03.13.08
Weekend Attractions (14 – 16 March ‘08)
Finally Juno opens for everyone in SA, I have been talking about it for months, and no doubt everyone else will start talking about it too, and I won’t sound premature anymore!
Juno
“Juno” stars Ellen Page as the title character, a whip-smart teen confronting an unplanned pregnancy by her classmate Bleeker (Cera). With the help of her hot best friend Leah (Thirlby), Juno finds her unborn child a “perfect” set of parents: an affluent suburban couple, Mark and Vanessa (Bateman and Garner), longing to adopt. Luckily, Juno has the total support of her parents (Simmons and Janney) as she faces some tough decisions, flirts with adulthood and ultimately figures out where she belongs. It is my favourite movie to come out of 2007 (2008 in SA), and I recommend it to everyone.
Read my festival review for Juno (full review coming soon)
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Alison Janney, J.K Simmons
Age Restriction: 13MLS
Running Time: 94 minutes
Love In The Time of Cholera
Based on the award-winning novel of the same title, this romantic epic spanning a half-century in the complex, magical and sensual city of Cartagena, Colombia tells the story of a man who waits over fifty years for his one true love.
Academy Award winner Javier Bardem stars as Florentino Ariza, a poet and telegraph clerk who discovers his life’s passion when he sees Fermina Daza (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) through the window of her father’s villa. Through a series of passionate letters, Florentino gradually awakens the young beauty’s heart, but her father (John Leguizamo) is furious when he learns of the affair, and vows to keep them apart forever
Step Up 2 The Streets
The follow-up to the smash box-office hit Step Up takes the story of urban street-dancing to the next stage with a new story of bodies, hearts and dreams in motion. Rebellious newcomer Andie is an outcast trying to fit in at the elite Maryland School of the Arts while still holding on to her old dream of dancing with an underground Baltimore street crew. The school’s hottest talent Chase is a rising star who is looking to break out of his mould – by forming a crew to compete in Baltimore’s biggest, most raw street dancing battle, “The Streets.” Now, as Chase joins forces with Andie, the two simultaneously clash and sizzle, sending Andie’s two worlds into collision. With the pressure heating up on the dance floor and in her life, she must learn to build a bridge between love and loyalty, between freedom and opportunity, between who she is and who she believes she can be. Driven by hypnotic dance and music like its predecessor. Pure Joy. Or Not. Maybe. I will never know
One Missed Call
In this supernatural thriller a chain of people receive terrifying cell phone messages of their own final fatal moments. Though the messages can be deleted, their number is up. Beth Raymond is traumatized when she witnesses the gruesome deaths of two friends just days apart. Even more disturbing, she knows that both of them had received chilling cell phone messages—actual recordings of their own horrifying last moments. Impossibly, the calls were received days before they died, but each death occurred precisely when and how the messages foretold…um, no thank you, none for me.
To Book:
Ster Kinekor or Nu Metro
fadedsilverscreen said,
March 13, 2008 at 2:42 pm
Hmm….College Road Trip and 10,000 B.C. look really good–just kidding. Seriously, I think I may try to catch a showing of In Bruges, or maybe re-watch The Darjeeling Limited.
Daniel said,
March 13, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Doesn’t appear that it’s a very fruitful weekend, eh?
Nayana Anthony said,
March 13, 2008 at 5:42 pm
I’m so glad you enjoyed Juno. It was one of my favorites too, and of course being a Minnesota girl I was very proud of my homegirl Diablo Cody.
Nick Plowman said,
March 13, 2008 at 6:08 pm
fadedsilverscreen – I cannot wait to see In Bruges and buy Darjeeling Limited on DVD, you are so lucky. Your weekend plans are awesome, if you ask me!
Daniel – no it does not…kind of sucks, but it will be like this for a while, with one good film released each week along with all the box-office crap too. I am not complaining though, it could be worse. Okay, I guess I am complaining.
Nayana – I LOVED Juno, and I love that you love Juno and I love that you love Diablo Cody, not many people I “know” of do, so you most definitely r.o.c.k :) Minnesota…you people in the US have no idea how lucky you are. Maybe you do.
Matthew Lucas said,
March 13, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Nick,
I just saw “In Bruges” this week and I LOVED it. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did – so far this year it’s second only to “4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days.”
J.D. said,
March 13, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I have no idea. Probably Horton Hears a Who, if anything at all.
But I am seeing The 400 Blows this weekend, and I am EXCITED about that!!!! :)
Nick Plowman said,
March 14, 2008 at 4:07 am
I am now even more intrigued about in Bruges, it seems as though everyone loved it. I have to see it soon.
J.D…….The 400 Blows is just about my favourite film ever!!! I am excited for you to be seeing it. I cannot wait to hear what you think about it, you must hurry back and tell me!
I might see Horton on Sunday, but I am far from holding my breath.
Matthew Lucas said,
March 14, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I was going to be reviewing Horton for The Dispatch next week, but I just couldn’t do it. So I said screw it and sent them a review of The Bank Job instead…I’d rather raise awareness for a criminally underseen good movie…even if the review comes a little late.
Nick Plowman said,
March 14, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Horton looks so cringe worthy – but that is just me.
I still have not seen The Bank Job, but maybe I should, you and Craig both seemed to enjoy it a bit.
Matthew Lucas said,
March 14, 2008 at 6:51 pm
It’s quite good – smart, engaging, popcorn entertainment. We don’t get those often.
Aaron White said,
March 15, 2008 at 5:21 am
Hey, thanks for the comment. I agree with you on Ridely Scott. I thought Gladiator was good (it shouldn’t have beaten Traffic out for Best Pic though) but everything since has been lack luster until American Gangster, but I am quick to forgive because the man made Alien and Blade Runner.
Nick Plowman said,
March 15, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I agree Matt, we don’t.
Aaron, hey! Gladiator was good, but I do NOT think it deserved Best Pic either. Not that I was interested in the Oscars back then, but I would have pulled for Erin B. or Traffic – Soderbergh had a terrific year in retrospect. I have not seen Alien for reasons unknown, but Blade Runner was amazing, I still cannot believe how advanced and ahead of its time it truly was.
On another note, I have just got back from another movie filled day, I saw Charlie Wilson’s War and Sicko for the first time and saw Juno, No Country and TWBB again. I had such a great Saturday, seriously :)
soundtrackgeek said,
March 16, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Juno is a winner. A gem of a movie. I can’t stop watching it over and over again and every time I end up loving it more.
I haven’t seen the other 3, but Step Up 2 is on my shortlist.
Nick Plowman said,
March 17, 2008 at 4:14 am
There is usually one film that opens each week that I can genuinely say I love, and this week it is Juno. Who knows what I may see down the line, but I don’t have that big of an intention to see any of the other three films opening this week.
~ Now I cannot wait for next weekend ;) ~