A talented crowd gathers for 'Cloud Atlas'

By Sarah Sluis

If Cloud Atlas can be pulled off, it will be a big hit. That much I'll acknowledge. Tom Hanks will star. And an unusual trio of writers/directors will tackle the job together: Andy and Lana Wachowski of the Matrix series, as well as Tom Tykwer, whose memorable breakthrough film, Run Lola Run, has a spot among my all-time favorites. All three are set to co-write and co-direct.

Cloud Atlas is based on a book by David Mitchell that features six interlocking stories with different main characters. Variety calls it "the fantastical story of humankind, told through the past, present and future as one soul is shaped from a murderer into a savior and a single act of kindness ripples out for centuries" [emphasis mine]. Did this description just give away the ending--is the "one soul" what ties all these six stories together?

Amazon.com offers the following excerpt from Publishers Weekly:

"Each of the narratives is set in a different time and place, each is written in a different prose style, each is broken off mid-action and brought to conclusion in the second half of the book. Among the volume's most engaging story lines is a witty 1930s-era chronicle, via letters, of a young musician's effort to become an amanuensis for a renowned, blind composer and a hilarious account of a modern-day vanity publisher who is institutionalized by a stroke and plans a madcap escape in order to return to his literary empire."

Wow. The scope of this movie is astonishing--I really can't imagine six interlocking stories that are fully fleshed out. I can't imagine the script not omitting or condensing some of the storylines. But the subject matter hits the sweet spot of both the Wachowskis and Tykwer. Tykwer's Run Lola Run repeated the action three times, varying the characters' fate to immensely satisfying results. And, of course, who can forget The Matrix, with its labyrinthine worlds created by a few swipes of computer code. There's also been a trend in both drama and romantic comedies to go for multiple storylines that support one overarching theme--Crash, Valentine's Day, Mother and Child, and Amores Perros all fit the bill.

In the project's favor, the movie already has a production start date: September. This is one movie that won't be languishing in development. Warner Bros. (the studio that gambled successfully on Inception) will distribute stateside. Focus will handle international sales. IMDB lists Halle Berry and James McAvoy as other rumored cast members. Who knows--this movie could be the next Inception, and it might actually make more sense.

Three-day, three-holiday weekend to lure in horror, romcom audiences

By Sarah Sluis

This Friday is Friday the 13th. Valentine's Day actually falls on Date Night. Monday, office workers and kids have the day off, some kicking off a whole week of mid-winter leisure. Hollywood, rejoice. Everyone's going to the movies.

The Friday the 13th (3,105 screens) revival, which takes place at roughly the same time as the third installment of the ten-film franchise, has garnered surprisingly affirmative reviews. Calling it an "unapologetically brutal and boneheaded slasher picture," our Ethan Alter conceded that it's "an effective revival of a dormant franchise," an accolade made even more meaningful since the remake comes from production company Platinum Dunes, whose horror redos The Amityville Horror and The Hitcher have not met with similar receptions.

Competing with romcom holdover He's Just Not That Into You, Confessions of a Shopaholic (2,507 screens) definitely has an edge over last week's release. Slightly more optimistic, and definitely lighter and more ebullient,

it's more neutral fare for a couple to see on Valentine's Day. The PG rating ensures that the under 18 audience will

turn out to see the film through the Monday holiday, and I think the appeal to younger audiences will be the film's biggest advantage over HJNTIY. As a kid, my whole fifth-grade class was abuzz for months after the release of Clueless; I forecast a similar reaction to the over-the-top ridiculousness that makes Confessions of a Shopaholic such innocent fun. Also, I pish-posh anyone who claims the movie is poorly timed given the state of the economy. Shall we talk Depression-era musicals?

Fans of Clive Owen and modern architecture will probably enjoy The International (2,364 screens), but apparently these people are few and far between, as the travelogue actioner has been tracking well under expectations. Much to my shock after seeing the film, it was directed by Tom Tykwer of Run Lola Run, a frenetically plotted film with a heroine who did quite a bit more than Naomi Watts does in The International. The cinematography by Frank Griebe is fantastic, as is the extensive use of sleek buildings, which our critic Erica Abeel notes the director uses to "convey sinister forces and emotional states...the gleaming grey-blue corporate suites become the fearsome visual embodiment of corporate might." Too bad Tykwer tasks the buildings with pulling all the emotional weight of the film.

For those close to an IMAX theatre, Under The Sea 3D (49 screens) is a splendid, but short, look into a

coral reef full of exotic creatures--it's worth admission alone to see the cuttlefish capture its prey with its tentacle-like tongue. If you're curious about Joaquin Phoenix's self-pronounced last performance, and maybe trying to figure out why he acted so weird on David Letterman the other night, Two Lovers (7 screens), a romance set in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, will roll out in limited release. The much-acclaimed Oscar shutout Gomorrah also opens in limited release (5 screens NY/LA), to show its violent take on modern Italian organized crime. Under director Matteo Garrone, "each frame is skillfully conceived to illustrate entrapment," says our Maria Garcia. Over at FJI we're honoring our Presidents, so we'll recap the surely boffo box office on Tuesday.