What would you do if you had the ability to freeze the world and all the people in it? Rifle through friends’ medicine cabinets without fear of being caught, compose witty comebacks to any slight, catch up on sleep and still make it to work on time? The new independent film Suspension — showing Sunday, June 1 at the University of Southern California — asks this question and suggests it’s the sort of power that could absolutely unmoor an individual, especially one a bit off balance to begin with.

In the wake of a car accident that kills Daniel’s (Scott Cordes) wife and son, Daniel rebuilds his son’s camcorder and discovers that pushing the pause button literally stops time. While the rest of the world is on hold, only he stays in motion. Having had a few brief encounters with Sarah (Annie Tedesco), the widow of the other driver involved in the accident, Daniel becomes fixated on using his power to help her.

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The Hays Code, or Production Code, effective from 1934, was a set of industry-compiled guidelines covering material that was considered unacceptable for inclusion in motion pictures. It covered areas such as sex (no adultery, nudity, “perversion”), crime (no vicious violence, revenge, unpunished criminals), morals (no unpunished “loose” women, suicide) and general anti-social behavior (no drug-taking, excessive drinking, bad language).

Hollywood had been practicing a form of self-censorship since 1915, when the Supreme Court ruled that motion pictures were not protected by the First Amendment, but as the twenties wore on and the wild party of the prohibition Jazz Age grew ever wilder, film-makers took advantage of the escalating popularity of the movies and their stars to include whatever indiscretions took their fancy, contending only with an unregulated, state-by-state system of censorship decisions, and vague outlines from the precursor to the Motion Picture Association of America, formed in 1922.

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 I’m going to start out with a bold statement. There will be no in between for viewers of the new film, The Foot Fist Way. You will either love it and start quoting it, or hate it and want your money back.Danny Mcbride plays Fred Simmons, an unapologetic and hilariously self absorbed Tae Kwon Do instructor. His days mainly consist of berating his younger students, putting on low quality Martial arts demos, and driving around in his Magnum PI Ferrari. But when his busty blond wife played by Mary Jane Bostic cheats on him not once but twice, his seemingly inpenatrable macho man world is thrown into a downward spiral. His only chance at redemption is to regain the respect of his students by challenging his favorite Hollywood B movie Action star (Chuck The Truck Williams) Ben Best,to a final Tae Kwon Do showdown.Technically this isn’t a new film. Originally released in 2006 at Sundance, it was deemed a hit with audiences but no big studios decided to back it for wide release. Enter Will Ferrell and Adam McKay with their own company Gary Sanchez Productions. In association with Paramount Vintage, they’re hoping that a wider audience will pick up on what they consider “one of the funniest movies ever.” Shot for a budget of $35,000 and in less than two weeks, Foot Fist Way is a refreshing little break from all those Summer blockbusters. It has the look and feel of part documentary part human interest story.

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Before attending ‘An Evening With Judd Apatow’ at the WGA this past Tuesday night, I knew very little about him. Well, I knew what you probably know. He’s written and directed some really amazing flicks like The 40-Year-Old Virgin and he’s the genius behind television’s short-lived cult hit Freaks and Geeks. Let’s see, I also knew that he’s married to the actress Leslie Mann (I read way too much Us Weekly) and that he likes to cast the same actors over and over again. I like his stuff but I’m not what you’d call a super-fan or anything. Consequently, I was a little out of place in the audience of Apatow maniacs.

Apatow took the stage right on time to be interviewed by fellow writer and friend, Jay Krogen (Emmy winning writer of Frasier and The Simpsons, among other shows.) I got the impression that the questions were gone over beforehand, perhaps over coffee or beers, and that Mr. Apatow had told these stories over and over again and knew exactly what to expect from Krogan. In other words, the interview wasn’t exactly off the cuff. It seemed, instead, like an interview on David Letterman. You know, a performance; a little too slick and kind of fake. Not that Apatow himself was fake. He was very charming and conversational. I wondered where the actor-like charisma was coming from but Krogan was a step ahead of me when he asked about Apatow’s beginnings in the business. Upon learning that Judd Apatow started out as a stand-up comedian, I understood where all that polish was coming from and I felt somewhat better about it, like he came about it naturally and that it made it less, I don’t know, weird.

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Well, it’s finally time to get Carried away, as they say. The series that became the voice of smart and sophisticated single women all over the world hits the big screen in theaters all across the nation today. With the media storm surrounding Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, I bet you’re wondering, does it live up to the hype? Is it all I ever wanted and more? Will I get to see tons of cameos from all the high-end fashion labels that I couldn’t afford if my life depended on it? The answer to all your questions is a simple yes, more or less. Because when it comes to love, sex, fashion and those iconic Cosmos, the four single women that took Manhattan by storm do not disappoint.
“Year after year,”as Carrie says in the opening of the film, 20-something women come to New York City in search of the two ‘L’s: labels and love.” Yes, they sure do, however our fashion forward heroines have graduated from searching for their two “L’s” to actually doing the third “L,”: living, in love, and with labels.

Direct Michael Patrick King reunites us with the fabulous foursome just as we left them 5 years ago, give or take some details. Carrie, who is now sometimes contributing to Vogue, is no longer writing her infamous newspaper column, and instead working on her fourth book, as we come to find out that her three previous ones were best-sellers. She’s reached a new, mature point in her life, and that philosophy extends to her relationships, including the one she has with Mr.Big (Chris Noth). Charlotte on the other hand, is enjoying life not only as a wife, but as a mother to a girl, Lily, whom they adopted from China.

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For a thriller unceremoniously dumped between the summer’s big-budget salvos, “The Strangers” will surprise the squeamish and the bloodthirsty alike. In his feature film debut, writer-director Bryan Bertino delivers a sharp, unforgiving, relentlessly terrifying experience with exceptional dramatic heft. Were it not for the odd stumble into genre cliche, this would have been a minor classic. As it stands, it’s a noteworthy arrival for its helmer and its established leads that deserves to be the sleeper hit of the year.

The modern horror resurgence can largely be attributed to production value more than innovation. As in the first wave of the late 70’s and 80’s, the stars were the murderers or the murders themselves (Check out: “Friday the 13th in 7 minutes“). Laurie Strode aside, the casts of these were closer to cattle: doe-eyed, well-fed, and ready for slaughter. The remarkable intimacy of “The Strangers” make it a stand out.

Kristen McKay (Liv Tyler) and James Hoyt (Scott Speedman) are a young couple returning from a friend’s wedding, staying overnight at the Hoyt summer house in a remote suburban community. Discovering the exact nature of Kristen and James’ relationship is one of the few twists the marketing hasn’t spoiled, and the first act is full of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it detail, which Bertino implies with precision and restraint. The house itself is credibly unsettling. The brownish well water issuing from the faucets, the folksy, hideous furniture, the family touchstones are stale and smothering. It’s clear there is a history in this place that Kristen has never been a part of, a legacy of wasted summers that makes James unguarded and complacent. Often the protagonists of scare flicks are completely stupid, but in this movie they’re tired and lazy. It’s hard not to identify.

Fans of renegade Carpenter and the threadbare realism of early horror will get the biggest kick out of the style and pacing. There is no score and after the first twenty minutes the slightest hint of music registers as a warning. There are long stretches of silence, punctuated with stereo-panning trickery that keep the tension so high you will be quietly begging for something, anything to happen. A viewer next to me took to compulsively fiddling with a cellophane candy wrapper, and I didn’t stop him. Any noise with a confirmed origin is a blessing.

Speedman has been looking to breakout for years, and Tyler has been solid onscreen if not particularly memorable. Their work here is redefining, a delicate and damaged chemistry that evolves as their courage erodes and they realize how dangerous, and perhaps hopeless, their situation is becoming. It launches a well-executed massacre into bizarrely moving territory.

Bertino’s only real stumble is in the blatant mythologizing of his trio of killers. Thankfully they aren’t mute or invincible, but their ninja-grade, here-and-then-gone vanishing antics clash with the film’s overall bent of plausibility. When there’s already been so much upending of convention, the appearance of scrawled messages and costumed, axe-wielding freaks feel more rote than ever. At least that’s what you’ll be thinking before the movie resumes twisting your guts into sailor’s knots.

News of its long gestation period has been getting around (it was allegedly completed in 2005). Whatever the reasons for the shelving may have been, quality could not have been among them. “The Strangers” is a disturbing and heartbreaking achievement, and an exhilarating approach to a genre that’s on life-support. It will do more than creep you out, it will have you double-checking the locks on your doors and windows at home. It will have you racing across empty parking lots at night to get to your car, and calling your loved ones just to hear their voices.

What’s showing this week off the beaten path? The classic, the cult and the weird (actually not much of the latter two this week). For those willing to grab the exhilarating chance of the one-off screening, here are some recommendations for the week to come.

The Academy:

Monday 2 at 7.30: Good Will Hunting (1997)

Although it brought Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to prominence, is directed by the often over-arch Gus van Sant, and has Robin Williams in a role perilously close to Dead Poets Society, it’s a movie that one can’t help but like. Van Sant has occasionally been brilliant, and that’s what he is here, directing with perfect discretion. The boys wrote a beautiful script and Damon’s Will is completely convincing and bristling with integrity; Williams is at his restrained best, Mini Driver is actually quite winning, and it’s raised a notch by the unconventional use of Elliot Smith’s terrific songs. Just great.

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Well you’ve got some pretty good stuff coming out this weekend. Sex and the City: The Movie has made it’s way to the big screen and we’ll see how much the Mr. Big loving, shoe adoring fans can rake up this weekend at the box office, it’s still on the fence whether this film will be a hit or a flop. Will Ferrel and Adam McKay found themselves a little comedy titled, The Foot Fist Way, about a year have decided to take the film, made by three guys who took 4 years to save up $35,000, and throw a ton of money behind it and releases theaters everywhere. Tell me that isn’t a Hollywood fantasy come true? The Strangers is the first, proper horror film we’ve had for a long time. It’s creepy as all hell and actually has plot that makes sense. Who would’ve thought? Savage Grace, is a drama for you mama. If you’re mama’s crazy, has a lot of odd sex, and drives you insane. Looks good! Bigger, Stronger, Faster is film about the steroid use in America. Who is using it, why, and when is it right to use? You might be surprised.

• The Foot Fist Way (Limited) | Reviews | Showtimes and Tickets
• Sex and the City: The Movie | Reviews | Showtimes and Tickets
• The Strangers | Reviews | Showtimes and Tickets
• Savage Grace | Reviews | Showtimes and Tickets
• Bigger, Stronger, Faster (Limited) | Reviews | Showtimes and Tickets

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June Gloom is hitting early in the movie biz…

• AFTRA is optimistic about reaching a deal with the producers before their contract expires June 30th. It seems the main sticking point left is a clips clause that would let clips be licensed without the performer’s consent. Wow, I haven’t been this bored by television since Idol Gives Back.

• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opened at Number One? Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor. Making around $101 million from Friday to Sunday put it just ahead of Iron Man’s $98.6 million over the same opening span, but as the LA Times points out, Iron Man had no holiday weekend boost behind it. Iron Man is also not a sequel to a cherished movie franchise. I feel compelled to defend Iron Man and all its awesomeness. Maybe I’ll go see it a 3rd time, so Jon Favreau knows how I feel.

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