Six Movies That Could Disappoint This Summer

As we’re well aware, every summer brings highly anticipated movie after highly anticipated movie. But never are they all as fantastic as we hope they’ll be. While I absolutely enjoyed Iron Man 2last year, I know I was in the minority. And let’s not forget Spider-Man 3, released in 2007, which even I, one who loves all, can admit was awful. So which movies this summer will cause us to awkwardly leave the theater, talking about anything BUT the film we just saw in an attempt to avoid admitting it was leagues worse than we were expecting? Or, to look at it from a slightly more optimistic place, which movies should we start lowering our expectations for now, so as to fully enjoy them once we’re in the theater?

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Be honest – did the trailer really get anyone all that excited? The only good part of the second movie is when Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp kiss, I didn’t see the third, and while I hope this one matches the first, I’m not entirely convinced it will even come close. Which is why I’m not in any sort of rush to see it. I’m anticipating disappointment more than I’m anticipating the movie itself. Not good.

Captain America

Holding out high hopes for this one as well, decidedly higher than Pirates, but as much as I am looking forward to it, I am also just as nervous that it will turn out too cheesy and lack a necessary gravitas. I hope not. I love classic Joe Johnston. LOVE. But his recent work hasn’t left anyone all that confident, so there is still that nagging part of me that is worried. Plus, most of the comic insiders I’ve chatted with recently are now convinced about and ecstatic for the previously questionable Green Lantern, while Cap has yet to assuage those fears and is starting to take over as the biggest question mark of the summer.

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

First of all, lame for using the name Dark of the Moon. The play with which it shares a title is no doubt much better than what this piece of torture will be. I’m not sure how one could be “disappointed” with a movie so destined to be awful (despite what anyone who has been in the editing bay may have said), but somehow I was disappointed with Revenge of the Fallen. Yes, I actually mildly enjoyed the first Transformers film when I saw it, and foolishly thought I would receive the same treatment with ROTF. Instead, I wanted to stab out my eyeballs and consequently wrote 86 million articles about how much I hated that series of incomprehensible clips pasted together and labeled a movie. As far as I’m concerned, for the Transformers fans, Transformers 3 will disappoint if it doesn’t improve upon the last one. For the people who hate these movies, Transformers 3 will disappoint if it makes a lick of sense or has any redeeming value. A lose lose situation for everyone involved. Except Michael Bay and Paramount who will make a load of money regardless.

Bad Teacher

I was looking forward to this until I discovered who wrote it. The writers’ only other movie credit? Year One. Expectations lowered.

The Hangover II

Have you seen the trailer? I don’t know, man. I just don’t know. There’s only so much rehashing of the same exact thing you can do before it gets stale. I don’t see lightening striking twice here.

X-Men: First Class

I’m crossing my fingers that this movie is going to be amazing, but considering the fact that there has been almost no marketing, especially to fans, plus reports of behind the scenes turmoil, I’m becoming increasingly concerned. This movie SHOULD be amazing. So why is no one from the studio acting like it is? Here is a situation where I am trying desperately to lower my expectations now, just to make sure I’m not heartbroken come June 3. Ugh. Please don’t be anything but spectacular, X-Men: First Class. I beg of you.

Which movies do you think we start lowering our expectations for now? Any movies I give a pass that you think will be a complete disaster? It’ll certainly be interesting to see how this summer plays out. All I know is not everything can be stellar. But at least if we manage our expectations, everything can be enjoyable. Except Transformers 3.

Source: film.com

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Quentin Tarantino, Community, and the Art of the Homage

Editor’s Note: Following up on Elisabeth Rappe’s “Should Quentin Tarantino Stop Homaging?” article, here’s another take on our good buddy QT from LoquaciousMuse.

Being a fan of Quentin Tarantino can be a perilous place. For people like me, his work is gold; I’ve been obsessed with most — or liked a lot, at least — everything he’s ever touched. He speaks my language. He shares my taste. He does with film what I think film was meant to do. But this isn’t necessarily the popular opinion.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been around Tarantino haters. My parents and friends were never fans of his initially, so growing up, neither was I. I had never seen a Tarantino movie, but assumed he was everything I had heard about within my limited scope: unoriginal, kitschy, overly violent, and the list goes on. It wasn’t until I was assigned a paper on him at age 17, while attending NYU, and watched Pulp Fiction that things started to change.

Now, at age 25, I adore the man, both as a visionary behind the camera and the insane ball of frenetic energy he is in person. And as much as I’ve heard people complain about his endless homaging, diluting what originality may exist in his material, I couldn’t even begin to agree. In fact, I believe the opposite. I believe that borrowing from that many genres and that many specific movies, and blending them together, creates something new and unique every time. While his films may make us think of Westerns or war movies or Kung Fu pictures or grindhouse shlock, they still always feel distinctly Tarantino.

Late last month, Tarantino’s next film Django Unchained, was announced and it reportedly “…pays homage to both the Sergio Corbucci original Django, not to mention Takashi Miike’s Sukiyaki Western Django….[and] Elmore Leonard’s 40 Lashes Less One.” A summary making the Internet rounds is as follows:

Django is a freed slave, who, under the tutelage of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz) becomes a bad-ass bounty hunter himself, and after assisting Waltz in taking down some bad guys for profit, is helped by Waltz in tracking down his slave wife and liberating her from an evil plantation owner.

When this news broke, there was a wave of excitement from film fans, especially those familiar with the iconic character Django and the influence of the original film. And you know why? Because it’s Tarantino choosing to homage, however subtle or not, one of the greatest spaghetti Westerns of all time. We are excited for his take on this, whatever that may be. If anyone else announced a film by this title? I guarantee the reaction would not have been as positive. We would wonder, is this a remake? A reboot? A parody? There would be no sense of faith that something incredible was about to be shot. We trust Tarantino with our homages like we can trust few others.

And who are those few others? Strangely enough, my biggest argument in support of homaging when it works (other than from the master himself,) is the television show Community. While it’s been funny from the start, it wasn’t until homages, references, and deconstruction became a fabric of the show that it truly found both its voice and originality. So much so that I’m almost disappointed when an episode doesn’t contain some sort of gesture to pop culture from the past. The show does homages extremely well and shows off both a strong love for and understanding of everything it nods to — exactly the case with Tarantino and another great example of this, the UK television program that any proper Edgar Wright fan adores, Spaced.

But homaging doesn’t always work. In general, it fails more often than it succeeds. References can sometimes seem inauthentic or pandering when not handled correctly. For example, I have not seen Paul yet, but one of the reasons I stayed away from it in theaters was because I heard the fan service was so on the nose, so cutesy, so not backed up in quality by the movie, that it became almost cringe-worthy to watch. When I opened up this question to Twitter, and asked when references or homages seemed hokey, forced, or not genuine, I got answers like “every line of every Dreamworks animated movie in the ever?,” Family Guy, The Big Bang Theory, Scream 4, the time The Simpsons crossed over with The Critic, Dawson’s Creek, later episodes of Veronica Mars, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, even fan favorite Chuck. Because there is a fundamental difference between most of these properties and properties like Spaced, Community, and especially anything Tarantino makes — the latter group features a pure, unbridled, loving, intense addiction to film and genre at large that is funneled through the mind of pure, unbridled, intense talent.

What we sometimes seem to forget is that properly homaging something is a feat that requires such a deep knowledge and respect for the subject at hand, that it is something to be admired, not railed against.

I think Quint, in reference to the Django announcement, said it best:

Looks legit and if Django is the jumping off point for a Tarantino Western (wholly spaghetti or not) that’s only good news for cinephiles all over the world… Especially with [Franco] Nero and Christoph Waltz involved.

So if you think Tarantino should stop homaging, I urge you to take another look at his work and maybe even the films that inspired him, and reconsider. If you don’t care to do this, then hey, just see his next flick. There’s magic to his mash-ups that I’m sure Django Unchained will be further proof of. I’m salivating already.

Source: film.com

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First Photo of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss

Entertainment Weekly has the first image of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in The Hunger Games movie. Our take? So far, so good. Check out the full-sized version below:

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Box Office: Thor Repeats as Champ

Thor only dropped 47.5 percent in its second weekend to earn an estimated $34.5 million, repeating as box office champion. The film also hit $300 million worldwide, passing The Incredible Hulk and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer in the Marvel canon. The other big news amongst the new wide releases was Bridesmaids strong $24.4m opening, the film had been projected by analysts in the high teens.

Here’s the complete top five, courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.

1. Thor $34,500,000
2. Bridesmaids $24,409,000
3. Fast Five $19,534,000
4. Priest $14,500,000
5. Rio $8,000,000

In limited release action, Everything Must Go managed the third-highest per theater average amont new releases at $3,783 per theater, while Hesher came in at an estimated $3,175 per theater.

Next weekend Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides will take the crown with ease, but will 3-D translate to a massive weekend, or is a mere $100m all the fourth installment can expect?

Source: film.com

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Should Quentin Tarantino Stop Homaging?

The announcement of a new Quentin Tarantino film comes with oohs, aahs, and post-Kill Bill, a lot of bitter commentary on his gleefully referential style. (Or, as they say in French, homages.) One can’t take Internet discussion boards too seriously, but it would appear that a certain segment of cinephiles finds it cool and refined to hate on Tarantino for such things. Since his latest script, Django Unchained, wears its reference on its title page, the voices have become quite loud indeed. Even the most ardent fans have to ask themselves whether he’s already done enough spaghetti Western worship.

The criticism eats at Tarantino. “Here’s my problem with this whole influence thing,” he told the Los Angeles Times. “Instead of critics reviewing my movies, now what they’re really doing is trying to match wits with me. Every time they review my movies, it’s like they want to play chess with the mastermind and show off every reference they can find, even when half of it is all of their own making. It feels like the critics are IMDB-ing everything I do. It just rubs me the wrong way because they end up using it as a stick to beat me down with.”

It’s true, and yet in the next breath Tarantino happily lists a number of films and actors that he references in Inglourious Basterds — The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Operation Amsterdam, International Lady, and so on. And he’s unapologetic. “But what happens is that it becomes my scene with my actors and my way of telling the story and I feel like I somehow make it my own.” And he does. The opening of Inglorious Basterds may happily lift from Monte Hellman, Sergio Leone, and John Ford, but it does become pure Tarantino, and an organic part of the film. None of his films feel like a cut-and-paste job. They’re akin to a good research paper, where sources are subtly noted and woven into a sweeping, encompassing argument.

Yes, that’s a very dry metaphor, but it’s an apt one. As a young academic, I anguished about building my arguments on the shoulders of others, until a kind professor pointed out that what I did was an art. Anyone can plop in a chunk of text; a real researcher had to weave it into his or her picture and that, he insisted, was what I was doing. Tarantino’s best films work on the same principle. They may borrow a mood here, a bit of lighting there, a costume idea or a posture from that, but they all end up being a cohesive and original whole. It’s worth noting that the scenes people remember — Shoshanna striping her face to Cat People, Mia and Vincent in the ’50s restaurant, the opening dining conversation of Reservoir Dogs — are original, even if they’re framed around some pre-existing pop culture. (I don’t consider namedropping Douglas Sirk or Madonna a homage. It’s simply a reference. Plenty of films old and new have them. It’s a touchstone of the time or the talent behind it.)

Even the scenes that are glibly ripped from other films — Mia and Vincent dancing, for instance — go beyond homage and into a reflection of cinema itself. Jerome Charyn points out that a Godard reference winds up folding in on itself to tug on our nostalgia: ”Travolta’s entire career becomes ‘backstory,’ the myth of a movie star who has fallen out of favor, but still resides in our memory as the king of disco. We keep waiting for him to shed his paunch, put on a white polyester suit, and enter the 2001 Odyssey club in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where he will dance for us and never, never stop … [Vince and Mia's] actual dance may be closer to the choreography of Anna Karina’s shuffle with her two bumbling gangster boyfriends in Bande à part, but even that reference is lost to us, and we’re with Tony again.”

The film that’s latest on the homages, Jackie Brown, is nevertheless more effective because it is one giant love letter to Pam Grier and Foxy Brown. It’s difficult to deny the man his “junk cinema” when it results in something as mature and wistful as Jackie’s speech about growing old. The riff on blaxploitation extends beyond a mere nod and wink, and into territory that is human, heartfelt, and — dare I say it — historic because of the place Grier occupies in American culture. (And I’ll admit, I’m someone who wishes he would return to the more subtle and mature style of Jackie Brown. Basterds was a step forward; let’s hope Django Unchained is another. Early script reviews suggest it might be.)

And yes, Inglourious Basterds‘ homages may fly as fast and furious as those in Kill Bill, but they all end up on that funeral pyre, which would appear to be Tarantino’s entire credo. Movies are our life — and our death. It’s a sentiment shared by IFC’s Michael Atkinson, who holds Basterds as a sort of life-defining moment. “Tarantino is the story, and so are we, because the story is about making and watching cinema, inside the movie and out, and therefore about real life experienced and observed, and the sooner we accept the fact that movies are not separate from our experiences but part of them, then we can be free.”

Many directors repeatedly shove references and homages at us; few are lambasted as hard as Tarantino. This year’s Rango was one giant pastiche of Western references (Gore Verbinski’s Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy also did it to a lesser extent), and audiences ate it up. I was left a little cold by it, and when pressed for why, I couldn’t really explain it except that I’d already seen Once Upon a Time in the West, and I didn’t need to see it with a lizard. Yet I could easily say the same of Tarantino (how many times are you going to rework Angel Eyes’ vicious dinner scenes, Quentin?) but I don’t come away feeling as cranky. As a lover of spaghetti Westerns and serapes, I’m at once desperate to see them referenced and yet weirdly protective of how such nods are used. Rango felt off, yet Tarantino feels right. One can tell he loves the little things about those films, and he’s also aware of the wider mythology they encompass. All mythologies borrow; be they creation myth or cinematic pulp, but the trick is tapping into our instinct with the image instead of rewarding us for “getting it.”

I will say this, though — Tarantino’s references can be as eye-rolling as anyone else’s. Going forward, I’d like to see him abandon some of them. Cut out the Ennio Morricone, for one. I grin every time I hear those cues too, but they’re not flexible enough for everything, and they belong to Leone. I’d also like to see him (and everyone else) stop using the shot from The Searchers. It’s a beautiful one, but it belongs to Ford. It’s cheap to try and milk it for film after film.

Otherwise, keep doing your thing, Quentin. When it gets to the point that you homage yourself, like The Onion once teased, then we’ll talk again.

Source: film.com

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Top Seven: Paul Bettany

With Priest opening this weekend, we took it upon ourselves to review the oeuvre of its star, Paul Bettany, and determine which of his films have been strongest. The past half decade hasn’t been too kind to Bettany critically, and Priest may not break him very far out of that mold, as fun as it seems to be. But when we look back and remind ourselves of what happens when he makes the right decisions, things start looking up.

A Beautiful Mind

The movie that put Paul Bettany on the American cinematic map and in my American cinematic heart. Not that I haven’t had a tumultuous relationship with it. I loved the film when I first saw it, then resented it for winning everything, then saw it again on cable and remembered why I liked it. But one thing I never questioned was Bettany’s electrically charming performance.

A Knight’s Tale

Known as a Heath Ledger joint to most, this is the movie that made me officially fall for Paul Bettany after I was introduced to him by A Beautiful Mind. I recognized at the time that A Knight’s Tale wasn’t actually very good, but had a soft spot for it anyway. The contemporary soundtrack never sat well with me, but as a huge sucker for period pieces, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it, especially every moment of Alan Tudyk as Wat, James Purefoy as the Black Prince and of course, Bettany as Chaucer.

Dogville

It took some convincing from cinephile friends before I was able to sit down and commit to this three-hour minimalist drama, but I’m glad I finally did. Bettany’s performance is top-notch and for better or worse, I couldn’t get the film out of my head for days. An absolute must for anyone looking for Bettany in a bridging-on-brilliant film — or, you know, anyone looking for a bridging-on-brilliant film, period.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

I saw this movie when I was 17 and did not have a refined enough palette to properly enjoy it. All I really remember is people having ponytails and facial hair whilst on a boat. But the general love for this movie, enough to nab it a Best Picture nod in 2003, means it absolutely belongs on this list. And I vow to give it another chance one day.

Wimbledon

This is where we get controversial. Did this movie kind of suck? A lot? Yes. But was James McAvoy in it? Also yes. Therefore it nabs a slot ahead of such Paul Bettany-but-no-James McAvoy gems as The Da Vinci Code, Inkhart, Legion, The Secret Life of Bees, The Tourist, and Creation. ESPECIALLY Creation.

Iron Man

True, Bettany isn’t actually IN Iron Man, only his voice is, but it’s as Jarvis, who is essential to Tony Stark, to Iron Man, to the Marvel Universe, and to the future when he is my butler. This movie is fantastic, we all know it, and Bettany’s smooth, calming, British voice bringing Jarvis to life certainly didn’t hurt.

The Young Victoria

I don’t actually think I remember Paul Bettany in this movie aside from some impressive sideburns, but hey, maybe that’s a good thing. Means he properly disappeared into the role of Lord Melbourne, no? I loved this movie way more than I suspected I would. It’s a lovely historical romance that didn’t get nearly enough attention, and though its role for Bettany may not be as large as others, The Young Victoria is hands down superior to all of the films he has starred in over the past five years and perhaps the ones he hasn’t starred in as well.

So where does this leave us? After Priest, the next film we can expect from Bettany is Margin Call, opening in October. With completely decent reviews and an intriguing cast, one can only hope the film falls more in line with Paul Bettany films of yore. Well, maybe don’t aspire to match Wimbledon, Paul Bettany, that’s only on this list for McAvoy. We need at least A Knight’s Tale level from now on, or I’m gonna stop caring.The choice is yours.

Source: film.com

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What to Expect When You’re Expecting Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Production on a third Transformers movie began pretty much as soon as the second one made $100 million, which was about four hours after it opened. That means they’ve had two years to fine-tune and perfect the final chapter in the trilogy, to make every detail conform to Michael Bay’s overarching vision. Given how much money has been spent on it, one assumes the new film has been painstakingly crafted by dedicated artisans, but of course we won’t know for sure until July 1. In the meantime, we can make some educated guesses based on the facts available.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting Transformers: Dark of the Moon

It was made by people who realize the last one wasn’t very good. The director, the writers, the star, and the now-fired co-star of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen have all publicly admitted that it was kind of crappy. On the one hand, this is encouraging, because it suggests, at least theoretically, that these people are capable of learning from their errors and doing better next time. But on the other hand, you wouldn’t buy a car from a salesman whose sales pitch included an apology for the last car he sold you. You would thank him for finally coming clean about the lemon, then buy a car somewhere else.

Mr. Spock is the voice of an elderly alien-robot-monster thing! Is there a more revered figure in all of geekdom than Leonard Nimoy? He gave his seal of approval to the Star Trek reboot a couple years ago, and now he gazes favorably upon Transformers: Dark of the Moon. His presence in the film means it’s a respectable piece of entertainment and/or they paid him.

Megan Fox is being played by someone else. You will recall that the main character, Sam Witwicky, used to have a busty girlfriend named Megan Fox. But in Dark of the Moon, the role of Megan Fox is played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Hardcore fans of the series are disappointed, as they’d grown fond of the way Megan Fox inhabited the character (i.e., the way she shimmied in slow motion). How will Rosie Huntington-Whiteley do in the role of Megan Fox? Her name sounds very fancy, what with the hyphen and all, as if she were a classically trained Shakespearean actor, but she’s actually just a Victoria’s Secret model. Which gives you an idea of how much acting Michael Bay thought the role required.

It’s going to be in 3D, heaven help us all. Not that you need us to tell you it’s going to be in 3D. It’s a movie being released in 2011, right? Then it’s going to be in 3D. What’s noteworthy is that according to people who have seen some of the footage, Bay realizes that his patented shaky-camera Confuse-O-Vision® technique would be completely incomprehensible in 3D, and he seems to have slowed things down a bit. As in, the camera holds still for a second, and you can actually see the giant robots as they perform their hilarious shenanigans.

Frances McDormand is in it, and she won an Oscar, and so is John Malkovich, and he’s been nominated twice. So it’s probably going to be a pretty classy affair, is what we’re saying.

Source: film.com

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2011 SIFF Sneak Peak

The Seattle International Film Festival is coming to town — again. So we’re making a list, and er … checking it twice, of films that are naughty and nice. Well, films that seem like they could be nice. If after we’ve screened them, they turn out to be really bad (the kind whose filmmakers deserve a bank account full of coal instead of ticket dollars) we’ll be sure to warn you.

Until then, we’ve served up a smattering of SIFF fare you might want to sample.

Project Nim: Not to be confused with The Rats of Nimh — but just as likely to make you cry. Raised by a human family, Nim the chimp is a pawn in a Columbia University professor’s strategy to teach a primate to use sign language like a human child: a plan waylaid by human arrogance and animal instinct. (James Marsh’s follow up to his Oscar-winning Man on Wire.)

Beginners: This transformative comedy’s cast will make many men and women drool: Ewan McGregor, Melanie Laurent, Christopher Plummer… Their roles are equally tantalizing — lovebirds Ewan (Oliver) and Laurent (an alluringly unpredictable actress), and Plummer (Oliver’s dad), a long-time married man who comes out of the closet and onto the gay dance-club floor at age 75.

Being Elmo: A puppeteer’s Journey: What’s it like to be Elmo? The mystery you’ve always mused upon is at last revealed in a documentary that follows the man behind the muppet’s rise from neighborhood puppet shows to Sesame Street.

Buck (documentary): Buck Brannaman, the real-life cowboy behind the novel and film The Horse Whisperer, tames horses with as Aretha Franklin would sing r-e-s-p-e-c-t, rather than b-e-a-t-i-n-g-s. Against a backdrop of beautiful scenery, discover the skills and dark secrets behind his whisperer way — with animals and people.

Bobby Fischer Against the World (documentary): “Bobby Fischer. Where is he? I don’t know, I don’t know!” Will Ferrell’s Bobby Fischer cheerleading skit on SNL: hilarious. The 1972 American chess prodigy’s lonely childhood and descent into insanity: no laughing matter.

Gandu: Bollywood, meet the anti-Bollywood. So long, swooning romances and jangly, fruity-hued dance numbers; hello, sex, drugs and rebellious rap. A poor young Kolkata man befriends a Bruce Lee-obsessed rickshaw driver and takes off on a gritty Hunter Thompson-esque thrill ride. Exactly what you’d expect from a film that’s title means “a-hole” in Hindi.

Amador: Weekend at Bernie’s meets the harsh realities of surviving in a tough economy. When the elderly invalid a young immigrant woman cares for abruptly dies before she’s due to be paid, she’s left in a particularly difficult (but surprisingly amusing) moral pickle.

Life in a Day: (Or you could call it “YouTube in a Day.”) A cinematic time capsule of YouTube videos shot by amateur and pro filmmakers around the world sharing their loves, hopes, and fears on one day — July 24, 2010. We can only hope they include kittens and “I can has cheezburger?” feline-speak subtitles.

The First Grader: No need to feel bad about being held back in the first grade ever again. The Guinness Book of World Records’ oldest primary school student (and this film’s hero) is way older than you ever were — 84 years old. Set in Kenya, The First Grader chronicles the knee-sock-wearing relic’s battle to finally get an education despite reluctant school officials and outraged parents.

Page One: Inside the New York Times: An up-close and personal view of the inner secrets of one of America’s most iconic newspapers.

Submarine: On teen Oliver Tate’s to-do list: be deflowered by a pyromaniac bully and snuff out his mother’s rekindled old flame. It has all the makings of a quirky and touching British coming-of-age comedy.

Sushi: The Global Catch (documentary): A documentary that might make you rethink your sushi habit. It dives into the history, present problems, and future of Japan’s trendy cultural export as restaurants, fishermen, and diners struggle to keep it environmentally and economically sustainable.

The Thief of Bagdad: Reimagined by Shadoe Stevens With the Music of the Electric Light Orchestra: A radio broadcast legend seeks the perfect symmetry between screen and sound with Douglas Fairbanks’ fantastical 1924 silent film and the Electric Light Orchestra.

Circumstance: A Sundance Film Festival Audience Award-winning political drama/love story about the forbidden yet passionate romance between two young Iranian women.

Finding Kind: It’s a “universal truth” that girls can be so something so … that starts with a “b” and rhymes with “itchy” … Though not like Lauren and Molly who schlepped their cameras (and moms) across the country to establish a school program to raise consciousness about emotional bullying. Movie therapy for the troubled (or something that rhymes with “kitschy”) young ladies in your life.

Another Earth: What if there was … another Earth? And a you, who made different, maybe better choices — like majoring in engineering instead of English Lit? On the night a duplicate planet is discovered in our solar system, Rhoda Williams (co-writer Brit Marling) makes a tragic mistake. Determined to atone for it, she plans a trip to terra firma’s twin.

Nobody Else But You: An offbeat, Coen brothers-esque French film noir about a best-selling detective novel author, and the suicide of a cheese factory-starlet who’s the spitting image of Marilyn Monroe.

Source: film.com

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