Girl of summer Emma Stone leads a strong cast in The Help, destined to please mainstream crowds but not necessarily critics and the Academy. Meanwhile, Jesse Eisenberg returns to the big screen for the first time since his Oscar-nominated role in 2010’s The Social Network with what is meant to be lighter comedy fare–30 Minutes or Less–but the film is now mired in controversy. Working Title’s racing doc Senna is a must-see, while The Last Circus is a “one-of-a-kind experience that will confound, befuddle and amaze,” and Littlerock is a “little gem.” Glee: The 3D Concert Movie and Final Destination 5 should pull younger audiences. Details, trailers and reviews for these films and more are below:
The Help, Disney, USA | Dir: Tate Taylor; Cast: Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Ahna O’Reilly, Sissy Spacek, Jessica Chastain | B+ criticWIRE | TOH! Review Round-up | ThePlaylist: “critic-proof because it arrives wrapped up in the most deceptive of packaging: good intentions.” | Women and Hollywood interviews Spencer | 74% Tomatometer, 63% Metacritic.
30 Minutes or Less, Columbia Pictures, GER/CAN/USA | Dir: Ruben Fleischer; Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson, Bianca Kajlich, Michael Pena | indieWIRE | Clip | How Real-Life Controversy will Affect Box Office | 45% Tomatometer, 54% Metacritic.
Senna, PDA, UK | Dir: Asif Kapadia | A- criticWIRE | iW interviews Kapadia: “I hope the audience will laugh, cry, fall in love with him and be moved by his remarkable story.” | “You’ve never seen anything like it.” | 96% Tomatometer, 84% Metacritic.
The Last Circus, Magnolia, SPAIN/FRANCE | Dir: Alex de la Iglesia; Cast: Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre and Carolina Bang | B criticWIRE | 100% Tomatometer.
Littlerock, Variance, USA| Dir: Mike Ott; Cast: Atsuko Okatsuka, Cory Zacharia, Rintaro Sawamoto, Roberto ‘Sanz’ Sanchez | 91% Tomatometer, 59% Metacritic.
Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, Alice Mind Cinema, FR/NETHERLANDS/UK | Dir: Sophie Fiennes | 86% Tomatometer, 60% Metacritic | “In equal parts mesmerizing and disorienting.”
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