Talk, Talk, Talk: September 2008 (Part 2)

Director: George C. Wolfe
Film: Nights in Rodanthe
Studio: Warner Brothers
Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Viola Davis, Jame Franco, Scott Glenn, Christopher Meloni
MPAA rating: PG-13
First date: 2008
US Release Date: 2008-09-26 (General release)
UK Release Date: 2008-10-10 (General release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/film_art/n/nights-in-rodanthe-poster.jpg

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26 September

The Main Speaker

Nights in Rodanthe

Ever since they co-starred in 2002’s Unfaithful, Hollywood has been looking for a way to bring Richard Gere and Diane Lane back together. This translation of Nicholas Sparks’ 2002 bestseller, which follows adaptations of The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, and A Walk to Remember to the big screen, suggests that they might have found the proper reunion vehicle. While director George C. Wolfe has extensive TV and theatrical credits, his cinema experience is far more limited. This could be the filmmaker’s commercial coming out. It could also be the end of any future Gere/Lane combo talk.

Nights in Rodanthe

Director: Clark Gregg
Film: Choke
Studio: Fox Searchlight
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly Macdonald, Brad William Henke, Jonah Bobo
Website: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/choke/
MPAA rating: R
First date: 2008
Distributor: Fox
US Release Date: 2008-09-26 (Limited release)
UK Release Date: 2008-11-21 (General release)
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/blog_art/c/chokeposter.jpg

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26 September

The Surrounding Din

Choke

It may not be Fight Club (and frankly, what can be), but Chuck Palahniuk’s novel about a sex addicted swindler who uses the title malady to pry money out of unfortunate restaurant marks could be this year’s underground smash. A resounding success at Sundance, where the Hollywood Reporter declared it “an extreme post-modern fairytale”, this has cult favorite stamped all over it. Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston give knockout performances, and the entire tone is part social commentary, part twisted fantastical farce. Sounds like the perfect combination for a cynical, Generation Hex audience.

Choke

Director: Neil Burger
Film: The Lucky Ones
Studio: Lionsgate
Cast: Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins, Michael Peña
MPAA rating: R
First date: 2008
US Release Date: 2008-09-26
Image: http://images.popmatters.com/blog_art/l/luckyonesposter.jpg

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26 September

The Surrounding Din

The Lucky Ones

Last fall, it seemed like every other movie dealt with the growing influence of the Iraq War. Sadly, many of those efforts made the soldiers the subject of villainy and unsympathetic stratagems. Now on the heals of this past spring’s Stop-Loss comes this wounded warrior saga, the story of three returning vets discovering that life doesn’t stop because they served their country. They end up on a road trip to rediscover themselves.

The Lucky Ones