Opening This Weekend:
RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, dir. Jonathan Demme, written by Jenny Lumet
PREMISE: A young woman who has been in and out from rehab for the past 10 years returns home for the weekend for her sister's wedding.
PLAYING AT: Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, Regal Union Square
The film is directed by Silence of the Lambs' Jonathan Demme and has received pretty high praise in most reviews I've seen - many comparing it to gems directed by Robert Altman (here and here, for example). It doesn't hurt that it stars the oh-so-make-out-withable Anne Hathaway. (Cue inappropriate comment from Cake Man... NOW.)
This is the first feature for screenwriter Jenny Lumet, daughter of Dog Day Afternoon's (and many other films') Sidney Lumet - so we know she comes from good genes.
BALLAST, written and directed by Lance Hammer
PREMISE: A drama set in the Mississippi delta, where one man's suicide affects three people's lives.
PLAYING AT: Film Forum
The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Award at Sundance (ultimately losing to Frozen River). You can read This Savage Art's praise here.
NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST, dir. Peter Sollett, adapted by Lorene Scafaria
PREMISE:Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a comedy about two people thrust together for one hilarious, sleepless night of adventure in a world of mix tapes, late-night living, and, live, loud music.
PLAYING AT: Just about everywhere.
I like Michael Cera, but the trailers for this movie make it look too Juno-sugary for my tastes. This review certainly didn't make it look any more appealing to me:
"An emo cover version of a John Hughes comedy ... unless you believe that Death Cab for Cutie’s lyrics really speak to your life, Nick and Norah’s charms are frustratingly finite." - Time Out New York
BLINDNESS, dir. Fernando Meirelles, adapted by Don McKellar
PREMISE: A doctor's wife becomes the only person with the ability to see in a town where everyone is struck with a mysterious case of sudden blindness. She feigns illness in order to take care of her husband as her surrounding community breaks down into chaos and disorder.
PLAYING AT: Clearview Chelsea, AMC Loews
What're you seeing this weekend?
5 comments:
I might check out one of these, but I'll tell you what I will definitely check out. Body of Lies. All of you are wrong. It's gonna be awesome.
I'm kind of curious about BLINDNESS. I haven't heard many reviews to make me enthusiastic about it, but I'm a sucker for concepts like this. They just intrigue me. I'll probably check it out at some point, but opening weekend? Eh... Is it supposed to be rainy?
(Interesting side note about FROZEN RIVER, which I think I mentioned before - I passed on it while an intern at New Line. They didn't ignore my coverage and pick it up regardless, so I guess I made the right decision.)
I saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist on Friday to distract myself from the impending LSAT the next day. I was expecting something akin to Can't Hardly Wait, and it's not a stretch to consider the two movies somewhat spiritually related. The exposition in the first 20 minutes will make you cringe, there are some serious concerns about non-existent parenting, and if you went to NYU it's gonna be tough to separate yourself from the very, very familiar geography.
But, with that said, it's cute, it's fun, and it strikes a hopefully nostalgic chord. It paints New York in colors that seem magical, and if you let yourself go there, it can stir something young and spirited, usually reserved for the naive and endlessly optimistic. Had I been sixteen, I think I would have loved this movie; as is, it served it's purpose as a pleasant distraction.
Nick and Norah was a lot of fun. If you're a fan of Juno, it definitely strikes the same chords, albeit not as directly and without touching on any really risque topics, like teen pregnancy. If anything, the movie finds a way to deal with the modern teen and his/her issues in a very laid back and normal style. I appreciated that. The NY setting was great and the dialogue never really veered into "This is how we think kids talk" territory. The drunk friend, of course, steals the show from the always charming Michael Cera and his lady costar.
It sounds like I'm definitely not giving Nick and Norah a chance. It'll definitely go on the Netflix queue.
In the meantime, I'm thinking of seeing Rachel Getting Married after work tomorrow. If I do, I'll give y'all my review.
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