What’s Old is New Again

This week sees the theatrical returns of Coppola, "Betty Blue" and "Pelham 1 2 3."

“Imagine That”
First Adam Sandler, now Eddie Murphy? All that’s missing is for Mike Myers to make a kiddie film of this ilk to complete the holy trinity of once great comic actors whose funnyman fall from grace is now so total they are left playing second fiddle to the unfettered chaos of a child’s imagination (although Myers would likely insist on a midget instead). Murphy plays the now-customary role of a neglectful father and hotshot financial analyst who discovers a prophetic window into the market’s future through his seven-year-old daughter’s sketches of an imaginary fairytale princess, though he’ll have to jump through some undignified playtime hoops to get at it.
Opens wide.

“The Last International Playboy”
The familiar premise of Thomas Moffett’s directorial debut carries with it the kind of kick-the-unapologetic-bachelor-in-the-teeth second act that in the hands of a big studio would almost require the presence of Hugh Grant as a contractual necessity. Jason Behr, the former star of small-screen cult hit “Roswell,” takes on the role of Jack Frost, a serial lothario who’s forced into self-examination by the news that his former childhood sweetheart is engaged. Monet Mazur, Krysten Ritter, Lydia Hearst and the late Lucy Gordon star as the women in his life.
Opens in limited release.

“Moon”
The feature debut from commercial director Duncan Jones, son of legendary rocker David Bowie, “Moon” is a cerebral chiller set amidst the kind of industrial, blue-collar space pioneered by such classics as “Alien” and “Silent Running.” As the lone crew member aboard an automated lunar refining facility, the frazzled Sam (Sam Rockwell) counts down the final days of his three-year contract with only the station’s AI (voiced by Kevin Spacey) for company. But after a near fatal accident during a routine maintenance run, Sam discovers that he may not be so alone after all.
Opens in New York and Los Angeles.

“The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3″
The remake machine continues to mercilessly trundle forward with this redo of Joseph Sargent’s gritty ’70s thriller being the latest casualty. Taking the place of Walter Matthau, Denzel Washington stars as a world-weary transit supervisor forced into a battle of wits when an armed gang (led by John Travolta) seize a subway train and hold its passengers for ransom. While it won’t be original, the presence of Tony Scott should ensure that it is at least loud in all the right places.
Opens wide.

“Sex Positive”
Winner of the Grand Jury Award for best documentary at last year’s L.A. Outfest, this doc from Daryl Wein charts the AIDS scare in ’80s New York and the tireless campaigning of sex worker-turned-activist Richard Berkowitz, author of the pioneering safe sex pamphlet “How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach,” and his efforts to educate the gay community on the dangers of unguarded promiscuity, despite ongoing vilification from the very people whose lives he was trying to save.
Opens in limited release.

“Tetro”
Familial resentment and the binding nature of blood are themes that certainly aren’t new to Francis Ford Coppola, but this stands as a far more modest, low-key approach to the subject than the sweeping dramas that made his name. With his first original screenplay since 1974′s “The Conversation,” Coppola tells the story of Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich), whose unannounced arrival at the Buenos Aires home of his malcontent brother Tetro (Vincent Gallo) and girlfriend Miranda (Maribel Verdú) triggers a downpour of resentment as a long buried family secret is gradually unearthed.
Opens in limited release.

“Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love”
After her debut “A Normal Life” won the Best Documentary Award at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival, filmmaker Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi spent five years immersed in the culture of Senegal and the music of its most famous citizen, pop singer Youssou N’Dour. Vasarhelyi’s film chronicles N’Dour, described as the “Bono of Africa,” as he tries to create a concept album to promote the peaceable, tolerant face of his Islamic faith and faces backlash from conservative Islamic groups. In English and French, Wolof and Arabic with subtitles.
Opens in New York.

Pages: 1 2