LISTINGS/SCREEN VIDIOT/SCREEN
COCO BEFORE CHANEL— Audrey Tautou stars in this biography of Gabriele Coco Chanel’s life as she built her famed clothing empire. See Review, Page 29. (PG-13) Flicks COUPLES RETREAT—Add one adulterous couple, one cradlerobber, one couple on the verge of divorce and one happy couple, and you get a hilarious look at real world problems. (PG-13) Edwards 9, Edwards 22 THE FOURTH KIND—After a series of disappearances among residents of Nome, Alaska, local psychologist Dr. Abigail Tyler discovered some sketchy abnormal activity—alien abductions. (PG-13) Edwards 9, Edwards 22 LAW ABIDING CITIZEN—Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) and his family become victims of a brutal home invasion. Ten years later, Shelton kills one of the invaders and orchestrates a series of brutal murders from jail. (R) Edwards 22
The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off will break your heart.
“THAT’S ME IN THE BOX.â€? Ever since I met my wife, she’s randomly delivered that phrase to me in a high-pitched British accent. The line caught on, and we’ve been uttering it to one another for years now. This week, I ďŹ nally acquainted myself with its origin. And because the movie is unavailable anywhere else, we huddled over my laptop and watched the British documentary The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off in ďŹ ve 10-minute segments on YouTube. You heard the title right. The 2004 ďŹ lm follows the ďŹ nal four months of Jonny Kennedy, a 36-year-old man suffering from dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa, a disease that made his skin peel from only the slightest touch. Rather than give in to the accompanying cancer, Kennedy opted to ďŹ lm his remaining days, which included selecting a cofďŹ n, attending charity beneďŹ t functions and hosting a housewarming party. Let me say, this is not an easy watch. In addition to witnessing the pint-sized tricenarian with the boyish pipes wail with pain, we also witness his mother change the bandages on his back, a procedure as graphic as anything you’ll see on the Discovery Health channel. Knowing the ďŹ lm will end with Kennedy’s demise makes his tale even more macabre, but the guy possesses an endearing mixture of grandfatherly sarcastic wit and childlike innocence. He makes references to the inherent danger of someone with his condition “wankingâ€? and swears on occasion. Despite commenting on her deceased husband’s inability to ever cope with their son’s condition, Kennedy’s ever-present mom—who doubles as his caretaker—is interviewed many times, and her candid assessments help humanize what could otherwise have been a very detached look at a stranger’s life and death. She admits to anticipating a sort of freedom once Kennedy has passed away, and the guilt that will accompany the feeling. Many of Kennedy’s family and friends confess they’ll miss him when he’s gone, despite experiencing relief that a life ďŹ lled with constant pain will ďŹ nally conclude. Our favorite Kennedy-ism, played during the ďŹ lm’s ďŹ rst few moments, was recorded several months before the corresponding shot depicts his lifeless body housed in a pine cofďŹ n. He knew he’d be in that enclosure soon, but he still sounded cheerful. Having succumbed to tears at least twice before ďŹ nishing the ďŹ lm, I could easily feel guilty for quoting the man for a chuckle. But given his propensity for humor and his uncanny ability to face death head-on—and with a half-smile to boot—I think The Boy Whose Skin Fell Off would be OK with me resuscitating one of his more memorable lines. —Travis Estvold WWW. B OISEWEEKLY.C O M
THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS—When journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) star ts looking into a super secret U.S. Army division of psychic spies, he ďŹ nds Lyn Cassady (George Clooney). After Cassady is called up for a special mission, Wilton convinces Cassady to let him tag along. (R) Edwards 9, Edwards 22 MICHAEL JACKSON: THIS IS IT—A companion to the single “This Is It,â€? this ďŹ lm offers a behind-the-scenes look at Michael Jackson before his death, as he readied for a 50-night concer t residency at London’s O2 Arena that was to take place this year. (PG) Edwards 22
FROM THE WORLDWIDE BESTSELLER COMES
THE MOTION PICTURE EVENT OF THE YEAR
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY— When a young middle-class couple moves into a new house, they ďŹ nd a presence in their home. The increasingly disturbing creature haunts their dreams in this Blair Witch Project-esque thriller. (R) Edwards 9, Edwards 22 PARIS—Pierre, a successful dancer, has been diagnosed with a dangerous hear t condition, forcing him to leave his dancing career behind. Now, he must ďŹ nd new life in the Parisian world around him that he previously ignored. (R) Flicks PIRATE RADIO—It’s the 1960s and The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an American DJ, leads a group of rogue DJs onto a boat and into the middle of the sea to thwar t the British government’s attempt to silence Radio Rock. (R) Edwards 22 WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE—Spike Jonze brings the beloved classic to life in an adventure tale for all ages. (PG) Edwards 9, Edwards 22 ZOMBIELAND—When brainhungr y zombies overrun the world, what do you do? If you’re Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) you kick ass. (R) Edwards 9, Edwards 22
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| NOVEMBER 18–24, 2009 | 31