There are some quality movie offerings available in the area this week. In This week's edition of Cinema chat, WEMU's David Fair talks with Michigan Theater Program director Amanda Bynum about the highlights.
Opening Downtown
“Enough Said” stars the widely respected late actor James Gandolfini. Co-star Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays divorcee and single parent Eva. She spends her days enjoying work as a masseuse but dreading her daughter’s impending departure for college, until she meets Albert (Gandolfini), a sweet, funny man also facing an empty nest. As their romance quickly blossoms, Eva befriends Marianne (Catherine Keener), a poet who seems almost perfect except for one quality: she excessively berates her ex-husband. Suddenly, Eva finds herself doubting her own relationship with Albert as she learns the truth about Marianne’s ex. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone says, “James Gandolfini, in one of his final roles before his death in June, is so sweetly funny in this rueful comedy that you wish he had been given more chances to tap his talent for the lighter side.” “Enough Said” opens Friday at the Michigan.
“Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself” follows George Plimpton as he hangs out with U.S. Presidents, plays quarterback for the Detroit Lions, forces Willie Mays to pop out in Yankee Stadium, photographs Playboy models, and was named the “Most Eligible Bachelor in Manhattan” by Esquire Magazine. Some of these things he did well. Some he didn’t. But they were always amusing and inspiring. “Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself” plays Sunday at 3PM and will feature an appearance from director Luke Poling.
Opening at the Multiplex
In “Don Jon,” Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Jon, a strong, handsome, good old fashioned guy. His buddies call him Don Jon due to his ability to "pull" a different woman every weekend, but even the finest fling doesn't compare to the bliss he finds alone in front of the computer watching pornography. Barbara (Scarlett Johansson) is a bright, beautiful, good old fashioned girl. Raised on romantic Hollywood movies, she's determined to find her Prince Charming and ride off into the sunset. Wrestling with old fashioned expectations of the opposite sex, Jon and Barbara struggle against a media culture full of false fantasies to find true intimacy. “Don Jon” opens Friday.
In “Baggage Claim,” flight attendant Montana (Paula Patton) is determined to get engaged before her youngest sister's wedding, but finds herself with only 30 days to find Mr. Right. Using her airline connections to "accidentally" meet up with eligible ex-boyfriends and scour for potential candidates, she racks up more than 30,000 miles while searching for the perfect guy. “Baggage Claim” opens Friday.
Special Screenings Downtown
The Three Corpse Circus International Horror Film Festival is back for its fourth year! Showcasing all the variety horror has to offer, the festival brings a diverse collection of shorts from across the globe–and from our very own Ann Arbor and surrounding areas. The Three Corpse Circus International Film Festival plays Saturday, September 28, 2013 at the Michigan Theater.
“Go Far: The Christopher Rush Story” is an inspirational documentary , narrated by Mark Hamill, about overcoming muscular dystrophy and achieving amazing things. Christopher Rush was an incredibly accomplished, optimistic, spiritual, and inspirational person who developed the GO FAR program just before his death. “Go Far: The Christopher Rush Story” plays Sunday, September 29 at 6:30 PM. A Q&A with director Zack Arnold will follow the film and the event is free and open to the public.
