Art-House Dramas:
(Thomas Vinterberg) – Drama – Jul
12
Summary:
A teacher’s life is thrown into ruin by one innocent little lie. Filmmakers: Writer-director Thomas Vinterberg is
one of the first filmmakers to embrace digital photography with his acclaimed
1998 drama The Celebration,
and is one of the most respected Danish directors. He is working with composer Nikolaj Egelund, cinematographer
Charlotte Bruus Christensen,
and production designer Torben
Stig Nielsen. Cast: The film stars Mads Mikkelsen, who won Best
Actor at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival for his performance. Expectations: The Hunt looks like a striking
character drama, featuring a whirlwind central performance from Mikkelsen. In
addition to his win, the film won two more awards at Cannes and was nominated
for its top prize. This is definitely worth checking out for fans of great
character-driven films. Trailer: Here.
(Nicolas Winding Refn) – Crime
Thriller – Jul 19
Summary:
After his brother’s death, Julian a thriving drug-smuggler in Bangkok is
asked by his mother to track down and kill his brother’s murderer. Filmmakers: Writer-director Nicolas Winding Refn
is back after the biggest hit of his career with Drive,
and again Ryan
Gosling stars. Refn is also working again with composer Cliff Martinez (who scored
Drive), cinematographer Larry
Smith (who shot Bronson
for Refn), and production designer Beth
Mickle (who worked on Drive as well). Cast: In
addition to Gosling, Kristin
Scott Thomas features in support (as well as a number of newcomers). Expectations: Only God Forgives was one of the
most anticipated films of 2013 – and then it premiered at the Cannes Film
Festival in May (where it was nominated for the top prize), wildly splitting
critical opinion (much like Refn’s other films like Bronson and Valhalla Rising). After Drive’s
almost universal acclaim, many critics see the film as a disappointment (but,
it is probably more like his past films, as Drive was the Hollywoodized version
of Refn). For fans of Refn’s hyper violent, slow pacing style this is certainly
worth checking out (or at least renting, if for nothing more than his brilliant
aesthetics), but for general audiences it is probably too eccentric. Trailer: Here.
Art-House Comedies:
Summary:
Duncan is dragged out a summer hotspot by his mother and her new boyfriend. He is
fairly miserable because he is an awkward teen and his mother’s boyfriend is
not very nice to him. To escape his torment, he finds refuge at a local
waterpark where he befriends Owen, a slick but goodhearted manager, who helps
him come into his own by just being his friend. Filmmakers:
Writer-directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash make their directorial debut with this
film, coming off an Oscar win for The
Descendants (which they shared with co-writer Alexander Payne). They
are working with composer Rob
Simonsen (Seeking
a Friend for the End of the World), cinematographer John Baily (Groundhog Day), and production
designer Mark Ricker (The Help). Cast: The film stars Liam James and co-stars Sam Rockwell. Steve Carell, AnnaSophia Robb, Amanda Peet, Rob Corddry, Toni Collette, Maya Rudolph, Allison Janney, and Nat Faxon
feature in support. Expectations: The Way,
Way Back looks like a good Fourth of July movie (along the lines of Summer Rental), and a
nice retreat from all the blockbusters of summer. It also has a great comedic
supporting cast, and if nothing else should be funny. While critics have been a
bit mixed, audiences have enjoyed the film – it won the Audience Award at the
Newport Beach Film Festival and was well received at Sundance. It is probably
worth checking out for fans of indie comedies. Trailer:
Here.
Summary:
New York playwright Imogene was the next big thing, but then it never really
happened. Now, she has to come to terms with just being an ordinary person (and
moving back in with her mother). Filmmakers:
Directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini are back with their fourth
feature. They debuted with the critically acclaimed (and now cult classic) American Splendor, but they
followed it up with a pair of disappointing films: The Nanny Diaries and The Extra Man (which I thought
was one of the worst films of its year). They are working with composer Rob Simonsen (who is also
scoring this month’s The Way,
Way Back), cinematographer Steve
Yedlin (Looper),
and production designer Annie
Spitz (50/50).
Cast: Kristen Wiig stars and is
executively producing, while Matt
Dillon, Darren Criss, Annette Bening, Natasha Lyonne, Nathan Corddry, and Mickey Sumner feature in
support. Expectations: Girl Most Likely
looks like a conventional (paint-by-numbers) indie comedy and critics have been
mixed. However, Kristen Wiig is very funny, and looks to be in top form in this
– so it should still at least be funny in moments. It is probably worth renting
for fans of Wiig. Trailer: Here.
(Maggie Carey) – Romantic Comedy
– Jul 26
Summary:
Soon to be graduating high school senior Brandy Clark has suddenly become
very anxious about going to college due to her complete lack of sexual
experience. In accordance with how she typically addresses problems, she naively
makes a list of all the sexual things she needs to accomplish before fall
semester begins and sets off with full intention of trying them all. Filmmakers: Writer-director Maggie Carey makes her
feature debut, having previously worked on many Funny or Die digital shorts. She
is working with composer Raney
Shockne, cinematographer Doug
Emmett (Bachelorette),
and production designer Ryan Berg
(Childrens Hospital). Cast: Aubrey
Plaza stars with a great comedic supporting cast, including: Alia Shawkat, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Rachel Bilson, Andy Samberg, Connie Britton, Clark Gregg, Johnny Simmons, Scott Porter, Bill Hader, Donald Glover, Nolan Gould, and Adam Pally. Expectations: The To Do List looks very funny and
could be the month’s best comedy. Plaza, Samberg, Hader, and Glover are
brilliant TV comedy talents; thusly it is probably worth seeing or renting for
comedy fans. It will also be interesting to see if Maggie Carey can make the
jump from great comedy shorts to features films. Trailer:
Here.
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