OCR Text |
Show ._.-.„, ^^-, ,_ Life ""'"^ ' • • • • v ' - ^ " - " - ^ | ^ ^ ^ ^ : p B5 Monday • S e p t e m b e r 15, 2008 rea ; . : • • '•' • ' „ • • " • ? > • ' C * C •,••-•- i . ' . • . - ' • • - \ \ " : . - > - ; > ; - •' • % ' • • * * • J - ^ - * " • } * • * * * ; , 1 0 Coens swiftly return to comedy r LUKE HIGKMAN After nabbing just about every Oscar at this year's Academy Awards with their dark, violent adaptation of No Country For Old Men, the Coen Brothers. Joel and Ethan, are showing their comic side with Burn After Reading. But since it's premier last month at the Venice Film Festival, the reviews have been mixed, a "love it or hate it" relationship. Here's why: Burn After Reading is much like the 1998 finale to TV's Seinfeld (which also had mixed reviews); through the course of it, we saw every bad thing that it's likable characters did over the run of the show. And though we never may have thought of it until that moment, they were all awful people. They finally got what they deserved. And Burn After Reading is the exact same way. The film opens with CIA agent Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) being demoted from his position because of an "alcohol problem" and the results thereof. Showing proof of why he's being demoted, Cox freaks out and quits, hoping to write a book of memoirs. His vain, wealthy doctor wife Katie Cox (Tilda Swinton) is secretly planning to divorce him so she can be with her secret lover Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney), who is also cheating and planning on divorcing his wife. Little does Katie know that Harry is actually a womanizer with many mistresses. One of them being Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand), a middle-aged gym employee looking to get enough money to pay for cosmetic surgery by blackmailing Osborne Cox with a CD copy of his memoirs - which she and her co-worked Chad (Brad Pitt) believe to be secret government files. Yes, it sounds complicated. But when you watch the entire debacle unfold before your eyes, it makes complete sense. You never once get lost in the story. It sounds more complicated than it really is. When you first meet each of the characters, none of them seem "that bad." But just like the Seinfeld finale, by the end of the film, you see each characters true color. And it's a whole lot of fun to see the evolution of each one of them. They end up being the best group of bad people to all end up in a bad situation together. If you are a fan of the offbeat comedy of the Coen Brothers, if you like watching Clooney and Pitt in comedic roles, or you simply just love a good semi-political satire, then don't miss Burn After Reading. It's a delightfully witty comedy that you won't likely soon forget. Saw V ~ Oct. 24,2008 Zack And Miri Make A Porno - O c t . 31,2008 ' The annual Halloween horror movie ['•-.franchise is back for a fifth installment. ' T h e original Saw, a Sundancefilm,was //well written; it had surprises that no •" one saw coming. Saw II was actually a decent, worthy sequel. Saw III was a mishmash of blood, disgust and forgetfulness. Saw IV was awful. You decide where this one is going. sgate The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company Zach And Miri Make A Porno :, (Sney High Schoool Musical 3; Senior Year - Oct. 24,2008 I" Once again, those damn High School kids are back. But * 1his time they won't be annoying us from the Disney Chan* nel. These dancing and singing teenagers are taking it to the * -big screen. Now, as high school seniors, the gang is having a hard time because they know they'll all be separated as they _go off to different colleges. Though they don't know how they're going to get through, I do: through annoying song and dance. Kevin Smith, the father of vulgar R-rated comedies is back with an all-new attempt at offensive humor. The title alone, Zack And. Miri Make A Porno, says everything you need to know. Zack and Miri (Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks), two poor friends living as roommates, decide to cast and direct a porno for the sole reason of making lots and lots of filthy money. The first few cuts of the film received a strict NC-17 rating (which is pretty common with Smith's films) from the MPAA. Even after making edits, it continued to receive that rating. Smith petitioned and eventually won his case, and now Zack And Miri Make A Porno is officially R-rated. /?oc/cnro//a--Oct.31)2008 Supposedly, Rocknrolla is gritty British crime gangster comedy from writer/director Guy Richie that we've been expecting since Snatch. Maybe it took making a horrible romantic flick (Swept Away) and an overindulgent psychological thriller (Revolver) to get him back to track with what made us love him in the first place. This complicated British gangster flick has a huge cast including Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton, Ludacris and Tom Wilkinson. Guy Richie fans, know that .early reviews says that this is the film we've been waiting for. ROCKNROLLA Warner Bros. Warner Bros. HERHEABS ave's lovie corner ji't have football if it weren't for rugby. Popular LDS director Ryan (Saints and Soldiers) tells the story of the real-life Highland rugby If Salt Lake City that has a record of 390-9 in its 32-year history. Rick [g (Never Back Down) plays Sean Faris, a star rugby player who, afm in with the law, gets sent to the juvenile detention center in Provo. oodbehavior and guidance from his counselor (Sean Astin) Sean is led to play for the Highland Rugby team and learn what it means to trever Strong." With his life in order, Sean leads his team into the ^ionship game against none other than his former team. •; watch Forever Strong you will see many different landmarks since ivie was filmed in Salt Lake and Utah Counties. Coach Gelwix's be'More important than building championship teams is buildine cham- LeatherheadS - This 2008 comedy from director George Clooney is a throwback to the lightning fast comedic dialogue of the films from the '30s and *40s. Clooney plays Dodge Connelly, an aging pro football player struggling to keep his team financially alive. He decides to recruit college standout and WW1 hero Carter Rutherford (John Krasinski from the Office) to help bring in the fans. Lexie Littleton (Rene Zellweger) plays a small town reporter trying to uncover the truth about Rutherford's war "heroics." A battle of wits ensues when Littleton travels with the team to get the scoop. Well, a battle of wit (Krasinski) and half-wit (Clooney). if you want a taste of the films from the '30s and '40s, but you want a movie in color with actors that are still alive, see Leath- i b - Rated PG-13. Opens Sept. 26. erheads. Rated PG-13 ;i; DAVE FULLMER i/d Wntw atball season is upon us. That would probably mean a lot p UVU if we had a football team, but until that day, here are flicks about the gridiron to tide us over. fer Strong - Okay, okay, so this movie isn't about football. But we y - How can you review football movies and not mention RUDY? This is the true story of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger (Sean Astin). Rudy loves Notre Dame football arid has a dream to play there someday. There are two big problems: His grades aren't good enough to get into Notre Dame and he is too small to play football. After multiple attempts, Rudy is admitted to Notre Dame and thanks to much hard work and determination makes the football team. I won't mention the ending, but after this movie, you HI understand why every now and again people will chant "Rudy! Rudy!" Sean Astin played Sam in Lord Of The Rings and he was the main character in Goonies, but he will forever be remembered as Rudy. This is one of those inspiring, lump-in-the-throat kind of movies where if you don't set choked up, you might not be human. Rated PG |