Later This Year: Heath Ledgers Final Film

The title of Heath Ledger's final film: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Check out the trailer. Looks like its going to be a fun ride.

Here's a synopsis from David Stratton for At the Movies: The aged Dr Parnassus, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, is an immortal showman whose ancient caravan, set up by the Thames in London, contains a magic mirror leading to amazing worlds beyond. The sage-like doctor, who is accompanied by his assistants Anton, ANDREW GARFIELD, and the diminutive Percy, VERNE TROYER, is devoted to his beautiful daughter, Valentina, LILY COLE; but in a centuries old pact with the Devil, TOM WAITS, Parnassus must deliver the girl to him when she turns 16, which she’s about to do, unless he can deliver five new souls.

Avoid: Amelia

There had been some early talk that Hilary Swank could nab her third Oscar nod -- if not win -- from the biopic Amelia. But the reviews have begun trickling in, and if The New York Times has its finger on the pulse of a serious movie-watching public, this film is a dud not worth the $10 admission ticket.

Manohla Dargis writes:

Alas, excesses of any pleasurable kind are absent from this exasperatingly dull production. ... I don’t recall a single dented automobile or a fissure of real feeling etched into a face.

...

The actors (Swank and Richard Gere) don’t make a persuasive fit, despite all their long stares and infernal smiling. (The movie is a more effective testament to the triumphs of American dentistry than to Earhart or aviation.) It’s hard to imagine anyone, other than satirists, doing anything with the puerile, sometimes risible dialogue. The screenwriters, Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan, give Earhart a voice-over even as they forget her voice.

Harsh.

In Two Weeks: Precious

Precious, the film adaptation of Saphirre's 1996 novel PUSH, will hit theater's Nov. 6. Industry insiders say the film -- directed by Lee Daniels and starring Mo'Nique and Mariah Carey in critically-acclaimed dramatic roles -- promises to pack the same emotional punch as last-year's Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaires. Unlike Slumdog, however, Precious tells a decidedly American story of class, race and sexual struggle. It's central character is an overweight black girl from the ghetto who endures horrific physical and sexual violence from both of her parents. It's a tough story. Though I read through the work in a single sitting more than a month ago, the power of the piece rests with me still. Saphirre's prose is unrelenting. And the film, critics say, is an equally visceral experience.

The New York Times Magazine published an insightful feature titled "The Audacity of Precious." It's an interesting piece, offering the director's vision but also presenting a context in which the film should be viewed. “Precious is so not Obama,” Daniels said. “Precious is so not P.C. What I learned from doing the film is that even though I am black, I’m prejudiced. I’m prejudiced against people who are darker than me. When I was young, I went to a church where the lighter-skinned you were, the closer you sat to the altar. Anybody that’s heavy like Precious — I thought they were dirty and not very smart. Making this movie changed my heart. I’ll never look at a fat girl walking down the street the same way again.”

Read the entire piece at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/magazine/25precious-t.html?ref=movies

Attention Movie Buffs: International Films at Tower Theater

(Tokyo Sonata screens Sept. 25 - Oct. 1 at Tower Theater in Miami)

A little theater in Miami's Little Havana is serving up a weekly dose of critically acclaimed feature films from around the world.

Tower Theater, at 1508 S.W. Eighth Street in Miami, screens the most diverse range of quality cinema in South Florida. This includes the Oscar-winning Departures (Best Foreign Film) to indy Rudy y Cursi (with Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal), Spanish-dubbed Up and festival darling Lion's Den.

Most of what you find at Tower Theater you can't find on a big screen anywhere else in the county. Besides that, where else can you get a $6 movie ticket?

Next week, the critically hailed Tokyo Sonata will screen at Tower Theater. The drama, about the misfortunes of a Japanese family, scores 92% positive reviews on RottenTomatoes. Critics agree director Kiyoshi Kurosawa brings a "unique perspective to the universal subject of family and identity." The film nabbed the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

For schedules, go to www.mdc.edu/culture/tower.htm

'Mad Men' Returns in One Week

Only one week left until the new season of Mad Men. AMC's ad campaign reveals almost nothing about the new season (see it here; it's rather awesome) -- but in an interview with the New York Times, show creator Matthew Weiner gave us some clues:

In the new season we see this ultimate self-made man of midcentury America — outwardly confident but hollow at the core — smacked, like the culture he embodies, by the earthquake of the ’60s. “I started off writing the show as a scathing analysis of what happened to the United States,” Mr. Weiner said. “But the more I got into Don, the more I realized this is an amazing place. Something really did change in those years” — the late ’50s and early ’60s. “What would it be like to go to that place?”

He continued: “I’m interested in how people respond to change. Are they excited by the change, or are they terrified that they’ll lose everything that they know? Do people recognize that change is going on? That’s what the show’s about.”

Here's More on Season Three:

Marked for November: Precious - Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire

I encountered Precious: Based on the Novel PUSH by Sapphire earlier in the year when it screened at Miami International Film Festival. I was proofreading a program schedule and only gave a passing glance to the blurb about the hard-luck life of an overweight girl from the city. The blurb was accompanied by the photo above.

Then there were articles in the New York Times and LA Times. A glowing review in the Hollywood Reporter. And Sundance. The movie, then only called Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire, walked away with the Grand Jury Prize for U.S. Dramatic Film, the Audience Award, and A Special Jury Prize for Acting (awarded to Mo'Nique).

Below is the synopsis in full, pulled directly from the folks at Sundance. But I warn you in advance, it does no justice. Instead, I suggest you simply watch the TRAILER by clicking here or by going to YouTube. And unless you are completely vapid and without soul or intellect, you'll be floored.

With sheer audacity and utter authenticity, director Lee Daniels tackles Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire and creates an unforgettable film that sets a new standard for cinema of its kind. Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) is a high-school girl with nothing working in her favor. She is pregnant with her father’s child—for the second time. She can’t read or write, and her schoolmates tease her for being fat. Her home life is a horror, ruled by a mother (Mo’Nique) who keeps her imprisoned both emotionally and physically. Precious’s instincts tell her one thing: if she’s ever going to break from the chains of ignorance, she will have to dig deeply into her own resources. Don’t be misled—Push is not a film wallowing in the stillness of depression; instead, it vibrates with the kind of energy derived only from anger and hope. The entire cast are amazing; they carry out a firestorm of raw emotion. Daniels has drawn from them inimitable performances that will rivet you to your seat and leave you too shocked to breathe. If you passed Precious on the street, you probably wouldn’t notice her. But when her story is revealed, as Daniels does in this courageous film, you are left with an indelible image of a young woman who—with creativity, humor, and ferocity—finds the strength to turn her life around.

That Glorious Season!

(Photo: Mo'Nique in Precious)

So, it’s that time of year again. Here's my late summer/early fall list of must-see films.

Julie & Julia: August 7
Synopsis: Meryl Streep is Julia Child and Amy Adams is Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron’s adaptation of two bestselling memoirs: Powell’s Julie & Julia and My Life in France, by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme.
(Is there any doubt Meryl Streep and Amy Adams will be nominated… and didn’t you like my play on the word “doubt”?)

District 9: August 14
Synopsis: Genre master Peter Jackson produces this science-fiction film, the directorial debut of Neill Blomkamp. In District 9, South Africa has become a haven for refugees--from outer space. Genre master Peter Jackson produces this science-fiction film, the directorial debut of Neill Blomkamp. In District 9, South Africa has become a haven for refugees--from outer space.
(Won’t get any major acting awards, but it looks interesting. Will probably land effects or some award like that)

Inglourious Basterds: August 21
Synopsis: Inglourious Basterds begins in German-occupied France, where Shosanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz).
(No awards buzz… just looks like a cool movie)

I Can Be Bad All By Myself: September 11
The Plot: Madea (Perry) delivers three young adults who tried to rob her home to their aunt (Henson), a hard-living nightclub singer who doesn't want the responsibility of parenting the trio. Can Madea's influence, coupled with the arrival a handsome, industrious new tenant (Rodriguez), help April turn a corner in her life?
(It’s a Tyler Perry movie… so far, he hasn’t disappointed his audience)

The Informant: September 18
The Plot: The U.S. government decides to go after an agri-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, company-man-turned-whistleblower Mark Whitacre (Damon).
(This is directed by Steven Soderbergh)

Coco Before Chanel: September 25:
The Plot: The story of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel (Tautou) and her rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world..
(This is classic Oscar-bait… Tautou starring in a biopic)

Shutter Island: October 2
The Plot: When a psychotic killer (Mortimer) disappears from a mental institution on Shutter Island, a pair of U.S. Marshals (Ruffalo and DiCaprio) race against the clock in order to track her down.
(More Oscar bait… just look at the cast list. And did I mention Scorcese is the director?)

Where the Wild Things Are: October 16
The Plot: Young, mischievous Max is sent to bed without his supper, but when his bedroom turns in to a magical jungle landscape filled with strange creatures, he embarks on a wild imaginary adventure.
and now here's the trailer!.

The Road: October 16
The Plot: A father (Mortensen) and son (Smit-McPhee) walk for months across a ravaged, post-apocalyptic landscape in search of civilization.

Amelia: October 23
The Plot: A look at the life of Amelia Earhart (Swank), the American pilot who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 on her history-making flight around the world.
(Hilary Swank in serious picture in which her character dies equal Oscar nod if not Oscar win)

Precious - Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire: November 6
The Plot: In Harlem, an overweight, illiterate teen (Sidibe) who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.
I’ve heard talk of this since early in the year since film festivals. Mo’Nique is a sure-fire nod (if not win) for Best Supporting Actress

Nine: November 27
The Plot: Famous film director Guido Contini (Day-Lewis) struggles to find harmony in his professional and personal lives, as he engages in dramatic relationships with his wife, his mistress, his muse, his agent, and his mother.
(Dude, three recent Oscar winners - Daniel Day-Lews, Marion Cotillard and Penelope Cruz - in a single movie!)

Brothers: December 4
The Plot: Sam Cahill (Maguire) returns from being held as a prisoner-of-war in Afghanistan to find that his ex-con brother (Gyllenhaal) has become the man, of sorts, of the household where Sam's wife, Grace (Portman) had been living under the assumption that she was a widow.

The Princess and the Frog: December 11
The Plot: A fairy tale centered on a young girl named Princess Tiana who lives in New Orleans French Quarter during the Jazz Age.
(It’s Disney. Animated nod)

The Lovely Bones: December 11
The Plot: Young Susie watches over her family from heaven as they deal with the aftermath of her brutal rape and murder.
(Stars Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Mark Wahlberg, Saoirse Ronan – two Oscar winners and two past nominees. The trailer is awesome)

Sherlock Holmes: December 25
The Plot: Detective Sherlock Holmes (Downey Jr.) and his stalwart partner Watson (Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England.

The Book of Eli: January 15
The Plot: In a post-apocalyptic United States, a lone man (Washington) fights his way across the country in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind.