Weekend Forecast: 12/14/07
By Craig Kennedy - December 13th, 2007; 12:01 am
It’s wide release schedules like these that make a guy want to stop writing about movies. Then again, if you haven’t seen No Country for Old Men yet, now’s the time to catch up with best film of 2007 according to the New York Film Critics’ Circle.
- Alvin and the Chipmunks. When I was a kid, before my brain had finished forming, I loved the Chipmunks. Now? Well you can see where this thought is headed without me bothering to finish it, right…?
- I am Legend. I am Goldsman!
- The Perfect Holiday (Wed.) Sorry, I’m fresh out of scorn for bad holiday movies. I don’t need this. I’ve watched It’s Christmas Charlie Brown (yes I got misty eyed…again. Damn that Linus!) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the delightful Chuck Jones cartoon, not that steaming live action turd from Ron Howard. Damn that Opie!). All that’s left is Bad Santa (”…and their tiny little (gulp) sausage fingers.”) and It’s a Wonderful Life and I’m all set. Otherwise, I’ll be in the bar drinking Manhattans, waiting for it to all be over.
A much better bet are the two expansions for the week:
- Atonement. Keira Knightley and James McAvoy get pulled apart just when things start to get steamy between them. And then WWII happens. Bummer.
- Juno. I know I haven’t been very nice to Juno, but it’s better than any of the wide releases. In case you’ve forgotten or you live in a cave, this is the one about teen Juno (Ellen Page) who gets pregnant and decides to give the kid up for adoption through the Penny Saver.
And the limited releases:
- Youth Without Youth. The new film from Francis Ford Coppola is my pick of the week, sight unseen. Nope, don’t even know what it’s about. Tim Roth’s in it. The dude made Godfather for crapsakes. He deserves the benefit of a doubt.
- The Kite Runner. As the only person I know who actually liked Stranger Than Fiction a lot, I have hopes for Marc Forster’s The Kite Runner. Based on the acclaimed novel by Khaled Hosseini, it tells the story of two boyhood friends in Afghanistan. It begins before the fall of the monarchy and continues after the Taliban have taken over.
- Lagerfeld Confidential. The duration of my interest in a documentary about fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is less than the time it will take you to finish rea…
- Look. A multi-threaded narrative filmed entirely through the perspective of security cameras sounds pretentious but possibly interesting. I missed it when it played AFI but the voyeur in me continues to be tempted. A little.
- Man in Chair. Christopher Plummer supposedly gives a great performance as an elderly man living in a retirement home for people in the film industry who strikes up a friendship with an aspiring young filmmaker.
- Nanking (Wed.) Documentary about the Japanese invasion of Nanking, China at the onset of World War II.
Filed under: Upcoming
Related Posts: - When You’re Young@Heart
- Weekend Forecast: 8/3/07
- Review: Youth Without Youth (2007) ***
- Weekend Forecast: 5/11/07
- Ka-chow: ‘Cars 2′ to Suck a Year Early
Craig, for the record, my husband and I loved Stranger Than Fiction. I think it’s an underrated little gem. I have high hopes for the movie, too. All it has to do is get the storytelling–the book’s strength–down. If it does that, it works. I think it may do some decent BO, too.
Alas, it’ll be weeks before Atonement, Juno, Youth w/out Youth, etc. play here. We do have the Chipmunks and A Perfect Holiday Waste of Time taking up four screens, though.
Might see Juno but I’ve actually rekindled my interest in Gone Baby Gone since critics are heaping awards on the supporting actress from that one, as well as …Devil Knows You’re Dead.
Atonement is in the mix for me just to be completist because that one is nominated for a bunch of Globes. Silly.
I imagine Youth without Youth will be here sometime around New Years.
Joel, see Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, stat. Gone Baby Gone is fine, but its no Devil.
Craig-I can’t back you uon Stranger than Fiction, and I’m equally bored with everything else Marc Forster has done. He hasn’t really made a bad movie (that I’ve seen anyway) it almost seems like to would take too much personality for him to make a bad movie.
What Chuck said, Joel. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is great.
Sold. Guess I’ll try to catch that this weekend while it’s still playing here.
Jennybee, you and your husband are my new heroes.
Chuck, I accept StF isn’t your cup of tea, but at least you’re not trying to say it’s a bad movie…right?
And yeah, I’m going to have to third Alison and Chuck on Devil. I never reviewed it and I don’t think I quite liked it as much as Chuck. Then again, in the process of defending it from critics, I’ve grown to like it even more. There’s an amusing thread at H-E where one of the commenters posted a chunk of a conversation someone had with Armond White about the hackery of Sydney Lumet. http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives/2007/12/nyfcc_tidbits.php
Not a big Armond White fan myself.
No Craig, I wouldn’t go that far on Stranger, it’s just that whimsy is hard to do and I didn’t buy their particular brand of it. My biggest issue with it is Forster’s almost total lack of point of view or personality, it, and I know this is unoriginal, but it was true for me, just feels deflated Charlie Kauffman. Ferrel and Gyllenhaal had no chemistry and everyone felt miscast to me.
I wouldn’t call it a bad movie, not my cup of tea is a better way, some buy these things, some don’t.
Re: Lumet. If he’s a hack, then I’m happy to one day be a hack.
Jennybee, I don’t know how you and your husband endure such appalling, inhuman conditions.
In contrast, my wife and I both found ourselves a little disappointed in Stranger Than Fiction. Although the film undoubtedly possessed plenty of fine qualities the ending felt too neat, Hollywood, and reliant upon a transformation in Emma Thompson’s character that we didn’t buy. Really liked Marc Foster’s Finding Neverland though, and Monster’s Ball was a film I loved debating and analyzing together with friends.
I mean to comment on Jennybee’s slim pickings, but I didn’t want to rub it in that, despite its many many flaws, LA is a nice place to see a movie.
Chuck. Plus, you’re not a big fan of whimsy in general so I imagine the movie had an uphill climb. Whimsy without edge was probably doomed from the start. In another, less sentimental time of my life I probably would’ve agreed with you 100%.
All I can say about it is that I went into it on a gray morning in an awful mood and I came out of it a reformed man, feeling good about the world.
Probably true Craig, glad it was good for you though. I had a similar experience with Paris, je t’aime. I walked in feeling awful, having just had a conversation with someone that really hurt my feelings, and that movie helped me out when I really wasn’t expecting it to.
Paris je t’aime was really something special. That was a fine example of a movie I was expecting the worst and was really surprised.
I saw Juno today (sitting behind a class of high school students and their teacher).
Craig, I hope you’re not disappointed it in me, but I liked it. Despite my love and affinity to movies such as No Country for Old Men, There Will Be Blood, Goodfellas, etc., when it comes down to it I’m still a chick at heart. The issues that the film dealt with really touched me.
But I can see where it annoyed you. The snappy dialogue and pop culture references do seem forced at first. But the film really did have a heart and I felt for Jennifer Garner’s plight as well as Juno’s; once I was drawn into that those superficial things didn’t bother me. And Ellen Page is really an up-and-coming talent, and she carried the movie beautifully.
I know everyone is comparing the film to Little Miss Sunshine (though it is much better than that) and calling it the ‘little indie that could’. I don’t know. Unless the Academy goes for two musical/comedies, I’d bet my money on Sweeney being nominated over Juno (although, I haven’t seen Sweeney and may think differently after seeing it). If the movie takes in a huge box office, that may work in its favor.
A nomination for Page and Cody is definitely not out of the question, though.
Disappointed? In the parlance of Juno MacGuff “Hells no!” I think we can still be friends.
I fully realize I’m on the outside looking in when it comes to Juno and I don’t question anyone’s love for it.
The truth is, there just aren’t that many good movies about women and when one comes along, it should be celebrated.
I can’t say enough how much I like Ellen Page. I’ve seen her in 4 movies now, not counting X-Men 3(?) which she was hardly in and she’s been the best part of each movie. She’s funny and smart.
And Diablo Cody…to say the least, she’s got style and a voice which is something sadly lacking in most writing these days and I think she’ll only get better. The fact she’s doing it as a woman in a man’s business is icing on the cake.
I think I understand a little better why it’s so appealing to so many people and it’s less surprising to me now. I’d definitely recomend Juno over some animated chipmunks or a flaccid family christmas comedy.
Besides, Bleeker kind of rules. Am I wrong?
Bleeker does rule. Michael Cera is just too cute.
As for Alvin and the Chipmunks - sometimes I wonder WHY studios bother to make some of the movies that they do. This is certainly one of those times.
The fact that Youth Without Youth is apparently divisive makes me even more excited to see it. Glad to see Coppola jumping into the pool with both feet, to coin the worst metaphor ever.
I totally agree. The guy proved himself 30 years ago. He could just rest on his reputation and make wine all the time, but he’s out there stirring it up and pushing the envelope. I think that’s great and I’m hoping the thing is interesting.
I’m more in the “mildly interested” camp when it comes to “youth without youth”. The story just has the potential to go wrong in so many different ways.
Also, as you might remember, I’m there with you on stranger than fiction. It’s the rare movie that manages to keep its humor smart and literate and still also be funny and have a heart. Maybe there’s no clear directorial stamp…true. On the other hand, while it seems to be a very script-driven film, writer Zach Helm went on to make… Mr. Magorium. I haven’t seen that film yet, but just the trailer leads me to give Forster a little bit more credit.
I am totally uninterested in the Kite Runner, though. I don’t know why, but it’s a story I simply feel no pull towards. I got the book as a present over a year ago and still haven’t read it, and the movie just looks like it’ll pull at the heartstrings way too hard.
Is the general consensus that Youth Without Youth is splitting critics, audiences, or both? I haven’t heard much but it does sound a bit mixed. But then I think any Coppola movie has to be treated a little differently in that he has had a long career of hits and misses, both wildly in opposite ends of the spectrum, but the expectations placed on him typically exceed those placed on any other filmmaker. I almost think the critics want to see him only make masterpieces but like to dig in when he doesn’t create the another Godfather. How likely is that, anyway?
I’m looking forward to Youth Without Youth but my interest is fairly muted right now. My expectations aren’t that high and I think that’s a good thing.
Heck, I’m just glad to see Tim Roth working.
I know exactly what you’re saying about YWY Hedwig, but I see your “mildly interested” and I turn it around into a “mildly skeptical”. A purely semantical difference, but in a glass-half-full kind of way I think it implies a greater degree of optimism.
I’m not sure what that sentence means exactly, but please enjoy.
I see your point about Kite Runner (and am reminded I’m really not as alone as I like to portray myself in my affection for Stranger than Fiction…come on! He brought her ‘flours’!). Normally I seek out more cynical fare, but I don’t know. It’s been an invigorating but intense and rough year at the movies and a bit of well done sentiment and uplift might be just the thing as the year winds down a little bit. We’ll see.
I’ve tried to steer clear so I don’t have a feeling for what the word on Youth is Joel, most of the murmurings I’ve heard lean negative. I see an older guy swinging for the fences and I support that. He’s clearly not doing it for money.
bleeker kind of ruled ??? not really. what did his chracter do in the movie ??
put deodorant on his thighs ????
what does he rule for getting juno pregnant ??
he chracter really isn’t that important in this movie.nor does he get much screen time/or is allwed to do much/nor does much with screen time.
so i’m not sure how he rules.
juno’s female friend probably ruled alot more but no one gives a damn about her do they ???(so it makes perfect sense that i’m forgetting this chracters name/but i usually forget movie chracaters names.seriously)
wasn’t the lars and real girl screenplay written by a female.nancy oliver….
and i don’t think i’m ever going to here anything similiar to “she’s doing it as a woman in a man’s business is icing on the cake.”
about her screenplay.i haven’t seen any photos of nancy.maybe she’s not pretty enough to count ??
yes for me it’s all about lars and the real girl. :)
sure in the movie they call what lars has a delusion. but in society he’d inspire rounds of snickers/stares and talk of what a loser.especially when gets our beloved bianca. ;)
but yeah i realize in some ways this movie is as much a fantasy as uh enchanted or something. but instead of a princess in big city and signing rats you get a ‘loser’ in a small town and a real doll. :)
and agin i’m so surprised they didn’t turn this ‘concept’ into a just a joke nor did ryan g. give any ‘winks’ to the audience that i’m just acting/this isn’t the real me/this is joke etc….
plus how many guys would want to play this role ???(espically since the lars character doesn’t have a ‘real’ disease…)
oh but everyone want to be serial killer or something.that’s so cool….
ok, look at the films in the running for the awards stuff this year. if asked *last year* you could have easily predicted the type of films you’d get/what your getting this year…
but could you have seen/predicted a movie like ‘lars’ coming. *no*
now say that about ‘no country’/atonement/juno/diving bell etc.
“after awhile all the blood looks the same/after awhile everything seems the same.” :(
lars vs juno……
guess this could beseen as the cinematic battle of battle of loser vs hipster.
and just like in real life the hipster wins 9.4 times out of 10.
hope you’re all happy…….
Wow, glimmer, you really have the hate for Bleeker.
Woah Glimmer. Simmer! I’ve always liked Michael Cera since Arrested Development. He appeals to my awkward inner nerd. What can I say? I wish he was in Juno more than he was.
That’s a good point you make though about all the attenion on Diablo Cody, but not so much on Nancy Oliver. You know I loved Lars too.
It’s fair to say, Cody got a large measure of her attention because she was a stripper for a while. I want to be clear though: I do not think that’s the only reason she’s famous. She’s a very talented woman, but it’s a sorry reflection on Hollywood that even a talented woman still has to shake her boobs to get noticed.
Hipster’s don’t always win Glim, look who owns Microsoft and look at the people dominating the internet. Nerds rule!