Angel-A
directed by Luc Besson
Luc Besson’s 2005 romantic comedy, which he also wrote, finally hits North America in limited release. Andre, broke and deep in debt, decides to end it all by jumping into the Seine. But moments before him, a girl jumps first and he dives in to save her. You can probably fill in the blanks from here on out. The title could leave a little to the imagination, but a rom-com is a rom-com, and we’re betting the title in French sounds subtler.
The Boss of It All
directed by Lars von Trier
Danish moviemaker Lars von Trier’s little office comedy gets a limited release this weekend. The owner of an IT company hires an actor when a potential buyer wants to meet face to face with its fictional president. We’re willing to give this light comedy the benefit of the doubt. Though von Trier is not known for comedy, he tackles a few familiar themes with this one and seems to have pulled it off. If this sounds like something you would want to see, you probably won’t be disappointed. Take a pass if you’re still asking yourself, “Who’s Lars von Trier?”
Bug
directed by William Friedkin
The trailer for Bug reminds us that William Friedkin won an Oscar for directing The Exorcist. But that was almost 35 years ago. More recently he’s done Rules of Engagement (2000) and The Hunted (2003). His newest effort is about a paranoid Gulf War veteran holed up in a seedy motel room with a woman in hiding. People will probably go see this, because something about claustrophobic thrillers just gets them going. But when Lionsgate balks at a planned winter release and decides to put this up against Pirates instead, chances are this movie is five forms of lame. However, Bug was originally a play, and Friedkin has some experience with adaptations, so we could be wrong.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
directed by Gore Verbinski
Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and Captain Barbossa team up to save Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones’ Locker. Here comes the third of the franchise juggernauts to join the summer blockbustin’ fray. Its opponents have already combined for a box office take topping $400 million. So how will Pirates size up? It’s a long one, running longer than Dead Man’s Chest, which many complained was too convoluted already. But the last adventure was still a lot of fun, looked terrific and made mountains of money. With the addition of Chow Yun-Fat and Keith Richards (playing Jack’s dad), we expect this third installment to blow the competition out of the water…. Moreover, we fully expect a Roger Ebert pull quote to that effect to appear in newspapers nationwide by next week. Other lines to look out for: “A terrific franchise Swann song,” “Jack, Kraken, Pop: The most important meal of the day” and “A theme park ride!”
–Kevin McCarthy
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