Hello again, my fellow geeks.
Well, last week proved once again that it isn’t really Johnny Depp that people love, it’s Captain Jack Sparrow. Last weeks TRANCENDENCE (PG-13 120 Minutes) the directorial Debut from Wally Pfister, who has been Christopher Nolan’s DP for the last decade, couldn’t dislodge Captain America from the top spot at the US box-office. I had wondered why the studio had kept Nolan’s name off all the advertisement for the film, even though he was a Producer and he had more imput into this film than he did with last Summer’s Man of Steel, which featured his name so predominately that you would be excused for thinking, as some people did, that he actually directed that film.
I have the feeling now that the studio knew they had something of a fiasco on their hands and wanted to keep Nolan’s name out of it and not risk damaging his brand with his first post Batman film, INTERSTELLAR coming out this November. That is just a hunch, but I wouldn’t be too surprised to find out that was indeed their thinking.
This week brings us just a couple of films. First up is THE OTHER WOMAN (PG-13 110 Minutes) which should fill the romantic comedy jones that some people might be feeling. It Stars Cameron Diaz as well as Kate Upton and Leslie Mann as woman who find out their husband is a two-timer and set out to get revenge. And then there is kissing. It’s actually getting better reviews than you might think something like this would, and it’s directed by Nick Cassavetes, who is best known for introducing the film world to The Notebook back in 2004.
There are a couple of other flicks I could talk about, but in the limited amount of space I have, I really want to tell you about a couple of very interesting art films that are playing in our fair city.
First, we have the absolutely stunning THE RAID 2 (R 150 Minutes) which has been playing for the last two weeks at my theater, Regal Stonecrest 22 and IMAX. If you have any interest in Martial Arts films, this flick will be like crack to you. It is non-stop and not for the faint of heart. See it on the big Screen because it will be a cult favorite for years to come.
Scarlett Johanson stars in a very weird little sci-fi flick called UNDER THE SKIN (R 92 Minutes) which is playing at Regal Ballantyne Village 5. It is hard to describe, but it involves an Alien (ScarJo) who wears the skin of a human, as she travels the back roads and picks up strange men (not hard when you look like ScarJo) and brings them back to be fed to…something. To say more would ruin the surprise. It’s odd and beautiful. Check it out if you’re in the mood for something a little different.
There is also an amazing new Doc playing at Regal Ballantyne Village 5. It’s a film called JODOROWSKY’S DUNE (PG-13 90 Minutes) which traces a film that never was. In the early 70’s, director Jodorowsky wanted to direct a version of DUNE that was going to be the most expensive film in history. It was also going to be about 24 hours long and , by the way, he had never read the book. This is a doc about the film that almost was and how it went on to influence many filmmakers, including George Lucas and James Cameron. It’s also a light-hearted comedy. It’s been playing the festivals for a year or so and now is getting a theatrical release. If you like films about film…this is for you.
Okay, that just about does it for this week but join me next week when we will talk in-depth about….well, I’m not sure, but I’ll figure something out by then.
I want to wish our fearless leader, Joey, a very happy Birthday again. Every year she throws a murder mystery birthday dinner and I have looked forward to it for the last four years and this year was the best yet. To everyone who made it possible, you guys rock.
Until next time, Keep the Projector Threaded.
