Friday, August 30, 2013

Don Jon (2013)

Don Jon (2013) Poster

Certificate R    -   Comedy

Metascore: 57/100 (5 reviews)
A New Jersey guy dedicated to his family, friends, and church, develops unrealistic expectations from watching porn and works to find happiness and intimacy with his potential true love.

THE BUZZ: Joseph Gordon-Levitt gets serious behind the camera, goes all Jersey in front of it, and emerges with strong reviews for his directorial debut. One savvy reviewer deemed it "aMarty for the internet porn era."

Baggage Claim (2013)

Baggage Claim (2013) Poster

Certificate PG-13 Comedy
Pledging to keep herself from being the oldest and the only woman in her entire family never to wed, Montana embarks on a thirty-day, thirty-thousand-mile expedition to charm a potential suitor into becoming her fiancé.
Director:
 

THE BUZZ: Paula Patton as a spinster flight attendant? We don't buy it. However! Jumping the Broom = actually funny, so we're ultimately on board with Patton in nuptials-comedy mode.

Rush (2013)


Rush (2013) Poster

Certificate R    -   Action | Biography | Drama | Sport
A spectacular big-screen re-creation of the merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Director:
 

THE BUZZSenna made the real world of Formula 1 racing one of the best documentaries in recent history. Will a dramatized version of champion rider Niki Lauda's obsessive competitive streak register with a wide audience? Well, with Ron Howard directing, we can't help but think this will be the safest race around. The upshot: Daniel Brühl's first starring role in the States.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013) Poster

Animation | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi
Flint Lockwood now works at The Live Corp Company for his idol Chester V. But he's forced to leave his post when he learns that his most infamous machine is still operational and is churning out menacing food-animal hybrids.
Directors:
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THE BUZZ: The semi-rehashed plot outline makes Cloudy 2 feel a bit like The Hangover Part IIuntil we go for a popcorn refill while our younger friends tell us about the awesome things we missed.

Battle of the Year (2013)


Battle of the Year (2013) Poster

Certificate PG-13    -   Music
Battle of the Year attracts all the best teams from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years. Dante enlists Blake to assemble a team of the best dancers and bring the Trophy back to America where it started.
Director:
 

THE BUZZ: Chris Brown might not put his past with Rihanna behind him in the indefinite future, but unlike, say, Mel Gibson, he's managed to find success despite a tarnished public image. Here, he teams up with Josh Peck for director Benson Lee, who is turning his documentary into a feature for Screen Gems, who haven't put out a dance movie since Stomp the Yard, surprisingly. I'll make a large-popcorn bet that Brown's character redeems himself during the course of this battle.

Prisoners (2013)


Prisoners (2013) Poster

Certificate R    -   Crime | Drama | Thriller
When Keller Dover's daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
Director:
 

THE BUZZZodiac spotlighted Jake Gyllenhaal as a nascent detective, and it was one of his finest roles to date. He also nailed the buddy-cop relationship in End of Watch, so I'm excited to see him as a cocky detective going up against a frantic Hugh Jackman in this Black List script by Aaron Guzikowski, who wrote Contraband. The young screenwriter's project sat in the laps of several directors (including Bryan Singer and Antoine Fuqua) before Denis Villeneuve came aboard to direct his follow-up to the excellent, Oscar-nominated Incendies. Given the cast's pedigree, the director's cache, and the adult-skewing subject matter, we think this is a true awards candidate in the Warner Bros. 2013 roster.

The Family (2013)



The Family (2013) Poster

Certificate R Action | Comedy | Crime
The Manzoni family, a notorious mafia clan, is relocated to Normandy, France under the witness protection program, where fitting in soon becomes challenging as their old habits die hard.
Director:
 
Duration: 

THE BUZZ: In a way, Malavita is this year's Flight, in that the project represents director Luc Besson's return to the kind of filmmaking that tends to suit him best.