celluloidnotes

PICK OF THE WEEK
Sunshine Cleaning [limited]
dir. Christine Jeffs
Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Alan Arkin

This was last years Sundance darling. The buzz is still all positive. the film is a quirky sentimental comedy that the studio is hoping is this year’s Little Miss Sunshine. Is there an Arkin connection?

Race to Witch Mountain
dir. Andy Fickman
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb

Dwayne Johnson. Self explanatory.

Last House on the Left
dir. Dennis Iliadis
Stars: Garret Dillahunt, Monica Potter, Tony Goldwyn

A remake of the classic horror film. A sentence that appears on this site weekly. If you don’t know my feeling about this sub-genre: I think it’s crap.

Miss March
dir. Zach Cregger, Trevor Moore
Starring: Zach Cregger, Trevor Moore, Raquel Alessi

The kids from Whitest Kids You Know have made a film. One guys goes into a coma and wakes up to discover his high school sweetheart is now a model for Playboy. Hijinx surely ensue.

Brothers at War [limited]
dir. Jake Rademacher
Stars: Jake Rademacher, Isaac Rademacher, Joe Rademacher

Jake Rademacher takes cameras into the war in Iraq to discover what his brothers Issac and Joe are experiencing in the war. This is a slightly lo-fi but engaging film that should be seen (and might be now that the heavy slurry of Iraq films has subsided.

Sex Positive [limited]
dir. Daryl Wein
Starring: Richard Berkowitz

Three Monkeys
dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan

This is the newest film from Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Becoming known for his plodding nearly ambient films Ceylan is trying a more plot driven approach with this film. A politician kills a man with his car and decides to turn himself in, but the story is much more complicated than he realizes. Ceylan won the Best Director award at last years Cannes festival for this film.

Severed Ways [limited]
dir. Tony Stone
Starring: Gabriella Mary Hoffmann, David Perry

Severed Ways is a film about the Nordic discovery of America. I think there will be a little less Pathfinder in here, and maybe a little bit more Mongol. Dear lord, let’s hope so.

Z [limited]
dir. Costa Gavras
Starring: Yves Montand, Irene Papas

The Z is not for Zombie. The 1969 Oscar winning film is getting a fresh theatrical release in New York on a fresh 35mm print.

This is a historical-political thriller from cinematic master Costa Gravas. This is fantastic. Pray that people go out and see this and that it winds up in your town. In the meantime find more Gavras and watch it.

Edge of Love [limited]
dir. John Maybury
Starring: Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller

Edge of Love is a story about two women who were connected by the occasionally philandering poet Dylan Thomas. The film has got a decent buzz, and hopefully isn’t too sentimental, because Thomas never was (except in his love letters, which were often far over the top).

PICK OF THE WEEK:
Gomorrah
dir. Matteo Garrone
Starring: Gianfelice Imparato, Salvatore Abruzzese, Toni Servillo

This film weaves five stories of organized crime in modern day Naples. This film was a big hit at on the festival circuit and Scorsese’s endorsement has certainly helped. It could definitely be a sleeper hit this spring.

The International
dir. Tom Tykwer
Starring: Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl

Tom Tykwer has consistently been an interesting filmmaker at least dating back to his brilliant Run, Lola, Run, if not earlier. This thriller about conspiracy at the International Bank looks like it could be a great film. Though Clive Owen seems like the easy casting choice and the film could easily slip into the cheesy.

Confessions of a Shopaholic
dir. P.J. Hogan
Starring: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter

If films like this frustrate you, remember that they only make these because people watch them. If you stop watching them, they will stop making them. Please, true friends will stop their friends from seeing this.

Friday the 13th
dir. Marcus Nispel
Starring: Jared Padalecki, Amanda Righetti, Derek Mears

This - um - reimagining of the classic horror film is being helmed by Marcus Nispel, the man behind the surprisingly solid Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. The buzz on this has not been all that rave yet, but they’ve kept a pretty tight lid on this so far. Which, naturally leads you to believe that it will be terrible, but that remains to be seen.

Two Lovers
dir. James Gray
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw

Most of the buzz on this film has simply been focused on Mr. Phoenix’s proclamation that he’s quitting acting in favor of his new rapping career. (Aside: early reports were that this was a stunt, his manager’s recent statement on the situation - basically a no comment - seems to indicate that Phoenix is dead serious about this.)

Under the Sea 3-D
dir. Howard Hall
Starring: Jim Carrey

The new barrage of 3-D films continues. This looks about like the vast majority of snooze-fests that have come in 3-D form.

PICK OF THE WEEK:
The Class
dir. Laurent Cantet
Starring: François Bégaudeau

This film won the Golden Palm at Cannes this year and was a huge smash at the New York Film Festival. It seems to have been ignored by the Academy and the buzz seems to be dying a bit right now. But this film lives up to it’s huge buzz and is the film to see this week. Unless Elizabeth Banks and the next horrible horror film is more your cup o’ tea.

The Uninvited
dir. Charles Guard Thomas Guard
Starring: Emily Browning, Arielle Kebbel, Elizabeth Banks

Despite the obvious failure of this plot this film does have some star power, with Browning, Banks and ace David Strathairn it’s hard to see how this film isn’t going to poke into the Top Ten. But whether it’s worth a damn, that’s another story.

Taken
dir. Pierre Morel
Starring: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen

This thriller looks like it’s on the same path as last week’s Killshot, an interesting idea, a potential winner, and a potential dud. With Neeson taking the lead there is always the potential that this film will be a success. He’s a winner 8 times out of 10, according to us. Neeson plays an ex-spy who tries to track down his daughter who was kidnapped by slave traders while on vacation.

New in Town
dir. Jonas Elmer
Starring: Renée Zellweger, Harry Connick Jr., Nathan Fillion

The Neo-Depression films are in. Hollywood is looking for any way they can to remain relevant right now. But last time the social climate felt this way it wasn’t films about the social climate that made the hits. And that’s all their trying to do with this. Smells like another bomb from Hollywood here.

Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh
dir. Roberta Grossman

This documentary about Hannah Senesh, the WW-II poet, activist, and paratrooper, is the first to dig into her life. This looks fascinating, and is nearly the CellNotes pick of the week. If it weren’t for the wonderful The Class coming out this week, this would be the limited release to catch this week.

Last Week’s Top Ten:
1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
3. Gran Torino
4. Hotel for Dogs (Movie for the Bored)
5. Slumdog Millionaire
6. My Bloody Valentine 3-D
7. Inkheart
8. Bride Wars
9. The Curious Case of Benjamin Buton
10. Notorious

If between reading about Oscar prediction and Golden Globe “controversies” you have some time to catch a film here is what is happening this week.

PICK OF THE WEEK:
Chandni Chowk to China
dir. Nikhil Advani
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Chia Hui Liu

This film looks hilarious. Almost like a Stephen Chow film, but…more odd? I’t sbeing billed as the first Bollywood Kung-Fu comedy. How can you argue with that?

Notorious
dir. George Tillman Jr.
Starring: Jamal Woolard, Anthony Mackie, Derek Luke

This is definitely a film that, prior to the deluge of reviews, can go either way. The topic is certainly saturated; it’s a great story, a potentially great movie. But can Jamal Woolard really evoke Biggie? Jeffery Wright evoked Muddy Waters without looking a thing like him in the recent Cadillac Records, so there is hope. And there is sure to be a pretty decent soundtrack.

My Bloody Valentine 3-D
dir. Patrick Lussier
Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King, Kerr Smith

The new slew of 3-D films continues to shit out of Hollywood. What should expect? Not much. Maybe some entertaining visuals, but the substance is most certainly going to be very thin.

Hotel For Dogs
dir. Thor Freudenthal
Starring: Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, Lisa Kudrow

Oh god, is Lisa Kudrow still making films? Hasn’t she been in a lot of “dog” themed movies already? I believe the thematic meat of this film is really that Dreamworks is desperate and will make about anything right now. Kids, if you’ve ever wanted to write a film, now is the time.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop
dir. Steve Carr
Starring: Kevin James, Keir O’Donnell

Kevin James. Where I come from you might get hit for calling someone that. When was the last time Happy Madison put out a good film? This looks terrible. Like a bad Hot Fuzz.

Last Chance Harvey
dir. Joel Hopkins
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson

Remember when Dustin Hoffman used to make great films, every time? I do. (sniff) I do.

Cherry Blossoms
dir. Doris Dörrie
Starring: Elmar Wepper, Hannelore Elsner

Not finding a translated trailer. Report from the festivals: This is a great, heartbreaking film. See it.

Serbis
dir. Brillante Mendoza
Starring: Gina Pareño, Jaclyn Jose

A Filipino film that generated a lot of controversy at this year’s Cannes. This is a film that I will be at this week.

Top Ten:
1. Gran Torino
2. Bride Wars
3. The Unborn
4. Marley & Me
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
6. Bedtime Stories
7. Valkyrie
8. Yes Man
9. Not Easily Broken
10. Seven Pounds

Darren Lynn Bousman, a pivotal director for Twisted Pictures and the early propagation of the Saw series, has helmed another, somewhat, innovative blood bath for Twisted and Lions Gate. Repo! The Genetic Opera is film that twists genres like a strand of DNA, melding horror, with a family drama, with a tragedy, with a rock opera, with…well I won’t insult your intelligence. But this film might.

Many people are going to love this, and it’s sure to become a midnight movie staple, but it is also a rather confused film that will have a tough time engaging most of it’s audience. Anyone who is familiar with, and seeks out, films by Bousman, will certainly be entertained, and might even enjoy themselves. But I’m not recommending this to anyone else.

Read a full review of Repo! The Genetic Opera here