Seraphine

Plus: Sorority Row, Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself and Whiteout

By Volcano Staff on September 10, 2009

9: This visionary world was first created as a short subject by Shane Acker, a student at UCLA, and was nominated for a 2006 Oscar.  At the time I found it “an atmosphere of creeping, crashing, menace ... elaborated as a game of hide-and-seek, beautifully animated and intriguingly unwholesome.”  So it is still, as the first figure, named 9, meets his similar predecessors, No. 1 through No. 8, and they find themselves in battle against a Transformer-like red-eyed monster called the Beast. PG-13. Three stars — Roger Ebert


SERAPHINE: The story of an early 20th-century French artist known as Seraphine de Senlis (Yolande Moreau), a self-taught artist who mixed her own paints, painted in secret, and is now represented in major museums.  When a famous critic and art dealer (Ulrich Tukur) discovered her, she was his maid.  He encourages her, but eventually loses her to her delusions.  Winner of seven Cesars from the French Academy, including best film and best actress. (NR) Four stars – RE


SORORITY ROW: One year after covering up the death of a sister, a sorority house is rocked by a vengeful stalker. (R) – Bill White


TYLER PERRY’S I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF: Madea challenges Aunt April to take care of her troubled niece and nephews.  Will the added responsibility cause April to question her life choices and consider the possibilities of family and love?  What do you think? (PG-13) – BW


WHITEOUT: Lovely Kate Beckinsale is a U.S. Marshal investigating Antarctica’s first homicide.  It’s cold, dark and lonely there.  Upside: there’s nudity. (R) – BW