Looking for something the see at the movie theater? Here’s a review of this month’s releases! Have a look before you head to the theater and find out what will suit you best.
Nim’s Island
If you are looking for a family film, Nim’s Island is a sure hit for the kids. Abigail Breslin plays the young, imaginative Nim who lives on an uncharted island with her scientist father. She spends her days having adventures with her animal friends and letting her imagination run wild. She has a passion for books and loves getting lost with her favorite literary character, Alex Rover, the great adventurer. Alexandra, the author of these books, played by Jodie Foster, is ironically the exact opposite of Alex. She lives alone in the big city and barely leaves her apartment. In a twist of fate, Nim’s father gets lost at sea in a storm and Alexandra is the only person Nim can reach out to for help. With the help of Alex Rover, Alexandra braves against her fears to aid in finding Nim’s father. Though predictable, the scenery and special effects give this film a leg up on the others. Jodie Foster fans will be pleased to see her in a more whimsical role and together with Breslin and a double role by Gerard Butler, the acting is top-notch for this type of movie.
Opened June 26
My Blueberry Nights
As is typical in Kar Wai Wong films, the music and mood of My Blueberry Nights is romance. Unfortunately for Wong, the best thing to say about the movie is that the exceptional acting of Rachel Weisz, David Strathairn and Natalie Portman saved what is otherwise a disconnected, mediocre script. The film is told in three stories following Elizabeth, played by Norah Jones. The first is a love story between her and Jude Law in which she ends up leaving and moving across the country. The next is the saving grace of the film, where Arnie’s wife (Rachel Weisz) leaves him (David Strathairn) and after threatening her with a gun, he kills himself by crashing his car. The third part with Natalie Portman tells about a girl who doesn’t make it in time to make amends with her dying father. Fans of dreamy, romantic movies might enjoy My Blueberry Nights if they are not looking for more than meets the eye. While the background music of Norah Jones is enjoyable, she should probably stick to her grammy award-winning career instead of attempting a new one.
Opens July 3
Teeth
If you like bizarre, demented horror movies, then Teeth is for you. The premise of the movie is that teenaged Dawn has an unfortunate malformation, vagina dentata, a.k.a an extra set of teeth ‘down there.’ As you can imagine, this leads to some gruesome, gory scenes as Dawn acts on her newfound sexual impulses. Throughout the movie, various men lose digits, members, etc. in an attempt to take advantage of young, innocent Dawn. The cameras don’t spare us the shots of male genitalia hitting the floor or the leftover bloody stumps. Depending on your movie tastes, you might enjoy the offbeat humor of this film. As you can imagine, the writers took advantage of the – oh so many -opportunities for biting humor and dismemberment jokes. Fans of clever horror flicks might be disappointed as Teeth is no more than you would expect. The actors are mostly unknowns with little character development and there is not much to the storyline or dialogue. The reviews are mixed. You might want to wait for the DVD to sink your teeth into this one.
Opens July 10
