Thursday, December 18, 2008

What, When, Where this Weekend - The Wrestler, Seven Pounds, Despereaux, Yes Man

What, When, Where is a weekly guide to select screenings, discussions and events in the NYC-area of interest to screenwriters.

- The director of SCOTT WALKER: A 30TH CENTURY MAN is present at IFC Center screenings of the film this weekend.

- Kelly Reichardt is at Film Forum for a Q&A again tonight. Seriously - go see this movie! My review is here.

Opening this weekend...

THE WRESTLER
, written by Robert D. Siegel, dir. by Darren Aronofsky


Premise:
With his battle scars and failing heart, retired professional wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Rourke) jumps back into the squared cirle, climbing his way up the independent-circuit ladder, with his eyes on a showdown with his longtime rival.

Playing: Lincoln Plaza, Landmark Sunshine

This movie is a big favorite over here at League headquarters. Great script, great direction - it's got Mickey Rourke being badass and Marisa Tomei being hot. What else could you ask for?

Check out Cake Man's full review.


SEVEN POUNDS, written by Grant Nieporte, dir. by Gabriele Muccino


Premise:
A professional man (Smith) who is close to suicide for his role in an auto accident that claimed the lives of seven people finds a reason to live, and to atone, when he falls for a woman (Dawson) who wants to help him deal with his grief.

Playing: Everywhere.

The trailer has me intrigued. Couldn't really tell what the movie was about without a little research, but I like the concept. And it's the writer's first feature. I'll check it out.


THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, written by Will McRobb, dir. by Sam Fell and Robert Stevenhagen


Premise:
Banished from his home for being more man than mouse, Despereaux is befriended by Princess Pea who teaches him the value of reading books (instead of eating them) as well as a fellow outcast, Roscuro the Rat, who is interested in hearing the stories Despereaux has learned. When Roscuro is shunned by the princess, however, he plots her kidnapping, putting Desperaux's human-sized bravery to the test.

Playing: All over.

It feels like it's gotten to the point in comics world that if your series doesn't star Wolverine, it must be about medieval mice. (See: Mouse Guard, Mice Templar)

It was only a matter of time before this trend hit movies, right? Looks cute, though.


YES MAN, written by Nicholas Stoller and Jarrad Paul, dir. by Peyton Reed


Premise:
What happens when you agree with everyone and say "yes" to everything? Carl is about to find out when he chooses to become overly agreeable for an entire year.

Playing: Too many places.

They have been advertising this movie constantly since, like, September. I'm not kidding at all. Even if this movie were great, I couldn't forgive it for shoving itself down my throat for four months.

If I'm watching a football game, there are only three things that I should be seeing during commercial breaks: 1) big trucks, 2) beer, and 3) women holding beer. Jim Carrey making goofy faces while shilling for Red Bull isn't anywhere on that list.

Jim Carrey, please, you're better than this.

What are you doing/seeing this weekend?

5 comments:

Onyx said...

Hmm, that premise for the Wrestler seems a bit off. Doesn't quite fit the tone of the film I remember.

I just might give Jim Carey a chance on Yes Man. He needs some help, I'll lend him a hand with my $12 bucks. After all he's done for me (Ace Ventura, Truman Show, Liar Liar, Cable Guy) it's the least I can do.

Zombie said...

Yeah, that is a pretty terrible logline. That's what I get for copy/pasting from something I found on the IMDB news page...

Cake Man said...

i"ll probably see Seven Pounds, as well. Will Smith tends to choose really interesting roles, at least lately. His movies might not all be good, but I can rarely blame their shortcomings on the premise.

As for Yes Man... Onyx, we await your review. Tell us what we already know.

DOA said...

I was on the same boat as Onyx re: Yes Man. Despite everything, Jim Carey gave me a happier childhood and teenage years. I almost feel like I owe it to him to watch Yes Man.

erica said...

I saw Seven Pounds. All in all I would say there's good acting and a good premise, although they needed to flesh out some of the characters a bit more. I also would have liked it a lot better if I hadn't figured out what Will Smith's character was doing in the first 20 minutes.