Movies: Fall Film Preview

Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley look ahead to awards season

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...watches trailers through fingers (too many spoilers) and waits impatiently for the feature presentation. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

With summer winding down and nothing thrilling opening in theaters (despite marquees suggesting otherwise), it's the perfect time to look both backwards and forwards. Now's the time to catch up with some of 2010's best in case you missed any. Some of them like I Am Love, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, The Kids Are All Right, Winter's Bone and Toy Story 3 are still in theaters. Other acclaimed first quarter releases like Fish Tank and South Korea's Mother have hit DVD. So get caught up before the Fall films hit.

As with the summer preview, we're dividing the intriguing offerings up into categories using handy film titles because You Gotta Have A Gimmick. For each month we'll look at THE CHAMP (a possible blockbuster), DIVA (fierce women),  THE PRESTIGE (Oscar hopefuls), WHERE THE BOYS ARE (for the hotness) and TRUE STORIES (documentaries or fact-based fiction). Obviously what follows is but a small sampling of what's to come. All in good time...

Have you seen Betty White and Sigourney Weaver's catfight with Kristen Bell? The ladies of You Again get their claws out AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: New Releases, Disturbed Nuns, Black Swans and Musical Bios

Patrick Wilson, sperm donor of choice.

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...prefers air conditioned movie theaters to hot beaches in the summertime. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

Now Playing
It's a crowded weekend for new releases. Nanny McPhee Returns and Bow Wow has a winning Lottery Ticket. If you're in the mood for gore comedy, there's Piranha 3D. Meanwhile over in The Switch, Jason Bateman spills Patrick Wilson's sperm and -- uh, wait, that sounds way more interesting than it is -- and he improvises with his own to make sure Jennifer Aniston stays on her babymaking track. In limited release you can see Mao's Last Dancer or the very funny and horny Soul Kitchen from acclaimed Turkish-German director Fatih Akin.

Bonus Scenes

Fall film festival season is almost upon us. New York, Toronto and Telluride are finalizing their glittery lineups and pedigreed Oscar hopefuls will follow those premieres into regular theaters in time. Venice will kick off their fest with the psychological ballet thriller Black Swan which stars Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis as rivals and more.  

Don't look so worried Natalie!

More, AFTER THE JUMP...

 

Movies: Eat, Pray, Love Your Seven Ex-Boyfriends

James Prays. Julia Eats and Loves.

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...prefers air conditioned movie theaters to hot beaches in the summertime. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

**Editor's note: Our apologies -- though we'll blame an attempt at summer hours -- that this didn't get posted Friday. Enjoy.

Your Feature Presentations
For this weekend's moviegoing adventure, may I suggest a film about a whiny protagonist who dives too quick into romances, breaking innocent hearts? The movie is actually pretty good even though you'll want to slap some sense into the lead on occasion. If only our hero could find a little personal redemption and a way around the personal baggage that comes with multiple exes. What movie were we talking about again? Oh yes, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ! Or was it Eat Pray Love?

Eat Pray Love is based on the best-selling memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert. "Liz" (Julia Roberts) is a beautiful writer in New York City. She's still hurting from a painful divorce from Stephen (Billy Crudup). She jumps into a new relationship with David (James Franco) who is too young for her. She's ambivalent and unhappy. She remembers an old prophecy from a healer in Bali and decides that returning there is the fresh start she needs. In order to find balance and inner peace, she'll have to forgive herself for that trail of exes and learn to trust in love again.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is based on a series of very funny comic books. "Scott Pilgrim" (Michael Cera) is a 22 year old bassist hipster in Toronto. He's still hurting from a painful breakup from Envy (Brie Larson). He jumps into a new relationship with Knives Chau (Ellen Wong) who is too young for him. He's ambivalent and unhappy. When he sees his dream girl (literally) Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), he wants to make a fresh start. In order to be with her, he'll have to forgive her that trail of seven evil exes and defeat them in battle

MORE after the jump.

Movies: Tanked Soldiers, 3D Showgirls and Memorable Undies

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...prefers air conditioned movie theaters to hot beaches in the summertime. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

NOW PLAYING
Damn it. Why didn't everyone tell me Harry Shum Jr was in STEP UP 3D? Glee's best dancer (pity that he was apparently born mute) is a total selling point. I would've made the effort to catch a screening. Love him.

Step Up 3D, which was actually shot in 3D rather than converted later (imagine!), is opening against the Will Ferrel/Mark Wahlberg buddy comedy THE OTHER GUYS but as per usual the interesting stuff is in limited release.

CAIRO TIME stars Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig, two dependable attractive actors who rarely get lead roles. If you're a fan of either, it's an absolute must see. This subtle cross cultural quasi romance could well have been titled Before Sunset. That title was already taken so they went with something to situate you geographically. This isn't a transcendent classic like the famous Before... films with Ethan Hawke/Julie Delpy. It's not half as talky either -- Patty's character is rather reserved and even the camera is nervous to approach her, only gradually moving in for closeups the further along the story goes. But the film is beautifully observed and if you thrill to the sight of the right actress in the right gown, Patty gets a beyond flattering lulu for the finale.

The festival hit LEBANON, an Israeli film about the 1982 Lebanon war, is another solidly built drama hitting the arthouses. The claustrophobic film takes place entirely inside a tank where four hot, sweaty, cramped, young Israeli soldiers struggle to keep their wits about them and survive increasingly nerve-wracking situations in a mission that's getting very confusing and dangerous. It's unfortunate that the movie doesn't make more use of the internal space of the tank itself -- even when the faces are this gorgeous a close-up isn't always the best option -- but it's a moving anti-war drama all the same.

But given the elation following the Judge Vaughn Walker's decision on Prop 8, maybe we should all go see THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT again this weekend. It's such a funny, authentically felt story about gay marriage and family. The timing of the wide release couldn't be better.

BONUS SCENES

Guess what time it is?

It's time for National Underwear Day. More, AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: Get Low, See "Angels"

Robert Duvall starts an unorthodox Oscar campaign for Get Low

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...prefers air conditioned movie theaters to hot beaches in the summertime. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

YOUR FEATURE PRESENTATION
Felix Bush (Oscar winner Robert Duvall is an ornery recluse In the 30s period dramedy GET LOW. It's based on Tennessee folklore about a hermit who threw himself a funeral while he was still alive. To prepare for this odd event, Bush enlists the help of local funeral director Bill Murray (no character name necessary. This is Bill Murray doing Bill Murray) and his aptly named assistant "Buddy" (played by Lucas Black). On the journey to the funeral, skeletons from Bush's closet involving a former love (Oscar winner Sissy Spacek) and an old friend (Bill Cobbs) are uncovered.

Get Low starts out promisingly with a deadly housefire which sets up the mystery of the hermit's past. Unfortunately, from then on we're constantly hearing about the Felix Bush tall tales but not the tales themselves. The movie lacks the specificity it needs to make his legend vividly felt. He's reduced, then, to a standard grumpy old man who keeps to himself. Duvall's final monologue is impressive (Ding Ding: Oscar clip!) but the movie refuses to gather enough steam to really make it hurt. And, weirder still, the funeral party sequence isn't anything like what it's hyped up to be, much like the legend of the man... or the movie itself.

Some would argue that 2010 has been a weak movie year but we've already seen a small handful of future Oscar players (The Kids Are All Right, Inception, Toy Story 3, Winter's Bone) so it's not all bad. You can probably add Get Low to that list. The Academy may well love it as much as most critics do.

Also Opening: Zac Efron "discovers the transformative power of love" whilst chasing movie stardom(he's already got the other kind of stardom) in Charlie St Cloud . Paul Rudd and Steve Carell ad lib in Dinner For Schmucks. We've heard only terrible things about it but a lot of today's comedies seem to be flimsy premises to just hang improv on, trusting the actors to elevate it. When will someone think to write a great screenplay for our best comedic actors? A soldier returns to his Texas home in The Dry Land. Finally, don't make me mention the Cats & Dogs sequel please. Have you no mercy?

BONUS (OFFSCREEN) SCENE
What is Robin Weigert (Deadwood) laughing about? Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) and Robin Bartlett (Shutter Island) are leaning in to get a better look.

Find out, AFTER THE JUMP...

Movies: Angelina & Brad, Joseph & The Riddler

NATHANIEL ROGERS
...prefers air conditioned movie theaters to hot beaches in the summertime. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

NOW PLAYING
Angelina Jolie plays Jason Bourne Edwin Salt, a deadly CIA agent and alleged spy on the run in SALT. Whether or not you're lining up for a ticket will have a lot to do with how much you like Angie in action heroine mode. Her larger-than-life persona is such a natural fit for fantastical genres. In fact, you'd swear she was computer-generated if her offscreen persona weren't also so familiar. But after this latest round of action posturing, wouldn't it be great to see her in more human feral sapphic mode again (Gia, Girl Interrupted)?

But can we talk about Brad Pitt and his penchant for becoming his girlfriends... or at least matching them well both onscreen and off? Here he is at the premiere of Salt, sharing Angie's colorist. This is an endearing yet little discussed character trait of his.

More, AFTER THE JUMP...