The Changeling
– Directed by Clint Eastwood, the movie tells the true story of
Christine Collins, a woman whose son goes missing in 1920s Los
Angeles. A boy is soon returned to her, but she begins to suspect
it is not her son. Starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich and
Michael Kelly. Drama, R.
Hitting the theaters
Opening this week
By The Associated Press
Zack and Miri Make a Porno – The extreme opposites within Kevin Smith’s filmmaking personality co-exist here, to hit-and-miss effect. Yes, there is a ton of sex in “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” as the title would suggest, including one scene that is so incredibly wrong, words don’t even begin to describe it. A proliferation of raw, raunchy dialogue has always been one of the writer-director’s preferred tactics, dating back to his pioneering 1994 debut, “Clerks,” and that’s certainly true this time, as well – actually, it’s more relevant than usual.
But “Zack and Miri” also reflects the sweetness that has crept intermittently into Smith’s movies in recent years as he’s settled into his real-life roles as husband and father. (See: “Jersey Girl.”) A guy and a girl, longtime best friends and roommates, realize they’re secretly in love with each other – it’s one of the most hackneyed romantic comedy premises of all time. Through Smith’s skewed prism, though, Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) achieve this epiphany while having on-camera sex during an amateur adult movie, something they do out of desperation to pay the bills during a miserable Pittsburgh winter. Rogen and Banks make an extremely likable comic pair, despite the fact that they’re an unlikely romantic match (or perhaps because of it).
Both are clearly comfortable in such naughty but highly verbal territory as alumni of Judd Apatow movies – and, as in Apatow’s “Knocked Up,” this is yet another wish-fulfillment comedy in which the tubby, schlubby Rogen lands an impossibly beautiful woman who would never give him the time of day in real life. Comedy, R.
RocknRolla – For better and for worse, this is a pretty typical Guy Ritchie movie –intentionally convoluted plotting, eccentric underworld characters, hyperstylized editing and, of course, a killer soundtrack. It’s a blast, with wildly sexy visual flourishes that harken to the best of his work – “Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch” –but since the trailers alone make “RocknRolla” look like a parody of a Ritchie film, it makes you wonder what else the writer-director has inside of him.
Oh, wait, we know the answer to that – it was called “Swept Away,” an unfortunate byproduct of his time with Madonna. Ritchie is back on comfortable, familiar footing here with this story of British gangsters who are so busy trying to screw each other over, they don’t realize that they’re in over their heads. He draws lively performances from his eclectic cast, especially Tom Wilkinson in a hilariously brash turn as Lenny Cole, a bumbling London crime boss; beneath his bald cap and Cockney accent, Wilkinson is nearly unrecognizable. Orbiting around Lenny is a sundry assortment of lowlifes, schemers and thugs, including an ideally rugged Gerard Butler as a gangster named One Two, Thandie Newton as a sleek, seductive accountant and Karel Roden as a wealthy Russian property developer whose lucky painting serves as the movie’s McGuffin. But Toby Kebbell is a standout as a crack-addicted rock star named Johnny Quid, who’s presumed dead but turns out to be very much alive – and he’s the voice of reason. Comedy, R.
Splinter – This retro horror movie begins with a scrawny bumpkin lounging in a cheap lawn chair outside a deadly quiet gas station in the Oklahoma woods. He wears a trucker hat emblazoned with the words “I (Heart) Bikinis.” You know this guy will be a goner in scant minutes, but nothing can prepare you for who – or what? – attacks him.
The feature debut from British writer-director Toby Wilkins is a truly inspired mix of stripped-down, 1970s-style scares and vivid special effects. It has so many gnarly, oh-my-God-did-that-just-happen? moments, your jaw will hurt from hitting the floor so often. The premise is old-school and familiar – it’s the execution that’ll grab you. Boyfriend and girlfriend Seth (Paulo Costanzo) and Polly (Jill Wagner from those Lincoln-Mercury commercials) are heading for a weekend camping trip to enjoy a little “anniversary sex under the stars,” as she says. Naturally, everything goes wrong.
First, they get carjacked by escaped convict Dennis (Shea Whigham) and his junkie girlfriend, Lacey (Rachel Kerbs), then they hit some kind of animal on a back road and have to change a flat tire. It’s only when they stop at a gas station that they begin to realize the creature they encountered is far more dangerous than they ever could have imagined. Wilkins makes expert use of silence and steady pacing to build suspense, but also well-placed sound effects to jolt us. And the thing that’s out there – a sort of spiky, infectious ferret that turns its victims into zombie porcupine Frankensteins – is a twisted force to behold. Horror, R.
Playing Oct. 31 – Nov. 6
Beverly Hills Chihuahua – Warning: This film contains talking animals – and their not animated. In the film from Raja Gosnell, a shi-shi Beverly Hills Chihuahua gets parted from her owner while on vacation from Mexico. Voiced by Drew Barrymore, Chloe runs into a motley crew of Mexican dogs as she tries to find her way back home across the border. Comedy, PG.
The Changeling – Directed by Clint Eastwood, the movie tells the true story of Christine Collins, a woman whose son goes missing in 1920s Los Angeles. A boy is soon returned to her, but she begins to suspect it is not her son. Starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich and Michael Kelly. Drama, R.
Elegy – Professor David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) finds his life thrown into disarray by Consuela Castillo (Penelope Cruz), a student he desires. Drama, R.
The Haunting of Molly Hartley – Molly Hartley (Haley Bennett) moves to a new school for a fresh start, but her haunted past continues to follow her. Also starring Jacke Weber, Chace Crawford and Shannon Marie Woodward. Thriller, PG-13.
High School Musical 3 – It’s senior year for the Wildcats, and Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) need to get used to the idea of being separated for college while spending time with their friends. Also starring Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu and KayCee Stroh. Musical comedy, G.
Max Payne – When a DEA agent’s (Mark Wahlberg) family is murdered, he joins forces with an assassin (Mila Kunis.) The movie promises to create a dark world that reflects the videogame on which it is based. Action, PG-13.
Pride and Glory – In this film starring Colin Farrell and Edward Norton, they are pit against each as two officers when Ray Tierney (Norton) investigages a case that points to his brother-in-law Jimmy Egan (Farrell). The finding threatens to destroy his famly and the New York police department they work for. Drama, PG.
Quarantine – Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) is a young reporter looking for the big story that will jumpstart her career. She and her cameraman (Steve Harris) go out at night in search of stories, one night tailing a local fire crew. When the crew gets a call from an old lady trapped inside an apartment building, they start a rescue mission. But the tenants of the building have been trapped for a reason and film quickly spirals into a thriller. Also starring Jay Hernandez and Johnathon Schaech. Horror, R.
Saw V – The Jigsaw murder spree continues in Saw V with Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) and Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) following the leads. Also starring Betsy Russell, Tobin Bell and Julie Benz. Horror, R.
The Secret Life Of Bees – How can a movie populate a house with Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson and NOT give us a song? Though the cast might suggest a musical, “The Secret Life of Bees” is an earnest, saccharine adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s best-selling 2002 novel, brought to the big screen by director Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Love & Basketball”).
The novel, set in South Carolina in 1964, came out of nowhere to sell millions in paperback, so this adaptation arrives with much anticipation from its readers. The film stays close to the novel in telling the story of Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning), a 14-year-old girl who runs away from an abusive father, fleeing with her caretaker (Hudson). They end up serendipitously at the house of the bee-keeping Boatwright sisters (Latifah, Keys and Sophie Okonedo). The three, particularly Latifah’s motherly character, rejuvenate Lily and teach her about love through bees. Keys is by far the most riveting thing in the otherwise one-dimensional, overly simplistic film. All distrust and uptight anger, she dominates the screen with a tension the movie can’t find anywhere else – in the plot, in Lily, even in the early 1960s racial turmoil. Drama, PG-13.
Hitting the couch
Movies out on DVD and Blu-Ray Nov. 4
Get Smart – Steve Carell steps into Maxwell Smart’s shoe-phone and Anne Hathaway takes over as Agent 99 in the hit update of the 1960s TV spy comedy. Inheriting the roles created by Don Adams and Barbara Feldon, Carell and Hathaway do an origins story for the duo as Max, a desk-jockey analyst for the spy outfit CONTROL, gets his shot at field operations and is paired with skeptical 99, a star agent who doubts her new partner’s abilities. Single-disc DVD and two-disc DVD versions and the Blu-ray release have alternate scenes. Other extras on the two-disc DVD and Blu-ray editions include a handful of behind-the-scenes segments and a digital copy of the movie. Single-disc DVD, $28.98; two-disc DVD set, $34.99; Blu-ray, $35.99. (Warner Bros.)
A Christmas Story – The studio puts new wrapping on one of Hollywood’s best holiday flicks, an adaptation of Jean Shepherd’s hilarious tale of a 1940s family Christmas featuring a lovably blustery dad (Darren McGavin), a doting mom (Melinda Dillon) and a boy (Peter Billingsley) who is desperate to find a Red Ryder air rifle waiting for him under the tree on the big morning. Marking its 25th anniversary, the movie is repackaged in a collector’s edition tin case that comes with Christmas cookie cutters shaped after key objects in the film, along with a chef’s apron and a book of recipes inspired by the flick. The Blu-ray collector’s edition comes with a string of Christmas lights in the shape of the gaudy leg lamp McGavin’s character wins as a prize. The film also comes in a separate release with just the Blu-ray disc. DVD collector’s edition, $39.99; Blu-ray release, $28.99; Blu-ray collector’s edition, $49.99. (Warner Bros.)
Planet of the Apes – Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans become lords of the primates again as the franchise marks its 40th anniversary with a Blu-ray boxed set packing all five movies released from 1968-73. The five-disc set is led by the original tale, “Planet of the Apes,” starring Charlton Heston as an astronaut stranded on a strange world where humans are mute animals ruled by talking simians. The set also packs “Beneath the Planet of the Apes,” “Escape From the Planet of the Apes,” “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” and “Battle for the Planet of the Apes.” Many of the extras were previously available on DVD releases, but the Blu-ray set packs new segments featuring scientists discussing the possibilities of apes turning the tables on humanity and tracing how the story evolved from Pierre Boulle’s novel to the screen. Blu-ray set, $159.98. (20th Century Fox)
The Gregory Peck Film Collection – Six Peck classics are gathered in a boxed set, led by previously available DVD releases of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” with Peck as a compassionate widower raising two children while defending a black man accused of raping a white woman, and “Cape Fear,” in which he’s a lawyer terrorized by a psychotic criminal (Robert Mitchum). Making their DVD debuts in the seven-disc package are the Middle Eastern mystery “Arabesque,” the thriller “Mirage,” the wartime tale “Captain Newman, M.D.” and the seafaring saga “The World in His Arms.” DVD set, $59.98. (Universal)
Hitting the couch
Shrek the Halls – The not-too-jolly green ogre muddles through his first family Christmas with this special that first aired last year, featuring “Shrek” voice stars Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas. The DVD includes holiday singalongs with cartoon creatures from “Madagascar” and its upcoming sequel. DVD, $19.99. (Paramount)
Spin City: The Complete First Season – “Family Ties” star Michael J. Fox returned to TV comedy with this series that debuted in 1996, playing top aide to a New York City mayor who’s a political handful. A four-disc set packs the first 24 episodes, plus interviews with Fox and his collaborators and commentary. DVD set, $39.99. (Shout)
Futurama: Bender’s Game – The animated idiots of the 31st century return in the third feature-length tale that follows their weekly series. This time, the delivery crew of the future face an energy crisis and steer their spaceship to the heart of the galaxy’s prime fuel source. Series creator Matt Groening and some of the voice cast offer commentary. DVD, $29.98; Blu-ray, $39.98. (20th Century Fox)
