Spitball Army

I live in the Crestwood neighborhood of Birmingham. There is a movie theatre down the street from me called The Edge 12. I can walk there from my home, if I so desire. This theatre has twelve screens. They frequently show films of great merit. They also show films for everyone else. We all get to choose.

(photo: spitballarmy.com)

Five new films  – involving, variously, one auteur*, two directors**, four languages***, five writers**** and at least fourteen little blue people***** – open at The Edge 12 today:

Cowboys and Aliens (2011)
Directed by Jon Favreau.
Starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Clancy Brown, Paul Dano, Keith Carradine, Sam Rockwell.
****Written by Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby.
Rated PG-13.

1873, Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known. Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation.

In a recent interview, director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) described the rationale for making a movie about cowboys and aliens by saying that (paraphrased) “audiences are dying for something new!” While cowboy Westerns and movies about invading alien species are decidely not new, perhaps this mash-up (a la Jane Austen + zombies) is. I’m looking forward to watching it, especially after seeing the trailer for it last week preceding Harry Potter XXVII. After the trailer, several audience members in the full theatre erupted in applause. And a couple of “Woot!”s. For a trailer.

Crazy, Stupid Love (2011)
**Directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.
Starring Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei.
Rated PG-13.

Cal (Carell) and Emily (Moore) have the perfect life together living the American dream, until Emily asks for a divorce. Now Cal – “Mr. Husband” – has to navigate the singles scene with a little help from his professional bachelor friend Jacob Palmer (Gosling). Er, make that a lot of help.

Kristen, my former neighbor (and new Memphis resident), has reviewed Crazy, Stupid Love for the This Classical Life weblog. For her early take on the film, click here.

*****The Smurfs (2011)
Directed by Raja Gosnell.
Starring Neil Patrick Harris, Hank Azaria and the voice talents of Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, Alan Cumming, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin and Fred Armisen.
Rated PG.

When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble out of their magical world and into ours – in fact, smack dab in the middle of Central Park. Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down.

Listen, I’m all for family-friendly and child-friendly movies. But for this we had to lose Winnie the Pooh (see below)?

The Tree of Life (2011)
*Directed by Terrence Malick.
Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn, .Hunter McCracken, Tye Sheridan, Laramie Eppler
Rated PG-13.

The fifth film directed by Terrence Malick in about forty years takes a meditative leap in its quest to answer the Big Questions, and does so by forsaking most of the trappings of conventional narrative cinema. That makes it sound like The Tree of Life is a movie without a plot, but that’s not so, unless one’s idea of a storyline is boiling the action down to a single sentence for one’s ADD workmates to digest while refilling at the coffee maker.

In a nutshell, the film takes the point of view of an older sibling (played as an adult by Sean Penn), who is struggling with the news of his younger brother’s death and is immersed in a crisis of spiritual doubt. His inward journey encompasses a reminiscence of his 1950s childhood in Waco, Texas, and a search for meaning to explain his emotional pain. That this search for meaning involves questioning man’s place in the universe, the afterlife, and the nature of morality is what has probably knocked some early viewers off balance (The Tree of Life was greeted with both applause and boos at the Cannes Film Festival this Spring, yet walked away with the festival’s top prize). But these digressions – in addition to stunning cinematography, some very fine acting by Brad Pitt (in the role of the father) and three young first-time actors (as his sons), a haunting and classically-oriented musical score, and a palpable evocation of childhood in mid-20th century America – are what make the film so richly rewarding.

View the trailer, below:

Directors Christopher Nolan (Inception; The Dark Knight; Memento) and David Fincher (The Social Network; Zodiac; Se7en) weigh in quite eloquently with their impressions of Malick’s art and approach to cinema:

At the film’s Cannes premiere, and at subsequent screenings around the U.S., impatient moviegoers have risen from their seats and walked out. For shame. In response, the Avon Theatre in Stamford, Connecticut, posted this “warning message” to its patrons:

(photo: @joesview)

 Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
Directed by Zoya Akhtar.
Unrated.
***In Hindi, Japanese, Spanish and English.

Kabir (Abhay Deol) and Natasha become engaged to marry six months after meeting. He wants to go on an extended bachelor party, a three-week road trip with his two best friends since school, Imraan (Farhan Akhtar) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan). Emotional blackmail – fantasy holiday – road trip – Barcelona – iron out differences – face fears – altered perceptions – seize the day: in other words, a holiday that will change their lives forever.

The following eight films have been extended for another week:
• Captain America: The First Avenger (2D and 3D)
• Cars 2
• Cave of Forgotten Dreams
• Friends with Benefits
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (3D) – In an odd twist, it appears that only the 3D version of the new Harry Potter film will be screening at The Edge 12 this week.
• Horrible Bosses
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon (3D)
• Zookeeper

The following three films ended their current run this week:
• Bad Teacher
• Delhi Belly
• Winnie the Pooh

The Edge 12 has some ongoing promotions. Tuesdays have been dubbed “$5.00 Tuesdays”: most films can be seen for just a $5.00 admission ticket. And, on Fridays, The Edge 12 offers free popcorn at all shows.

The Edge 12 Theatre is located at 7001 Crestwood Boulevard. A recording detailing all movie times can be accessed by telephoning (205) 795-3500; a real live human answers the phone at (205) 795-3595. Showtimes can also be found on the MovieTickets website. The theatre has a Facebook page under the name The Edge 12 Birmingham and tweets under the handle @Edge12Bhm.

Information in the capsule summaries above might have been provided, in varying degrees, by IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Wikipedia.