Author Archives:

The Way

Posted on by admin

Rated: PG13.

A grieving father makes a pilgrimage to the Pyrenees in honor of his late son, and experiences a major epiphany during his journey down the Way of Saint James. When his adult son (Emilio Estevez) is killed during an excursion down a Christian pilgrimage route, California doctor Tom (Martin Sheen) vows to complete the treacherous journey. As Tom sets down the 800 km path with only his son’s guidebook and backpack, he forges powerful bonds with three fellow travelers (Yorick Van Wageningen, Deborah Kara Unger, James Nesbitt, who alter his perspective of the world and remind him what it means to lead a meaningful life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Posted in Movies | Comments Off

Puss in Boots

Posted on by admin

Rated: PG.

Long before meeting Shrek, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) — just named a hero for saving a woman from a charging bull — is run out of town on suspicion of bank robbery, even though the real villain is Puss’ friend, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Though there is still animosity between them, Puss and Humpty reunite to steal a goose that lays golden eggs. Joining them for the adventure of nine lifetimes is notorious cat burglar, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek).

Tiny Furniture

Posted on by admin

Rated: NR.

A recent college graduate keeps stumbling as she steps out into the real world in this independent comedy drama. Aura (Lena Dunham) has just graduated from a university in the Midwest, receiving a degree in film theory that even she seems to realize is essentially worthless. With no real prospects she returns home to her mother, Siri (Laurie Simmons), a successful photographer living in New York City. Aura’s 17-year-old sister, Nadine (Grace Dunham), is about to graduate from high school and is choosing which college to attend in the fall; Aura is ostensibly back home to help Siri and Nadine during a hectic time, but they don’t appear to particularly need or want her assistance. Aura befriends Jed (Alex Karpovsky), a minor celebrity thanks to his surreal YouTube videos, who insists he’s in New York to take meetings for an upcoming TV project; he soon invites himself into Aura’s bedroom as a semi-permanent guest, though he clearly has no interest in any sort of romantic or sexual relationship. With little else to do, Aura takes a job at a nearby restaurant and becomes smitten with Keith (David Call), one of the cooks; while he seems attracted to her, he also has a girlfriend and it isn’t until they’re both stoned one night that he makes his move in a rather unusual setting. Tiny Furniture was written and directed by Lena Dunham, who also plays Aura; Laurie Simmons and Grace Dunham are her mother and sister in real life as well as in the film, which was mostly shot in Simmons’ actual apartment. The film was named Best Narrative Feature at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

I Am

Posted on by admin

Rated: PG13.

Director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Bruce Almighty) reveals how his near-fatal cycling accident forever altered his perception of the Hollywood rat race, and inspired him to make some profound personal changes in a bid to create a better world. At first, doctors told Shadyac he might never walk again. Incredibly, just a few years later, the man behind some of Hollywood’s biggest comedies was back on his feet. But his outlook on the world had been inexorably altered, and shortly thereafter, Shadyac relocated from his posh L.A. home to a modest mobile home community. In this film, we follow the filmmaker as he discusses his life-altering experience while attempting to gain a stronger grasp on the human condition by speaking with such noted thinkers as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Lynne McTaggart. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Posted in Movies | Comments Off

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1

Posted on by admin

Rated: PG13.

Please be advised that short sections of “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1″ contain flashing light sequences that may cause seizures in people who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy. At last, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) are getting married. When Jacob (Taylor Lautner) finds out that Bella wants to spend her honeymoon as a human, he is horrified — for Edward’s passion could accidentally kill her. Bella does indeed survive her honeymoon, but a new complication arises when she discovers that she’s pregnant — and the child is growing at an alarming rate. The pregnancy sets the wolves against Bella and Edward, but Jacob vows to protect his friend.

In Time

Posted on by admin

Rated: PG13.

When scientists unlock the secret to immortality, time becomes the new currency and one desperate man comes under attack from a mysterious group known only as the “Time Keepers.” In the not-too-distant future, scientists have discovered a way to turn off the aging gene. As the threat of overpopulation looms over society, money becomes a thing of the past. Now, assets are measured in time; those with the most time also possess the most power. Meanwhile, the lower classes are forced to barter with the new elite if they want to live forever. Suddenly a young commoner stumbles across a treasure chest of time. With the “Time Keepers” in hot pursuit, however, he may never get a chance to use it. Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, and Olivia Wilde star in this sci-fi thriller from writer/director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, Lord of War). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Thunder Soul

Posted on by admin

Rated: PG.

Most fans of classic soul and funk don’t spend much time listening to high school bands, but mention the Kashmere Stage Band and they’ll sit up and take notice. In the 1970s, the jazz band at Houston, Texas’ Kashmere High School was one of the best in the nation, and even scored regional hits with their recordings. Comprised of students from one of Houston’s roughest neighborhoods, the Kashmere Stage Band was the brainchild of Conrad O. Johnson Sr., the school’s band director who replaced the band’s staid repertoire with a mix of lively jazz and funk tunes and current R&B favorites, and instilled a powerful work ethic in his students that turned the ensemble into an award winner. Johnson, known to his students as “Prof,” transformed an otherwise ordinary band into something ground-breaking, and in the documentary Thunder Soul, filmmaker Mark Landsman offers a telling profile of Johnson and his band, featuring photos and footage of the band in their heyday as well as interviews from a recent reunion in which the Kashmere alumni paid tribute to Prof with their first concert in decades. Thunder Soul received its world premiere at the 2010 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Restless

Posted on by admin

Rated: PG13.

Eccentric funeral crasher Enoch (Henry Hopper) finds his ideal soul mate in beautiful but mysterious Annabelle (Mia Wasikowska), who claims to work in a hospital but harbors a sensitive secret. Later, after Enoch opens up to Annabelle about his only friend, an outspoken ghost named Hiroshi, their fledgling romance is put to the ultimate test. Director Gus Van Sant teams with playwright Jason Lew to adapt Lew’s play of the same name. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Beware the Gonzo

Posted on by admin

Rated: NR.

A teenager learns both the upsides and downsides of upsetting the status quo in this comedy. Eddie Gilman (Ezra Miller) is a high school student who has great ambitions of becoming a journalist and wants to write for the school newspaper. However, Eddie is low on the school’s social pecking order, and when he angers the paper’s self-centered editor, Gavin Riley (Jesse McCartney), he’s bumped from their staff. Determined to have his say, Eddie starts his own underground paper, “The Gonzo Files,” which tells the messy truth about campus stories and dispels the lies spread about some of the student body. Eddie and his staff — including fellow geeky outcasts Scheenman (Edward Gelbinovich), Horny Rob (Griffin Newman) and Ming Na (Stefanie Y. Hong), and gossip victim Evie (Zoë Kravitz) — become heroes at the school as “The Gonzo Files” becomes a hit, but Eddie’s new popularity goes to his head, and he ends up on the other side of the same sort of rumors he wrote about himself. Also starring Amy Sedaris and Campbell Scott as Eddie’s mom and dad, Beware the Gonzo was an official selection at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Ides of March

Posted on by admin

Rated: R.

George Clooney goes behind the camera for the fourth time to direct The Ides of March, an adaptation of Beau Willimon’s play Farragut North. The movie stars Ryan Gosling as Stephen Meyers, an idealistic deputy campaign manager for Governor Mike Morris (Clooney), who is in a major political battle in Ohio that could be the key to winning the Democratic presidential nomination. When the opposing candidate’s campaign manager (Paul Giamatti) offers Stephen a job on his staff, Stephen neglects to inform his boss (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Just as that omission is revealed, Stephen uncovers a dirty personal secret that could sink Morris’ political career. The Ides of March screened at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi