Paciencajolly's Blog

Director: Jason Friedberg Aaron Seltzer
Stars: Carmen Electra, Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Parker
Studio: Lionsgate

The Plot: Over the course of one evening, an unsuspecting group of twenty-somethings find themselves bombarded by a series of natural disasters and catastrophic events.

Hey, who ordered another project from the Date Movie guys? I certainly didn’t, and I thought Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer’s diminishing spoof returns (Date remains their most successful endeavor) might have reached their end with Meet the Spartans. Alas, the sophomoric-comedy duo have managed to churn out another 2008 mid-level hit that will probably double its investment after two weeks in general release. And I have to give them some sort of credit for making Carmen Electra a genuine movie star … right? Take that, Nicole Kidman!

Download Disaster Movie here

Director:
Spike Lee
Stars: Derek Luke, Michael Ealy, Laz Alonso

Studio: Touchstone Pictures

The Plot: A murder committed by post-office worker Hector Negron in 1984 sets in motion an investigation that ties back to the experiences of a battalion of black American soldiers who became trapped in a Tuscan village during WWII.

THE BUZZ: The Emmy-winning “When the Levees Broke” and the box-office topping Inside Man have made Spike Lee one of the busiest independent director/producers on either coast (Lee has sequels to both projects in mind, too; in fact, IM 2 is being written right NOW!), and now he’s bringing a different WWII perspective to the big screen with Miracle at St. Anna. And he’s not stopping for air while taking swipes at Clint and the Coens and angering Italians for revising bits of their WWII history. So will some other sort of miracle earn Lee his first-ever Oscar? Well, I imagine he has a better chance than, say, Oliver Stone this year, but a lot is riding on how Disney will market the film and how much of a push it will receive. (We hear Disney had to put the kibosh on Lee’s Eastwood comments, however, if he wants to make a good impression on the Academy — a move which might cause the director to abandon studio filmmaking for a spell?) Another factor not helping his campaign: The fact that Anna didn’t exactly stir audiences at its Toronto Film Festival premiere.

Director:
Clark Gregg
Stars: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald
Studio: Fox Searchlight Pictures

The Plot: An adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk novel, in which sex-addicted con-man Victor Mancini (Rockwell) pays for his mother’s (Huston) hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who rescue him from choking to death. Victor’s mother’s attending physician, Dr. Paige Marshall (Macdonald), initially sinks into his morass, only to become his best chance for redemption.

THE BUZZ: I’m still waiting to see if the planned film version of Invisible Monsters, Palahniuk’s most-out-there novel, actually happens, it’s exciting to ponder the effect of his prose on the movie-going public almost ten years after Fight Club’s notorious, end-of-the-century reign. Palahniuk fans probably have heard already how well actor-turned-director Clark Gregg (who’s always reminded me of a younger Richard Jenkins) molded the author’s mania into something that’s been described by many as slimy, weird, and oddly lighthearted to boot. And yes, the characters played by Rockwell, Macdonald, and supporting player Brad William Henke are as sexually obsessed as they are in the novel. Take a couple minutes to watch one of the best trailers of the year.

Download Choke for Free

Director: Neil Burger
Stars: Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, Michael Peña
Studio: Roadside Attractions

The Plot: Three soldiers (McAdams, Robbins, and Peña) meet one another as they have all returned from Iraq, and circumstance unites them for a road trip across the country, in which they hope to fulfill different personal missions. As they travel, however, they soon realize the ways in which life has progressed without them in mind.

THE BUZZ: Though it has a comedic tone and it doesn’t graphically depict the war, the latest project from director Neil Burger (The Illusionist) is still suffering from post-Rendition stress syndrome, the new condition that makes movie execs nerves about making Iraq-related pictures — never mind marketing them. At least Lionsgate sounds sincere in their effort to find the right release strategy for these Lucky Ones, though I feel like, despite the appealing cast and apparent good vibes, audiences might take this as the Grace Is Gone of 2008.

Director: Darren Grodsky Danny Jacobs
Stars: Jeremy Strong, Fairuza Balk, Peter Bogdanovich
Studio: HD Net

The Plot: An impromptu road trip plagued by car troubles leads to a disillusioned medical student (Strong) being stranded for the summer among a remote community of pot farmers, the last place in the world he imagines he might discover who he truly is.

THE BUZZ: Fairuza Balk co-stars as a drifter named “Bogart” who leads Jeremy Strong’s character into the fertile grounds of Northern California in the first film from writer-director duo Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs. Grodsky and Jacobs say their film is an homage to the character-driven movies of the 1970s, but it’s Humboldt’s look that’s received better notices than its story; the idea of a protagonist coming of age in the midst of a crew of eccentric personalities is admittedly a cliche, but with a cast that includes France Conroy and Brad Dourif (the latter of whom has been called out for a great performance), I think any indie-minded moviegoer can find enjoyment here.

Download Humboldt County for Free