New Movie Releases: Zack and Miri Make a Porno and More
The film's title conveys most of the plot synopsis: platonic roommates fall behind on bills, get desperate, pal around, hatch a scheme, and try making an adult movie to sell to their high school friends. The premise allows Smith to use tons of his trademark salty banter, full of so much swearing that it literally wears you out after a while. It was likely impossible to cut a trailer for this film, as nearly every sentence features gratuitious swearing - which is funny for a while, until it's, well, not. All of the "adult filmmaking" scenes are over the top and certainly meant to show pornography for the unrealistic, silly, and cash-grabbing endeavor it is rather than something titillating and risky.
While it's unfair to drop Apatow comparisions left and right on Smith (after all, he's been doing the lovable loser thing for 15 years now), it's hard not to draw the parallels with both Seth Rogen in the starring role and the number of films treading similar waters in recent years. While a number of scenes are full of great rapid-fire jokes and solid entertainment value (among them, a rough high school reunion and some of the "Clerks"-like coffee shop gabbery), the film's third act gets heavily bogged down in sappiness and sentiment that feels very out of place with what has come before it. It's a love story you're expecting, but that didn't quite play right to us. Rogen and Elizabeth Banks play their parts with enthusiasm and an endearing goofiness, but it's still awfully hard to picture Banks as a high-school loser who only has eyes for her schlubby roommate. We get that it's a wish-fulfillment story, but it's a tough sell.
Smith reminds us a bit of Paul McCartney in this way: the guy loves his wife and family, and can't tread too far into love story territory without losing the sharpness that we loved about him in the first place. We wish Smith continued domestic prosperity and don't wish a Heather Mills upon him, but hope that in future endeavors, he'll paint the man loves woman thing with a bit more nuance. Ultimeately, while Smith's core fans and those looking for a silly and vulgar comedy will come away happy, we can only close by saying that we saw potential for so much more. --Tom Thornton
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
Changeling
No, not this Changeling (though that'd be incredibly appropriate for Halloween). Clint Eastwood directs this dramatic thriller based on true events. When a woman's child goes missing in 1920s Los Angeles, the police deliver back a boy who isn't hers. When she calls them on the obvious mixup, they brand her a lunatic and lock her up. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
Happy-Go-Lucky
Mike Leigh's newest is an upbeat comedy that follows the life of an unflappable schoolteacher named Poppy. It had a screening at the Austin Film Festival earlier this month, and word is that it's Leigh's best in years. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
The Haunting of Molly Hartley
PG-13 horror flicks are like non-alcoholic beer. You've got better options for scares this weekend. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
Rachel Getting Married
Jonathan Demme's newest is one of those "estranged family member returns home for a wedding and/or funeral and conflict ensues" flicks. But Demme doesn't make too many bad movies, so we're gonna give it the benefit of the doubt. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
RocknRolla
We missed this new Guy Ritchie flick when it premiered at Fantastic Fest in September, but it was described by at least one person who saw it as "absurd". The trailer looks great--but then again, so did the trailer for Revolver. Wuh wah. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
Splinter
We're really hoping this indie monster horror is good. It follows a young couple who are kidnapped by car thieves, and then stalked by a mean, pointy monster. Talk about a bad day! --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
Trouble the Water
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Trouble the Water documents the story of two self-described "street hustlers" as they survive Hurricane Katrina and struggle through its aftermath. The film was photographed by Austinite PJ Raval, who'll be attending tomorrow's 5:10pm showing at the Arbor for a post-screening Q&A. See it. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
What Just Happened?
Honestly, we're not huge fans of De Niro's non-serious work. But if director Barry Levinson can recapture some of the dark, smirking comedy of his last De Niro collaboration Wag the Dog, we'd love to see it. --Matt Smith
[Trailer] [Showtimes]
