Film Previews

“Fool’s Paradise”

NR | 97 minutes
Director/Writer: Charlie Day
Stars: Charlie Day, Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis

“Fool’s Paradise” is a satirical comedy following a down-on-his-luck publicist (Ken Jeong), who gets his lucky break when he discovers a man recently released from a mental health facility (Day) looks just like a method actor who refuses to leave his trailer. With the help of a powerful producer (the late Ray Liotta), Ken helps the man become a huge star, even marrying his beautiful leading lady (Kate Beckinsale). Their adventures lead them to cross paths with drunken costars (Adrien Brody), irreverent unhoused action heroes (Common), unpredictable directors (Jason Sudeikis), a super-agent (Edie Falco), and power-mad moguls (John Malkovich). Fame and fortune are not all they are cracked up to be, and the two men must fight their way back to the things that matter the most.

“Hypnotic”

R
Director: Robert Rodriguez
Stars: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga, JD Pardo

Blending elements of science fiction with film noir, “Hypnotic” focuses on Detective Daniel Rourke, the kind of man who’ll stop at nothing to crack a case. That’s especially true when he stumbles across a bank robber who also happens to be — you guessed it — a hypnotic. That’s someone who can use psychic powers to influence people. That skill comes in handy when you’re trying to get away with stacks of cash. However, as Rourke pursues his powerful, psychic prey (and finds himself being hunted as well), he begins to realize that this trippy crime spree might be related to the mystery of his missing daughter, Minnie. In his quest to figure out what’s actually going on, he joins forces with another hypnotic who may have her own motives in this mind-bending game. Needless to say, the further Rourke digs, the twistier and trippier things are going to get, and there might even be a government conspiracy at play, too.

“Blackberry”

R | 122 minutes
Director: Matt Johnson
Stars: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson

Two mismatched entrepreneurs — egghead innovator Mike Lazaridis and cut-throat businessman Jim Balsillie — joined forces in an endeavor that was to become a worldwide hit in little more than a decade. The device that one invented and the other sold was the BlackBerry, an addictive mobile phone that changed the way the world worked, played and communicated. But just as BlackBerry was rising to new peaks, it also started losing its way through the fog of Smartphone wars, management indecision and outside distractions, eventually leading to the breakdown of one of the most successful ventures in the history of the tech and business worlds. ♦