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Weekend Movie Guide 03/25: Sucker Punch, Potiche & "Scratch" Perry!
Zack Snyder's 300 is the epitome of macho mythology. With Sucker Punch, he attempts to craft a feminine fable. It's Alice in Wonderland by way of Sin City, as a gun-toting, super-sexy teen retreats into a steampunk fantasyland to free herself & her gun-toting, super-sexy teen friends. Boys, hold your drool. Girls, hold your nose. It's far from brainy, but it may be a mind-blower in IMAX. (Personally, I prefer this Disney Princess trailer mash-up.)
The French word potiche means "trophy wife", but the French film Potiche translates to "pleasant pallet cleanser". The '70s-set comedy reunites writer/director François Ozon (Swimming Pool) with 8 Women leading lady Catherine Deneuve (also of Dancer In The Dark & Belle de Jour). The trailer lovingly melds the polyester pop of the discotheque to the changing ways of the working class chauvinist.
Set against a backdrop of the Brooklyn mob & The Rolling Stones, White Irish Drinkers is a less playful period piece. The coming of age story, fraught with abuse & alcoholism, comes with little fanfare but plenty of TV talent to back it up. Writer/director John Gray created The Ghost Whisperer, producers Paul Bernard & James Scura have worked on Leverage, and 2nd unit director Melissa Jo Peltier has produced several Peabody & Emmy winning documentaries.
When you think of black film, the names Tyler Perry & Big Momma's House come to mind. The Downtown Independent challenges mainstream black filmmaking with two powerful, personal stories. I Will Follow is an independently-produced family drama wherein a young woman struggles to overcome the sudden loss of a beloved aunt. The film is the first release from African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement, the same team that produces the annual Pan African Film Festival. The Upsetter, a documentary on dub pioneer Lee "Scratch" Perry, reveals the reggae royalty's rough roots. Narrated by Benicio del Toro, the film features footage from Perry collaborators including legends Bob Marley to Sir Paul McCartney.
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To see something even further off the beaten path, check out our weekly Film Calendar of specialty theatres, revival houses and midnight movies. See you at the movies!
Wide Release
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Showtimes)
Sucker Punch (Showtimes)
Limited Release
Bill Cunningham New York (Nuart Theatre)
Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7)
I Will Follow (Downtown Independent)
Miral (Arclight Hollywood) (The Landmark)
Peep World (Laemmle's Playhouse 7) (Laemmle's Sunset 5)
Potiche (Laemmle's Town Center 5) (The Landmark)
The Upsetter: The Life & Music of Lee 'Scratch' Perry (Downtown Independent)
White Irish Drinkers (2010) (Arclight Hollywood) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
Featured Trailers
Sucker Punch
Potiche
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I Will Follow
The Upsetter
White Irish Drinkers
That's all for this week. I want a giant samurai robot!
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