The Next 48hOURS ≈ Movies Guide ‘Damsels In Distress’ to screen at Cinema Nouveau Cavendish Square eaturing a dynamic and quirky tionized campus social life. “They dressed cast, which includes Adam Brody, up, wore perfume and transformed uni- Ryan Metcalf, Carrie MacLemore, versity socializing, which in our day had Greta Gerwig, Megalyn Echikun- been grungy and grim. I never knew the wokeF and Analeigh Tipton, ‘Damsels in girls or learned any specifics of their es- Distress’ is the tale of a group of at- capades but, proposing a college comedy tractive girls who set out to overthrow to film companies, I found that analo- male-domination at the Seven Oaks col- gous groups had emerged at many other lege campus. In an effort to revolution- colleges in the wake of coeducation. ize the low standards of the campus, the Suddenly I had a film idea more than one girls – consisting of leader Violet (Ger- company wanted.” wig), principled Rose (Echikunwoke), Bringing this concept to the big exchange student Lily (Tipton) and sexy screen, Damsels in Distress delivers a hi- Heather (MacLemore) – introduce a pro- larious and original storyline with a top gram of good hygiene and musical dance quality cast. To be screened exclusively numbers. at Ster-Kinekor Cinema Nouveau Caven- in ‘Ruby Sparks’ The girls’ mission is clear: to rescue dish Square, this is for a girls’ night out, their fellow students from depression a family evening or even date night. FILM: RUBY SPARKS buff, was reminded of the ancient myth Movies and grunge. But when romances with CAST: , ZOE KAZAN, ANTO- of , in which falls in Your guide to the dreamboats, frat boys and slick men en- * For booking information visit www. NIO BANDERAS, , STEVE love with the statue he has crafted with sue, their lives are turned upside down, cinemanouveau.co.za, or call Ticketline COOGAN, , CHRIS MES- his own hands. That uncanny moment, week’s hottest threatening to ruin friendships and the on 082 16789. You can also visit ster- SINA, ALIA SHAWKAT, AASIF MANDVI, TONI when the inanimate seemed to come cinematic releases girls’ ultimate goal. kinekor.mobi or follow them on Twit- TRUCKS, DEBORAH ANN WOLL alive, started her thinking about how Director Wilt Stillman says he was in- ter @sktheatres or @nouveaubuzz, DIRECTOR: VALERIE FARIS fantasy, autonomy and identity collide spired to write the story for the film after or Facebook at Ster-Kinekor Theatres. and collude in contemporary relation- hearing tales at his old college campus Download the Ster-Kinekor app for your A sharp, modern take on the Pygma- ships. about a group of girls who had revolu- Nokia, Samsung Android or Iphone. lion myth, ‘Ruby Sparks’ is the story “I started wondering what might of a novelist’s vision who inexplicably happen if a writer had a character come comes to life, only to prove far more to life who could give him exactly complicated than even he could have what he thought he wanted romanti- imagined. cally. But things get very complicated It wasn’t long ago that Calvin Weir- because when you really love someone Fields (Paul Dano) was a literary wun- you have to love all of the person, not derkind with an acclaimed first novel. just the parts you’ve idealized,” Kazan But since then, he’s been stricken with recalls. Also in cinemas: a stubborn case of writer’s block mag- Kazan wasn’t so interested in the ‘Hotel Transylvania’ nified by a dismal love life. In a last- science fiction aspect of how a writer’s ditch attempt to reignite his creative fantasy character might come to life – The cast of ‘Damsels In Distress’ spark, Calvin begins to envision a fe- she was more intrigued by what would male protagonist in his mind. Her name come next. How would a fictional cre- is Ruby Sparks (Zoe Kazan) and from ation fare in the midst of the messiness the minute he imagines her, he feels of real life, especially when the man creatively invigorated to write about writing her isn’t sure of exactly what her. Until she shows up in his living he wants? room. Is this a joke, a sign of madness, There has been a long literary tradi- an act of magic? Whatever it is, it feels tion of riffing on the man-made object incredible. made human: Shakespeare with Queen Suddenly, Ruby is sleeping in Cal- Hermione in ‘A Winter’s Tale’, George vin’s bed, cooking in his kitchen, be- Bernard Shaw with Eliza Doolittle in guiling him in every way, with one ‘Pygmalion’ and Mary Shelley gave it mind-boggling twist: he somehow has another take with her ‘Frankenstein’ the power to change her every time he myth. Kazan wanted to come at the sits at his typewriter. As Calvin tries concept from a literary perspective, ex- to juggle this power, he faces a major ploring a writer who pens the lover he dilemma as a writer and a boyfriend: thinks he wants in his heart, but who what will it take to make this relation- makes him so nervous in the flesh, he is ship from his imagination work in the tempted to keep changing her. real world? She explains: “I was interested in the The film began with an idea that theme of control in relationships and struck Zoe Kazan nearly as suddenly the way we bring in ideas of who the as Calvin comes up with Ruby Sparks. person we love should be. How do you Kazan – renowned as a promising play- love the person you’re with completely wright and a rising actress with roles in without saying ‘I don’t want this part or ‘Revolutionary Road’, ‘It’s Complicated’ that part?’ How do you make room in and the indie western ‘Meek’s Cutoff’ – a relationship for two separate people? was coming home late one night from I’ve been in relationships before where I the set of a film when she was shocked felt like the person was not seeing me, to see a mannequin lying in heap of but something close to me, something trash. The sight set off a creative chain just a little off centre from me. That is reaction as Kazan, a Greek mythology what happens with Calvin and Ruby.”

LABIA Gardens Tel (021) 424 5927 Fri 28 Sept – Thurs 04 Oct R35 (Subject to Concessions) www.labia.co.za Labia on Kloof Daily 12.00, 2.45, 5.45, 8.30pm SAVAGES (18DLSV) Daily 1.45, 6.15pm THIS MUST BE THE PLACE (13L) Daily 11.30am, 4.00, 8.30pm TED (16DLNPS) Labia on Orange Daily 11.30am, 1.45, 4.00, 6.15, 8.30pm Daily 11.30am, 1.45, 4.00, 6.15, 8.30pm (no TO ROME WITH LOVE (16LS) 4.00pm Wed, Thurs, no 6.15pm Fri, Sun, Tues, Thurs, no 8.30pm Sat, Sun, Mon, Thurs) Daily 11.30am, 1.45, 4.00, 6.15, 8.30pm RED DOG (PGL) (no 8.30pm Thurs) CASTING ME … (16SLNP) Daily 11.30am, 2.30, 5.30, 8.30pm (no 2.30pm Fri, no 5.30pm Fri, Sun, Wed, Thurs, no 8.30pm Fri, Sun, Tues 6.00pm, Sat, Mon 8.30pm, Wed, Sun, Wed, Thurs) Thurs 3.45pm FLOWERS OF WAR (18LVP) MANHATTAN SHORT Film Festival www.ManhattanShort.com Sun 6.15pm www.exploringconsciousness.org.za Thurs 6.00, 7.00, 8.00, 9.00, 10.00pm THE DEEPEST TRUTH OF HUMAN EXIS- shnit international shortfilmfestival TENCE – Eckhart Tolle www.shnit.org

8 The Next 48hOURS www.48hours.co.za 28 September - 04 October 2012