Now Playing in Select Theatres
Rated R
See the Trailer
This film is written by one of my favorite writers, Charles Bukowski, and is actually quite autobiographical. I couldn’t write a better synopsis of the movie than Rotten Tomatoes. So here is what they have to say:
The life of celebrated wildman Charles Bukowski has been brought to the big screen on a number of occasions prior to this adaptation of his book, Factotum. Most notably, Mickey Rourke played Bukowski's alter-ego Henry "Hank" Chinaski in 1987's Barfly, while 2004’s Bukowski: Born Into This was a fascinating documentary on the alcohol-fueled writer. This Norwegian production from director Bent Hamer sees Matt Dillon taking on the role of Chinaski. Dillon gets the character just about right, subtly perfecting the deadbeat behavior that leads to innumerable firings from menial jobs, while also offering a persuasive depiction of a man lost in the throes of an addiction to booze, women, and gambling. The crumbs of plot that do exist in Factotum find Chinaski enjoying the sexual wiles of poverty-stricken Jan (Lily Taylor) and rich-girl Laura (Marisa Tomei), but essentially the film is all about one man's long, low meander through a sedentary life. The alcohol frequently gets the better of Chinaski, destroying his chances of becoming a writer, obliterating his job prospects, and curtailing his relationships. But Hamer is careful never to judge Chinaski's habits, simply depositing them on screen and weaving them into the story as if they were as essential to the human condition as breathing or eating. The film progresses at a leisurely pace, Dillon's cigarette-and-alcohol-soaked vocal chords provide voiceover narration at appropriate times, and Hamer carefully crafts one of the finest portrayals of Bukowski yet. Set in Minneapolis-St. Paul, which overflows with the depreciated low-rent apartments and cruddy, soul destroying workplaces Bukowski thrived upon, Factotum is an arresting depiction of humanity at its lowest ebb.
“HALF NELSON”
Now Playing in Select Theatres
Rated R
See the Trailer
Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is a young inner-city junior high school teacher whose ideals wither and die in the face of reality. Day after day in his shabby Brooklyn classroom, he somehow finds the energy to inspire his 13 and 14-year-olds to examine everything from civil rights to the Civil War with a new enthusiasm.
“THE MOTEL”
Now Playing in Select Theatres
Not Rated
See the Trailer
Puberty sucks, and nobody knows it better than 13-year-old Ernest Chin (Jeffrey Chyau). As he watches guests come and go, Ernest finds himself forever stuck at his family’s hourly-rate motel, where he divides his time between taking orders from his overbearing mom, cleaning up after whatever miscreants the motel may attract.
“AMERICAN HARDCORE”
In Theatres September 22
Rated R
See the Trailer
Generally unheralded at the time, the early 1980s hardcore punk rock scene gave birth to much of the rock music and culture that followed. There would be no Nirvana, Beastie Boys or Red Hot Chili Peppers were it not for hardcore pioneers such as Black Flag, Bad Brains and Minor Threat.
Rated R
See the Trailer
This film is written by one of my favorite writers, Charles Bukowski, and is actually quite autobiographical. I couldn’t write a better synopsis of the movie than Rotten Tomatoes. So here is what they have to say:
The life of celebrated wildman Charles Bukowski has been brought to the big screen on a number of occasions prior to this adaptation of his book, Factotum. Most notably, Mickey Rourke played Bukowski's alter-ego Henry "Hank" Chinaski in 1987's Barfly, while 2004’s Bukowski: Born Into This was a fascinating documentary on the alcohol-fueled writer. This Norwegian production from director Bent Hamer sees Matt Dillon taking on the role of Chinaski. Dillon gets the character just about right, subtly perfecting the deadbeat behavior that leads to innumerable firings from menial jobs, while also offering a persuasive depiction of a man lost in the throes of an addiction to booze, women, and gambling. The crumbs of plot that do exist in Factotum find Chinaski enjoying the sexual wiles of poverty-stricken Jan (Lily Taylor) and rich-girl Laura (Marisa Tomei), but essentially the film is all about one man's long, low meander through a sedentary life. The alcohol frequently gets the better of Chinaski, destroying his chances of becoming a writer, obliterating his job prospects, and curtailing his relationships. But Hamer is careful never to judge Chinaski's habits, simply depositing them on screen and weaving them into the story as if they were as essential to the human condition as breathing or eating. The film progresses at a leisurely pace, Dillon's cigarette-and-alcohol-soaked vocal chords provide voiceover narration at appropriate times, and Hamer carefully crafts one of the finest portrayals of Bukowski yet. Set in Minneapolis-St. Paul, which overflows with the depreciated low-rent apartments and cruddy, soul destroying workplaces Bukowski thrived upon, Factotum is an arresting depiction of humanity at its lowest ebb.
“HALF NELSON”
Now Playing in Select Theatres
Rated R
See the Trailer
Dan Dunne (Ryan Gosling) is a young inner-city junior high school teacher whose ideals wither and die in the face of reality. Day after day in his shabby Brooklyn classroom, he somehow finds the energy to inspire his 13 and 14-year-olds to examine everything from civil rights to the Civil War with a new enthusiasm.
“THE MOTEL”
Now Playing in Select Theatres
Not Rated
See the Trailer
Puberty sucks, and nobody knows it better than 13-year-old Ernest Chin (Jeffrey Chyau). As he watches guests come and go, Ernest finds himself forever stuck at his family’s hourly-rate motel, where he divides his time between taking orders from his overbearing mom, cleaning up after whatever miscreants the motel may attract.
“AMERICAN HARDCORE”
In Theatres September 22
Rated R
See the Trailer
Generally unheralded at the time, the early 1980s hardcore punk rock scene gave birth to much of the rock music and culture that followed. There would be no Nirvana, Beastie Boys or Red Hot Chili Peppers were it not for hardcore pioneers such as Black Flag, Bad Brains and Minor Threat.
“BABEL”
In Theatres October 27
Rated R
See the Trailer
In the remote sands of the Moroccan desert, a rifle shot rings out - detonating a chain of events that will link an American tourist couple’s frantic struggle to survive, two Moroccan boys involved in an accidental crime, a nanny illegally crossing into Mexico with two American children and a Japanese teen rebel whose father is sought by the police in Tokyo.
1 comment:
Ain't nobody, no where, no how, that has reviewed Half Nelson and not admired it. Can't wait to see it.
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