For movies opening June 10, 2011
BIG BUDGET FILMS
Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (PG for mild epithets and rude humor) Jordana Beatty stars in the title role of this madcap adaptation of the children’s best seller about a feisty third-grader who finds herself dreading the prospect of spending a boring summer vacation with her annoying little brother (Parris Mosteller) and an awful aunt (Heather Graham) she’s never met. With Kristoffer Ryan Winters, Janet Varney and Jaleel “Urkel” White.
Super 8 (PG-13 for profanity, drug use and intense violence) Fantasy thriller, set in Ohio in 1979, about a group of friends who come to suspect that the train wreck they witnessed wasn’t an accident when the disaster is followed by a series of unexplainable disappearances. Cast includes Elle Fanning, Ryan Lee and Joel Courtney.
INDEPENDENT & FOREIGN FILMS
Agrarian Utopia (Unrated) Visually-captivating, salt-of-the-earth saga highlighting how peasants farming the rice paddies of Thailand are being exploited by avaricious bankers playing a rigged form of capitalism. Starring Prayad, Sompong and Sai Jumma, and Nikorn and Somnuek Mungmeung, (In Thai with subtitles)
Bride Flight (R for sexuality and graphic nudity) Romance drama delineating the diverging fates of three Dutch refugees: a fashion designer (Anna Drijver), a farm girl (Karina Smulders) and a barren spinster (Elise Schaap), all of whom emigrate from Holland to New Zealand after World War II to enter arranged marriages. (In Dutch and English with subtitles)
Just Like Us (R for profanity) Cross-cultural, comedy flick, shot in both the U.S. and the Middle East, and featuring standup routines by such talented comics as Ahmed Ahmed, Whitney Cummings, Tommy Davidson and Sherif Azab.
One Lucky Elephant (Unrated) Poignant, pachyderm-whisperer documentary examining the end of the relationship of the ailing owner of a traveling circus and the orphaned, 18 year-old elephant he’d rescued in the wild and raised practically from birth.
Queen of the Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? (Unrated) Endangered species expose’ examining the mysterious decimation of the honeybee population all around the globe, except New Zealand. Includes pontificating by perplexed experts like botanist Hugh Wilson, swarm catcher Jacqueline Freeman and entomologist May Berenbaum.
Reversion (Unrated) Apocalyptic sci-fi drama set in an altered City of Los Angeles where the past, present and future unfold simultaneously, and revolving around a black woman (Leslie Silva) struggling to remain faithful to her man (Jason Olive) in the wake of a genetic mutation which has left her with a lack of morality. Support cast includes Tom Maden, Jason Frost, Indira Wilson and Justin Huen.
The Trip (Unrated) Culinary comedy chronicling character actor Steve Coogan’s sampling of British cuisine while accompanied on a tour of England’s finest restaurants by his best friend/colleague, Rob Brydon.
Trollhunter (Unrated) Scandinavian horror flick about some students investigating a series of bear killings who get the surprise of their lives when they realize that the person responsible is actually a bloodthirsty trollhunter (Otto Jespersen). With Johanna Morck, Knut Naerum and Erik Bach. (In Norwegian with subtitles)
Viva Riva! (Unrated) Congo drama about a smooth operator (Patsha Bay) who masterminds a nefarious plot to pilfer a fortune in petrol when not lavishing attention on his luscious girlfriend (Manie Malone). With Hoji Fortuna, Marlene Longange and Alex Herabo. (In French and Lingala with subtitles)
