Film Blurbs 11-11-2009
Unattributed film synopses indicate movies not yet reviewed by HW staff.
Indicates films of particular interest
Opening
2012 A disaster film from Roland Emmerich, the OMFG-the-world-is-going-to-end! specialist whom we can thank for Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. Based on the real-world idea that the apocalypse will correspond with the end of the current cycle of the Mayan Long Count Calendar–don’t ask.
Pirate Radio Aaarrrgggh! No, it’s not a doc about shipwrecked pirate music. An ensemble comedy about a group of British DJs who illegally broadcast a Rock ’n‘ Roll radio station from the middle of the Northern Atlantic (get the titular pun?).
The Damned United A bloody good British sports drama based on The Damned UTD, a novel that fictionally interprets Brian Clough’s tenure as the ruthless manager of Leeds United, aka the football team (as in soccer).
Continuing
Astro Boy Based on the Japanese manga franchise of the same name. Freddie Highmore is Astro Boy, a young, computer-animated robot who looks freakishly like Bob’s Big Boy (maybe it’s his day job).
The Box A square, sci-fi thriller full of nonsensical twists and Pandora-esque turns. A mysterious box arrives at a couple’s home with promises of wealth–will they take it at the expense of someone’s life? Directed by Richard Donnie Darko Kelly.
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant When a traveling freak show–think Cirque Du Soleil on acid–rolls into town, one teenager trades in his Top-Siders for a pair of vampire fangs.
Coco Before Chanel takes the story of a complicated, fierce woman and turns it into simply another period-piece love triangle involving an uppity woman. The end result is pretty to look at, but its minimalist stance and deliberate choices to ignore Coco after Chanel strains the seams of credibility. –Dean Carrico
Disney’s A Christmas Carol The main problem with this adaptation, though, is how little of the new, or unexpected, it brings to the familiar tale. Nothing truly surprises and it’s simply an excuse for Carrey to bludgeon us with his different voices. –Ryan Senaga
The Fourth Kind Paranormal Activity meets Whiteout in this sci-fi horror mockumentary that hop scotches between archival footage and a staged dramatization of events. When a disproportionate number of people begin disappearing in a small Alaskan town, it could only mean one thing: aliens!
The Men Who Stare at Goats See review online at [honoluluweekly.com]
Michael Jackson’s This Is It A glitzy, dance-inducing concert doc, which follows the King of Pop as he crotch-grabs and moonwalks his way through a strenuous run of rehearsals leading up to his death.
Ong Bak 2: The Beginning What made the original so much fun was the amount of fun Jaa and others seemed to have with their cardio workouts. Here all the humor is gone, and instead of Jaa playfully running atop the heads and shoulders of his pursuers, he’s leaping across the backs of elephants to achieve alpha male position. –D.C.
Paranormal Activity The latest low-budget home-camcorder horror flick to arrive amidst gigabytes of Internet hype. While the scares are a smidgen obvious, the experience is still fun as theater audiences collectively scare each other with their screams. –R.S.
A Serious Man See review on page 20.
Still Walking The Yokohama family reunion turns out to be a dysfunctional, awkward and–surprise–uplifting affair. A drama that reveals the nuances of familial secrecy and resentments set amid Japanese austerity.
Where the Wild Things Are A film that’s rich, compelling, disturbing and ultimately, a quiet triumph amid the rumpus. –R.S.
Doris Duke Theatre
Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St., $8 general, $7 seniors/students/military, $5 Academy members, [honoluluacademy.org], 532-8768K-20: The Fiend with Twenty Faces (Japan, 2008) See blurb on page 21.
Wed 11/11 & Fri 11/13, 1pm, 4pm & 7:30pm.
Thu 11/12, 1pm & 7:30pm
Your Friends (Japan, 2008) A journalist visits an alternative school in small town Japan and meets Emi, a teacher who photographs cloud formations that symbolize her relationship with disabled students, in turn helping them accept what makes them unique.
Tue 11/17, 1pm, 4pm & 7:30pm.
Movie Museum
3566 Harding Ave. #4, $4 members, $5 general, 735-8771Weekend at Dunkirk (France/Italy, 1964) War drama set in 1940 about a French soldier who’s among the troops forced to evacuate Northern France for Dunkirk, a town six miles from the Belgian border. A harrowing depiction of wars atrocities.
Thu 11/12, 12:30pm, 3pm, 5:30pm & 8pm.
Up (2009) A buoyant, animated adventure from Disney Pixar about a retired balloon vendor who fulfills his dream of tying balloons to his house and taking off to see the world. A critics’ darling.
Fri 11/13 & Sun 11/15, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.
Murder, My Sweet (1944) Dick Powell stars as the hard-boiled detective Phillip Marlowe in this classic film noir about two seemingly disconnected cases that inevitably converge. Winner of the Best Motion Picture at the Edgar Allan Poe Awards.
Sat 11/14, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.
Marlowe (1969) Another crime-mystery adventure with detective Phillip Marlowe, who gets hired in a case tangled up in blackmail and murder. Bruce Lee’s comedic Hollywood debut.
Mon 11/16, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm, 6:30pm & 8:30pm.
COMMENTS
We often print online comments in our “Letters to the Editor” section of Honolulu Weekly. While submitted letters are often edited for length and clarity, online comments we use are printed entirely as they are written for the website. If you do not wish for your comment to be used in Honolulu Weekly print issues, please write “Don’t Print” at the end of your comment. For questions, e-mail editorial@honoluluweekly.com. Thank you!