Woody Allen

More Best Bets for May

by

I need to add some upcoming films to Friday’s post on Best Bets for May.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams opens this week.  Werner Herzog explores the 33,000-year-old cave paintings in Chauvert, France.  Herzog knows what he is doing (Aguirre: The Wrath of God, Grizzly Man), and he says that this needed to be shot in 3D, so I believe him.

Also opening this weekend is Queen to Play.  Sandrine Bonnaire plays a hotel maid who is taught chess by chess expert Kevin Kline and learns that she is gifted, which shakes up her family’s life.  Jennifer Beals shows up in the film and, hey, Kevin Kline acts in French!

Midnight in Paris:  In Woody Allen’s latest,  Owen Wilson accompanies wife Rachel McAdams to Paris, where she is intrigued by pretentious Michael Sheen, leaving him to explore midnight Paris and discover his muse (Marion Cotillard, perhaps?).   Adrien Brody, Kathy Bates and French first lady Carla Bruni all pop in.  Releases widely May 27.

You can see trailers and descriptions of upcoming films at Movies I’m Looking Forward To.  Here’s the trailer for Cave of Forgotten Dreams.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

by

This is Woody Allen’s latest comedy about romantic entanglements and human self-delusion. It is mid-level Woody – not as good as his recent Vicky Christina Barcelona or Match Point, but not completely unwatchable like some of his other recent work.  To save you 90 minutes of your life and ten bucks:  the character who comforts herself with ridiculously fatuous superstition ends up happier than those who are grounded in scientifically valid reality.  Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin and Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) all do their best with the material.

New Movies I'm Looking Forward To

by
Edward Norton corrects Edward Norton in Leaves of Grass

I’ve just updated Movies I’m Looking Forward To.  We’ve got Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Howl, The Social Network and You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger all coming out in the next two weeks.  Here are some new entries:

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger: Woody Allen’s latest comedy about romantic entanglements and human self-delusion. Stars Naomi Watts, Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and Josh Brolin.  Releases October 1.

Tamara Drewe:  Steven Frears (The Queen, The Snapper, Dangerous Liaisons, High Fidelity) brings us a sex comedy.  A writer’s colony in the English countryside is disrupted when a local woman returns with a nose job that has made her into an irresistible hottie.  She enjoys being irresistible.  Releases October 8.

Leaves of Grass:  A college professor is tricked into returning to Oklahoma by his pot-dealing identical twin brother.  Hilarity ensues.  Edward Norton plays both twins.  Strong supporting cast with Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss and Tim Blake Nelson.  Rolling out slowly across the country.

Tabloid: A reputedly very funny Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, Mr. Death, Gates of Heaven)  documentary tracing the story of a woman who had her dead dog cloned; it turns out that, years before, she was accused of manacling a Mormon missionary as her sex slave.  Debuted at Telluride; wide release not yet scheduled.

For trailers, go to Movies I’m Looking Forward To.