This has to be the best week of movies this measly summer
has managed to cough up. Seriously, I peeked at the IMDB
"Opening This Week" list just a moment ago and almost
coughed up a lung over how spectacular this weekend looks.
In fact, I won't even bore you with introduction this week,
that's how excited I am.
As always, thanks for reading.
Hitting Theaters This Weekend:
DISTRICT 9
Director:
Neill Blomkamp
Cast:
Sharlto Copley, David James, Jason Cope
Summary:
A ship full of aliens crashes in to South Africa and are
immediately set in military protected slums. A government
worker gets infected and seemingly, all hell breaks lose.
Thoughts:
This is the film I'm the most jazzed for this summer.
Blomkamp had turned some heads a while back with a HALO
preview that had nerds the word a-tittering. I wasn't
entirely blown away by that, but this alien romp looks
intelligent, exciting, and gorier than hell. The marketing
has been top-notch, the original trailer was mind-blowing,
and the reviews are near ecstatic. I had plans to wait in
line for this flick come Friday night, but alas I must
work. Nonetheless I haven't thought about waiting in line
for a film since I was trying to woo my ex-girlfriend at
Lord of the Rings - absolutely nothing good came out of
that.
Rotten Tomatoes Score:
94%
PONYO
Director:
Hayao Miyazaki
Cast:
Matt Damon, Cate Blanchett (voices)
Summary:
I love that this is a film summary on IMDB: "An animated
adventure centered on a 5-year-old boy and his relationship
with a goldfish princess who longs to become human." Oh you
wild Japanese.
Thoughts:
I'm a Miyazaki fan from way back. I haven't loved
everything he's ever done (seriously Kiki's Delivery
Service was startlingly boring) but I've loved the hell
out of the one's I have. Nonetheless, a new film by this
aged director is always a cause for celebration, because no
matter what he's going to be plumbing the depths of
originality in a way we small-brained Yanks can't wrap our
heads around. Hell, any film that features a goldfish
princess gets bumped to the top of my list.
Summary:Teenagers
and bands and grief and angst and romance. My throat is
clenched to prevent the vomiting.
Thoughts:
My brother, genius that he is, told me to see Camp a
long time ago, and I rented it under his good judgment and
viewed with a bunch of friends and was scorned for decades
because it was so miserably stupid. Thus this film, a big
budget teen-singing mess by the same director featuring an
actress with no discernible talent makes my head spin like
Linda Blair. I will spew green devil-vomit all over this
picture. That is how much I do not want to see it.
Rotten Tomatoes Score:
79%
THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
Director:
Robert Schwentke
Cast:
Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams
Summary:
A lady (Rachel McAdams) accidentally marries a time
traveler (Eric Bana) and the whole of their relationship is
based on his disappearances in to the time stream.
Thoughts:
I remember a friend of mine telling me that this book was
surprisingly candid in its erotic nature and thinking that
finding out just what they meant by that was the only reason
I'd ever read this book. When Gus Van Sant signed on to it
so many years ago, I was worried for his career. Now the
guy behind Flightplan (a not terrible aerial rip-off
of The Lady Vanishes) has crafted it and I'm one
hundred percent in the "meh" category in terms of this
film. Someone please skip the actually good movies playing
this week, see this one, and tell me how far down the
Netflix queue I should drop it. Thanks.
Rotten Tomatoes Score:
38%
THE GOODS: LIVE HARD, SELL HARD
Director:
Neal Brennan
Cast:
Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames
Summary:
A used car salesman (Jeremy Piven) is given the opportunity
to revive his career at a 4th of July extravaganza.
Thoughts:
I don't know why more people aren't talking about this
film. It's produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, it
stars sometimes funny man Jeremy Piven, and the director
used to hot shot it over at The Chapelle Show. What's going
on here? Have you not seen the "Purple Dildo" scene that
screened at Funny or Die where Will Ferrell, dressed like
Abe Lincoln, falls to his death amongst a cloud of sex
toys? You should, as it's fucking hilarious. As will this
movie be.
Rotten Tomatoes Score:
14%
Final Thoughts:
As long as you aren't seeing Bandslam you're in good
hands this week.
Noah Sanders is the blog/news editor at Light In The
Attic and a contributor at Sound On The Sound and
the KEXP blog. He also has his own
Criterion-based film site, Criterion Quest.
If you'd like to contact Noah in regards to his
writings here at Side One: Track One then please do
so
here.
- Noah Sanders
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