The Invention of Lying

ENGLISH COMEDIAN RICKY Gervais of The Office fame makes his directorial debut with this week’s release The Invention of Lying. The romantic comedy features Gervais alongside Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe and Tina Fey.

Set in an alternate universe where absolutely no one indulges in lying to one another, the script of the comedy follows a writer who tries his hand at the new craft to win the affections of a woman he fancies.

Xan Brooks writes in his review of The Invention of Lying for The Guardian that “It is slick and it is funny. But it is also too obviously schematic, while that romantic subplot can feel awfully synthetic at times.” The film received generally mixed reviews from critics.

Trivia:

·         The film opened at the UK box office in second place behind Fame and in fifth place at the US box office.

·         The film has been criticized for the confusion over the concept “lying” in the alternate reality it is set in.

The Box

FROM THE DESK of director Richard Kelly comes this week’s psychological thriller The Box. The film features actors Cameron Diaz, James Marsden and Frank Langella in major roles.

Based on the short story Button Button penned by Richard Matheson, the script follows a suburban couple that receive a simple wooden box as a gift. A mysterious stranger delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world.

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter reviews it as “An artistic fiasco that cuts across genre lines and all logic to become, perhaps, an instant midnight movie.”

Trivia:

·         Button, Button was previously adapted into an episode of the 1980s incarnation of The Twilight Zone.

·         Films are given a grade, with A+ being the highest possible and F being the lowest. The Box received an F, a rare occurrence according to CinemaScore President Ed Mintz

Win movie tickets to a special screening of Disney’s Old Dogs!

If you fancy catching a rather special screening of Disney’s latest comedy Old Dogs, starring John Travolta, Robbin Williams and Seth Green, then we have just the thing for you. City Times in association with Italia Film International is giving you the chance to walk away with a pair of tickets to watch a special screening of Old Dogs in Deira City Centre next Wednesday night at 9pm.

Just send us your answer to the following question:

Who is the director of Old Dogs?

Mail your answers across to olddogsinthecity@gmail.com by Sunday, November 22

davina@khaleejtimes.com