movies from 30 29
man bad” melodramas. The men in Tyler Perry’s adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s stage play include a rapist (Khalil Kain), a child murderer/wife beater (Michael Ealy), a serial cheater (Richard Lawson) and a closeted gay man (Omari Hardwick) who has been dipping into his wife’s bank account. And that’s not even counting the minor jerks from this dated relic of the women’s empowerment movement, written in 1975 as a series of free-verse monologues with dance, but rewritten by Perry to fit a more traditional narrative structure. But rather than portraying strong, successful women, the film presents its female characters primarily as helpless victims and dupes. Janet Jackson’s Jo may have been betrayed by a husband, but she’s also an unpleasant shrew. Thandie Newton’s Tangie is a foul- mouthed and even more foul-tempered tramp; her pregnant teenage sister, Nyla (Tessa Thompson), is the victim of a back- alley abortionist (Macy Gray). (R, 120 minutes) Contains violence, obscenity,
“HHHH FASCINATING!” Andrew Schenker,TIMEOUT NEW YORK
“ARIVETINGMASTERPIECE.” Amy Handler,MOVING PICTURES
“INTELLIGENT,PROVOCATIVE, DAZZLING.”
Georgianne Nienaber, HUFFINGTON POST “MAKESFICTIONPALE
BYCOMPARISON.” Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES
sensuality, drug use, partial nudity and smoking. At Regal Cinemas Bowie Crossing.
—M.O.
rrrTHE GIRLWHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST
The final, deeply satisfying conclusion to the trilogy of Swedish thrillers based on Stieg Larsson’s bestselling novels follows Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), the series’s computer-hacker heroine and titular hornet’s nest kicker, after movie No. 2 left her shot in three places and barely breathing. Lisbeth spends the entire first half of “Hornet’s Nest” merely recuperating from her injuries and preparing to face a charge of attempted murder in the axing of her father (Georgi Staykov). Yes, he’s a bad man. He has also been protected by many other bad men—members of what’s known as the Section, a secret government cabal that will resort to threats and murder to protect Lisbeth’s daddy, who has been involved in sex trafficking and other nasty business. This is the nest referred to in the
“OUTRAGEOUSLY FUNNY!” -Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE
title, and the wasps that Lisbeth has stirred up are now very, very angry. (R, 148 minutes) Contains violence, obscenity and sexual themes. AtAMCLoews Shirlington. —M.O.
rrrHARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS—PART 1
The latest installment of the Harry Potter series can’t be anything but unsatisfying— it’s meant to leave filmgoers wanting more. It’s half of a really good movie, full of the enchantment, emotion and incident for which the Potter series has become so fanatically cherished. “Deathly Hallows— Part 1” is also grim, downbeat and unimaginably sad, preparing viewers for the inevitable day next summer when the second “Deathly Hallows” installment arrives in theaters.With its gray palette and elegiac tone, this penultimate offering is just right for what it is: the beginning of the end. The evil Lord Voldemort (a noseless Ralph Fiennes), having taken over the Ministry of Magic, is bent on the destruction of Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and all the magical-
Muggle miscegenation he represents. Meanwhile, Harry, along with his best friends, Hermione (EmmaWatson) and Ron (Rupert Grint), has dropped out of Hogwarts School ofWitchcraft andWizardry in order to find the “Horcruxes” that give Voldemort his power and immortality, and vanquish him forever. (PG-13, 145 minutes) Contains sequences of intense action violence and frightening images. Area theaters.
—A.H. rrI LOVE YOU PHILLIPMORRIS
In “I Love You Phillip Morris,” Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, a married, church- going good ol’ boy who, after a near-fatal car accident, comes out of the closet as a gay man, turning to increasingly brazen scams to support his newly fabulous lifestyle. After he’s caught and sent to prison, he meets and falls in love—we’re talking obsessive, head-over-heels love—with fellow convict Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). Now hold on a second. Though the preceding paragraph sounds like a recipe for disaster, the movie
is actually surprisingly sweet. Yes, there is a real Phillip Morris (no relation to the tobacco company). There’s also a real Steven Russell. He’s currently serving a 144-year sentence in a Texas penitentiary. It’s cartoonish at times, dead serious at others. Near the end, the movie takes a sharp turn toward what looks like melodrama, only to veer back to comedy with a narrative “gotcha” that will either tick you off or come across as brilliant.What saves the film from itself are the performances of its stars. (R, 98 minutes) Contains frequent obscenity and sex talk, sex scenes and violence. Area theaters.
--- M.O. rrr½INSIDE JOB
“Inside Job” traces the history of the 2008 financial meltdown and its implications with exceptional lucidity, rigor and righteous indignation.What’s more, Charles Ferguson actually breaks news, uncovering the shady world of academic economists who, as paid
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DUANE BAUGHMAN & MARK SIEGEL IN PERSON! SAT: 7:00 &
9:45PM SHOWS SUN: 4:15PMSHOW a DUANE BAUGHMAN film DEMOCRACYWAS HER GREATESTREVENGE STARTSTODAY•ONEWEEKONLY!
DAILY: 1:30, 4:15, 7:00 &9:45PM •ADD’L SAT/SUN: 11:00AM Watch the trailer and learn more:
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ANTHONYMACKIE ‘‘
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LANDMARK THEATRES E STREET CINEMA E St & 11th St NW 202/452-7672
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to go beyond the private dramas of its protagonists, imagining them as players
in broader historical moments.’’ Melissa Anderson, THE VILLAGE VOICE
MESMERIZING. Mackie and Washington couldn’t
‘‘
FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTION
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be better. Tanya Hamilton’s first feature is something to cherish. REMEMBER HER NAME.
SHE’S A GENUINE FIND.’’ Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE ‘‘
OF TANYA HAMILTON.’’ Manohla Dargis, THE NEW YORK TIMES
FEATURE DEBUT THE STRONG PRODUCER
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A FILM BYJAMES L. BROOKS “HOW DO YOU KNOW” KATHRYN HAHN NICK ANGEL
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the washington post friday, december 17, 2010 l
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