Another week gone and another weekend of movie-going ahead. As you’d expect, it’s a rather slim week unless you happen to live in a city that will see smaller releases. And so onward to the cineplex in hopes of finding something worth our time!
Oscar hopeful Frank Langella stars in “Caller” directed by Richard Ledes. Langella plays a corporate stooge who blows the whistle on some of his company’s less-than-ethical business practices and effectively signs his own death warrant. He then hires a private eye played by Elliott Gould to follow him for protection. Though this seems like a great premise–especially with Langella and Gould–critics have been less than enthusiastic, as it sits at a 10% right now.
You’ll definitely fare better with “Gomorrah,” the critically-acclaimed, Cannes-winning, Marty Scorsese-endorsed “Traffic“-esque multi-strand drama about the Italian mafia’s control over the town of Naples. The film is a sordid look at the effects that organized crime has on a society. Equally brutal and tragic, this movie paints a fairly grim picture of Italy’s future. With a brilliant 85% rating, this might be the weekend’s best option. If you liked “Traffic,” “The Wire” or “City of God,” see this movie.
Also opening in limited release this weekend and another good bet if you live in New York or L.A.is the critically acclaimed love-triangle, “Two Lovers,”which features the “last” performance by Joaquin Phoenix. It also features two excellent performances by Vinessa Shaw (totally underrated, coming into her own) and Gwyneth Paltrow. The James Gray melodrama about an unstable manchild (a great Phoenix) who is torn between two polar opposite women (the erratic Paltrow, the sturdy Shaw) isn’t perfect and there’s a lot of character hysteria, but its well acted and has a dreamy evocative quality at times. It boasts a very respectable 81% rating on RT.
And that’s about it. Hopefully you live in a place where you can pick up one of the smaller releases this weekend, but if not, you can always celebrate Friday the 13th with…well, you know. Our suggestion is save those recession dollars and don’t endorse that kind of trash.