By Chris Kavan - 11/18/15 at 11:57 AM CT
Another light update this week - quite a few movies with ratings, but only two major films of note. The first is the third collaboration between director David O. Russell as well as stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper (with Robert De Niro also back on board) - that film has a good chance of at least being considered for the awards season as it comes out at the tail-end of the year. The other is the latest documentary from the always divisive Michael Moore, which has been playing well on the film circuit and finally gets a limited release also at year's end.
The first two pairings between Russell, Lawrence and Cooper have brought us the excellent Silver Linings Playbook and the not-quite-as-excellent-but-still-pretty-good American Hustle. And, hey, when you have a good thing going, why mess up recipe? Joy is the third team up between this super team (and with Robert De Niro making a second appearance) and it looks like another powerful film. The film essentially spans four generations of a family where Joy (Lawrence) battles through turmoil (both internal and external), betrayal, treachery (often from her own family) but battles through it all to become the founder and successful owner of the family business and a matriarch in her own right. Supporting cast includes Virginia Madsen, Édgar Ramírez, Elisabeth Röhm, Isabella Rossellini, Diane Ladd and Drena De Niro. People always talk about how under-represented women are in Hollywood - but if Joy is any indication, this should be a huge showcase for female actresses - and strong roles as well. I will say I was somewhat disappointed in American Hustle, but Silver Linings remains one of my favorite films from 2012. We'll see of Russell can capture the magic one more time, but from what I've seen so far, it looks like another winner. Joy is rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
Even since bursting on the scene in 2002 with Bowling for Columbine - Michael Moore has been cranking out documentaries that you either love or hate (often depending on your political views) - including Fahrenheit 9/11, Sicko and Capitalism: A Love Story. Moore is back at it again with his latest film, Where to Invade Next. This is also the first documentary in six years, and while many of his previous films took a much more biased stance, Where to Invade Next looks a bit more balanced and, dare I say, more fun? Moore goes from country to country to figure out what American could gain by taking a cue from each of them and maybe just showing that the American Dream isn't all its cracked up to be. From free tuition in Slovenia to Italy's annual vacation time - maybe we could learn a bit from taking the advice of other countries. As of right now, the film has an R rating for language, some violent images, drug use and brief graphic nudity, but all signs point to filing an appeal (likely for a PG-13 rating) so I'll keep you up-to-date on what happens.
Onto the full Ratings Bulletin:
45 YEARS
Rated R for language and brief sexuality.
BEYOND BEYOND
Rated PG for some thematic elements and mild peril.
CAGED NO MORE
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content and some violence.
CHI-RAQ
Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, nudity, language, some violence and drug use.
THE FOREST
Rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic content and images.
JOY
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
OVATION
Rated R for language including some sexual references.
QUEEN OF THE DESERT
Rated PG-13 for brief nudity and some thematic elements.
RISE OF THE KRAYS
Rated R for brutal bloody violence throughout, language and some sexuality/nudity.
TOUCHED WITH FIRE
Rated R for language, a disturbing image, brief sexuality and drug use.
WHERE TO INVADE NEXT
Rated R for language, some violent images, drug use and brief graphic nudity,
