The People I’ve Slept With

Angela Yang (played by Karina Cheung) loves sex and she’s not gonna apologize for it. She even creates baseball cards of the all guys and girls she’s slept with, complete with nicknames and basic information about them. And then the unthinkable happens: the stick turns blue.

Her gay best friend, Gabriel (Wilson Cruz), tells her to “take care of it” but her sister, Juliet, tells her to find the father, get married and lead a normal life. She listens to her sister and Gabriel helps her look for him. Now she has to choose between 5-Second Guy, Mystery Man, Nice-But-Boring Guy, Mr. Hottie and BFF. Which one’s her baby daddy? The one who’ll finally get her to settle down and live a normal life like her sister.

The movie started out rough. I’m not a big fan of the lead actress. She delivered her lines too routinely and lacked emotions. But she eventually warmed up and delivered a better performance throughout the entire movie. She had a great rapport with Wilson Cruz, though, who was quite entertaining. Cruz’s performance made it so easy to like the movie. His witty comebacks made up of cheesy pick-up lines make the movie really funny.

Another stand-out character was Nice-but-Boring Guy, Carlton, played Randall Park. The “Ode to Say Anything” scene at the bridal shop was unexpected. And he just played it to the extreme. It felt like he was challenging everyone, “Who’s boring now?”

The People I’ve Slept With is not obviously and overtly funny. It was a simple story, done before, but this time around, it was actually fun to go along Angela’s journey with her and Gabriel. And by the end, whatever decision Angela made, it felt right. Don’t be fooled by the slow start, it gets better, just be patient.

(Image: Publicity still, People Pictures LLC)

X-Men: First Class

A prequel to the first three X-Men movies, X-Men: First Class is set in period before Professor Xavier and Magneto became mortal enemies. Matthew Vaughn follows a younger Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr as they lead a team of mutants and save the world from nuclear annihilation and, in the process, shows us how the two powerful friends clash and break off into different missions: Professor X leadings his X-Men to fight for good and Magneto spreading destruction with his Brotherhood.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn. Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Caleb Landry Jones, January Jones and Lucas Till. Opens June 3.

Beginners

Ewan MacGregor stars as Oliver, whose father, Hal, has just passed away. He meets Anna by chance and this floods Oliver with memories of his father, who at 75, after 44 years of marriage, came out to live a very colorful gay life. Now, Oliver uses all the things his father has taught him after coming out to build a relationship with Anna.

Directed by Mike Mills. Starring Ewan MacGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent. Opens June 3.

Submarine

This coming-of-age comedy follows the tales of 15-year-old Oliver Tate as he tries to lose his virginity before his next birthday. At the same time, he’s also preventing his mother from having an affair with a smooth-talking spiritual guru after his father loses all will to fight for their marriage.

Directed by Richard Ayoade. Starring Craig Roberts, Noah Taylor, Sally Hawkins and Paddy Considine. Opens June 3.

The Lion of Judah

Judah the Lamb has the whitest coat of the animals and is the perfect candidate to be the guest of honor at the Passover celebrations. But being the guest of honor also means being the Passover sacrifice and Judah’s friends will not allow that to happen. Six farm animals leave the safety of their barn to rescue Judah and give him a second chance.

Directed by Roger Hawkins and Deryck Broom. Featuring voices of Ernest Bornine, Michael Madsen, Scott Eastwood and Sandi Patti. Opens June 3.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides follows Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and his long-lost love, Angelica (Penelope Cruz), as they search for the Fountain Of Youth and confront the infamous legendary pirate, Blackbeard (Ian McShane). The fourth installment draws inspiration from the book, On Stranger Tides, written by Tim Powers.

Opens May 20, 2011

The Hangover 2

The boys are back and this time, they’ve gone to Bangkok. This time around, Stu (Ed Helms) is the one getting married. And he’s got one request: no more Vegas and no more drinking, only pancakes and coffee. But things never go as planned. And two nights before the wedding, in a breathtaking resort in Thailand, with one sealed bottle of beer each, what could happen?

Opens May 26, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2

Po is now living the dream life, as the Dragon Warrior, alongside his kung fu masters, the Furious Five. But a new villain threatens their village and will use a secret, unstoppable weapon that will conquer China and destroy kung fu. Po must now unlock the secrets of his past and use them to succeed in this battle.

Opens May 27, 2011

The Tree of Life

From the acclaimed director of The Thin Red Line and Badlands, Terrence Malick brings us his latest film. The Tree Of Life stars Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn. The Tree Of Life follows the life of the eldest son, Jack, as he tries come to deals with the complicated relationship he has with his father.

Opens May 27, 2011

Put simply, Walter (Mel Gibson) is a very depressed and troubled man who’s at the end of his sanity. On his darkest day, he comes across an old, discarded beaver puppet in a dumpster. He then begins to express himself only through this puppet, called simply “the Beaver”. The beaver is the way he enables himself to again communicate with the world. He finds, though, that perhaps the beaver is only, and sadly, making his problems worse. On the side, we see the consequent trials that Walter’s wife and two sons go through, with an emphasis on those of his troubled adolescent son, Porter.

What stood out most about The Beaver was its power to emotionally attach to the viewer. Rollercoasters seem to appear frequently in the movie (Walter’s wife designs them), and perhaps this is a metaphor for not only the turbulent lives of the characters but also for the emotional experience of the audience. Feelings change from pity, to disgrace, to humor, to compassion, and to an even deeper level of utter despair. The story of The Beaver is at its core an incredibly sad one, and this is revealed layer by layer through the more light-hearted moments and through the connected subplots. It’s something that you’ll watch and definitely think hard about after.

I thought Jodie Foster’s directorship was decent, and that the acting of Gibson and the supporting characters was very well done. And though I liked the character of Porter, I really couldn’t stand the entire subplot of him and his high school love interest, as I thought it was forced and poorly connected to the main plot. The final moments of the film are absolutely touching, and the complicated father-son relationship subplot was especially so.

Overall, I liked The Beaver but I didn’t love it. The story is definitely moving, while at some points disturbing, and I thought that the film reached a suitable and appropriate combination of more light-hearted moments and more serious undertones, though the varying levels of emotion will definitely leave you not knowing exactly what to think or feel. But all in all, I’m glad we took the trip to see it. I’m still trying to figure out how I precisely feel about it, but while it’s not perfect, if you approach it with an open mind you’ll find a thoughtful and moving film.

The film is neither as great as the far-Right Ayn Rand disciples and Objectivists would have you believe. Nor is it anywhere near as bad as the credential-carrying Left-leaning Hollywood critics would lead you to think, either. I read one review that described Atlas Shrugged Part 1 as “Preachy, speechy, and a little bit naughty.” A fair description of the book, but the film is none of the above. I have to wonder whether that reviewer actually saw the film before dashing of his commentary or assumed from reading the Wikipedia entry on Atlas Shrugged the novel that he knew just what the film would entail.

The truth is that the movie falls somewhere in the middle between great and awful – closer to the former than the latter – somewhere in the realm of ‘good’. I was extremely skeptical of Atlas Shrugged as a movie. The book is replete with paragraphs describing the intricacies of facial gestures that could not be captured by actors, even if the film had cast A or B listers instead of unknowns. Rand’s writing is also known for inner and vocal monologues that would be extremely problematic on screen. No matter how well written the speech, no one wants to pay $12 to watch a talking head with no interaction whatsoever.

The film version dumbs down much of the philosophy, going for a more direct approach to getting its point across. The movie is a love story – a man trapped in a loveless marriage while his intellectual equal is tantalizingly close. Unlike the book, in which Reardon struggles mightily against his desire for Dagny and feels deeply ashamed after he gives in, the film version dives head first into an affair and celebrates the morning after with a road trip.

Fans of the book will be disappointed with the short shrift given to Francisco d’Anconia (you can pack only so much into 97 minutes of screen time), but pleased with the treatment of the other main characters. All things considered, Atlas Shrugged Part 1 is a solid film that makes its philosophical points while entertaining the audience.

Best Narrative Feature – “She Monkeys”

A Swedish narrative film directed by Lisa Aschan, She Monkeys is the story of 15-year-old Emma and her quest for equestrian gold. An older peer in the field, Cassandra, takes her under her wing. Emma envies Cassandra’s grace and poise, and Cassandra also becomes envious of Emma. Their friendship is tested even more as they jockey for the top position and realize whether loyalty or power is more important.

Best Screenplay – Jannicke Systad Jacobsen “Turn Me On, Goddamit”

Alma lives in a small town where nothing happens except her big, active imagination and even more active libido. Longing and looking for love, she finds solace in a kindly phone sex operator and a lively imagination. But a titillatingly awkward encounter with the school heartthrob makes her a social outcast. If only moving out of town were so easy.

Best Narrative Short – “Man and Boy”

A father takes matter into his own hands when he believes his son has been sexually assaulted. A suspected pedophile has been found dead outside a building of high-rise flats. Did he jump? Or was he pushed?

Best Feature Film (Online) – “Donor Unknown”

JoEllen Marsh has always known she was the product of her mother and a sperm donor. But when the innocent registration in a donor registry website revealed numerous brothers and sisters through the sperm donor, she contemplates whether she should look for Donor No. 150 and meet him once and for all.

Best Short (Online) – “The Dungeon Master”

Shane and his friends thought it would be fun to play Dungeons and Dragons again. Nobody remembers the game rules, and they invite a game master to join them. They soon find out he’s not exactly just a man in a cape.

Heineken Audience Award – “Give Up Tomorrow”

Give Up Tomorrow follows the high-profile trial of accused Paco Larranaga. From the courts of the Philippines to jail in Spain, his trials become a 13-year journey of trying to prove his innocence.

Happy Accidents

The plot is a bit out there, but the “out-there quality” is something that I think should be fully embraced. You’ll think it’s going to be just another typical rom-com, but things quickly take a more interesting, and thoughtful, turn. Ruby is a young, pretty woman living the single life in NYC. Unfortunately, her tendency to believe that she is a “male miracle worker” has lead to great unsuccess with the opposite sex. She becomes involved with guys who don’t really have it all together and consequently ends up trying to “fix them” and whatever problems they may have. Nothing really lasts this way for her, until she meets the oddity that is Sam. A seemingly sweet but sincere guy, Ruby takes a liking to him, and the two begin to date. Sam is shy and awkward, but Ruby embraces his eccentricity. Nothing prepares her for the shock that comes when she finds out that the explanation for Sam’s oddness is not that he is inexperienced with women but that instead he is from the year 2470 (aka the future), on a special mission back in time. Their relationships grows and is tested in various unusual ways as Ruby finds out more and more about Sam’s unique story, and how she plays a role in it.

A great strength of Happy Accidents is that, at least on a personal level, it’s very different from anything I’ve ever seen before. The cinematic style gives the movie a hazy, almost dreamlike look, that makes you feel like you’re looking through some private windows into someone else’s life, only to discover that they have some very interesting secrets. The soundtrack helps this dreamy feel, with a swirling but minimalistic background score that lends itself perfectly to the moment. It’s successfully artistic without being directionless. And Ruby (Marisa Tomei) is a very likeable character, and one that you become very attached to. The audience is put in her shoes and feels what she feels.

The major success of Happy Accidents is that you almost forget that it’s strange that Sam’s from the future. Despite all the oddities and unusual circumstances brought on by this, Ruby and Sam’s relationship is made surprisingly normal. Though being from the future is not something commonly encountered, it becomes just another domestic problem as any couple faces. And that’s what makes the movie so great. At first, you’re taken aback by the whole science-fiction concept. But then, you fall into line with Ruby and Sam’s relationship, finding remnants of your own in a place that’s truly out of this world.

Here’s a list of must-watch movies.

Jesus Henry Christ (Feature)
Starring Toni Collette, Michael Sheen Director/Writer: Dennis Lee

10-year-old boy genius Henry James Herman and his left-wing single mom Patricia, who works at the local university’s cafeteria, crosses paths with 12-year-old Audrey and her single father, university professor Dr. Slavkin O’Hara, when Henry is awarded a scholarship to the university as a child prodigy.

The Kite (Feature)
Director/Writer: Prashant Bhargava

Set against the backdrop of India’s largest kite festival, the Uttarayan, The Kite follows the story of Jayesh, who has returned to his ancestral home after a five-year absence, with his daughter, Priya. The matriarch, sister-in-law and nephew all question Jayesh’s return but Priya uses the trip to break free from tradition.

The Bully Project (Documentary)
Director: Lee Hirsch

A powerful documentary on bullying, The Bully Project follows the lives in a year of five kids and their families. Two families deal with the aftermath of their sons’ suicides and one mother faces incarceration after threatening her daughter’s bullies with a gun. And that’s not all. In the Sioux City Community School District, bullying continues, undetected.

Give Up Tomorrow (Documentary)
Director: Michael Collins

In 1997, two sisters went missing. The next day, 19-year-old Paco Larranaga was arrested for kidnapping, rape and murder of the two sisters. Dubbed the “trial of the century,” Larranaga, along with six other men, will go through a legal ordeal that never gave them a fair fight.

Jiro Dreams Of Sushi (Documentary)
Director: David Gelb

David Gelb follows renowned master sushi chef Jiro Ono, who is also the owner of the esteemed 10-seat, $300-a-plate Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo, through his process and craft of artisan sushi, and how he earned his three Michelin stars.

Donor Unknown (Documentary)
Director: Jerry Rothwell

The only thing JoEllen Marsh knew about her biological father was that he was Donor 150. Using the internet and social media, she finds more brothers and sisters and a whole new family she never knew existed.

Voices from Mariel

As a quick background, the Mariel Boatlift occurred in 1980. After weeks of increasingly desperate attempts by Cuban citizens to gain asylum and leave the country, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro decided to open the floodgates and let those who wanted to leave go unfettered. He didn’t count on the massive rush for freedom that followed. With over 100,000 asylum-seekers taking Castro up on his offer, the dictator was left with little choice but to let them go.

But he didn’t let them go easily. The government arranged for protestors to follow the would-be expatriates, administering frequent berating and occasional beating. As a final jab at the outside world, Castro mixed criminals and mental patients into the hoards of freedom-seekers as they made their way out of the country.

Heartwarming and touching, Voices From Mariel follows one of the Marielitos, Dr. Jose Garcia, as he returns to his home country for this first time in thirty years. There he reunites with friends and family who had been left behind. Through a series of interviews with Cubans on both sides of the boatlift, the viewer gets a real and deep insight into what this event meant to a people and a country.

If your only knowledge of the Mariel Boatlift is the movie Scarface (and let’s face it, that’s true for most of us) then you owe it to yourself to see this film and discover the true story behind this historic migration. Voices from Mariel is currently playing in very limited release. It will be released on DVD and BluRay sometime in the near future (no date available yet, but it can be pre-ordered on the website at www.voicesfrommariel.com).

Arthur

Starring Russell Brand, Arthur has always relied on two things: his great fortune and his long-time nanny Hobson, played by Helen Mirren, to keep him in check. But when he has to decide between an arranged marriage that will ensure his fortunes or to risk it all for the love of his life, Naomi, played by Greta Gerwig, he must make a decision that will change his entire life.

Hanna

Starring Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana and Cate Blanchett, Hanna, played by Ronan, has been brought up to become a perfect assassin by her father, played by Eric Bana. Her ultimate test when her father sends her out on a mission in Europe. But a ruthless intelligence operative, played by Cate Blanchett, tries to stop her mission in every step. As Hanna fights it off, she is forced to face her existence and true humanity.

Your Highness

Two princes have been sent on a mission to save the heir apparent’s fiancee and their land. But while one prince is a true hero, the other one is a good-for-nothing younger brother who will do anything to avoid dragons and evil and everything in between. James Franco stars as the hero and Danny McBride plays his younger brother.

Soul Surfer

Soul Surfer is the story of teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack while surfing. Bethany defies all odds and becomes a surfing champion again. Soul Surfer stars Anna Sophia Robb, Helen Hunt and Carrie Underwood, in her film acting debut.

Exodus Fall

Set in Texas in 1974, Exodus Fall follows the story of three siblings who struggle to live their lives with their abusive mother, especially after the death of their father. When one of siblings is taken away when the mother cannot cope with his autism, the other siblings make a plan to get him back and trek to their grandmother’s house to get away from their mother.

All these films open on Friday, April 8, 2011.