Thursday, February 05, 2009

What, When, Where this Weekend - Coraline, Fanboys, He's Just Not That Into You

What, When, Where is a weekly guide to select screenings, discussions and events in the NYC-area of interest to screenwriters. Have an event you'd like to see listed here? Give us a heads-up at info@screenwritersleague.com.

- New York Comic Con hits the Javits Center this weekend. Check out all of the film, TV and comic programming at their website.

- The IFC Center is showing a marathon of 2009's Oscar-Nominated short films.

Opening this weekend...

CORALINE, written by Henry Selick and Neil Gaiman, dir. by Henry Selick


Premise: A secret door in her family's new house offers a passage way to an unusual parallel world for young Coraline.

Playing at: Clearview Ziegfeld, Union Square Stadium 14 (in 3D)

Almost every poster, trailer or commercial I've seen for this movie boldly advertises two things: 1) it's made by the director of Nightmare Before Christmas, and 2) it's based on a book by Neil Gaiman. And that's really all it took to sell me. I haven't read this particular book, but the premise (involving sewing buttons into your eyes in order to fit into a new world) is bizarre enough to draw me in.

Plus, it's in 3D!

FANBOYS, written by Ernest Cline and Adam F. Goldberg, dir. by Kyle Newman


Premise: Four guys and their galpal plan a cross-country trip in order to steal a print of Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace from Skywalker Ranch so their dying friend can see it before its world premiere.

Playing at: All over.

I have a hunch I need be a bigger fan of Star Wars to really get behind this.

HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU, written by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, dir. by Ken Kwapis


Premise: Romantic woes affect an interconnected group of Baltimore singles and marrieds.

Playing at: Everywhere.

Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore - this cast is an Angelina Jolie away from a wet dream for the Us Weekly crowd. This really isn't my type of movie, but the reviews I've seen so far seem to point at it being pretty decent. I'll trust Onyx's opinion once he sees it.

Dear Ms. Connelly - Has it really been almost 25 years since Creepers? You wear it well.

Dear Ms. Johansson - I really liked Vicky Cristina, but I still can't forgive you for the Tom Waits cover album. Never. Never, ever, ever.

What are you doing/seeing this weekend?