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Stuff You Might Wanna See This Weekend (Was: New Movie Friday)
Reno 911!: Miami - America's favorite sheriff department takes its bumbling idiocy on the road to after a terrorist plot disrupts the city's national police convention. Damn! I love me some Jim Dangle in those plum smugglers. The only question: will the film be as funny as the marketing campaign or has Fox front-loaded the trailers with all the best material?
The Astronaut Farmer - Poor Virginia Madsen, co-starring in not one but two crappy vehicles for talented, off-kilter male actors desperately trying to reinvent their careers (the other one is The Number 23). The Polish brothers (Michael directed, he and Mark co-wrote the screenplay) bring us this drama about a retired astronaut (Billy Bob Thornton) who builds a rocket in his barn.
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Abandoned - Newcomer Nacho Cerdà directs this horror tale about an adopted woman (Anastasia Hille) who returns to her native Russia after her mother's dead body is found under bizarre circumstances. She hires a guide to take her to the remote family farm she has just inherited but as soon as she arrives he disappears. Then things really get weird. She meets a man (Karel Roden) who says that he too has come to the farm to discover the truth about his unknown past. They soon become trapped in the compound and are surrounded by ghostly versions of themselves who are only too happy to explain how their living counterparts will die.
Alone With Her - Colin Hanks plays a guy who plants hidden cameras an recording devices in the apartment of a woman (Ana Claudia Talancon) he's obsessed with, so he can manipulate her into a relationship in this indie thriller directed by Eric Nicholas.
Glastonbury - Julien Temple (The Filth & The Fury) directs this rock doc about the 30th anniversary of the storied British music festival. Performances include: David Bowie, Radiohead, Björk, James Brown, Chemical Brothers, Primal Scream, The Cure, Oasis and Coldplay.
Gray Matters - A sister (Heather Graham) and brother (Thomas Cavanagh) fall for the same woman (Bridget Moynahan). Molly Shannon and Alan Cumming have supporting roles.
Madhumasam - Chandra Siddhartha directs this Telugu-language film about Sanjay, a practical guy who listens to his head above is heart, and Hamsa, a girl who trusts others too readily. They arrange what is in Sanjay's mind a marriage of convenience, but when Hamsa learns he does not love her, she calls off the wedding. Sanjay starts missing Hamsa, while Hamsa leanrs the value of pragmatism before they eventually wind up in each others' arms.
Marcus - Indie thriller/horror film about Roger (Marc Rose) returns home for Christmas reconcile with his younger sister, Brooke (Frankie Ingrassia), who he hasn't seen in almost three years but discovers that Brooke is nowhere to be seen. Instead he is greeted by an estranged friend and meddling ex-girlfriend. Then Brooke's alleged boyfriend, Marcus (Ross Kurt), shows up to make life hell for everyone and details about Roger's unsavory past come to light.
The Number 23 - LAist's own Sebastian astutely pointed out in his review of The Number 23...
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As soon as the main plot device -- a book that details one man's descent into madness fueled by his discovery that everything is somehow related to the number 23 -- appears, Carrey switches gears and does the typical "guy going crazy with obsession" part he wasn't born to play. I would detail the intricacies of the hole-ridden plot, but frankly it's not worth wasting any more precious brain energy on it. Suffice it to say that it's the sort of drool-inducing high concept hokum that should have been put to rest at the turn of the century. And by that I mean 1899.
But in truth the real problem here isn't the plot. I can live without plot. The real problem is -- pay attention Hollywood execs 'cause I'm only gonna say it once -- NUMBERS AREN'T SCARY. No matter how much you try to freak me out about the number 23 being everywhere, I'm not scared. I could discover that I had a number 23 birthmark between my butt cheeks and not loose a moment's sleep.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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