AWFJ Women On Film – Releasing April 22 and 24, 2009 – Maitland McDonagh previews
AWFJ highlights films made by and about women:
Wednesday, April 22
- Earth – Disneynature, 99 mins. – Based on the acclaimed BBC series Planet Earth and narrated by James Earl Jones, the first release from Disney’s Disneynature division is a documentary about the travails and triumphs of three “animal families.”
- Treeless Mountain – Osilloscope, 89 mins. – Korean-born, Los Angeles-raised filmmaker So Yong Kim’s drama about two young sisters abandoned to their over-taxed grandmother is rooted in her childhood memories and features remarkable performances by the non-professionals playing the children.
Friday, April 24
- Fighting – Rogue Pictures, 105 mins – A small town boy (Channing Tatum) whose New York City dreams are gradually being ground into the dust of bleak despair sees his one opportunity to make something of himself in the underground world of bare-knuckle fighting. Directed by Dito Montiel (A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints).
- The Informers – Senator (limited, New York) – Based on ’80s bad-boy novelist Bret Easton Ellis novel about glossy decadence in Los Angeles (Ellis co-wrote the screenplay as well) features a strong but weirdly eclectic cast that includes Kim Basinger, Mickey Rourke, Billy Bob Thornton, Winona Ryder, Rhys Ifans and singer Chris Isaak.
- The Mutant Chronicles – Magnolia Pictures, 111 mins. (limited New York, Los Angeles) – In a blasted, post-apocalyptic future ruled by corporate states, one man (Thomas Jane) leads the battle against the humanoid “necromutants.” Based on a role-playing franchise and featuring b-movie stalwart Ron Perlman, Sean Pertwee, celebucutie Devon Aoki, Benno Furmann, Fugees frontman Pras Michel and John Malkovich.
- Obsessed – Screen Gems – In the tradition of Fatal Attraction and The Temp, this thriller revolves around the plight of a hard-working, happily married man (Idris Elba) whose life unravels when a psycho bitch (Ali Larter) stalks him relentlessly.
- The Soloist – Paramount/Dream Works, 109 mins. – Adapted by Susannah Grant from Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez’s account of his friendship with a homeless, schizophrenic classical musician (Jamie Foxx). Robert Downey Jr. plays the movie’s version of Lopez.
- Throw Down Your Heart – This music-filled documentary follows banjo-player Bela Fleck as he travels Africa in search of the instrument’s origins.
- Tyson – Sony Classics, 90 mins. – Tyson: Defiantly iconoclastic filmmaker James Toback’s documentary attempts to rehabilitate the reputation of his longtime friend, former heavyweight boxer Mike Tyson while exploring his own favorite theme, the intersection of race, class, sports and celebrity in America.
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