Weekend Movie Guide: It's Funny, People!

That is not what I'd be doing if I were sitting there, buddy. (Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight)

« PREVIOUS

If you're planning to see one movie this weekend, you should re-jigger your schedule and see four! Funny People would be an excellent place to start. It's Rogen, Apatow and Sandler's best film to date (LAist review here). Sure, it's not a straight comedy, but it is damn funny. You'll leave the film in a good mood, but that will quickly turn into righteous anger once you've seen The Cove. The best movie at the Sundance Film Festival this year (LAist reviews here and here), it's a thrilling and sad documentary about the annual dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan. I mean seriously, how many eco-documentaries have scenes inside ILM? The Cove is that cool. More to the point, it almost feels like a narrative film with all the intrigue and plot that go into capturing the wrenching footage of dolphins being mercilessly pitchforked in the water by giggling fisherman. See it!

By this point, you're probably feeling a bit enervated. You've laughed; you've cried. Why not sit back and enjoy the moody Thirst? It's a film about a priest who becomes a vampire (LAist review here). That should be enough to lure you into the theater. There's also hot sex and existential despair if you need further encouragement. Finish off your movie weekend with Not Quite Hollywood. It tells the story of the Aussie exploitation film industry in the 70s and 80s and -- God damn -- is it fun! As for the rest of the weekend: pass on Aliens in the Attic unless you have kids; go to Adam if you love Rose Byrne (and you should); pass on The Collector -- there are better horror pics out there; and go to Lorna's Silence. It might make you re-think your next arranged marriage.