“Prometheus” finally arrives this weekend and it’s quite a ride. While its story may not deliver on the promise of its dazzling trailer and promos, it’s visually stunning and Noomi Rapace and Michael Fassbender are an impressive pair. Among the indie fare arriving this weekend is the charming Sundance hit “Safety Not Guaranteed” starring easily-lovable Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass. “Peace Love & Misunderstanding,” despite its fine actors, can’t rise above its out-of-touch script. Robert Pattinson stars in period romance “Bel Ami” and Greta Gerwig enthusiasts may be lured with “Lola Versus,” but critics aren’t seduced by either. For those with darker taste, Todd Solondz returns with “Dark Horse” and for the kids there’s “Madagascar 3,” whose intrepid French cop (Frances McDormand) raises the sequel a step from its last iteration.
Trailer, reviews and details below:
“Prometheus” Twentieth C. Fox, US | Dir: Ridley Scott; Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Charlize Theron, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green | toh! Review | London Q & A with Scott, Fassbender, Rapace, Theron | 77% Fresh | THR: “It does supply enough visual spectacle, tense action and sticky, slithery monster attacks to hit the spot with thrill-seeking audiences worldwide.”
“Bel Ami” Magnolia, UK/FR/IT | Dir: Declan Donnellan; Cast: Robert Pattinson, Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman, Kristen Scott Thomas | toh! Review from Berlin | 34% Rotten | THR: “A flavorless literary adaptation sunk by a lead actor, screenwriter and co-directors that are all out of their depth.”
“Safety Not Guaranteed” FilmDistrict, US | Dir: Colin Trevorrow; Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, Karan Soni | Indiewire calls it “Back to the Future meets Juno” | 92% Fresh | ThePlaylist: “An oddly effective little charmer, [it] ekes out a victory over so much of its indie-darling competition simply by following through on the ideas it introduces.”
“Lola Versus” Fox Searchlight, US | Dir: Daryl Wein; Cast: Greta Gerwig, Joel Kinnaman, Bill Pullman, Debra Winger, Hamish Linklater | Indiewire: Gerwig Salvages Forgettable Film | 45% Rotten | Slant: “That this narrowness of focus is accompanied by a measure of disdain for non-privileged New York just throws into relief the essential self-satisfaction of this less than compelling exercise in blinkered observation.”
“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” Paramount, US | Dir: Eric Darnell; Cast (voice): Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen | 79% Fresh | Variety: “This is the rare animated property that has consistently improved on its ho-hum origins.”
“Dark Horse” Brainstorm Media, US | Dir: Todd Solondz; Cast: Jordan Gelber, Christopher Walken, Justin Bartha, Selma Blair, Mia Farrow | Meredith Brody‘s Review from Toronto | Watch ThePlaylist’s Exclusive Clip | Indiewire says Solondz “Takes A Fresh Path To More of the Same With Kafkaesque ‘Dark Horse'” | 67% Fresh | Time: “Solondz’s most waywardly endearing film, his gentlest triumph.”
“Peace, Love & Misunderstanding” IFC Films, US | Dir: Bruce Beresford; Cast: Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Elizabeth Olsen, Chase Crawford, Jeffrey Dean Morgan | 44% Fresh | GQ: “this unwitting, Woodstock-set commercial for the relative bliss of Alzheimer’s—with Fonda playing Grandma Counterculture to uptight daughter Keener and her kids—might as well be called On Golden Pot.”
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