The New Wave: 3/25/11

Newcomer Alex Shaffer, a former high school wrestling champion, makes for a note perfect debut in Tom McCarthy's latest heartfelt drama, Win Win. Opposite the always fantastic Paul Giamatti, Shaffer is a  troubled kid taken in by Giamatti's unlucky lawyer, who uses the kid to help out his winless high school wrestling team. Another personal, hilarious character piece by McCarthy, writer/director of The Visitor and The Station Agent.You can read my review of Win Win by checking here.

Zack Snyder's been developing Sucker Punch for a long time(since 2007 at least), but it finally made it's presence felt at last year's Comic-Con. Ever since, the film has been described as Snyder's "all-girl 300", a reference to the movie that established his cred as one of the preeminent action directors working today. Although he's made a number of films in his very short career, this is Snyder's first original work, and by far the wildest, most chaotic film he's ever made. It's Zack Snyder on a plate, all comic book fanboy wish fulfillment: hot chicks, big robots, bigger guns. My review of Sucker Punch can be read here.

 Nobody was more surprised by how good the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid was than me. As someone who had more than his share of middle school difficulties, it spoke directly to me, and the adventures of poor Greg Heffley were a real treat. It didn't take long for the sequel to be greenlit, based on the second of Jeff Kinney's five books. This time Greg's got a lot more to deal with than just the "cheese touch": a new hot girl in school; his mom's very public new job; and then there's his brother, Rodrick, who's only goal seems to be killing Greg's social life. You can go here for my review!

Certified Copy, Abbas Kiarostami's first film outside his native Iran has been compared to everything from Beyond Sunset to Journey to Italy. Juliette Binoche won the Best Actress award at Cannes for her performance as a French antique dealer having a day long conversation with a well known writer. The question is the nature of their relationship, which shifts throughout the course of the day. At one point Robert De Niro was in talks for the writer role, and the plan was to do the film in English. But let's be honest, if that were the case, American audiences would still ignore it. I can't wait to check this one out.

 Tom Shadyac had it all. A lucrative career as one of the top comedy directors(Evan Almighty, Patch Adams) in Hollywood. I Am marks a serious departure for him, as it explores the change in his life after a cycling accident left him debilitated. Shadyac gave up practically everything and joined a commune in order to find himself. The film follows him on this quest, talking a wealth of people who have inspired him: Desmond Tutu, Noam Chomsky, David Suzuki and more.

 Desert Flower is based on the autobiography of Somali model/writer Waris Darie. Born to a nomadic tribe, she ran away and escaped an arranged marriage to a much older man, going into hiding in London. She ultimately meets a well-known fashion designer who introduces her into that world, allowing her to become a famous supermodel. Darie gained notoriety in 1997 for revealing details of the female circumcision she received as a child.