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here for the previous week's New Movies
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here for 2010 OVERVIEW!
NEW
MOVIES! JANUARY 26 - FEBRUARY 1, 2010
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ACCORDING TO GRETA (dir: Nancy
Bardawil, PG-13) – Oh, look. Hilary Duff has decided she wants to be an adult. She plays a rebellious young woman spending the summer at the Jersey shore. Say hello to Snookie for us! |
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THE BOYS ARE BACK (dir: Scott Hicks, PG-13) – Clive Owen plays an irresponsible yet handsome sportswriter who is suddenly saddled with his two sons full time. This inspiring true story is brought to the screen by SHINE director Scott Hicks. |
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BRIGHT STAR (dir: Jane
Campion, PG) – Abbie Cornish, most famous for ruining Reese Witherspoon's marriage, is excellent as Fanny
Brawne, who was the lover and muse of some famous poet. This handsome period piece is helmed by B&G's fave Jane
Campion. |
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THE ESCAPIST (dir: Rupert Wyatt, Not Rated) – A classy line up of British actors like Brian Cox, Joseph
Fiennes, Steven Mackintosh and Dominic Cooper star in this nice addition to the jailbreak genre. |
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FRONTIER OF DAWN (dir: Philippe
Garrel, Not Rated) – The acclaimed director of REGULAR LOVERS returns with this sensually rendered love story starring Louis Garrel of THE DREAMERS. Shot in sumptuous black and white, this film evoked a rapturous response from America's most pretentious film critic, Manohla
Dargis. |
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I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL (dir: Bob
Gosse, Unrated) – America's future date rapists/corporate raiders now have a poster boy of their own in Tucker Max, a young professional type with a penchant for making a competitive sport
out of treating women like dirt. Chillingly, this is based on his memoir. |
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^IMPORT EXPORT (dir: Ulrich
Seidl, Unrated) – Oh, geez. I try not to get too divisive in this newsletter but I cannot be silent any longer. What is Austria's glitch? First Hitler, then
Schwarzenegger, then those guys that keep their daughters locked in cages in the basement and now Ulrich
Seidl, the scariest filmmaker on Earth. He makes Michael Haneke look like Nora
Ephron. If you haven't seen his films ANIMAL LOVE, MODELS or DOG DAYS, consider yourself lucky. His worldview is bleaker than George Orwell's. Why don't we just build a little wall around that hellish alpine nation and never let anyone leave or enter? |
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LITTLE ASHES (dir: Paul Morrison, R) – That little twink from TWILIGHT got himself a silly mustache and now he thinks he can star in a Salvador Dali
bio-pic. Know your place, pretty boy! |
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MERMAID (dir: Anna
Melikyan, Not Rated) – Compared favorably to AMELIE, this story of a young Russian girl with a vivid imagination picked up trophies at Sundance and the Berlin Film Festival. |
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MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT (dir: Kenny Ortega, PG) – Am I the only person alive who liked Michael better
as creepy freak than as a candidate for sainthood? Speaking of alive, while Michael is enjoying the Cuban sunshine with Tupac and Jim Morrison, let's ruminate for a moment on how hypocritical it was of us to abandon him when he needed us most and only embrace him as a tragic hero once he had
"died." Plus, there are only about 3 good songs on Dangerous. Yeah, I said it. |
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NO IMPACT MAN (dir: Laura Gabbert / Justin
Schein, Not Rated) – Some rich guy in New York tries to neutralize his carbon footprint by giving up all of life's unnecessary conveniences for a year. Was it Andy Warhol that said in the future every idiot on the planet would have a documentary made about them? |
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NOT YOUR TYPICAL BIGFOOT MOVIE (dir: Jay Delaney, Not Rated) – Two amateur Bigfoot hunters in deepest, darkest, depressingest Ohio may not find that Sasquatch they're looking for but hopefully they'll be able to distract themselves from the utter horror of living in Appalachia until they die. Wait, there are professional Bigfoot hunters? |
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PONTYPOOL (dir: Bruce McDonald, Not Rated) – Without a doubt, the best boring Canadian zombie art movie ever made! |
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PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI (dir: Paul
Saltzman, Not Rated) – Leave it to the wisely serene Morgan Freeman to determine that it's not too cool that his hometown in Mississippi still has segregated proms. He fronts the cash to hold the first integrated one despite the dangers of white and black kids socializing. Way to go, Mississippi! |
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QUIET CHAOS (dir: Antonello
Grimaldi, Not Rated) – Italian superstars Nanni Moretti and Valeria Golina star in this acclaimed drama about a successful man's sudden descent into mid-life turmoil. After saving two women from drowning at the beach, he returns home to find that his wife has died. Cue two plodding hours of
Moretti, who wrote the screenplay as well, staring at his navel. |
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SAW VI (dir: Kevin
Greutert, Unrated) – The only good news here is that this was the first SAW film to flop at the box office so perhaps the suits will put a nail in this blasted series' coffin. Just. Stop. It. |
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*SOUL POWER (dir: Jeffrey
Levy-Hinte, PG-13) – Remember in WHEN WE WERE KINGS how there was that awesome concert with James Browne, The Spinners, Bill Withers and many other soul luminaries that preceded the boxing match? Well, here's that radical concert in its entirety. Score! |
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ST. TRINIAN'S (dir: Oliver Parker / Barnaby Thompson, PG-13) – This comedy set in an anarchic school for girls is based on a series of films once watched by British people. The result is tepid, but watch out for cameos from Russell Brand and Rupert Everett. |
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SURROGATES (dir: Jonathan
Mostow, PG-13) – Hey, did you guys know Bruce Willis was still alive? Well, he is. And he's still making some of the worst movies around. |
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TENNESSEE (dir: Aaron
Woodley, R) – Two brothers drive across country to see if the abusive father they ran away from 14 years previously is a bone marrow match for their cancer thingy. Since they're already dealing with their situation rather absurdly they might as well bring Mariah Carey along for the ride. |
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WEST 32ND (dir: Michael Kang, Not Rated) – John
Cho, better know as half of HAROLD & KUMAR, plays a striving young lawyer who gets mixed up with some Korean gangsters in this forgotten indie
from a couple years ago from the director of THE MOTEL. |
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WHIP IT (dir: Drew
Barrymore, PG-13) – Drew Barrymore makes her directorial debut with this pleasant comedy about the exciting world of ladies' roller derby. And it stars B&G's own Lady Lamb the Beekeeper. Psych! It's Ellen Page. |
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= GREG's pick of the week! ^ = Bart's
pick of the week! |