KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan and Peter Rainer join Larry to review the week’s new film releases, including J. Edgar, Jack and Jill, Melancholia, Into the Abyss and more. TGI-FilmWeek!
Guests:
Henry Sheehan, film critic for KPCC and henrysheehan.com
Peter Rainer, film critic for KPCC and Christian Science Monitor
Films reviewed:
J. Edgar
The life of J. Edgar Hoover, longtime head of the FBI.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer and Judi Dench
Written by: Dustin Lance Black
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
R
Warner Bros. Pictures
Jack and Jill
A successful brother is visited by his obnoxious twin sister over Thanksgiving.
Starring: Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino
Written by: Adam Sandler, Steve Koren and Robert Smigel
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
PG
Columbia Pictures
Melancholia
A planet named Melancholia is headed toward Earth.
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland and Charlotte Rampling
Written and directed by: Lars Von Trier
R
Magnolia Pictures
The Greening of Whitney Brown
A spoiled girl’s family falls on hard times and moves to the country.
Starring: Aidan Quinn, Brooke Shields, Kris Kristofferson and Sammi Hanratty
Written by: Gail Gilchriest
Directed by: Peter Skillman Odiorne
PG
Arc Entertainment
The Conquest
A fictional version of Nicolas Sarkozy’s rise to the presidency.
Starring: Denis Podalydes, Florence Pernel and Bernard Le Coq
Written by: Xavier Durringer and Patrick Rotman
Directed by: Xavier Durringer
Not rated
Music Box Films
In French with English subtitles.
Under Fire: Journalists in Combat
An account of the experience of being a war correspondent.
Starring: Paul Watson, Chris Hedges, Susan Ormiston and Ian Stewart
Written and directed by: Martyn Burke
Not rated
Mercury media International
An African Election
An account of the 2008 elections in Ghana.
Written by: Erika Tasini and Shari Yantra Marcacci
Directed by: Jarreth Merz and Kevin Merz
Not rated
In English, Twi and local languages, with English subtitles.
Into the Abyss
A documentary of a triple homicide in Texas and the case’s aftermath.
Starring: Jason Burkett, Werner Herzog and Michael Perry
Written and directed by: Werner Herzog
PG-13
IFC Films / Sundance Selects
Killing Bono
Two brothers in a band are overshadowed by a rival’s group – U2.
Starring: Ben Barnes, Krysten Ritter and Robert Sheehan
Written by: Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais and Simon Maxwell
Directed by: Nick Hamm
R
Arc Entertainment
DVD
The Edge of Eternity
Directed by: Don Siegel
Starring: Cornel Wilde, Victoria Shaw and Mickey Shaughnessy
Going Places
Directed by: Bertrand Blier
Starring: Gerard Depardieu