KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan, Andy Klein and Charles Solomon join Larry to review the week’s new film releases including Due Date, Megamind, 127 Hours, For Colored Girls, Fair Game, and Four Lions, among others… TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic, KPCC and henrysheehan.com
Andy Klein, film critic, KPCC and Brand X
Charles Solomon, animation historian, author and critic, KPCC and amazon.com
Films Reviewed
Due Date
A first-time father is forced to hitch a ride with an aspiring actor to make it to the birth of his child.
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Michelle Monaghan, Juliette Lewis and Jamie Foxx
Directed: by Todd Phillips
Screenplay: by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel and Todd Phillips
Rated: R
Warner Brothers Pictures
Megamind
A super-villain must save the day when a new villain emerges.
Starring: The voices of Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross and Ben Stiller
Directed: by Tom McGrath
Screenplay: by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons
Rated: PG
Paramount Pictures (Dreamworks)
127 Hours
The true story of a young hiker’s struggle to save his life after his arm is trapped by a fallen boulder.
Starring: James Franco, Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn and Kate Burton
Directed: by Danny Boyle
Screenplay: by Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy
Based on the true life story of hiker Aron Ralston
Rated: R
Fox Searchlight Pictures
For Colored Girls
The stories of nine different women and the issues that impact their lives.
Starring: Janet Jackson, Loretta Devine, Thandie Newton, Macy Gray and Whoopi Goldberg
Directed: by Tyler Perry
Screenplay: by Tyler Perry
Rated: R
Lionsgate
Fair Game
The story of real-life undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame, whose career and marriage were shattered by a White House press leak.
Starring: Naomi Watts and Sean Penn
Directed: by Doug Liman
Screenplay: by Jez Butterworth and John Butterworth
Based on the books Fair Game by Valerie Plame and The Politics of Truth by Joseph Wilson
Rated: PG-13
Summit Entertainment
Jolene
A free-spirited young woman’s decade of cross-country adventures and adversity.
Starring: Dermot Mulroney, Michael Vartan and Chazz Palminteri
Directed: by Dan Ireland
Screenplay: by Dennis Yares
Rated: R
Screen Media Films
Four Lions
A farce featuring a group of British jihadists and their haphazard attempts to plan terrorist attacks.
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Nigel Lindsay, Adeel Akhtar, Kayvan Novak and Arsher Ali
Directed: by Christopher Morris
Screenplay: by Jesse Armstrong, Sam Bain, Simon Blackwell and Christopher Morris
Rated: R
Drafthouse Films
Boxing Gym
Explores the world of a boxing gym in Austin, Texas.
Starring: Richard Lord
Directed: by Frederick Wiseman
Not Rated
Zipporah Films
Waste Land
An artist creates his works with the help of professional scavengers in the world’s largest garbage dump.
Starring: Vik Muniz
Directed by: Lucy Walker
Not Rated
Arthouse Films
Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields
The 20-year career of Musican Stephin Merritt and his band, Magnetic Fields
Starring: Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson
Directed: by Kerthy Fix and Gain O’Hara
Not Rated
Variance Films
DVDs
Toy Story 3
Starring: The voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, John Morris, John Ratzenberger, Wallace Shawn and Estelle Harris
Directed: by Lee Unkrich
Warner Archive Collection – Jimmy The Gent, A Thunder of Drums
Centurion
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Dominic West, Olga Kurylenko and Noel Clarke
Directed: by Neil Marshall
Winnebago Man
Starring: Jack Rebney, Ben Steinbauer and Keith Gordon
Directed: by Ben Steinbauer