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here for 2009 OVERVIEW!
NEW
MOVIES! FEBRUARY 3 - FEBRUARY 9, 2009
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ANOTHER MAN'S GARDEN (dir: Joao Luis Sol de
Carvalho, Not Rated) – Don’t call Mozambique a “third world” country. The politically correct term is now “LEDC” for “less economically developed country.” But it’s still really hard for women to get an education there, which is the underlying issue of this, our first Mozambican feature film. |
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*BOTTLE SHOCK (dir: Randall Miller, PG-13) – With its California wine country setting, this solid little indie was guaranteed countless SIDEWAYS comparisons. But it’s more like “Robert
Altman-lite” with a large, classy cast led by Alan Rickman as a wine connoisseur holding a blind taste test in Napa to prove that nothing can beat French vineyards. |
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CHRISTMAS ON MARS (dir: Wayne Coyne, Not Rated) – Those nutty Oklahomans, The Flaming Lips, wrote, directed, starred in, and scored this sci-fi freak-out about an alien who visits a run-down US outpost on Mars and teaches the crew a thing or two about the true meaning of Christmas. |
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DIARY (dir: Oxide Pang Chun, R) – The Pang Brothers have become the first name in Asian action-horror-science-fiction-thrillers. If you thought the original THE EYE was creepy, just wait ‘til you get a load of this visually outrageous variation on the Pinocchio story. |
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DIARY OF A TIRED BLACK MAN (dir: Tim Alexander, R) – If you’ve been waiting for The Haitian from HEROES to land a starring role in a major motion picture, this might have been your opportunity - if this fairly well-regarded relationship comedy had ever made it out of the festival circuit and into regular theaters. |
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DISFIGURED (dir: Glenn
Gers, Not Rated) – Be careful. Next time you’re meeting with your body issues support group and telling your most intimate, tragic stories, there might be someone there taking notes in order to turn those stories into an independent feature film. Like this one. |
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EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE ITALIAN (dir: Jason Todd
Ipson, R) – MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING was a huge out-of-nowhere hit – six years ago! So why do they keep remaking it over and over and over and think nobody will notice just because they’ve changed the family’s ethnicity? |
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FETCHING CODY (dir: David Ray, Not Rated) – Tragic romance and time travel combine in this low-budget Canadian mind-bender that could potentially be worth your time. |
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THE GENE GENERATION (dir: Pearry Reginald
Teo, R) – Noisy futuristic action with Bai Ling in black leather shooting guns against computer-generated backgrounds. |
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JUST BURIED (dir: Chaz Thorne, Not Rated) – Dark comedy from our friends over in Nova Scotia about a young funeral home director who wonders who he has to kill to keep his business from failing. |
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KEITH (dir: Todd
Kessler, PG-13) – Hey, teenagers! Love ONE TREE HILL and THE O.C. but wish there was a little bit of swearing? Then watch this AUTUMN IN NEW YORK / SWEET NOVEMBER rip-off that’s the lamest LOVE STORY update yet. |
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MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (dir: Eric Darnell / Tom McGrath, PG) – I think TOY STORY 2 proves that only PIXAR should be making sequels to their computer-animated hits. Apparently, all the folks who made MADAGASCAR 2 a huge box office success don’t agree. |
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NETHERBEAST INCORPORATED (dir: Dean Matthew
Ronalds, Not Rated) – This vampire-themed comedy with
a cast including Darrell Hammond, Jason Mewes, Dave Foley and Judd Nelson takes the “corporate bloodsuckers” metaphor literally. |
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^NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST (dir: Peter
Sollett, PG-13) – The “NICK AND NORAH” part of the title suggests THE THIN MAN movies. The “PLAYLIST” part suggests a cool hipster soundtrack. But the key word in the title of this cute but endless teen romance is “INFINITE.” |
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ON EACH SIDE (dir: Hugo
Grosso, Not Rated) – The title refers to the residents of the two cities that will soon be linked by the construction of a bridge across a great Argentine river. Multiple storylines and social commentary CRASH together in South America’s wealthiest nation. |
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PRIVATE VALENTINE:
BLONDE & DANGEROUS (dir: Steve Miner, PG-13) – Jessica Simpson, you’re no Goldie Hawn. Not that PRIVATE BENJAMIN is an untouchable classic, but it’s pretty obvious no one need bother with this version. |
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THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES (dir: Gina
Prince-Bythewood, PG-13) – What a rip-off! I went into this movie expecting cute animated insects like in BEE MOVIE or an uplifting spelling competition like AKEELAH AND THE BEE, but all I got was this story of a 14-year-old Southern white girl in the Sixties who goes to live with her black nanny’s family. |
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ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO (dir: Kevin Smith, R) – Jealous of the success of lovable gross-out comedies like 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP, Kevin Smith teamed up with the Apatow guys to make his own. What he ended up with was another Kevin Smith movie. |
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= GREG's
pick of the week! ^ = Bart's
pick of the week! |