For fans of independent filmmaking, the weekend of July 23 marks an oasis of thought-provoking cinema in the desert of dumb that has been the 2010 summer movie season. Your options include the funny and moving family drama with a decidedly modern twist profiled below; a period piece about two of the most famous lovers of the early 20th century; and a documentary that aims to track down the "angriest RV salesman in the world." (Note: In the print edition we highlighted I Am Love as well. After we went to press I Am Love was pushed back a week by the Tampa Theatre and will now open on July 30. Look for Shannon Bennett's review next week on Daily Loaf.)
Or you can go see Salt, which Kevin Hopp has reviewed here. Whichever you choose, we won't judge you. Much.
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
Yes, the youngsters are doing just fine in The Kids Are All Right, a funny-yet-wrenching family drama from director Lisa Cholodenko (Laurel Canyon), but someone should check on the adults.
Annette Bening and Julianne Moore star as middle-aged lesbians whose lives are thrown into chaos after their teenage kids (well played by Josh Hutcherson and Alice In Wonderland's Mia Wasikowska) track down their sperm-donor daddy (Mark Ruffalo). He's a rugged restaurateur who grows his own veggies, rides a rad motorcycle and knocks all the ladies dead. As a bad boy he's irresistible, but as a father figure he's got as much growing up to do as his long-lost offspring.
This article appears in Jul 15-21, 2010.