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KXO News Education Center In the Theater - Movie Previews & Shorts
KXO News Education Center In the Theater - Movie Previews & Shorts Todays is : Friday, 21 November 2008
| In the Theater - Movie Previews & Shorts |
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| Written by Lisa Miller | |
| Friday, 07 September 2007 | |
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DEATH SENTENCE (2007) * *
Directed by James Wan
Starring Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler, Garrett Hedlund, John Goodman, Matthew O'Leary
20th Century Fox/Rating R/Action/99 min
An executive turned vigilante, Nick Hume's (Kevin Bacon) revenge scheme brings on the wrath of a ruthless gang.
Director James Wan attempts to persuade us that Nick has no choice, opening the film with an exhaustive montage meant to establish the depth of the Hume family bond. A proud, smiling Nick Hume appears front and center in each vignette, together documenting 18-years of happy family life.
In the present day, Nick and his hockey-playing eldest, Brendan (Stuart Lafferty), are returning from the lad's victorious high school game, when Nick stops for gas. Brendan ducks into the convenience store for a snack as a beaming Nick telephones wife Helen (Kelly Preston) with news of the victory, unaware that inside the store Brendan is being viciously assaulted by a gang.
Also a teen and arguably a victim, perpetrator Joe Darley (Matthew O'Leary) kills Brendan to fulfill his gang's requirement of committing a random murder. Due to the lack of witnesses, the DA proposes offering Joe a 3-to-5 year sentence. Nick responds by finagling to have the kid released in order that Nick can exact a more acceptable sentence.
Joe is found stabbed to death the following day, but the police show no interest in questioning Nick though his hand is newly cut beneath a large bandage. It is one of the film's failings that police, pleased by the just outcome, fail to investigate Nick though his court behavior suggested his intent. Based on Brian Garfield's sequel novel to "Death Wish," the film is critical of the upper class's sense of entitlement. However, the message is a tough sell given the propensity for senseless violence displayed by the gang members.
Learning Nick was the killer, the gang sends him a message promising to kill his entire family. Nick confesses his deed to Detective Wallace (Aisha Tyler) in an effort to protect his wife and remaining son. She orders a cop stationed in front of his house, but takes no action against Nick.
The screenwriters seem to hope that Nick's profound suffering will inspire viewers to overlook the conspiratorial attitude displayed by police. Operating outside the law, Nick forfeits his cushy job, well-appointed home and loving family life. As the film continues, we come to understand his wife's admonition when she learns he's killed the killer, "This is not an equation you can solve."
Nick's ever-changing state of mind, grief, rage, fear and finally morphing into a seemingly remorseless killer, anchors this cautionary tale, one that is surprisingly thought-provoking when not tripping over its improbable elements.
An exceptionally well-filmed action sequence functions as the movie's set piece. It's a chase, occurring mainly inside a parking garage. We experience Nick's hair-raising effort to survive the onslaught via a camera that stays right with him. As he attempts to reach his car on the top floor, Nick makes a concerted effort to prevent his fear from erupting into full-blown panic. Unarmed, Nick's only protection from pursuing, gun-toting thugs depends upon running fast, hiding well, and keeping his wits about him. Had the film continued in this vein, instead of turning Nick into an omnipotent, self-made militia, Kevin's stunning performance would have saved the film's bacon.
Table Tennis Deserves Better. -- A Film Review By Lisa Miller
BALLS OF FURY
(2007)
*1/2
Directed by Robert Ben Garant
Starring Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q, Robert Patrick, James Hong, Thomas Lennon
Rogue Pictures/PG-13/Comedy/90 min
I wish I could say it took brass ones to make "Balls of Fury," but like a ping pong ball, the film is an air-filled orb waiting for someone, like me, to give it a good swat. Aiming its volleys at Kung-Fu movies and the maligned sport of table tennis, "Balls" serves up lazy jokes that crash into the net. Dan Fogler plays 30-year-old, Randy Daytona, a Reno trailer park dweller. Daytona's Olympic dream was ended by the German champ, played by Thomas Lennon, in ultra-short shorts (Lennon is also the film's cowriter). The defeat resulted in the death of Daytona's dad, an incorrigible gambler. Papa bet everything on sonny's victory, and was subsequently killed for defaulting, by debt-holder Feng (Walken).
Reduced to performing ping-pong stunts at a casino matinee cabaret, Daytona pours his tubby form into a spandex, rhinestone tux. It's a losing battle since Daytona's multi-balled volleys fail to impress his buffet-grazing, silver-haired audience. The athlete is rescued from this drudgery by FBI Agent Rodriguez (George Lopez), whose plan to infiltrate Feng's illegal, underground ping-pong tournament requires a challenger of Daytona's caliber.
Regaining his competitive edge requires that Daytona take a short, but intense course of training from blind ping-pong master, Wong (James Hong). Maggie (Maggie Q), Wong's niece and mistress of both ping pong and the well-placed crotch kick, puts Daytona through his paces. Eventually, Daytona wins Maggie's love, no mean feat because her character is a disconnected ice-queen.
The intended payoff for enduring these unbalanced skits relies on the tense action and comedy accompanying Feng's tournament. Walken gamely appears wearing an Elvis-influenced, Geisha wig, and outfitted in silk brocade. The role is an extended cameo that fails to establish Feng's motivation for dispatching tournament losers with poison blow darts. Instead of rising excitement, the plot slumps into what-now-land. The underinflated jokes and over-oxygenated, computer-enhanced ping-pong action equal a ding-dong parody unlikely to ring many bells unless it becomes the butt of a better film.
3:10 TO YUMA (2007) Consensus Rating: * * *1/2
Directed by James Mangold
Starring Russell Crowe, Christian Bale, Ben Foster, Gretchen Mol, Peter Fonda
Lionsgate/Rated R/117 min
This remake of the 1957 Western adds 30 minutes in length and several new characters, to Elmore Leonard’s 1953 story. The adventure occurs while captured stage coach robber Ben Wade (Crowe) is being escorted over a rough terrain to board a train bound for prison. He's forcefully escorted by a smalltime rancher (Bale), the rancher's teen son, and a crusty bounty hunter (Fonda). Wade's second in command (Ben Foster) and gang are catching up fast and itching for a killing spree. Acted to within an inch of its dusty trails, this R-rated Western speaks fluent macho.
THE BROTHERS SOLOMON
(2007)
Predicted Rating: * *
Directed by Bob Odenkirk
Starring Will Arnett, Will Forte, Jenna Fischer
Screen Gems/Rated R/Comedy
Seeking to raise the overburdened quota for movies-about-misfifts, Arnett and Forte play dumb-bunny brothers. Their hopes of granting Dad's dying wish for a grandchild look bleak, causing the boys to blame home-schooling for making them undatable. By a fluke of good fortune, the IQ-deprived duo meets nice girl (Jenna Fischer). She's willing to help if only they knew what to do with those little cups handed out at the fertility clinic.
SHOOT 'EM UP
(2007)
CR: * * *
Directed by Michael Davis
Starring Clive Owen, Monica Bellucci, Paul Giamatti
New Line Cinema/Rating R/93 min
Some movies earn an R-Rating for violence, others for the depiction of sexual situations. By these standards "Shoot 'Em Up" deserves a double-R. It's got nonstop gun battles and characters grabbing a little whoopee, mid fight. Could it have anything to do with Bellucci's prostitute specializing in fantasy breast-feeding? Rather than cry over spilt milk, Smith (Owen) makes the most of her company as he tries to protect an infant from a ruthless assassin (Giamatti) and his henchmen.
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MOVIE SHORTS - NOW PLAYING. - By Lisa Miller (EDIT FOR LOCAL DISTRIBUTION)
HALLOWEEN
(2007)
Consensus Rating: * *
Directed by Rob Zombie
Starring Scout Taylor-Compton, Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Dee Wallace Stone, William Forsythe
MGM-Dimension Films/Rated R/Horror
Lingering over a drooling, confused young Michael Myers, director Rob Zombie spends half the movie documenting a psychopath hatching, yet his screenplay offers no explanation regarding what went wrong. Malcolm McDowell appears as Myer's psychiatrist during his 17-year incarceration. The gore-factor pushes the MPAA's R-envelope, though the only scare factor is imagining the minds that greenlit this disaster. Lackluster test screenings reportedly inspired reshoots that added six grisly murders and made the ending more gruesome. Per usual, Zombie casts his wife, Sheri Moon, in a supporting role. Though unlikely to please devotees of the 1978 classic, patronage by Zombie-fans may give this remake box-office life.
BALLS OF FURY [Opening 8/29]
(2007)
*1/2
Directed by Robert Ben Garant
Starring Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q, Robert Patrick, James Hong
Rogue Pictures/PG-13/Comedy/90 min
"Reno 911's" creative team, Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, pen the latest comedy for and about nerds. Christopher Walken portrays ping pong promoter Feng, appearing in Geisha drag. The bouncy plot revolves around an international, underground table tennis tournament where "there can be only one." Washed up champ Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler), is recruited by Agent Rodriguez (Lopez) to compete and help expose the illegal event. Daytona's flagging skills get a tune-up from blind coach Wong (Hong), and the man's lovely niece (Maggie Q). Outfitted in ping pong's uncoolest getup, affable Daytona competes for the championship title against any number of Asian stereotypes, but the film's bad taste culminates in his match against a moron (Thomas Lennon) whose furious balls are constrained by itty-bitty hot pants.
DEATH SENTENCE
(2007)
* *
Directed by James Wan
Starring Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, Kelly Preston, Aisha Tyler
20th Century Fox/Rating R/Action
After a gang viciously kills his teenage son, Nick Hume (Bacon) is shocked when the court sets the killer free. Nick hunts down the thug and shoots him, bringing on the gang's promise to kill Nick's wife and surviving son. The beauty of director James Wan's film, sequel to 1974's "Death Wish," is its recognition that middle class Hume, lacking both street smarts and gun experience, realizes only he can protect his family. Wan is careful to make Nick an awkward vigilante troubled by his conscience. However, this characterization does not preclude filming extraordinary action sequences including a car and foot chase through a parking garage that ends with a bang.
SEPTEMBER DAWN
(2007)
* *
Directed by Christopher Cain
Starring Jon Voight, Trent Ford, Tamara Hope, Terence Stamp, Dean Cain
Black Diamond/Rated R/Drama/111 min
An ugly chapter in Mormon history is examined in this controversial film from actor Dean Cain's Dad. Following decades of fleeing outraged Christians, Utah Mormons attack and murder 120 California-bound settlers whose wagon train traverses the Utah territory. Making an educated guess regarding Mormon leader Brigham Young's (Stamp) complicity in the massacre, the film further raises Mormon hackles by exposing several of their secret religious rituals. Best known for helming "Young Guns," writer-director Christopher Cain brings a canny sense of the Western frontier to this uneven saga.
THE NANNY DIARIES
(2007)
CR: * *
Directed by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Chris Evans
Weinstein Co. and MGM/Rated PG-13/Comedy/105 min
A college grad uncertain of her next move, Annie (Johansson) accepts a nanny position on Manhattan's Upper East side. She is ignored by philandering Mr. X (Giamatti) and treated with disdain by haughty Mrs. X (Linney). Despite her cramped quarters and piles of extra duties, Annie bonds with her charge, little Grayer. Annie flirts with a Harvard student and neighbor's son (Evans) who routinely catches Annie at her most compromised moments. Johansson brings gobs of comic timing to match Linney's memorable jealous socialite, but the screenplay gives us only caricatures, preferring to chatter on about the entitled elite. Yawn.
WAR
(2007)
CR: *1/2
Directed by Philip G. Atwell
Starring Jet Li, Jason Statham, Nadine Velazquez, Terry Chen
Lions Gate/Rated R/Action/91 min
Someone deserves a pat on the back for conceiving a martial arts face-off between action stars Jason Statham and Jet Li. The result is a 2-for-1 powerhouse promising the most exciting onscreen hand-to-hand combat since "Crouching Tiger." After his partner is murdered, FBI Agent Jack Crawford (Statham), is more concerned with taking revenge than performing his assigned duties. Suspecting elusive assassin, Rogue (Jet Li), is responsible, Jack insinuates himself into an Asian mob war, calculating it's only a matter of time before Rogue's services will be called upon. My advice? Don elbow pads before getting anywhere near these combatants.
MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY
(2007)
* *
Directed by Steve Bendelack
Starring Rowan Atkinson, Willem Dafoe, Emma de Caunes, Max Baldry
Universal/Rated PG/Comedy/88 min
Ten years after Britain's "Mr. Bean Movie" racked up record-breaking theatrical receipts in the UK, the sequel returns Rowan Atkinson to the role of a pencil-legged oaf. Having won a free vacation to the South of France, Bean blunders from one French locale to the next, engaged in a struggle to survive his own stupidity. Circumstance makes it appear that the dimwit has kidnapped a Russian director's (Karel Roden) 12-year-old son (Baldry), but video camera-crazy Bean remains ignorant of the fracas as he accidentally shoots footage key to the director's film. Sixteen years after creating the moronic Brit, Atkinson claims this will his last scamper up the Bean stalk. For every mourner, someone else breathes a sigh of relief.
RESURRECTING THE CHAMP
(2007)
CR: * * * *
Directed by Rod Lurie
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Teri Hatcher, Kathryn Morris, Alan Alda, David Paymer
Yari Film Group/Rated PG-13/Drama/112 min
Director Rod Lurie is noted for examining prickly ethical issues. Desperate to pen an article worthy of his deceased journalist father's excellent reputation, Erik (Hartnett) seizes on a chance encounter with a homeless, alcoholic claiming to be a onetime boxing champ (Jackson), as his subject. A wealth of opportunities follow Erik's sensational story, until the reporter's facts are questioned by a boxing historian (Peter Coyote). Identifying who failed to conduct the proper background checks is central to the ensuing controversy.
THE INVASION
(2007)
* *
Directed By Oliver Hirschbiegel, James McTeigue
Starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Jeremy Northam
Warner Bros./Rated R/Sci-Fi/93 min
This troubled, fourth production based on 1955's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," was largely reshot by James McTeigue because Warner Brothers was unhappy with director Oliver Hirschbiegel's version. The updated story incorporates the space shuttle as the unwitting carrier of an alien, body-snatching virus. Moving beyond the pod people birthed by earlier versions, these aliens invade our DNA, completing their takeover as we sleep. Government officials engineer a cover up while scientists work feverishly to find a cure. Nicole Kidman stars as the protective mother of a young boy resistant to the virus. Jeremy Northam plays her infected ex and Daniel Craig appears as her closest friend. The first-rate cast includes Veronica Cartwright in a role similar to one she played in the 1978 adaptation.
THE LAST LEGION
(2007)
CR: *1/2
Directed By Doug Lefler
Starring Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, Thomas Sangster, Peter Mullan
The Weinstein Co./Rated PG-13/110 min
Made in the style of a 1950's matinee, this swashbuckler uses CGI sparingly. Colin Firth portrays the leader of a small band of Roman soldiers committed to protecting their young emperor (Thomas Sangster) from invading Goths, led by Odoacer (Mullan). Rome's sole hope for military reinforcements lies in the Ninth Legion of Britannia. While Rome burns, the myth of an enchanted sword, lays the foundation for King Arthur's legend, but audiences, accustomed to splashier, more ambitious productions, may not care.
SUPERBAD
(2007)
* * *
Directed By Greg Mottola
Starring Michael Cera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Sony/Rated R/Comedy/112 min
Crude, but outrageously funny, "Superbad," examines the desperation of high school outcasts trying to make time with hot babes. To gain entry to the school's coolest party and access to girls, dweeby seniors, Evan (Cera) and Seth (Hill), must arrive with booze. Their dorky pal, Fogell (Mintz-Plasse), owns a fake Hawaiian ID listing his name as "McLovin." His attempts to purchase liquor bring Fogell to the attention of a pair of "Star Wars"-fanatic cops. A raunchy comedy giving its punchlines priority, this one qualifies as "too cool for school."
STARDUST
(2007)
* *1/2
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Starring Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Sienna Miller, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Peter O'Toole
Paramount/Rated PG-13/Fantasy/130 min
Neil Gaiman's novel, a darkly humorous fairytale for grownups, finds its way to the theater. Michelle Pfeiffer steals the show as a witch who consumes the hearts of young women to retain her youth. As Capt. Shakespeare, Robert De Niro commands an airborne pirate ship and performs a girly cancan routine. Son of a witch's slave, young Tristan (Cox), breaches the walls of a supernatural kingdom to capture a falling star for the woman he loves (Miller). The star proves to be a young platinum blonde (Danes) who draws Tristan into a battle between princes (some living, some dead) aspiring to the throne of their deceased father (O'Toole). Funny, blow-by-blow commentary is delivered in black and white depictions of the dead princes.
SKINWALKERS
(2007)
*1/2
Directed by James Isaac
Starring Jason Behr, Elias Koteas, Rhona Mitra, Scott Anderson, Lyriq Bent, Sarah Carter, Kim Coates
Lionsgate/Rated PG-13/Horror/110 min
Filled with bloodthirsty creatures appearing to be escapees "From Dusk Til Dawn 2," this film stars "Roswell's" Jason Behr attempting to help Rachel (Mitra) protect her son, half-blood,12-year-old Timothy (Matthew Knight), from schemers awaiting the lad's transformation. Expect plenty of fang flashing from black-leather clad bikers during a war between disagreeable blood suckers.
RUSH HOUR 3
(2007)
CR: * *
Directed by Brett Ratner
Starring Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Max von Sydow, Noemie Lenoir
New Line/Rated PG-13/Comedy/91 min
Perhaps most notable for a cameo by Roman Polanski cameo (he appears as a French cop), this threequel reteams glib detective James Carter (Tucker) with Hong Kong's top investigator, Lee (Chan). The pair are dispatched to Paris where they pose as fashion designers, then climb the Eiffel Tower in pursuit of Chinese gangsters. Though the action set pieces are well-choreographed and excellently lensed, Chan and Tucker fail to resurrect their Yin and Yang chemistry. China's theaters will not be screening chapter three. Rumor has it that unflattering characterizations are to blame.
DADDY DAY CAMP
(2007)
CR: -Bomb-
Directed by Fred Savage
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Lochlyn Munro, Richard Gant, Paul Rae
Sony/Rated PG/Comedy/89 min
Charlie, aka Mr. Daddy Day Care (Gooding Jr.), opens a kiddie camp in a scheme to take down a rival camp owner (Lochlyn Munro). With partner Phil (Paul Rae), Charlie purchases run-down Camp Driftwood, oozing methane gas from its outhouse. Customers are a mix of dysfunctional kids, including Charlie's own boy, shy Ben (Spencir Bridges). Prepare for a punishing round of explosions, vomiting, bed wetting, and bowel malfunctions. In an effort to help Ben, Charlie and the boy's stern grandfather (Gant) make peace -- though that doesn't prevent Cuba Gooding Jr. from flushing away what's left of his career.
BRATZ: THE MOVIE
2007
CR: -Bomb-
Director by Sean McNamara
Starring Paula Abdul, Skyler Shaye, Janel Parrish, Chelsea Staub, Nathalia Ramos, Logan Browning
Lionsgate/Rated PG/Dramadey/95 min
Four incredibly beautiful high school freshman scheme to take down student body president, Meredith (Staub). The reason -- the queen of mean has decreed that best friends, Yasmin, Jade, Sasha and Cloe must split up and join separate cliques. Yet another tween movie declines to give its characters real problems that might overshadow the film's product merchandising and fashion parade.
UNDERDOG
(2007)
CR: *
Directed by Frederik Du Chau
Starring Peter Dinklage, Jim Belushi, Patrick Warburton, voices of Jason Lee, Amy Adams
Walt Disney/Rated PG/Comedy/84 min
Having accidentally turned an ordinary beagle into a threat when his experiment yielded a superpowered, speaking pooch (voiced by Jason Lee), evil Dr. Simon Barinister (Dinklage) tries to recapture control of Capitol City. None of this explains why regular dogs, such as Underdog's girlfriend, pretty spaniel, Polly Purebread (voice of Amy Adams), or Rottweiler bully, Riff Raff (voice Brad Garrett), are both able to speak. Though it's near impossible to escape the film's omnipresent trailer, Disney has kept the film under wraps. Could the movie really be an underdog? On the flip side, pitting Jason Lee's voice as the canine hero against Dinklage's mad scientist, is potentially brilliant.
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM
(2007)
* * *1/2
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Starring Matt Damon, Edgar Ramirez, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Julia Stiles, Albert Finney
Universal/Rated PG-13/Action/114 min
An amnesiac secret agent, Jason Bourne (Damon), refuses to rest until he learns his real identity and finds those who stole his memory. Joan Allen and Julia Stiles return as potential good gals, but the real action sends Bourne chasing answers that chase back, all over the globe. Cars explode equally well in New York, Italy, Paris, London, Moscow, Madrid, and Morocco where street scenes and exotic backgrounds host countless death-defying stunts. Once again, Bourne's training as an expert in detection and evasion are all that keep him alive -- and generate hundreds of millions in box office revenue! You go, Boy!
WHO'S YOUR CADDY?
(2007)
CR: *
Directed by Don Michael Paul
Starring Big Boi, Jeffrey Jones, Terry Crews, Susan Ward, Sherri Shepherd
Dimension Films/Rated PG-13/Comedy
Big Boi plays rap mogul, C-Note, in the first mainstream blaxpoitation golf comedy. Snobby Carolina Pines Golf & Country Club refuses to let
African-American C-Note join, so he retaliates by purchasing the estate adjacent the club's 17th hole. Proximity and extortion garner C-Note his membership, but he's hell-on-wheels in a golf cart, arrives for his rounds wearing a kilt and noisily passes clouds of noxious gas. Jeffrey Jones plays the club's hapless president, matching Big Boi both pound for pound, and misfiring gag for gag.
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE
(2007)
* * *
Directed by David Silverman
Voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardly Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Albert Brooks, Minnie Driver, Kelsey Grammar
20th Century Fox/Rated PG-13/Comedy/87 min
The Simpsons take on the environment and the policy of President Schwarzenegger in their leap to the big screen. The EPA encases the family's beloved hometown of Springfield beneath a dome after Homer, and his pet pig, cause an environmental disaster. When the entire town turns against the Simpsons, they try to make a fresh start in Alaska, only to find there's nowhere like home. Baby Maggie utters her first words over the closing credits, a clever ploy 18-years in the making.
I KNOW WHO KILLED ME
(2007)
*1/2
Directed by Chris Sivertson
Starring Lindsay Lohan, Julia Ormond, Neal McDonough
Sony/Rated R/Thriller
Just before her unexplained disappearance, promising college student, Aubrey (Lohan) pens a story about her imaginary alter ego, Dakota. Days later, Aubrey is found critically wounded along the side of a road. However, the recovering girl insists she is a stripper named Dakota. Deducing she must be Aubrey's twin, Dakota is certain her sister is being tortured by a deranged killer. Though Aubrey's mother (Ormond) believes Dakota is confused, Aubrey's father (McDonough) agrees to join Dakota's rescue effort. Modeled on classic mysteries, the film's success depends upon its resolution, and this one is laughable.
RESCUE DAWN
(2007)
CR: * * * *
MGM/Rated PG-13/Drama/126 min/
Directed by Werner Herzog
Starring Christian Bale, Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies
A powerhouse tale, "Rescue Dawn" is based on the adventures of Dieter Dengler (Bale), a Vietnam POW. Dieter, proud to fight for his adopted USA, is shot down during his first mission and imprisoned in a jungle camp. Here he meets Duane (Zahn), a wise and grizzled POW, and the fervently Christian, Gene (Davies). After learning that their half-starved captors plan to kill the prisoners and torch the camp, Dieter and Duane urgently search for a means of escape. Based on director Werner Herzog's own documentary, "Little Dieter Needs to Fly," the film's journey to triumph became nearly as arduous as Dieter's own.
INTRODUCING THE DWIGHTS
CR: * *1/2
Directed by Cherie Nowlan
Starring Brenda Blethyn, Khan Chittenden, Emma Booth, Richard Wilson, Frankie J. Holden,
Warner Independent/Rated R/Comedy/104 min
Jean, a mother and short-order cook in a Sydney cafeteria, attempts to restart her career as a comedian, abandoned 25-years earlier. Jean's (Blethyn) stand-up routine is built around her unusual family life, one that includes her security guard husband's (Holden) determination to become a country music star. Jean leans on her youngest son, Tim (Chittenden), who serves as her chauffeur and provides moral support. Therefore, when Tim falls for Jill (Booth) and considers starting his own business, Jean's efforts turn to maintaining the status quo. This "down under" comedy relies on Blethyn's considerable skills to convey the challenge of becoming who we'd like to be when we feel very much stuck with who we are.
HAIRSPRAY
(2007)
* * 1/2
Directed by Adam Shankman
Starring John Travolta, Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, James Marsden, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron,
New Line/Rated PG/Musical/107 min.
A retro-musical remaking John Waters's 1988 film (already remade into a Broadway play), "Hairspray" holds the original's high energy style. In the 1960s, Baltimore teen, Tracy (newcomer, Blonsky), dreams of dancing on a local pop music show hosted by sensation, Corny Collins (played by who-knew-he-could-sing Marsden). Plump Tracy beats the odds to land a spot and spearheads an anti segregation battle that is opposed by snooty TV producer, Velma (Michelle Pfeiffer). Queen Latifah, decked out in a brassy blonde 'do, plays a featured pop performer starring in a pair of smashing musical numbers. John Travolta dons fat-lady-drag to play Tracy's meek mom, but the big surprise is the actor's tender chemistry with Tracy's wacky dad (Christopher Walken). Kisses...
I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK & LARRY
(2007)
CR: -Bomb-
Directed by Dennis Dugan
Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Ving Rhames
Steve Buscemi, Dan Aykroyd
Universal/Rated PG-13/Comedy/115 min
In order for widowed, Brooklyn firefighter, Larry (James), to receive full insurance benefits, he and confirmed bachelor Chuck (Sandler) must pretend to "go gay," and file as domestic partners. The pair hires an attorney (Biel) to enforce their rights, but Chuck's pretend-ability crumbles when he lusts after their beautiful lawyer. Much like the similarly daft "White Chicks," this movie was made simply because it could be -- and quickly, before Will Ferrell or Steve Carell beat Sandler to the punch. Hefty screen time for costar Kevin James might have saved this bottom feeder. Sadly, it was not to be.
HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
(2007)
* * *
Directed by David Yates
Warner Bros./Rated PG-13/Fantasy/138 min
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Imelda Staunton, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith, Helena Bonham Carter
Growing darker and more ominous, the fifth "Potter" film finds Harry (Radcliffe) battling the dark forces to save his muggle cousin's life. Harry is rescued from Hogwarts expulsion (for prohibited use of magic), by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Gambon), but, aside from best friends, Hermione and Ron (Watson and Grint), Harry is subsequently shunned by classmates. The Minister of Magic (Robert Hardy) appoints Miss Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) as his Hogwarts proxy. She dresses exclusively in pink, but displays a black heart that thrives on systematically stripping away the school's defenses against evil. Harry and friends organize a secret army as a showdown looms. New characters flood a film that condenses Rowling's 800-page tome into about two hours. The film is exhilarating and exhausting. Sweet dreams.
CAPTIVITY
(2007)
* *
AfterDark Films/Rated R/Horror/85 min
Directed by Roland Joffe
Starring Elisha Cuthbert, Daniel Gillies, Pruitt Taylor Vince
Widely panned as a gratuitous mix of porn and gore, "Captivity" delivers party-girl-model, Jennifer (Cuthbert), into the hands of a demented serial killer. Locked in the killer's basement dungeon, Jennifer is hideously abused, yet befriends the killer's other prisoner, handsome Gary (Gillies). Reportedly recut and reshot to tone down to its "R"-rating, the story provides little relief from acts of shocking cruelty, such as forcing Jennifer to kill her beloved pooch to save her own life. Not nice!
TRANSFORMERS (2007) * * * Paramount-DreamWorks PG-13/Sci-Fi/Dir: Michael Bay (Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Jon Voight, John Turturro) Cool transformer toys become monstrous, shape-shifting aliens waging an apocalyptic war for control of a mystical talisman. High school student Sam (LaBeouf), and galpal Mikaela (Fox), discover that Sam's Camaro is actually a good, Autobot transformer, sent to protect him from the evil Decepticon transformers. The folks at ILM use eye-popping CGI to depict the destructive confrontations between huge robot warriors. Sam and Mikaela, search for Sam's family heirloom, key to achieving an Autobot victory. John Voight appears as the Secretary of Defense while John Turturro leads a squad of anti-alien agents. "Can we go to this one? Please Mom?"
RATATOUILLE (2007) * * *1/2 Buena Vista G/Animated, Family/Dir: Brad Bird (Brad Garrett, Lou Romano, Patton Oswalt) A rat with gourmet cooking talent, Remy (Oswalt) helps Linguini (Romano) realize his chef's dream. While safely hidden under his Linguini's chef hat, Remy controls the cook's movements by tugging clumps of Linguini's hair. Both halves of this dynamic duo are outcasts. Remy is considered too finicky by his rat pack while Linguini has long been a culinary joke. Chef Skinner (Ian Holm) eyes Linguini's every move when the restaurant receives a make or break visit from the powerful critic, Anton Ego (Peter O'Toole). Disney latches onto another superb offering from Brad Bird and Pixar, who rat-out the studio in a good way.
A MIGHTY HEART (2007) CR: * * *1/2 Paramount R/Drama/Dir: Michael Winterbottom (Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irfan Khan, Archie Panjabi) It's tough to imagine that Jolie starred in the fluffy, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" a few short years back. Now a humanitarian ambassador, it seems fitting that the actress play Mariane Pearl, wife of journalist Daniel Pearl (Futterman). Pregnant and accompanying her husband on his assignment in Karachi, Pakistan, Mariane worries when her husband fails to return from an interview. She closely follows investigators' attempts to find Daniel and when the worst happens, Mariane is left to reconcile events with her changing world views. A window into the difficulties plaguing the Middle East, Pearl's story highlights the dangers confronting journalists on the front lines. |
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