Friday film roundup
Today’s film roundup from Past the Popcorn:
Dan in Real Life debuts this week, the latest vehicle for cultural zeitgeist rider Steve Carell. He’s everywhere, and he’s here, too. This time out, he plays an advice columnist who runs counter to his own column during a family get-together on the New England Coast. Greg Wright calls the film “an affirmation of romantic love, a paean to the institution of marriage, and a salute to the villages that extended families can become — if they try hard enough.” Still, he warns, don’t expect too much.
Control, a bio-drama about Joy Division songwriter Ian Curtis, is “more than an introduction of a rock star gone awry,” says Mike Smith. “Filmed in black and white and with humble reality, it is a great example of how new ideas in filmmaking can bring abrupt change to the art of cinematic storytelling.” It’s also R-rated, so use discretion.
Use even more with Sidney Lumet’s latest film, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead. Says Greg Wright, “Lumet is trying to convince a younger audience that he’s still a force to be reckoned with. It seems more to me like he’s a force that’s been largely spent, and that he’s as desperate to be relevant as Andy is to be loved. And I’m not happy saying that, because I’ve always been a big fan of Lumet’s body of work.” It’s a dark vision of humanity that’s presented in hard-R fashion.
Also this week, the co-directors of Bee Movie offer some insight into working with Jerry Seinfeld and other ad-lib pros.
