New Movie Releases: Humboldt County, Eagle Eye and More!
Filmmakers Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs have done something rare by making a fish-out-of-water, marijuana-centered film that manages a modicum of subtlety. Played by relative newcomer Jeremy Strong, protagonist Peter Hadley's eyes are adequately wide and he certainly receives an education of sorts when he takes up with a community of aging hippies and lawless marijuana farmers, but predictability rarely dulls this often-quirky picture.
Humboldt County doesn't shy away from emotion and yes, life lessons are learned, but like any respectable work of smoky cinema, the film doesn't take itself too seriously. Think Garden State with better scenery, a lot more reefer and none of that cloying Braffy earnestness. --Caitlin Moore
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
Eagle Eye
If you don’t already know Shia LaBeouf (he has said it means, “the beef” in French, but we don’t feel like verifying that), let us catch you up while you shave off the beard you’ve obviously been growing in a cave somewhere--he’s a hilarious and adorable teen actor turned wisecracking “reluctant” action star in movies like Transformers, Disturbia, and Indiana Jones and that Ornery Wisecracking Greaser-Looking Kid Fight Aliens (which we’re betting you heard sucked, even if you WERE in a cave). He’s the best thing in every movie he’s in, so it’s probably all right to admit that we kinda want to see Eagle Eye, which reunites him with his Disturbia director D.J. Caruso as a nice young man being manipulated into a life of crime by unseen terrorist types. They can see him no matter where he is (Enemy of the State-style), so he’s got no choice, ya see.
Based on an idea exec-producer Stephen Spielberg came up with long before there was technology to make this remotely believable, this looks to be a rock-em sock-em ride of an action movie. Plus, co-stars Michelle Monaghan and Rosario Dawson ain’t hard on the eyes, Billy Bob Thornton always acts well, and Michael Chiklis is always fun to watch (as either “The Thing” OR “The Commish”), so there’s plenty of reason to check it out. No one’s gonna accuse you of being “artsy” but that doesn’t mean you won’t have fun. --Matthew Frederick
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
Choke
This black comedy based on the critically acclaimed 2001 novel by Fight Club writer Chuck Palahniuk looks quite promising. Sam Rockwell stars as a sex addict who works at a colonial America-themed amusement park, and in his spare time fakes choking incidents to scam people. He uses the money to pay his ailing mother’s hospital bills, so maybe he’s a “con man with a heart of gold?” Eh, knowing Palahniuk, it’s probably not that simple.
Choke also stars Kelly Macdonald (the underage girl from Trainspotting), Clark Gregg (the husband from “New Adventures of Old Christine,” who also adapted the screenplay and directs), and Angelica Huston (come on!). It won a Special Jury Prize for a dramatic work by an ensemble cast at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, so there’s definitely something special going on here. We recommend you go this weekend, while all the hardcore Palahniuk fans (Palahn-iacs?) are lining up. That way you’re sure to get a fired-up crowd. But maybe don’t eat your popcorn by the handful at this one. You don’t want people to think you’re just getting into the theme. --Matthew Frederick
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
Johnny Got His Gun
You may remember the 1971 antiwar flick with Timothy Bottoms, or you may remember the pieces of that movie that showed up in Metallica's video for "One." The basic idea of both is that a soldier comes back from World War One without arms, legs, or a face. The entire movie takes place in the soldier's head - a claustrophobic and terrifying place to be. In this remake, Austin's own Ben McKenzie is the soldier. Perhaps because of budget constraints, but maybe also to emphasize the aforementioned claustrophobia, director Rowan Joseph has McKenzie performing solo, on a stage, with very limited props. It's hard to watch an hour-and-fifteen-minutes-long monologue, but McKenzie is likeable as the soldier and versatile enough to keep watching. Partial proceeds from screenings go to the Fallen Patriot Fund.
**Note: Director Rowan Joseph & Producer Wesley Horton will be live in person at all Dobie screenings of this film through Sunday the 28th.
--Rebecca Onion
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
