New Film

On the surface, "To Save a Life" doesn't sound that different from a host of indie films -- a drama involving a teen coping with the aftermath of a student's suicide who finds solace in a group of outsiders. The film, which opens Friday, deals with myriad real-life issues facing teens such as drugs, sex and social acceptance. The plot focuses on star athlete Jake Taylor, who seemingly has it all; he has a basketball scholarship, good looks, a cheerleader girlfriend and hangs with the in-crowd.

In"Lovely Molly,"a young woman moves with her new husband back into her family's empty old house. She immediately begins behaving strangely, as if the house itself exerts some mysterious power - whether she is being overtaken by bad memories and old habits or something supernatural is initially unclear. If the story sounds somewhat similar to the recent Elizabeth Olsen vehicle"Silent House,"it is, and unfortunately, "Lovely Molly" and its star, newcomer Gretchen Lodge, only suffer in comparison.

In"Lovely Molly,"a young woman moves with her new husband back into her family's empty old house. She immediately begins behaving strangely, as if the house itself exerts some mysterious power - whether she is being overtaken by bad memories and old habits or something supernatural is initially unclear. If the story sounds somewhat similar to the recent Elizabeth Olsen vehicle"Silent House,"it is, and unfortunately, "Lovely Molly" and its star, newcomer Gretchen Lodge, only suffer in comparison.

Moviegoers can't complain there's nothing to see this weekend - 18 new independent productions and three studio works arrive simultaneously in local theaters. But what may be great for consumers has the people behind these movies losing sleep, worried that the intense competition could sink everyone's chances for box-office success. Although not all of the movies will open nationally, the 21 titles represent an anomalous uptick from even the most crowded release calendars. Last Christmas, one of 2011's busiest weekends for new releases, saw just 10 films open.

"Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" posted the biggest opening of the year at the box office over the weekend, evidence that moviegoers were eager for a family film. The animated 3-D environmental tale greatly exceeded industry expectations, raking in $70.7 million, according to an estimate from distributor Universal Pictures. Meanwhile, the weekend's other new release, a polar opposite for families, the R-rated party flick "Project X," collected a healthy $20.8 million. As a result of the robust ticket sales, receipts were up 26% as compared with the same weekend last year.

The new Greek film "Attenberg" follows a young woman as she cares for her father while he struggles through the final stages of a terminal illness. A 23-year-old virgin, she finds herself coming to terms with impending grief just as she is also feeling an emergent lust for a stranger she has just met. Sex and death, old mysteries dealt with in new ways. While those themes have long fascinated independent filmmakers, Athina Rachel Tsangari, writer and director of "Attenberg," which opened in Los Angeles Friday, puts a unique and rather odd twist on her coming-of-age story: The film features a number of sequences in which the lead character, Marina (Ariane Labed)

Every mother has a birthing story, the play-by-play narrative that took her across the chasm from independence to attachment. Tilda Swinton is no exception. When the Scottish actress gave birth to her boy-and-girl twins 14 years ago, Swinton, who plays the mother to a troubled son in the new film "We Need to Talk About Kevin," didn't opt for the easy - or perhaps, even the safe - way out. Rather than choose medical intervention when the babies were late, she waited until they were ready to be born on their own. They finally arrived after 43 weeks of pregnancy, weighing in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and 8 pounds, 10 ounces.

Almodovar is whisked off to a three-year prison sentence with no time to even put her affairs in order for a pandering conviction which harmed no one. Actor Sean Penn is convicted of crimes which caused violence and threat to life. He is given favored treatment in prison and is allowed time to complete a new film. The judges who meted out these punishments are terribly sick and society is diminished because of them. TERRY FISHER West Los Angeles

Actor-writer-director Jorma Taccone remembers with loving fondness the gear montage from almost every '80s action flick of his youth -- Rambo movies and "Die Hard" and the "entire canon" of Arnold Schwarzenegger. "It's people putting the big Bowie knife into the sheath, the shell belts over the chest, click-clacking the gun. It was a quintessential awesome moment. It has permeated the minds of people who grew up in that era. There are entire websites dedicated to the gear-up montage." Of course, Taccone has included several choice gear-up moments in his new film "MacGruber," based on the "Saturday Night Live" skits and starring Will Forte and Kristen Wiig.

Nearly a week into the Cannes Film Festival Monday, not a single prominent movie had sold. Sellers remained hopeful that American distribution deals soon could be struck for two high-profile movies that already have premiered: Walter Salles' ("The Motorcycle Diaries") new Brazilian drama "Linha de Passe," and Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") directorial debut, "Synecdoche, New York," which vaguely rhymes with "Schenectady." But the initial buyer reaction has been tepid.

The new Greek film "Attenberg" follows a young woman as she cares for her father while he struggles through the final stages of a terminal illness. A 23-year-old virgin, she finds herself coming to terms with impending grief just as she is also feeling an emergent lust for a stranger she has just met. Sex and death, old mysteries dealt with in new ways. While those themes have long fascinated independent filmmakers, Athina Rachel Tsangari, writer and director of "Attenberg," which opened in Los Angeles Friday, puts a unique and rather odd twist on her coming-of-age story: The film features a number of sequences in which the lead character, Marina (Ariane Labed)

"21 Jump Street"is set to school the competition at the box office this weekend. The comedy, starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as two inept cops on an undercover mission to bust a high school drug ring, is expected to open with $30 million to $35 million in ticket sales, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. Sony Pictures, the studio distributing the film, is predicting a softer opening of around $25 million. No other new movies are hitting theaters in wide national release this weekend, though the Jason Segel-Ed Helms dramedy "Jeff, Who Lives at Home" and Will Ferrell's Spanish-language "Casa de Mi Padre" will play in roughly 60 of the country's top markets.

"Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" posted the biggest opening of the year at the box office over the weekend, evidence that moviegoers were eager for a family film. The animated 3-D environmental tale greatly exceeded industry expectations, raking in $70.7 million, according to an estimate from distributor Universal Pictures. Meanwhile, the weekend's other new release, a polar opposite for families, the R-rated party flick "Project X," collected a healthy $20.8 million. As a result of the robust ticket sales, receipts were up 26% as compared with the same weekend last year.

Tom Brady and Eli Manning are expected to light up the scoreboard at the Super Bowl, but don't look for equally big numbers at the box office this weekend. Three new movies will scramble for ticket sales as tens of millions of Americans will be tuning in Sunday to the biggest television event of the year. The found-footage teen adventure film "Chronicle"is expected to edge out the competition with about $15 million, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys.

Every mother has a birthing story, the play-by-play narrative that took her across the chasm from independence to attachment. Tilda Swinton is no exception. When the Scottish actress gave birth to her boy-and-girl twins 14 years ago, Swinton, who plays the mother to a troubled son in the new film "We Need to Talk About Kevin," didn't opt for the easy - or perhaps, even the safe - way out. Rather than choose medical intervention when the babies were late, she waited until they were ready to be born on their own. They finally arrived after 43 weeks of pregnancy, weighing in at 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and 8 pounds, 10 ounces.

The good news for studios was that, overall, people liked what they saw in theaters over the long Thanksgiving holiday. The bad news was that there were a lot fewer of them than in years past. In fact, despite some highly regarded new movies, it was the slowest Thanksgiving moviegoing weekend in the last four years. Ticket sales were down roughly 11% compared with the same period last year. So far this year, attendance is off about 5%, and box office receipts are down about 4%. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" was easily the No. 1 film, taking in $62.3 million Wednesday to Sunday, according to an estimate from distributor Summit Entertainment.

I was mildly intrigued by Calendar's twin articles on women-behind-the-scenes ("The D-Girls" and "Power Pack," Aug. 23), but I had a good hard laugh at those male-written retorts to said spread (Calendar Letters, Aug. 30). I had predicted such a response from a lot of the whiny macho boys--the type who think Sam Kinison is funny, who use Esquire as a textbook, who faint in fright at any ambitious woman rising to levels of power formerly reserved for males--and who are to blame for all these lousy movies in recent times.

Pretty much as soon as he's done celebrating, best actor Oscar winner Jeff Bridges will travel to New Mexico to shoot "True Grit," the Coen brothers remake of the John Wayne classic that will come out in December. It will be the second movie of the season for Bridges, whose "Tron Legacy" is also set to be released in December. But don't expect to see too many other boldfaced names from Sunday's Oscar podium in movie theaters any time soon. After starring in three movies in 2009, Sandra Bullock is being ultra-deliberate in selecting her next film.

Multiplexes will be stuffed with new family releases over the Thanksgiving holiday, but the latest installment in the "Twilight" franchise is likely to feast on the most ticket sales yet again. "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn — Part 1" opened to an impressive $138 million last weekend, and the fourth film in the vampire series could rake in an additional $60 million from Wednesday through Sunday, according to those who have seen prerelease audience surveys. Meanwhile, three new PG-rated films, all of which have earned exceedingly positive reviews, hit theaters Wednesday.

Conservatives accuse him of being a bleeding-heart apologist for criminals. Lefties have branded him a fascist. So José Padilha figures he must be doing something good. "I never think in terms of 'left' and 'right,'" said the Brazilian director, who relishes his role as an equal-opportunity provocateur and perpetual thorn in the conscience of South America's largest country. Indeed, the director's movies defy simplistic political labels, including his latest, "Elite Squad 2: The Enemy Within," which opens in L.A. on Friday.