEYBALL (PG-13) Based on
Michael Lewis' bestseller, director
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, but the film, adapted
by screenwriting superstars Steven
Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin
OUR IDIOT BROTHER (R) Is there
anyone as charming as Paul Rudd 9
(I'm not actually asking, the answer
is clearly no.) As beatific, honest
and kind to a law-breaking fault Ned.
Rudd beams and “aw. man’ s his way
through a twee indiecom from former
Lemonhead Jesse Perelz (he also
directed The Ex) Our Idiot Brother
glides lazily along on the heavily
hirsute Rudd's massive charisma and
little else
family drama stars Ellen Barkin as
MOVIE LISTINGS
Schedules often change after our deadline. Please call ahead.
CINE (706-353-3343) check website for show times
Drive (R) 5:15, 7:30 (W. 11/2 & Th. 11/3)
American Graffiti (PG) 5:30, 8:00 (F. 11/4)
Psycho (R) 9:45 (W. 11/2 & Th. 11/3)
Restless (PG-13) 5:00, 7:15. 9:30 (W. 11/2 & Th. 11/3)
2046 (R) 7:30 (Tu. 11/8)
From the Back of the Room (NR) 7:00 (Su. 11/6)
Garbage Warrior (NR) 7:00 (M. 11/7)
In the Mood for Love (PG) 7:30 (Tu. 11/8)
UGA TATE CENTER THEATER (706-542-6396)
Little Giants (PG) 8:00 (Th. 11/3)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2 (PG-13) 3:00, 6:00, 9.00
(F. 11/4 & Su. 11/6)
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.
I am occupying Wall Street!
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 (R) I
cannot think of another horror tnnehise
as chronologically interesting Oren
Peli's scary 2007 blockbuster occurred
last, ending without the typical survi
vor. Then, rather than have demonic
Katie terrorize some unsuspecting
family, the series' creative minds chose
to go backwards Consider P4Jthe
origin story, revealing the footage, shot
in 1988 by their mothers boyfriend.
Dennis, that explains why sisters Katie
and Kristy continue to be haunted
Cattish filmmakers Henry Joost and
Ariel Schulman, working from a script
by Paranormal Activity 2s Christopher
Landon, up the action ante Just plain
more happens in PA3. without chang
ing the series' less-is-more-scary
attitude If the first and second movies
scared you, the third will, too.
PSYCHO (R) 1960 Alfred Hitchcock's
classic chiller, the proto-typical slasher
film, set the standard for horror to
come, be that good or bad. Norman
Bates (Anthony Perkins) might seem
like the mild-mannered, All-American
boy. but Marion Crane (Janet Leigh)
would tell you otherwise, had Bates's
murderous mother not infamously
offed the criminal secretary in a first act
shower scene So long as the real thing
is available, do not ever watch Gus Van
Sant's pointless shot-for-shot remake
• PUSS IN BOOTS (PG) Don!
judge Puss in Boots by the last two
entries in the Shrek franchise. Don't
even judge the feline swashbuckler's
solo adventure versus the superior
initial two Shreks Puss in Boots
adopts a more relaxed style, more
'akin to Disney's revamped fairy tales
ol old, than Shreks gatling gun tiring
non-slop pop culture references. The
voice work could not have been better
cast for Puss' search for the magic
beans of legend, alongside old pal.
Humpty Alexander Dumpty (v. Zack
Galafianakis). and new flame, Kitty
Softpaws (v. Salma Hayek) Antonio
Banderas does nothing different
from his three Shrek adventures, but
he’s doing it without the distracting
presences of Mike Myers and Eddie
Murphy. Galafianakis is the real
standout; his Humpty is the series's
first breakout character since Puss
Sadly, the drug culture even pervades
this children's film with a couple of
innocuous, entirely out-of-place, gags
With Puss in Boots and early sum
mer's Kung Fu Panda 2. DreamWorks
has smartly released two of their best
animated features in a rare year when
Pixar is vulnerable. Thankfully, none of
the main characters are green.
REAL STEEL (PG-13) The trailer for
this Hugh Jackman action movie just
screams Rock 'Em. Sock 'Rn Robots:
The Movie (which apparenily was in
development at one point). Jackman
is a struggling promoter of robot box
ing, who thinks he has a contender
in a discarded bot. He also discovers
he has an 11-year-old son. Director
Shawn Levy has been on a roll; his last
three movies were the high-profile hits,
Night at the Museum, its Smithsonian-
set sequel and Date Night
RESTLESS (PG-13) Academy Award
winner Gus Van Sant follows up the
incredible Af/7A with this tragic tale of
a terminally ill girl (Mia Wasikovfcka),
who falls for a boy (Henry “son of
Dennis’ Hopper) into funeral hopping.
Together, the two encounter the ghost
of a Japanese kamikaze pilot (Ryo
Kase) Not many big-time directors can
balance personal projects (Elephant.
Paranoid Park) and crowd p leasers
(Good Will Hunting.Finding Forrester)
like GVS (who I've finally forgiven for
his Psycho remake). With Schuyler
“daughter of Sissy Spacek' Fisk.
THE RUM DIARY (R) Johnny Depp
stars in his second adaptation of a
work by the late Hunter S. Thompson.
An American journalist. Paul Kemp
(Depp), attempts to adjust to island life
10 FLAGPOLE.COM • NOVEMBER 2, 2011