Being Flynn

American Reunion

Over a decade after their graduation, Jim, Stifler, and the whole American Pie gang return to their old stomping grounds for the high school reunion. The group is older but, arguably, not wiser, and they embark on the same type of raunchy shenanigans, complete with scantily clad high school girls and lots of alcohol. Though it's nice to see the characters and rock to the '90s hits on the soundtrack, the jokes and dynamics feel a little old, and some of the tomfoolery goes way too far. DVD extras include deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

43%

The Flowers of War

Christian Bale stars as John Miller, an American caught overseas while the battle between China and Japan rages around him. It's 1937 Nanking, and the terrified John seeks refuge in a European church among a group of schoolgirls and prostitutes from the red-light district. Complications arise when the girls are asked to sing in front of the Japanese army, and John must take heroic measures to ensure their safety in the brutal and disturbing film, based on the novel by Geling Yan. A five-part making-of documentary is included with the DVD.

41%

One more release when you read more

If you were a fan of the book Another Bullsh*t Night in Suck City and eagerly anticipating the film adaptation, then I hope you paid attention to character names, otherwise you might not have recognized the film version. Retitled Being Flynn after its protagonist, the film is the memoir of Nick Flynn (Paul Dano), a young man who's trying to find his voice as a writer. He has plenty of source material in his tough life, having grown up with only his mother (Julianne Moore) and without his estranged father, Jonathan (played by Robert De Niro), who is also a writer. When Nick starts work at a homeless shelter, he finds Jonathan, an alcoholic who is staying there. Nick seems to find out that he can't escape the fact that his father has had a great deal of influence on his life — and his writing.

I'm probably most interested to see this movie for the pairing of De Niro and Dano as a father and son with a difficult relationship. De Niro is always good, but Dano keeps impressing me with his acting skills with every film he appears in. In this trailer alone, he gave me goosebumps in the more intense scenes, like fighting with De Niro and bashing his head into a mirror. Being Flynn doesn't yet have a release date, but you can watch the trailer after the break.