This Week in Film: One Dark Puppet Flick

January, 19, 2011 , by Isaac Weeks

In Theaters

It's a slow week for new releases at the multiplexes. We can look forward to No Strings Attached, a "romantic" comedy with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman. Kutcher stars as the recently dumped Adam, who leans on his best friend Emma (Portman) for emotional support. After one too many drinks, they have sex, and decide a commitment- and emotions-free relationship is the way to go. Could this finally be the one that get Kutcher his Academy Award?!?

Rabbit Hole will open tentatively Friday at the Galaxy Cinema. Rabbit Hole is the story of a married couple (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) dealing with the loss of their child. Amazing performances carry a film that isn't quite as good as it could have been. Still worth a look.

Special Showings

Cool Classics at the Colony fires back up this Wednesday at 8pm with a screening of the 1982 cult classic, The Dark Crystal. Although still considered a family film, this is one dark puppet flick. Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz, the story bears more than a passing resemblance to The Lord of the Rings and was very underappreciated during it's theatrical run. Now is your chance to catch it on the big screen.

Also, the NC Museum of Art is continuing its Winter Film Series Friday night with a screening of the scandalous (for 1957) Peyton Place. Starring Lana Turner and Hope Lange, this is the tale of a quiet New England town that hides its many secrets and crimes behind closed doors. The screening starts at 8pm, and admission is $5 for most, $3.50 for members and students.

On DVD

First up this week we have Buried, which is exactly what happened to this film at the box office. Although it contains an award-worthy performance by Ryan Reynolds, most viewers were either scared off by the fact that the entire film takes place in a coffin or they just couldn't find a theater showing it. Either way, you can now watch it in the comfort of your own home, so no excuses!

Next up, we have Stone, starring Robert De Niro as a parole officer suffering a midlife crisis and an opportunistic, up-for-parole convict played by Edward Norton. I am one of only three people in Raleigh that saw this movie when it was released, and it was on my Best of 2010 list. Drop $1 at the Redbox on it; you won't be sorry.

Finally, we have Takers. Takers was probably my favorite guilty pleasure of 2010, but I was just like you before I saw it: "Oh, why does Hollywood waste time on this crap?" How can you hate on a movie that features five-foot-nothing T.I. getting shot a dozen times in the chest and shrugging it off, and Chris Brown running from the cops but taking the time to throw down six women in his path along the way? That either sounds like a great movie, or the GREATEST movie you'll see on DVD this year.

On Netflix Instant

I thought we would take a look this week at what our friends and neighbors in the Raleigh area are watching on Netflix Instant. Fall From Grace, a documentary on Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church, has been popular for quite a few weeks now. I imagine this has something to do with his tour of celebrity funerals that brought him through our fair city not too long ago. Netflix has it at 3.5 stars, so it sounds like it's worth a look.

Another doc, Moog, comes in next, thanks in no small part to the Moogfest in Asheville a while back, I'm sure. This one tells the story of Robert Moog, the man that invented the Moog synthesizer in 1964. Another 3.5er for Netflix, but only a 2.8 guesstimate for me, because Netflix knows that I hate hippies.

Finally we have Bright Leaves, directed by Ross McElwee (Sherman's March). Yet another doc, this one looks back at the history of North Carolina's tobacco production. It sounds interesting, but I can't help but wonder if it's just a 90 minute commercial for TheTruth.org.