SEX AND THE CITY

Photos provided by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures HBO’s fab four of fashion and flings receives the big screen treatment with the same title, SEX AND THE CITY. As far as I know, the movie picks up where the television program left off. Carrie, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Mr. Big decide to move in together in a ritzy Manhattan condo, Miranda and Steve are finding marriage to be a tough proposition, Charlotte and her husband are enjoying the riches of adoption and Samantha is finding her lavish Los Angeles lifestyle and boyfriend aren't all their cracked up to be. The four reunite for Carrie’s big day, after Carrie and Mr. Big decide marriage is what their relationship is missing.

To start with I should tell you that I’ve never seen the HBO version of SEX AND THE CITY, and my viewings of the program have been limited to reruns on TBS. That said, writer-director Michael Patrick King establishes the background of the characters and their situations succinctly during the film’s introduction, so well, that most of what follows is a disappointment. Outside of the fact that these ladies’ lifestyles are ones which most cannot related to, the relationships they’re entangled in seem nearly as implausible. The core of the film surrounds the on-again, off-again relationship between Carrier and Mr. Big. This may have worked, but the picture’s narrative only allows us to view the relationship through Carrie’s eyes, leaving Mr. Big’s emotions and motivations as an after-thought. Miranda’s marital woes are relatable, but uninteresting and Samantha’s issues are neither. Charlotte pops in from time to time, but King doesn’t seem too concerned with her story. Although the plot leaves little to be desired, the four actresses seem to be a match made in heaven. Whether it's dining at Carrie’s honeymoon destination, or bonding after a dramatic moment these four convey a strong chemistry and friendship. Their loyalty and honesty is refreshing, even if it's surrounded by superficial circumstances. SEX AND THE CITY doesn’t have much to say, and at nearly two and a half hours, it takes a long time to say it.

Grade: C

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL

Pictures courtesty of Paramount Pictures and Lucasfilm Ltd. Cinema’s most famous archeologist is back, and finds himself caught between comrades, companions and communists in the action-adventure, INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL. Harrison Ford returns as Indy, and Steven Spielberg slips back into the director’s chair for the fourth installment of the INDIANA JONES series. In this adventure, following a shoot-up at the military’s infamous Area 51, Jones finds himself on the short list of communist assailant suspects, and at the same time catches wind of a rare artifact known as the crystal skull. With not only an excuse, but now a reason, to flee the states, Jones embarks on an overseas adventure with his artifact informant Mutt, played by Shia LeBeouf.

It’s hard to teach an old dog new trick, which not only seems to be a blessing, but a curse for Spielberg. INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL features nearly as many terrific high-octane, well-orchestrated and humorously driven action scenes as RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, even if the driving force behind CRYSTAL SKULL seems as dead as a skeleton. There isn’t much for Indy to hang his fedora on when it comes to plot, so Spielberg seems intent on devising a series of action sequences that deliver plenty of excitement, suspense and laughs. CRYSTAL SKULL gets off to an exhilarating start with Jones under assault at Area 51, followed by a trip to a dangerous, but unassuming village, but after this brilliant beginning the film drifts in and out of entertaining action moments and less than stellar relationship entanglements between Indy, Mutt and Indy’s old love interest Marion, reprised by RAIDERS Karen Allen. The final revelation is something less than the sum of the parts, a bit of a rehash from the climax of RAIDERS, but a combination that shouldn’t come as a surprise for Spielberg fans. With that said, the highly improbable, yet utterly believable action-adventure moments deliver anything and everything a JONES fan could want, and justifies the means to the end.

Grade: B

PRICELESS

Pictures courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn PicturesA naïve and mistaken bartender is seduced by a beautiful gold-digger in the French romantic-comedy PRICELESS. Jean, a bartender at a prestigious hotel, passes out on one of the hotel lounge’s loveseats and is awoken by Irene, a gorgeous gold digger whose sugar daddy is also passed out. Irene mistakes Jean for a wealthy visitor, and after sharing more than a few drinks, the two leave their inhibitions aside and share a one-night stand. Jean wakes up the next morning alone in bed, and it isn’t until exactly one-year later, that Irene returns with another wealthy and elderly boyfriend by her side. This doesn’t seem to sway Jean.

Complete with laughs, chemistry and genuine romantic tension and suspense PRICELESS delivers an old fashioned style romance, with a touch of naughtiness. The achievement by writer-director Pierre Salvadori isn’t as much the subtle humor, or sophisticated and mannered game that the players play with love and dollars, but the unorthodox screenplay that breaks from convention, and delivers because of it. Most of, if not all Hollywood scripts would have relied on the star power to deliver the goods, and would have dragged out the mistaken identity through the fifth or even sixth reel of the movie. PRICELESS dispenses, quite naturally, with this cliché early on and assuredly delivers a storyline that is just as rewarding and much more plausible. This isn’t to say that the star power isn’t there. Audrey Tautou not only resembles Audrey Hepburn, but her Irene is Holly Golightly incarnate, and Tautou gives a performance that can stand up to Hepburn’s. Gad Elmaleh has just as tricky a job as Jean, and walks a acting tight rope, keeping his character from veering into complete schmuck while still remaining likable. PRICELESS plays the cat and mouse contest between Jean and Irene just right, tackling matters of the heart with both intellect and emotion. Although it doesn’t live up to it’s far-reaching title, PRICELESS is definitely worth the price of admission.

Grade: B+

SPEED RACER

Pictures courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures A young boy’s racing pedigree leads him to stardom on the track in the cartoon-based, live-action feature SPEED RACER. Emile Hirsch stars as Speed Racer, a young man torn between family pride and success when confronted by a major sponsor who seeks him as their new driver. Adding to Speed’s tough racing decision is the emotional baggage of losing a brother to the sport, his father’s approval and a childhood romance that has blossomed into something more with girlfriend Trixie.
In spite of all its brilliant colors, high speed racing and clever storytelling SPEED RACER ends up off track in terms of tone and nature. Regardless of the story’s origin, the theatrical version of SPEED RACER turns out to be far more schmaltzy than it should be, and not nearly silly enough, considering the film’s PG rating. The film was written and directed by the brotherly tandem of Andy and Larry Wachowski of Matrix fame. The two’s visual sense is second to none, but wrapping their genius around a cohesive and engaging tale is another story. Although not nearly as complex as the Matrix’s labyrinth, SPEED RACER is a bit complicated for its target audience. Couple the kid-challenged plot with several manic racing sequences, and the film’s ability to entertain is drastically reduced. The extremely talented cast, consisting of Hirsch, Chistina Ricci, John Goodman, Matthew Fox and Susan Sarandon, all go to waste with performances that are too sincere for the synthetic script. SPEED RACER has its engine all revved up, but never is running on all cylinders.

Grade: C-

REDBELT

Pictures courtesty of Sony Classics
Writer-director David Mamet examines the world of mixed martial arts in the dramatic thriller REDBELT. Chitel Ejiofor is Mike Terry, the central character of REDBELT, a highly skilled instructor of Jiu-jitsu, a rare form of mixed martial arts. Mike has held to the belief that martial arts are a wonderful means of self defense, patience and use of mind over matter. Following some bizarre circumstances one evening at Mike’s self defense studio and at a local bar, the Jiu-jitsu teacher may be forced to step into a mixed martial arts competition in order to recover from a few financial losses.

As with most Mamet films, not everything is as it appears. REDBELT features a wide array of strong character actors who serve as proverbial chameleons. These actors’ characters in REDBELT are constantly sliding up and down a slippery moral slope involving success, desire and most of all, money. Ejiofor’s Mike tries to avoid these sticky situations by adhering to a strict moral code, but despite his best efforts, Mike is drawn into difficult circumstances. Although operating effectively as a thriller thanks to Mamet’s often elaborate screenplay, REDBELT makes for a compelling character study of Mike, a man trying to operate on a samurai’s system in a fractured, violent and ruthless world. Ejiofor’s focused, patient and restrained performance makes REDBELT as good as it is. With his world slowly crumbling down around him, Mike remains true to himself and his belief that there isn’t any situation too great to overcome. Through Ejiofor’s internally intense, but determined portrayal, REDBELT is lifted from an engaging thriller to a thrilling critique on our current culture.

Grade: B+

BABY MAMA

Pictures courtesy of Universal Pictures Tina Fey hears her biological clock ticking in the comedy BABY MAMA. Fey plays successful businessman woman Kate Holbrook. Kate has always put her professional endeavors ahead of her personal ones, and now single and 37, she realizes that what she wants most out of life is a baby. After several failed pregnancy attempts through a sperm bank, Kate elects to have a surrogate carry the child. The surrogate is Angie, a working class woman whose common law husband leaves little to be desired.

Although treading over familiar turf as last summer’s KNOCKED UP, BABY MAMA still feels fresh due to its feminine point of view and two spot-on performances by Fey and co-star Amy Poehler. Unlike Apatow’s comedy, the couple is the same sex, but each is struggling with similar issues. Fey’s Kate has been so focused on her work that she’s allotted little time for herself, and Poehler’s Angie has been enjoying life’s small pleasures but doesn't get the full picture. The plot is second to the humor which mixes Fey’s dry, but clever wordplay with Poehler’s outlandish, yet devilishly deadpan antics. Writer Michael McCullers, of AUSTIN POWERS fame, has a knack with Saturday Night Live alums, and works wonderfully with the Weekend Update anchors. Fey and Poehler are a great comedic tandem, possessing the type of chemistry severely lacking in today’s comedies. Quality supporting performances provide further comedic aid, with Greg Kinnear as a lovable small business owner, and Steve Martin and Sigourney Weaver adding a nice touch to their eccentric characters. Thanks to these performances, and a solidly silly screenplay, BABY MAMA avoids feeling like an Apatow re-run.

Grade: B

HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY

Pictures courtesty of New Line Cinema

Two bright, but mismatched friends find their trip to Amsterdam rerouted to a terrorist imprisonment camp in the comedy HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY. Just after their wild evening to the fast-food joint WHITE CASTLE, Harold and Kumar decide to travel to Amsterdam, where Harold can reunite with his dream girl, and Kumar can enjoy some marijuana legally. The trip goes sour when Kumar decides to inhale some weed during their flight to Europe, and the authorities mistake Kumar’s bong for a bomb. This leads to Harold and Kumar being suspected of terrorism, and being thrown into a high security cell at Guantanamo Bay.

More of the same would summarize HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE FROM GUANTANAMO BAY in relation to their trip to White Castle. This red-state lambasting, blue state ideological comedy severely lacks both clever social and political commentary and basic comedic elements. In between the first and second HAROLD AND KUMAR flicks a similarly themed, equally offensive, but more often than not hilarious comedy was released, BORAT. Where BORAT allowed its subjects to paint their own derogatory self-portrait, HAROLD AND KUMAR takes familiar, easy and crude potshots at their victims. Southern Americans are in-breeders, racists or hors, and those of a conservative mindset are portrayed as small-minded, racist hypocrites. There’s no joke to low brow for HAROLD AND KUMAR, and no body fluid, function or orifice that escapes writer-directors Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg. Even the appearance of Neil Patrick Harris as Neil Patrick Harris can’t salvage this mess, as his role turns out to be a tired repeat, as opposed to his invigorating and hilarious turn in the original. If you enjoyed HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE than their trip to and from Guantanamo Bay should be right up your alley, if not, like me it will be a painful exercise in raunchiness.

Grade: D

UNDER THE SAME MOON

Pictures courtesty of Fox Searchlight A young boy travels across the border in search of his birth mother in the Mexican film, UNDER THE SAME MOON. Carlitos, a nine-year old Mexican boy, lives with his elderly grandmother and dreams of someday reuniting with his mother Rosario, who is residing in the United States. Rosario sends money weekly to support Carlitos, and calls him every Sunday morning, but the distance is still much more than either mother or son can handle. After Carlitos’s grandmother passes away in her sleep, the young boy sets out on a journey across the Mexico-United States border in search of his mother, a Los Angeles, California resident.

An intimate emotional tale is wrapped around the controversial issue of illegal immigration in UNDER THE SAME MOON. The Mexican made picture isn’t balanced in its view on the hotbed issue, but it is a seemingly fair and honest portrayal of what hundreds, if not thousands of Mexicans strive for in an attempt to better the lives of themselves and their families. Politics aside, UNDER THE SAME MOON is an easy film to embrace with a storyline centered on the reunion of a loving mother and ambitious son. When analyzing the steps young Carlitos must make to find his mother, the script sounds contrived, but director Patricia Riggen allows time for the events to unfold in a realistic manner. Riggen’s careful touch is aided by two terrific central performances from young Adrian Alonso, and Kate del Castillo. Alonso’s Carlitos is a cute kid, but he doesn’t play the role as such, instead focusing on the drive, determination and passion of reuniting with his mother. Del Castillo is equally effective, conveying an adult torn by the distance between her youngster and the benefits she can provide her son by earning a living thousands of miles away. UNDER THE SAME MOON presents this tale of perseverance effectively around the argumentative issue of illegal immigration, and punctuates it with a clever and riveting final shot.

Grade: B

SMART PEOPLE

Pictures c ourtesy of Miramax
An intellectual father and daughter are academic successes, but failures in the social scene in the comedy-drama SMART PEOPLE. Dennis Quaid is widowed professor Lawrence Wetherhold, an English professor who is attempting to get his book publicized, and is having as much trouble getting his car out of the impound lot. In the midst of scaling the impound lot’s fence, Lawrence has a minor seizure that lands him in the emergency room. Dr. Janet Hartigan, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is Lawrence’s physician in the ER, and also an old student of his. He begins seeing Janet, which makes his daughter Vanessa, played by Ellen Page, very agitated.

Many of the characters in SMART PEOPLE operate on their own island. That is to say, they function well on their own, but when it comes to relations with others they become withdrawn, awkward and often angered. Lawrence, Vanessa and Lawrence’s adopted brother Chuck, played by Thomas Haden Church, all provide compelling and intriguing individuals, but when they are called upon to interact with one another, the reality of SMART PEOPLE falls short. Part of the problem comes from the screenplay, penned by Mark Poirer. Poirer’s carefully constructed examination of these individuals only goes so far, establishing their own strengths and deficiencies, but fails when it comes to the quintessential portion of the picture, their relationships. Most of, if not all of these encounters are a tough sell. An attractive and successful doctor falling for an old, overweight, unattractive curmudgeon like Lawrence is quite a stretch, and the storyline between Vanessa and her adoptive uncle attempts to play as dark and edgy, but ends up far closer to awkwardness. SMART PEOPLE is a fairly focused study of fractured individuals, but is as seemingly clueless about social interaction as the characters its attempting to bring together.

Grade: C

21

Pictures courtesty of Sony Pictures
A group of MIT students utilize their means of deduction on the blackjack tables in Sin City in the movie 21. Ben Campbell is a brilliant MIT student hoping to land a scholarship to Harvard’s medical school, because money is the only thing standing between Ben and the Ivy League school. His chance at landing the scholarship is slim, and Ben isn’t making nearly enough working at a fine men’s clothing store. Luck may have just turned Ben’s way, when he is recruited to join a secret blackjack club at MIT, composed of fellow students and run by a professor. The group develops a system of counting cards, and codes, and with their team system in place, they’re able to make tens of thousands of dollars at Vegas’s finest casinos.


This wild fantasy of MIT students going from honor students to high stakes hustlers is the kind of story built for Hollywood. 21 is based on the real-life story of Ben Campbell, a 20-something MIT student, who finds the art of counting cards to be a lucrative enterprise. Although based on actual events, 21 wisely, or should I say fairly, never eludes to the fact that it is based on a true story. This a calculated and rational decision by director Robert Luketic, since I presume several liberties were taken with characters and events involved. By skirting the factual aspects, 21 can simply serve as escapist fun, a sometimes thrilling, often engaging romp where fair-minded college students turn into major Vegas players. The performances are standard, but deliver enough realism to overcome the inadequacies in the screenplay. One of these inadequacies has the brilliant Ben stashing hundreds of thousands of dollars in his dorm room’s drop ceiling, instead of several other safe spots. A wizard with mathematics, odds and probability, one would think Ben could have deducted the probability of these riches being stolen from his ceiling as opposed to a high security bank. This qualm aside, 21 delivers a fairly entertaining, and mainly forgettable thriller.

Grade: B-

STOP-LOSS

Pictures courtesy of MTV Films
Iraq war veterans receive their marching orders just after returning home from a tour of duty in the war zone in the drama, STOP-LOSS. STOP-LOSS refers to the practice the United States military utilizes requiring certain soldiers to continue serving their country in battle. As defined by Wikipedia, stop-loss is an “involuntary extension of a service member's enlistment contract in order to retain them beyond the normal end term of service or the ceasing of a permanent change of station move for a member still in military service”. In STOP LOSS, Ryan Phillippe’s Brandon King, purple-heart, bronze-star wearing Iraq War veteran, is stop-lossed and ordered back to Iraq. Not agreeing to the terms of service, Brandon flees his hometown and becomes a fugitive of the United States military.

The practice of stop-loss is a controversial one, one which director Kimberly Pierce is dead against. There’s a reasonable and rational argument against the use of stop-loss, but Pierce does not deliver it. Her passionate criticism against the procedure has blinded her sense of realism and ability in storytelling. The characters in the film, excluding Brandon, are poorly drawn caricatures of what many anti-war activists view as the American military. Brandon’s pals are short-tempered, muscle-bound idiots who’s machoism supercedes their intellect. By painting those willing to serve their country in a derogatory light, Pierce undermines her legitmacy and those she is seemingly seeking to protect. Her general tackling of the issue is heavy-handed and poorly presented, but the intimate moments between Brandon and his fellow soldiers work. Despite his transparent Texas accent, Phillipe delivers some nice emotional scenes surrounding the sacrifices made by those that serve. Not only is Phillipe good, but Pierce demonstrates a wonderful touch allowing the drama of the scenes to unfold. In spite of these moments, the highly contentious and highly charged issue of stop-loss is more than Pierce can handle.

Grade: C-

HORTON HEARS A WHO

Pictures courtesy of 20th Century Fox

An elephant believes he hears voices coming from a speck of dust in the big-screen version of HORTON HEARS A WHO. The film is based on the popular Dr Seuss short story of the same title. Dead-set on protecting the speck, Horton, a large, but lovable elephant, plans on delivering the speck, carrying an entire community of individuals known as “Whos” to the highest peak in the jungle. Unfortunately for Norton, other jungle wildlife would like to prove him wrong and will try to stop him and his speck from reaching their destination.

Silly, smart and sweet are words I often associate with Dr Seuss’s works, and each of these attributes is wonderfully abundant in the big-screen adaptation of HORTON HEARS A WHO. The central character in each of Dr. Seuss’s works is the driving force, and HORTON is no different. The enormous pachyderm is one of the most likable children’s characters to hit the screen in quite some time, and is also incredibly goofy, honest and determined. Jim Carrey voices Horton, and despite some ad libbing at times, restrains from going overboard, and brings life and a lovable nature to the big guy. The rest of the high profile voice talent is also good. Steve Carrell’s unique voice is appropriately quirky as the Mayor of Whoville, and Carol Burnett provides a terrifically twisted voice performance as an overly skeptical Kangaroo mom. Not only is HORTON HEARS A WHO true to Seuss’s characters, it also remains true to its verse. In its own poetic way, such lines as “A meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent” and “A person’s a person no matter how small”, are refreshing from a literally standpoint, but also lend this charming picture even more assistance. HORTON HEARS A WHO is a wonderful example of Seuss on-screen.

Grade: B+

FUNNY GAMES (U.S.)

Pictures courtesy of Warner Independent Pictures

Writer-director Michael Haneke remakes his own European horror film for the states with FUNNY GAMES. Billed as FUNNY GAMES (US), the film is a supposedly shot-by-shot remake of Haneke’s horror film from 1997. FUNNY GAMES follows two privileged young men who find pleasure in torturing well-to-do, vacationing families. The two men, Paul and Peter, find their next victims with Ann, George and their son George, Junior.

FUNNY GAMES is not an easy film to watch, but it’s also not a film that’s easy to turn away from. I have a strong feeling this is exactly what Haneke was shooting for. The film has been tagged as the latest torture porn film, but by my standards, it’s a cut above the genre. I’m not sure any pleasure is to be derived from FUNNY GAMES violent acts, but a sense of terror, intrigue and suspense is existent for much of the film. Its not until the film’s latter third, that Haneke’s directorial choices seem as if he’s playing “funny games” with his audience. A few techniques Haneke utilizes seem intent on manipulating our emotions and reactions simply for the sake of manipulation. While I can appreciate toying with the conventions of the genre, it seems as if something more substantial should come from it. It’s a shame that Haneke’s experimental, but childish choices are manifested in a film with much skill. As the two antagonists, the performances by Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet are effectively eerie, and Naomi Watts is once again on the mark as the damsel in distress. FUNNY GAMES is an often uncomfortable and skillful film that is often too clever for its own good.

Grade: C+

IN BRUGES

Pictures courtesty of Focus Features

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson flee their hometown of London following a messy assignment in the crime caper, IN BRUGES. Farrell is Ray, and Gleeson Ken, two hit men who are assigned to take a vacation in Bruges after Ray botches a killing in London. During their stay in Bruges, Ken seems intent on enjoying the scenery, while Ray just wants to return home. Their boss Harry has other ideas, but has kept the two in the dark for the time being.

Mixing elements of humor, intrigue and drama, IN BRUGES attempts to define itself outside of the ordinary expectations for a crime caper. First time writer-director Martin McDonagh crafts a well-thought out script with well-rounded leads, and in spite of a grisly finish, is ultimately rewarding. Coming on the heels of his performance in Woody Allen’s CASSANDRA’S DREAM, Farrell is again terrific. Both Allen and McDonagh allow Farrell’s characters to evolve throughout their pictures. At the beginning of IN BRUGES, Farrell reveals a brash, cocky and funny Ray, but as the screenplay exposes more and more about Ray, Farrell is allowed to dig deeper and deeper into the dark confines of his character. Gleeson is also very good, illustrating a man resigned to the fate that his profession has led him to. In addition to these performances, the city of Bruges becomes a character of its own. Whether it’s the quaint, charming and atmospheric Bruges that Ken sees, or the dull, old fashioned surroundings that Ray is tired of, we get a wonderful sense of Bruges and its citizens. IN BRUGES is a different type of crime caper, anchored with rich characters and originality.

Grade: B-

SEMI-PRO

Pictures courtesty of New Line Cinema

Will Ferrell riffs another sport in the comedy SEMI-PRO. Following up on the success of TALLADEGA NIGHTS and BLADES OF GLORY, Ferrell teams up with director Kent Altman and writer Scot Armstrong to seek laughs at the expense of the ABA, a 1970’s professional basketball league. Ferrell is Jackie Moon, a one-hit wonder on the pop charts, who turns his singing success into basketball stardom. He buys the Flynt Tropics, and enlists himself as the head coach and starting power forward. The ABA is going through a financial crisis, and its competitor, the National Basketball Association has offered a buyout of the league, with the top four teams merging with the NBA. The Tropics are near the bottom of the ABA standings, but that won’t stop Moon and crew from reaching for the top.

In spite of the pulled-up tube socks, groovy 70’s soundtrack and funniest hairdos since KINGPIN, SEMI-PRO fails because it relies too heavily on its star player to deliver all of the comedic scoring. The opening moments of SEMI-PRO are its best, serving up Moon’s catchy, hilarious and vulgar number one hit, “Love Me Sexy”. If the rest of the film were written as silly and on the mark as “Love Me Sexy”, SEMI-PRO would have been a laugh-fest. Ferrell can perform in these roles in his sleep, and that appears to be what Altman and Armstrong were relying on. Although not as painfully bad as KICKING AND SCREAMING, the writing in SEMI-PRO leaves little to be desired. A certain nostalgia for the 70’s may be warranted, but many of the jokes are derived from lame references and outlandish fashions. Additional lazy scripting comes in the form of an underdeveloped and unnecessary love story between mid-season Tropic acquisition Monix, played by Woody Harrelson, and his ex-girlfriend played by Maura Tierney. SEMI-PRO doesn’t even live up to its title, attempting amateurish jokes which often miss the mark.

Grade: C-

PERSEPOLIS

Pictures coutesy of Sony Pictures Classics
The life and experiences of an Iranian women post 1979 Iran are detailed in the Oscar nominated, PERSEPOLIS. PERSEPOLIS is nominated for Best Animated Feature at this year’s Academy Awards and follows the life of protagonist Marji, a twenty-something Iranian recollecting back to her upbringing. She recalls basic childhood memories, unique family members and the political uproar surrounding her country.

Make no bones about it PERSEPOLIS believes it’s an important portrait of Iran during the tumultuous decades of the 80’s, 90’s and the new millennium. This self-aware animated feature wears its importance on its sleeve, while delivering a fairly straightforward personal and political drama. Marji is an intelligent, sharp-witted woman who is also very cynical and downbeat. Part of her personality traits are no doubt defined by her rugged encounters in Iran, but are not limited to her experiences. The fact that the central character in a personal, coming-of-age story is ultimately unlikable hurts the central conceit of PERSEPOLIS. Add an anti-American slant, and several tame jokes centered on Marji’s grandmother’s unsupportive bosom, and PERSEPOLIS can be chalked up as an ambitious, but failed exercise in the world of animation. Oscar voters undoubtedly were taken in by the serious nature of the subject matter, but failed to notice that the execution in telling the tale was off.

Grade: C

JUMPER

Picture courtesy of 20th Century Fox

A teen finds out he can travel anywhere at anytime in the action movie JUMPER. David Rice, played by STAR WARS alum Hayden Christensen, discovers through a near tragedy that he can teleport himself to various locations around the globe. David nearly drowned after falling through a thin sheet of ice, but thanks to his unknown skills, he inadvertently teleports himself to the local library. With his newfound powers, and troubles at home, David decides to become a runaway and funds his excursion and subsequent life, by teleporting himself to and from bank vaults. Years later David discovers he’s not the only one with such skills, and that he is identified as a Jumper by a policing body dead set on eliminating his kind.

Attempting to provide a synopsis for JUMPER is not an easy task, mainly because the script reveals little about the Jumpers, and even less about the Paladins, the policing body previously mentioned. The film runs rather short at 90 minutes, and one can tell by the lack of background, not to mention the Diane Lane performance that amounts to a cameo, that JUMPER left a lot of film on the editing room floor. I suppose one could forgive the film for not providing nary an explanation if it had provided the thrills and excitement that it’s trailer had promised. Despite teleporting David from scenic locale to scenic locale, JUMPER fails to entertain on a fundamental level. The CGI is passable, in comparison to its teleporting predecessors, but little excitement is derived from the technique. Christensen and Paladin pursuer Samuel Jackson add little tension in performances that seem destined towards Razzie nominations. Again, a lot of the blame goes to a collection of screenwriters and director Doug Liman. By not establishing the ground rules for Jumpers or their pursuers, one is left with constant head shaking and shoulder shrugging. JUMPER is a nonsensical and nearly unexplainable picture.

Grade: D+

The American (Gangster's) Dream

Frank Lucas lived the American dream. Lucas grew up in the tough streets of New York, served as an apprentice in a profitable trade, put forth the necessary effort, persistence and sacrifice to turn him into a thriving entrepreneur. Unfortunately this business was the drug trade.

Lucas's story is told through the eyes of director Ridley Scott in the gritty, rough and realistic drama AMERICAN GANGSTER. Denzel Washington plays the aforementioned Lucas, a bright-eyed youngster from Manhattan who grew up under the tutelage of drug kingpin Bumpy Johnson. Following Johnson's death, a vacancy opened in Manhattan's drug world, and Lucas took full advantage of the opportunity.

While Lucas was gradually building his business from the ground up, including personal visits to Vietnam to obtain his product, Detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) was having a tough time of his own as one of New York City's finest. Although Roberts struggled with marital honesty, he never strayed from integrity in his profession. On the outs with fellow officers, due to his high moral stature, and inability to turn the other cheek, Roberts found himself in charge of mounting a case against Lucas.

Much of AMERICAN GANGSTER operates with the two acting titans apart from one another. Part of Scott's task is to show the two men in their own worlds, contrast their trades, and then show how each trade mirrors the other in many facets. Lucas is the more interesting of the two, and Scott tackles the drug trade both logistically and sensationally. The day to day grunt work that Lucas often handles helps to display the hard work and good business sense that Lucas exhibited. The sensational side is displayed when Lucas, often times in a calculated manner, must flex his proverbial muscles. As he did in TRAINING DAY, Washington shows that he's as good at being bad as he is playing the hero. Intensity is a strong suit in all of Washington's performances, and again serves him well.

Crowe is also very good, but in a much less showy role. In the midst of a divorce, Roberts is failing in his personal life, specifically with infidelity, but still stays on high moral ground with the force. If Washington's performance demanded intensity, Crowe's demands focus. Much like mathematician John Nash from A BEAUTIFUL MIND, Crowe's Roberts is always adding variables and possibilities to situations that arise, or may arise, concerning his case. Without utilizing dialogue, Crowe is able to convey Roberts' intentions. Watching the wheels churn within Roberts is a credit to Crowe's acting prowess.

After much build-up, suspense and cat and mouse games, AMERICAN GANGSTER finally delivers what everyone has come to see, Washington and Crowe, mono y mono. The exchange between the two is classic, and amounts to one of the more memorable toe to toe confrontations seen in recent cinema. The last great meeting between acting icons I can recall was between Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in HEAT. Much like that encounter, Washington and Crowe deliver a tenacious and intelligent discussion, revealing their characters motivations, cleverness and persuasiveness.

AMERICAN GANGSTER is an authentic piece of Americana, even if it's one our country would rather forget.

Grade: B

AMERICAN GANGSTER becomes available on DVD and HD DVD on Tuesday, February 19th.

TOP TEN FILMS OF 2007

As I mentioned before, I thought 2007 was a terrific year for movies. Here are the ten films that I felt were a cut above the rest...

#10 - 3:10 TO YUMA
This Western remake is as much a character study as it is a gun-slinging shoot’em up. Christian Bale is a determined rancher dead-set on delivering outlaw Russell Crowe to the gallows. The force of each of their performances is moving, as two men learn who they really are by matching wits against each other.

#9 - BRIDGE TO TERRABITHA
Although marketed as the next CHRONICLES OF NARNIA picture, BRIDGE TO TERABITHA was so much more. Two childhood misfits find refuge in each other’s company and their imagination in this wonderfully realized and authentic adaptation of Katherine Patterson’s novel, Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSohia Robb make charming and likable counterparts who learn how to overcome some of life’s toughest lessons.

#8 - HOT FUZZ
HOT FUZZ was the most fun I had in the theater last year. This British picture is everything GRINDHOUSE had hoped to be and more, an oft-beat and silly tale about a gung-ho cop re-stationed in a supposedly quaint London suburb. Whether you’re looking for a hysterical comedy, an exciting action movie or a silly mystery, HOT FUZZ delivers all three.

#7 - ATONEMENT
The Oscar nominated picture ATONEMENT deserves all of the acolodes it's received. The best crafted and told yarn of the year revolves around a misconception a young girl has regarding her older sister’s boyfriend. Saoirse Ronan is perfect as young Briony Tallis, demonstrating a maturity beyond her years. Spanning several years, and told through the eyes of the film’s antagonist, ATONEMENT makes for a dramatic, mesmerizing and stunningly surprising tragedy.

#6 - GONE BABY GONE
Ben Affleck’s directorial debut is an impressive work, a purposefully morally murky drama set around a young child’s abduction. Ben’s younger brother Casey gives, by-far, his best performance to date as a driven private-eye convinced he’ll make the right choices. There’s no easy ending for GONE BABY GONE, but a difficult and powerful conclusion that leaves the viewer with plenty to think about.

#5 - THERE WILL BE BLOOD
Daniel Day-Lewis gives the performance of a lifetime as turn-of-the-century prospector Daniel Plainview. Day-Lewis’s intensity personifies a man obsessed by greed, power and his hatred towards mankind. Director Paul Thomas Anderson gradually builds the madness brewing within Daniel, and between Daniel and his rival, Eli, a colorful and passionate preacher. Both men are blinded by their selfishness, but nevertheless results in a clash of two titans, with a result that is magnificently troubling.

#4 - ONCE
ONCE redefined movie musicals for a new generation. John Carney’s soulful and romantic drama follows the lives of two starving artists in modern-day Ireland. The spark and charm created by co-stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova is matched only by their musical talents. Both composed and performed the music for ONCE, expertly impassioned songs that reveal all we need to know about the two destined pair.

#3 - JUNO
Maybe the best teen comedy of all-time, JUNO creates a quirky, clever and hilarious world surrounding a unique and impregnated teenager. Screenwriter Diablo Cody scripted the film’s original and funny dialogue, and star Ellen Page delivers it with well-deserved sincerity and sarcasm. Director Jason Reitman finds just the right beat between the films performers, the script and the low-key, but catchy independent songs that connect with the characters emotions.

#2 - THE LIVES OF OTHERS
Last year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language film is a meticulously calculated and fully rendered look into Weisler, a German surveillance officer and the two German artists, one a writer and one an actor, that he is probing. You may think you know where this story is headed, but as Weisler begins to delve more and more into the artists lives he becomes emotionally attached and begins to manipulate the situation. This outstanding drama is an accomplished character study, a nail-biting thriller and a morality tale wrapped around the tense atmosphere of Germany before the fall of the wall.

#1 - LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
And the best film of 2007 is the carefully crafted, well acted and compassionately written original, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. This gentle tale of a reclusive young man and his anatomically correct doll as his girlfriend sounds like a gimmick, but it’s original conceit is really a clever comedic tool to lure us into a tale of personal redemption and supportive family dynamics. Ryan Gosling’s Lars never veers towards lunacy, and its in large part to due the fine young actor’s calm touch with Lar’s fractured soul. Director Craig Gillespie handles Nancy Oliver’s screenplay with just the right feel, building a realistic and positive depiction of middle-class Midwesterners and Christians. LARS AND THE REAL GIRL left me feeling refreshed not only about the prospects of our country’s heartland, or the inherent goodness abundant in us all, but most of all that one movie could inspire such humor, heart and originality, and that is why LARS AND THE REAL GIRL is my selection for the best film of 2007.

WORST FILMS OF 2007

Although due to a slowed production schedule for "Now Playing", and the birth of my daughter Grace, I missed out on such instant classics as GOOD LUCK CHUCK and CODE NAME: THE CLEANER. That said, I still saw enough garbage in 2007 to construct a worst list.

#10 - HALLOWEEN
Director Rob Zombie continues to make contributions to my annual worst list, and in 2007 he delivered the unremarkable remake HALLOWEEN. It’s hard to improve upon John Carpenter’s horror classic, but Zombie barely puts forth an effort, replacing Carpenter’s perfect timing and tone with raw gore and gruesomeness.

#9 - FACTORY GIRL
Speaking of horrific, FACTORY GIRL was part bio-pic, part party film, but mainly a mess. This rendering of former Warhol, “It” girl Edie Sedgwick didn’t deliver any insight into Sedgwick or Warhol’s world of eccentrics. FACTORY GIRL was rather tame for a purposefully edgy film.

#8 - SMOKIN' ACES
There was nothing hot about SMOKIN’ ACES in the eight spot. This character-actor driven work thinks it’s a lot cleverer and hipper than it actually is. A gang of mobsters attempt to assassinate a Vegas magician before he can testify against them, and the mess that ensues is neither logical, humorous or thrilling.

#7 - CATCH AND RELEASE
Jennifer Garner elicits no empathy and much eye-rolling in CATCH AND RELEASE. Despite losing her fiancé, Garner’s Gray comes off as self-centered and sour, while her love interest played by Timothy Olyphant is uncomfortably cocky. The performances are matched by a screenplay that knows little about grief or loss.

#6 - BUG
BUG is appropriately titled at number six. Not only did the over-the-top performances by Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon bug me, but Tracy Letts screenplay, adapted from her own stage play, veers overboard in its execution of paranoia, schizophrenia and mind control.

#5 - DEATH SENTENCE
Speaking of over-the-top, SAW director James Wan lost all sense of realism, and humanity, in the revenge flick DEATH SENTENCE. Kevin Bacon goes from mild-mannered executive to raging lunatic after losing his son to a murderous gang of thugs. DEATH SENTENCE is so loony it may have played for laughs if it hadn’t been so brutal.

#4 and #3 - GEORGIA RULE and BECAUSE I SAID SO
Two annoying chick-flicks are number four and three with GEORGIA RULE and BECAUSE I SAID SO. A trio of family members from each film goes from grating to unbearable in these misplaced, slice-of-life morality tales. Jane Fonda and Mandy Moore are expectedly bad, but the talented Dianne Keaton and Lindsay Lohan are remarkably irritating. Keaton’s Daphne is a crude, snobby and immature version of Annie Hall, and Lohan’s Rachel is an example of art mimicking life.

#2 - ALPHA DOG
My runner-up for worst of the year is ALPHA DOG. This two-bit rendering of a real-life story plays like a suburban version of pretty boys gone wild. Teen heart throbs Emile Hirsch and Justin Timberlake try to convince us they’re hardcore hoods, but come off as pansies in this tasteless, true story. The film is predictable, off-kilter and offensive, particularly with its inconsiderate and uncompassionate portrayal of the Mazursky family.

#1 - NORBIT
My worst film of the year is the surreally bad, NORBIT. I didn’t think it could get worse for Eddie Murphy following THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH, but NORBIT has proved me wrong. Murphy and elder-brother and co-writer Charles Murphy deserve all the credit for this debacle. As if playing one mean-spirited character wasn’t bad enough, Murphy plays two, and kicks in an exasperatingly nerdy third character for good measure. Eddie’s performances in NORBIT are the equivalent to nails on a chalk board, but it’s the writing that earns the film the dubious honor at the top of my list. Alarmingly offensive stereotypes, misplaced moral grandstanding and disgustingly descriptive dialogue leave little doubt as to why NORBIT is the worst film in 2007.

2007 HONORABLE MENTIONS

Overall, I thought 2007 brought several good films to the cinema scene, maybe the best crop of films in the last ten or eleven years. Here are some films I thought were worth noting, even if they couldn't creep into my top ten...

Despite contrasting styles of animation and tone, RATATOUILLE and THE SIMPSONS MOVIE were both terrific. RATATOUILLE took animation to the next level, executing brilliant action sequences and subtle humor into a tale of a rat who aspires to be a French chef. As with all Pixar pics, the subtext of RATATOUILLE is as enriching as the dazzling technical aspects. THE SIMPSONS MOVIE’s animation is simplistic, as it is on television, helping to create its own charm and sense of humor. Clever wordplay, a satirical tone and its standard silliness made THE SIMPSONS MOVIE one of the funniest films of the year.

Another of the funniest movies of 2007 was SUPERBAD. Michael Cera and Jonah Hill try to get lucky for the first time during their high school days, but it’s the hilarious Christopher Mintz-Plasse as McLovin who scores the most, both in laughs and the bedroom. In addition to laughs, SUPERBAD is really a sweet study of two best friends who must go about their separate lives.

Sweetness is at the heart of Disney’s ENCHANTED. This wonderful family film hits all the right notes, both musically and thematically, in a tale of an animated princess transported to real-life New York City. Amy Adams gives an Oscar-worthy performance as the naïve, heartwarming and optimistic Princess Giselle.

On the darker side, SWEENEY TODD and NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN examine the threatening nature of mankind. Johnny Depp and Helen Bonham Carter elicit moments of both horror and humor in SWEENEY TODD. The talented actors are assisted by Burton’s twisted touch, and a screenplay with a knack for the absurd. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN marks a return for the Coen Brothers, a brilliant examination of our society’s propensity towards violence. Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin are good, but this film belongs to the Coens and Javier Bardem. Bardem’s Anton is one of the most memorable and menacing men to inflict punishment in recent memory.

Two of the best independent films of the year were THE KING OF KONG and THE ORPHANAGE. As a documentary, THE KING OF KONG views an engaging competition between two men attempting to set the world record for the arcade game Donkey Kong. What would seem trivial isn’t, as the films delves into the participants past failures, successes and their hopes and dreams. THE ORPHANAGE is a chilling horror film in the same mold of THE SIXTH SENSE and THE OTHERS. Great tension and anxiety are elicited thanks to director Juan Antonio Bayona’s touch, and an intense and passionate performance from Belen Rueda.

INTO THE WILD was an engaging escape from writer director Sean Penn. This intriguing look into the real-life story of 20-something vagabond Christopher McCandless was both poetic and maddening. Emile Hirsch is outstanding as the lost soul attempting to find freedom, peace and spirituality, and Hal Holbrook is equally effective as a wise, old codger.

And rounding out my honorable mention list is THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM. The third, and presumably final, installment is the best of the three BOURNE films. Director Paul Greengrass’s non-stop action spectacular is truly an edge-of-your-seat thriller, with exhilarating action sequences, dark secrets and a surprising finish.

THE EYE

Jessica Alba receives more than she bargained for with a cornea transplant in THE EYE. Alba is Sydney Wells, a blind concert violinist who elects to have a cornea transplant to regain her eyesight. The surgery goes well, but the aftereffects seem a bit peculiar. In addition to regaining her eyesight, Sydney also begins to see things that others aren’t able to.

In comparison to more recent horror fare, THE EYE is refreshing from a plot perspective. The film is more intent on telling a story, and revealing certain points and mysteries instead of mutilating bodies. If it’s technique is rewarding in comparison to the seemingly weekly torture porn flicks, it’s execution is unfortunately not. The screenplay, written by Sebastian Gutierrez and based on the Hong Kong film JIAN GIU, takes an overly long time to establish the fear and horror that Sydney encounters, and an evener longer time in piecing together the mystery. Part of the problem is Alba herself. She brings little conviction, and a very false sense of angst to Sydney’s predicament. The depth of frustration that a person would be feeling under these circumstances is lost in Alba’s performance. The odd relationship she has with her poorly shaved, loose tie-wearing eye specialist also limits the picture. This sub-plot tinkers with a romance, but never does, and creates several awkward moments. In spite of it’s inadequacies, THE EYE still delivers a fairly strong finish. It’s unfortunate that much of the movie was a slog.

Grade: C-

THE SAVAGES

A pair of siblings attempt to find a nursing home for their ailing father in THE SAVAGES. Wendy and John Savage, played by Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, receive a phone call stating that their father has lost the capacity to function on his own, and that their step-mother has passed away. Each flies cross country to the sunny skies of Arizona to tend to their father’s needs. While there, they discover that their father not only has lost mental capacities to dementia, but also financial support.

THE SAVAGES is a more sane, reasonable and realistic portrait of a dysfunctional family in comparison to its equally independent counterpart MARGOT AT THE WEDDING. Both study family dynamics, but where MARGOT AT THE WEDDING only saw distaste, frustration and angst, THE SAVAGES finds distaste, frustration, angst and love. In spite of their differences, Wendy and John attempt to find a solution for their father, whom from all intent and purpose, did not find a lot of healthy solutions for his kids. Linney and Hoffman are very good, conveying not only their thoughts, feelings and annoyance with their characters’ paternal situation, but also in attacking their own personal battles. The film was written and directed by Tamara Jenkins, who also wrote and directed THE SLUMS OF BEVERLY HILLS. Although not as wildly funny as SLUMS, THE SAVAGES still retains an authentic and original family make-up, making the characters outcomes much more rewarding.

Grade: B-

THE ORPHANAGE

A woman returns to the place she once called home in the Spanish fright fest, THE ORPHANAGE. Laura and Carlos have moved back to the home where Laura was raised as an orphan with their adopted son Simon. Laura has fond memories of her upbringing at the orphanage, and plans on developing new ones by re-opening the orphanage for special needs children. One of these children is Simon, who is suffering from a disease, and a vivid imagination. Laura and Carlos believe Simon has imaginary friends, but Simon believes something quite different.

The careful and creepy touch that director Juan Antonio Bayona uses in THE ORPHANAGE reminds one of the masterful M. Night Shymalan’s work in THE SIXTH SENSE or to a lesser extent, Alejandro Amenabar’s touch to THE OTHERS. The tone, structure and characters are all similar in each of these films, but so are some of the storytelling consistencies, which lend greatly to the suspense, drama and horror. Screen writer Sergio Sanchez employs two games throughout THE ORPHANAGE, both of which add a great deal of tension and anxiety. Imagery is also a strong suit of the film, as masks, dolls and pictures play an integral part in establishing the film’s uneasy atmosphere. If Kidman and Willis were important to THE OTHERS and THE SIXTH SENSE, Spaniard Belen Rueda is crucial to THE ORPHANAGE. Rueda’s Laura is a tenacious mother, hell-bent on saving her boy and preserving her family. Rueda gives a tense and intense performance that is about as good as any from 2007. THE ORPHANAGE is a real find, a suspense-filled horror film that leaves you with chills through the closing credits.

Grade: B+

CLOVERFIELD

A surprise going-away party is interrupted by a monster mash in downtown New York city in the creature feature, CLOVERFIELD. Rob, a successful twenty something, is headed to Japan, so his friends throw him a farewell bash the night before his departure. Rob is not only fretting about his career decision, but also the fractured relationship with his friend turned girlfriend, Beth. Even greater worries lie ahead for Rob, Beth and their friends, as an unexplained monster has begun to terrorize Manhattan.

The storytelling technique and experimental filmmaking employed by director Matthew Reeves and executive producer JJ Abrams in CLOVERFIELD is an ambitious one, but one which would have been more successful as a short film. The point of view is told directly through the eyes of six young New York adults, and the uneasy camerawork of the goofy Hud. Initially this technique gives CLOVERFIELD a fresh appeal, but even at a short 84-minute run time, the nauseating hand-held camerawork leaves little to be desired. The hand-held approach was quite a risk, especially for a mainstream picture, and when it comes to application, this technique’s blemishes are easily identified. The camerawork is either too rambunctious, leaving the viewer disoriented, or too steady, leaving one to wonder how Hud can be so calm under such dire circumstances. Occasionally the technique works perfectly, giving CLOVERFIELD an authentic and realistic feel. Watching the monster swoop through Manhattan, and an effectively eerie subway scene mark the film’s best moments. CLOVERFIELD is a missed opportunity, and a disappointment from the normally clever Abrams.

Grade: C

JUNO

A teenager finds herself knocked up at the sweet age of 16 in the comedy JUNO. Juno, played by Ellen Page, is the aforementioned teenager, a smart, cute and independent-minded girl who lets the heat of the moment get the best of her. After attending an abortion clinic, and electing to go through with the pregnancy, Juno decides to find two worthy parents to adopt her unborn child.

Some movies operate in their own world, and seem too far removed from reality. JUNO operates in its own world, but contains an immense amount of humor, compassion and cleverness, that in spite of its eccentricities, works on a basic human level. The personality of the picture is manifested in the film’s dialogue, which develops Juno’s world perfectly. As SWINGERS had it’s own original dialogue for 20-somethings in Hollywood, and GOODFELLAS for Brooklyn gangsters, JUNO finds the right wordplay for smart, silly and sassy 16-year old girls. Screenwriter Diablo Cody deserves all the credit for writing the lines, but Page deserves all the credit for making them sound natural, and equally hilarious. Page left a lasting impression in the flawed HARD CANDY, and she does so again as Juno. Her supporting cast is terrific as well. Michael Cera is type cast well as her part-time lover and full time friend, JK Simmons makes an ideal dad and Olivia Thirlby deserves credit for bouncing off Cody’s zingers as Juno’s buddy. Not to be forgotten is director Jason Reitman, who manages to find just the right beat between the films performers, the script and the low-key, but catchy independent songs that connect with the characters emotions. JUNO is an original, funny and smart teenage comedy that is one of 2007’s best films.

Grade: A

SWEENY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

Johnny Depp cuts off more than the hairs of his customers’ chinny, chin-chins in Tim Burton’s dark musical adaptation of SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET. Depp is Benjamin Barker, a dark and lonely soul, who returns to his native England with an alter ego following his banishment for a crime he didn’t commit. He assumes the identity of Sweeney Todd, a renowned barber. Todd lurks in the dark corners of downtown London, but is hell bent on seeking revenge against the local justice system who took his wife and daughter from him.

If there was ever a match made in heaven, its director Tim Burton and the darkly gruesome and tragic SWEENEY TODD. Burton’s films have always been dark, offbeat and funny, so the content, tone and humor of SWEENEY TODD are right up his alley. SWEENEY TODD falls right in the middle of comedy and tragedy, mixing the wry off-setting humor of Burton, the zany antics of co-star Sasha Baron-Cohen and two eerie, humorous and soulful performances by Depp and co-star Helen Bonham-Carter. This is the sixth Burton-directed film for Depp, and fifth for Carter, and it’s no wonder why they’ve been featured in many of his films. Each is appropriately somber eliciting moving musical renditions, yet both are abnormally humorous, bringing plenty comedic moments. Their performances are matched only by Burton’s wonderful eye for the material. He lavishes the use of blood in the picture, not as much for gore as for depicting the destruction of these two troubled individuals who are spilling the final remains of their humanity. SWEENEY TODD is not for the faint of heart, or weak of stomach, but for those who enjoy an original concept, and the wonderfully peculiar talents of Burton, Depp and Carter.

Grade: B+

THE KITE RUNNER

A former Afghan returns to his native country for the first time since the Soviet invasion in THE KITE RUNNER. Amir, a writer now residing in the United States, receives a call from an old family friend from Afghanistan. Upon receiving the call, Amir reflects back on his Afghan upbringing, specifically the relationship he had with his best friend Hassan, the son of one of his father’s hired hands.

THE KITE RUNNER is an earnest and seemingly honest portrayal of the danger that encompassed Afghanistan just before the Soviet invasion and more recently, during the Taliban’s rule. Although THE KITE RUNNER effectively conveys these times, it is as much concerned in detailing the intimate story between two childhood friends. Much of the film is set during the boys childhood in Afghanistan. This is the heart of the movie, revealing a great deal about the boys’ character and the men they will become. It also successfully outlines the fragile structure between Amir, his father and others connected to their family. Pressure from his father, everyday bullies and general youth angst are weaved expertly by director Marc Forester and screenwriter David Benioff. Both have adapted Khaled Hosseini’s compassionate story into a moving and personal picture.

Grade: B

CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR

A womanizing, socializing and boozing congressmen leads a covert war effort against the Soviet Union in Mike Nichols dramatic comedy, CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR. Tom Hanks is the title character, a Texas congressman who loved booze and women as much as he did his country. Following a trip to Afghanistan, where Afghans were being invaded by the Soviet Union, and being a member of the Defense Appropriations Committee, Wilson saw an opportunity and a need to stop the invasion. He enlisted the help of CIA officer Gus Avrakotos, played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who helped to lay the groundwork for the Afghans defense.

CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR has many similarities to Mike Nichols most recent political, dramatic comedy, PRIMARY COLORS. Both are funny and colorful portraits of womanizing politicians, one’s which struggled with their personal lives, but believed strongly in their causes. Another similarity between the two would be the liberties Nichols takes with the historical accounts. PRIMARY COLORS was under attack by the left for its depiction of former president Bill Clinton, and now conservatives are upset with the arguments against the Reagan Administration. I tend to believe both sides have a legitimate beef. That said, CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR is an engaging slice of entertainment. Hanks is wonderfully sleazy and funny in a role that marks a return to his comedic roots, Julia Roberts, as socialite Joanne Herring, is equally effective playing off-type and Hoffman is deliciously salty. Despite being drenched in the political landscape, these three actors liven up the material, and make Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay work.

Grade: B

BOURNE, again

Although I didn't have a chance to write something up for "Now Playing" on THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM this summer, since the show was on hiatus, the release of the film's DVD has inspired me to crank something out for my blog.

I often see critics describe summer action blockbusters as non-stop action thrill rides. Such statements always scream cliched, but I can honestly say that THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM is probably the first summer action blockbuster to earn the distinction of being a "non-stop thrill ride".

The film, just like the first two BOURNE films, races through multiple countries and various popular, international landscapes. I enjoyed the first two films, which provided fairly exhilarating action sequences and a decent plot to paste together Jason's running escapades. This third, and presumably final, installment in the BOURNE series is a notch above it's predecessors. It's concern is not as much with Jason revealing clues to reach his final destination, but rather to race him at hyper-speed, running him through everything and everyone like a buzz-saw, set on reaching his final dark and revealing conclusion.

Damon is on the mark again as Bourne, and Julia Stiles is given a greater role than window dressing (see past BOURNE roles, which amount to cameos). Albert Finney and Joan Allen turn in solid performances as Dr. Albert Hirsh and Pamela Lindy, but the real star of THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM is director Paul Greengrass. Greengrass took over the directorial duties of the BOURNE series with THE BOURNE SUPREMACY and seems much more comfortable with THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM. His signature hand-held camera action is still present as it was in SUPREMACY, but not to a nauseating extent. It's mixed in with other techniques which heighten the level of thrills, intensity and drama.

What's refreshing, particularly as an action film, and makes the film so rewarding is the fact that I was generally and legitimately thrilled. Almost every big Hollywood blockbuster is predictable, in the sense that we know that are hero will be standing from the first to the last frame, but what is not predictable is whether or not the director can divert and subvert our attention in an instant (or several instances) and make us lose our sensibility for that moment (or moments). All the great suspense and action directors perform this feat, whether it's Spielberg, Hitchcock or even M. Night Shymalan. With THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, Greengrass steps into this league with an exhilarating, suspense-filled and nearly exhausting (in a good way) action spectacular.

Grade: B+

FYI, the film is being released on DVD today (Tuesday, December 11) and I'll be picking it up for someone for Christmas.

FRED CLAUS

Vince Vaughn takes a trip to the North Pole to visit his brother Nicholas in the holiday comedy, FRED CLAUS. Vaughn is the title character, the distant brother of Santa, or as Fred refers to him, Nick. The brothers had a falling out during their childhood, as Nick grabbed all of the spotlight and praise from his older brother Fred. Years later, the same song rings true, with Santa as popular as ever, while Fred lives in Chicago as a repo-man, with dreams of opening a downtown casino. Fred needs a loan in a hurry to make his casino dream come true, so he makes a wish to Santa, and Nick agrees with one stipulation: Fred must come to work for Nick at the North Pole.


FRED CLAUS plays much like the modernized materialistic celebration of Christmas: superficial, loud and mildly amusing. This latest Christmas comedy is attempting to be more ELF than BAD SANTA, featuring an odd-mix of sugar sweet sentimentalism with a touch of naughtiness. This is the result of having WEDDING CRASHERS director David Dobkin take the reins of an apparent family comedy. The general gist of FRED CLAUS is in line with family fun, with a Santa storyline, an orphan sub-plot and a North Pole that visually stacks up with any of its celluloid predecessors. Dobkin, and more importantly, screenwriters Dan Fogelman and Jessie Nelson, must not have been confident writing broad, family humor, because many scenes play strictly for adults, none of which work. Each ensuing scene targeted for adults falls flat, whether its Fred being beaten by a group of Salvation Army Santas, Santa being audited by an uneasy Kevin Spacey or a Siblings Anonymous group with some truly lame cameos. Vaughn’s rapid wit still lights up the screen a few times, and he and Giamatti make a fairly comedic odd-couple, but the burden of the screenplay weighs down both talents, and the rest of the high-profile cast.

Grade: C-

MICHAEL CLAYTON

George Clooney begins to unravel the sordid details of a class-action lawsuit in the thriller MICHAEL CLAYTON. Clooney is Michael, a former attorney who is now a “fixer” for the law firm of Kenner, Bach and Ledeen. Michael’s value as a man who can fix problems and major obstacles for the firm is even greater than an attorney, according to the firm’s partner, Marty Bach, played by Sydney Pollack. Michael’s latest fix is Arthur Eden, one of the firm’s attorneys, who’s been getting to close to a plaintiff who’s seeking damages against U/North, the company Kenner, Bach and Ledeen are defending.

Despite the impressive, yet slowly developing screenplay from first-time director, but successful screenwriter Tony Gilroy, and with all due respect to his fine work here, MICHAEL CLAYTON is George Clooney’s movie. The film lives and breathes through the calculated, mannered, complicated and determined character that Clooney crafts. The screenplay allows Clooney to be seen in several different lights: as a manipulative attorney, a problem solver, a self-sacrificial brother, a flawed father and more than anything a deeply troubled individual. Although the film works as a somewhat conventional thriller, the depth and mystery which lurks beneath are a credit to Clooney’s portrayal. Each move Clayton makes is based on a number of variables from his standing with the firm, the debt that he owes, the relationships that he’s built and the ones which have fallen apart. As events unravel in MICHAEL CLAYTON it isn’t the plot’s outcome which peaks one’s interest, but rather the impact the outcome will have on one man’s decisions.

Grade: B

GONE BABY GONE

The Affleck brothers team up in the morality thriller, GONE BABY GONE. Ben Affleck steps behind the camera to direct his brother for the first-time in the story of a missing girl. Casey Affleck and Michelle Monaghan are Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro, two young private investigators who are called on to find Amanda McCready, a missing child from downtown Boston. As Patrick and Angie dig deeper into the case, the more complex it becomes, with variables including Amanda’s doped-out mother, red-tape from the police and a media circus surrounding the girl’s disappearance.

The cleverness in GONE BABY GONE’s screenplay is matched only by its morally-complex and challenging conclusion, one which does not conform to convention, but is dead-set on creating conversation. Ben Affleck returns to his GOOD WILL HUNTING roots, penning a Boston-area screenplay that absorbs the bean town atmosphere into the characters and events, providing an authentic and realistic feel. Casey Affleck, who had yet to impress me on screen, delivers a powerful performance, with grit, fortitude and depth. Casey’s Patrick is no more complex than many of the other characters, but through his eyes we view the areas of gray that form in crime and punishment. The film is a tremendous work for Ben Affleck in his directorial debut. Outside of a fairly contrived latter fourth, GONE BABY GONE poses some serious questions, and several answers through its murky characters. Affleck and co-scribe Aaron Stockard have created several conflicted characters, willing to bend the law at certain times, and at other times willing to follow it by the book. There’s no easy ending for GONE BABY GONE, but a difficult and engaging finish that will leave you with plenty to talk about.

Grade: A-

Summer Movie Drought

I thought I'd post a few thoughts about the summer movie season for several reasons, the main one being that "Now Playing", the film review program I co-host and co-produce, is on hiatus for the time being. WOCC-TV 3 is in the midst of a move, and until all of the wires, cameras, record decks, etc. are all set up in their new home, my blog is the only means of conveying my thoughts on current cinema.

The title for this post not only reflects my less than usual attendance at the theatre this summer, due as much to the birth of my beautiful daughter Grace as to the show's summer hiatus, but also the lack of much summer fare that really delivers.

The first three blockbusters for the summer were all third films of trilogies, and all disappointments, in SPIDERMAN 3 (B-), SHREK THE THIRD (C) and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (D+).

SPIDERMAN 3 (B-) is the only film worth seeing of the bunch, and it's worth a viewing more for its ambition, and the film's strong latter third, than anything else. SHREK THE THIRD and AT WORLD'S END seemed intent on merely mimicing their predecessors. SHREK THE THIRD had very few inspired moments, added only one (and very weak) character and felt more or less like it was spinning its wheels. If SHREK THE THIRD was spinning its wheels, AT WORLD'S END is like a car that's out of control. The film gets tangled in several storylines, double-crosses and mixed motivations, and it's difficult to distinguish the heroes from the villians. Verbinski and co-writers felt that adding a few more Johnny Depps, in the form of several Jack Sparrows, would liven up the bloated seafest, but instead feels contrived and obnoxious.

Not trying to be a contrarian, I found EVAN ALMIGHTY (B) to be much better than Carrey's BRUCE. The first ALMIGHTY was a gimmick film, intent on watching Carrey play God with his newfound powers. Although not as deadset on being a straight comedy, EVAN ALMIGHTY works as solid family entertainment, with enough laughs for the kids, and a family friendly spiritual message that transcends the genre. I don't want to hold director Tom Shadyac to the level of legendary (and one of my all-time favorites) director Frank Capra, but at times EVAN ALMIGHTY provides a taste of Capra's corn. Steve Carrell overdoes it a few times in some of the childish, slapstick moments, but overall provides an everyman performance, which many films have strayed away from presenting. Morgan Freeman is also given more to work with in EVAN, as opposed to BRUCE. One of our best living actors, Freeman is given a couple of scenes to wave his air of wisdom over (with Evan and Evan's wife), and these scenes provide the ground work for the film's message.

Marking a stark contrast from the family film, are two thunderous blockbusters in LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (C+) and TRANSFORMERS (B-). Although not a big difference grade-wise, TRANSFORMERS earns a recommendation almost entirely based on its eye-popping special effects. In spite of some well-placed humor, and a terrifically quirky performance from Shia LeBeouf, TRANSFORMERS is much like other Michael Bay overly-edited action films with robots instead of humans. In this case, watching robots instead of humans is exactly what makes TRANSFORMERS worth watching. I'm normally not one to give films a pass based on their special effects, but TRANSFORMERS is the first time in 14 years that my jaw has dropped from a mere visual aesthetic. TRANFORMERS executive producer (Steven Spielberg) provided the last one when T-Rex and velociraptors graced the silver screen.

LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD is amazingly more ridiculous than watching giant, alien robots wage war on earth. This fourth DIE HARD installment is a wreck of a script, but the ludicrous action and Willils' playful nature make LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD very watchable. The tech-infused script isn't nearly as engaging as either of the first three DIE HARDs, and the enemy's surveliance techniques make the TV series 24 seem grounded and down to earth. The film is designed to throw lavish action stunts, and they are actual stunts, not CGI, at us continuously. Some stunts don't make any sense, especially when using a sedan as a heat seeking missile, but one is fairly impressed how over-the-top LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD goes.

I'll try to catch up this weekend, but no promises. I'm looking forward to revealing my thoughts on the latest POTTER film, HAIRSPRAY and the much anticipated big screen blow-up of HOMER SIMPSON and crew.

See ya soon...