Weekend Movie Forecast: Optimus Prime Vs. Tom Hanks
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<p>Another summer, another <em>Transformers</em> movie. This time around Shia LaBeouf is riding solo, after various reports that the hot mess known as Megan Fox was saying kinda sorta anti-Semitic things during interviews. Anyhoo, Michael Bay apparently tried to take care of the first two movies' flaws (plot, character, etc.) and trimmed the third one down to just robot action sequences. As long as there's no robot-human interaction or human-human interaction, it might prove to be entertaining. We'll have to wait and see.<br/><br/>Reviews have been mixed (which for a <em>Transformers</em> movie is pretty good), with Tasha Robinson from <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/transformers-dark-of-the-moon,58280/">The A.V. Club</a> saying: "So wait, has Michael Bay actually been listening to his detractors? As difficult as that is to believe, given the director/producerâs legendary arrogance (and massive box-office success), his third <em>Transformers</em> movie suggests heâs actually taken some of the backlash to heart. Gone are the embarrassing racial stereotypes and crass body-parts humor. The slapstick and humiliation comedy have been dialed down to token levels.<br/><br/> Thereâs a competent, authoritative female character (a high-ranking government functionary briskly played by Frances McDormand) and a competent, authoritative African-American hero (Tyrese Gibson, revisiting his character from the first two movies, but as a leader instead of a comedic second banana). Many of the action scenes are coherent enough to follow with the naked eye. And while the female lead (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, stepping in for the banished Megan Fox) is alternately a bimbo, a shrew, and a princess-in-peril, at least the film treats her sexuality frankly, without fetishizing, sniggering, or cringing from it. Itâs as though Bay has upgraded his ideal audience from 13-year-old boys to 18-year-old boys." </p>
<p>Remember Tom Hanks? He kind of abandoned our generation in favor of the previous and future ones, in films such as <em>The Da Vinci Code</em> and <em>Toy Story</em>, but he's still around. The <em>Bosom Buddies</em> alum stars in a new film, being released today, called <em>Larry Crowne</em>, and it stars yet another spectre of Hollywood royalty, Julia Roberts. Both had careers so epic in the '90s that they could afford to do nothing but drivel for a decade; nowadays, they act in whatever the hell they want. The film is somewhat topical, as it follows a bunch of people who have no idea what to do with their lives, and decide to go to college to kill some time and find themselves. It's a film the Mae's (Nellie, Sallie) would surely approve of. Oh yeah, Julia Roberts is a public speaking professor (of course!) that Hanks' character falls for. Don't worry, she's in a loveless marriage and her husband will probably end up with some student at the end.<em></em>Reviews have been "eh," with Stephen Holden from <a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/07/01/movies/tom-hanks-and-julia-roberts-in-larry-crowne-review.html?ref=movies">The New York Times</a> saying: "<em>Larry Crowne</em> is a rom-com fairy tale so tepid and well behaved that watching it feels like being stuck in traffic as giddy joy-riders in the opposite lane break the speed limit. You have little choice but to cool your heels and pretend that the parched crabgrass in the median is a field of flowers.<br/><br/>"The reliable if slowly fading charms of its stars lend <em>Larry Crowne</em> a gloss of likability. But by the time it ends, we have long ago left Earth to settle on Planet Schmaltz with a syrupy pile of French toast." </p>
<p>A couple of years ago, before David Fincher hit it big with <em>The Social Network</em>, <em>Seven</em> and <em>Fight Club</em>, he made <em>Zodiac</em>. The movie was a detective film that amazed some and infuriated others. It wasn't a serial killer movie like <em>Seven</em>, it was a slow burn of a movie that explored the ritualistic procedure of investigating serial murders. People who liked the movie tended to love the directors cut, which pushed the already long movie into the three-hour mark. For those of you who loved that film, you might want to check out <em>Aurora</em>, which comes out today. Not so much a police procedural as a 181-minute exploration into the time leading up to and following a murder, the film explores the motive and circumstances than the crime itself. If you're the type of person who reads Wikipedia articles on murders and are as interested in what the person did in the time leading up to their capture, than this is the movie for you.<br/><br/>Reviews have been fairly positive, with J. Hoberman from <a href="http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-06-29/film/mystery-killer-on-the-loose-observed-in-aurora">The Voice</a> saying: "Ionesco meets Jim Thompson: Moving from total frustration to extreme tension, Aurora could be as confounding an experience as <em>LâAvventura</em> seemed in 1960. (Its impact is already evident on the international film culture: Nuri Bilge Ceylanâs epic, epistemological policier <em>Once Upon a Time in Anatolia</em>, arguably the most challenging movie shown in competition in May at Cannes, seems to have assimilated something of Puiuâs method.) As I noted when <em>Aurora</em> had a reprise screening here as part of a Romanian film festival, the movie is less a psychological case study than a philosophical treatiseâor better, itâs case study as philosophical treatise.<br/><br/>"The recent debate in the New York Times 'Arts and Leisure' section and elsewhere regarding so-called difficult movies has been largely predicated on subjective notions of 'pleasure' and 'boredom.' Is <em>Aurora</em> an example of celluloid spinach? Obviously, itâs not for everyone. Call it a mental workout that (although considerably less arduous than reading Sartre) some might find exhausting and others exhilarating. <em>Aurora</em> is not a movie to make you glad that you exist; itâs a movie that makes you aware that you do." </p>
<p>After watching documentaries like <em>Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, The Thin Blue Line</em> and <em>Capturing the Friedmans</em>, it becomes increasingly difficult to use the term justice system. Although it's a rarity, there are people in jail who should not be, and despite their blatant innocence coming to light through various new technology and evidence, they are stuck in a Kafkaesque prison of bureaucracy. So even after DNA clears you from the crime you were convicted of, you could still be stuck in prison for years until your trial is reopened. If you like to watch movies that infuriate you about the state of the legal system, then you should check out <em>Crime After Crime</em>. Set up like a <em>Lifetime</em> movie directed by Polanski, the film follows Debbie Peagler, who has been in prison for the last 26 years over murdering her boyfriend who beat her and forced her into prostitution. Many of us would agree that he probably needed to be shut down anyway, but what's worse is that she didn't have anything to do with his murder. The doc follows Peagler's hope to get out and the two rookie attorneys who are determined to make it happen.<br/><br/>Reviews have been good, with Joshua Rothkopf from <a href="http://newyork.timeout.com/arts-culture/film/1624121/crime-after-crime">Time Out New York</a> saying: "Filmmaker Yoav Potashâs multiyear commitment to a labyrinthine legal miscarriage yields a fine-grained chronicle of L.A. corruptionâno revelation, given that cityâs history, but catnip for fans of twisty, municipal shenanigans.<br/><br/>"The tale itself is extraordinary, so why not let it do the talking? When <em>Crime After Crime</em> sifts through the facts, we feel the pull of justice; those moments might be enough." </p>
<p>Ah, high school. We guess it's a good sign that we don't look back on it as the best years of our lives, but we still can't help but think about it from time to time. Whether it's hitting the "see-all" button on Facebook's "People You May Know" column (High School reunion!) or attempting to remember some sort of fact we may or may not have picked up in a 10th grade science class, high school tends to creep up on us when we least expect it. Which is why when a movie like <em>Terri</em> comes out, centered mostly on awfully awkward teens, we're not sure whether we want to sit through it or not. This one stars John C. Reilly, (definitely making it more tempting), who stars as a principal trying to help the titular outcast fit in. And as anyone in the know can tell you, fitting in in high school is a big effin deal... bigger than prom.<br/><br/>Reviews have been very positive, with Noel Murray from <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/terri,58325/">The A.V Club</a> says: "Still, deWittâs script is much better than anything Jacobs has worked on before, with a story that gets richer as it goes, as Wysocki befriends scrawny psychopath Bridger Zadina and damaged cute girl Olivia Crocicchia. <em>Terri</em> builds to a powerful scene where the three of them get hammered in a tool shed and confront the underlying tensions in nearly every male-female teen relationship.<br/><br/>"The sequence is well-written and staged, and provides a graceful climax to a movie thatâs full of well-observed details about kids who feel like 'monsters,' whether theyâre studying up on the habits of predatorsâanimal and humanâor reading <em>Gulliverâs Travels</em> to get some tips about how to behave as a lumbering beast." </p>
<p>If you're into indie, small town, murder and crime movies (i.e. <em>Fargo</em>, <em>Shotgun Stories</em>), then you might want to check out <em>Small Town Murder Songs</em> which comes out today. The film follows Walter, an aging police officer, who is investigating the first murder to take place in his town in decades. Dealing with a persistent mistrust of fellow law enforcement and his ex-wife's new boyfriend, Walter must solve the crime while dealing with his own demons. We're not sure who would choose to see this movie over the rest that premiered today, but we'll definitely add it to the queue.<br/><br/>Reviews have been very positive, with Alison Willmore from <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/small-town-murder-songs,58324/">The A.V. Club</a> saying: "The second feature from promising Canadian filmmaker Ed Gass-Donnelly (<em>This Beautiful City</em>), the film is as much music-video collection as crime drama: The interludes in which the songs swell into voluptuous prominence balance out a tale of crime and redemption so spare, itâs almost abstract. It turns out to be an uncommonly powerful combination, the investigation of the rural areaâs first murder case taking on the heft of a religious parable, thanks to the music, elegant lensing, and Peter Stormareâs fine lead performance.<br/><br/>"Everyone is so restrained, their turmoil buried so deep, that the depth of what theyâre feeling has to be excavated from whatâs left unsaid. The soundtrack, a singular mixture of folk, rock, and gospel from Ontario band Bruce Peninsula, goes miles toward making what would be an unmanageably dour experience into an acute emotional resonance; the songs are freed to say more than the characters onscreen. While the film is somewhat slight at a fleet 76 minutes, it still moves to its own odd, arresting rhythm." </p>
<p>Starting tonight at the Walter Reade Theater is the beginning of the mass hallucination known as the New York Asian Film Festival! Some people in this country think we've gone a bit too far; between <em>Jersey Shore</em>, Snuggies, and <em>American Idol</em>, it's easy to understand. After taking in a few films from this fest, however, you'll see that Asian cinema (particularly Japanese), puts us to shame in terms of awesome outrageousness. There is just way too many insane movies to list here, so you might want to check out <a href="http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-06-29/film/new-york-asian-film-fest-2011-as-nuts-as-ever/">The Voice</a>, which has a pretty good wrap-up of the most notable flicks. There are many film festivals that just seem too daunting (ahem, boring, ahem, sorry) but this is surely not one of them. If your crack connect is in jail or out of town this weekend, you should just go to the Walter Reade, because it's more or less the same thing, minus the crash. </p>
<p>It's always interesting to see what other countries consider comedy. Coming out today is the Bollywood comedy <em>Delhi Belly</em> and it sounds like the Indian version of a Judd Apatow film. Three average "blokes" (that's how friendly Brits and Indians refer to one another) are living in a flat and dealing with various squabbles (one wants to kill his boss, one is dealing with his fiance, and one is suffering from "delhi belly" that he got from eating street vendor food) as they try to outrun a hit put on them by a criminal syndicate. This could either be the Bollywood equivalent of <em>Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels</em> or <em>Half Baked</em>.<br/><br/>Reviews have been decent, with Nick Pinkerton from <a href="http://www.villagevoice.com/2011-06-29/film/bollywood-gets-raunchy-in-delhi-belly/">The Village Voice</a> saying: "In a still-conservative mainstream Hindi industry, <em>Delhi Belly</em> leads the questionable progress toward the establishment of a 'desi raunch' genre: The film has premarital oral sex, hungry on-screen kisses, and graphically foleyed poo gags (the title is subcontinental slang for incontinence).<br/><br/>"For all this censor-board razzing, the most enjoyably subversive element is Poorna Jagannathan as the self-sufficient bachelorette who waylays Tashi on his way to the altar. Rangy, corkscrew-haired, with a wry demeanor that canât long be upset by anything, sheâs a happy departure from the usual run of Xeroxed, pedestaled beauties." </p>
<p>Did you know that Muhammad Ali and Sam Cooke were about to cut an album before Cooke's tragic murder? Look it up on Youtube. It probably wouldn't have been that good, but just the idea of it is still kind of mind-blowing. Anyway, Ali also had some home videos of him training in Pennsylvania, which have been compiled into the film <em>Muhammad Ali, the Long-Lost Movie</em> which is being released today. In addition to his training, there's also footage of Ali's thoughts on Malcolm X, the virtues of clean country living, and the evils of race-mixing (we shit you not). Anyway, regardless of your take on Ali's ideology, he was an amazing fighter and a charismatic speaker. If you're a boxing fan, or just a fan of historical American figures, this might be an extremely exciting night out. </p>
<p>Tonight at Cinema Village, one of the seminal documentaries ever about New York City sees the silver screen once more: <em>Dark Days</em>. The film was originally released in 2000 and focused on the homeless population living in an abandoned subway tunnel beneath Penn Station. The movie is phenomenal and captures the marginalized population before they were evicted from their makeshift subterranean shanty town. Those of you who are fans of the book <em>The Mole People</em> or are just NYers who haven't seen this film, you really owe it to yourself to check it out. Shot in high-contrast 16 mm black and white and set to a score by the iconic DJ Shadow, it is one of the single greatest looks at NYC captured on film. The screening is in preparation for a deluxe DVD set of the film scheduled to be released shortly by Oscilloscope, which has a special feature that catches up with the dwellers ten years later. Seriously, if you haven't seen it, you need to. </p>
<em>Everyone's trying to get out of Washington, and we're the only schmucks trying to get in.</em><br/><br/> Tonight at the <a href="http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/NewYork/NewYork_frameset.htm">Landmark Theater</a> is Roland Emmerich's epic shitshow <em>Independence Day</em>. The hottest movie of your fourth grade summer is back in action and being shown this weekend at midnight. Go have a few and get ready to feel nostalgic.