FilmJerk Favorites

A group of unique directors and the essential works that you've got to see.

||| Sergio Leone |||
Sergio Leone

Leone’s career is remarkable in its unrelenting attention to both American culture and the American genre film, exploring the mythic America he created with each successive film examining the established characters in greater depth.

Only his second feature (a remake of Kurosawa’s Yojimbo), Leone's landmark "spaghetti western" caused a revolution and features Clint Eastwood in his breakthrough role as "The Man With No Name". This classic brutal drama of feuding families wasn’t the first spaghetti Western, but it was far and away the most successful up to that time.

Plot is of minimal interest, but character is everything to Leone, who places immense meaning in the slightest flick of an eyelid, extensively using the extreme close-up on the eyes to reveal any feeling, as demonstrated by Clint, who squints his way through this slam-bang sequel to A Fistful of Dollars as a wandering gunslinger that must combine forces with his nemesis to track down a wanted killer.

The final chapter in the groundbreaking trilogy follows Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach as they form an uneasy alliance to find a stash of hidden gold. Leone focuses on his central theme as they find themselves facing greed, treachery, and murder, showing that the desire for wealth and power turns men into ruthless creatures who violate land and family and believe that a man’s death is less important than how he faces it.

Recommended by CarrieSpecht

Advertisement

The Early Report for June 6, 2012

June 6th, 2012

The Early Report features the most detailed listings on the Internet of all films scheduled to be released in the upcoming weeks, including actual and estimated screen counts, running times and ratings. This week's report covers 15 new openers in theatres between Friday, June 8 and Friday, June 15, 2012

Friday, June 8, 2012

Bel Ami
Logline: A chronicle of a young man's rise to power in Paris via his manipulation of the city's most influential and wealthy women
Featuring: Robert Pattinson, Christina Ricci, Natalia Tena, Kristin Scott Thomas, Uma Thurman
Directors: Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod
Writer: Rachel Bennette, based on the novel by Guy de Maupassant
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Opening Week Release Pattern: Opens at the Midtown Art Cinemas in Atlanta, the Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley, the Kendall Square Cinemas in Cambridge MA, the Main Art Theatre in Detroit, the Town Center 5 in Encino CA, the Keystone Art Cinemas in Indianapolis, the Criterion Cinemas in New Haven CT, the Sunshine Cinemas in New York City, the Cinemas Palme D'Or in Palm Desert CA, the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, the Ritz at the Bourse Cinemas in Philadelphia, the Hillcrest Cinemas in San Diego, the Bridge Theatre in San Francisco, the Camera 3 in San Jose, the Rafael Film Center in San Rafael CA, the Camelview 5 in Scottsdale AZ, the Plaza Frontenac Cinemas in St. Louis and the E Street Cinemas in Washington DC on June 8 on June 8
MPAA Rating: R for some strong sexuality, nudity and brief language
Running Time: 102 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Dolby Digital

Cartas A Elena
Logline: In a small Mexican town, a mailman adopts a young boy to help him deliver the mail as well as read it to the illiterate locals. In Spanish with subtitles
Featuring: Irma Dorantes, Jose Eduardo, Javier Lopez, Carmen Salinas, Lorena Velazquez
Director: Llorent Barajas
Writer: Martin Barajas Llorent
Distributor: Freestyle Releasing
Opening Week Release Pattern: Select markets on June 8
MPAA Rating: Not rated by the MPAA
Running Time: 104 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Stereo

Double Trouble
Logline: Two security guards are forced to work together to track down a legendary Chinese painting that has been stolen by international art thieves
Featuring: Jessica C, Jaycee Chan, Deng Jiajia, Shoko, Xia Yu
Director: Chang Hsun-Wei
Writers: Unknown at this writing
Distributor: China Lion
Opening Week Release Pattern: Select markets on June 8
MPAA Rating: Not rated by the MPAA
Running Time: 90 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Dolby Digital

For the Love of Money
Logline: Attempting to escape a life surrounded by brutal crime and violence, a young hustler immigrates to Los Angeles for a fresh start
Featuring: Steven Bauer, James Caan, Edward Furlong, Yuda Levi, Paul Sorvino, Jeffrey Tambor
Director: Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman
Writers: Jenna Mattison and Michael Micco
Distributor: Archstone Distribution
Opening Week Release Pattern: Opens at the Empire 25 in New York City, the Broadway 4 in Santa Monica, the Universal City 19 in Universal City CA, the Palisades Center 21 in West Nyack NY and the Promenade 16 in Woodland Hills CA on June 8
MPAA Rating: R for violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief nudity
Running Time: 93 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Dolby SR

Lola Versus
Logline: Dumped by her boyfriend just three weeks before their wedding, a woman enlists her close friends for a series of adventures she hopes will help her come to terms with approaching 30 as a single woman
Featuring: Greta Gerwig, Cheyenne Jackson, Joel Kinnaman, Zoe Lister Jones, Hamish Linklater, Bill Pullman, Debra Winger
Director: Daryl Wein
Writers: Daryl Wein & Zoe Lister Jones
Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Opening Week Release Pattern: Opens at the Lincoln Square Cinemas and the Village VII Cinemas in New York City, and the Landmark 12 in West Los Angeles, on June 8
MPAA Rating: R for language, sexuality and drug use
Running Time: 87 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)
Sound Format: Datasat Digital, Dolby Digital

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
Logline: Four zoo animals continue to work their way back home
Featuring the voices of: Cedric the Entertainer, Jessica Chastain, Sacha Baron Cohen, Bryan Cranston, Andy Richter, Frances McDormand, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Martin Short, Ben Stiller
Directors: Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon
Writers: Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Opening Week Release Pattern: 4150 plus playdates on June 8
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild action and rude humor
Running Time: 93 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)
Sound Format: Datasat Digital, Dolby Digital

Patagonia Rising
Logline: Documents a controversial plan to build five large hydroelectric dams in Chile's famed wilderness. In English and in Spanish with subtitles
Director: Brian Lilla
Distributor: First Run Features
Opening Week Release Pattern: Exclusive to the Cinema Village in New York City on June 8
MPAA Rating: Not rated by the MPAA
Running Time: 88 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.78:1)
Sound Format: Stereo

Peace Love and Misunderstanding
Logline: An uptight NYC lawyer takes her two teenagers to her hippie mother's farmhouse upstate for a family vacation
Featuring: Rosanna Arquette, Chace Crawford, Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Kyle MacLachlan, Katharine McPhee, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Elizabeth Olsen
Director: Bruce Beresford
Writers: Christina Mengert & Joseph Muszynski
Distributor: IFC Films
Opening Week Release Pattern: Major markets on June 8
MPAA Rating: R for drug content and some sexual references
Running Time: 96 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Dolby Digital

Prometheus   IMAX 3D
Logline: A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe
Featuring: Idris Elba, Michael Fassbender, Logan Marshall-Green, Guy Pearce, Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron
Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof
Distributor: Twentieth Century-Fox
Opening Week Release Pattern: 4000 plus playdates on June 8
MPAA Rating: R for sci-fi violence including some intense images, and brief language
Running Time: 124 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Datasat Digital, Dolby Digital, SDDS

Safety Not Guaranteed
Logline: Three magazine employees head out on an assignment to interview a guy who placed a classified ad seeking a companion for time travel
Featuring: Mark Duplass, Jeff Garlin, Jake Johnson, Aubrey Plaza, Mary Lynn Rajskub
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Writer: Derek Connolly
Distributor: Film District
Opening Week Release Pattern: Major markets on June 8
MPAA Rating: R for language including some sexual references
Running Time: 94 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Datasat Digital, Dolby Digital

Expanding today
Beyond the Black Rainbow: Opens at Brattle Theatre in Cambridge MA
Chely Wright: Wish Me Away: Opens at Mos Art Theatre in Lake Park FL, the Rialto Cinemas in Sebastopol CA and the Theatre N in Wilmington DE
Elena: Opens at the Shattuck Cinemas in Berkeley, the Living Room Theatre in Boca Raton FL, the Cosford Cinemas in Coral Gables FL, the Movies in Delbay Beach FL, the Cinema Paradiso in Fort Lauderdale, the Mos Art Theatre in Lake Park FL, the Lake Worth Playhouse in Lake Worth FL, the Museum of Art Theatre in Portland OR, the Lumiere Theatre in San Francisco and the Tallahassee Film Society in Tallahassee
Headhunters: Opens at the the Limelight Cinemas in Bellingham WA, the Flicks Theatre in Boise, the Market Street Cinemas in Little Rock, the Village Square 18 in Las Vegas, the Regent Square Theater in Pittsburgh, the Grand Cinema in Tacoma WA and the Eastern Hills Cinemas in Williamsville NY
I Wish: Opens at the Midtown Art Cinemas in Atlanta, the Mayan Theatre in Denver and the Camelview 5 in Scottsdale AZ
Music from the Big House: Opens at the Spectrum 8 in Albany NY, the Cape Ann Community Cinema in Gloucester MA and the Cinema 16:9 in Lansdowne PA
Nobody Else But You: Opens at the Kendall Square Cinemas in Cambridge MA and the Nuart Theatre in West Los Angeles
OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger's Movie: Opens at the Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills, the Town Center 5 in Encino CA, the University Town Center 6 in Irvine CA and the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena
Otter 501: Opens at the Bill Cosford Cinema in Coral Gables FL and the Metro 4 in Santa Barbara
Pink Ribbons Inc.: Opens at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, the Real Art Way Cinema in Hartford CT and the E Street Cinemas in Washington DC
Sound of My Voice: Opens at the Pilot Butte Theatre in Bend OR, the Flicks Theatre in Boise ID, the Tallahassee IMAX Cinemas in Tallahassee FL and the 13th Ave Warren Theatre in Wichita KS
Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview: Opens at the Urban Institute of Contemporary Art Theatre in Grand Rapids MI and the Paramount Center Theatre in Peekskill NY
Surviving Progress: Opens at the Gateway Film Center in Columbus OH and the Tivoli Theatre in St. Louis
Where Do We Go Now: Opens at the Shadowood Square 16 Boca Raton FL, the Esquire 6 in Cincinnati, the Cedar Lee Cinemas in Cleveland, the Delray 18 in Delray Beach FL, the Main Art Theatre in Detroit, the Modern Art Museum Theatre in Ft. Worth TX, the Cinema City in Hartford CT, the La Jolla Village Theatre in La Jolla CA, the Rancho Niguel 8 in Laguna Niguel CA, the Marketplace 6 in Long Beach CA, the Tower Theater in Miami, the Oriental 3 in Milwaukee, the Criterion Cinemas in New Haven CT, the Cinemas Palme D’or in Palm Desert CA, the Promenade 13 in Rolling Hills Estates CA and the Burns Court Cinema in Sarasota FL

Friday, June 15, 2012

The Girl from the Naked Eye
Logline: When a call girl ends up dead, her friend and only ally in the world goes on a manhunt to find out who killed her
Featuring: Sasha Grey, Samantha Streets, Gary Stretch, Dominique Swain, Jason Yee
Director: David Ren
Writers: Larry Madill and David Ren and Jason Yee
Distributor: Naedomi Media
Opening Week Release Pattern: Select markets on June 15
MPAA Rating: R for violence, sexual content and pervasive language
Running Time: 84 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Stereo

Rock of Ages   IMAX
Logline: A small town girl and a city boy meet on the Sunset Strip, while pursuing their Hollywood dreams
Featuring: Malin Akerman, Alec Baldwin, Mary J. Blige, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Bryan Cranston, Tom Cruise, Paul Giamatti, Julianne Hough, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Director: Adam Shankman
Writers: Justin Theroux and Chris D'Arienzo and Allan Loeb, based on the Broadway show written by Chris D'Arienzo
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Opening Week Release Pattern: 3650 plus playdates on June 15
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content, suggestive dancing, some heavy drinking, and language
Running Time: 123 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Datasat Digital, Dolby Digital, SDDS

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap
Logline: Documents the history of rap music and its rise to global prominence
Featuring: Afrika Bambaataa, Common, Anthony "Treach" Criss, Ice Cube, Chuck D., Mos Def, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Doug E. Fresh, Ice-T, Cheryl "Salt" James, Big Daddy Kane, KRS-One, MC Lyte, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Melle Mel, Nas, Q-Tip, Raekwon, Rakim, Redman, Joseph Simmons, Kanye West, Xzibit
Directors: Ice-T and Andy Baybutt
Distributor: Indomina Releasing
Opening Week Release Pattern: 150 plus playdates on June 8
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language including sexual references, and some drug content
Running Time: 111 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)
Sound Format: Stereo

That's My Boy
Logline: An immature fortysomething man tries to reconnect with his estranged son
Featuring: Leighton Meester
Director: Sean Anders
Writer: David Capse
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Opening Week Release Pattern: 3500 plus playdates on June 15
MPAA Rating: R for crude sexual content throughout, nudity, pervasive language and some drug use
Running Time: 110 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic (2.39:1)
Sound Format: Datasat Digital, Dolby Digital, SDDS

Your Sister's Sister
Logline: After the death of his brother, a man is invited to stay with his best friend at her family's island getaway
Featuring: Emily Blunt, Rosemary DeWitt, Mark Duplass
Director: Lynn Shelton
Writer: Lynn Shelton
Distributor: IFC Films
Opening Week Release Pattern: Major markets on June 15
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content
Running Time: 90 minutes
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)
Sound Format: Stereo

Expanding today
Bel Ami: Opens at the Lagoon Cinema in Minneapolis and the Harvard Exit Theatre in Seattle
Beyond the Black Rainbow: Opens at the Hollywood Theatre in Dormont PA
Chely Wright: Wish Me Away: Opens at the Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills, the Gateway Film Center in Columbus OH and the Colfax Film Center in Denver
Elena: Opens at the Cinemas Palme D'Or in Palm Desert CA and the Living Room Theatres in Portland OR
I Wish: Opens at the Lagoon Cinema in Minneapolis, the Zeitgeist Arts Center in New Orleans and the Pelham Picture House in Pelham NY
Lola Versus: Opens at the Midtown Art Cinemas in Atlanta, the Bethel Cinemas in Bethel CT, the Bethesda Row Cinemas in Bethesda MD, the Boston Common 19 in Boston, the Kendall Square Cinemas in Cambridge MA, the Century Centre Cinemas and the River East 21 in Chicago, the Magnolia Cinemas in Dallas, the Mayan Theatre in Denver, the Uptown 8 in Detroit, the East Hanover Cinemas in East Hanover NJ, the Monmouth Mall Cinemas in Eatontown NJ, the Evanston 12 in Evanston IL, the Fairfield Cinemas in Fairfield CT, the Palace 17 in Hartford CT, the University Town Center 6 in Irvine CA, the La Jolla 12 in La Jolla CA, the Malverne Cinema in Malverne NY, the Lagoon Theatre in Minneapolis, the Kew Gardens Cinemas in Kew Gardens NY, the Clairirdge Cinemas in Montclair NJ, the Criterion Cinemas in New Haven CT, the 1st and 62nd Street Cinemas, the 19th Street Cinemas, the Chelsea 9 and the Empire 25 in New York City, the Ritz 5 in Philadelphia, the Roslyn Cinemas in Roslyn NY, the Camelview 5 in Scottsdale, the Meridian 16 in Seattle, the Palisades 21 in West Nyack NY, the Roosevelt Raceway Cinemas in Westbury NY and the E Street Cinemas in Washington DC
Music from the Big House: Opens at the Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills
OC87: The Obsessive Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger's Movie: Opens at the Downtown Cinemas in Knoxville and the Stonestown Twin in San Francisco
Otter 501: Opens at the Valley Art Theatre in Tempe
Sound of My Voice: Opens at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville
Where Do We Go Now: Opens at the the Arbor Cinemas and the Violet Crown Cinema in Austin, the Boulder 16 in Boulder CO, the Drexel East Cinemas in Columbus OH, the Bell Tower 20 in Ft. Myers FL, the Sundance Cinemas in Madison WI, the Hollywood 20 in Naples FL, the Westhampton Twin in Richmond VA, the Plaza Frontenac Cinemas in St. Louis and the Grand Tacoma 3 in Tacoma WA

Have corrections or additional info about this edition of the Early Report or a future version? Feel free to submit it via our Feedback Form. Thanks!