The Week in Movies: Star Trek, Black Rock, and Frances Ha
Welcome to Annotate This, where we gather reviews, trailers, and annotate the posters for movies coming out this week. It will help you decide what to avoid, what to see, and what to pretend to see. Click on the image above to add your comments to the mix.
Star Trek: Into Darkness (May 14 in IMAX 3D, May 16 in 3D and 2D)
The crew of J.J. Abrams iteration of Star Trek is back, this time adding modern Sherlock Holmes Benedict Cumberbatch into the mix as the villain. One reviewer called it perfect, but in a bad way. Rich Juzwiak's review is here.
Black Rock (Limited)
This is a feminist thriller starring Kate Aselton, Lake Bell, and Kate Bosworth. These three friends reunite on a remote island but end up fighting for their lives against trained killers. This is not the 1955 movie Bad Day at Black Rock with Spencer Tracy, so don't bring your Grandpa.
The English Teacher (Limited)
This movie stars Julianne Moore as a reserved English teacher who decides to become a playwright. The movie has been described as "affable," as long as it's "graded on a curve" (snap!).
Frances Ha (Limited)
This is the movie for which I created the game Indie Movie Bingo. Read Rich Juzwiak's review here (he liked it).
Augustine (Limited)
This movie has been described as "A Dangerous Method meets The Elephant Man." Based on the true story of an "unusual" relationship between a 19th century pioneering French neurologist, Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot, and his teenage patient, who experiences sexual awakening in the Victorian age of repression. Charcot mentored Freud, obviously.
Erased (Limited)
Originally called The Expatriate, it is likely that producers either changed the name because they feared being called un-American or in hopes they might be able to erase bad reviews. Basically it's Taken without Liam Neeson or a smidgeon of originality. Someone called it acceptable though.
Pieta (Limited)
By controversial Korean director Kim Ki-Duk, this is about a loan shark who meets his potentially long-lost mother and a dark family secret. It mixes Christian symbolism and highly sexual content and apparently has a mission to check off all the items on the "audience-scandalizing checklist."
State 194 (Limited Release)
This political documentary traces the attempts of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to build a Palestinian state. It's directed by Emmy-award winning filmmaker Dan Setton and is very serious.
Hating Breitbart (Limited)
Don't be fooled by the first of the two words in the title, Hating Breitbart is apparently an ironic title and the movie about the late, outspoke conservative media critic is "conspicuously parsimonious."
33 Postcards (Limited)
This movie is about a pen-pal relationship between an Australian man (Guy Pearce!) and a Chinese orphan. To mash up two reviews: "Just when you think it can't get any more sentimental or tack on any more plot detours," it manages to succeed in "out-wholesoming the von Trapp brood."