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September 24- 30, 2009
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(500) Days of Summer
Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays L.A. greeting-card writer Tom, whose heart gets kicked around by free-spirited co-worker Summer (Zooey Deschanel). As Tom sifts through memories of his time with Summer, the movie clicks onto different days, out of order, letting us eavesdrop on one vignette or conversation or argument after another. Days plays some fun structural mind games. Deschanel is captivating, and the film has an easygoing, inquisitive spirit. Rated PG-13 (sexual material and language). At Mayan. — Michael Phillips
9
This animated feature throws viewers headlong into a post-apocalyptic universe where life has come down to the vicious combat between machines resembling metallic dinosaurs and a tiny band of survivors. Director Shane Acker’s fantasy comes from his superb 2004 short subject. The feature-length expansion does not feel artistically compromised or interested in pandering to a young audience. But while Acker’s craftsmanship is impressive, it’s undermined by a misjudged degree of grinding peril. Still, the film cannot be dismissed. Rated PG-13 (violence and scary images). At Century and Flatiron. — Michael Phillips
Adam
A toy engineer (Hugh Dancy) with the high-functioning autism classified as Asperger’s syndrome becomes romantically involved with a neighbor in his Manhattan apartment building (Rose Byrne). Sweet, simple and more than a little dodgy, writer-director Max Mayer’s film gets a lift from its ensemble cast, thereby proving that a film’s acting typically is the least of its problems. Rated PG-13 (thematic material, sexual content and language). At Chez Artiste. — Michael Phillips
All About Steve
There’s nothing wrong with this movie that a rewrite couldn’t fix, as long as the rewrite involved a different writer, a different character and a different story. Sandra Bullock plays Mary, a daffy optimist who can’t take a hint. She’s great with words and lousy with people, pouring her life into her job as a crossword-puzzle constructor. Her folks set up a blind date between Mary and a hunky CNN cameraman (Bradley Cooper), who then spends the rest of the movie crisscrossing the country on assignment while Mary follows. Rated PG-13 (sexual content, including innuendo). At Flatiron. — Michael Phillips
Cadaver
In a cold dark shaded anatomy class, six medical students perform their first dissection. They shiver with their first meeting of a deadly beautiful cadaver. They, still in fear, apply a scalpel on her body in turns. After the class, they start having same nightmares and get killed one by one having the same cut in the chest as the female cadaver had...Not Rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Society
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Fairly inventive and exceedingly manic, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs comes from the 1978 picture book by Judi and Ron Barrett. Inventor Flint (voiced by Bill Hader) perfects a machine that turns water into food. But things get out of hand, and the food keeps coming in obesity-epidemic portions. Crazy doesn’t always equal funny, and the gigantism of this 3-D offering’s second half puts a damper on your enjoyment. But this film wasn’t made for you; it was made for easily distracted 9-year-olds who’ll probably love all the sight gags. Rated PG (brief mild language). At Century, Twin Peaks and Flatiron. — Michael Phillips
District 9
The premise: An enormous UFO descended from the sky 20 years ago, hovered over Johannesburg and stayed there. Then humans got curious and opened it up, and out spilled a million-plus alien creatures, leading to an immigration crisis. This film, shot like a documentary from the future, packs such a terrific central idea that even its flaws can’t stop the train. In its first hour it barrels along with the velocity of a new classic; as it settles for being a good addition to the venerable aliens-come-calling genre, you feel a slight letdown. But that first half? Nice. Rated R (bloody violence and pervasive language). At Flatiron. — Michael Phillips
The Escapist
Without straying too far from formula or stock characters, The Escapist shapes a standard prison-break drama into a metaphysical study of freedom and reparation. Set in a grim London institution (played to perfection by Kilmainham Jail in Ireland), the movie centers on Frank (Brian Cox), an aging lifer with a perilously drug-addicted daughter. Circling Frank are the usual suspects —the vulnerable new cellmate (Dominic Cooper), the resident psychopath (Steven Mackintosh), the ruthless king con (Damian Lewis) — but the stereotypes are beside the point: The Escapist has loftier goals than simply getting its characters from pokey to pavement. Not Rated. At International Film Series. — IFS
Extract
The box office has already declared The Hangover the winner, but this is the funniest American comedy of the summer. Written and directed by Mike Judge, this bookend to Office Space features the excellent Jason Bateman as a small businessman trying to dodge a lawsuit following a mishap at his factory while also trying to arrange an affair for his wife (Kristen Wiig) so that he can have his own dalliance with a clean conscience. Also featuring Ben Affleck and Mila Kunis, Judge’s sly, wry film showcases some first-rate, off-the-cuff ensemble acting. Rated R (language, sexual references and some drug use). At Century. — Michael Phillips
Food, Inc.
This eye-popping documentary from filmmaker Robert Kenner should win a few hearts and minds regarding what we put in our stomachs. But the film got virtually no cooperation from representatives of the dominant players in industrial food production, and as a result, Food, Inc. is a rangy, well-articulated essay rather than a compelling point-counterpoint. Rated PG (some thematic material and disturbing images). At International Film Series — Michael Phillips
 Harry Potter and the Half
Blood Prince
This meticulously atmospheric, wonderfully acted Potter adventure lands happily — broodingly, but happily — near the top of the series heap. As the concerns of novelist J.K. Rowling’s characters gravitate toward matters of the heart and the hormones, the Potter films are leaving childhood behind. Yet the friendship of the central trio — Harry (Daniel Radcliffe); Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) — remains the key to the magic. Audience familiarity, in this case, breeds nothing but contentment. Rated PG (scary images, some violence, language and mild sensuality). At Flatiron. — Michael Phillips
The Informant!
See full screen review on Page 54. Rated R. At Flatiron, Twin Peaks and Century.
Inglourious Basterds
A queasy historical do-over, Quentin Tarantino’s new film has been described as a grindhouse version of Valkyrie; a rhapsody dedicated to the cinema’s powers of persuasion; and a showcase for Austrian-born character actor Christoph Waltz, who waltzes off with the performance honors as a suavely vicious Nazi colonel. All true. Tarantino’s revenge fantasy recasts the iconography and mythic cruelties of Sergio Leone’s Westerns as the stuff of World War II history — not the history we know, but an alternate-reality version. Rated R (strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality). At Flatiron, Century and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips
Lives Lived in Dance
Lives Lived in Dance is a film and interview series highlighting local dance luminaries. Sponsored by the Boulder Arts Commission’s Dance Bridge and 3rd Law Dance/Theatre, and hosted by James LaVita (artistic co-director of 3rd Law), the series is free and open to the public. The September guest is dancer and choreographer Gabriel Masson, recently appointed faculty in the Department of Theater and Dance at the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. Not Rated. At the Boulder Public Library —BPL Film Program
Jennifer’s Body
See full screen review on Page 54. Rated R. At Flatiron, Twin Peaks and Century.
Julie & Julia
Writer-director Nora Ephron adapts and intertwines two books: Julia Child’s My Life in France and Julie Powell’s Julie & Julia. The latter grew out of Powell’s online experiment, a year spent cooking and blogging her way through the seminal Child volume Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It may not make for great cinema, but you go to a movie like this for the sauces and stews, and for the considerable pleasure of seeing (and listening to) Meryl Streep’s drolly exuberant performance as Child. Amy Adams is also very good as Powell. Rated PG-13 (brief strong language and some sensuality). At Flatiron, Century and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips
Laila’s Birthday
Toward the end of Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi’s tragicomedy about daily life in his West Bank hometown, the frustrated protagonist shakes his fists at the heavens and blames the 60-year Israeli occupation for his woes. That’s the only direct polemic in Laila’s Birthday, and this beguiling second feature, after the respectfully received Ticket to Jerusalem, is all the better for keeping its head close to the ground of the surreal business of getting through the day in Ramallah. Not Rated. At International Film Series. — IFS
Love Happens
Aaron Eckhart plays a best-selling therapist and grief guru whose bereavement counseling gig in Seattle is improved when he meets a flower arranger played by Jennifer Aniston. The climactic assault on the tear ducts is like a sentimental, less constructive version of D-Day. Rated PG-13 (some language including sexual references). At Flatiron, Century and Twin Peaks. — Michael Phillips
My One & Only
Set in the early 1950s, My One and Only is a minimally factual account of George Hamilton’s improbable upbringing. It stars Renee Zellweger as the young actor-to-be’s mother, a reckless, madcap figure of glamour. Director Richard Loncraine’s diversion has more on the ball than it initially lets on: For a while it’s dominated by Zellweger’s archly conscientious attempts at period style. Gradually, however, the actress leaves the play-acting behind her and settles into her role. Rated PG-13 (sexual content and language). At Century. — Michael Phillips
Nollywood Babylon
Nollywood Babylon is a feature documentary about the explosive popularity of Nigeria’s movie industry. The film drops viewers into the chaos of Lagos’ Idumota market. Here, among the bustling stalls, films are sold and unlikely stars are born. Unfazed by low budgets, enterprising filmmakers create a brash, inventive and wildly popular form of B-Movie that has Nigerians Nollywood-obsessed. In these films, voodoo and magic infuse urban stories, reflecting the collision of traditional mysticism and modern culture that Nigerians experience every day. Ben Addelman and Samir Mallal, present an electric vision of a modern African metropolis and a revealing look at the powerhouse that is Nigerian cinema. Not Rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Society
Ponyo
The title character in this animated feature is a goldfish (voiced by Noah Cyrus, Miley’s sister) who longs to become human. Five minutes into this magical film you’ll be making lists of the people you can expose to the special mixture of fantasy and folklore that make up the enchanted vision of Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. This sweet-natured feature emphasizes the joys of childhood friendships, but it still manages to be exciting when it needs to, and it’s been given first-class treatment by distributor Walt Disney Studios. Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson and Tina Fey lend their voices to this charmer. Rated G. At Starz. — Kenneth Turan
The Prince of Broadway
Directed by Sean Baker. The latest film by rising-star independent filmmaker Sean Baker is about a charismatic West African NYC street salesman with a hearty laugh who runs a nonstop hustle selling knock-off designer merchandise to passing tourists. His luck changes when his ex-girfriend drops off a baby she says is his, and then disappears. Like all new parents, he finds that his life has turned upside down. The genius of this film is that he is played by a real Ghanian New York City street hustler named Prince Adu, who attracted other outrageous characters from his neighborhood to play themselves in the film. Their complicated personal stories began to weave into Baker’s fictional script, resulting in one of the grittiest and surprisingly funny films about the lives and loves of immigrants in America that you’ll ever see. Grand Prize Winner at the Turin International Film Festival. Not Rated. At the Boulder Public Library — BPL Film Program
September Issue
This easygoing, entertaining documentary is about a triumph of advertising and frippery over rational thinking: the September 2007 issue of Vogue, hundreds of pages long, fraught with backstage machinations and editorial mishaps. Anna Wintour is the star of this show, in theory. Meryl Streep played a fictionalized version of Vogue’s high priestess in The Devil Wears Prada. The real-life Wintour is fearsome, wily and a little depressing. The true star is Vogue’s longtime creative director Grace Coddington, Wintour’s contemporary, ally and eternal adversary. Rated PG-13 (brief strong language). At Esquire. — Michael Phillips
Short Films about Boulder
Untitled film by Dr. George Orians (1977) is a single-frame time-lapse bicycle and hiking trip from the east end of Boulder County through town and up to the Continental Divide. Watch for the size of the trees on the Pearl Street Mall. (20 min.) Untitled film by Tom Hand and Taylor (1968) is a drive through Boulder on Broadway Avenue, Canyon and Table Mesa Boulevards. Watch for businesses, telephone poles and structures long-gone and a view of "the ruins" at 6th Street and Canyon Boulevard that became the Justice Center. ( 8 min.) Chikona by Joel Haertling (1999) is a single-frame time-lapse film of the construction of the Boulder-Dushanbe Teahouse, a gift from our sister city in Tajikistan. Watch for all of the Tajik artisans that created and assembled our teahouse in action. (12 min.) Boulder Blues and Pearls and... by Stan Brakhage (1992) is a “Peripheral envisionment of daily life as the mind has it, a terrifying ecstasy of (hand-painted) synapting nerve ends back-firing from thought’s grip of life.” (20 min.) Not Rated. At the Boulder Public Library — BPL Film Program
Skills Like This
“Sloth is very unattractive,” says Tommy (a terrific Brian D. Phelan), and he should know. An infantile slacker and oblivious comic foil for his best friends, Max (Spencer Berger) and Dave (Gabriel Tigerman), Tommy is the glue that holds Skills Like This — and the friendship — together. Saving Tommy from himself is a full-time job. Drawing much of its energy from an eclectic and fully integrated soundtrack, Skills Like This gazes indulgently on 20-something aimlessness and the comfort of assigned roles. Not Rated. At International Film Series. — IFS
The Strawberry Statement 1970
Directed by Stuart Hagmann, with Bruce Davison, Kim Darby, Bud Court (1970). Based on James Kunen’s novel, The Strawberry Statement: Notes of a College Revolutionary tells the story of the Columbia University riots that took place in the spring of 1968. Harold, a student-athlete content to let rowing guide him through school, meets a young woman involved in the student movement and, falling in love, suddenly has conflicted feelings about what it means to be a student. Joining the student protests he is suddenly confronted with the very real prospects of danger when campus unrest reaches the boiling point. The film was originally to be shot on Columbia University’s campus. However, Columbia withdrew their offer and the crew moved to Berkeley instead. (103 min.) Not Rated. At the Boulder Public Library — BPL Film Program
The Way We Get By
The SXSW Special Jury Award-winning The Way We Get By is a deeply moving film about life and how to live it. Beginning as a seemingly idiosyncratic story about troop greeters — a group of senior citizens who gather daily at a small airport to thank American soldiers departing and returning from Iraq, the film quickly turns into a moving, unsettling and compassionate story about aging, loneliness, war and mortality.When its three subjects aren’t at the airport, they wrestle with their own problems: failing health, depression, mounting debt. Joan, a grandmother of eight, has a deep connection to the soldiers she meets. The sanguine Jerry keeps his spirits up even as his personal problems mount. And the veteran Bill, who clearly has trouble taking care of himself, finds himself contemplating his own death. Seeking out the telling detail rather than offering sweeping generalizations, the film carefully builds stories of heartbreak and redemption, reminding us how our culture casts our elders, and too often our soldiers, aside. More important, regardless of your politics, The Way We Get By celebrates three unsung heroes who share their love with strangers who need and deserve it. Not Rated. At Starz. — Denver Film Society
Witness for the Prosecution
Esteemed criminal lawyer Charles Laughton has just returned to practice after suffering a heart attack and is supposed to be taking it easy, but the case of a charmer (Tyrone Power) accused of murdering a rich middle-aged widow proves irresistible, particularly when he meets the wife (Marlene Dietrich) of the accused. Not Rated. Free showing at Starz. — Denver Film Society
The Windmill Movie
Before his death in 2001, prolific filmmaker Richard P. Rogers had spent 20 years struggling to make a documentary about himself. He left behind 200 hours of footage that his widow, acclaimed photographer Susan Meiselas, turned over to his former student Alexander Olch.Now, Olch has constructed the 82-minute The Windmill Movie, an assemblage of myriad pieces that offer a fascinating portrait of Rogers’ life. Not Rated. At International Film Series. — IFS
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