movie dope Some releases may not be showing locally this week. AVATAR (PG-13) On a remote planet, a paraplegic marine, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is promised the use of his legs if he helps the Corporation relocate a race of blue warriors, the Na’vi, whose home is located atop the planet’s richest supply of unobtanium. Jake takes control of a Na’vi/ human hybrid, infiltrating the aliens to learn their ways, but falls in love with them, particularly the chief’s daughter, Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), instead. Now Sully must lead the Na’vi against the space marines led by General Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang), a scarred hulk of a military man. THE BOOK OF ELI (R) The Book of Eli made it onto my most wanted list for 2010 based solely on its resemblance to Fallout 3, the greatest videogame I have played in years. In a postapocalyptic wasteland, one man (Denzel Washington) must protect a sacred text with the secret to saving mankind while crossing the dangerous country. The Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society, From Hell) can be hit or miss. Hopefully, Eli is a home run. With Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis. THE BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINTS DAY (R) Writer-director Troy Duffy mines his only successful film, a box office bust turned cult fave, for its inevitable sequel. The Brothers MacManus, Connor (former “Young Indiana Jones” Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus), leave their idyllic life on the family farm in Ireland and return to Boston to take revenge on the mob that killed their favorite priest. With Julie Benz (“Angel” and “Dexter”), Clifton Collins Jr., Billy Connolly, Judd Nelson and Peter Fonda. COP OUT (R) For the first time in his career, smutty funnyman Kevin Smith directs a script that is not his own. Robb and Mark Cullen (“Gary the Rat”)
are responsible for the generically zany antics of two cops (Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan) as they track down a stolen baseball card, rescue a woman, and deal with gangsters and their laundered money. I am not amused by the trailer. With Michelle Trachtenberg, Jason Lee, Seann William Scott, Adam Brody, Kevin Pollak and Fred Armisen. DEALING DOGS (NR) Animal rights group Last Chance for Animals goes undercover at the Martin Creek Kennel, owned by C.C. Baird, America’s most notorious dog dealer. He supplied thousands of animals to the nation’s research labs. The accompanying discussion will be led by Cheryl McAuliffe, Georgia Director for The Humane Society of the United States. See Mar. 1 Events. DEAR JOHN (PG-13) More Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook) and more Lasse Hallstrom (Chocolat) could mean saccharine overload with this tearjerker about a soldier, John Tyree (Channing Tatum), who falls in love with a gal, Savannah Lynn Curtis (the Amanda Seyfried), while home on leave. But the terrorist attacks of 9/11 cause him to reenlist, an act that puts long-distance strain on their relationship. Thank goodness for Richard Jenkins, whose reassuring presence as John’s distant dad just might be enough to make this drivel tolerable. DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS? (PG-13) Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker play the Morgans, an unhappily married city couple relocated to the wilds of Wyoming after witnessing a murder. One can imagine they will rekindle their love affair once they have left behind the hustle and bustle of city living. Writer-director Marc Lawrence also helmed the Sandra Bullock vehicles, Miss Congeniality and Two Weeks Notice (which also starred Grant). With Sam Elliot and
Mary Steenburgen as the local lawman and his gun-toting wife. EDGE OF DARKNESS (R) Boston detective and widower Thomas Craven dotes on his grown-up little girl, Emma (Bojana Novakovic), an MIT grad working as a trainee for a giant Massachusetts R&D firm, Northmoor. When Emma visits dear old dad and is gunned down in a supposed hit on the detective, Craven turns his professional skills on her personal life, of which he knows strangely little. The more Craven investigates Emma’s life, the more he begins to believe she was killed because of something she had discovered about Northmoor and her boss, Jack Bennett (Danny Huston). Craven the detective teams up with Craven the grieving dad to investigate Bennett and uncovers a run-of-the-mill political thriller cover-up. AN EDUCATION (PG-13) Intelligent and mature for her 16 years, Jenny Miller (Academy Award nominee Mulligan) dreams of little more than escaping her tiny life in a London suburb with her bourgeois parents (Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour). But then she meets David Goldman (Peter Sarsgaard), an exciting older man with a sports car and a seemingly endless disposable income, the perfect combination to woo an impressionable teenage girl who dreams of life as a Parisian sophisticate. David charms the entire Miller family right up until the impending moment that his dream life proves too good to be true. EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES (PG) The appeal of Extraordinary Measures depends upon your tolerance for inspirational movies about parents willing to sacrifice everything to save their sick child (see Lorenzo’s Oil). Based on the true story of John and Aileen Crowley’s search for a cure for their two children’s rare genetic disorder, Extraordinary Measures stars Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell as
M OVIE L ISTI NG S
Theater schedules often change after our deadline. Please call ahead. ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650)
The Garden (NR) 7:00 (Th. 2/25)
BEECHWOOD (706-546-1011)
Beechwood movie times are only accurate through Feb. 25. Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times. Avatar 3D (PG-13) 4:30, 8:00 The Book of Eli (R) 4:05, 7:05, 9:50 Dear John (PG-13) 4:20, 7:00, 9:35 Edge of Darkness (R) 6:55, 9:40 (no shows W. 2/24) From Paris With Love (R) 4:10, 9:40 It’s Complicated (R) 7:05 Percy Jackson & the Olympians (PG) 4:15, 7:15, 9:55 Shutter Island (R) 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 Tooth Fairy (PG) 4:15 To Save a Life (PG-13) 4:20, 7:10, 9:50 Valentine’s Day (PG-13) 4:00, 7:00, 10:00 When in Rome (PG-13) 5:15, 7:30, 9:40 The Wolfman (R) 5:10, 7:35, 10:00
CINÉ (706-353-3343)
CARMIKE 12 (706-354-0016)
GEORGIA SQUARE 5 (706-548-3426)
Carmike 12 movie times are only accurate through Feb. 25. Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times. Avatar 3D (PG-13) 12:00, 4:00, 7:45 The Book of Eli (R) 12:30, 3:30, 7:15, 9:50 Dear John (PG-13) 1:20, 4:15, 7:10, 9:45 Edge of Darkness (R) 1:15, 4:10, 7:05, 9:40 From Paris With Love (R) 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:05 Legion (R) 1:30, 4:15, 7:10, 9:40 Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (R) 1:30, 4:15, 7:05, 9:50 Shutter Island (R) 1:00, 4:05, 7:10, 10:15 Tooth Fairy (PG) 1:30, 4:10, 7:00, 9:30 Valentine’s Day (PG-13) 1:10, 2:00, 4:05, 5:00, 7:00,
12
8:00, 9:55 When in Rome (PG-13) 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45, 10:00 Wolfman (R) 1:55, 4:35, 7:10, 9:35
FLAGPOLE.COM ∙ FEBRUARY 24, 2010
An Education (PG-13) 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 (new times F. 2/26: 7:15) Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG) 3:15 (Sa. 2/27) The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (PG-13) 9:45 (ends Th. 2/25) The Last Station (R) 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 (starts F. 2/26) (no 9:45 show Su. 2/28) Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films (NR) 5:00 (starts F. 2/26) Oscar Nominated Live Action Short Films (NR) 9:30 (add’l time Sa. 2/27: 3:00) (no 9:30 show Sa. 2/27–Su. 2/28) (starts F. 2/26) Women in Horror Film Festival (NR) 10:00 (Sa. 2/27) A Single Man (PG-13) 5:15, 7:30 (ends Th. 2/25) Georgia Square Five movie times are only accurate through Feb. 25. Visit www.flagpole.com for updated times. Did You Hear About the Morgans? (PG-13) 5:30, 7:55, 10:20 Extraordinary Measures (PG) 4:05, 7:35, 10:05 Leap Year (PG) 7:50, 10:10 The Twilight Saga: New Moon (PG-13) 4:00, 7:00, 9:55 Planet 51 (PG) 5:25 The Princess and the Frog (G) 5:20, 7:40, 10:00
TATE CENTER THEATER (706-542-6396)
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (R) 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:40 (F. 2/26–Su. 2/28)
the Crowleys and Harrison Ford as the eccentric scientist on the trail of a cure. With Dee Wallace and Jared Harris (“Mad Men”). FANTASTIC MR. FOX (PG) The first family film by Wes Anderson is also the most genuinely appealing and possibly most human feature the Oscarnominated auteur has ever dreamed up (with the help of Mr. Roald Dahl, of course). Anderson has crafted—quite literally as the animation is primarily accomplished via stop motion—a glorious storybook world. FROM PARIS WITH LOVE (R) Pierre Morel, who directed Taken, the surprise winter hit of 2009, puts an extremely game John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers through the frantic action paces as an American spy and an employee from the U.S. Embassy trying to foil a terrorist attack on the City of Lights. The trailer looks incredibly fun; Travolta has not appeared this carelessly appealing since the late ‘90s. As with Morel’s earlier films, Gallic action auteur Luc Besson shared the writing duties. THE GARDEN (NR) 2008. Filmmaker Scott Hamilton Kennedy documents the effort to bulldoze and save a 14-acre community garden born from the ashes of the L.A. riots. The South Central Farmers miraculously feed their families with food grown in this urban oasis. Guess who wins: the urban farmers, the city of Los Angeles, or the powerful developer? Nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award, The Garden won the Grand Jury Prize at the Silverdocs Documentary Festival. Part of the ACC Library’s iFilms series. THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (PG-13) Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) grants people entry into their own imaginations, where they are offered the choice of redemption or damnation, courtesy of Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), the devil. The sudden appearance of the charming Tony ( Heath Ledger), discovered hanging underneath a bridge, may be what the doctor ordered, as Mr. Nick just offered Doctor Parnassus one final wager. Let the games begin. IT’S COMPLICATED (R) Divorced Jane (Meryl Streep) embarks on an affair with her ex-husband, Jake (Alec Baldwin), currently married to the younger woman for whom he left Jane. The titular complications arrive in Adam (Steve Martin), an appealing architect Jane is also wooing. The R rating signifies a decided maturity in Meyers’ latest. With Rita Wilson, John Krasinski (“The Office”), Hunter Parrish (“Weeds”) and Lake Bell. THE LAST STATION (R) This historical drama depicts the struggle of Russian author Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) to balance fame with his desire to live a life devoid of material possessions. Director Michael Hoffman’s filmography (including Soapdish and One Fine Day) does not quite excite. The film could be a big winner at the Independent Spirit Awards where it is nominated for five prizes including Best Feature, Best Director and Best Screenplay. With James McAvoy, Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Helen Mirren and Paul Giamatti. LEAP YEAR (PG) Amy Adams jumpstarts 2010 as Anna, who has worked tirelessly for four years to get engaged
to her boyfriend, Jeremy (Adam Scott). When he jets off to Dublin for business, Anna decides to join him and avail herself of an Irish Leap Day tradition, wherein women are encouraged to propose on Feb. 29. A hiccup in her travel plans strands her in Wales, where innkeeper Declan (Matthew Goode) offers her a ride and much more. LEGION (R) An early favorite for worst of the year, Legion is all kinds of bad, except sadly, for the kind it takes to be any fun. Apparently, God is fed up with mankind, again, and he tasks his baddest-ass angels, Michael (Paul Bettany) and Gabriel (Kevin Durand), with humanity’s extermination. But Michael has a change of heart and decides to protect man’s last hope, the unborn child of single waitress Charlie (Adrianne Palicki). Holing up in a roadside diner/service station named Paradise Falls with your typical survivors, they must tough out an onslaught of the possessed zombie-types until Charlie’s child can be born. PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (PG) Troubled teen Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) discovers he is a demigod, the son of Greek god Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), and must recover his Uncle Zeus’ (Sean Bean) master bolt before an Olympian civil war rocks the entire world. Accompanied by protective satyr Grover (Brandon T. Jackson) and Annabeth (Alexandra Daddario), the daughter of Athena, Percy crisscrosses the country for silly reasons only a screenwriter would devise. PLANET 51 (PG) Astronaut Chuck Baker (v. Dwayne Johnson) lands on Planet 51 and finds an alien race paranoid of an alien invasion. He must recover his spaceship with the help of his new alien friend. Three first-time directors—Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad and Marcos Martinez—bring Joe Stillman’s script to animated life. This family flick does not look terrible, but it does not much resemble a holiday blockbuster either. Featuring the voices of Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Gary Oldman and John Cleese. THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (G) An updated retelling of The Frog Prince, The Princess and the Frog boasts Disney’s newest addition to their Princess brand, the first AfricanAmerican Princess, Tiana. After years of pale Pixar imitations, animation needed a hand-drawn refresher, and who better to provide it than the studio that started the genre 72 years ago? SCENE NOT HEARD (NR) America’s mecca for soul music, Philadelphia, is often overlooked for its hip-hop contributions. Will Smith, The Roots and Eve all hail from the City of Brotherly Love. Director Maori Karmael Holmes’s doc profiles the city’s overlooked abundance of talented female voices. SENECA FALLS (NR) The Institute for Women’s Studies kicks off Women’s History Month with this film event. In this documentary, nine high school girls—and one 10-year-old boy—take a life changing journey to Seneca Falls, the birthplace of women’s rights in America. Wower Power, a multicultural teen theater troupe, travels San Francisco to New York to perform an original play at the 150th anniversary of this historic event. The girls even get to meet Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi! See Mar. 1 Events.
SHUTTER ISLAND (R) See Movie Pick. A SINGLE MAN (PG-13) A British, middle-aged, English professor living in California, George (Colin Firth) is devastated by the sudden death of his longtime partner, Jim (Matthew Goode), in a car crash. Contemplating suicide to escape a color-faded world of woe, George lumbers through a potential final day. A Single Man never overwhelms with its ocean of sorrow. Bleak humor peeks out from the clouds, like rays of sunlight. Judging from this one film, Tom Ford has tremendous potential as a filmmaker. TOOTH FAIRY (PG) The mere presence of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson means Tooth Fairy will not be the worst family flick 2010 will offer (besides, The Spy Next Door is much worse). Johnson’s powerful magnetism will pull both parent and child through this hour and 40 minutes of silly fluff. Johnson stars as a minor league hockey enforcer, Derek “Tooth Fairy” Thompson, who is sentenced to perform the duties of his nickname after crushing the dreams of his girlfriend’s daughter. TO SAVE A LIFE (PG-13) A new faith-based movie, To Save a Life seeks the teenage audience that spends all their parents’ hard-earned money at the movies. Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) has it all. He’s a high school hardcourt superstar who has the girl and a college scholarship. But when he can’t save his childhood friend, Roger (Robert Bailey, Jr.), who commits suicide right in front of Jake, the big man on campus risks everything to stop the next Roger from making a tragic decision. Director Brian Baugh was the DP on An American Carol. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON (PG-13) All Twilight hating aside, the second cinematic installment of the four-part series bests the first film, even with less of Robert Pattinson’s Edward. VALENTINE’S DAY (PG-13) Every young actor and actress in Hollywood looks to be involved with this romantic comedy intertwining a bunch of couples’ make-ups and break-ups due to the pressures of Valentine’s Day. WHEN IN ROME (PG-13) Kristen Bell is a young, ambitious New Yorker who has not been lucky in love. All of that changes when she steals coins from a magical fountain in Rome. Now she has more silly suitors. Romantic comedies that use actual magic as a plot point might be the most insufferable of the romcom sub-genres, and this flick does nothing to sway that long-held belief. THE WOLFMAN (R) A man, Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro), attempting to escape his domineering father’s shadow, is drawn back into his orbit after the mysterious, violent death of his brother. Lawrence discovers his father, Sir John Talbot (Anthony Hopkins), is keeping a dark, furry secret that unleashes monthly mayhem upon the small English country village of Blackmoor. After a soporific first act, Lawrence is bitten by the beast and becomes the newest victim of the curse, unleashing an exciting second act, highlighted by a Victorian-era sanitarium and a rampage through London’s streets. WOMEN IN HORROR FILM FESTIVAL (NR) A program of short horror films directed by women— some locally produced—presented by the redoubtable Gonzoriffic Films in celebration of, not only Women’s History Month, but Women in Horror Recognition Month, as well. Heidi Martinuzzi, Ruby LaRocca and Valerie Morris are just a few of the featured female directors. A filmmaker Q&A follows the show. Drew Wheeler