Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Latest in Theaters: Around the World in 13 Films

This baker's dozen of new movies should keep you busy this weekend:
  • Appaloosa: Ed Harris directed, co-wrote and stars (plus: sings!) in this western, in which he and Viggo Mortensen are lawmen out to clean up the titular town. Jeremy Irons is what needs cleaning up, and Renée Zellweger is on hand to distract them as a prairie widow. Lance Henriksen also stars.
  • The Duchess: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes and Dominic Cooper make up the lover's triangle in this period romantic drama, based on the life of Georgiana Cavendish, an ancestor of Princess Diana. Charlotte Rampling co-stars.
  • Lakeview Terrace: Samuel L. Jackson is the cop next door who has issues with the new (interracial) couple on the block, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington, in this suburban thriller from Neil LaBute. Watch for Ron Glass, Justin Chambers and Eva La Rue in supporting roles.
  • Ghost Town: Ricky Gervais is an anti-social dentist whose near death experience leads him to, like, "see dead people". Ghostly Greg Kinnear enlists him to stop the impending marriage of his widow (Téa Leoni). Broadway stage faves Brian d'Arcy James and Brad Oscar also appear.
  • My Best Friend's Girl: Another rom com from Kate Hudson and Dane Cook (who does this guy keep getting work?), who plays an anti-Hitch hired by dumped boyfriends to ... oh, does it really matter? Co-starring Jason Biggs and Alec Baldwin.
  • Igor: John Cusack voices the title ogre who sets his sights on winning the annual "Evil Science Fair" in this Burton-esque animated comedy. The typically all-star voice cast includes Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Jennifer Coolidge, Arsenio Hall, Sean Hayes, Eddie Izzard, Jay Leno, James Lipton (as himself!), Molly Shannon, Christian Slater and Paul Vogt.
  • Hounddog: Sneaking into theaters in limited release, this controversial drama is the so-called "Dakota Fanning rape movie" you've heard about. Also starring David Morse, Piper Laurie and Robin Wright Penn.
  • Battle in Seattle: Stuart Townsend makes his writing/directing debut with this politically charged drama about the 1999 World Trade Organization riots starring Woody Harrelson, Joshua Jackson, Ray Liotta, Michelle Rodriguez, Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron (naturally).
  • Elite Squad (Tropa de Elite): Academy Award nominated screenwriter Bráulio Mantovani (City of God) once again returns to the mean streets of Rio de Janeiro, this time seen through the eyes of the law.
  • A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: An elderly Chinese widower faces culture shock when he visits his recently divorced daughter in Spokane, Washington. Directed by Wayne Wang.
  • All of Us: Emily Abt's documentary about a physician treating HIV+ African-American women in the South Bronx.
  • Virtual JFK: Vietnam If Kennedy Had Lived: Another doc, this one focuses on the intriguing "what if" mentioned in the title.
  • And finally: Catch the soft-core thriller Playing with Fire on the big screen before it starts making the late night rounds on Cinemax next month.
To find out what films are playing in your area, visit Fandango - Search movie showtimes and buy tickets!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i cannot wait to watch Appaloosa i really like western movie