A womanizer (Dane Cook) hires himself out to losers posing as a worse alternaive for their ex-girlfriends, but somehow his “charm” rubs the right way on the girl (Kate Hudson) of his best bud (Jason Biggs). Can you say contrived? Alec Baldwin, Diora Baird, and Lizzy Caplan also star. Check out the official site.
Dakota Fanning stars as a troubled young girl in the Deep South who finds solace in the music of Elvis Presley (Ryan Pelton). David Morse and Piper Laurie also star. The film immediately sparked controversy at last year’s Sundance for a scene involving the sexual assault of Fanning’s character – read more here. Check out the official site. The film opens in limited release in select cities on Friday. Larger trailer available in the Full Diagnosis.
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Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) are two warhorse detectives for the NYPD. We learn early on that they’re good cops who take the job seriously, but aren’t above taking shortcuts for justice when the courts let them down.
Things get sticky for Turk, who presents the tale from a taped video through a serious of flashbacks, when a recent string of deaths begin to lead back to him. His Lieutenant (Brian Dennehy) and the cops working the case (John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg) believe they have a cop serial killer on their hands, with Turk being the most likely suspect.
The film centers on De Niro’s character, his job, and his unhealthy relationship with a crime scene investigator (Carla Gugino). There are also subplots involving the cops trying to take down a local drug dealer (50 Cent) with the help of a lawyer (Trilby Glover), and a woman (Melissa Leo) whose daughter was brutally killed by her boyfriend.
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Burn After Reading, written and directed by the Coen Brothers, is a thriller set in a world not too far from Dumb & Dumber. It’s a tale of secrets, lies, and murder through an idiot lens. It’s an interesting idea that struggles at becoming a good film.
The story centers around a recently fired CIA agent (John Malkovich) with a bad temper whose memoirs wind up in the hands of two dumb gym employees (Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt). After being attacked the first time the pair attempt to return the disk their plans turn towards blackmail or to selling the dubious contents to the Russians. As to why the film chooses the Russians, well, the joke is obvious though the rationale (like so much in the film) is not.
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For ten years Diane Enlgish has been trying to get this remake of the 1939 film off the ground. Maybe she should have waited another decade or two. Here’s a chick flick’s chick flick (with nary a man to be seen). Despite having talent to spare there’s very little sign of life as the film comes in D.O.A.
The movie centers around do-it-all gal Mary Haines (Meg Ryan) who has time to work for numerous charities, raise her daughter (India Ennenga), and hang out with her best friends (Annette Bening, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith), but is the last to discover that her husband is having an affair with a “spritzer girl” (Eva Mendes).
From here the film follows the drama of Mary’s struggle to come to terms with the situation mixed in with “humorous” moments. Sadly however, aside from a short initial appearance by Candice Bergan as Mary’s mother, the film shows almost no signs of life whatsoever.
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