There are a number of different reasons to get to the theater this weekend. It’s officially Fall and the season is kicking off in style at the box office.
In Wide Release: Michael Moore’s highly anticipated new film “Capitalism: A Love Story,” which opened on a few screens last weekend hits full-on this weekend. Moore himself is once again the star of the show as he tackles the financial empires controlling the nation’s banks. Always timely, Moore rushed the film into production during last fall’s complete financial collapse. While his films tend to be polemical and heavy-handed, we like his provocateur spirit and willingness to take on huge American institutions. The film stars, of course, Moore himself alongside a bunch of other sorry-looking execs. Rotten Tomatoes is tracking the film at 73% fresh. We would probably give this enjoyable and rousing, but clunky piece of agit-prop a similar score, but we did have problems with it too.
Ricky Gervais finally gets to direct his singular comedic vision on the big screen in “The Invention of Lying.” Featuring a ridiculous cast rich with luminaries of the comedy scene (Tina Fey, Christopher Guest, Jonah Hill, Jason Bateman um, Rob Lowe) “Lying” follows Gervais as a man who learns how to tell a lie in a world where lies do not exist. While “Ghost Town” last year was a quietly charming little romantic comedy, Gervais really shines when he is at the helm of his own ship. It remains to be seen whether his talents are better suited for the small screen, but the critics are lukewarm on the film the Matthew Robinson co-directed, giving it a 58% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But we loathed it.
Making her directorial debut after a lifetime in the business, Drew Barrymore brings us “Whip It.” Ellen Page–in her first post-Juno role–plays a small-town Texas girl lured to the hipster nirvana of Austin and into the world of all-grill roller derby. We saw it in Toronto and found that after a slow start it was ultimately sweet, charming, and cute. The movie has a great soundtrack and would make a nice early fall matinee. Being on film sets since childhood must have rubbed off on Barrymore, who shows decent potential behind the camera. The cast also includes Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Daniel Stern, and Barrymore herself. The reviews are looking pretty solid so far at 79% fresh at RT.
Reuben Fleischer’s “Zombieland” sets out to prove there’s life yet in the zombie sub-genre. Two men, both named after state capitals, Tallahassee and Columbus (Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg) are thrown together in the midst of a zombie attack. One is an AK-47 toting zombie killer and one is, well, not. They decide on hiding out in an amusement park to prepare for a full-on war. Harrelson was so affected by his character, he ended up, famously, attacking a paparazzi who he thought was a zombie. Abagail Breslin and Emma Stone join forces in the fight. The film looks like a lot of fun and the word is extrememly positive at 89% fresh at RT.
Finally, in wide release, “Toy Story 1 & 2” are released in 3D. They were pretty good films, remember?
In Limited Release: Like clockwork, the Coen Brothers return this Fall with what looks to be their most personal film yet. “A Serious Man” premiered a couple weeks ago in Toronto and word has been very strong. Shying away from big stars like Brad Pitt in last year’s “Burn After Reading,” the Coens have put together an excellent cast that includes Michael Stuhlbarg, Fred Melamed, Richard Kind, and Aaron Wolf. We loved the film when we saw it a couple weeks ago, it’s meticulously crafted and practically demands a second viewing. If you live in NY or LA definitely find the time to check it out this weekend. Right now the film stands a seriously too low 81% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes.
An exciting and rare chance to see a great athlete before he becomes a worldwide superstar, Kristopher Belman’s documentary “More Than a Game” opens on 14 screens this weekend. The film follows LeBron James and his Akron, Ohio high school basketball team as they, along with their inexperienced coach (also a player’s father) rise from a crumbling inner city gym to closing in on a national championship. We’d love to see a film to compliment the great “Hoop Dreams,” but that is probably asking for too much. James, a famous perfectionist, might be a little disappointed in the 58% fresh average from RT.
Original “Bad Lieutenant” direct Abel Ferrara’s new documentary “Chelsea on the Rocks,” chronicles the scandalous and storied history of New York’s Hotel Chelsea. A bohemian landmark, the hotel has played hosts to the likes of artists and writers such as Bob Dylan, Tennessee Williams, Andy Warhol, Mark Twain, and Charles Bukowski over the years. The history is so fascinating that a documentary like this shouldn’t fail. Hell, Sid and Nancy died there. Ferrara’s film features interviews with former residents such as Dennis Hopper, Milos Foreman, R. Crumb, and Ethan Hawke. According to the critics, its worth your time at 91% fresh on RT.
Finally, a film we reviewed about a year ago at the New York Film Festival, “Afterschool” hits in limited release. Making his feature debut, young director Antonio Campos sets his film in an elite Northeastern prep school where Robert (Ezra Miller) spends most of his life watching videos on the internet. Once he starts experiencing feelings in real life that he previously only encountered while on the internet, trouble ensues. While we thought Campos showed promise as a director, the sub-Haneke clinical style left us a little too cold and detached that we’d like. After gaining praise at Cannes though, Campos is one to watch and we could see this picture really dividing audiences. On RT, the movie is now 73% fresh.