Mala (Evan Rachel Wood) is a precocious girl living on the beautiful planet Terra, a place where peace and tolerance are celebrated. Unbeknownst to Mala and her fellow Terrians, the last inhabitants of Earth have exhausted the resources of their planet and those of three others, and are now searching for a new home. This Earthforce has discovered that the use of a Terraformer will make Terra habitable for humans but poisonous for Terrians. When the Earthlings embark on a hostile invasion of Terra, Mala’s father, Roven (Dennis Quaid), is kidnapped. Hoping to save her father, Mala captures and hides a crashed human pilot named Jim (Luke Wilson). While Mala nurses Jim back to health, the two forge a friendship and a plan that could save both the human race and the planet of Terra. Soon, however, they realize that peace will not be secured unless they can combat both the Terraformer and dark political forces that will stop at nothing in their drive to achieve power for power’s sake.

While Terra’s message that peace is a question of free will and choice is a potent one, the exuberance of Mala and her young friends carries the film. Director Aristomenis Tsirbas paints a landscape of pastoral pleasure, and our admiration for Terra’s idyllic vistas is only heightened when they are invaded.

This debut animated feature from Canadian production company Snoot Entertainment might turn a few heads amongst the executive ranks at Pixar and DreamWorks. Since its debut at the Toronto Film Festival in 2007, Terra (the movie’s original title) has earned awards and positive reviews alike, with many people responded to the project’s obvious environmental themes, as well as the creation of a utopian world where freethinkers (cue the voices of Evan Rachel Wood and Justin Long) are outcasts. And then humans come along to make matters worse. I’m in. Here’s a blog with a trailer and other behind-the-scenes bits.

Rated PG for sequences of sci-fi action violence and some thematic elements.

Director: Aristomenis Tsirbas
Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Luke Wilson, Justin Long
Studio: Lionsgate
Release Date: 1 May 2009 (USA)
Genre: Animation, Adventure

Back in the late ’80s, Randy “The Ram” Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was a headlining professional wrestler. Now, twenty years later, he ekes out a living performing for handfuls of diehard wrestling fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey.

Estranged from his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and unable to sustain any real relationships, Randy lives for the thrill of the show and the adoration of his fans. However, a heart attack forces him into retirement. As his sense of identity starts to slip away, he begins to evaluate the state of his life — trying to reconnect with his daughter, and striking up a blossoming romance with an exotic dancer (Marisa Tomei) who is ready to start a new life. Yet all this cannot compare to the allure of the ring and passion for his art, which threatens to pull Randy “The Ram” back into his world of wrestling.

I could come up with a dozen wrestling metaphors to describe Darren Aronofsky’s triumphant return to scrappy, independent, award-winning filmmaking, while I join the circle of whisperers who are guessing that Mickey Rourke will be up for Oscar glory here, but I’m, still hesitant. Though Aronofsky defied certain odds to get the movie made (eventually finding funding from the French foreign sales company who also backed Soderbergh’s four-hour Che Guevera biography), I feel as though The Wrestler is being groomed for Juno-like victory, and I’m just wondering if audiences will embrace the film. In fact, I know there are plenty of insiders who just sorta rolled their eyes at this one. However, I really hope I eat my own words, because I’m pro-Aronofsky, provided The Fountain can be ignored. (Which apparently it can’t, since Aronofsky is looking to remake that picture!)

Rated R for violence, sexuality/nudity, language and some drug use.