Film Blurbs 9-30-2009
Unattributed film synopses indicate movies not yet reviewed by HW staff.
❦ Indicates films of unusual interest
Opening
The Boys Are Back Let’s see…plot centered on the true meaning of fatherhood: Check. Glib, sentimental movie title: Check. Picturesque montages of Owen Wilson frolicking with two young boys: Check. Yep, all bases covered for a syrupy sweet tearjerker.
❦Capitalism: A Love Story Michael Moore, who’s directed exposés on everything from health care to gun control, is a groupie for pressing political issues. So it’s no surprise that his latest doc is a big “suck it” to the guys on Wall St., featuring all the in-your-face candor and snarky jabs that have become staples of his act.
❦The Invention of Lying Honey, does this make me look fat? In this “perfect,” parallel universe, where lying doesn’t exist, certain answers don’t sound so perfect. Ricky Gervais, the creator and star of the original BBC series, The Office, invents lying and discovers its many benefits in this comedy guest starring Tina Fey and Jennifer Garner.
❦Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3-D
A double feature staring Buzz Lightyear and co., who made their debut way back in 1995, and the sequel that inconceivably turned out to be even better than the original. This go around, get even closer to the plastic figurines in Disney Digital 3-D.
❦Whip It Somewhere in England, the Spice Girls are giddy over Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, which stars Juno’s Ellen Page and an ample serving of girl power! Page, who’s secured her role as America’s favorite tomboy, plays a rebellious teenage girl who trades beauty pageants for the roller derby.
❦Zombieland A post-apocalyptic zombie comedy starring Woody Harrelson, who, shortly after filming wrapped, had an altercation with a TMZ photographer who he mistook for a zombie. Apparently, this is some highly engrossing stuff, and it’s in no way affiliated with Rob Zombie (although that would be kinda funny).
Continuing
❦9 Unfortunately, when the haunting images fade, the paper-thin plot shows its true colors…One only wishes the sophistication and effort given to its look matched the story behind it.
–Dean Carrico
❦Adoration See review on page 20.
❦Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Forecast: Kiddy flick with a chance of nostalgia. This animated adaptation of the famous children’s book has all the raining sausages and drizzling pizzas you could possibly stomach, but beware–they’ll be coming at you in 3-D, too!
❦Fame If you thought regular high school was bad, cue the stage lights and watch the drama unfold at the New York City High School of Performing Arts. A modern spin on the 1980 Oscar-winner of the same name.
❦The Informant! Even though it’s about whistle-blowing, it’s a slight movie, lacking the damning graveness of The Insider, the hypnotic driving ambition of Michael Clayton, or even the dramatic star power of Soderbergh’s own earnest Erin Brokovich. Because no one else in the production takes things seriously, neither do we. –Ryan Senaga
❦It Might Get Loud As millions of finger-plucking couch potatoes can attest, the guitar is one hell of an instrument. A tribute to rock music’s most prominent instrument by way of profiling three legendary players: Jack White of The White Stripes, the Edge of U2 and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin.
Jennifer’s Body The title is the enticement, seeing how Jennifer is portrayed by Megan Fox, this year’s masturbatory femme-fatale…It’s when she has to open her mouth that she becomes grating, partly because Fox is really not a very good actor. –D.C.
Love Happens as do maudlin romance films. A widowed, self-help guru (Aaron Eckhart) can’t follow his own advice. That is until he meets Eloise (Jennifer Aniston), a hotel florist who helps him come to terms with his loss.
❦Pandorum See review online at [honoluluweekly.com]
❦The September Issue A look at fashion’s notorious ice queen, Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine and muse for The Devil Wears Prada. Watch Wintour give birth to her five-pound baby, aka the September 2007 issue, which clocked in at 840 pages.
❦Surrogates See review on page 21.
Doris Duke Theatre
Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St., $8 general, $7 seniors/students/military, $5 Academy members, [honoluluacademy.org], 532-8768
❦Beautiful Son (2007) Nearly as heartbreaking as it is beautiful, the 63-minute film chronicles Beau King’s journey from “normalcy” into mysterious disability by the age of three. –Bob Green
Wed 9/30, Thu 10/1, Fri 10/2 & Sat 10/3, 1pm, 4pm & 7:30pm.
❦The Horse Boy (Mongolia, India, 2009) A documentary about a family’s quest through Mongolia ater two year-old Rowan’s diagnosis with autism. Rowan’s parents dabble in shamanism and discover their son’s connection with horses. An official selection at 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Tue 10/6, 1pm, 4pm & 7:30pm.
Movie Museum
3566 Harding Ave. #4, $4 members, $5 general, 735-8771
❦Away We Go (2009) John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as a couple who, after having a baby, decide it’s time to take a road trip to visit friends and family–a quirky bunch–through North America. Nominated for a Teen Choice Award.
Thu 10/1 & Sat 10/3, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.
❦Valentino: The Last Emperor (2008) Matt Tyrnauer, a correspondent at Vanity Fair magazine, gives us a glimpse into the life of Italy’s most famed fashion designer, focusing primarily on his 50-year partnership with Giancarlo Giammetti. A tender and rare look into an extravagant mind.
Fri 10/2, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.
❦Shrink (2009) Kevin Spacey stars as a numb, sardonic therapist, unable to keep his life together. Spacey stumbles, binge drinks and chain-smokes his way through this woe-is-me comedy/drama about celebrity narcissism.
Sun 10/4, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.
❦Waterloo Bridge (1940) In this classic romance, Vivien Leigh (Gone with the Wind) stars as a ballerina in war-torn London who falls in love with a British officer in the middle of an air raid. Amidst increasingly bizarre circumstances, will their love prevail?
Mon 10/5, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.
University of Hawaii
Spalding Auditorium, 2500 Campus Rd., 223-0130
❦Ghandi (Great Britain, 1982) Screened in celebration of Mahatma Ghandi’s birthday, this award winning biopic recounts the life of India’s political and spiritual leader during the Indian independence movement.
Sun 10/4, 1:30pm.
❦Sense of Wonder: The Legacy of Rachel Carson Carson’s words explain plainly: “Our pesticides were developed in wartime for extreme conditions and then, after the war, were moved into giant industries without one legitimate study.” The film is based on Kaiulani Lee’s touring play, which she developed over nearly 20 years. The result is a documentary far outside the conventional and all the better for it. –B.G.
Sun 10/4, 5pm.
❦Brutus (Philippines, 2008) An advocacy film about Pilipino laborers, many of them juveniles, who are hired by unlicensed loggers to drag illegal lumber through forests and transport them to faraway towns. Awarded the Jury Prize at the Cinemalaya Film Festival.
Wed 9/30, 6:30pm, Korean Studies Auditorium.
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