Weekend Forecast: 10/30/08
By Craig Kennedy - October 30th, 2008; 12:01 am
Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen in Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Because it’s Halloween, the multiplex is crammed with a lot of low-grade horror crap this weekend. Consider Let the Right One In or Fear(s) of the Dark if they’re in your neighborhood instead:
- Zack and Miri Make a Porno. For every Kevin Smith worshipper, there’s a hater. I fall somewhere in the middle, but I’m drawn to this one by decent reviews and the presence of Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen. They play two best friends and roommates who hit financial hard times. In order to make money to pay rent, they resort to producing an adult film. Will all that sex in the air open their eyes to feelings greater than friendship? I’ll bet you $50 they do.
- The Haunting of Molly Hartley. There was this girl. Her name was Molly. She was haunted. PG-13 thrills for the teenybopper Halloween date crowd. Does using words like “teenybopper” make me sound like I’m 1000? Hey you kids! Get outta my yard!
Expanding into a theater near you:
- Changeling. Oscarlina Jolie just. wants. her. son. back.
Opening in limited release:
- My Name is Bruce. Mistaken for his demon vanquishing character from the Evil Dead movies, Bruce Campbell is recruited to save a small Oregon town from a real monster. Grooovy.
- Eden Lake. A couple vacationing by the lake is terrorized by a gang of vicious teens. Bad goes to worse when they run into the parents.
- Splinter. Different couple. Different camping trip. These ones are hijacked by an escaped con and his girlfriend. This is a solid 5 or 6 on a level of suck but it shoots up to 10 when they’re set upon by some kind of kooky virus that turns people into blood thirsty maniacs.
- The Other End of the Line. In this romantic comedy, a young woman answering American customer service calls in Bangalore, India passes herself off as a San Franciscan, falls for one of her callers and ends up traveling to the US to meet him. No crazed teens or viral zombies in this one, but it just might be the scariest of the bunch.
Apparently it’s documentary week in New York:
- The First Basket (Wed. 10/29). In 1946, the Toronto Huskies played the New York Knickerbockers in what is considered the first game in NBA history. The first basket of that game was scored by a Jewish kid from Brooklyn named Ossie Shectman. These days you don’t think too much about Jewish kids from Brooklyn when you think of NBA stars, but it turns out the game was huge in Jewish tenements all over New York from the time the game was invented all through the ’20s and into the beginning of the NBA. This documentary narrated by Peter Riegert looks at the role played by the American Jewish community in shaping what is today the 2nd most popular game in the world.
- Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. When Andrew Bagby’s ex-girlfriend Shirley Turner murdered him and fled to Canada with his unborn son, childhood friend Kurt Kuenne set out to make a memorial film so the boy could one day know his father. With Turner free on bail as she awaited extradition, Bagby’s parents moved to Newfoundland in the hope of gaining custody of their grandson. This documentary tells the whole story including the horrible turn of events that would follow.
- The Matador (City Lights). Documentary about a bullfighter.
Coming to Los Angeles
- Fear(s) of the Dark. French animated chills from six renowned graphic artists. A solid Halloween treat. Recommended.
This Halloween edition of the Weekend Forecast was brought to you by Donovan and by Benjamin Christensen’s 1922 silent film: Häxan – Witchcraft Through the Ages.
Happy Halloween!
Filed under: Weekend Forecast
I can’t decide which I like better for Changeling: “Changelina” or “Mother, Interupted.” I will see this and probably be moved in parts, but I know what to expect for the screenplay, and I am not expecting it to blow me away. I think Eastwood’s best when he doesn’t let things get too melodramatic, sticks to the understated. I’m not expecting this to be understated.
Plus, Angelina in the trailer is too reminiscent of the screeching Reese in Rendition. And too, what’s with Jolie and all the Oscar-bait kidnapped family member stories? Second in a row.
Zack and Miri will probably be the first Kevin Smith movie I’ve seen in a while, since Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, though I do like Reaper on the CW, if that counts. At his best, he knows how to do raunchy comedy–by finding things that are inherently very funny but that happen to be off-color, rather than the other way around, off-color shock value as humor regardless of the presence of funny.
Because of work conflicts I missed a chance to see Dear Zachary at a documentary film festival here. The trailer itself made me cry, and I really want to see it. Bummed it was so close, and yet not for me.
Re: The Other End of the Line, I know a couple who met that way, through telemarketing. They were both Americans, but odd.
I’m mulling the idea of seeing Zach and Miri but it would mean skipping Rachel at the Wedding for a second week, so I’ll probably fold on Kevin Smith’s Porno Project. The Pool is also playing here for a week, hoping to catch that.
Can’t muster any enthusiasm for The Changeling. We’ll see if the Monday morning reports change my mind.
AFI fest starts tonight officially (for me tomorrow) so I don’t know if I’ll get to Z&M this weekend. It’s on my list though. Otherwise, I’m curious about Zachary. It sounds pretty intense.
Angelina kind of worked for me in the trailer, but in large doses it might not be so fun. I’m still interested, but I missed it last week and the odds of me seeing it are falling.
Nuh uh uh, it’s not The Changeling. It’s just Changeling. i had a publicist correct me on that.
I Just. Want. MY. Son. Back!
Tremendous comments, JB! I totally agree with all your Jolie/Eastwood/Changeling thoughts. I missed a screening of it the other night but am somewhat anxious to see how bad it might be. If I’m in a bad mood, things could get ugly during a review of it. My distaste for Jolie is uncommon, but real.
I’m dying to see Dear Zachary and Fears of the Dark, but only the latter is on a calendar here, and even then not for a few weeks.
I might see ZM with some friends, but just as likely not. What Just Happened is also arriving, but I’m not in a major rush to see it.
Tonight I’m seeing a promo of Role Models. Is there any chance it will be good? I’ll report back.
One cool weekend offering is a screening of I’m Not There with an intro and post-discussion with Rolling Stone writer/Dylan biographer Greil Marcus on Saturday night. Chances are I’m seeing an Arthur Miller play at the Guthrie Theater instead, but otherwise I probably would have been all over that opportunity. Who knows, I may be kicking myself over it anyway.
If possible I’m just kind of hoping to take it easy this weekend. Maybe I’m even a little thankful I don’t have a week-long fest coming up like you do, Craig. I need to recharge my batteries a bit for the stretch run Nov-Jan.
Remember when everyone thought they’d changed the title to Exchange because at Cannes they titled it in the French L’Exchange?
Daniel, against my better judgement, I have a good feeling about Role Models. The trailer made me laugh. Paul Rudd deserves to be the leading man of a movie that doesn’t suck. And Elizabeth Banks.
If both Jolie and Pitt get nominated this year, watch the press play up the his’n'hers Oscar angle. To. Death. I’m already sick of thinking about it, and it hasn’t even begun yet.
I liked CHANGELING quite a bit, even though I had a few problems with it. My review was published today if anyone is interested: http://fromthefrontrow.blogspot.com/2008/10/on-changeling.html
I’m definitely looking forward to ZACK AND MIRI…I missed the press screening last month but plan to see it sometime this weekend.
“Hey you kids! Get outta my yard!”
Never fails to crack me up.
You’re always saying that you’re a cranky old man before your time, Craigster. I never bought that at all.
I was highly skeptical but I GUESS it could be true.
Your future awaits…?
Maybe I’m in a bad mood because of the excruciating pain, but the only film mentioned here, aside from the recommended Fears in the Dark, that I deeply want to see (again) is Häxan – Witchcraft Through the Ages, a terrific film that is worth viewing on Halloween (I’ve viewed it on two different Halloweens). I’m glad the Weekend Forecast was brought to us by that film. :)
i guess i’m really in the middle since i’ve never seen a kevin smith film.
i could be here friday or saturday.but i sort of doubt it…
yep this year of the documentary and this like the fourth or so directors q/a the rocl out town angelika has had…
there was one eith the director of ‘jihad for love’ and the singing revoutuion’ and is there one more i’m forgetting ??? i think so…
aside from ‘yoing at heart’ which i guess wasn’t the most purre doc thing. i’ve been documenatrt free this year.
and i’n slighly curious more for the q&a part than the movie. but maybe not curious enough to go. that’s exacly what i said the last time a q&a hit too. ha ha…
the link to my imaage thing got eaten. uh where did it go ???
and for whatever reason the edit reply option. well isn’t there for the post i just threw up.
anyway friday night ans satyrday mid day. there’s gonna be a question/answer thing with whomever that did ‘the trouble the water’ doc. but seeing what my tolerance is for ultra realism/and non doc interest. i’ll be pasing. hmm…
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/5347/troublethewaterbj2.png
I prefer “Mother, Interrupted,” jennybee. It’s got a ring to it.
Ya know, I believe Jolie is a very good actress who also has a lot of charisma. One of these days she’ll land a role that makes the most of her talents. It doesn’t sound like Changeling is it, though.
As it’s documentary week in New York, I guess I should move to make hay. But Halloween festivities this entire week are ruling the roost and costumes, trick or treating and a few horror film classics on DVD take precedent right now.
Happy Halloween to All.
Hope you feel better Alexander.
I hope to see photos of the Juliano clan in their Halloween finery, Sam!