This week's premiere
photo: Tatrafilm
Sideways (Bokovka) - Comedy drama by Alexander Payne. It's no accident that this is probably the year's most universally praised film: This story of a wine aficionado/jaded schoolteacher/struggling writer (Paul Giametti) who takes his former college roommate (Thomas Haden Church) on one last jaunt before his marriage is the perfect blend of humour and melancholy. Writer/director Alexander Payne (About Schmidt, Election) seems to officially be hitting his stride, and it is an absolute wonder to watch. The superb Giametti and Church are joined by Sandra Oh and a still-gorgeous Virginia Madsen. Easily on the shortlist for best movie of the year.
photo: Continental Films
After the Sunset (Po západe slnka) - Crime comedy by Brett Ratner. Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek play Max and Lola, a couple who may or may not be retired from their life of crime. FBI agent Stanley Lloyd (Woody Harrelson), still bitter about being humiliated after they stole a diamond from right under him, certainly believes they aren't. Well, at least he hopes they aren't, as he wants one last chance to nail them and get his revenge. When he learns that a valuable diamond is on a cruise ship en route to Max's and Lola's home in the Bahamas, Stanley sees his chance and enlists the help of a detective (Naomie Harris) to catch them. The great Don Cheadle (Boogie Nights, Traffic) plays an American gangster who also has his eyes on the diamond.
Other movies playing
photo: Magic Box Slovakia
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (Svet zajtrajška) - Sci-fi adventure by Kerry Conran. Though it boasts a cast that any first-time filmmaker would kill for (Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi), this movie's most-discussed aspect has not been its stars but its sets - or lack thereof. To recreate the surreal look and feel of the 1940s sci-fi movies and comics that have most inspired him, writer/director Conran shot the entire movie with his actors standing in front of blue screens later filled with digital imagery. Law plays Sky Captain, a pilot who, along with news reporter Polly Perkins (Paltrow), tries to save the world's greatest scientists after they are kidnapped. Their mission proves quite dangerous, so they enlist the help of a tough squadron leader (Jolie) and a technical genius (Ribisi).
Prepared by Jonathan Knapp
