Nicholas Andre Dance Company
Pat Tillman
Pat Tillman, as you may remember, played football for the Arizona Cardinals until he gave up a multi-million-dollar contract to become an Army Ranger after the events of 9/11. During his second tour in Afghanistan, Tillman was killed in what was initially said to be an intense firefight with the Taliban. George W. Bush integrated the story into one of his pro-war speeches, and the media disseminated an all-American portrait of Tillman and his sacrifice. Today, however, we know that Tillman was actually killed by friendly fire.
The Tillman Story, Amir Bar-Lev’s new steady-handed documentary, follows the Tillman family’s unending stand against the whitewashing of information by the generals and politicians who covered up Tillman’s death for political gain.
In the film, we meet Tillman’s mother and father, two strong and steely figures who read, page-by-page, the 1,000-plus-page report that tried to bury the reality of Tillman’s death in a hyper-detailed account. Bar-Lev also interviews one of Tillman’s comrades who was present during the incident, who says the battalion was put in harm’s way for no other reason than to get action on the battlefield. When Tillman’s mother and brother finally testify to a congressional committee, we witness the vacuous recollections from the higher-ups who instructed the whole cover-up.
Debating whether a feature-length documentary is necessary to understand the story of Tillman and the unmasking of his fraudulent heroism is a moot point. The story is told well, and one cannot help but be taken aback by the audacity and bravery of his family. In the end, the most disquieting part of the movie is that there have been, and will be, more Pat Tillmans, whose sacrifices are used as propaganda.
Opening
The American: George Clooney is a sensitive hit man who has to pull One Last Job.
Centurion: Director Neil Marshall’s Roman adventure feels more like a WWII movie, as a small squad of soldiers are trapped behind enemy lines and desperately trying to make it to safety. Visually, he does a lot with a little, but that doesn’t fix the lack of characterization and clunky dialogue. See our review on Page 18.
Going the Distance: Exes Drew Barrymore and Justin Long play a couple in a long-distance relationship. In real life, apparently, she’s a PC.
Highwater: A documentary about the Triple Crown surf competitions from the guy who made Step Into Liquid.
Machete: Danny Trejo finally gets his own movie. Robert Rodriguez turns him into a Mexican killing machine by adapting the faux trailer the duo made for Grindhouse.
Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One: This second part of the famous French criminal’s story is better than the first (Killer Instinct). Vincent Cassell is dangerously good.
One Time Only
House of Numbers: The HIV / AIDS documentary from Brent Leung finally gets a screening in San Diego, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at the Activist Center (4246 Wightman St. in City Heights).
Casi Divas: Musical comedy from Mexico about four women setting out to become big stars. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Otay Ranch. Free.
Juno: Even if you think it’s overrated, it’s hard not to love Ellen Page as a knocked-up teen with a big vocabulary. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. Free.
The Princess Bride: Conceivable. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido. Free.
Finding Nemo: A Pixar classic rarely screened in San Diego. Take your kids if you don’t mind having them see you cry. Screens at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, poolside at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley. Free.
Chocolat: What goes better with sex than chocolate? If you answered Johnny Depp, give yourself a Hershey’s kiss. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 2 through 5, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.
Art San Diego: You’ll need a day pass to catch the films, which include Scribble.08 and El Informe Toledo, screening during this massive event. They start at 1 p.m. and run until 7:30 on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 3 and 4, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. Swing by artsandiego-fair.com for details.
Lewis & Clark: Follow the famed adventurers adventures. In IMAX! Screens at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.
Bedtime Story: Adam Sandler is a hotel maintenance guy who tells his niece and nephew crazy bedtime stories that transport them to different worlds. Sounds creepy, right? Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3, poolside at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley. Free.
Les Enfants du Paradis: The classic French film ties into the Toulouse Latrec exhibit, and kicks off the new First Friday Films series at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3.
Bon Voyage: The latest snowboarding flick from the Videograss crew. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
Fantastic Mr. Fox: Wes Anderson’s stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic lives up to its name. Screens at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.
Lassie: Timmy falls down the well at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, poolside at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley. Free.
The Room: Often described as the Citizen Kane of bad movies by people who love bad movies. Screens at midnight, Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Ken Cinema.
Me and Orson Welles: Christian McKay is so good as Orson Welles in the midst of directing and starring in his legendary 1937 production of Julius Caeser that the rest of the movie flags when he’s not in it. Screens at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5, at the Central Library, Downtown. Free.
New York, I Love You: The sequel to a similar project about Paris, these 11 short films are about the beast that is New York, all tied together. There are plenty of high-profile actors, including Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman and Chris Cooper, but the nature of the project guarantees that the whole is uneven. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at the Central Library, Downtown. Free.
Stoked and Broke: A locally made documentary about two surfers, Ryan Burch and director Cyrus Sutton, on a minimalist surfing journey. Premieres at 7 and 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
Entre Nos: A mother takes her two kids from Colombia to New York, only to be abandoned by her husband. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at Otay Ranch. Free.
The Goonies: The movie came out in 1985? Man, I’m old. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. Free.
Now Playing
Avatar: Special Edition: It’s back, and it’s bigger than before—meaning there’s an additional nine minutes of footage. If you’re going to see it again (because who hasn’t seen it?), make sure you see it in 3D.
The Last Exorcism: Eli Roth produced this seriously creepy-looking redo.
Lebanon: The entire film takes place inside a tank that four young Israeli soldiers are piloting through the early days of the 1982 Lebanon war, and everything you see outside the armored shell is from their point of view. Ends Sept. 2 at the Ken Cinema.
Mao’s Last Dancer: Bruce Beresford directs this biopic of Li Cunxin, who was chosen by the Chinese government to become a world-class ballet dancer.
Mesrine: Killer Instinct: The first of a two-part biopic about Jacques Mesrine, the infamous French criminal who operated in his homeland and Canada during the ’60s and ’70s. Vincent Cassell is terrific as the main man.
Takers: A crew of bad guys, including Paul Walker, Idris Elba and T.I., double-cross each other over a big payday.
Piranha 3-D: Finally, someone is putting this technology to good use.
Animal Kingdom: This look at the last days of a small-time Australian family of criminals is low on violence and high on tension and drama.
Cairo Time: Patricia Clarkson is a reserved magazine editor who chums around Cairo with her husband’s former U.N. security guard (Alexander Siddig) when events in Gaza prevent her hubby from meeting her there.
Lottery Ticket: Bow Wow buys a lottery ticket worth more than $300 million. But it’s a three-day weekend, and everyone in his neighborhood wants to separate him from it.
Nanny McPhee Returns: Just waiting for the pay-per-view Super Nanny / Nanny McPhee steel-cage match.
The Switch: Seven years after Jennifer Aniston turkey-basted herself pregnant, her BFF Jason Bateman tells her that it was full of his man juice.
Vampires Suck: So tired of vampire movies.
Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest: The man who discovered George Mallory’s frozen corpse returns to Everest to replicate the climb that killed the famed adventurer. Ends Sept. 2 at Hillcrest Cinemas.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s beloved graphic novel is like nothing you’ve seen before. Michael Cera is the titular hero, who must fight Ramona Flowers’ (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) seven evil exes to the death in order to date her. It’s all done with quick cuts and awesome edits and is full of video-game references.
Eat Pray Love: Julia Roberts does all of the above. Women swoon.
The Expendables: Stallone, Willis, Schwarzenegger, Lundgren and some wrestlers kill people.
The Extra Man: Kevin Kline is a male escort for wealthy society ladies, and Paul Dano is his protégé. Ends Sept. 2 at Hillcrest Cinemas.
Peepli Live: This satire about the suicides of Indian farmers and the government’s lackluster attempt to respond was the first film from that country to compete at Sundance.
Get Low: Robert Duvall does crotchety old man better than anyone, and this crotchety old man wants to throw himself a funeral party while he’s still alive.
The Other Guys: Mark Ferrell and Will Wahlberg team up as cops. Or is it the other way around?
Agora: Rachel Weisz stars in this historical epic as Hypatia, a philosopher in ancient Alexandria who’s stuck between the Pagans and that other rapidly growing religion, Christianity. Ends Sept. 2 at Hillcrest Cinemas.
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore: Yes, they really made a movie with this title.
Dinner for Schmucks: In order for Paul Rudd to succeed in business, he must invite a serious loser to his boss' house for dinner. That loser is Steve Carell.
Salt: Angelina Jolie is a CIA agent who beats down a ton of people after she’s accused of being a Russian spy.
Restrepo: This documentary keeps the cameras on a U.S. platoon in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan for a solid year. Harrowing.
Inception: Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to The Dark Knight is epic, complex and beautiful. In short, it’s the stuff that dreams are made of.
The Kids Are All Right: Decent family drama about a lesbian couple played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore whose family is altered when their children seek out the sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo) who made it all possible.
Despicable Me: Steve Carrell voices Gru, an animated master criminal trying to steal the moon—until he meets three little girls who think he might make a better dad than a crook.
The Girl Who Played with Fire: The second film in the massively successful Millennium trilogy gives us more of Lisbeth Salander, the ass-kicking female hacker heroine, and less originality.
The Living Sea: The latest IMAX film at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center looks at all the creepy crawlies that live down in the deep blue.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Blah blah blah Robert Pattinson. Blah blah blah Taylor Lautner.
The Ultimate Wave Tahiti: The latest IMAX entry at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park follows super surfer Kelly Slater as he does his thing on some massive waves.
Winter’s Bone: Debra Granik’s noir thriller, set in a closed meth-cooking community in the Ozarks, is as intense and grim as its name. It’s well-written and well-made and features an amazing performance from Jennifer Lawrence, a 17-year-old who has to find her deadbeat father or she and her young brother and sister will lose their home.
Toy Story 3: Any idea where the toys you loved as a kid ended up? When Andy goes off to college, Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang end up at a day-care center.
Exit Through the Gift Shop: Legendary prankster street artist Banksy’s first film is a brilliant take on art and its nature. It may sound stuffy, but it’s engaging, insightful, funny and subversive—and smarter than anything else you’ll see this summer. Run, do not walk, to see this one. Playing at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Thriller about a male journalist and a female hacker hired to solve the 40-year-old disappearance of a member of a Swedish crime family.
Hubble: Leonardo DiCaprio lends his pipes to this IMAX film, which uses CGI and real footage to take a close look at Saturn’s rings. Just stay away from Uranus. At the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The camp classic continues its ongoing run, Fridays at midnight at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
The Tillman Story, Amir Bar-Lev’s new steady-handed documentary, follows the Tillman family’s unending stand against the whitewashing of information by the generals and politicians who covered up Tillman’s death for political gain.
In the film, we meet Tillman’s mother and father, two strong and steely figures who read, page-by-page, the 1,000-plus-page report that tried to bury the reality of Tillman’s death in a hyper-detailed account. Bar-Lev also interviews one of Tillman’s comrades who was present during the incident, who says the battalion was put in harm’s way for no other reason than to get action on the battlefield. When Tillman’s mother and brother finally testify to a congressional committee, we witness the vacuous recollections from the higher-ups who instructed the whole cover-up.
Debating whether a feature-length documentary is necessary to understand the story of Tillman and the unmasking of his fraudulent heroism is a moot point. The story is told well, and one cannot help but be taken aback by the audacity and bravery of his family. In the end, the most disquieting part of the movie is that there have been, and will be, more Pat Tillmans, whose sacrifices are used as propaganda.
Opening
The American: George Clooney is a sensitive hit man who has to pull One Last Job.
Centurion: Director Neil Marshall’s Roman adventure feels more like a WWII movie, as a small squad of soldiers are trapped behind enemy lines and desperately trying to make it to safety. Visually, he does a lot with a little, but that doesn’t fix the lack of characterization and clunky dialogue. See our review on Page 18.
Going the Distance: Exes Drew Barrymore and Justin Long play a couple in a long-distance relationship. In real life, apparently, she’s a PC.
Highwater: A documentary about the Triple Crown surf competitions from the guy who made Step Into Liquid.
Machete: Danny Trejo finally gets his own movie. Robert Rodriguez turns him into a Mexican killing machine by adapting the faux trailer the duo made for Grindhouse.
Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One: This second part of the famous French criminal’s story is better than the first (Killer Instinct). Vincent Cassell is dangerously good.
One Time Only
House of Numbers: The HIV / AIDS documentary from Brent Leung finally gets a screening in San Diego, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at the Activist Center (4246 Wightman St. in City Heights).
Casi Divas: Musical comedy from Mexico about four women setting out to become big stars. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Otay Ranch. Free.
Juno: Even if you think it’s overrated, it’s hard not to love Ellen Page as a knocked-up teen with a big vocabulary. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. Free.
The Princess Bride: Conceivable. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido. Free.
Finding Nemo: A Pixar classic rarely screened in San Diego. Take your kids if you don’t mind having them see you cry. Screens at 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 2, poolside at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley. Free.
Chocolat: What goes better with sex than chocolate? If you answered Johnny Depp, give yourself a Hershey’s kiss. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 2 through 5, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.
Art San Diego: You’ll need a day pass to catch the films, which include Scribble.08 and El Informe Toledo, screening during this massive event. They start at 1 p.m. and run until 7:30 on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 3 and 4, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. Swing by artsandiego-fair.com for details.
Lewis & Clark: Follow the famed adventurers adventures. In IMAX! Screens at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.
Bedtime Story: Adam Sandler is a hotel maintenance guy who tells his niece and nephew crazy bedtime stories that transport them to different worlds. Sounds creepy, right? Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3, poolside at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley. Free.
Les Enfants du Paradis: The classic French film ties into the Toulouse Latrec exhibit, and kicks off the new First Friday Films series at the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3.
Bon Voyage: The latest snowboarding flick from the Videograss crew. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3, at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
Fantastic Mr. Fox: Wes Anderson’s stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s classic lives up to its name. Screens at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.
Lassie: Timmy falls down the well at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4, poolside at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley. Free.
The Room: Often described as the Citizen Kane of bad movies by people who love bad movies. Screens at midnight, Saturday, Sept. 4, at the Ken Cinema.
Me and Orson Welles: Christian McKay is so good as Orson Welles in the midst of directing and starring in his legendary 1937 production of Julius Caeser that the rest of the movie flags when he’s not in it. Screens at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 5, at the Central Library, Downtown. Free.
New York, I Love You: The sequel to a similar project about Paris, these 11 short films are about the beast that is New York, all tied together. There are plenty of high-profile actors, including Shia LaBeouf, Natalie Portman and Chris Cooper, but the nature of the project guarantees that the whole is uneven. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at the Central Library, Downtown. Free.
Stoked and Broke: A locally made documentary about two surfers, Ryan Burch and director Cyrus Sutton, on a minimalist surfing journey. Premieres at 7 and 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
Entre Nos: A mother takes her two kids from Colombia to New York, only to be abandoned by her husband. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at Otay Ranch. Free.
The Goonies: The movie came out in 1985? Man, I’m old. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 8, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. Free.
Now Playing
Avatar: Special Edition: It’s back, and it’s bigger than before—meaning there’s an additional nine minutes of footage. If you’re going to see it again (because who hasn’t seen it?), make sure you see it in 3D.
The Last Exorcism: Eli Roth produced this seriously creepy-looking redo.
Lebanon: The entire film takes place inside a tank that four young Israeli soldiers are piloting through the early days of the 1982 Lebanon war, and everything you see outside the armored shell is from their point of view. Ends Sept. 2 at the Ken Cinema.
Mao’s Last Dancer: Bruce Beresford directs this biopic of Li Cunxin, who was chosen by the Chinese government to become a world-class ballet dancer.
Mesrine: Killer Instinct: The first of a two-part biopic about Jacques Mesrine, the infamous French criminal who operated in his homeland and Canada during the ’60s and ’70s. Vincent Cassell is terrific as the main man.
Takers: A crew of bad guys, including Paul Walker, Idris Elba and T.I., double-cross each other over a big payday.
Piranha 3-D: Finally, someone is putting this technology to good use.
Animal Kingdom: This look at the last days of a small-time Australian family of criminals is low on violence and high on tension and drama.
Cairo Time: Patricia Clarkson is a reserved magazine editor who chums around Cairo with her husband’s former U.N. security guard (Alexander Siddig) when events in Gaza prevent her hubby from meeting her there.
Lottery Ticket: Bow Wow buys a lottery ticket worth more than $300 million. But it’s a three-day weekend, and everyone in his neighborhood wants to separate him from it.
Nanny McPhee Returns: Just waiting for the pay-per-view Super Nanny / Nanny McPhee steel-cage match.
The Switch: Seven years after Jennifer Aniston turkey-basted herself pregnant, her BFF Jason Bateman tells her that it was full of his man juice.
Vampires Suck: So tired of vampire movies.
Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest: The man who discovered George Mallory’s frozen corpse returns to Everest to replicate the climb that killed the famed adventurer. Ends Sept. 2 at Hillcrest Cinemas.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: Edgar Wright’s adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s beloved graphic novel is like nothing you’ve seen before. Michael Cera is the titular hero, who must fight Ramona Flowers’ (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) seven evil exes to the death in order to date her. It’s all done with quick cuts and awesome edits and is full of video-game references.
Eat Pray Love: Julia Roberts does all of the above. Women swoon.
The Expendables: Stallone, Willis, Schwarzenegger, Lundgren and some wrestlers kill people.
The Extra Man: Kevin Kline is a male escort for wealthy society ladies, and Paul Dano is his protégé. Ends Sept. 2 at Hillcrest Cinemas.
Peepli Live: This satire about the suicides of Indian farmers and the government’s lackluster attempt to respond was the first film from that country to compete at Sundance.
Get Low: Robert Duvall does crotchety old man better than anyone, and this crotchety old man wants to throw himself a funeral party while he’s still alive.
The Other Guys: Mark Ferrell and Will Wahlberg team up as cops. Or is it the other way around?
Agora: Rachel Weisz stars in this historical epic as Hypatia, a philosopher in ancient Alexandria who’s stuck between the Pagans and that other rapidly growing religion, Christianity. Ends Sept. 2 at Hillcrest Cinemas.
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore: Yes, they really made a movie with this title.
Dinner for Schmucks: In order for Paul Rudd to succeed in business, he must invite a serious loser to his boss' house for dinner. That loser is Steve Carell.
Salt: Angelina Jolie is a CIA agent who beats down a ton of people after she’s accused of being a Russian spy.
Restrepo: This documentary keeps the cameras on a U.S. platoon in one of the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan for a solid year. Harrowing.
Inception: Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to The Dark Knight is epic, complex and beautiful. In short, it’s the stuff that dreams are made of.
The Kids Are All Right: Decent family drama about a lesbian couple played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore whose family is altered when their children seek out the sperm donor (Mark Ruffalo) who made it all possible.
Despicable Me: Steve Carrell voices Gru, an animated master criminal trying to steal the moon—until he meets three little girls who think he might make a better dad than a crook.
The Girl Who Played with Fire: The second film in the massively successful Millennium trilogy gives us more of Lisbeth Salander, the ass-kicking female hacker heroine, and less originality.
The Living Sea: The latest IMAX film at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center looks at all the creepy crawlies that live down in the deep blue.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Blah blah blah Robert Pattinson. Blah blah blah Taylor Lautner.
The Ultimate Wave Tahiti: The latest IMAX entry at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park follows super surfer Kelly Slater as he does his thing on some massive waves.
Winter’s Bone: Debra Granik’s noir thriller, set in a closed meth-cooking community in the Ozarks, is as intense and grim as its name. It’s well-written and well-made and features an amazing performance from Jennifer Lawrence, a 17-year-old who has to find her deadbeat father or she and her young brother and sister will lose their home.
Toy Story 3: Any idea where the toys you loved as a kid ended up? When Andy goes off to college, Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang end up at a day-care center.
Exit Through the Gift Shop: Legendary prankster street artist Banksy’s first film is a brilliant take on art and its nature. It may sound stuffy, but it’s engaging, insightful, funny and subversive—and smarter than anything else you’ll see this summer. Run, do not walk, to see this one. Playing at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Thriller about a male journalist and a female hacker hired to solve the 40-year-old disappearance of a member of a Swedish crime family.
Hubble: Leonardo DiCaprio lends his pipes to this IMAX film, which uses CGI and real footage to take a close look at Saturn’s rings. Just stay away from Uranus. At the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The camp classic continues its ongoing run, Fridays at midnight at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.
