【Saturday Cinema】"300: Rise of an Empire" – An Epic Rebirth

Release Date: 2014-03-07

Duration: 2 hours 00 minutes

Director: Shane Salerno (Armageddon)

Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman (Moneyball), Edward Norton (The Bourne Legacy), John Cusack (2012), Martin Sheen (The Departed)

 

The 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye by American writer J.D. Salinger is considered one of the classics of American literature, representing a generation of teenagers’ discontent with the hypocrisy and deceit of the adult world. The documentary Salinger, produced and directed by Shane Salerno—writer and executive producer of Savages—takes a factual approach, compiling 150 interviews with Salinger’s friends, family, and never-before-seen, extremely intimate core acquaintances who had never publicly discussed Salinger before. It also unveils previously unpublished photos, footage, and private letters. The film additionally features interviews with actors, renowned writers, and Pulitzer Prize winners who admired Salinger, such as Edward Norton, John Cusack, Danny DeVito, and Martin Sheen.

 

Release Date: 2014-03-07

Duration: Not provided

Director: Jeff Tremaine (Jackass)

Cast: Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll (Jackass)

 

A new spin-off of the wildly hilarious American comedy series "Jackass," sticking to its signature prankster and absurd humor style, has launched its latest offshoot titled "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa." The film was released in North America on October 25, 2013, and topped the box office charts that weekend with an impressive $32 million debut. In just half a month after its release, it easily surpassed the $90 million mark!

 

The plot follows 86-year-old Irving Zisman (played by Johnny Knoxville) as he plans a cross-country road trip across America, accompanied by his 8-year-old grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll). It turns out Irving’s ultimate goal is to dump Billy — his “burden” — back with his biological father. This time, the outrageous grandpa-and-grandson duo will take audiences along for a wild and wacky adventure captured entirely by hidden cameras.

 

Throughout their journey, the grandfather and grandson duo will redefine what it means to “raise a child”: they drive strippers crazy, wreak havoc at a little girls’ beauty pageant leaving contestants and families in shock with their jaws dropped, crash a funeral service, annoy a biker bar owner, not to mention terrifying a host of innocent Americans who might need major spiritual healing after witnessing their antics!

 

Although it’s a spin-off of "Jackass," "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" is still helmed by the franchise’s core team, including director Jeff Tremaine and producer Spike Jonze, who, as usual, co-wrote the script with lead actor Johnny Knoxville.

Release Date: 2014-03-07

Duration: 1 hour 35 minutes

Director: Reem Kherici

Cast: Reem Kherici, Cécile Cassel

 

Maya grew up in a working-class family on the outskirts of Morocco, but ever since arriving in the fashion capital — Paris — her tough childhood has been left far behind. Not only has Maya fully embraced her status as a “trendy girl,” she’s also become a young fashion designer with limitless potential.

 

Just as she’s beginning to establish herself in Paris’s fashion scene and eyeing an opportunity to work for a top-tier fashion house, Maya gets stopped in a random police check and is found to be staying in France illegally with an expired visa. Immediately deported back to Morocco, Maya faces cultural shocks and various forms of discrimination, leaving her feeling lost. But when a major fashion show is about to kick off in Paris, desperate to reclaim her place in the fashion world, Maya decides to do whatever it takes to get back. With the help of friends, what kind of hilarious, over-the-top comeback plan will she pull off?