KPCC film critics Lael Loewenstein, Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon join Larry to review the week’s new film releases including Battle: Los Angeles, Mars Needs Moms, Red Riding Hood, Jane Eyre and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Lael Loewenstein, film critic for KPCC and Variety
Tim Cogshell, film critic for KPCC and Box Office Magazine
Charles Solomon, film critic for KPCC; animation critic, author and historian for amazon.com
Films Reviewed:
Battle: Los Angeles
A platoon of Marines defends Los Angeles during a worldwide alien invasion.
Starring: Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, Ramon Rodriguez, Bridget Monaghan, Ne-Yo and Michael Pena
Written by: Chris Bertolini
Directed by: Jonathan Liebesman
Rated: PG-13
Columbia Pictures
Mars Needs Moms
A young boy learns to appreciate his mother when she is kidnapped by motherless Martians.
Starring: the voices of Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Elisabeth Harnois, Mindy Sterling and Kevin Cahoon
Written by: Simon Wells and Wendy Wells
based on the picture book by Berkeley Breathed
Directed by: Simon Wells
Rated: PG
Walt Disney Pictures
Red Riding Hood
A young woman is stuck between two suitors in a medieval village that is terrorized by a werewolf.
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Shiloh Fernandez and Virginia Madsen
Written by: David Leslie Johnson
Directed by: Catherine Hardwicke
Rated: PG-13
Warner Brothers Pictures
Jane Eyre
A young woman struggles to overcome her difficult past in the 19th century.
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell and Judi Dench
Written by: Moira Buffini
Based on the novel by Charlotte Bronte
Directed by: Cary Joji Fukunaga
Rated: PG-13
Focus Features
Kill the Irishman
The true story of an Irish mob enforcer in Cleveland during the 1970’s.
Starring: Ray Stevenson, Christopher Walken, Vincent D’Onofrio, Val Kilmer and Linda Cardellini
Written and directed by: Jonathan Hensleigh
based on a book by Rick Porello
Rated: R
Anchor Bay Films
Black Death
A young monk investigates reports of a village mysteriously unaffected by the bubonic plague in the 14th century.
Starring: Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne, Andy Nyman, Tim McInnerny, David Warner and Carice van Houten
Written by: Dario Poloni
Directed by: Christopher Smith
Rated: R
Magnet Releasing
Elektra Luxx
A pregnant porn star faces comedic challenges while trying to start a new life in the “real” world.
Starring: Carla Gugino, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant, Kathleen Quinlan and Malin Akerman
Written and directed by: Sebastian Gutierrez
Rated: R
Destination Films Distribution Company
The Human Resources Manager
A HR manager from a bakery in Jerusalem rediscovers his humanity when he is dispatched to a deceased employee’s hometown.
Starring: Mark Ivanir, Gila Almagor and Guri Alfi
Written by: Noah Stollman
Based on a novel by A.B. Yehoshua
Directed by: Eran Riklis
Not rated
Unknown distributor
Certified Copy
A British author meets a French woman on a book tour in Tuscany and they discuss life, love and art.
Starring: Juliette Binoche and William Shimell
Written and directed by: Abbas Kiarostami
Not rated
IFC Films
Clash (Bay Rong)
(at Regal Garden Grove 16)
A female mercenary must complete several crime jobs after her boss kidnaps her daughter.
Starring: Johnny Tri Nguyen, Thanh Van Ngo and Hoanh Phuc Nguyen
Written by: Johnny Tri Nguyen, and Ho Quang Hung
Directed by: Le Thanh Son
Not rated
Indomina Releasing
I Will Follow
A grieving woman is visited by twelve visitors over the course of a day that help her move forward.
Starring: Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Tracie Thoms and Omari Hardwick
Written and directed by: Ava DuVernay
Not rated
African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM)
I Am
After a cycling accident, a Hollywood comedy director reassesses his priorities and consults with intellectuals about how to improve the world.
Starring: Desmond Tutu, Howard Zinn, Noam Chomsky, Coleman Barks and Thom Harmann
Written and directed by: Tom Shadyac
Not rated
Paladin
DVDs
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984 release on Blu-Ray)
Starring: Sumi Shimamoto, Mahito Tsujimura and Hisako Kyôda
Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
A Film Unfinished
Starring: Alexander Beyer, Rüdiger Vogler
Directed by: Yael Hersonski
Morning Glory
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton
Directed by: Roger Michell
Every Day
Starring: Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt, Eddie Izzard
Directed by: Richard Levine
The Chaperone
Starring: Paul Levesque, Kevin Corrigan, José Zúñiga
Directed by: Stephen Herek
Tales from Earthsea
Starring: Juniche Okada, Aoi Teshima, Bunta Sugawara
Directed by: Goro Miyazaki