Trailer Watch: Summer movie alternatives '12

As with last summer, the coming blockbuster season has a plethora of popcorn mega-hits slated for release—but also plenty of exciting, albeit less-explosion-having indies headed to the art house. Here are a few potential breakouts:

Screened at Tribeca last year, the Canadian sci-fi throwback Beyond the Black Rainbow finally got a proper limited U.S. release this weekend. Writer-director Panos Cosmatos's debut effectively channels the film's lo-fi '80s influences with a synthy score and trippy visuals, promising at least an interesting-looking experience.  

Winner of the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Beasts of the Southern Wild seems to evoke Where the Wild Things Are by way of Terrence Malick. First-time director Benh Zeitlin co-wrote the screenplay with Lucy Alibar, upon whose bayou-set play Juicy and Delicious the movie is loosely based. Expect a limited release June 27, followed by a much-wider rollout.

From the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction files comes The Imposter, TV documentary director Bart Layton's stylish feature debut. The doc dives into the sometimes-iffy territory of staged reenactments, though their purposes here aren't for Errol Morris-style ends, but to enhance the unbelievable story's thematic refrain. In the process, Layton appears to have pulled off something special. Riding strong Sundance buzz, The Imposter opens July 13.

See you in the air-conditioned theater!

3 things that endear me to Tina Fey even further

Yes, yes, everyone loves Tina Fey. But here are three takeaways from her characteristically great Nerdist interview this week that make me hold her in even higher esteem than I already did:

1. She says that, were she still a Chicago resident, she'd be living in Andersonville, which is TOTALLY MY NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU GUYS.

2. She references the Mothman.

3. She says that post-30 Rock, she'd like to try her hand at writing another screenplay, citing Pixar as the ultimate in contemporary American film storytelling.

Attention, Internet: I have written some short things

I've written a few brief posts for The A.V. Club's Newswire and Great Job, Internet! columns lately, on topics as sort-of-varied as Miley Cyrus, The Cabin in the Woods, Nicolas Cage, forensic sketches of fictional characters, and James Cameron.

Check 'em out if that's your bag.

A few thoughts on the new, final, Dark Knight Rises trailer

1. Hey, you can understand what Bane’s saying now.

2. Still not sold on Hathaway as Catwoman. (But then, I was initially skeptical of Ledger’s Joker too.)

3. OMFG!!!!1 dfgldkfjgsdlfkgj

Happy Halloween

In celebration, here's a piece I co-authored for PsycCRITIQUES, the weekly version of Contemporary Psychology, the APA Review of Books. 

It's on Super 8 and horror movies as a medium for nostalgic catharsis. (Ah, psychobabble: You're even scarier than Halloween.) 

The women of Bridesmaids made a zillion dollars; can we stop asking if they're funny now?

Part of the reason why some big, BS piece asking whether women are funny gets published anually is that every time a mainstream, female-driven movie that's not a traditional "rom-com" opens, we have a debate about whether anyone will turn out to see it. Surely men won't buy tickets, this apparently-real argument goes, because why would they want to watch some ladies talkin' about lady business for 90 minutes? That's a lot of weight on the shoulders of Bridesmaids co-writer/star Kristen Wiig, and the fact the film is being sold as "The Hangover for women" doesn't help in that regard.

If the bar was whether SNL star Wiig would be able to drive an R-rated comedy that non-niche audiences would find funny, she certainly clears it here. Unfortunately, Bridesmaids may not be able to overcome the inherent pressure of assembling such impressive talent, including Wiig's first script/starring role, a strong cast, director (and Freaks and Geeks creator) Paul Feig, and producer Judd Apatow.

Wiig's charming performance is strengthened by outrageous turns from Melissa McCarthy and Jon Hamm, but the loose sensibility of the screenplay, by Wiig and Annie Mumolo, often plays out more like a collection of (albeit often very funny) improv scenes than an interesting story in its own right. In that way, Bridesmaids is very much in the Apatow mold, following what's become a familiar Apatowian arc.

Still, the fact that Wiig anchors with aplomb a comedy of this size should translate into the kind of post-SNL success that your Will Fortes and Chris Kattans can only dream about. Here's hoping that her unique voice is next partnered with an equally unique project.

Grade: B

2011's Best Picture Featuring Ghost Ape-Men

"My eyes are open, but I can't see," the titular Boonmee (Thanapat Saisaymar) says at one point in Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. "Maybe you just need time to adjust to the dark," another character responds. Viewers may similarly need some time to adjust to writer-director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's fragmented and slow, but rewarding, sixth feature. Its striking, lyrical visuals propel a hypnotic tale about the ways in which life as we know it can interact with life beyond what we understand.

Based on the book A Man Who Can Recall His Past Lives by Buddhist monk Phra Sripariyattiweti, Uncle Boonmee is the first Thai entry to win the Palme d'Or, which it did at Cannes last year. As he wrestles with his mortality, the terminally ill Boonmee encounters spirit forms of his dead wife (Natthakarn Aphaiwong) and long-missing son (Jeerasak Kulhong), while also reliving experiences from his apparent past lives.

The film is (necessarily) eerie, but also comfortable; its languid pacing allowing the plot—such as it is—to wash over the audience. In place of a score are great stretches of silence and a layer of spooky, atmospheric sounds that bolster the movie's meditative mise-en-scene. The collection of characters and interconnected vignettes that run throughout the primary story often appear random, but can't simply be dismissed as non sequiturs. Boonmee consistently grapples with big questions, but still allows for levity, establishing a natural tone that both enhances its mystical elements and occasionally threatens to bore.

Rich, often seemingly impenetrable, and always fascinating, Weerasethakul's is a singular vision whose images and mysteries stay with you long after the credits roll. Uncle Boonmee is haunting in all the right ways.

Grade: B+