KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan, Tim Cogshell and Charles Solomon join Larry to review the week’s new film releases including The Rite, The Mechanic, When We Leave, The Housemaid and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com
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
The Rite
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Colin O'Donoghue, Alice Braga, Ciaran Hinds and Rutger Hauer
Written by: Michael Petroni, based on the book by Matt Baglio
Directed by: Mikael Hafstrom
Rated: PG-13
New Line
The Mechanic
An elite hit man trains his murdered mentor’s son in the art of assassination in order to avenge the mentor’s death.
Starring: Jason Statham, Ben Foster and Donald Sutherland
Written by: Richard Wenk, from a story by Lewis John Carlino
Directed by: Simon West
Rated: R
CBS Films
The Housemaid
An affair between an upper-class patriarch and an innocent young housemaid reveals disturbing family secrets.
Starring: Do-youn, Lee Jung-jae, Youn Yuh-jung and Seo Woo
Written and Directed by: Im Sang-soo
Not Rated
IFC Films
When We Leave (Die Fremde)
A young Turkish woman struggles against the disapproval of her family and tries to make a new life for herself in Germany.
Starring: Sibel Kekilli, Florian Lukas
Written and Directed by: Feo Aladag
Not Rated
Olive Films
A Somewhat Gentle Man
A gangster must readjust to the changes in his life after spending 12 years in jail.
Starring: Stellan Skarsgaard and Bjorn Floberg
Written by: Finn Gjerdrum
Directed by: Hans Petter Moland
Not Rated
Strand Releasing
Ip Man 2: Legend of the Grandmaster
A kung-fu guru faces challenges from a corrupt group of kung-fu masters and an insolent Western-style boxer.
Starring: Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung
Written by: Edmond Wong
Directed by: Wilson Yip
Rated: R
Well Go
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (Not) Advance
Young students must pilot giant robots to defend against alien machines intent on destroying the planet.
Starring: the voices of Megumi Ogata, Megumi Hayashibara, Yûko Miyamura and Kotono Mitsuishi
Written by: Hideaki Anno
Directed by: Masayuki and Kazuya Tsurumaki
Not Rated
Eleven Arts
Palm Springs Film Festival - January 27th
A Not So Still Life: The Ginny Ruffner Story
The story of the life, work and influence of world-renowned artist Ginny Ruffner.
Starring: Ginny Ruffner, Tom Robbins and Graham Nash
Directed by: Karen Stanton
Not Rated
Santa Barbara Film Festival - January 27th
Crazy Wisdom: The Life & Times of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
How an influential and very unorthodox Tibetan Monk, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, came to the West and shattered myths about what it means to be a Buddhist.
Starring: Pema Chodron, Ram Dass and Allen Ginsberg
Directed by: Johanna Demetrakas
DVD Releases
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
Starring: Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist
Directed by: Daniel Alfredson
Red
Starring: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich & Helen Mirren
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Saw 3D
Starring: Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell & Sean Patrick Flannery
Directed by: Kevin Greutert