May ‘09: In Theaters

A scene from Rian Johnson’s “The Brothers Bloom.” Image courtesy of Summit Entertainment.

Summer Hours (IFC), France
Dir: Olivier Assayas
Writer: Olivier Assayas
With: Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, Jérémie Rénier
Synopsis: The divergent paths of three forty-something siblings collide when their mother, heiress to her uncle’s exceptional 19th century art collection, dies suddenly. Left to come to terms with themselves and their differences, Adrienne (Juliette Binoche), a successful New York designer, Frederic (Charles Berling), an economist and university professor in Paris, and Jeremie (Jeremie Renier), a dynamic businessman in China, confront the end of childhood, their shared memories, background and unique vision of the future.
iW Coverage: NYFF ‘08 | Assayas Discusses His “Summer Hours”; TORONTO ‘08 | Desplechin, Assayas and Madame

Big Man Japan (Magnolia), Japan
Dir: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Writer: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Mitsuyoshi Takasu
With: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Synopsis: A middle-aged slacker living in a rundown, graffiti-ridden slum, Daisato’s job involves being shocked by bolts of electricity that transform him into a stocky, stick-wielding giant several stories high who is entrusted with defending Japan from a host of bizarre monsters. But while his predecessors were national heroes, he is a pariah among the citizens he protects, who bitterly complain about the noise and destruction of property he causes. And Daisato has his own problems - an agent insistent on branding him with sponsor advertisements, an Alzheimer-afflicted grandfather who transforms into a giant in dirty underwear, and a family who is embarrassed by his often cowardly exploits. [Synopsis courtesy of official website]

May 20, 2009
“Burma VJ” (Oscilloscope)
Dir: Anders Østergaard
Synopsis: Armed with pocket-sized video cameras, a tenacious band of Burmese reporters face down death to expose the repressive regime controlling their country. In 2007, after decades of self-imposed silence, Burma became headline news across the globe when peaceful Buddhist monks led a massive rebellion. More than 100,000 people took to the streets protesting a cruel dictatorship that has held the country hostage for more than 40 years. Foreign news crews were banned, the Internet was shut down, and Burma was closed to the outside world. So how did we witness these events? Enter the Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), aka the Burma VJs. Compiled from the shaky handheld footage of the DVB, acclaimed filmmaker Anders Ostergaard’s Burma VJ pulls us into the heat of the moment as the VJs themselves become the target of the Burmese government. [Synopsis courtesy of Sundance Film Festival.]

May 22, 2009

Easy Virtue (Sony Classics), U.K.
Dir: Stephan Elliott
Writer: Stephan Elliott, Sheridan Jobbins
With: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes
Synopsis: The twenties have roared…the thirties have yet to swing. John Whittaker, a young Englishman, falls madly in love with Larita, a sexy and glamorous American woman, and they marry impetuously.  However when the couple returns to the family home, his mother Mrs. Whittaker has an instant allergic reaction to her new daughter-in-law.  Larita tries her best to fit in but fails to tiptoe through the minefield laid by her mother-in-law.  Larita quickly realizes Mrs. Whittaker’s game and sees that she must fight back if she’s not going to lose John.  A battle of wits ensues and sparks soon fly.  Mrs. Whittaker manipulates every situation to undermine her, while Larita remains frustratingly calm and engineers sassy counter attacks.  Before long, Mrs. Whittaker’s manipulation starts to work on John and Larita feels their love is in danger of slipping away.  In a grand finale, where the secrets from Larita’s past are revealed, she finally makes a break for freedom from the suffocating house… [Synopsis courtesy of film’s official website.]

The Girlfriend Experience (Magnolia), U.S.
Dir: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Brian Koppelman, David Levien
With: Sasha Grey, Christopher Santos, Peter Zizzo
Synopsis: “Girlfriend” details five days in the life of an ultra high-end Manhattan call girl who thinks she has her life totally under control. She feels her future is secure because she runs her own business her own way, makes $2000 an hour, and has a devoted boyfriend who accepts her lifestyle. But when youre in the business of meeting people, you never know who youre going to meet.
Links: Sundance Live VI: “Girlfriend Experience,” “Education,” “Season” Deals, LGBT Panel, “Dare” Premiere

Pontypool (IFC), Canada
Dir: Bruce McDonald
Writer: Tony Burgess
With: Stephen McHattie, Lisa Houle
Synopsis: Shock jock Grant Mazzy has, once again, been kicked-off the Big City airwaves and now the only job he can get is the early morning show at CLSY Radio in Pontypool Ontario, which broadcasts from the basement of the small town’s only church. What begins as another boring day of school bus cancellations, due to yet another massive snow storm, quickly turns deadly when reports start piling in of people developing strange speech patterns and evoking horrendous acts of violence start piling in.  But there’s nothing coming in on the news wires.  Is this really happening? Before long, Grant and the small staff at CLSY find themselves trapped in the radio station as they discover that this insane behaviour taking over the town is actually a deadly virus being spread through the English language itself. Do they stay on the air in the hopes of being rescued or, are they in fact providing the virus with its ultimate leap over the airwaves and into the world? [Synopsis courtesy of film’s official website.]
iW Coverage: SXSW Snapshot: What Zombies? Bruce McDonald’s “Pontypool”

A scene from Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me To Hell.” Image courtesy of Universal Pictures

The Maiden Heist (Yari), U.S.
Dir: Peter Hewitt
Writer: Michael LeSieur
With: Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy, Marcia Gay Harden
Synopsis: “The Maiden Heist” gives us the most endearing characters ever to commit grand larceny: three museum security guards who live lives of quiet captivation, each enraptured by a particular work of art. Roger (Christopher Walken), Charles (Morgan Freeman) and George (William H. Macy) are each so lost in fascination with the particular objet d’art of his affection that although they have been coworkers for decades, they only just meet for the first time when crisis strikes: there’s a new curator in town, and his plan is to change the museum’s collection entirely, threatening to rob each man of his greatest secret passion in life. However, having found their kindred spirits, the men forge a plan to hold onto the works of art they hold most dear. Though hardly criminal masterminds, their inflamed hearts drive them to plan and execute the most daring art heist ever conceived from the inside – with bumblingly hilarious results! [Synopsis courtesy of Yari Film Group]

May 29, 2009

Departures (Regent), Japan
Dir: Yojiro Takita
Writer: Kundo Koyama
With: Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Synopsis: “Departures” follows Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki), a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and who is suddenly left without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled “Departures” thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to discover that the job is actually for a “Nokanshi” or “encoffineer,” a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life. While his wife and others despise the job, Daigo takes a certain pride in his work and begins to perfect the art of “Nokanshi,” acting as a gentle gatekeeper between life and death, between the departed and the family of the departed. The film follows his profound and sometimes comical journey with death as he uncovers the wonder, joy and meaning of life and living. [Synopsis courtesy of Regent Releasing]
iW Coverage: “Departures” and the Best Foreign Language Oscar

Drag Me to Hell (Universal), U.S.
Dir: Sam Raimi
Writer: Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi
With: Alison Lohman, Justin Long
Synopsis: Director Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man” trilogy, “Evil Dead” series) returns to the horror genre with “Drag Me To Hell,” an original tale of a young woman’s desperate quest to break an evil curse. Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan. Should Christine follow her instincts and give the old woman a break? Or should she deny the extension to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), and get a leg-up on a promotion? Christine fatefully chooses the latter, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home. In retaliation, the old woman places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell. Haunted by an evil spirit and misunderstood by a skeptical boyfriend, she seeks the aid of seer Rham Jas (Dileep Rao) to save her soul from eternal damnation. To help the shattered Christine return her life to normal, the psychic sets her on a frantic course to reverse the spell. As evil forces close in, Christine must face the unthinkable: how far will she go to break free of the curse? [Synopsis courtesy of Universal Pictures]
iW Coverage: SXSW Snapshot: Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me To Hell”