Lovely vintage footage graces this arresting documentary from director Terence Davies (DISTANT VOICES, STILL LIVES), who crafts an ode to Liverpool, the city of his birth. OF TIME AND THE CITY chronicles the transformation of Liverpool and its people during the middle of the 20th century, resulting in a fluidly ever-changing–yet always dead-on–portrayal of an entire city. Touching and oftentimes savagely funny, OF TIME AND THE CITY is equal parts poem. history, and autobiography. It has also made its way onto the several best-of-the-year lists of some of the most revered international critics.
In an adaptation of Elmore Leonard¿s best-selling crime novel, the beautiful Carmen Colson (Diane Lane) and her husband Wayne (Thomas Jane) become entangled in a scam with a bumbling, small time con artist (Joseph Gordon Levitt) and his over-the-hill hitman partner the Blackbird (Mickey Rourke). Ultimately, it all comes down to one wife, one husband, two killers… and one lethal killshot. A Quentin Tarantino presentation.
Troy (Colin Hanks) decides that his career as a lawyer has lost its appeal, so he drops out of school in favor of working for Buck Howard (John Malkovich). But the eponymous mentalist isn’t the celebrity he used to be, and Hollywood and Vegas just don’t call like they used to, making everyone question Troy’s decision. Tom Hanks produces and makes an appearance as Troy’s father.
The dramatic retelling of the life, improbable rise, and violent fall of rapper Christopher Wallace (a.k.a. the Notorious B.I.G.), NOTORIOUS plays like A STAR IS BORN set to a rattling gangsta snare. With crisp direction by George Tillman, Jr., producer of the BARBERSHOP series, the film is briskly paced and strikes a worthy balance between sensationalized celebrity biopic and behind-the-scenes drama. Angela Bassett anchors the latter with a nuanced performance as Voletta, Wallaces long-suffering single mother who attempts to shelter him from the mean streets of Bed-Stuy.<br><br>With deep involvement by those who knew him best–the real Voletta Wallace and Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs (played dynamically by Derek Luke) co-produced–the film nonetheless unflinchingly portrays Biggies troubled history as a teenage crack dealer, his chronic infidelity and poor fathering skills, and his own role in stoking the ludicrous coastal rivalry that claimed both his and Tupac Shakurs lives. As it presents Biggie’s side of the murders in boldface, one wonders if a more independent eye would cast Shakur and his cohorts in the villain role so starkly. Documentarian quibbles aside, NOTORIOUS delivers an impactful tribute to its subject’s genius–revealing to fans and neophytes alike the microphone skills, narrative chops, and fresh vision that made Wallace one of hip-hops greatest all-time MCs. Largely, this is due to the ace performance by Jamal Woolard, an amateur rapper who packed on 50 pounds to play the hulking gangsta, and nails his mordant charisma and conflicted inner life with a star turn every bit as on point as Jamie Foxxs Ray Charles or Val Kilmers Jim Morrison.
Those who were waiting for the romantic reunion of TITANIC’s Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet may be surprised by what they find in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. The movie begins with a sweet scene where Frank (DiCaprio) and April (Winslet) meet at a party, but the rest of this drama based on Richard Yates’s novel is devoted to watching the destruction of their marriage and their selves in 1950s suburbia. Frank works at a job he hates in New York City, then commutes home to two children and a wife who feels none of them belong in their cookie-cutter town. Their realtor (a fine Kathy Bates) recognizes their specialness and introduces them to her mentally unstable son (BUG’s Michael Shannon, in another good, unhinged performance) in an effort to establish some normalcy for the man. However, Frank and April’s marriage is not as perfect as it seems to the outside world, and the audience gets to witness their downfall. <br><br>With its commentary on conformity and finding identity, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD bears more than a passing resemblance in both theme and tone to the TV series MAD MEN and director Sam Mendes’s previous film AMERICAN BEAUTY. The characters here may live in a polite age where men wear ties and hats and women clean the house in skirts and heels, but the dialogue often enters brutal territory. Less capable actors wouldn’t have been able to capture the volatile chemistry between Frank and April, but DiCaprio and Winslet are as wonderful at uttering sweet nothings as they are at tearing each other apart with verbal barbs. Mendes, directing his wife, Winslet, for the first time, is a perfect match for the source novel’s lack of sentimentality and its wry commentary on life in the 1950s that still resonates half a century later.
Nineteen-year old Casey Bell is haunted by a dybbuk–the soul of a dead person barred from heaven–in the form of a young boy who perished in Auschwitz.
Bollywood and kung fu make for an explosive–and comedic–combo in this film that travels all over Asia. Worldwide star Akshay Kumar plays a Delhi cook who departs his native India for China in search of adventure. CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA also stars Deepika Padukone, Mithun Chakraborty, Ranvir Shorey, and Gordon Liu.
A beautiful holiday in Mallorca turns ugly fast in this British horror film. Sex and drugs are only the beginning for three Leeds girls who join four men from London on their yacht, and an orgy soon turns deadly for one of the vacationers. The attempts to cover up one death soon lead to more murders, and now each of the survivors has to fight for his or her life–even if that means killing someone.
The filmmakers behind THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA take on another bestseller in the family film MARLEY AND ME. Based on the hit memoir by John Grogan, MARLEY AND ME chronicles the relationship of John (Owen Wilson) and Jen (Jennifer Aniston) as they face the challenges of marriage and work to start a family. By their side is their beloved dog, Marley, who can chew through drywall, got kicked out of obedience school, and never met a leg he didn’t like. The cute pup’s antics come to signify the unexpected challenges that everyone faces in adulthood, and the film is ultimately a paean to unconditional love; others may see Marley as the “world’s worst dog,” but throughout it all, he proves to be the couple’s most faithful friend.<br><br>MARLEY AND ME plays like a modern day Norman Rockwell portrait with a little more bite, courtesy of the snark-friendly screenwriters and the title’s wild mutt. The sets are sumptuous, with every shot lovingly lit to look like a Hallmark card. The winning lead performances help elevate the picture above its feel-good counterparts; Aniston is radiant and Wilson shows off sharp dramatic chops, giving some maturity to his loveable comedic persona. Alan Arkin gives a scene-stealing performance as Wilson’s boss, and Kathleen Turner proves to be a great sport with her physically demanding cameo as Marley’s obedience instructor. But in the end the picture belongs to the dogs, and for once that’s a good thing. A film that keeps the audience cooing, cracking up, and crying, MARLEY AND ME is sure to become a family favorite.
Gabriele Muccino (THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS) directs this tale of a man devastated by a tragedy in his past who is seeking redemption. To the outside world, Ben Thomas (Will Smith) is a cordial, atypically helpful agent for the Internal Revenue Service. But when he’s alone, Ben is tormented by a tragic incident in his past, sinking into grief. He’s even cut off communication with his beloved brother (Michael Ealy). Nevertheless, Ben is especially interested in strangers with challenging circumstances. He’s taken particular interest in Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), a lovely young woman with congenital heart disease who is being audited by the IRS. Ben finds himself falling for Emily, and has to choose the best way to follow his heart.<br><br>Smith wears Ben’s heart on his sleeve, the pain of his past loss and his impending future apparent in his face both when he is alone and when he begins to feel happiness–which he doesn’t think he deserved–with Emily. He also nails Ben’s pleasant work persona, masking his pain as he charms strangers and earns their trust. Dawson is beguiling as Emily, whose only wish is to have more time to experience life, especially once she finds love with Ben. With flashbacks mixed into the story, SEVEN POUNDS takes a circuitous route, saving some surprises for its end. Woody Harrelson appears as a blind man, and Barry Pepper plays Ben’s best friend and confidante, Dan.