There are only two movies in wide release this weekend, as no one wants to go up against Saw IV. I honestly don’t know anyone that watches these anymore, but someone must be because they always seem to make a killing (and a torturous one at that).
Saw IV: Television has informed me that this weekend “is Saw weekend.” I had no idea. I saw the first Saw movie several Halloween’s ago, and wow did it suck. I mean, it SUCKED. And naturally, my expectations weren’t particularly high for a poorly reviewed Cary Elwes torture movie. Yet here we are, four movies deep, and the franchise is still going strong. In this installment, a guy decides to torture his victims by making them watch the rest of the Saw films over and over again until they go insane and kill themselves. This is playing at the United Artists on Court Street.
Must…call…agent and get myself cast in better…movie.
Dan In Real Life: From writer/director Peter Hedges (Pieces of April) comes this new dysfunctional family comedy starring Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, John Mahoney, Dianne Wiest and Dane Cook. After watching the trailer, I can’t say it looks very good. For starters, it didn’t make me laugh, which isn’t good for a comedy. Secondly, Dane Cook is in it. Is he trying to be a legitimate actor? Because that makes me scared. And thirdly, how many fucking movies (and movie trailers) must we endure that use the song “Let My Love Open the Door” by Pete Townshend? There have been many songs since the eighties that could probably convey as much or even more emotion than this one. This is playing at the United Artists on Court Street and the Park Slope Pavilion.
Then, in limited release we have:
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead: This is my pick of the week. Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon) directs this heist film about two brothers (Ethan Hawke, Philip Seymour Hoffman) who decide to rob their parents’ jewelry store. Sidney Lumet is a fantastic director, and he could use a hit after his last box office failure: Find Me Guilty. Luckily this film doesn’t star Vin Diesel. In fact, we’re lucky that most films these days don’t star Vin Diesel. This is playing at the Angelika.
Music Within: Ron Livingston stars as a hearing impaired Vietnam veteran who starts working with disabled Americans. It’s based on a true story, and the trailer looks good enough. As far as I can remember, Ron Livingston hasn’t really had much of a starring role since Office Space, so I guess we’ll see how he does here. This is playing at the AMC Loews on 3rd Avenue in Manhattan.
Bella: I hadn’t heard of this, but so far it seems to be getting really bad reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s about a waitress who is fired right after she finds out she is pregnant. The father is an international soccer star. Romance ensues. This is playing at Union Square.
Rails and Ties: Kevin Bacon stars in this drama about a train conductor who orphans a kid by running over his mother with a train. Unfortunately, the plot seems far too serious and somber to make a Footloose joke here. Also worth noting, the film is directed by Clint Eastwood’s daughter, Alison. This is playing at the Angelika.
Jimmy Carter Man From Plains: This documentary follows Jimmy Carter while on tour for his new book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid. I’m pretty sure the film also talks about his Presidential term, his foreign policy accomplishments, his educational programs, Habitat for Humanity, his destruction of the Death Star, his ability to bench press eight hundred pounds and the fact that he speaks Portuguese fluently. It was directed by Jonathan Demme. This is playing at the Angelika.
Meanwhile BAM Rose Cinemas continues playing Into the Wild, Lust, Caution and The Darjeeling Limited.
I will only go see the Jimmy Cartner movie if they rename it “Jimmy Plain and Tall.”