KPCC film critics Wade Major of boxoffice.com and Claudia Puig of USA Today join Larry to review the week’s new film releases including Secretariat, Life As We Know It, Stone, It’s Kind Of A Funny Story, Tamara Drewe, Nowhere Boy, and Leaving, among others. TGI-FilmWeek!
Films reviewed:
Secretariat
A woman takes over her sick father’s stable and, with the help of a veteran trainer, raises the 1973 Triple Crown Winner.
Starring: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Dylan Walsh & James Cromwell
Written: by Mike Rich
Directed: by Randall Wallace
Based on the novel by William Nack
Rated: PG
Disney
Life as We Know It
A woman and man raise a child together after their friends die in a car accident.
Starring: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Christina Hendricks & Hayes MacArthur
Written: by Ian Deitchman & Kristin Rusk Robinson
Directed: by Greg Berlanti
Rated: PG-13
Warner Bros.
Stone
A corrections officer and a manipulative inmate find themselves dangerously connected.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Milla Jovovich and Frances Conroy
Written: by Angus MacLachlan
Directed: by John Curran
Rated: R
Overture Films
It’s Kind of a Funny Story
A teenager checks into a psychiatric facility and finds himself assigned to the adult ward.
Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts & Viola Davis
Written & Directed: by Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
Based on the novel by Ned Vizzini
Rated: PG-13
Focus Features
Tamara Drewe
A young woman returns home to the English countryside after getting a makeover.
Starring: Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Bill Camp, Dominic Cooper, Luke Evans, Tamsin Grieg
Written: by Moira Buffini
Based on the graphic novels by Posy Simmonds
Directed: by Stephen Frears
Rated: R
Sony Pictures Classics
Nowhere Boy
The story of John Lennon’s childhood in Liverpool.
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster & David Morrissey
Written: by Matt Greenhalgh
Directed: by Sam Taylor Wood
Rated: R
Weinstein Co.
Leaving (Partir)
A wealthy married woman, living in the South of France, falls for a man working at their home.
Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas, Sergi Lopez, Yvan Attal & Bernard Blancan
Written: by Gaelle Macé
Directed: by Catherine Corsini
In French with English subtitles
Rated: unrated
IFC Films
I Spit On Your Grave
A woman takes revenge on the men who brutally attacked her.
Starring: Chad Lindberg, Daniel Franzese, Tracey Walter & Sarah Butler
Written: by Stuart Morse
Directed: by Steven R. Monroe
Based on the 1978 film by Meir Zarchi
Rated: unrated
Anchor Bay
Kings of Pastry
This film follows Chicago Pastry Chef Jacquy Pfeiffer as he competes against the best pastry chefs in France in the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (Best Craftsmen in France).
Directed: by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker
Rated: unrated
First Run Features
It’s a Wonderful Afterlife
An Indian Mother who desperately wants her daughter to be married, takes matters into her own hands.
Starring: Shabana Azmi, Goldy Notay, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Sally Hawkins
Written & Directed: by Gurinder Chadha
Rated: PG-13
Dignity Distribution
Hot Summer Days
During Hong Kong’s hottest summer, several different stories intertwine.
Starring: Nicholas Tse, Jacky Cheung, Rene Liu
Written: by: Tony Chan
Directed: by Tony Chan and Wing Shya
In Cantonese/Mandarin with English subtitles
Rated: Unrated
Fox International Productions
Douchebag
Two estranged brothers reunite for their older brother’s wedding.
Starring: Andrew Dickler, Ben York Jones, Marguerite Moreau
Written: by Drake Doremus and Andrew Dickler
Directed: by Drake Doremus
Rated: unrated
Red Dragon Independent Film