Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Jodorowsky’s Dune
(Sony Pictures Classics)
In Theaters
Back in the early ’70s, Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky set out to adapt Frank Herbert’s Dune with an extraordinary collection of dramatic, musical, and conceptual collaborators. The project came oh so close to being made and may now be vicariously experienced through the surviving players in the fine documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune.
Joining it on the indie front is the not so fine Obvious Child, starring Jenny Slate of Parks & Recreation and Bob’s Burgers fame. The comedy is earning raves for Slate’s breakout performance and its no nonsense handling of abortion, but I found it severely lacking in both regards and have written it in with pen on my 10 Worst of 2014 list. Both it and Jodorowky’s Dune open Friday.
Opening Wednesday is a trio of mainstream titles, none of which are the typical big July 4 extravaganzas of yesteryear. (Bad as it is, Transformers: Age of Extinction would qualify, as would Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which we’ll see next Friday.) Choose from the horror film Deliver Us From Evil, the found-footage teens-find-an-alien offering Earth to Echo, and the latest loud Melissa McCarthy attempt at humor, Tammy. Let freedom ring, indeed!
Fleeing the Scene
Not enough people wanted to see ’80s Swedish teen punk rockers, so We Are the Best! is out come Tuesday evening. Too many people wanted to see Think Like a Man Too, at least in its chart-topping opening weekend, but there was enough second week drop off that it too will be gone after tonight.
The Lunchbox
(Sony Pictures Classics)
On DVD
Do yourself a favor and sit down with The Lunchbox, a charming little Indian film starring Irfan Khan. It’s currently sitting at #7 on my Best of the Year list, but will go down to #8 after a certain sci-fi film debuts next week. Also out is Errol Morris’ well received Donald Rumsfeld doc The Unknown Known, which I expect to hit Netflix any day now.
On Netflix Instant
Being the first day of a new month, I anticipated the usual flood of older titles but they don’t yet appear to be listed. With the Wednesday releases and Tuesday night departures, I wanted to get this post up in a timely fashion, so once I see the list of July 1 additions I’ll update here.
For now, we’ve got My Girl and My Girl 2, On Golden Pond, Sophie’s Choice, and the unfortunate bootlegging action/drama Lawless. There’s also 1.5 hours of unused Bad Grandpa scenes, edited into a new movie of sorts called Bad Grandpa .5. I stand by my assessment that the original is pretty funny and with Spike Jonze in old lady drag appearing to play a prominent role, its Frankensteinian cousin may be worth checking out as well.
