Seeking a Friend

After a choppy start, I have resolved to see this blog through more than just a week.

For my first post back on the job, I give you the new trailer for Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, out on June 22, 2012. Steve Carell stars as a man who is left by his wife when the inevitable end of the world is announced. He realizes that the one person he wants to see before the asteroid collides with Earth is an old sweetheart. Keira Knightly plays Carell’s neighbor who desperately wants to see her family. They decide to help each other get to the people they want to see before the world ends. As expected during a looming apocalypse there is looting, people setting aside their inhibitions, and doing things they never did or were too afraid to do.  Carell’s and Knightly’s friendship forms on their journey which is interrupted by obstacles. Directed by Lorene Scarfaria, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World looks simple, charming, and a great movie for Steve Carell to do what he does best.

Out This Month: We Need To Talk About Kevin

This month brings the intense thriller, drama We Need to Talk About Kevin. The official synopsis from Oscilloscope says:

A suspenseful and gripping psychological thriller, Lynne Ramsay’s  We Need to Talk About Kevin explores the fractious relationship between a mother and her evil son. Tilda Swinton, in a bracing, tour-de-force performance, plays the mother, Eva, as she contends for 15 years with the increasing malevolence of her first-born child, Kevin (Ezra Miller).

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, We Need to Talk About Kevin explores nature vs. nurture on a whole new level as Eva’s own culpability is measured against Kevin’s innate evilness. Ramsay’s masterful storytelling simultaneously combines a provocative moral ambiguity with a satisfying and compelling narrative, which builds to a chilling, unforgettable climax.

We Need to Talk About Kevin gained praise at various film festivals and Tilda Swinton’s performance is receiving much recognition. The film opens in New York City on the 13th and opens in other cities through February (dates according to the film’s page at Oscilloscope).

The Dazzling World of Upside Down

The first movie poster for Upside Down was released over two years ago in 2009. A year later a second movie poster was revealed. Both are extremely visually appealing, maybe even borderline sensory overloading. The first poster sets the tone of the upcoming movie by using an image of the main characters Adam, Jim Sturgess, and Eve, Kirsten Dunst, reaching across their worlds to be together.

As the poster suggests Adam and Eve are star-crossed lovers who are from two different, yet same, world. Referred to simply as “Down Below” and “Up Top” (or variations of each) the two worlds are kept strictly separate by a border patrol. The two worlds represent the class level of the citizens, that is upper class “up top” and lower class “down below.” This obvious symbolism sets the stage for our two protagonists to overcome their forbidden love. Meeting as children, Adam and Eve develop a taboo relationship. Because communicating between worlds is banned, they dream of a place where they could live freely, away from each of their repressive worlds. Determined to be together, Adam fights his way to the Upper world then has to run from the authorities to keep his and Eve’s life.

While the story of star-crossed lovers who, in order to be together, have to leave their world is nothing new, the fantastical concept of mirrored worlds is captivating. After a bumpy road a long-awaited French trailer appeared online. Although Upside Down has yet to receive a set release date, it is projected for sometime this year. Directed by Juan Diego Solanas.