A little off-key

BY PHILIP MARTIN

Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist 85 Cast: Michael Cera, Kat Dennings, Ari Graynor Director: Peter Sollett Rating: PG-13 for profanity, sexual dialogue Running time: 90 minutes Despite aspirations to hipness, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist is a slight, agreeable movie that skews closer to the rough charms of sub-John Hughes teensploitation flicks like Valley Girl than Juno. It recounts a single, signal night in the lives of two semi-dorky suburban kids who fall in love while scouring New York’s hippest indie-music venues for a hinted-at performance by an obscure cult band. - Friday, October 3, 2008

Protesters to greet Blindness premiere

BY BEN NUCKOLS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Blind people quarantined in a mental asylum, attacking each other, soiling themselves, trading sex for food. For Marc Maurer, who’s blind, such a scenario — as shown in the movie Blindness — is not a clever allegory for a breakdown in society. - Friday, October 3, 2008

ON FILM : Movies for masses is 2 directors’ spin

PHILIP MARTIN

TORONTO — This is an odd film festival; a lot of the filmmakers seem all about lowering audience expectations. Ed Harris, the director and star of the throwback Western Appaloosa, keeps insisting that he made his movie strictly to “entertain.” “We wanted it to be accessible,” he says. “Our movie isn’t three hours long like [The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford],” Harris says. “And the two-hour, 20-minute version I liked didn’t score very well in test screenings... I wanted it to be enjoyable and keep it moving and still take its time when necessary. I’m hoping to do a longer director’s cut for the DVD.” Harris admits that it’s difficult to do a Western these - Friday, October 3, 2008

REVIEW : Flash of Genius

BY PHILIP MARTIN

Flash of Genius 84 Cast: Greg Kinnear, Dermot Mulroney, Lauren Graham Director: Marc Abraham Rating: PG-13 for language, adult content Running time: 119 minutes A signal case in American patent law might not seem a terrific candidate for cinematic treatment, but Marc Abraham’s debut feature Flash of Genius is a compelling courtroom drama — think Revenge of the Nerds crossed with To Kill a Mockingbird — driven by an outstanding, earnest performance by Greg Kinnear, playing against his usual smarm. - Friday, October 3, 2008

REVIEW : Blindness

BY PHILIP MARTIN

Blindness 79 Cast: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover, Alice Braga, Gael Garcia Bernal, Murray Chaykin Director: Fernando Meirelles Rating: R for language, sex, nudity, violence Running time: 118 minutes You may have heard bad things about Blindness, an adaptation of Jose Saramago’s 1995 novel of the same name, about an epidemic of suddenonset blindness that eventually affects virtually everyone except one woman in a suspiciously international city. In May it opened the Cannes Film Festival, where it was met with negative reviews and a few catcalls. During subsequent test screenings, up to 10 percent of the audience reportedly walked out. - Friday, October 3, 2008

REVIEW : Appaloosa

BY PHILIP MARTIN

Ed Harris’ second directorial feature, Appaloosa, is a far cry from his first, 2000’s bio-pic Pollock, as well as the sort of movie rarely made anymore, a classical Western that invites us to savor no-nonsense camaraderie between two shootists for hire. A throwback to the pre-revisionist days of Howard Hawks and Henry Hathaway, the film admits few occluding shadows: There’s a clear divide between the good guys and the outlaws, little gray and absolutely no Brokeback confusion. - Friday, October 3, 2008

COMING ATTRACTIONS

(opening dates are tentative) Body of Lies, R A CIA agent (Leonardo DiCaprio) chases down a clue that might lead to a terrorist leader while trying to figure out whose side his supposed allies are really on. Oct. 10 City of Ember, PG A mystical city is losing its unique light source, and it’s up to two teenagers to find out why and save the citizens before darkness descends. Oct. 10 - Friday, October 3, 2008

FILM CLIPS

At area theaters 90 BURN AFTER READING, R Two gym workers get their hands on the memoir of an ousted CIA operative and plan to make their new possession work to their advantage. With John Malkovich, George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Richard Jenkins, Brad Pitt; directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Fiesta Square 16 and Razorback 12 Cinema in Fayetteville, Pinnacle Cinema in Rogers. (96 minutes) 75 CHOKE, R A sexually obsessed man - Friday, October 3, 2008

Home movies

— Karen Martin

Recent DVD releases: Bigger Stronger Faster (PG-13, 105 minutes) A documentary by Chris Bell that combines personal experience (Bell’s two brothers’ less-than-glorious quest to become America’s version of Superman by transforming their bodies using performance-enhancing drugs) with a thorough, balanced investigation of how Americans play their games that includes input from politicians, professional athletes, medical experts and people who like to spend a lot of time in gyms. Grade: 88 Forgetting Sarah Marshall (R, 110 minutes) Longtime Judd Apatow collaborator Jason Segel, who stars here as TV music writer Peter Bretter, doesn’t have the lovable loser appeal of Seth Rogen. If you don’t feel empathy for Peter, you won’t buy into his heartbreak, which is the core of this comedy as he struggles to make sense of life after getting dumped by Sarah Marshall, his girlfriend of 5 1 /2 years. So either cozy up to him or focus your attention on Paul Rudd (as a surfing instructor ) and Russell Brand (as Sarah’s new boy - Friday, October 3, 2008

PREVIEWS

New this week Most film reviews that were unavailable at press time will be posted at www2. arkansasonline.com/news/entertainment/ movies by this afternoon. - Friday, October 3, 2008