Friday, January 05, 2007
Friday Movie Release 1/6
Happy New Year! Here are this week's scheduled movie releases...
Code Name: The Cleaner (PG-13); Nationwide
Jake is a seemingly regular guy who has no idea who he is after being hit over the head by mysterious assailants. When he finds himself unexpectedly entangled in a high-level government conspiracy, Jake and his pursuers begin to believe that he is an undercover agent who subconsciously holds a key piece of information that could expose an arms deal involving the CIA and FBI.
Starring: Cedric The Entertainer, Lucy Liu, Elizabeth Hurley, Nicollette Sheridan, Callum Keith Rennie
Freedom Writers (PG-13); Nationwide (Want to see)
Fresh-faced, idealistic twenty-three-year-old Erin Gruwell is ready to take on the world as she steps inside Wilson High School for her first day of teaching. Her class, a diverse group of racially charged teenagers from different walks of life--African Americans, Latinos, Asians, juvenile delinquents, gang members, and underprivileged students from poor neighborhoods--hope for nothing more than to make it through the day. On the surface, the only thing they share is their hatred for each other and the understanding that they are simply being warehoused in the educational system until they are old enough to disappear. Despite her students' obstinate refusal to participate during class, Erin tries various means to engage them on a daily basis. But then ghetto reality steps in to focus the picture. A racially motivated gang shooting witnessed by a Latina gang member in Erin's class, and an an ugly racial cartoon that Erin intercepts during class, become the most unwittingly dynamic teaching aids. They spark a transformation in the classroom, compel them to listen and force her to take off her idealistic blinders and take in the kids' survival stories of their undeclared war on the streets. Erin begins to connect with them. She brings in music from the ‘Hood, and literature from another kind of ghetto, The Diary of Anne Frank, and with these simple tools she opens her students' eyes to the experiences of those suffering intolerance throughout the world and the struggles of those outside their own communities. Knowing that every one of her students has a story to tell, Erin encourages them to keep a daily journal of their thoughts and experiences. After sharing their stories with one another, the students see their shared experience for the first time and open up to the idea that there are possibilities in life outside of making it to the age of eighteen.
Starring: Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, Imeldaa Staunton, April Lee Hernandez
Happily N'Ever After (PG); Nationwide (Want to see)
Once upon a time in Fairy Tale Land, the age-old balance between good and evil has been thrown out of whack. Frieda, Cinderella's power-mad stepmother, has formed an unholy alliance of evil to take on the good guys. With her own fairy tale spinning wildly out of control, Cinderella (a/k/a Ella) is forced to shed her damsel-in-distress trappings in order to seize control of her own destiny and lead the resistance without her Prince Charming. In a world of happy endings gone wrong, the race for control of the kingdom is on, with the fate of the venerable storyline "Happily N'Ever After" hanging in the balance.
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Andy Dick, Wallace Shawn, Patrick Warburton
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (R); Limited
In 18th-century France, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, orphaned as a newborn in the streets of Paris, is alone in the world. A peculiar child who rarely speaks, Grenouille is alienated from others but blessed with a remarkable gift. His sense of smell is so refined, so attuned to every blade of grass and blossoming flower, that it's tragic when he's sold into servitude to a tannery at the age of 13 and surrounded by the foul odors that accompany his labor. But there comes a day when Grenouille does an errand in town and discovers the object that will transform his life: perfume. Eager to learn the art of creating sophisticated fragrance, he apprentices himself to a once-renowned perfumer, and proves to be a savant whose almost mystical knowledge of scent surpasses anything that can be taught to him by masters of the craft. Ironically, he was born with no scent of his own, a distinction which colors his undistinguished life. But Grenouille is fearless when it comes to the pursuit of a perfect perfume. When he discovers the most intoxicating scent he has ever experienced--the natural fragrance of a beautiful young girl--he learns that the only method to preserve her innocence and fresh beauty will require murder. Plaguing the countryside with a series of gruesome killings, Grenouille must stay one step ahead of the authorities until he captures the final ingredient for his greatest perfume--the essence of a beautiful redheaded girl whose wealthy father earnestly protects her. Only then, he believes, will he earn the attention and adulation that his extraordinary talent deserves.
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Karoline Herfurth
Miss Potter (PG); Limited
Inspired by a true story set in Victorian England, a tale charting the life of Beatrix Potter--a literary phenomenon of the early 20th century. At a time when most young women of her class aimed only to make a good marriage, Beatrix became an iconic figure, swimming quietly, but with great fortitude, against the tide. She created a series of books and characters that are as beloved today as they were a hundred years ago, and since their publication they have never been out of print. She was also a distinguished painter and--had she been a man--her botanical drawings would have been snapped up by the Royal Horticultural Society at Kew Gardens. In addition, by the time she died in 1943, Beatrix Potter had purchased vast swathes of the Lake District that she left to the then fledgling British conservation trust, the National Trust. That so much of this glorious countryside that inspired her, remains as it was in Beatrix Potter's day for others to enjoy, is her bequest to the nation.
Starring: Jane How, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Renée Zellweger
The Painted Veil (PG-13); Limited
In the 1920s, a young English couple--Walter, a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman--get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.
Starring: Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Toby Jones, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
THR3E (PG-13); Limited
A police profiler and an insurance agent help a shy graduate student when the latter is targeted by a bomber who uses riddles to terrify his victims.
Starring: Marc Blucas, Justine Waddell, Laura Jordan, Bill Moseley, Max Ryan
Coming Attractions
-
Alpha Dog (R); Nationwide; opens 1/12 (Justin Timberlake acting as a tough guy??)
Arthur and the Invisibles (PG); Nationwide; opens 1/12
Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia) (R); Nationwide; opens 1/12
Dreamgirls (PG-13); Nationwide; opens 1/12
Letters From Iwo Jima (R); Nationwide; opens 1/12
Stomp the Yard (PG-13); Nationwide; opens 1/12 ¶ 1/05/2007 06:06:00 AM
Code Name: The Cleaner (PG-13); Nationwide
Jake is a seemingly regular guy who has no idea who he is after being hit over the head by mysterious assailants. When he finds himself unexpectedly entangled in a high-level government conspiracy, Jake and his pursuers begin to believe that he is an undercover agent who subconsciously holds a key piece of information that could expose an arms deal involving the CIA and FBI.
Starring: Cedric The Entertainer, Lucy Liu, Elizabeth Hurley, Nicollette Sheridan, Callum Keith Rennie
Freedom Writers (PG-13); Nationwide (Want to see)
Fresh-faced, idealistic twenty-three-year-old Erin Gruwell is ready to take on the world as she steps inside Wilson High School for her first day of teaching. Her class, a diverse group of racially charged teenagers from different walks of life--African Americans, Latinos, Asians, juvenile delinquents, gang members, and underprivileged students from poor neighborhoods--hope for nothing more than to make it through the day. On the surface, the only thing they share is their hatred for each other and the understanding that they are simply being warehoused in the educational system until they are old enough to disappear. Despite her students' obstinate refusal to participate during class, Erin tries various means to engage them on a daily basis. But then ghetto reality steps in to focus the picture. A racially motivated gang shooting witnessed by a Latina gang member in Erin's class, and an an ugly racial cartoon that Erin intercepts during class, become the most unwittingly dynamic teaching aids. They spark a transformation in the classroom, compel them to listen and force her to take off her idealistic blinders and take in the kids' survival stories of their undeclared war on the streets. Erin begins to connect with them. She brings in music from the ‘Hood, and literature from another kind of ghetto, The Diary of Anne Frank, and with these simple tools she opens her students' eyes to the experiences of those suffering intolerance throughout the world and the struggles of those outside their own communities. Knowing that every one of her students has a story to tell, Erin encourages them to keep a daily journal of their thoughts and experiences. After sharing their stories with one another, the students see their shared experience for the first time and open up to the idea that there are possibilities in life outside of making it to the age of eighteen.
Starring: Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, Imeldaa Staunton, April Lee Hernandez
Happily N'Ever After (PG); Nationwide (Want to see)
Once upon a time in Fairy Tale Land, the age-old balance between good and evil has been thrown out of whack. Frieda, Cinderella's power-mad stepmother, has formed an unholy alliance of evil to take on the good guys. With her own fairy tale spinning wildly out of control, Cinderella (a/k/a Ella) is forced to shed her damsel-in-distress trappings in order to seize control of her own destiny and lead the resistance without her Prince Charming. In a world of happy endings gone wrong, the race for control of the kingdom is on, with the fate of the venerable storyline "Happily N'Ever After" hanging in the balance.
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Andy Dick, Wallace Shawn, Patrick Warburton
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (R); Limited
In 18th-century France, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, orphaned as a newborn in the streets of Paris, is alone in the world. A peculiar child who rarely speaks, Grenouille is alienated from others but blessed with a remarkable gift. His sense of smell is so refined, so attuned to every blade of grass and blossoming flower, that it's tragic when he's sold into servitude to a tannery at the age of 13 and surrounded by the foul odors that accompany his labor. But there comes a day when Grenouille does an errand in town and discovers the object that will transform his life: perfume. Eager to learn the art of creating sophisticated fragrance, he apprentices himself to a once-renowned perfumer, and proves to be a savant whose almost mystical knowledge of scent surpasses anything that can be taught to him by masters of the craft. Ironically, he was born with no scent of his own, a distinction which colors his undistinguished life. But Grenouille is fearless when it comes to the pursuit of a perfect perfume. When he discovers the most intoxicating scent he has ever experienced--the natural fragrance of a beautiful young girl--he learns that the only method to preserve her innocence and fresh beauty will require murder. Plaguing the countryside with a series of gruesome killings, Grenouille must stay one step ahead of the authorities until he captures the final ingredient for his greatest perfume--the essence of a beautiful redheaded girl whose wealthy father earnestly protects her. Only then, he believes, will he earn the attention and adulation that his extraordinary talent deserves.
Starring: Ben Whishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Karoline Herfurth
Miss Potter (PG); Limited
Inspired by a true story set in Victorian England, a tale charting the life of Beatrix Potter--a literary phenomenon of the early 20th century. At a time when most young women of her class aimed only to make a good marriage, Beatrix became an iconic figure, swimming quietly, but with great fortitude, against the tide. She created a series of books and characters that are as beloved today as they were a hundred years ago, and since their publication they have never been out of print. She was also a distinguished painter and--had she been a man--her botanical drawings would have been snapped up by the Royal Horticultural Society at Kew Gardens. In addition, by the time she died in 1943, Beatrix Potter had purchased vast swathes of the Lake District that she left to the then fledgling British conservation trust, the National Trust. That so much of this glorious countryside that inspired her, remains as it was in Beatrix Potter's day for others to enjoy, is her bequest to the nation.
Starring: Jane How, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Renée Zellweger
The Painted Veil (PG-13); Limited
In the 1920s, a young English couple--Walter, a middle class doctor and Kitty, an upper-class woman--get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on earth.
Starring: Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber, Toby Jones, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
THR3E (PG-13); Limited
A police profiler and an insurance agent help a shy graduate student when the latter is targeted by a bomber who uses riddles to terrify his victims.
Starring: Marc Blucas, Justine Waddell, Laura Jordan, Bill Moseley, Max Ryan
Coming Attractions
-
Alpha Dog (R); Nationwide; opens 1/12 (Justin Timberlake acting as a tough guy??)
Arthur and the Invisibles (PG); Nationwide; opens 1/12
Curse of the Golden Flower (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia) (R); Nationwide; opens 1/12
Dreamgirls (PG-13); Nationwide; opens 1/12
Letters From Iwo Jima (R); Nationwide; opens 1/12
Stomp the Yard (PG-13); Nationwide; opens 1/12 ¶ 1/05/2007 06:06:00 AM
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