The Informant - Say what you will about Steven Soderberg (and some do), the man's films are always interesting. What strikes me about The Informant is how Hollywood would have most likely turned the story into another glossy (and by glossy I mean intentionally gritty) corporate thriller. Only Soderberg knows that the corp. thriller genre has finally come to a place where a wink and a nudge are more than welcome. Can Damon's bad hair sporting, paunch packing performance grab him an Oscar Nomination? [rotten tomatoes / metacritic]Jennifer's Body - There probably won't be many who'll feel much sadness at the critical shellacking that Diablo Cody and Megan Fox are taking this week. But the hipster vs. hipster (think spy vs. spy but with black and white thrift store clothes) dynamic that is playing out over various corners of the Internet today seems out of place here at this most civil of blogs. So I'll just say two things. First, I'm already over this movie not being good. And secondly, Amanda Seyfried is talented and deserves more work. [rotten tomatoes / metacritic]
Bright Star - Opening in limited release is Jane Campion's latest (about the love affair between poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne) which we've been hearing about since Cannes and earlier. It's nice to see Campion back on track after some iffy projects. And if you're an Oscar follower (and live in limited release) you'll get a chance to see if the buzz for Campion, Cornish, Schneider and Whishaw are worth it. [rotten tomatoes / metacritic]
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - This adaptation of the famous children's book is receiving generally good notices and should do well among it's expected family demographic and probably nothing beyond. [rotten tomatoes / metacritic]
Love Happens - I will try to suppress my cynicism and not call this another generic romance that enforces the Hollywood cliche about love being a magical thing that happens between two picturesque people, must overcome a few contrived hurdles and ends up happily ever after. Instead I'll just say: This should do well among it's expected Jennifer Aniston fan demographic and probably nothing beyond. [rotten tomatoes / metacritic]
35 Shots of Rum - Claire Denis (who I will shill for until it gets annoying) has another highly praised, subtle film for our viewing pleasure. The story (though story has never been the highlight of Denis' films) involves the nuances in the relationship between a widower and his grown daughter. Think Ozu for the 21st century, and French. [rotten tomatoes / metacritic]Paris - If you're up for as much French as possible this weekend, this love letter to Paris set among the intersecting lives and loves of several attractive Parisians (I could have just said Parisians... the attractive part is understood) looks to deliver a generally pleasant and reasonably uplifting viewing experience. [rotten tomatoes / metacritic]
The Burning Plain - If you like the whole intersecting lives thing but aren't feeling that uplifting, Guillermo Arriaga, who scripted Amores Perros, 21 Grams and Babel has written and now directed another disjointed narrative about miserable pretty people and the tragedies that befall them. [rotten tomatoes / metacritic]
