Theatrical Releases: Don Jon & Rush

RUSH || September 27th, 2013

	As much as “Baggage Claim” looks like rom-com filth, I do respect several of the actors involved enough to give this a chance, eventually, especially lead Paula Patton and supporting star Adam Brody. Other than that, this looks like a Tyler Perry knock-off and a dismal venture poorly representing females in general.	50% PROBABLY
	Nowhere near as imaginative as the original, “Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2” is completely uninspired and uses the same old tricks to deliver an average sequel to a highly entertaining and quirky first film. Where the original “Cloudy” took a beloved children’s book and gave it a life all its own, it was beloved by children and parents alike.
	Led wonderfully by the talented Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who steps into the writing and directing chair, on top of acting, “Don Jon” delivers an introspective and occasionally funny look at “porn addiction”. A strange subject matter to base a film around, HitRECord’s Gordon-Levitt does a decent job of keeping the focus on his main character, Jon, and his relationships with his family, friends, and new girlfriend, played by Scarlett Johansson. Landing more on the surface rather than taking any real sort of look at the problem, the intention of “Don Jon” remains to entertain rather than to cause one to think about the problem at hand.
	Although I am glad to miss this on the IMAX screen, “Metallica Through The Never” looks intriguing enough to warrant a viewing, despite being slightly self-indulgent. The up-and-coming Dane DeHaan stars as a roadie sent on a mission during a concert that turns out to be more trouble than he can handle. The film looks great and even though I’m not a huge metal junkie, I think I could enjoy this.	75% MOST LIKELY
	Rivalry is key in Ron Howard’s “Rush”, pitting two amazing performances against one another, from Chris Hemsworth and the all-but-unknown Daniel Brühl. The element that tends to sway audiences away from the film is its root in Formula 1 racing, but “Rush” is as much about Formula 1 racing as “A Beautiful Mind” is about economics. Both are American bio-pics, directed by Ron Howard, but these strong elements are merely backdrops for the outstanding performances and a means to display some high octane, tension building moments between the two leads. Every moment you see these men face off on-screen is a enigmatic moment that keeps you begging for more.

	The debate of pro-choice/anti-abortion is one that I feel strongly towards and it’s not too often that a documentary like “After Tiller” comes along where film-makers look at the very few doctors that perform late-term abortions and the scrutiny and death threats that they face.	25% MAYBE
	Directed by and starring James Franco, “As I Lay Dying” looks to be somewhat low quality for today’s standards and the trailer offers little for those that haven’t read Faulkner’s masterpiece. Also starring Richard Jenkins and Danny McBride, the cast is strong and thought-provoking, but there’s very little that grabs me, leaving this one floundering.	PASS
	An interesting premise and some intriguing portrayals, but “The Citizen” does nothing to differentiate from fellow September 11th tales, besides being told from the perspective of a Middle Eastern man that wins the Green Card lottery.	PASS
	Yes, I get that little girls are creepy from films like “Carrie” and “The Exorcist”, but “Dark Touch”, despite its accolades from Fangoria, does nothing to expand on the premise of possessed girls. “I move things when I cry” is not really that scary compared to, “I can move my entire head around” or “I can murder my entire high school class”. I get what they’re going for with this film but I’d rather see it done better somewhere else.	PASS
	Right up there with the pro-choice debate, the income inequality in America is another heated issue for me. In “Inequality For All”, Robert Reich, a former Clinton cabinet member, discusses this dilemma. Regardless of how good a documentary can look, it is hard for me to put it on the must-see list, so until this gains buzz or Oscar attention, I will place it on the back burner.	25% MAYBE
	How do low budget films like “Morning” getting so many veteran actors and actresses attached to them? Are their scripts so well received that they are able to attain so many big names? Is the producer or director connected with enough people to get these faces in their film? There’s a strong message here and plenty of emotions, but it’s vague and slightly melodramatic, but with Jeanne Tripplehorn, Laura Linney, and Jason Ritter, who knows.	PASS
	Consider this the year of the musical documentary with films like “Sound City”, “20 Feet From Stardom”, “Sample This”, “Good Ol’ Freda”, and “Bob and the Monster” just to name a few. Perhaps its coming off the Oscar win of the documentary “Searching for Sugar Man” last year, but whatever the reason, we’re learning more and more about record labels this year than we’ve ever cared to know.	PASS
	Apparently director Erik Matti is directing a short for the next installment of “The ABC’s of Death”. But before that happens, he’s got “On The Job” releasing. A foreign thriller where inmates are used as hired hit-men, there doesn’t appear to be much of a through-line in the trailer, which leads me to believe the film doesn’t carry much of one either, but I do look forward to the “ABC’s of Death” sequel.	PASS
	Coming out tales are getting a little bit too frequent for me. Done right, these films can be intensely emotional and biting, but the ones like “Out In The Dark” that remind me of almost every other film of its kind leaves me questioning when the novelty of these films will wear off.	PASS
	The lead in “The Secret Lives of Dorks” reminds me of an early Shia LeBeouf from “Even Stevens”. Centering around a dork trying to score a date with the head cheerleader, who in exchange tries to hook him up with a fellow nerd, this trailer isn’t very funny but just intriguing enough to garner a maybe.	25% MAYBE
	DOCUMENTARY PICK OF THE WEEK: “Shepard & Dark” takes a look at the actor Sam Shepard and his best friend Johnny Dark, a man who has no notable fame besides being a friend of Shepard for over 40 years. Highlighting a many bonds I have with my friends, this brings up emotions and lands a spot as a documentary I would actually enjoy.	75% MOST LIKELY
	Made it about 30 seconds into this trailer for “The Spy: Undercover Operation” or until the false start ended and this became horrendous.	PASS
	Low and behold, “We Are What We Are” is a stolen-titled remake of a Mexican horror film with almost the same exact premise. In this version, the little girls are the selling point of the film, with a look and demeanor that screams the horror realm. In this version, the mother dies instead of the father which seems like an odd choice and was hopefully made for more than differentiating itself from the original.	RENTAL
	Over-the-top, physical comedy at its absolute foreign worst.	HELL NO
	It’s hard enough for me to get into kung-fu movies, it’s harder for me to be on board with one involving dragons and whirlpools destroying ships.	PASS
	Niels Arestrup is showing up in every foreign film these days, but he is one of the only reasons I want to see wine drama “You Will Be My Son”, because of his dark and powerful performance that bleeds through even the trailer. Gilles Legrand directs, having just come off produces “MicMacs” a few years ago. Right this film holds an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and although my interest is not entirely peaked, I will probably come across this film and give it a chance.	25% MAYBE