|
Added 1.16.07
Alpha Dog ***
(Emile Hirsch,
Justin Timberlake, Bruce Willis) Based on the recent real-life
tabloids of Jesse James Hollywood, Johnny Truelove (Hirsch)
kidnaps his rival’s (Ben Foster) younger brother (Anton Yelchin)
after he’s not paid for a drug deal. When the ransom still isn’t
paid and the kidnappers realize they could be facing life in
prison, the situation only gets even worse. This is an
engrossing movie about stupid decisions and the dangers of
loyalty when the bond of friendship crosses unthinkable
boundaries. In his screen debut, pop star Timberlake gives a
solid performance as one of Johnny’s trusted friends. Rated R.
Added 1.11.07
Pan’s Labyrinth
***
(Ivana Baquero,
Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu) A young girl (Baquero) uses her
imagination to escape the harsh reality of Franco-era Spain,
circa 1944. There are two storylines at work here: One is a
fantasy-filled, effects driven extravaganza and the other is a
harsh and gritty war drama. The two don’t connect very often,
which causes an imbalance from which the film never recovers.
Rated R.
Curse of the
Golden Flower
***
(Chow Yun-Fat,
Gong Li, Jay Chou) An empress (Li) and her son (Chou) in 10th
century China plot revenge on the emperor (Yun-Fat) after she
learns he’s trying to kill her. The always lush visual poetry of
director Zhang Yimou (Hero) is on full display once
again, but this time the story is more of a drama than an
all-out action picture. The emotional moments are nice, but the
film doesn’t shine until the action sequences, which are
startling. Rated R.
Thr3e
**
(Marc Blucas,
Justine Waddell, Laura Jordan) A serial killer with a link to
Kevin’s (Blucas) past gives him nearly-impossible riddles to
decipher in short amounts of time. If he can’t do it, he dies.
This is a toned down (as is evident by the PG-13 rating) horror
thriller in the vein of Saw, but not nearly as clever as
it thinks it is. Still, the ending will take you by surprise and
there are many worse horror movies out there. Rated PG-13.
Freedom Writers
***
(Hilary Swank,
Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey) A naïve young teacher (Swank)
ventures into a racially divided high school and connects with
her students by allowing them to vent their thoughts and
frustrations in a diary. You may have liked this movie better
when it was called Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver
or any of the other incarnations this formula has utilized.
Still, the movie (which is based on a true story) is well done
and sufficiently moving. Rated PG-13.
Happily Never
After
**1/2
(Voices of
Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddy Prize Jr., Sigourney Weaver) Fairy
Tale Land is in upheaval after the wicked stepmother (Weaver)
throws off the balance of fairy tales’ happy endings. Now Ella
(Gellar), as in “Cinderella,” must stop her before an unhappy
ending can occur. It’s clearly a children’s movie, but the
reliance on the viewer to be well-versed in a variety of fairy
tales will inevitably leave some kids (and parents) lost on
what’s being spoofed. Otherwise, it’s good clean fun. Rated PG.
Code Name: The
Cleaner
**
(Cedric the
Entertainer, Lucy Liu, Nicollette Sheridan) A janitor named Jake
(Cedric) has short-term memory loss and believes he’s a
government agent ready to unveil a top secret conspiracy. Liu
and Sheridan look nice and it has some funny moments, but it’s
also a frivolously strained comedy that goes nowhere. “Harmless
idiocy” is the best way to describe it. Rated PG-13.
The Painted
Veil
***
(Edward Norton,
Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber) Walter (Norton) and Kitty (Watts)
are never in love, get married, she cheats, there’s a lot of
hatred and spite, and then they fall in love for the first time.
It may not be what you expect from a movie that takes place in
1920s China, but the story grows on you and Watts’ conflicted
heroine is endearing. This is a moving, effective drama. Based
on the W. Somerset Maugham novel. Rated PG-13.
Children of Men
***1/2
(Clive Owen,
Julianne Moore, Michael Caine) In the year 2027, women are
infertile and a disgruntled former activist (Owen) has given up
hope for the future of mankind. Things change, however, when his
former lover Julian (Moore) asks him to transport the
miraculously pregnant Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) through a war
zone to safety. Owen’s captivating performance drives the strong
narrative along, and director Alfonso Cuaron’s (Harry Potter
and the Prisoner of Azkaban) gloomy visual style perfectly
accentuates the story of a dystopian future in desperate need of
a glimmer of hope. Rated R.
Notes on a
Scandal
***1/2
(Dame Judi
Dench, Cate Blanchett, Billy Nighy) Pottery teacher Sheba (Blanchett)
is blackmailed into an overbearing friendship with colleague
Barbara (Dench) after Barbara learns she is having an affair
with a 15 year-old student (Andrew Simpson). Dench is fiendishly
awesome as the cunning and manipulative schoolmarm who offers
comfort with very thick strings attached. And in what must be
the most discomfiting role of her career, Blanchett handles
Sheba with an uneasy quiet and ethereal beauty — we have
sympathy for her even though we know what she’s doing is wrong.
Rated R.
Perfume: The
Story of a Murderer
***
(Ben Whishaw,
Simon Chandler, Dustin Hoffman) In 18th century Paris, a man (Whishaw)
with an enhanced sense of smell tries to create the perfect
perfume by killing women and capturing their scent. Imminently
appealing with visual panache to spare, Patrick Suskind’s
controversial novel has been given a spirited interpretation by
director Tom Tykwer (Run, Lola, Run). But at 147 minutes
it’s also a bit overwhelming, including the grand conclusion,
which features an orgy that would put the porn industry to
shame. Rated R.
Dreamgirls
****
(Jamie Foxx,
Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson) Loosely based on the career of
the Supremes, three girls (Knowles, Hudson and Tony winner Anika
Noni Rose) from Detroit dream of a singing career and get their
wish when they’re signed by manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Foxx).
Great songs, great acting and a wonderfully constructed story by
writer/director Bill Condon make this the best musical since
Chicago, and one of the best movies this year. Amid a cast
with stars named Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Knowles, American
Idol outcast Hudson steals the movie and America’s heart
once again. This film will win many, many Oscars. Rated PG-13.
Night at the
Museum
**1/2
(Ben Stiller,
Owen Wilson, Robin Williams) The new night watchman (Stiller) at
the Museum of Natural History gets quite a surprise his first
day on the job: the wax figures of Teddy Roosevelt (Williams),
westerns tough guys (led by Wilson), various animals and more
come to life thanks to an ancient Egyptian spell. It’s good,
clean fun for kids, but parents will likely grow bored with the
silly story. The best bet is to have the grandparents take them
— screen legends Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney are the lone
highlights for adults. Rated PG.
The Good
Shepherd
**1/2
(Matt Damon,
Alec Baldwin, Angelina Jolie) The history of the CIA is traced
through the career of Edward Wilson (Damon), who was there when
it was founded until the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.
The grand intentions are admirable, but director Robert De Niro
(behind the camera for the first time since A Bronx Tale
in 1993) never quite gets his arms around the sheer scope of
Eric Roth’s script, which had been in development for at least
ten years. A flat performance by Damon also doesn’t help,
although he’s picked up by a solid ensemble cast. Rated R.
The Good German
**
(George
Clooney, Tobey Maguire, Cate Blanchett) American journalist Jake
Geismer (Clooney) tries to get former lover Lena Brandt (Blanchett)
out of post-World War II Berlin. Director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic)
deserves credit for trying to make a traditional WWII movie with
only the technology available in the 1940s, but unwelcome
modernisms such as violence and vulgarity never allow the
experiment to work. A convoluted script by Paul Attanasio
(working from Joseph Kanon’s novel) seals the fate of this
thoroughly mediocre project. Rated R.
Volver
**
(Penelope Cruz,
Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas) Raimunda (Cruz) and her sister Sole (Dueñas)
believe the spirit of their dead mother (Maura) lives on,
especially after the death of their Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave).
There are many layers to writer/director Pedro Almodovar’s (Talk
to Her, Bad Education) latest, but the story never
finds the energy or coherence to match the devious cleverness to
which it aspires. It’s as though someone has taken over the mind
of Almodovar and put forth this lackluster, desperately
uneventful film that’s redeemed only by Cruz’s enchanting
performance. Rated R.
The History
Boys
**
(Richard
Griffiths, Stephen Campbell Moore, Clive Merrison) Director
Nicholas Hytner (The Crucible) and playwright Alan
Bennett adapt this Broadway and West End hit for the big screen,
but they never get far enough away from theatrical histrionics
for the story to play well on film. The plot follows students at
a British boarding school as they prepare to take college
entrance exams with the hope of going to either Oxford or
Cambridge. Some individual moments work, but on the whole the
movie is somewhat immoral and not quite bold enough to say or do
anything of consequence. Rated R.
We Are Marshall
***
(Matthew
McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie) Coach Jack Lengyel (McConaughey)
tries to rebuild the University of Marshall football team after
a fatal plane crash in November 1970 kills almost all of its
coaches and players. Sports movies often beat us over the head
with the idea that “winning isn’t everything,” but through the
watchful and humble eye of McConaughey’s Coach Lengyel, the
Marshall football program brings life and joy back to a hesitant
community that lost far too many of its favorite sons. It’s an
effective, moving film that works even for those who despise
sports movies. Rated PG.
Rocky Balboa
***
(Sylvester
Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver) With Adrian now deceased,
Rocky (Stallone) runs a modest Italian restaurant in
Philadelphia and tries to mend his relationship with his son
(Milo Ventimiglia). He also has a nagging urge to fight again,
and commits to an exhibition with the current champion
(real-life boxer Tarver). Most of the film is a sentimental look
down memory lane with a heavy dose of post-career malaise thrown
into the mix, but it’s also well-written and warmly effective.
Then the training montage begins and damn if you don’t find
yourself chanting “Rocky! Rocky!” one last time. Rated PG.
Eragon
*1/2
(Edward
Speleers, John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons) After finding a
spherical blue stone in the forest, Eragon’s (Speleers) life is
changed forever after a dragon (voiced by Rachel Weisz) hatches
from it and he becomes immersed in a war against the land’s evil
king, Galbatorix (Malkovich). This cheap rip off of Star Wars
and The Lord of the Rings has no ideas to call its own,
worse acting (except for Irons) than an after-school special and
visual effects that are a mere notch above those in
Battlefield Earth. Rated PG.
Apocalypto
***1/2
(Rudy
Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez, Raoul Trujillo) As the end of the
ancient Mayan civilization draws near, Jaguar Paw (Youngblood)
secures his wife (Hernandez) and young son (Carlos Emilio Baez)
in a ditch before being captured by a rival tribe and taken to
the gods to be sacrificed. This is a hyper-violent and
captivating film from director Mel Gibson, who has succeeded in
doing what many thought unthinkable: he’s made an action movie
that’s also a period piece told in a foreign language, and has
done so remarkably well. The film is a truly unique experience
that you’ve probably never seen before and will likely never see
again. Rated R.
The Holiday
****
(Cameron Diaz,
Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black) Lovelorn career girls Amanda
(Diaz) and Iris (Winslet) swap their respective homes in Los
Angeles and England for two weeks in the hopes of getting as far
away from men as possible. Something magical must have been in
the air when they crossed the Atlantic, though, as Amanda is
soon infatuated with Iris’ brother Graham (Law) and Iris finds
comfort in an aging screenwriter (Eli Wallach) and kind composer
(Black). This graceful, funny and warm romantic comedy is the
best the genre has offered since “Love Actually” three years
ago. The story takes place around Christmas time, and is so
elegantly made that even the surliest scrooge is bound to leave
the theater with a smile. Rated PG-13.
Blood Diamond
***
(Leonardo
DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly) The greed of the
unscrupulous diamond trade in Africa is exposed as a smuggler (DiCaprio),
local fisherman (Hounsou) and journalist (Connelly) trek deep
into dangerous rebel territory to find a priceless diamond. It’s
a bloated epic that mixes action and pathos reasonably well, and
in doing so keeps you off-guard and interested. Connelly may be
underused, but DiCaprio once again displays his incredible range
by ably sporting a South African accent, and Hounsou finds
passion and poignancy in a role that could’ve easily been
one-dimensional. Rated R.
Turistas
(No Stars)
(Josh Duhamel,
Melissa George, Olivia Wilde) This vacation-gone-awry gore fest
follows young and attractive twenty-somethings lost in the
outskirts of Brazil who meet some not-so-nice locals. It’s an
average slasher pic for the first hour, but then a gory scene of
unthinkable, nausea-inducing discomfort ruins the little the
movie had going for it. This is the first movie I’ve ever walked
out on because it made me physically ill. Rated R.
The Nativity
Story
**
(Keisha
Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Shohreh Aghdashloo) This faithful
retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ follows Mary
(Castle-Hughes) as she’s impregnated by the Holy Spirit and
travels with Joseph (Isaac) to a little manger in Bethlehem. The
story is given a Sunday school interpretation by director
Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”), whose film may appeal to the
“Jesus Camp” crowd but offers little to anyone else. Arguably
the most important birth in the history of mankind deserves
better. Rated PG.
Deck the Halls
*
(Matthew
Broderick, Danny DeVito, Kristin Davis) Steven Finch’s
(Broderick) status as “the Christmas guy” in his small
Massachusetts town is challenged by new neighbor Buddy Hall (DeVito),
an irrational jerk who’s trying to have his house seen from
outer space. An unhealthy and unfunny competition ensues between
the two, the likes of which is not even childish enough to be
amusing. This is no Surviving Christmas (remember that
Ben Affleck bomb?), but it does leave you with a lingering
feeling of contempt. Rated PG.
For Your
Consideration
**
(Catherine
O’Hara, Parker Posey, Eugene Levy) As the production of a World
War II melodrama entitled “Home for Purim” begins to generate
awards buzz, everyone from the ditzy producer (Jennifer
Coolidge) to the clueless agent (Levy) is overcome with Oscar
hysteria. The film has it moments, but co-writers Levy and
Christopher Guest have led their company down much funnier paths
(Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show), and never
quite find a rhythm here. Anyone with high expectations will be
substantially disappointed. Rated PG-13.
Bobby
****
(Martin Sheen,
Helen Hunt, Anthony Hopkins) The goings-on at the Ambassador
Hotel on June 4, 1968 — the day Robert F. Kennedy was
assassinated — is the subject of writer/director Emilio
Estevez’s touching and nostalgic look at this era in American
history. By focusing on the people and only showing Kennedy’s
face through archival footage, Estevez allows the beliefs that
Kennedy stood for to resonate with the hope for a peaceful,
prosperous America. Rated R.
The Fountain
*
(Hugh Jackman,
Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn) From the director of Requiem for
a Dream comes a story about eternal love, a mysterious
fountain of youth, and a monkey with a brain tumor. Jackman and
Weisz play lovers whose bond lasts for more than 1,000 years,
but is never a happy one. For the first half hour absolutely
nothing makes sense. For the next hour things take a vague
shape, but you’ve stopped caring long ago and are just hoping
for something interesting to happen. It doesn’t, so for the last
six minutes of the 96-minute movie you desperately yearn for the
credits to roll and end your misery. Rated PG-13.
Déjà Vu
***1/2
(Denzel
Washington, Paula Patton, James Caviezel) After a devastating
bomb kills hundreds of innocents on a New Orleans ferry, ATF
(Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) agent Doug
Carlin (Washington) investigates. With the help of federal
agents, his starts by tracing the actions of a dead woman
(Patton) prior to the explosion, and becomes smitten with her in
the process. He then learns he may be able to travel back in
time to save her. Trust me, you’ve never seen a movie like this
before. Between director Tony Scott’s thrilling visuals,
Washington’s stellar performance and a wonderfully intriguing
script by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio, this is a very fun
movie that’ll keep you guessing. Rated PG-13.
Happy Feet **
(Elijah Wood,
Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman) Poor, poor Mumble (Wood).
Although his parents (Kidman and Hugh Jackman) found one another
through song, as all Emperor penguins do, he has a terrible
singing voice and is shunned by his peers. Mumble’s musical
prowess instead lies in tap dancing, which isn’t acceptable
until he meets Ramon (Williams) and his four friends. There’s a
little too much ecological concern for a movie that’s ostensibly
a silly good time, though some impressive visual sequences and
fine voice work make it tolerable. Rated PG.
Casino Royale
**1/2
(Daniel Craig,
Eva Green, Judi Dench) On James Bond’s (Craig) first mission, he
must stop a banker named Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) from
winning a poker tournament that would allow him to continue to
finance terrorism all over the world. Craig has re-invented Bond
with less charisma and more grittiness, making him more human
(and effective) than his predecessors. His success aside, the
film is unreasonably long at 144 minutes, and becomes quite
tiring to sit through. Rated PG-13.
Babel
***
(Brad Pitt,
Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal) Four storylines from
different parts of the world intersect in director Alejandro
Gonzalez Iñarritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga’s third
collaboration after Amores Perros and 21 Grams. This time
the pair don’t reach the same emotional heights, but the film is
a triumph of editing and acting, particularly Pitt as a
desperate husband and Adriana Barraza as Amelia, Pitt’s
babysitter who foolishly takes his two children into Mexico for
her son’s wedding. Kudos also go to Rinko Kikuchi as a deaf-mute
teenage girl in Japan who wants nothing more than to be
accepted. In the end, though, it’s hard to tell where the
concurrent happenstance ends and anything meaningful begins.
This is a sublime work of art signifying nothing but chance,
coincidence and horrible luck. Rated R.
Stranger Than
Fiction
**
(Will Ferrell,
Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson) Harold Crick (Ferrell) is a
straight-laced IRS auditor who keeps hearing a strange woman’s
voice in his head. For help he turns to a literature professor
(Hoffman) who helps him discern that the woman’s voice is that
of novelist Karen Eiffel, a reclusive writer who always kills
off her leading men. Tension abounds as Harold learns he’s a
character in her latest novel and must fight to stay alive. This
is an example of a cool idea getting lost in its own cleverness.
Sure, it’s fun to watch fiction melded with reality, but given
that the movie ostensibly takes place in the real world there’s
too much implausibility for it to gel. To his credit, Ferrell is
very restrained as the beleaguered Crick, and the dramatic
performance shows that he’s capable of more than the silliness
of Talladega Nights. Rated PG-13.
Borat: Cultural
Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of
Kazakhstan
***1/2
(Sacha Baron
Cohen, Ken Davitian, Pamela Anderson) A television reporter from
Kazakhstan named Borat Sagdiyev (Cohen) tours the U.S. in an
effort to learn values and customs that can improve his native
country. According to him there are three main problems in
Kazakhstan: “economic, social and Jew.” Anti-Semitism is just
one of the many offenses Cohen and director Larry Charles (“Curb
Your Enthusiasm”) commit in this riotously-funny movie. There is
no ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religious
belief at which Borat doesn’t poke at least a little fun, and
every time he does it it’s funnier than the last. Rated R.
The Queen
***
(Helen Mirren,
Michael Sheen, James Cromwell) Newly anointed Prime Minister
Tony Blair (Sheen) helps HM Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren) and the
royal family look past tradition and find the needs of its
people after the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Magnificent
performances by Mirren and Sheen powerfully bring the
centuries-old royal customs into modern times, and director
Stephen Frears paces the film to show that it was mostly
stubborn tradition — and not necessarily the highly speculated
dislike of Diana among the royal family — that led to the
monarchy appearing so distant immediately following the
unthinkable tragedy. Rated PG-13.
The Pursuit of
Happyness
***
(Will Smith,
Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton) Chris Gardner (Smith) struggles to
provide for his son (Jaden Smith) after his wife (Newton)
abandons them. The elder Smith suppresses all his natural charm
and gives one of the best performances of his career, while his
real-life son Jaden is adorably effective. The movie, however,
is slightly maudlin but succeeds in its tear-jerking
aspirations. Rated PG-13
Comments?
E-mail dhudak22@yahoo.com.
Best
of 2006
You’d never think the former Brat Packer and Mighty Ducks
star, could have written and directed a movie this good.
Emilio Estevez
pulls off Bobby. Photo by Sam Emerson/The Weinstein Company
By Dan Hudak
This was a decent
but not altogether great year at the movies, with some blockbusters
fizzling (The Da Vinci Code, X-Men: The Last Stand)
and others dazzling (Pirates of the Caribbean 2). Emerging
from the mediocrity is a nice variety of comedy, drama and action,
as exemplified by this list of the 10 best movies of 2006.
10. Borat:
Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of
Kazakhstan
Sacha Baron Cohen’s
television reporter from a Third World country (no, we’re not
talking about Miami, Mr. Tancredo) who brings his values to the
states worked as both a satire on American culture and a perverse,
no-holds-barred comedy that will stop at nothing for a laugh. This
was by far the raunchiest, most vile and uproariously funny movie
this year.
9. Children of
Men
A stirring drama
with a bold premise and a wonderful performance by Clive Owen makes
this one of the must-sees of the holiday releases. The film takes
place in London in the year 2027, by which point women are infertile
and much of the world has been destroyed. What’s appealing about
this dystopian future is the bold visual style of director Alfonso
Cuaron, which is both startling and depressingly gloomy.
8. A Prairie
Home Companion
The recent death of
Robert Altman hasn’t dampened the exuberance of the film, which is
one of the best of the director’s extensive career. The funny, fresh
and lively story was inspired by the radio show of the same name
hosted by Garrison Keillor and features some notable characters from
the program. The overlapping dialogue and chaos of the live show is
perfect fodder for Altman, and he brought it all to life as well as
he ever has.
7. The Holiday
This is the best
romantic comedy since Love Actually. Maybe I’m a sucker for
the mix of Christmas and romance, but writer/director Nancy Meyers’
splendidly funny and sweet movie is good enough to melt the heart of
even the surliest scrooge among us.
6. Apocalypto
Personal issues
aside, Mel Gibson is one of the most talented filmmakers working
today, and his ability to find emotion in a period piece and action
film told in an all but extinct language is remarkable. Yes, it’s
violent, but it’s also great drama.
5. Bobby
You’d never think
Emilio Estevez, the former Brat Packer and Mighty Ducks star,
could have written and directed a movie this good. Yet here is a
smart, layered drama that follows more than 20 characters on the day
presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy was shot in the Ambassador
Hotel in 1968. Estevez effectively finds the essence of Bobby
Kennedy’s importance through the goings-on at the hotel and his
speeches, which are used throughout the film.
4. Dreamgirls
Great songs, solid
performances by Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles and Eddie Murphy and a
wonderfully constructed story by writer/director Bill Condon make
this the best musical since Chicago. Talented as the cast is,
it’s “American Idol” outcast Jennifer Hudson who steals the movie
with her explosive performance. Expect it to dominate on Oscar
night.
3. Little Miss
Sunshine
This year’s best
independent film is a dark comedy about a dysfunctional family on a
road trip to take its optimistic young lady to compete in a beauty
pageant. The dazzling writing of Michael Arndt and strong
performances by an ensemble that includes Steve Carell, Toni
Collette and Greg Kinnear make this a smart, brutally honest and
side-splittingly funny movie. It also features an ending you will
never forget.
2. United 93
Two 9/11 movies
(the other was Oliver Stone’s very solid World Trade Center)
were released this year, but this one came first and was more
powerful and affecting. Kudos to writer/director Paul Greengrass for
not sensationalizing something that is still very difficult for many
to bear, and for finding an indomitable human spirit aboard the
flight that landed in a Pennsylvania field on 9/11.
1. The Departed
Martin Scorsese has
dispensed with noticeable Oscar aspirations and made a sensational
suspense story and crime thriller rolled into one. The premise is
ingenious: Matt Damon plays a Mafioso sent to infiltrate the
Massachusetts State Police, while Leonardo DiCaprio plays a state
police officer sent to infiltrate the mob. Soon the situation
spirals out of control and they must find one another before they
end up dead, which leads to great tension and exhilarating action as
the film gradually builds to its unthinkable climax. With a cast
that also includes Jack Nicholson, Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg,
everything that could’ve gone right with the project has. This is
vintage Scorsese at his best.
Honorable
mentions include: Half Nelson, which should earn star Ryan
Gosling an Oscar nomination; Clint Eastwood’s one-two combination of
Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima; a
comedy from Spain titled Only Human; the deliberately un-sexy
Miami Vice; a documentary called Cocaine Cowboys,
which tells the real story behind what we get a taste of in Miami
Vice; the little-seen Fast Food Nation; Notes on a
Scandal, which will earn Dame Judi Dench her sixth Oscar
nomination; and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,
which came in second only to Borat as the funniest movie
released this year.
Next week we’ll
discuss 2006’s worst.
Comments? E-mail
dhudak22@yahoo.com.
Apocalypto
***1/2
(Rudy Youngblood,
Dalia Hernandez, Raoul Trujillo) As the end of the ancient Mayan
civilization draws near, Jaguar Paw (Youngblood) secures his wife
(Hernandez) and young son (Carlos Emilio Baez) in a ditch before
being captured by a rival tribe and taken to the gods to be
sacrificed. This is a hyper-violent and captivating film from
director Mel Gibson, who has succeeded in doing what many thought
unthinkable: he’s made an action movie that’s also a period piece
told in a foreign language, and has done so remarkably well. The
film is a truly unique experience that you’ve probably never seen
before and will likely never see again. Rated R.
The Holiday
****
(Cameron Diaz, Kate
Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black) Lovelorn career girls Amanda (Diaz)
and Iris (Winslet) swap their respective homes in Los Angeles and
England for two weeks in the hopes of getting as far away from men
as possible. Something magical must have been in the air when they
crossed the Atlantic, though, as Amanda is soon infatuated with
Iris’ brother Graham (Law) and Iris finds comfort in an aging
screenwriter (Eli Wallach) and kind composer (Black). This graceful,
funny and warm romantic comedy is the best the genre has offered
since “Love Actually” three years ago. The story takes place around
Christmas time, and is so elegantly made that even the surliest
scrooge is bound to leave the theater with a smile. Rated PG-13.
Blood Diamond
***
(Leonardo DiCaprio,
Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly) The greed of the unscrupulous
diamond trade in Africa is exposed as a smuggler (DiCaprio), local
fisherman (Hounsou) and journalist (Connelly) trek deep into
dangerous rebel territory to find a priceless diamond. It’s a
bloated epic that mixes action and pathos reasonably well, and in
doing so keeps you off-guard and interested. Connelly may be
underused, but DiCaprio once again displays his incredible range by
ably sporting a South African accent, and Hounsou finds passion and
poignancy in a role that could’ve easily been one-dimensional. Rated
R.
Turistas
(No Stars)
(Josh Duhamel,
Melissa George, Olivia Wilde) This vacation-gone-awry gore fest
follows young and attractive twenty-somethings lost in the outskirts
of Brazil who meet some not-so-nice locals. It’s an average slasher
pic for the first hour, but then a gory scene of unthinkable,
nausea-inducing discomfort ruins the little the movie had going for
it. This is the first movie I’ve ever walked out on because it made
me physically ill. Rated R.
The Nativity Story
**
(Keisha
Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Shohreh Aghdashloo) This faithful
retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ follows Mary (Castle-Hughes)
as she’s impregnated by the Holy Spirit and travels with Joseph
(Isaac) to a little manger in Bethlehem. The story is given a Sunday
school interpretation by director Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”),
whose film may appeal to the “Jesus Camp” crowd but offers little to
anyone else. Arguably the most important birth in the history of
mankind deserves better. Rated PG.
Deck the Halls
*
(Matthew Broderick,
Danny DeVito, Kristin Davis) Steven Finch’s (Broderick) status as
“the Christmas guy” in his small Massachusetts town is challenged by
new neighbor Buddy Hall (DeVito), an irrational jerk who’s trying to
have his house seen from outer space. An unhealthy and unfunny
competition ensues between the two, the likes of which is not even
childish enough to be amusing. This is no Surviving Christmas
(remember that Ben Affleck bomb?), but it does leave you with a
lingering feeling of contempt. Rated PG.
For Your
Consideration
**
(Catherine O’Hara,
Parker Posey, Eugene Levy) As the production of a World War II
melodrama entitled “Home for Purim” begins to generate awards buzz,
everyone from the ditzy producer (Jennifer Coolidge) to the clueless
agent (Levy) is overcome with Oscar hysteria. The film has it
moments, but co-writers Levy and Christopher Guest have led their
company down much funnier paths (Waiting for Guffman, Best
in Show), and never quite find a rhythm here. Anyone with high
expectations will be substantially disappointed. Rated PG-13.
Bobby
****
(Martin Sheen,
Helen Hunt, Anthony Hopkins) The goings-on at the Ambassador Hotel
on June 4, 1968 — the day Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated — is
the subject of writer/director Emilio Estevez’s touching and
nostalgic look at this era in American history. By focusing on the
people and only showing Kennedy’s face through archival footage,
Estevez allows the beliefs that Kennedy stood for to resonate with
the hope for a peaceful, prosperous America. Rated R.
The Fountain
*
(Hugh Jackman,
Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn) From the director of Requiem for a
Dream comes a story about eternal love, a mysterious fountain of
youth, and a monkey with a brain tumor. Jackman and Weisz play
lovers whose bond lasts for more than 1,000 years, but is never a
happy one. For the first half hour absolutely nothing makes sense.
For the next hour things take a vague shape, but you’ve stopped
caring long ago and are just hoping for something interesting to
happen. It doesn’t, so for the last six minutes of the 96-minute
movie you desperately yearn for the credits to roll and end your
misery. Rated PG-13.
Déjà Vu
***1/2
(Denzel Washington,
Paula Patton, James Caviezel) After a devastating bomb kills
hundreds of innocents on a New Orleans ferry, ATF (Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) agent Doug Carlin
(Washington) investigates. With the help of federal agents, his
starts by tracing the actions of a dead woman (Patton) prior to the
explosion, and becomes smitten with her in the process. He then
learns he may be able to travel back in time to save her. Trust me,
you’ve never seen a movie like this before. Between director Tony
Scott’s thrilling visuals, Washington’s stellar performance and a
wonderfully intriguing script by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio,
this is a very fun movie that’ll keep you guessing. Rated PG-13.
Happy Feet **
(Elijah Wood, Robin
Williams, Nicole Kidman) Poor, poor Mumble (Wood). Although his
parents (Kidman and Hugh Jackman) found one another through song, as
all Emperor penguins do, he has a terrible singing voice and is
shunned by his peers. Mumble’s musical prowess instead lies in tap
dancing, which isn’t acceptable until he meets Ramon (Williams) and
his four friends. There’s a little too much ecological concern for a
movie that’s ostensibly a silly good time, though some impressive
visual sequences and fine voice work make it tolerable. Rated PG.
Casino Royale
**1/2
(Daniel Craig, Eva
Green, Judi Dench) On James Bond’s (Craig) first mission, he must
stop a banker named Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) from winning a poker
tournament that would allow him to continue to finance terrorism all
over the world. Craig has re-invented Bond with less charisma and
more grittiness, making him more human (and effective) than his
predecessors. His success aside, the film is unreasonably long at
144 minutes, and becomes quite tiring to sit through. Rated PG-13.
Fast Food Nation
***1/2
(Greg Kinnear,
Bruce Willis, Paul Dano) Director Richard Linklater has taken a
fictional twist to Eric Schlosser’s book about the fast food
industry, but hasn’t lost any of its zest. The industry is dissected
on every level, from the naïve cashier just trying to pay her bills
to the illegal immigrants working for below minimum wage in a meat
factory to the highly-paid corporate execs and everywhere in
between. When the environmental, social and political consequences
are thrown in for good measure, we begin to see just how alarming,
shocking and, we fear most of all, truthful the film aspires to be.
Think of it as Traffic for the fast food industry. Rated R.
Little Children
**
(Kate Winslet,
Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Connelly) Bored suburban domestics (Winslet
and Wilson) are ignited at the thought of a forbidden affair, and
resist temptation for as long as they can. Based on the novel by Tom
Perrotta, the film has an unnecessary third person narration that
distracts from the seemingly innocuous boredom of these people’s
lives. Much credit to Winslet and Wilson for taking the daring
roles, and for the brave ending, but on the whole the film lacks
style and is too slow. Rated R.
Harsh Times
**1/2
(Christian Bale,
Freddy Rodriguez, Eva Longoria) Former Army Ranger Jim Davis (Bale)
and his best friend Mike (Rodriguez) blow off job hunting to drink,
smoke weed and chase women. As Jim’s psychotic episodes grow worse
and Mike’s girlfriend (Longoria) badgers him to find a job, the
friends spiral down a path of destruction and despair. Bale plays
Jim with a scary ferocity that’s more unleashed than his disturbed
portrayal of Patrick Bateman in “American Psycho.” Writer/director
David Ayer’s (writer of Training Day”) film matches this energy,
which ironically makes it a little too discomforting to be enjoyed.
Rated R.
A Good Year
*1/2
(Russell Crowe,
Albert Finney, Freddie Highmore) London-based bonds trader Max
Skinner (Crowe) inherits his uncle’s (Finney) vineyard in southern
France, and unexpectedly falls in love with the place — and a local
waitress — upon visiting. It’s hard to believe that Crowe and
director Ridley Scott (“Gladiator”) would make such a sappy and
hapless picture, but given that seeing is believing, go only if
you’re interested in watching very talented artists fail miserably.
Rated PG-13.
Babel
***
(Brad Pitt, Cate
Blanchett, Gael García Bernal) Four storylines from different parts
of the world intersect in director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu and
writer Guillermo Arriaga’s third collaboration after Amores
Perros and 21 Grams. This time the pair don’t reach the same
emotional heights, but the film is a triumph of editing and acting,
particularly Pitt as a desperate husband and Adriana Barraza as
Amelia, Pitt’s babysitter who foolishly takes his two children into
Mexico for her son’s wedding. Kudos also go to Rinko Kikuchi as a
deaf-mute teenage girl in Japan who wants nothing more than to be
accepted. In the end, though, it’s hard to tell where the concurrent
happenstance ends and anything meaningful begins. This is a sublime
work of art signifying nothing but chance, coincidence and horrible
luck. Rated R.
Stranger Than
Fiction
**
(Will Ferrell,
Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson) Harold Crick (Ferrell) is a
straight-laced IRS auditor who keeps hearing a strange woman’s voice
in his head. For help he turns to a literature professor (Hoffman)
who helps him discern that the woman’s voice is that of novelist
Karen Eiffel, a reclusive writer who always kills off her leading
men. Tension abounds as Harold learns he’s a character in her latest
novel and must fight to stay alive. This is an example of a cool
idea getting lost in its own cleverness. Sure, it’s fun to watch
fiction melded with reality, but given that the movie ostensibly
takes place in the real world there’s too much implausibility for it
to gel. To his credit, Ferrell is very restrained as the beleaguered
Crick, and the dramatic performance shows that he’s capable of more
than the silliness of Talladega Nights. Rated PG-13.
Borat: Cultural
Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
***1/2
(Sacha Baron Cohen,
Ken Davitian, Pamela Anderson) A television reporter from Kazakhstan
named Borat Sagdiyev (Cohen) tours the U.S. in an effort to learn
values and customs that can improve his native country. According to
him there are three main problems in Kazakhstan: “economic, social
and Jew.” Anti-Semitism is just one of the many offenses Cohen and
director Larry Charles (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) commit in this
riotously-funny movie. There is no ethnicity, race, gender, sexual
orientation or religious belief at which Borat doesn’t poke at least
a little fun, and every time he does it it’s funnier than the last.
Rated R.
Running with
Scissors
***
(Annette Bening,
Alec Baldwin, Joseph Cross) Before the age of 15, Augusten Burroughs
(Cross) learns he’s gay, has a legitimately crazy mother (Bening)
and alcoholic father (Baldwin), is sexually abused by a 35 year-old
man and is sent to live with his mother’s shrink. There’s a strong
sense of “this couldn’t possibly happen to one person” as the black
comedy plays out, but Cross’ vulnerability as Burroughs keeps us
interested enough in the main story while the impressive cast (which
also includes Brian Cox, Evan Rachel Wood, Joseph Fiennes, Jill
Clayburgh and Gwyneth Paltrow) overacts and entertains. Based on the
2002 bestseller written by Burroughs. Rated R.
Catch a Fire
***
(Derek Luke, Tim
Robbins, Bonnie Henna) Set to the backdrop of South African
apartheid in the early 1908s, the story follows Patrick Chamusso
(Luke) as he’s wrongly accused of a terrorist bombing by Nic Vos
(Robbins), a government agent in charge of fighting terrorism. Upset
and appalled at the way he’s treated, Chamusso decides to take
matters into his own hands, with deadly consequences. Derek Luke
gives the performance of his career as Chamusso, and likable and
charismatic man whose life is torn apart by apartheid. As for the
film, it’s very well made by political thriller aficionado Phillip
Noyce (The Quiet American), but fails to find true relevance
to the political issues of today. Rated PG-13.
Flags of Our
Fathers
***
(Ryan Phillippe,
Adam Beach, Jesse Bradford) We’ve all seen the famous photograph of
six Marines raising an American flag in Iwo Jima during World War
II. This film, based on the book by James Bradley and Ron Powers,
depicts what happened to those six men immediately before, during
and after the war. This is a relatively large-scale picture for
director Clint Eastwood, who usually takes a minimalist approach to
his projects. Although he’s done a wonderful job, a jumpy timeline
stagnates the otherwise compelling, powerful war drama. Rated R.
The Prestige
**
(Hugh Jackman,
Christian Bale, Michael Caine) After the unfortunate death of his
wife (played by Piper Perabo), Robert Angier (Jackman) develops a
personal vendetta against fellow magician Alfred Borden (Bale), whom
he blames for his wife’s death. This is an interesting premise that
has the perfect gloomy atmosphere needed for late 1800s London, but
you quickly get the impression that director Christopher Nolan (Memento,
Batman Begins) is trying so hard to be clever and
unpredictable that he forgot to tell a good story. Rated PG-13.
Marie Antoinette
*
(Kirsten Dunst,
Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn) Writer/director Sofia Coppola tells the
“good parts” version of the life of Marie Antoinette, who as a
teenager in 1768 was sent from her native Austria to France and
marries the man who would become King Louis XVI. The sets and
costumes are fun, but the film is excruciatingly slow and makes 123
minutes feel like 180. This movie is as bad as Coppola’s performance
in The Godfather: Part III. Rated PG-13.
The Grudge 2
*
(Amber Tamblyn,
Edison Chen, Sarah Michelle Gellar) Aubrey (Tamblyn) is sent to
Tokyo by her crazy mother after learning that her sister Karen
(Gellar) has burned down a house. There’s also a subplot involving
an unhappy family in Chicago and teenagers in Tokyo, all of whom are
inexplicably cursed by the rage of the ominous house. It’s not easy
to be as bad as “The Ring Two,” which was one of the worst horror
sequels in years, but this movie makes a valiant attempt and nearly
succeeds. It’s not scary, shocking or even remotely amusing, unless
you count the constant laughter heard at the late-night preview
screening I attended. Rated PG-13.
Jesus Camp
**
(Becky Fischer,
Mike Papantonio) This passionate, alarming documentary directed by
Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing is about the Christian Evangelical
movement and the children whose lives will forever by guided by the
teachings they’ve been forced to learn before they’re old enough to
make decisions for themselves. This is a disjointed, uneven film
that includes scenes that are powerfully moving and unintentionally
very funny, and will be very difficult for any non-fanatical
Christian to bear. Rated PG-13.
Employee of the
Month
*1/2
(Dane Cook, Jessica
Simpson, Dax Shepard) Two rivals (Cook and Shepard) at Super Club, a
Costco-esque wholesale store, compete for the affection of the new
cashier (Simpson). Cook is the lone saving grace of this woefully
unfunny would-be comedy, which tries and pathetically fails to be
Office Space in a superstore. The usually reliable Shepard is
startlingly negative and unfunny, and Simpson is a vacuous
non-entity who barely looks good enough to warrant the attention.
Rated PG-13.
The Departed
****
(Leonardo DiCaprio,
Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson) Martin Scorsese’s latest follows two
moles: one (Damon) is a Mafioso infiltrating the Massachusetts State
Police; the other is a cop (DiCaprio) infiltrating the mob. Tension
mounts when each is assigned to find the other, and it all leads to
a fantastic and unpredictable finale. This is a modern, violent and
incredibly entertaining look at the Irish mafia in Boston, told
through the eyes of a filmmaker who has once again made one of the
best movies of the year. Rated R.
The Guardian
***
(Kevin Costner,
Ashton Kutcher, Sela Ward) After a traumatic experience during a
rescue mission, U.S. Coast Guard Senior Chief Ben Randall (Costner)
goes to teach at “A” school, the academy’s training program for
rescue swimmers. There he meets Jake Fischer (Kutcher), a high
school swimming champion with a lot to learn. Not even the limited
acting abilities of Costner and Kutcher can ruin this action-packed
and insightful film centered on the Coast Guard. In fact, the two
work together quite nicely. Rated PG-13.
All the King’s Men
**
(Sean Penn, Jude
Law, Kate Winslet) A populist Southerner named Willie Stark (Penn)
rises to the top of Louisiana politics, but is undone by his own
desperate struggle to make his unfulfilled promises come true. This
is a powerful story of corruption, betrayal and loss, but it lacks
the coherence and energy needed to believe any of it actually
matters. Based on the Robert Penn Warren Pulitzer Prize-winning
novel of the same name, which itself was based on the political
career of Louisiana governor Huey P. Long. Rated PG-13.
Jackass Number Two
***
(Johnny Knoxville,
Steve-O, Bam Margera) Knoxville and friends Steve-O, Bam, Chris,
Ryan, etc. return for more heinous and dangerous stunts, most of
which are done with the sole intention of amusing or degrading
themselves. Here is a movie that is so awesomely juvenile and so
primitively idiotic that it doesn’t take long to stop thinking it’s
stupid and start laughing right along with the often hysterically
funny skits. Rated R.
Half Nelson
***1/2
(Ryan Gosling,
Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie) An eighth-grade history teacher
(Gosling) forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students
(Epps) after she catches him using drugs. A harrowing film of
sadness and despair, highlighted by Gosling’s stellar turn and a
remarkably nuanced performance by young Epps. Rated R.
Gridiron Gang
**1/2
(Dwayne “The Rock”
Johnson, Xzibit, Jade Yorker) Probation officers (The Rock and
Xzibit) at a juvenile detention center turn a group of
violence-prone felons into a high school football team. The sports
movie genre doesn’t allow for much creativity, and there certainly
isn’t any on display here. But the performance of The Rock, combined
with the likeability of the kids, makes it bearable. Rated PG-13.
Hollywoodland
**
(Adrien Brody,
Diane Lane, Ben Affleck) Private eye Louis Simo (Brody) investigates
the 1959 death of television’s Superman (Affleck). Was it his
spurned fiancé, Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney)? His lover’s (Diane
Lane) husband, MGM Vice President Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins)? Or was
it indeed a suicide, as concluded by the LAPD? The film doesn’t take
quite as much delight in exposing the theories as it should, and
therefore is rather flat and lifeless when it needs to be anything
but. Rated R.
The Quiet (No
Stars)
(Camilla Belle,
Elisha Cuthbert, Martin Donovan) The prototypical happy American
family is given a facelift with a pill-popping mom (Edie Falco) and
a dad (Donovan) who sexually molests his teenage daughter
(Cuthbert). Condoned pedophilia is something audiences should never
have to endure, and the film is never clever enough to be either a
scathing satire or searing indictment of the complacency with which
we view the common family. This movie is amoral and unwatchable.
Rated R.
Invincible
**
(Mark Wahlberg,
Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks) After the Philadelphia Eagles have
one of their worst seasons in franchise history in 1975, new coach
Dick Vermeil (Kinnear) holds open tryouts for all comers. Enter
Vince Papale (Wahlberg), who only played two years of high school
football but shows enough toughness and resolve to make the team.
Just about every sports cliché in the book is on display in this
Disney movie, which never once has the courage to deviate from
formula monotony. Papale’s true story deserves better. Rated PG.
The Illusionist
**1/2
(Edward Norton,
Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel) Renowned illusionist Eisenheim (Norton)
falls for his forbidden childhood sweetheart (Biel) and must evade
the pesky Chief Inspector Uhl (Giamatti) in early 20th century
Vienna. Have no illusions: The story is predictable, and the
talented cast registers mediocre performances at best. Still, there
is something intrinsically appealing about it, and the magic is fun
to watch. Rated PG-13.
Only Human
***1/2
(Guillermo
Toledo,
Marián Aguilera,
María
Botto) Disaster strikes when a nice Jewish girl
(Aguilera) brings her Palestinian fiancé (Toledo) home to her wacky
family in Madrid. This is a delightful little comedy that transcends
subtitles and is hilarious from start to finish. See it if you’re in
the mood for a great laugh. Rated R.
Little Miss
Sunshine
****
(Greg Kinnear, Toni
Collette, Alan Arkin) The dysfunctional Hoover family takes a
700-mile road trip and nearly kills one another (literally and
figuratively) along the way. This is one of the smartest, most
brutally honest and side-splittingly funny movies in a long, long
time, and will undoubtedly appear on many critics’ Top Ten list at
the end of the year (it’ll certainly be on mine). Rated R.
World Trade Center
***1/2
(Nicolas Cage,
Michael Peña, Maria Bello) The heartrending story of the last two
Port Authority Police Officers (Cage and Pena) rescued from the
rubble of the World Trade Center Towers on 9/11 comes to life
vividly in Oliver Stone’s passionate, moving film. This is a story
of great endurance and love overcoming death, and Stone directs with
a simple, tactful approach that shows nothing but respect for its
subject matter. Rated PG-13.
Barnyard
***
(Voices of Kevin
James, Sam Elliott, Andie MacDowell) After his father dies, a young
and immature cow named Otis (James) must defend his fellow animals
against the evil coyotes that lurk outside the farm’s fences. It may
not be as funny as this summer’s Over the Hedge, and
yes we’re all getting sick of computer-generated animals, but the
movie’s choice selection of pop tunes and its warmth make it fun for
kids of all ages. Rated PG.
Talladega Nights:
The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
***
(Will Ferrell, John
C. Reilly, Gary Cole) Hotshot NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby (Ferrell)
sees his career fall apart when he can’t beat a French Formula One
driver named Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen). This is Ferrell’s
funniest since Old School and will soon become a comedy
classic. Rated PG-13.
The Descent
***
(Shauna Macdonald,
Alex Reid, Molly Kayll) Six thrill-seeking female friends become
trapped in a cave in the Appalachian Mountains, and then must fight
for their survival against the predators that lurk beneath. As
well-made as the movie is, it’s also so intense that by the end
you’ll want them to get out not for their own sakes, but for yours.
Still, those who liked Open Water (2003) and aren’t
claustrophobic will enjoy this gothic horror tale. Rated R.
Miami Vice
***1/2
(Colin Farrell,
Jamie Foxx, Gong Li) As undercover Miami detectives Crockett
(Farrell) and Tubbs (Foxx) infiltrate a South American drug ring.
Crockett begins an affair with the drug lord’s girlfriend, Isabella
(Li). Writer/director Michael Mann has stripped the city of its
glossy, neon-colored sheen and delivered an intense, gloomy
character drama that’s a substantial improvement from the ’80s
television show. Rated R.
Scoop
**
(Scarlett
Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Woody Allen) An ambitious college reporter
(Johansson) in London gets a once-in-a-lifetime scoop that the
wealthy Lord Peter Lyman (Jackman) is the city’s “Tarot Card
Killer,” who’s the “biggest story to hit London since Jack the
Ripper,” deceased journalist Joe Strombel (Ian McShane) says. Aged
magician Sid Waterman (Allen) helps her investigate. If Allen would
have had the courtesy to not write his neurotic self into the
script, this could’ve been an intriguing mystery. But sadly he does,
and undermines the tension by constantly cracking jokes. Rated
PG-13.
Clerks II
***
(Brian O’Halloran,
Jeff Anderson, Jason Mewes) The beloved deadbeats (O’Halloran and
Anderson) from the 1994 low-budget hit Clerks are back, this
time working in a fast-food restaurant called “Mooby’s” and with a
newfound fascination for interspecies sex. Writer/director Kevin
Smith didn’t have to bring his original foul-mouthed screw-ups back
to the big screen, but fans of the original and newcomers will be
glad he did, because this is a very funny movie. Rated R.
My Super
Ex-Girlfriend
**
(Uma Thurman, Luke
Wilson, Anna Faris) After Matt (Wilson) dumps his girlfriend Jenny (Uma
Thurman) because she’s too needy and overbearing, she makes his life
absolutely miserable. The trouble is that she’s also a superhero
named G-Girl, and never hesitates to use her superpowers against
Matt. This is a nice twist on the idea of a superhero’s personal
life, but it’s undone by the fact that they don’t become “exes”
until an hour into the movie and the laughs just never seem natural.
Rated PG-13.
Lady in the Water
**
(Paul Giamatti,
Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright) After a lonely superintendent
named Cleveland Heep (Giamatti) discovers a mysterious woman
(Howard) in the pool area of his apartment complex, he soon learns
she’s from another world and is in great danger of not returning
alive. The film labors through its first half with very little of
interest happening, but then comes alive with an upbeat musical
score and genuine intrigue. Rated PG-13.
Monster House
***
(Voices of Steve
Buscemi, Jon Heder, Kevin James) Best friends DJ and Chowder
discover that their crazy neighbor’s house is actually a living,
mean-spirited monster. It may sound scary, but this animated comedy
is quite fun and creative, although it’s too intense for the wee
little kids. Rated PG.
You, Me and Dupree
*1/2
(Owen Wilson, Kate
Hudson, Matt Dillon) After losing his apartment, lifelong do-nothing
Dupree (Wilson) moves in with his best friend Carl (Dillon) and his
wife, Molly (Hudson). This is a boring, by-the-books comedy that
doesn’t have one original creative thought and is rarely funny.
Rated PG-13.
A Scanner Darkly
**
(Keanu Reeves,
Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr.) Set seven years in the future, an
undercover cop (Reeves) loses control of his drug addiction and can
no longer tell what’s real and what isn’t. Interestingly, the film
was shot and edited in live action by writer/director Richard
Linklater (Dazed and Confused), and then animated in an
effort to provide a truly hyper-surreal experience. While the
animation trick may work, the rest of the story never quite comes
together. Based on the Philip K. Dick novel. Rated R.
Pirates of the
Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
***
(Johnny Depp, Bill
Nighy, Orlando Bloom) Everyone’s favorite pirate, Captain Jack
Sparrow (Depp), must save his soul from the malicious Davy Jones (Nighy)
in this seafaring continuation of the 2003 hit. It may take a
half-hour to begin to make sense, but once it finds it sea legs it’s
a swashbucklin’ good time. Yo ho! Rated PG-13.
Wordplay
***
(Will Shortz, Jon
Stewart, Bill Clinton) An in-depth look at the almost cult-like
world of crossword puzzle gurus, from the origins of the puzzle and
how they’re constructed, to the individuals who complete them for
fun and in competition. The cast of quirky eccentrics and director
Patrick Creadon’s simple, straightforward flow makes it accessible
and fun for those who’ve never even tried to finish a crossword
puzzle. Rated PG.
The Devil Wears
Prada **
(Meryl Streep, Anne
Hathaway, Stanley Tucci) An unsuspecting young writer (Hathaway) is
completely in over her head when she takes a job as an assistant for
Miranda Priestly (Streep), a magazine editor who is the most
powerful woman in the fashion industry. Only Streep’s superb
performance redeems the bland coming-of-age story, the likes of
which should’ve gone out of style years ago. Rated PG-13.
Superman Returns
***
(Brandon Routh,
Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth) The Man of Steel (Routh) returns and
once again saves the world from the clutches of the evil Lex Luthor
(Spacey), who is using Superman’s power against him in order to
create a new continent in the mid-Atlantic.
The action and
effects are exhilarating, and with the exception of Bosworth, who is
much too young to play Lois Lane, the casting is top-notch. The
problem is that it’s way too long and desperately needs to be
trimmed to two hours. Rated PG-13.
Waist Deep
***
(Tyrese Gibson,
Meagan Good, Larenz Tate) An embattled father (Gibson) enlists the
help of a street hustler (Good) to help him find his kidnapped son
in South Central Los Angeles. The film is surprisingly humorous for
a serious-minded gangland drama, and it’s good. Tyrese gives the
best performance of his young career. Rated R.
Click
***
(Adam Sandler, Kate
Beckinsale, Christopher Walken) An overworked and underappreciated
architect (Sandler) who can’t find time for his wife (Beckinsale)
and kids finds “a remote control that controls his universe.”
Now he can fast
forward through fights and cold showers, and focus on enjoying the
good stuff. The problem is that he’s soon at the remote control’s
mercy once it becomes automatically programmed to skip certain
events. It’s funny, yes, but only “clicks” because of its depth and
emotion. Rated PG-13.
Nacho Libre
***
(Jack Black, Hector
Jimenez, Ana de la Reguera) Nacho (Black), a loyal and observing
monk in a remote area of Mexico, resorts to a “sinful” amateur
wrestling circuit in order to earn money to save his monastery’s
orphanage. The content of the movie, which proudly features Black in
tights and acting like a buffoon, is idiocy in its most extreme
form. It’s also darn funny. Rated PG.
The Lake House
**1/2
(Sandra Bullock,
Keanu Reeves) A doctor (Bullock) and architect (Reeves) who
separately lived in the same lake house fall in love as they
exchange hand-written letters. Here’s the catch: for him, it’s 2004;
for her, it’s 2006. The predictable ending undermines an otherwise
well-acted, poignant story. Rated PG.
An Inconvenient
Truth
***
(Al Gore) Based on
the slide show that former Vice President Al Gore has given “at
least 1,000 times” all over the world, this searing documentary
looks at the alarming issues surrounding global warming. No, Gore
can’t resist making political jabs, or including a few personal
anecdotes. But this problem is very real regardless of where your
political affiliations lie, and it’s well presented by a
surprisingly personable Gore. Rated PG.
Comments? E-mail
dhudak22@yahoo.com.
***
The
following reviews were posted on 12.7.06
The Painted
Veil
***
(Edward Norton,
Naomi Watts, Liev Schreiber) Walter (Norton) and Kitty (Watts)
are never in love, get married, she cheats, there’s a lot of
hatred and spite, and then they fall in love for the first time.
It may not be what you expect from a movie that takes place in
1920s China, but the story grows on you and Watts’ conflicted
heroine is endearing. This is a moving, effective drama. Based
on the W. Somerset Maugham novel. Rated PG-13.
Children of Men
***1/2
(Clive Owen,
Julianne Moore, Michael Caine) In the year 2027, women are
infertile and a disgruntled former activist (Owen) has given up
hope for the future of mankind. Things change, however, when his
former lover Julian (Moore) asks him to transport the
miraculously pregnant Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) through a war
zone to safety. Owen’s captivating performance drives the strong
narrative along, and director Alfonso Cuaron’s (Harry Potter
and the Prisoner of Azkaban) gloomy visual style perfectly
accentuates the story of a dystopian future in desperate need of
a glimmer of hope. Rated R.
Notes on a
Scandal
***1/2
(Dame Judi
Dench, Cate Blanchett, Billy Nighy) Pottery teacher Sheba (Blanchett)
is blackmailed into an overbearing friendship with colleague
Barbara (Dench) after Barbara learns she is having an affair
with a 15 year-old student (Andrew Simpson). Dench is fiendishly
awesome as the cunning and manipulative schoolmarm who offers
comfort with very thick strings attached. And in what must be
the most discomfiting role of her career, Blanchett handles
Sheba with an uneasy quiet and ethereal beauty — we have
sympathy for her even though we know what she’s doing is wrong.
Rated R.
Perfume: The
Story of a Murderer
***
(Ben Whishaw,
Simon Chandler, Dustin Hoffman) In 18th century
Paris, a man (Whishaw) with an enhanced sense of smell tries to
create the perfect perfume by killing women and capturing their
scent. Imminently appealing with visual panache to spare,
Patrick Suskind’s controversial novel has been given a spirited
interpretation by director Tom Tykwer (Run, Lola, Run).
But at 147 minutes it’s also a bit overwhelming, including the
grand conclusion, which features an orgy that would put the porn
industry to shame. Rated R.
Dreamgirls
****
(Jamie Foxx,
Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson) Loosely based on the career of
the Supremes, three girls (Knowles, Hudson and Tony winner Anika
Noni Rose) from Detroit dream of a singing career and get their
wish when they’re signed by manager Curtis Taylor Jr. (Foxx).
Great songs, great acting and a wonderfully constructed story by
writer/director Bill Condon make this the best musical since
Chicago, and one of the best movies this year. Amid a cast
with stars named Foxx, Eddie Murphy and Knowles, American
Idol outcast Hudson steals the movie and America’s heart
once again. This film will win many, many Oscars. Rated PG-13.
Night at the
Museum
**1/2
(Ben Stiller,
Owen Wilson, Robin Williams) The new night watchman (Stiller) at
the Museum of Natural History gets quite a surprise his first
day on the job: the wax figures of Teddy Roosevelt (Williams),
westerns tough guys (led by Wilson), various animals and more
come to life thanks to an ancient Egyptian spell. It’s good,
clean fun for kids, but parents will likely grow bored with the
silly story. The best bet is to have the grandparents take them
— screen legends Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney are the lone
highlights for adults. Rated PG.
The Good
Shepherd
**1/2
(Matt Damon,
Alec Baldwin, Angelina Jolie) The history of the CIA is traced
through the career of Edward Wilson (Damon), who was there when
it was founded until the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961.
The grand intentions are admirable, but director Robert De Niro
(behind the camera for the first time since A Bronx Tale
in 1993) never quite gets his arms around the sheer scope of
Eric Roth’s script, which had been in development for at least
ten years. A flat performance by Damon also doesn’t help,
although he’s picked up by a solid ensemble cast. Rated R.
The Good German
**
(George
Clooney, Tobey Maguire, Cate Blanchett) American journalist Jake
Geismer (Clooney) tries to get former lover Lena Brandt (Blanchett)
out of post-World War II Berlin. Director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic)
deserves credit for trying to make a traditional WWII movie with
only the technology available in the 1940s, but unwelcome
modernisms such as violence and vulgarity never allow the
experiment to work. A convoluted script by Paul Attanasio
(working from Joseph Kanon’s novel) seals the fate of this
thoroughly mediocre project. Rated R.
Volver
**
(Penelope Cruz,
Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas) Raimunda (Cruz) and her sister Sole (Dueñas)
believe the spirit of their dead mother (Maura) lives on,
especially after the death of their Aunt Paula (Chus Lampreave).
There are many layers to writer/director Pedro Almodovar’s (Talk
to Her, Bad Education) latest, but the story never
finds the energy or coherence to match the devious cleverness to
which it aspires. It’s as though someone has taken over the mind
of Almodovar and put forth this lackluster, desperately
uneventful film that’s redeemed only by Cruz’s enchanting
performance. Rated R.
The History
Boys
**
(Richard
Griffiths, Stephen Campbell Moore, Clive Merrison) Director
Nicholas Hytner (The Crucible) and playwright Alan
Bennett adapt this Broadway and West End hit for the big screen,
but they never get far enough away from theatrical histrionics
for the story to play well on film. The plot follows students at
a British boarding school as they prepare to take college
entrance exams with the hope of going to either Oxford or
Cambridge. Some individual moments work, but on the whole the
movie is somewhat immoral and not quite bold enough to say or do
anything of consequence. Rated R.
We Are Marshall ***
(Matthew
McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie) Coach Jack Lengyel (McConaughey)
tries to rebuild the University of Marshall football team after
a fatal plane crash in November 1970 kills almost all of its
coaches and players. Sports movies often beat us over the head
with the idea that “winning isn’t everything,” but through the
watchful and humble eye of McConaughey’s Coach Lengyel, the
Marshall football program brings life and joy back to a hesitant
community that lost far too many of its favorite sons. It’s an
effective, moving film that works even for those who despise
sports movies. Rated PG.
Rocky Balboa
***
(Sylvester
Stallone, Burt Young, Antonio Tarver) With Adrian now deceased,
Rocky (Stallone) runs a modest Italian restaurant in
Philadelphia and tries to mend his relationship with his son
(Milo Ventimiglia). He also has a nagging urge to fight again,
and commits to an exhibition with the current champion
(real-life boxer Tarver). Most of the film is a sentimental look
down memory lane with a heavy dose of post-career malaise thrown
into the mix, but it’s also well-written and warmly effective.
Then the training montage begins and damn if you don’t find
yourself chanting “Rocky! Rocky!” one last time. Rated PG.
Eragon
*1/2
(Edward
Speleers, John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons) After finding a
spherical blue stone in the forest, Eragon’s (Speleers) life is
changed forever after a dragon (voiced by Rachel Weisz) hatches
from it and he becomes immersed in a war against the land’s evil
king, Galbatorix (Malkovich). This cheap rip off of Star Wars
and The Lord of the Rings has no ideas to call its own,
worse acting (except for Irons) than an after-school special and
visual effects that are a mere notch above those in
Battlefield Earth. Rated PG.
Apocalypto
***1/2
(Rudy
Youngblood, Dalia Hernandez, Raoul Trujillo) As the end of the
ancient Mayan civilization draws near, Jaguar Paw (Youngblood)
secures his wife (Hernandez) and young son (Carlos Emilio Baez)
in a ditch before being captured by a rival tribe and taken to
the gods to be sacrificed. This is a hyper-violent and
captivating film from director Mel Gibson, who has succeeded in
doing what many thought unthinkable: he’s made an action movie
that’s also a period piece told in a foreign language, and has
done so remarkably well. The film is a truly unique experience
that you’ve probably never seen before and will likely never see
again. Rated R.
The Holiday
****
(Cameron Diaz,
Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black) Lovelorn career girls Amanda
(Diaz) and Iris (Winslet) swap their respective homes in Los
Angeles and England for two weeks in the hopes of getting as far
away from men as possible. Something magical must have been in
the air when they crossed the Atlantic, though, as Amanda is
soon infatuated with Iris’ brother Graham (Law) and Iris finds
comfort in an aging screenwriter (Eli Wallach) and kind composer
(Black). This graceful, funny and warm romantic comedy is the
best the genre has offered since “Love Actually” three years
ago. The story takes place around Christmas time, and is so
elegantly made that even the surliest scrooge is bound to leave
the theater with a smile. Rated PG-13.
Blood Diamond
***
(Leonardo
DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly) The greed of the
unscrupulous diamond trade in Africa is exposed as a smuggler (DiCaprio),
local fisherman (Hounsou) and journalist (Connelly) trek deep
into dangerous rebel territory to find a priceless diamond. It’s
a bloated epic that mixes action and pathos reasonably well, and
in doing so keeps you off-guard and interested. Connelly may be
underused, but DiCaprio once again displays his incredible range
by ably sporting a South African accent, and Hounsou finds
passion and poignancy in a role that could’ve easily been
one-dimensional. Rated R.
Turistas
(No Stars)
(Josh Duhamel,
Melissa George, Olivia Wilde) This vacation-gone-awry gore fest
follows young and attractive twenty-somethings lost in the
outskirts of Brazil who meet some not-so-nice locals. It’s an
average slasher pic for the first hour, but then a gory scene of
unthinkable, nausea-inducing discomfort ruins the little the
movie had going for it. This is the first movie I’ve ever walked
out on because it made me physically ill. Rated R.
The Nativity
Story
**
(Keisha
Castle-Hughes, Oscar Isaac, Shohreh Aghdashloo) This faithful
retelling of the birth of Jesus Christ follows Mary
(Castle-Hughes) as she’s impregnated by the Holy Spirit and
travels with Joseph (Isaac) to a little manger in Bethlehem. The
story is given a Sunday school interpretation by director
Catherine Hardwicke (“Thirteen”), whose film may appeal to the
“Jesus Camp” crowd but offers little to anyone else. Arguably
the most important birth in the history of mankind deserves
better. Rated PG.
Deck the Halls
*
(Matthew
Broderick, Danny DeVito, Kristin Davis) Steven Finch’s
(Broderick) status as “the Christmas guy” in his small
Massachusetts town is challenged by new neighbor Buddy Hall (DeVito),
an irrational jerk who’s trying to have his house seen from
outer space. An unhealthy and unfunny competition ensues between
the two, the likes of which is not even childish enough to be
amusing. This is no Surviving Christmas (remember that
Ben Affleck bomb?), but it does leave you with a lingering
feeling of contempt. Rated PG.
For Your
Consideration
**
(Catherine
O’Hara, Parker Posey, Eugene Levy) As the production of a World
War II melodrama entitled “Home for Purim” begins to generate
awards buzz, everyone from the ditzy producer (Jennifer
Coolidge) to the clueless agent (Levy) is overcome with Oscar
hysteria. The film has it moments, but co-writers Levy and
Christopher Guest have led their company down much funnier paths
(Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show), and never
quite find a rhythm here. Anyone with high expectations will be
substantially disappointed. Rated PG-13.
Bobby
****
(Martin Sheen,
Helen Hunt, Anthony Hopkins) The goings-on at the Ambassador
Hotel on June 4, 1968 — the day Robert F. Kennedy was
assassinated — is the subject of writer/director Emilio
Estevez’s touching and nostalgic look at this era in American
history. By focusing on the people and only showing Kennedy’s
face through archival footage, Estevez allows the beliefs that
Kennedy stood for to resonate with the hope for a peaceful,
prosperous America. Rated R.
The Fountain
*
(Hugh Jackman,
Rachel Weisz, Ellen Burstyn) From the director of Requiem for
a Dream comes a story about eternal love, a mysterious
fountain of youth, and a monkey with a brain tumor. Jackman and
Weisz play lovers whose bond lasts for more than 1,000 years,
but is never a happy one. For the first half hour absolutely
nothing makes sense. For the next hour things take a vague
shape, but you’ve stopped caring long ago and are just hoping
for something interesting to happen. It doesn’t, so for the last
six minutes of the 96-minute movie you desperately yearn for the
credits to roll and end your misery. Rated PG-13.
Déjà Vu
***1/2
(Denzel
Washington, Paula Patton, James Caviezel) After a devastating
bomb kills hundreds of innocents on a New Orleans ferry, ATF
(Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) agent Doug
Carlin (Washington) investigates. With the help of federal
agents, his starts by tracing the actions of a dead woman
(Patton) prior to the explosion, and becomes smitten with her in
the process. He then learns he may be able to travel back in
time to save her. Trust me, you’ve never seen a movie like this
before. Between director Tony Scott’s thrilling visuals,
Washington’s stellar performance and a wonderfully intriguing
script by Bill Marsilii and Terry Rossio, this is a very fun
movie that’ll keep you guessing. Rated PG-13.
Happy Feet **
(Elijah Wood,
Robin Williams, Nicole Kidman) Poor, poor Mumble (Wood).
Although his parents (Kidman and Hugh Jackman) found one another
through song, as all Emperor penguins do, he has a terrible
singing voice and is shunned by his peers. Mumble’s musical
prowess instead lies in tap dancing, which isn’t acceptable
until he meets Ramon (Williams) and his four friends. There’s a
little too much ecological concern for a movie that’s ostensibly
a silly good time, though some impressive visual sequences and
fine voice work make it tolerable. Rated PG.
Casino Royale
**1/2
(Daniel Craig,
Eva Green, Judi Dench) On James Bond’s (Craig) first mission, he
must stop a banker named Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) from
winning a poker tournament that would allow him to continue to
finance terrorism all over the world. Craig has re-invented Bond
with less charisma and more grittiness, making him more human
(and effective) than his predecessors. His success aside, the
film is unreasonably long at 144 minutes, and becomes quite
tiring to sit through. Rated PG-13.
Babel
***
(Brad Pitt,
Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal) Four storylines from
different parts of the world intersect in director Alejandro
Gonzalez Iñarritu and writer Guillermo Arriaga’s third
collaboration after Amores Perros and 21 Grams. This time
the pair don’t reach the same emotional heights, but the film is
a triumph of editing and acting, particularly Pitt as a
desperate husband and Adriana Barraza as Amelia, Pitt’s
babysitter who foolishly takes his two children into Mexico for
her son’s wedding. Kudos also go to Rinko Kikuchi as a deaf-mute
teenage girl in Japan who wants nothing more than to be
accepted. In the end, though, it’s hard to tell where the
concurrent happenstance ends and anything meaningful begins.
This is a sublime work of art signifying nothing but chance,
coincidence and horrible luck. Rated R.
Stranger Than
Fiction
**
(Will Ferrell,
Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson) Harold Crick (Ferrell) is a
straight-laced IRS auditor who keeps hearing a strange woman’s
voice in his head. For help he turns to a literature professor
(Hoffman) who helps him discern that the woman’s voice is that
of novelist Karen Eiffel, a reclusive writer who always kills
off her leading men. Tension abounds as Harold learns he’s a
character in her latest novel and must fight to stay alive. This
is an example of a cool idea getting lost in its own cleverness.
Sure, it’s fun to watch fiction melded with reality, but given
that the movie ostensibly takes place in the real world there’s
too much implausibility for it to gel. To his credit, Ferrell is
very restrained as the beleaguered Crick, and the dramatic
performance shows that he’s capable of more than the silliness
of Talladega Nights. Rated PG-13.
Borat: Cultural
Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of
Kazakhstan
***1/2
(Sacha Baron
Cohen, Ken Davitian, Pamela Anderson) A television reporter from
Kazakhstan named Borat Sagdiyev (Cohen) tours the U.S. in an
effort to learn values and customs that can improve his native
country. According to him there are three main problems in
Kazakhstan: “economic, social and Jew.” Anti-Semitism is just
one of the many offenses Cohen and director Larry Charles (“Curb
Your Enthusiasm”) commit in this riotously-funny movie. There is
no ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religious
belief at which Borat doesn’t poke at least a little fun, and
every time he does it it’s funnier than the last. Rated R.
The Queen
***
(Helen Mirren,
Michael Sheen, James Cromwell) Newly anointed Prime Minister
Tony Blair (Sheen) helps HM Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren) and the
royal family look past tradition and find the needs of its
people after the death of Princess Diana in 1997. Magnificent
performances by Mirren and Sheen powerfully bring the
centuries-old royal customs into modern times, and director
Stephen Frears paces the film to show that it was mostly
stubborn tradition — and not necessarily the highly speculated
dislike of Diana among the royal family — that led to the
monarchy appearing so distant immediately following the
unthinkable tragedy. Rated PG-13.
These Reviews
were posted in November 2006
Jackass Number Two
***
(Johnny Knoxville,
Steve-O, Bam Margera) Knoxville and friends Steve-O, Bam, Chris,
Ryan, etc. return for more heinous and dangerous stunts, most of
which are done with the sole intention of amusing or degrading
themselves. Here is a movie that is so awesomely juvenile and so
primitively idiotic that it doesn’t take long to stop thinking it’s
stupid and start laughing right along with the often hysterically
funny skits. Rated R.
Half Nelson ***1/2
(Ryan Gosling,
Shareeka Epps, Anthony Mackie) An eighth-grade history teacher
(Gosling) forms an unlikely friendship with one of his students
(Epps) after she catches him using drugs. A harrowing film of
sadness and despair, highlighted by Gosling’s stellar turn and a
remarkably nuanced performance by young Epps. Rated R.
Gridiron Gang **1/2
(Dwayne “The Rock”
Johnson, Xzibit, Jade Yorker) Probation officers (The Rock and
Xzibit) at a juvenile detention center turn a group of
violence-prone felons into a high school football team. The sports
movie genre doesn’t allow for much creativity, and there certainly
isn’t any on display here. But the performance of The Rock, combined
with the likeability of the kids, makes it bearable. Rated PG-13.
Hollywoodland **
(Adrien Brody,
Diane Lane, Ben Affleck) Private eye Louis Simo (Brody) investigates
the 1959 death of television’s Superman (Affleck). Was it his
spurned fiancé, Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney)? His lover’s (Diane
Lane) husband, MGM Vice President Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins)? Or was
it indeed a suicide, as concluded by the LAPD? The film doesn’t take
quite as much delight in exposing the theories as it should, and
therefore is rather flat and lifeless when it needs to be anything
but. Rated R.
The Quiet (No
Stars)
(Camilla Belle,
Elisha Cuthbert, Martin Donovan) The prototypical happy American
family is given a facelift with a pill-popping mom (Edie Falco) and
a dad (Donovan) who sexually molests his teenage daughter
(Cuthbert). Condoned pedophilia is something audiences should never
have to endure, and the film is never clever enough to be either a
scathing satire or searing indictment of the complacency with which
we view the common family. This movie is amoral and unwatchable.
Rated R.
Invincible **
(Mark Wahlberg,
Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks) After the Philadelphia Eagles have
one of their worst seasons in franchise history in 1975, new coach
Dick Vermeil (Kinnear) holds open tryouts for all comers. Enter
Vince Papale (Wahlberg), who only played two years of high school
football but shows enough toughness and resolve to make the team.
Just about every sports cliché in the book is on display in this
Disney movie, which never once has the courage to deviate from
formula monotony. Papale’s true story deserves better. Rated PG.
The Illusionist
**1/2
(Edward Norton,
Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel) Renowned illusionist Eisenheim (Norton)
falls for his forbidden childhood sweetheart (Biel) and must evade
the pesky Chief Inspector Uhl (Giamatti) in early 20th century
Vienna. Have no illusi |