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50/50 (R) 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 Gorrton-Levitt (the only
young actor who can compete with
Ryan Gosling in 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 fluke), and screenwriter Will
Reiser are how.
THE ADVENTURES OFTINTiN
(PG) The first of Steven Spielberg^
two holiday 2011 entries is already a
hit in Europe. Herge’s Belgian globe
trotter, Tintin, and Captain Haddock
are in search of sunken ship in this
MoCap’d CGI adventure. The teaming
of Spielberg and Peter Jackson, who
is producing (and has signed on to
direct a'sequel), is nearly as exciting
as a script by Stephen Moffat (’Doctor
Who’), Edgar Wright and hot new
comer Joe Cornish, whose Attack the
Block was one of my favorite surprises
of 2011.
THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY
(NR) 1965. Chariton Heston is
Michelangelo. Rex Harrison is Pope
Julius II. The* blissfully, crazed
description should be enough. But
wait! There's more. Tasked with paint
ing the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,
Michelangelo finds the Holy Father
to be as tough a taskmaster. Director
Carol Reed won an Academy Award
for Oliver! though his best film is The
Third Man.
ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS:
CHIPWRECKEO (G) Come on, Foxi
ii you're going to keep releasing new
Chipmunks entries each holiday
season, the least you can do is make
a Christmas-themed movie featuring
the furry triors classic holiday tunes.
Instead, Alvin, Simon, Theodore, the
Chipettes and Dave (poor, paycheck
cashing Jason Lee) start out on a
cruise ship and wind up on a deserted
island. Judging by the boffo box office
of the previous two features plus the
young audience^ reaction to the new
pic's trailer, Chipwreckedshould pro
vide its studio with some holiday cheer.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (G) 1991.
Disney rereieases the first animated
feature to be nominated for a Best
Picture Oscar using the fancy new 3D
technology that is all the rage right
now. Based on the classic fairy tale,
Belle falls in love with Beast (voiced by
Ice Castled heartthrob Robby Benson),
who just so happens to be a cursed
prince. The terrific voice cast includes
Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers
and Angela Lansbury. Winner of two
Acaderfiy Awards.
THE BIG SLEEP (NR) 1946. Cindis
heating up the cold winter nights with
a Classic Film. Noir Series featuring
Hollywood classics screened from
increasingly precious 35mm prints.
First up is Howard Hawks' The Big
Sleep. starring Humphrey Bogart as
Raymond Chandlers Philip Marlowe.
With Lauren Bacall opposite Bogie
and a script by William Faulkner,
Leigh Brackett (the future scripter ol
The Empire Strikes Back) and Jules
Furthmann, The Big Sleep on the big
screen is not to be missed.
• CARNAGE (R) Go ahead and
hashtag Roman Poianskits new film
’First World Problems.’ Two New
York couples, Penelope and Michael
Longstreet (Gpiden Globe nominee
Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly) and
Nancy and Alan Cowan (Golden Globe
nominee Kate Winslet and Christoph
Waltz), hold an antl-productive sum
mit after a playground fight between
their sons. Yasmina Reza and Polanski
update Baza's play for the big screen,
and the four main actors have a baii
yakking (in more ways than one)
about their marital and parental woes. -
Polanski (toes nothing extraordinary
because he doesn't have to. Camagds
success rests largely on its actors'
shoulders, and the quartet makes
the antics of-these largely unlikable
adults uncomfortably hilarious. I'm
not sure how the Hollywood-Foreign
Press decided only the ladies were
worthy of nominations, as the men
easily prove they’re equals. Everyone
should be thanking QT for bringing
Waltz to their attention; the Oscar
winner is Hollywood's best addition
in the past lew years. When will the
severely undervalued Reilly, the only
major player in this picture without an
Oscar, finally receive the credit he truly
deserves? Carnage isn't a great film,
but it$ the best 2012 has yet to offer.
CARAVAGGIO (R) 1986. A heavily
stylized, tictionalization of the 17th-
century Baroque painter. Caravaggio
incorporates 20th-century elements
into its historical setting, as well as
composes its own still images o( the
painter’s most well-known works.
CQNTAGIQN(PG-13) Steven
Soderbergh^ Svhat it...’ epidemic
chiller is an excellent feature-length
"Twilight Zone.’ What if a deadly new,
highly communicable virus entered the
population? How quickly and effec
tively would the worlds governments
and health agencies (represented by
Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet.
Bryan Cranston and Marion Cotillard)
respond?
• CONTRABAND (R) How much
cooler would this flick have been
had it recounted the tale of Bill and -
Lance, two lonely, shlrtfess soldiers
blasting their way to the Aliens lair
to the sounds of Cinemechanica?
Much, much cooler. Alas, Contraband
is merely a standard, occasionally
thrilling heist flick starring the "always
reliable for this sort of action’ Mark
Wahlberg. As Chris Farraday, a former
master smuggler gone legit, Wahlberg
calmly muscles his way from New
Orleans to Panama in order to get his
brother-in-law (X-Men: First Clasds
Caleb Landry Jones) out of trouble with
a small time crook (Giovanni Ribisi).
► CORiOLANUS (R) Ralph Fiennes'
directorial debut updates one ot
ShakespeareS historical plays d la
Ian McKellan* Richard III. The titular
Roman hero, Calus Martius Coriolanus
(Fiennes), teams up with his sworn
enemy, Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler),
to take vengeance on the city. Writer
John Logan adapted the acclaimed
Hugo and has two Oscar nomina
tions, one for another Rome-set pic,
Gladiator. With Jessica Chastain (what
a 2011 she hadi), Brian Cox (he$ so
awesome!) and Vanessa Redgrave as
Coriolanus' mother, Voiumnia.
THE DEVIL INSIDE (R) After a strong
opening sequence depicting the police
investigation of and fake local news
stories abort a 1989 triple murder,
The Devil Inside becomes just another
found-footage horror flick.
FOOTLOOSE (PG-13) Left go ahead
and dispel any thoughts that the Kevin
Bacon starrer is somehow above being
remade. What Hustle & Flow filmmaker
Craig Brewer has done in remaking the
seminal ‘80s flick is impressive. Brewer
relocates the dance banning town ot
Bomont from Oklahoma to Georgia,
adding another film to Brewer^ resume
of intriguing cinematic stories about
the New South.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON
TATTOO (R) Stieg Larsson may have
created Lisbeth Salander, but David
Fincher and the bold Rooney Mara
have made her a big-screen icon. (No
offense to Noomi Rapace's Lisbeth,
but Mara's movie is loads better.)
Fincher dangerously retains Larsson’s
wicked, violent, European sexuality for
Holtywoodls adaptation of the first book
in the Millennium' Trilogy. Journalist
have signed on for this pitiful comedy
where he plays both Jack Sadelstein
and his twin sister, Jill. They key to the
entire one-joke movie is that Sandier
makes an ugly woman.
• JOYFUL NOISE (PG-13) You
can almost hear the studio executive
wheels turning for this godly ‘Glee’
knockoff. A church choir from Small
Town, GA heads to a national competi
tion with new director, Vi Rose Hill
(Queen Latifah), squaring off against
G.G. Sparrow (Dolly Parton), the widow
of the recently deceased lormer direc
tor (briefly and poorly played by Kris
Kristofferson). Plenty ot other minor
melodramas engulf the group as they
prepare some new numbers in order to
win the national crown. The charismatic
leads do their best to engage, Latifah
with her genteel gruffness and Dolly
wholly through nuggets of colloquial
country “wisdom.’
KISS ME DEADLY (NR) While driv
ing down a lonely road late one night,
anti-social private eye Mike Hammer
(Ralph Meeker) picks up a beauti
ful, but troubled, hitchhiker (Cloris
Just try a barbershop.
Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig) enlists
the help ot the titular tattooed girl,
a ward of the state who might be a
psychopath but is certainly a genius, to
solve a decades old murder.
HAPPY FEET 2 (PG) Mad Max ue-
aior George Miller may not be able to
get a new entry in his post-apocalyptic
Outback franchise off the ground, but
he was able to continue his singing
dancing penguin series. Sadly, I was
underwhelmed by the first film, so I
have little interest in a 30 sequel about
tap-dancing penguin Mumble (v. Elijah
Wood). Now a father. Mumble must
help his son, Erik, find his place in the
Emperor Penguin world while facing a
new threat with his friends and family.
Featuring the voices of Robin Williams,
Pink and other famous folks.
HAYWIRE (R) A revenge thriller from
Steven Soderbergh starring a former
"American Gladiator?" I never thought
I’d type that description. Gina ’Crush"
Carano Stars as Mallory Kane, a former
black ops super soldier, seeking to pay
back those who betrayed her on a pre
vious mission. A bevy of beefcake— •
Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor,
Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas,
Antonio Banderas, Michael Angarano,
Bill Paxton and Mathieu Kassovitz—
stands in her way. Lem Dobbs wrote
the screenplay for Soderbergh^ excel
lent The Limey. I love when Soderbergh
gets sidetracked by genre.
JACK AND JILL (PG) Adam Sandler
must have thought the fake movies
from Funny People had real potential to
Leachman). The two are soon abducted
by thugs, who torture the woman to
death. Hammer escapes and sets out to
discover the secret behind her murder:
a mysterious “whatsit* box containing
a dangerous, glowing substance.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—GHOST
PROTOCOL (PG-13) Mission:
Impossible is that rare franchise that
has actually gotten better with each
new installment and in inverse propor
tion to its megastar's popularity. Tom
Cruise had few peers in 1996 when the
weak, original Af:/opened; now he's
more often a punchline, albeit a badass
punchline who does many of his own
death-defying stunts, like climbing the
outside of the world’s tallest building.
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 A's
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
Zaiilian and Aaron SorkJn.
THE MOPPETS (PG) Gary (Jason
Segel), his puppet brother, Walter,
and Gary’s longtime girlfriend, Mary
(Amy Adams) travel to Los Angeles,
where they discover a plot to destroy
the Muppet Theater by oil tycoon Tex •
Richman (Oscar winner Chris Cooper).
Together, they help Kermit reunite the
old gang—Fozzie, Miss Piggy, Gonzo,
et al.—to put on a telethon in order to
raise the money needed to buy back
the property.
•MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (R)
Movies like My Week with Marilyn
can be a great deal of fun. Watching
a sound modern actor impersonate a
legendary figure of stage and screen,
like Golden Globe nominees Michelle
Williams and Kenneth Branagh do as
Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier,
respectively, satisfies a primal nostalgia
center of the brain. On the other hand,
these movies can often come oft a
bare step up from Made-for-TV, if even
that far. Mostly thanks to Williams,
My Week with Marilyn achieves a nice
cruising altitude above television,
which should perhaps surprise seeing
as director Simon Curtis’ previous
efforts almost all aired on the BBC.
PUSS IN BOOTS (PG) Shrek's fairy
tale may have moved on to happily
ever after, but Puss in Boots (v. Antonio
Banderas) is still itching for a fight. His
spinoff reveals the swordfighting antics
that led up to Puss meeting up with
Shrek and company.
REAL STEEL (PG-13) The trailer for
this Hugh Jackman action movie just
screams Rock 'Em, Sock ‘Em Robots:
The Movie (which apparently 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.
RED TAILS (PG-13) George Lucas
self-financed this patriotic war flick
about the Tuskegee airmen. The effects
look spectacular (no shocker, coming
Irom the Skywalker Ranch), even if the
dialogue and plotting seem fairly stan
dard for this war subgenre.
THE ROOM (R) 1993. A cult classic
returns for more unintentional hilarity.
SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF
SHADOWS (PG-13) Much like its
2009 predecessor, Sherlock Holmes:
A Game of Shadows is a perfectly
forgettable crowdpleaser. Director Guy
Ritchie coats everything in his usual
super-stylish action sheen, lending
the movie a surfeit of style, minus that
pesky substance that might give the
Hick the little literary weight that could
make this a classic reimagining ot Sir
Arthur Conan Doyle's most tamous
creation. No ticket buyers should leave
disappointed, unless they expect an
entertainment satiation more enduring
than the original.
SUNSET BOULEVARD (NR) 1950.
Billy Wilder is one of my favorite direc
tors from Hollywood's golden years,
and Sunset Boulevard remains one
of his best. A struggling screenwriter
(Wiliiam Holden) becomes the kept
man of fading silent film star Norma
Desmond (Gloria Swanson).
THE SUPER NINJA (NR) 1984. A
ninja does what ninjas do best amidst
wayward overdubbing and inventively
cheesy death scenes.
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY (R)
The machinations Tinker Tailor Soldier
Spy, the new film from Let the Right
One Iris Tomas Atfredson, may be a
little too (you say dense, I say) murky
for Its own good. Despite the climactic
presence of all the proper puzzle
pieces, the filmmakers leave the viewer
to believe there’s more to be worked out
as a result of retired British spy George
Smiley's (cin excellently restrained Gary
Oldman) return to semi-active duty to
uncover the identity of a mole among
the highest echelons of M!6.
TOWER HEIST (PG-13) With the help
of a con (Eddie Murphy), a group of
working stiffs (including Sen Stiller,
Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck,
Gabourey Sidibe and Michael Pena)
plan a Danny Ocean-type heist on the
high-rise home oi the rich guy that took
all of their money in a Ponzi scheme.
This action comedy from oft-maligned
Brett Ratner, who realty missed his
decade (imagine the ‘80s buddy cop
movies he could have made), also stars
Tea Leoni, Alan Alda and Judd Hirsch
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING
DAWN-PART 1 (PG-13) Stephenie
Meyer's extremely popular teen-vamp-
romance took a surreal turn in the
fourth book. Bella (Kristen Stewart)
and Edward (Robert Pattinson) finally
marry. On the honeymoon. Bella
becomes pregnant with a thing that
should not be. Now the Cullens are
caught between the Quileute wolves
and the ancient Volturi.
UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING
(R) Vampire warrior Selene (Kate
Beckinsale) returns after humankind
wages war on the newly discovered
Vampire and Lycan clans. Honestly, I
have fallen asleep during every one of
the previous Underworld Wicks, so my
expectations for the fourth movie do
not run high.
YOUNG ADULT (R) Thirtysomething
author ot young adult fiction Mavis
Gary (Charlize Theron) relurns to her
small hometown to relive her glory
days and attempt to rekindle a relation
ship with her high school sweetheart
(Patrick Wilson). As her plan backfires,
she becomes friends with a former
classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn’t
quite gotten over high school, either.
WAR HORSE (PG-13) After a brief
trip to the sentimental silliness
throughout a first act of boy meets
horse, boy falls in love with horse,
boy loses horse, Steven Spielberg's
latest drama catches fire in the war-torn
countryside and trenches of World
War I Europe. When his father comes
home with a thoroughbred rather than
a workhorse, Albert Narracott (Jeremy
Irvine) forges a lifelong bond with the
beautiful beast he names Joey. Aias.
war comes and debts must be paid;
the Narracott patriarch (Peter Multan)
sells Joey to a war-bound cavalryman
(Thofs Tom Hiddleston). Thus begins
Joey^ journey from the English coun
tryside to the bomb-ravaged wilds of
Belgium and France.
WE BOUGHT A ZOO (PG) This movie
just generates some odd feelings. A
movie directed by Cameron Crowe
and starring Matt Damon, Scarlett
Johansson and Thomas Haden Church
sounds like a serious winner, but then
there’s the title. A dad (Damon) moves
his family to Southern California to
renovate a struggling zoo. The Devil
Wears Pradascripter Aline Brosh
McKenna and Crowe relocate Benjamin
Mee's memoir from England to SoCal
WORLD’S SMALLEST AIRPORT
(NR) From Watkinsville's own
Surprisingly Professional Productions
comes this documentary ol the
Thrasher Brothers Aerial Circus From
the end of World War II in 1945 to
1950, three Georgia brothers performed
astonishing feats via aircraft that have
yet to be exceeded. The Jan 15-19
screenings at Cin6 will be the film's
Athens premiere. To better prepare
oneself lor the Thrasher Brothers film
debut, check out Grady Thrasher’s Dec
29,2010 article “A Remembrance: The
World's Smallest Airport* in our very
own Flagpole magazine.
Drew Wheeler
12 FLAGP01E.C0M • JANUARY 18,2012