This Week in Film
Adapted from the 1985 novel, the film tells the tale of Fermina Daza (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and her two suitors (Javier Bardem, Benjamin Bratt) over the course of fifty years. Check out the official site and the MySpace page. The film opens in theaters everywhere on Friday. Larger trailer, along with Shakira‘s music video for the film, available in the Full Diagnosis.
Love in the Time of Cholera
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This Week in Independent Film
Pauline (Jennifer Jason Leigh) announces her intention to marry Malcolm (Jack Black) only to have her overbearing sister (Nicole Kidman) show up to try and change her mind. Flora Cross, Zane Pais, and Justin Roth also star. Check out the official site. The chick flick cries itself into limited release in select cities on Friday. Larger trailer available in the Full Diagnosis.
Margot at the Wedding
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This Week in Independent Film Read More »
This Week in Film
Dustin Hoffman stars as the owner of a magical toy shop where toys come alive. Natalie Portman and Jason Bateman also star. Zach Helm (Stranger than Fiction, read that review) directs. Check out the official site. The film comes to life in theaters everywhere on Friday. Larger trailer available in the Full Diagnosis.
Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
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Lions for Lambs
- Title: Lions for Lams
- IMDb: link
“These events are going to define our lives.”
“The problem is not with the people who started this. The problem is with us, who do nothing.”
Robert Redford‘s latest flick is what we would call a message film. The characters themselves aren’t that important; they are only there to promote the message the director and writer want to convey. The odd thing about the film is, for a message film, it’s all over the place.
The film moves through three different storylines. The first involves a professor (Redford) trying to motivate on of his brightest but most apathetic students (Andrew Garfield). The second involves the preemptive Republican nominee for President (Tom Cruise) giving an interview to a reporter (Meryl Streep) about a new military strategy. The third story involves a group of Army Rangers (including Michael Pena and Peter Berg) making an attack inside Afghanistan.
It doesn’t really matter how the different threads connect, but if you care go see the film or simply check out the trailer. What is important is the message of the film and what it sets out to say about America, our government, and our responsibilities and duties both at home and overseas.
Although the performances are all quite good I had more than a few issues. I never bought Cruise as a Presidential nominee, though I could buy him as a Senator promoting his own agenda. Nor did I buy Streep as the ace reporter who becomes too easily flustered by the circumstances and events in which she finds herself.
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No Ho-Ho-Ho Here
- Title: Fred Claus
- IMDb: link
Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn) is an immortal schmuck. The older brother of Santa Claus (Paul Giamatti) has spent his life in the shadow of his famous sibling. He’s a con artist, a thief, a liar, and an all around unlikable guy. Needing money for his latest scheme he takes a temporary job in the North Pole working for his brother.
There’s more to the film including a reunion with Fred’s parents (Kathy Bates, Trevor Peacock), an evil efficiency expert (Kevin Spacey) trying to put Santa out of business, an elf (John Michael Higgins) with a crush on Santa’s little helper (Elizabeth Banks), a troubled orphan named Slam (Bobb’e J. Thompson), and Fred consistently screwing up his relationship with a woman who is too good for him (Rachel Weisz).
Would you believe, with all these stories, not a single one is interesting? Yeah, Giamatti is not too bad in the role of Santa (and Miranda Richardson does a tolerable job as his wife), but other than look like Santa there’s nothing for him to do in the film except play the straight man to Vaughn’s antics.
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