San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
Skatistan
This is more than just an evening of short films. For one night (Thursday, Aug. 25, starting at 7 p.m.), the museum’s La Jolla branch (700 Prospect St.) is transformed into a unique experience.
Kendricks, a filmmaker himself, pulls together different programs for different rooms, and this year, 17 shorts will be presented in five spaces, each with its own theme.
I’ve seen a few of them, and I can assure you that it’s worth stopping by the Global Wanderlust Station, where you can catch former San Diegan Teri Carson’s short, Heartbreak in 209 Cuts, a sharp little film about a girl dealing with the aftermath of a breakup. Technically speaking, it’s a comedy featuring some terrific cinematography from another local, Giancarlo Ruiz. Also in that room is Skatistan: To Live and Skate Kabul, a documentary that’s as intense as it sounds.
Cathy Alberich’s Ready to Wear, which I haven’t seen, has sole ownership of the Ready-To- Wear Crash Pad, but I have to say that, most of all, I’m looking forward to this year’s edition of ’Toon Town Troublemakers. There are two highlights I’m familiar with screening there. The first, Brick Novax’s Diary, earned Best Short Film honors at Sundance earlier this year. The second, Logorama, deservedly won the Best Animated Short Film Oscar in 2010. It’s a brilliant piece of work, a unique, brutally vicious, hysterically funny shoot-’em-up with subversive social commentary. If you haven’t seen it, do.
Another
selling point is the price. It’s just $5, and it’s free if you’re
already a member of the museum. That’s five bucks for 17 movies, along
with a DJ and a cash bar.
Opening
Columbiana: Zoe Saldana grows up to become an assassin after she witnesses the murder of her parents.
Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark: This Guillermo del Toro-produced remake of the 1973 horror flick stars Guy Pearce and Katie Holmes as a couple who should, in fact, be afraid of the dark.
Griff the Invisible: Ryan Kwanten, best known for his role on True Blood, is a socially awkward office drone who dreams of being a real superhero.
Our Idiot Brother: Paul Rudd is Ned, a simple soul who continuously screws up his sisters’ lives by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, although, by the end of it, you might wonder who the real idiot is. See our review on Page 20.
Senna: What, you’ve never heard of Ayrton Senna, who was one of the greatest racecar drivers of all time before his tragic death? This documentary will tell you all you need to know.
One Time Only
Night of the Living Dead: George Romero’s first zombie film had undercurrents of social commentary and introduced the notion that you have to damage a zombie’s head to put it down. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at the Central Library, Downtown. Free.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb: Peter Sellers plays three roles in Kubrick’s brilliant comedy about nuclear war, and he would have played a fourth if he hadn’t gotten hurt. Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at Sea Rocket Bistro in North Park.
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne: The title of this documentary really just echoes what all of us are thinking, right? Screens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at several area theaters. Check fathomevents.com for locations and ticket info.
Toy Story 3: Pixar’s latest Best Animated Film Oscar winner made plenty of grown men cry. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at Piazza Carmel Shopping Plaza in Carmel Valley. Free.
(500) Days of Summer: This anti-romantic comedy, which stars Zooey Deschanel as a girl who doesn’t believe in love and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the boy who falls in love with her, is the perfect break-up movie. It also earned director Mark Webb the next Spider-Man movie. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 24, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. Free.
Gigi: Can a courtesan-in-training and a bored French playboy just be friends at the turn of the 20th century? Let’s hope not. It’s paired with French wines at 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, at Athenaeum Music and Art Library in La Jolla.
Gilda: A South American casino boss isn’t happy to learn that his new wife (Rita Hayworth) and his second-in-command (Glenn Ford) have some history. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 25 and 26, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.
Tangled: Disney’s take on the Rapunzel tale is terrific. Mandy Moore is great as the girl with the hair, but both she and co-star Zachary Levi are overshadowed by Maximus, an animated horse with no dialogue.
Screens at dusk on Friday, Aug. 26, at Market Creek Plaza.
FilmOut: San Diego’s LGBT film festival runs one more weekend at the Birch North Park Theatre. Swing by filmoutsandiego. com for a complete list of movies, showtimes and ticket info.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s: Sure, some key elements in the book were changed, but Audrey hepburn is perfect as Holly Golightly. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 27 and 28, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.
The Endless Summer: Bruce Brown’s seminal surfing movie screens on the big screen at noon on Sunday, Aug. 28, and 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, at Reading Gaslamp Cinemas.
I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With: The ‘I’ in this case is Jeff Garlin, Larry David’s right-hand man in Curb Your Enthusiasm. He wrote, directed and stars in what’s essentially a remake of Marty, the movie that won ernest Borgnine his Oscar. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29, at the Central Library, Downtown.
FDA: A History: If you show up expecting a look at Franklin Delano Roosevelt, you might need reading glasses. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at the Central Library, Downtown. Free.
Scarface: Say hello to your little friend again. To celebrate the Blu-ray release of the Pacino drug epic, the movie’s coming back to the big screen for one night at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at several area theaters. Visit fathomevents.com for locations and ticket info.
Dog Town and Z-Boys: Stacy Peralta’s awesome documentary about the early days of skateboarding screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Sea Rocket Bistro in North Park. Free.
Weekend at Bernie’s: Remember when Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman were stars? It’s been a while. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. Free.
The Princess Bride: Conceivably one of the best date flicks of all time. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido. The Goonies: Apparently, they never say die. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at Piazza Carmel Shopping Plaza.
Now Playing
Amigo: John Sayles’ new film, starring Chris Cooper and Garrett Dillahunt, is about the American occupation of the Philippines at the dawn of the 20th century. Expect analogies to today’s conflicts, for sure.
Crime After Crime: San Diego native Yoav Potash’s documentary about Deborah Peagler, who spent more than two decades in prison before being allowed to present evidence of her abuse at the hands of the man she’d killed.
Conan the Barbarian: Jason Momoa should hit up Jerry Brown for advice on how to fill Arnold’s shoes.
Fright Night: There’s no way a remake of a campy ’80s vampire movie should be this fun. Anton Yelchin is the Las Vegas teen who discovers his neighbor (Colin Farrell) is a seriously brutal vampire.
One Day: Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess are Dexter and Em. The film follows the same day of their lives, year after year. David Nicholls adapted his own book into a screenplay, but director Lone Scherfig—who did so much with An Education—is unable to transform it into something truly interesting.
Point Blank: In this French thriller, a male nurse whose pregnant wife has been kidnapped is forced to help a crook escape from the hospital.
Salvation Boulevard: Former-Deadhead-turned-born-again-Christian Greg Kinnear is being hunted by the followers of fundamentalist preacher Pierce Brosnan. Um, it’s a comedy. Ends Aug. 25 at the Ken Cinema.
Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D: The fourth dimension in this case is Aromascope. No, seriously.
The Whistleblower: Rachel Weisz is terrific as Kathryn Bolkovac, the Nebraska policewoman who took a job doing contract security for the U.N. and eventually went public to expose a human-trafficking cover-up.
Aarakshan: Sociopolitical Bollywood drama that examines the caste-based system of government jobs.
30 Minutes or Less: Danny McBride and Nick Swardson chain a bomb to Jesse Eisenberg’s neck and force him to rob a bank. Sounds like a laugh riot, huh?
Final Destination 5: Isn’t that what they said the last time?
The Future: Miranda July’s second film is even weirder than her first (Me and You and Everyone We know). She and Hamish Linklater are a slacker couple whose impending adoption of an injured cat dramatically impacts their lives. Throw in stopping time, a talking moon and a talking cat, and you’ve got serious art-house fare. Ends Aug. 25 at Hillcrest Cinemas.
Glee the 3-D Concert Movie: You already know if this is for you, gleeks.
The Help: Based on Kathryn Stockett’s novel, this stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, a ’60s-era college kid who starts interviewing the African-American women in her southern town, something that just wasn’t done at the time.
The Devil’s Double: Dominic Cooper is terrific as both Latif Yahia, the man who was forced to be the body double for Saddam’s insane son Uday, and Uday himself. The movie is over-the-top and violent, but Cooper—who often appears in the frame as both characters, does amazing work.
Another Earth: When a parallel Earth appears in our atmosphere, Rhoda (Brit Marling) is given a second chance to fix the mistakes she’s made in her young life. Somewhere between an indie drama and a sci-fi trip, Another Earth may not be perfect, but it does make you think. Ends Aug. 25 at Hillcrest Cinemas.
The Change-Up: Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds switch bodies à la Freaky Friday. Tough to say who’s getting the better side of that deal.
The Guard: Brendan Gleeson’s portrayal of a corrupt small-town Irish cop trying to take down some major drug traffickers is one of the best of the year, raising this crime comedy, which also stars Don Cheadle, to unexpected success.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes: James Franco, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis and the kid who played Draco Malfoy go bananas.
Cowboys & Aliens: Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford face off against outer-space baddies in the Old West. Directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man).
Adventures in Wild California: We’re guessing this IMAX movie does not take place in San Diego. Screens at 8 p.m. Fridays through August at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.
Crazy, Stupid, Love: Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling headline a good-enough romantic comedy that’s not ashamed of its PG-13 status.
Sarah’s Key: Kristin Scott Thomas is an American journalist trying to learn the fate of a Jewish French girl who went missing during WWII.
The Smurfs: They’re so hard to get off your shoe when you step on them, especially when they’re in 3-D.
Captain America: The First Avenger: Chris Evans plays the superhero in this week’s superhero movie.
Friends with Benefits: Best buddies Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis can’t find anyone to date, so they start sleeping with each other, no strings attached. Um, you lost us at Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis can’t find anyone to date.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2: It’s tough to say goodbye, but fans will be thrilled with the franchise’s conclusion, which streamlines the final half of the final book and offers up some serious wizardry—in story and special effects.
Horrible Bosses: Put-upon drones Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day decide to murder their employers, played by Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Aniston. It’s a comedy—ha!
Zookeeper: Talking animals try to prevent zookeeper Kevin James from blah blah blah
Transformers: Dark of the Moon: No, the third film in the franchise has nothing to do with either “Bark at the Moon” or “Dark Side of the Moon.” Is there still more than meets the eye?
Buck: Documentary about Buck Brannaman, one of the leading experts in horses and the inspiration for The Horse Whisperer.
Cars 2: Documentary about Buck Brannaman, The cars from Cars go overseas, or something. Also, there are spies. Pixar makes gazillions!
Super 8: J.J. Abrams-directed and Spielberg-produced, this is a throwback to ’80s-era summer goodness, about a bunch of kids who start investigating weird goings on after a train wreck near their town.
The Tree of Life: You might consider Terrence Malick’s new movie a masterpiece or find it self-indulgent and pretentious. What you can’t deny is its ambition. By focusing on a Texas family in the ’50s, led by patriarch Brad Pitt, the director examines life, the universe and everything. Beautiful to watch, challenging to understand, staggeringly deep.
Midnight in Paris: Woody Allen’s most charming film in years stars Owen Wilson as a Jazz Age-infatuated screenwriter and aspiring novelist who ends up hanging with the likes of Hemingway and Fitzgerald.
Bridesmaids: Kristen Wiig moves from scene-stealer to leading lady in this raunchy girl-comedy, and it turns out she’s well suited to the promotion.
Boto be Wild 3-D: Despite sounding like yet another animated animal movie, this is an IMAX film about baby elephants and orangutans and the people who love them. Oh, and it’s narrated by Morgan Freeman. Collective sigh for the baby monkeys, please.
Tornado Alley: This new IMAX film, which travels into twisters with some professional storm chasers, has to be better than Twister, the movie. At the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.
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.
