10/21/10
Tiny Furniture (November 12, 2010) - Excellent. EXCELLENT. Seeing this trailer reminds me of when I first saw the trailer for Miranda July's now-classic Me and You and Everyone We Know film almost a decade or so ago. This film's lead, Lena Dunham (who also wrote the script and directed the film), is the soul of this movie about Aura, a 22-year-old geek who returns to her artist mother's NYC apartment after getting a film theory degree. She makes YouTube videos, dates a YouTube celebrity and hangs out with her old high school friend. Looks quirky, fun and full of great dialogue, especially between Aura and her new romantic interest. Has a Woody Allen vibe, too, which never hurts. B+
All Good Things (December 3, 2010) - The two stars of this Andrew Jarecki (Capturing the Friedmans) directed film, Ryan Gosling and Kirsten Dunst, are two of my favorite people to stare at. Gosling is also my favorite young actor and Dunst is an actress I've long been saying will someday be great. GREAT, once she loses the very-young/very-cute Abercrombie girl appeal (and it appears she has here, in her first gritty role). And while the trailer for this dramatic thriller looks a little iffy, I get the feeling that this will be a powerful and beautifully made film. Set in 80s NYC and full of picaresque cinematography and workshop-friendly acting, I have very high expectations for this coming of age thriller that we've heard has been on the studio shelves for a while now. (We don't believe it. What idiot would keep a Gosling film on the shelves?!) B-
The Freebie (Now Playing) - When I first saw the Duplass Brothers' The Puffy Chair all those years ago I left the rolling credits feeling very excited. Not only did I love Mark Duplass and the whole Slackavettes movement, but Duplass' real life wife, actress Katie Aselton (pictured below) was the cutest young adult female actress I'd seen in ages. And not only is/was she a gorgeous former beauty pageant winner (Miss Teen USA runner up), but she seemed to have a huge natural ability when it came to playing seemingly real-to-life characters who actually do and say the things real people do and say. So I did my best to keep an eye out for her, only seeing her one time since, in a bit role on "The Office." So when I read about The Freebie months ago, I was stoked. Not only was Aselton the star, but she wrote and directed the film, which is produced by her awesome husband, Mark. And yeah, she's a cute girl, but she also has something that no one else working has right now and, from what I can tell, that rare appeal is on full display in The Freebie, a dramedy about a happy couple who decides to both sleep with someone else. I've watched this trailer 10 times already and can't wait to see the movie. It looks to be a Slackavettes film shot with good cameras and featuring two real actors who appear to be mixing improv and script. I'm in love. So in love. Can't wait to see The Freebie. Bummed that Aselton is going to be a star soon (because I don't want to share her), but happy to finally see her in a lead role. A
True Grit (December 25, 2010) - To be honest, no, the trailer for the Coen Brothers' version of True Grit doesn't get us as excited as we thought it would. We can tell that the film is well made in every respect, but it's hard to predict how well the soul of the all-too-familiar story will translate onto the screen this time around. Much more of a period piece than the Coen's classic - and probably somewhat similar - No Country For Old Men, it's hard to say whether or not the magic of that film will be here. Oh … oh damn, whatever, there's no doubt in our mind that True Grit - stocked with a KILLER cast and shot by the great Roger Deakins, one of our all-time favorites - will be a great film. The only real problem, if you ask us, is that the studio knows that this is going to be a big picture. An award winner that also brings in some decent bread, especially come home release time. And because of that, we get a trailer that seems a little cheesy. The film, however, will probably be spot-on. We won't be surprised if this is the best film of 2010, despite its sub-par trailer. A-
Little Fockers (December 22, 2010) - Another Fockers movie? Really? Seriously? I mean, I love De Niro and do actually enjoy The Stiller, but do we need another one of these formulaic family comedy films? How far can they take this whole Focker joke? I did enjoy the first movie as a straight slapstick comedy, but the second was torture. And now a third? Why? Because it's guaranteed to make $200 million at the box office? YES. That IS why. But seriously, despite starring the uniquely hilarious Owen Wilson, De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Alba, the movie doesn't look so great. I mean, if your family makes you go to a movie with them over the Christmas holiday, I suppose this might be a fun and universal option. Owen Wilson is HILARIOUS, De Niro is great in this role and Alba has a face that's endlessly fun to study. But in the end, a mostly by-the-books comedy set during Christmas time (yet lacking all Christmas vibes) is hardly exciting. A movie that probably didn't need to be made. C
And Soon the Darkness (December 17, 2010) - Lots of way-too-pretty girls, studly dudes, boobs, blood and suspense. There are about five of these movies every year and usually at least one of them is worth checking out. The trailer for And Soon the Darkness starts out very promising, looking like an extremely well made thriller that just happens to have lots of very attractive people in it. As the 12 seconds wears on I get the feeling that the movie may be as cliche-filled as I at first expected. But, really, it's hard to say. I will tell you this: the production looks to be top notch and the story - while vaguely hinted at in the trailer - seems like one that will be enjoyable, if forgettable. This is the rare big studio horror flick I look forward to watching, even if I wait for it to hit the dollar theater or Redbox. B-
Carlos (Now Playing) - Very likely destined to be one of 2010's best reviewed films, Carlos (cut down from over four hours to 140 minutes for U.S. audiences) tells the story of revolutionary Carlos, following him through his work and trials as he lived a life bigger than most great men of his time. Said to be a political gangster film, the English language movie has a very European production style, featuring excellent cinematography and art house editing. Starring Edgar Ramirez in what appears to be a role of a lifetime, we at the Ze Cat think that Carlos - not The Town - will be the best action film of 2010. Will it be the best film of 2010, as many reviewers are saying? Hard to say. We'll let you know as soon as we find out. The trailer is a bit dry, but looks great regardless. A-
The Four-Faced Liar (Now Playing) - Two or three of these movies come out every year. Cute people living in a cool city talk about sex, have sex, get naked and look cute. It's a movie, basically, about naked bodies and talking about naked bodies. There's no real story … or, I should say, there's just enough story there to hold together the sex, nakedness and cuteness. A jerk-off flick for people who don't watch porn, really, is what this is. All that said, The Four-Faced Liar looks like maybe the best movie of this kind that I've seen. Like so many movies today, TFFL is incredibly shot, produced and edited; we'll see how well the story plays out. Also, look out for young newcomer Liz Osborn, a cute little gal with eyes bigger and browner than two Winona Ryder's stacked together. Look for this Osborn girl to have a cult following of indie boys before the end of 2011. Cute stuff, this trailer. B-
Marzencol (Now Playing) - A documentary about Mark Hogancamp, a soldier who builds a 1/6th scale replica model of a WWII-era prison camp in his backyard, looks like a very interesting film that has what every documentary should have - a polarizing subject. Hogancamp, a POW who was beaten so bad that he lost his memory, works on his replica model in his back yard, taking photos of the dolls and sets, acting out a prison camp life while he tries to remember what happened before he was beaten senseless. His replica is so beautiful that he takes photos of his work - photos that a local art museum wants very badly. The story looks sad, but also amazing. Mark, it seems, is an endlessly interesting character with very much to offer the camera. I hope he finds his answers - or at least some relief. C+
Four Lions (November 5, 2010) - Despite the awful title and strange poster, Four Lions looks like a very good comedy. A smart satire about the war on terror, Four Lions follows a group of wannabe terrorists who seem incapable of, well, pretty much anything. The style of the film reminds very much of UK shows like "Peep Show," "The Office" and "Extras," but with a much higher production value and better film-style comedy actors. With a huge number of highly respectable international reviewers calling it the "best comedy of 2010," we hope this movie gets a wide release. It won't, because this is America and the war on terror isn't supposed to be funny, but we really wish it would. Looks pretty great, especially if you like Sasha Baron Cohen and Ricky Gervais. B+
Undertow (November 26, 2010) - One of the season's most promising imports, this Peruvian drama tells the story of a married fisherman who struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his town's rigid traditions. Sounds kind of like Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, huh? Well, get this: Undertow looks to be a BETTER SHOT film than Brokeback. No joke. The cinematography reminds me very much of the great Before Night Falls, a classic film that very few Americans saw. Since this is a foreign language film without a big budget or major studio backing, the trailer is simple - a song with some great shots edited together. No words and little info about the details of the story. The buzz so far is somewhat strong, making this a possible candidate for a Best Foreign Language Film nomination at next year's Academy Awards ceremony. Us, we're just super stoked about the cinematography and locations. B-/C+
Written by G. William Locke
