Story
Two orphaned kids, Andi (Emma Roberts) and her mechanical whiz of a younger brother Bruce (Jake T. Austin) live in a foster home with a couple of aging wannabe rock stars (Lisa Kudrow, Kevin Dillon) who are vehemently anti-pet. Running out of ways to keep their stray pooch Friday hidden in plain sight, they stumble on to an abandoned hotel that turns out to be the perfect shelter for Friday – and transform the place into luxury accommodations for all sorts of unwanted pets they spring from the local pound and the streets. But can they stay one step ahead of the law while keeping this United Nations of dogs in line?
Acting
Human actors don’t have a chance against the gifted assortment of canines. With dogs of every breed from a border collie who loves to herd sheep (don’t ask) to an English bulldog obsessed with chewing stuff, the trainers deliver a cast that flawlessly pulls off every dog trick in the book. Fortunately, Roberts (Nancy Drew) and Austin are winning and likeable as the two main kids who share a need for family with their four-legged counterparts. Kudrow and Dillon don’t get a whole lot to do in strictly stereotyped roles, but Don Cheadle as the kids’ social worker adds a nice touch of dignity and warmth to the story.
Direction
For his first American feature, German director Thor Freudenthal got the supreme challenge: working with kids and animals. Getting this furry menagerie to act on cue could not have been easy but Freundenthal and his talented trainers make it look so. Particularly amusing are the various gadgets and elaborate contraptions Bruce builds to keep the doggies occupied and quiet -- including simulated car windows they can stick their heads out of, portable toilets, complicated feeding machines and on and on. Just like the current hit Marley & Me, it’s a funny and heartwarming family comedy.
Monday, January 19, 2009
29. Appaloosa
Story
In the ever-changing west of 1882 city marshal, Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and his deputy Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) are two tough dudes out to clean up lawless towns, a mission that takes them to Appaloosa. This small mining town has been taken over by a ruthless power-hungry land baron, Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), who, along with his band of thugs, has run the place into the ground. Although their initial efforts are met with some success, Cole and Hitch run into personal and professional conflict when a pretty mystery lady, Allison French (Renee Zellweger), blows into town. She complicates the picture, walking on the gray line between good and evil, and generally making the Marshal and his No. 2 overcome unwelcome obstacles in their fight to bring Bragg and his boys to justice. The film, based on the novel by Robert B. Parker, smartly details the unique problems inherent in bringing law and order to an unruly West.
Acting
Guiding his co-star Marcia Gay Harden in 2000’s Pollock to an Oscar, Harris the director once again shows he has a natural affinity for steering his fellow actors, at least most of them, into superlative performances, which includes himself. In fact, the actor doesn’t seem to be the least intimidated in playing the leading role in a movie he also co-wrote, directed and produced. Harris comes off as the embodiment of a dedicated lawman, who quietly goes about his business, determined to clean up the wild, wild West his way with the help of a loyal deputy. Mortensen is wonderfully authentic as Harris’ partner in stopping sagebrush crime, looking like he’s lived in those boots his entire life. Mortensen’s demeanor and style in the role of Everett Hitch evokes a true feel for a place and time long gone. Together these two do not seem fake or awkwardly contemporary, but instead come off as the real deal. Irons is slippery and fun to watch as the devious outlaw Bragg, proving as he did in his Oscar-winning Reversal of Fortune there’s nobody as good at playing subtle shades of bad. Zellweger, on the other hand, lets her acting show at every turn. To be fair, her character rarely adds up, but she does nothing to give any dimension beyond the obvious to a woman courting both sides of the law.
Direction
In only his second outing behind the camera in a decade, Harris shows Pollock was no fluke. Clearly enamored with the era, he nobly honors the great American western tradition, crafting a film that fits in with some of the best examples Hollywood has turned out. Some may complain that Appaloosa is long on talk and short on action, but the time director Harris devotes to letting his characters develop is far more satisfying than a lot of pointless violence that many Westerns wallow in. Like Howard Hawks’ 1959 classic Rio Bravo, this is an honest tale of the camaraderie between a pair of lawmen simply trying to do a job. This is a director whose emphasis is focused on his cast, and he’s picked them very carefully right down to the smallest roles, surrounding himself with a lot of terrific character actors. Just as impressive are the top notch production values including cinematographer Dean Semler’s stunning New Mexico landscapes.
In the ever-changing west of 1882 city marshal, Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and his deputy Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) are two tough dudes out to clean up lawless towns, a mission that takes them to Appaloosa. This small mining town has been taken over by a ruthless power-hungry land baron, Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons), who, along with his band of thugs, has run the place into the ground. Although their initial efforts are met with some success, Cole and Hitch run into personal and professional conflict when a pretty mystery lady, Allison French (Renee Zellweger), blows into town. She complicates the picture, walking on the gray line between good and evil, and generally making the Marshal and his No. 2 overcome unwelcome obstacles in their fight to bring Bragg and his boys to justice. The film, based on the novel by Robert B. Parker, smartly details the unique problems inherent in bringing law and order to an unruly West.
Acting
Guiding his co-star Marcia Gay Harden in 2000’s Pollock to an Oscar, Harris the director once again shows he has a natural affinity for steering his fellow actors, at least most of them, into superlative performances, which includes himself. In fact, the actor doesn’t seem to be the least intimidated in playing the leading role in a movie he also co-wrote, directed and produced. Harris comes off as the embodiment of a dedicated lawman, who quietly goes about his business, determined to clean up the wild, wild West his way with the help of a loyal deputy. Mortensen is wonderfully authentic as Harris’ partner in stopping sagebrush crime, looking like he’s lived in those boots his entire life. Mortensen’s demeanor and style in the role of Everett Hitch evokes a true feel for a place and time long gone. Together these two do not seem fake or awkwardly contemporary, but instead come off as the real deal. Irons is slippery and fun to watch as the devious outlaw Bragg, proving as he did in his Oscar-winning Reversal of Fortune there’s nobody as good at playing subtle shades of bad. Zellweger, on the other hand, lets her acting show at every turn. To be fair, her character rarely adds up, but she does nothing to give any dimension beyond the obvious to a woman courting both sides of the law.
Direction
In only his second outing behind the camera in a decade, Harris shows Pollock was no fluke. Clearly enamored with the era, he nobly honors the great American western tradition, crafting a film that fits in with some of the best examples Hollywood has turned out. Some may complain that Appaloosa is long on talk and short on action, but the time director Harris devotes to letting his characters develop is far more satisfying than a lot of pointless violence that many Westerns wallow in. Like Howard Hawks’ 1959 classic Rio Bravo, this is an honest tale of the camaraderie between a pair of lawmen simply trying to do a job. This is a director whose emphasis is focused on his cast, and he’s picked them very carefully right down to the smallest roles, surrounding himself with a lot of terrific character actors. Just as impressive are the top notch production values including cinematographer Dean Semler’s stunning New Mexico landscapes.
28. Flash of Genius
Story
This may be the best movie about the invention of the intermittent windshield wiper Hollywood has ever turned out. If that sounds facetious it’s not meant to be. Taking subject matter like this and making it into a populist winner Frank Capra probably would have been proud to direct is a minor miracle. The film revolves around college professor and inventor Robert Kearns’(Greg Kinnear) epic battle with Ford Motor Company over the patent for the intermittent windshield wiper, a device Kearns invented in the ‘60s and took to Ford. They praised his work but later ignored him and went ahead with an invention that would become a part of every car on the planet. Kearns then entered into an excruciating quarter of a century suing Ford and other companies over the use of his creation, going through a gaggle of lawyers and settlement offers. His one goal: Ford must admit publicly that they stole his idea. Although the film condenses this battle to 12 years, it’s still the heart of what really happened and the devastating effect his quest had on his family (six kids) and his marriage to his wife, Phyllis (Lauren Graham).
Acting
Kinnear is superb in a tricky role. Kearns isn’t exactly the kind of guy you cozy up to. He’s got almost a single-track vision and goal that threatens his livelihood and his family. It’s hard to understand how he could turn down the kinds of settlements offered for the personal satisfaction of just having a corporation admit they cheated him, but that’s what he does repeatedly. Somehow through Kinnear’s interpretation we can understand the motivation of this man--he felt his once-in-a-lifetime moment had been swallowed up by the Detroit auto machine and he was tossed to the curb. Ultimately, this is a revenge movie. Graham is nicely understated and understandably frustrated as the wife who tries to stand by her man and bring up six kids as their money goes out the window in lawsuits. Dermot Mulroney as an early business partner who doesn’t share the same zeal as Kearns to fight Detroit, is quite good in limited screen time. Best moments in the supporting cast though belong to Alan Alda, sensationally oily as a lawyer who takes on the case and strikes a settlement deal he thinks is a slam dunk. Their restaurant scene is priceless, superbly played by both Kinnear and Alda. You only wish he had a bigger role.
Direction
Marc Abraham is a veteran producer (Children of Men, Spy Game, Air Force One) with a long list of credits, but this is his first outing as a director. Although the film doesn’t really seem to exhibit a singular touch, seeming more like a familiar Hollywood biographical genre-movie, Abraham wisely focuses on the story’s heart and soul making it work as a kind of populist Capraesque entertainment. It’s not flashy but totally absorbing , slick and very professionally made. What could have been a dull, by-the-numbers account of the little guy fighting city hall instead becomes a very personal story of a man obsessed with the kind of justice only he seems to be interested in. It’s a tale of a lonely struggle spread out over many years, a film not so much about a flash of genius, but a battle for self-worth that defined an entire lifetime.
This may be the best movie about the invention of the intermittent windshield wiper Hollywood has ever turned out. If that sounds facetious it’s not meant to be. Taking subject matter like this and making it into a populist winner Frank Capra probably would have been proud to direct is a minor miracle. The film revolves around college professor and inventor Robert Kearns’(Greg Kinnear) epic battle with Ford Motor Company over the patent for the intermittent windshield wiper, a device Kearns invented in the ‘60s and took to Ford. They praised his work but later ignored him and went ahead with an invention that would become a part of every car on the planet. Kearns then entered into an excruciating quarter of a century suing Ford and other companies over the use of his creation, going through a gaggle of lawyers and settlement offers. His one goal: Ford must admit publicly that they stole his idea. Although the film condenses this battle to 12 years, it’s still the heart of what really happened and the devastating effect his quest had on his family (six kids) and his marriage to his wife, Phyllis (Lauren Graham).
Acting
Kinnear is superb in a tricky role. Kearns isn’t exactly the kind of guy you cozy up to. He’s got almost a single-track vision and goal that threatens his livelihood and his family. It’s hard to understand how he could turn down the kinds of settlements offered for the personal satisfaction of just having a corporation admit they cheated him, but that’s what he does repeatedly. Somehow through Kinnear’s interpretation we can understand the motivation of this man--he felt his once-in-a-lifetime moment had been swallowed up by the Detroit auto machine and he was tossed to the curb. Ultimately, this is a revenge movie. Graham is nicely understated and understandably frustrated as the wife who tries to stand by her man and bring up six kids as their money goes out the window in lawsuits. Dermot Mulroney as an early business partner who doesn’t share the same zeal as Kearns to fight Detroit, is quite good in limited screen time. Best moments in the supporting cast though belong to Alan Alda, sensationally oily as a lawyer who takes on the case and strikes a settlement deal he thinks is a slam dunk. Their restaurant scene is priceless, superbly played by both Kinnear and Alda. You only wish he had a bigger role.
Direction
Marc Abraham is a veteran producer (Children of Men, Spy Game, Air Force One) with a long list of credits, but this is his first outing as a director. Although the film doesn’t really seem to exhibit a singular touch, seeming more like a familiar Hollywood biographical genre-movie, Abraham wisely focuses on the story’s heart and soul making it work as a kind of populist Capraesque entertainment. It’s not flashy but totally absorbing , slick and very professionally made. What could have been a dull, by-the-numbers account of the little guy fighting city hall instead becomes a very personal story of a man obsessed with the kind of justice only he seems to be interested in. It’s a tale of a lonely struggle spread out over many years, a film not so much about a flash of genius, but a battle for self-worth that defined an entire lifetime.
27. Nights in Rodanthe
Story
Based on yet another novel by The Notebook’s Nicholas Sparks (the new king of romance), Rodanthe’s story is a simple but touching one. Adrienne Willis (Lane) escapes to Rodanthe in the Outer Banks of North Carolina to take care of a friend's inn for the weekend and fret over the fact her wayward husband wants to come back. Almost as soon as she gets to this small coastal town, a major storm is forecast--and the only guest for that weekend, Dr. Paul Flanner (Gere), arrives. He’s there with his own issues to work out. Quite a fun pair these two make, but they end up helping each other work through their problems. And as the storm closes in, they finally succumb to their attractions. Soon, it becomes a magical weekend for them both and sets in motion a life-changing romance.
Acting
Lane and Gere have had quite a progression in their onscreen pairings. They first played reckless young lovers in Cotton Club at the beginning of their careers, teaming up again much later as a long-married couple in Unfaithful, which saw Lane stray from her leading man. Now, with Rodanthe, it seems a fitting denouement to their evolution as Hollywood’s favorite onscreen couple; they fall in love all over again, but this time with a world of experience. The two actors truly have a certain something together, which makes a fairly sappy story more poignant. Also good is Mae Whitman (HBO’s In Treatment) as Adrienne’s surly teenage daughter, who at first hates her mom for not getting back with her dad but then comes to understand Adrienne in new and more profound ways. She and Lane have some nice moments together.
Direction
Director George C. Wolf (Lackawanna Blues) understands his material and handles it with delicate strokes. Of course, shooting in the Outer Banks can’t be a bad way to go, with it’s gorgeous beach vistas. And the house they found to represent the inn is one of a kind, which, oddly enough, is located in the real town of Rodanthe. Imagine that. Maybe one drawback to Rodanthe is its limited appeal. The Notebook had the younger audiences enthralled with the flashback romance between the fetching Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, while the older audiences identified with the James Garner and Gena Rowlands characters. Rodanthe is strictly for the older set, but I find this refreshing in the fact it IS a modern-day romance between two mature people. Just don’t know how much of a reach it will have.
Based on yet another novel by The Notebook’s Nicholas Sparks (the new king of romance), Rodanthe’s story is a simple but touching one. Adrienne Willis (Lane) escapes to Rodanthe in the Outer Banks of North Carolina to take care of a friend's inn for the weekend and fret over the fact her wayward husband wants to come back. Almost as soon as she gets to this small coastal town, a major storm is forecast--and the only guest for that weekend, Dr. Paul Flanner (Gere), arrives. He’s there with his own issues to work out. Quite a fun pair these two make, but they end up helping each other work through their problems. And as the storm closes in, they finally succumb to their attractions. Soon, it becomes a magical weekend for them both and sets in motion a life-changing romance.
Acting
Lane and Gere have had quite a progression in their onscreen pairings. They first played reckless young lovers in Cotton Club at the beginning of their careers, teaming up again much later as a long-married couple in Unfaithful, which saw Lane stray from her leading man. Now, with Rodanthe, it seems a fitting denouement to their evolution as Hollywood’s favorite onscreen couple; they fall in love all over again, but this time with a world of experience. The two actors truly have a certain something together, which makes a fairly sappy story more poignant. Also good is Mae Whitman (HBO’s In Treatment) as Adrienne’s surly teenage daughter, who at first hates her mom for not getting back with her dad but then comes to understand Adrienne in new and more profound ways. She and Lane have some nice moments together.
Direction
Director George C. Wolf (Lackawanna Blues) understands his material and handles it with delicate strokes. Of course, shooting in the Outer Banks can’t be a bad way to go, with it’s gorgeous beach vistas. And the house they found to represent the inn is one of a kind, which, oddly enough, is located in the real town of Rodanthe. Imagine that. Maybe one drawback to Rodanthe is its limited appeal. The Notebook had the younger audiences enthralled with the flashback romance between the fetching Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, while the older audiences identified with the James Garner and Gena Rowlands characters. Rodanthe is strictly for the older set, but I find this refreshing in the fact it IS a modern-day romance between two mature people. Just don’t know how much of a reach it will have.
26. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Story
Set in the 1970s male-dominated news world, the dashing, mustached Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is indeed a legend as San Diego's top-rated anchorman. He and his news team--including field reporter and all-around ladies man Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sports cowboy Champ Kind (David Koechner) and mindless weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell)--live life large as local television icons, boozing and womanizing with the best of them. As Ron puts it, they have been coming to the "same party for 12 years--and in no way is that depressing." But their world is about to turn upside down when an ambitious newswoman, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) is hired by the managing news producer (Fred Willard) to spice things up. The guys aren't worried at first, treating her like any other woman, that is to say, sexually harassing her--and, despite that, Veronica and Ron hit it off. But soon Ms. Corningstone's true agenda is revealed--she wants to land an anchor spot, and she isn't about the let anything stand in her way, including a perfectly coiffed, slightly hairy, idiot newsman named Ron Burgundy. Of course, this means war.
Acting
No longer is Ferrell just a side character, illuminating the proceedings with his hilarity. Along with pals Jack Black, Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller (who make strategic cameos in Anchorman--but we aren't telling how 'cause that'll ruin the fun), the former Saturday Night Live alum has become one of the new kings of cinematic comedy. People expect Ferrell to be gut-bustin' funny now, and luckily, he delivers once again as Ron Burgundy. With a voice that "could make a wolverine purr," Burgundy is all hot air, great hair and polyester debonair, a dim bulb who tries to understand the news stories he recites but gives up quickly because it requires too much thought, and simply reads the teleprompter exactly as it is written. Ferrell is at his best when he is allowed to free-associate, either by himself (while getting ready to go on the air) or with his co-stars, Rudd, Koechner and Carell, (singing a strangely harmonious rendition of "Afternoon Delight"). Keep your eyes on Carell--he is a comic gem on the rise. The Daily Show co-star had a brief but memorable turn in last year's Bruce Almighty, as an anchorman (ironic, huh?) Jim Carrey messes with, but in Anchorman, Carell is absolutely side-splitting as Brick, who doesn't have a single brain cell working, rattling off non sequiturs like, "I ate an entire red candle," when talking about a party the night before. Christina Applegate, subjected to this lunacy, holds her own, god bless her, and does an admirable job playing the straight woman to this group of wackos.
Direction
Adam McKay, former SNL head writer, makes his directorial and screenwriting debut with Anchorman. The story has a fairly classic and simplistic framework--Burgundy starts out on top, falls to rock bottom and climbs his way back up again--but it's pretty evident early on that with the likes of Ferrell and the rest, all McKay has to do is turn the camera on them and let it all happen. Watching Burgundy, incoherent, breaking down in a phone booth after his dog is supposedly booted off a bridge by an irate motorcyclist or the news team rumble, where San Diego news rivals go at each other with nasty weapons, it's funny stuff. But rather than just let the comedy come from the story á la Old School, Anchorman throws in some antics that probably sounded comical on paper but end up being silly and forced. For example, Veronica and Ron going to "pleasure town," (sexual bliss) with animated furry animals and rainbows instead of seeing the love act itself or the gang trying to get out of a bear pit after they've woken up the hibernating animals, that's a little over the top. At least, Anchorman never goes for the toilet humor--nope, you won't find a vomit, urine, semen or poop joke in this film. You will, however, find gratuitous shots of Ferrell's hairy chest. Shiver.
Set in the 1970s male-dominated news world, the dashing, mustached Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is indeed a legend as San Diego's top-rated anchorman. He and his news team--including field reporter and all-around ladies man Brian Fantana (Paul Rudd), sports cowboy Champ Kind (David Koechner) and mindless weatherman Brick Tamland (Steve Carell)--live life large as local television icons, boozing and womanizing with the best of them. As Ron puts it, they have been coming to the "same party for 12 years--and in no way is that depressing." But their world is about to turn upside down when an ambitious newswoman, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) is hired by the managing news producer (Fred Willard) to spice things up. The guys aren't worried at first, treating her like any other woman, that is to say, sexually harassing her--and, despite that, Veronica and Ron hit it off. But soon Ms. Corningstone's true agenda is revealed--she wants to land an anchor spot, and she isn't about the let anything stand in her way, including a perfectly coiffed, slightly hairy, idiot newsman named Ron Burgundy. Of course, this means war.
Acting
No longer is Ferrell just a side character, illuminating the proceedings with his hilarity. Along with pals Jack Black, Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller (who make strategic cameos in Anchorman--but we aren't telling how 'cause that'll ruin the fun), the former Saturday Night Live alum has become one of the new kings of cinematic comedy. People expect Ferrell to be gut-bustin' funny now, and luckily, he delivers once again as Ron Burgundy. With a voice that "could make a wolverine purr," Burgundy is all hot air, great hair and polyester debonair, a dim bulb who tries to understand the news stories he recites but gives up quickly because it requires too much thought, and simply reads the teleprompter exactly as it is written. Ferrell is at his best when he is allowed to free-associate, either by himself (while getting ready to go on the air) or with his co-stars, Rudd, Koechner and Carell, (singing a strangely harmonious rendition of "Afternoon Delight"). Keep your eyes on Carell--he is a comic gem on the rise. The Daily Show co-star had a brief but memorable turn in last year's Bruce Almighty, as an anchorman (ironic, huh?) Jim Carrey messes with, but in Anchorman, Carell is absolutely side-splitting as Brick, who doesn't have a single brain cell working, rattling off non sequiturs like, "I ate an entire red candle," when talking about a party the night before. Christina Applegate, subjected to this lunacy, holds her own, god bless her, and does an admirable job playing the straight woman to this group of wackos.
Direction
Adam McKay, former SNL head writer, makes his directorial and screenwriting debut with Anchorman. The story has a fairly classic and simplistic framework--Burgundy starts out on top, falls to rock bottom and climbs his way back up again--but it's pretty evident early on that with the likes of Ferrell and the rest, all McKay has to do is turn the camera on them and let it all happen. Watching Burgundy, incoherent, breaking down in a phone booth after his dog is supposedly booted off a bridge by an irate motorcyclist or the news team rumble, where San Diego news rivals go at each other with nasty weapons, it's funny stuff. But rather than just let the comedy come from the story á la Old School, Anchorman throws in some antics that probably sounded comical on paper but end up being silly and forced. For example, Veronica and Ron going to "pleasure town," (sexual bliss) with animated furry animals and rainbows instead of seeing the love act itself or the gang trying to get out of a bear pit after they've woken up the hibernating animals, that's a little over the top. At least, Anchorman never goes for the toilet humor--nope, you won't find a vomit, urine, semen or poop joke in this film. You will, however, find gratuitous shots of Ferrell's hairy chest. Shiver.
25. Sex Drive
Story
Yet another in a LONG line of teenage sex comedies, this one manages somehow to be fresh and appealing -- despite the formu-lay-ic premise. That’s right, another horny 18 year-old boy (Josh Zuckerman) is determined to lose his virginity any way he can. Ian can’t seem to become a "man," upstaged by a Lothario of an older brother Rex (James Marsden) and his even more successful 14 year-old younger brother. He is constantly humiliated by the giant donut costume he wears for his job at the mall and can’t even get to first base with Felicia (Amanda Crew), a girl who thinks of him only as her best friend and nothing more. With the pressure of going to college as a sexual outcast, what’s a hot-to-trot young dude to do? In this case -- using encouragement from pal Lance (Clark Duke) and with Felicia along for the ride -- the threesome take off in the unsuspecting Rex’s prized Pontiac GTO for a cross-country drive Ian thinks will end with the payoff of sex with a hot blonde named Ms. Tasty (Katrina Bowden) he met on the Internet. Unfortunately, the one-day outing turns into a three-day nightmare for the trio, with brother Rex on their trail and friend Lance getting a little too cocksure for his own good. Oh, and did we forget to mention the Amish farm they manage to work into the tour?
Acting
In the obligatory Jason Biggs role, Josh Zuckerman is totally winning as a sex-starved high school graduate looking desperately to tame his out-of-control libido. With sharp comic timing and no end to the ways he is willing to humiliate himself for the sake of his art, Zuckerman should have a bright future. Although the casting of his friend Lance, played by the pudgy Duke, would seem to be an attempt to emulate the Michael Cera/Jonah Hill teaming of Superbad, Duke’s go-for-the-big laughs approach feels like we are seeing this kind of goosed-up sex maniac act for the first time. As the female "best friend" Felicia, Amanda Crew is very appealing and thankfully grounded in reality. Marsden is hilarious as dopey Rex, who prizes his vintage GTO and his own sexual prowess even more than the love of little bro. Seth Green has some funny bits as the sarcastic Amish man who somehow seems to know how to fix hot rods. Bowden is gorgeous and devious as the Internet hottie, who may not be all Ian hoped for. Special mention also to Charlie McDermott and Mark Young who as a recurring kind of geek chorus, playing two inept high school girl magnets. NOT.
Direction
Director and co-screenwriter (with John Morris) Sean Anders manages to infuse what could have been a stale leftover piece of American Pie with new life, and that’s largely thanks to some very funny, VERY raunchy situations he dreams up for these likeable and recognizable characters. The premise of a so-called Sex Drive also offers ripe opportunities in this genre and Anders gets a lot of play out of it, particularly from Duke, whose uninhibited acting grabs most of the big laughs. Although they crank the gross factor way up, the film doesn’t lose sight that it’s mostly a coming-of-age comic look at a rite of passage most young guys -- and girls -- will identify with. Although much is predictable, Sex Drive has a strong sense of what it wants to be and in the end even turns sweetly romantic, something most films of this stripe rarely do.
Yet another in a LONG line of teenage sex comedies, this one manages somehow to be fresh and appealing -- despite the formu-lay-ic premise. That’s right, another horny 18 year-old boy (Josh Zuckerman) is determined to lose his virginity any way he can. Ian can’t seem to become a "man," upstaged by a Lothario of an older brother Rex (James Marsden) and his even more successful 14 year-old younger brother. He is constantly humiliated by the giant donut costume he wears for his job at the mall and can’t even get to first base with Felicia (Amanda Crew), a girl who thinks of him only as her best friend and nothing more. With the pressure of going to college as a sexual outcast, what’s a hot-to-trot young dude to do? In this case -- using encouragement from pal Lance (Clark Duke) and with Felicia along for the ride -- the threesome take off in the unsuspecting Rex’s prized Pontiac GTO for a cross-country drive Ian thinks will end with the payoff of sex with a hot blonde named Ms. Tasty (Katrina Bowden) he met on the Internet. Unfortunately, the one-day outing turns into a three-day nightmare for the trio, with brother Rex on their trail and friend Lance getting a little too cocksure for his own good. Oh, and did we forget to mention the Amish farm they manage to work into the tour?
Acting
In the obligatory Jason Biggs role, Josh Zuckerman is totally winning as a sex-starved high school graduate looking desperately to tame his out-of-control libido. With sharp comic timing and no end to the ways he is willing to humiliate himself for the sake of his art, Zuckerman should have a bright future. Although the casting of his friend Lance, played by the pudgy Duke, would seem to be an attempt to emulate the Michael Cera/Jonah Hill teaming of Superbad, Duke’s go-for-the-big laughs approach feels like we are seeing this kind of goosed-up sex maniac act for the first time. As the female "best friend" Felicia, Amanda Crew is very appealing and thankfully grounded in reality. Marsden is hilarious as dopey Rex, who prizes his vintage GTO and his own sexual prowess even more than the love of little bro. Seth Green has some funny bits as the sarcastic Amish man who somehow seems to know how to fix hot rods. Bowden is gorgeous and devious as the Internet hottie, who may not be all Ian hoped for. Special mention also to Charlie McDermott and Mark Young who as a recurring kind of geek chorus, playing two inept high school girl magnets. NOT.
Direction
Director and co-screenwriter (with John Morris) Sean Anders manages to infuse what could have been a stale leftover piece of American Pie with new life, and that’s largely thanks to some very funny, VERY raunchy situations he dreams up for these likeable and recognizable characters. The premise of a so-called Sex Drive also offers ripe opportunities in this genre and Anders gets a lot of play out of it, particularly from Duke, whose uninhibited acting grabs most of the big laughs. Although they crank the gross factor way up, the film doesn’t lose sight that it’s mostly a coming-of-age comic look at a rite of passage most young guys -- and girls -- will identify with. Although much is predictable, Sex Drive has a strong sense of what it wants to be and in the end even turns sweetly romantic, something most films of this stripe rarely do.
24. RocknRolla
Story
Dealing with a bunch of small-time thugs, shady London mobsters, Russian millionaires, junkie rock stars and assorted other members of the criminal underground, director Guy Ritchie has thankfully returned to the beat he knows best--even if the accents are a bit thick and the action often confusing. In this version of contemporary London, it’s real estate--and not drugs--that is attracting all brand of criminal with the dangling carrot of a multi-million dollar deal. Into this mix comes the scrappy One-Two (Gerard Butler) and his cohorts Mumbles (Idris Elba) and Handsome Bob (Tom Hardy), who manage to get a loan from the super-crooked, old-timey crime boss Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson). He intends to nab the property for himself and demands the money owed him anyway. In order to get the money repaid, One-Two hooks up with an attractive but shifty accountant (Thandie Newton), who works for a shady rich Russian dude. This is just the beginning, as the plot thickens and the atmosphere gets loaded with all sorts of interweaving characters with distinct motivations of their own to get a piece of the pie in an ever-changing London.
Acting
Guy Ritchie knows how to cast these things, and RocknRolla is no exception--starting with Wilkinson, almost recognizable, as the vicious oily mob boss who knows how to work the system to get just what he wants. Wilkinson is deliciously fun to watch. So is Toby Kebbell, as Lenny’s loopy and off-the-wall stepson--a junkie rock star named Johnny Quid, who turns out to have the key to all the money. Butler is strong as the macho small-time thug out to conquer London real estate but gets stuck in a silly subplot when his partner (Hardy) suddenly admits he’s gay and has feelings for him. Mark Strong, also impressive in this week’s Body of Lies, is terrific as Lenny’s right-hand man Archie, a guy who knows how these operations work. Karel Roden has nice moments as the billionaire Russian, but we wished there was more to Newton’s role as she simply turns up every now and then without adding much to the proceedings. Elba (The Wire) is great as Mumbles, One-Two’s best buddy and other partner in crime. And just for fun a couple of Americans get thrown into the stew: Jeremy Piven and Chris "Ludicris" Bridges, playing rock promoters who are trying to make it in the London music biz.
Direction
Guy Ritchie has had a rough patch lately, what with the dreadful Swept Away and the mind bogglingly numbness of Revolver, which sat on the shelf for two years before finally getting a nominal U.S. release. It’s no wonder the director wanted to return to the Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch turf in which he made his name. With RocknRolla, he’s done just that, and the results are encouraging. This flick is pure Guy Ritchie, with his patented penchant for colorful low-life characters, dense crime plotlines and a gang that can’t seem to shoot straight. Even though there are characters being dropped in at a steady pace, and lots of stuff always going on, Guy Ritchie manages to keep it all humming and visually arresting. Another big plus is the soundtrack, which cranks. Overall, RocknRolla really rocks and totally delivers. It’s a wild ride all the way. A promised sequel on the end credits can’t come too soon.
Dealing with a bunch of small-time thugs, shady London mobsters, Russian millionaires, junkie rock stars and assorted other members of the criminal underground, director Guy Ritchie has thankfully returned to the beat he knows best--even if the accents are a bit thick and the action often confusing. In this version of contemporary London, it’s real estate--and not drugs--that is attracting all brand of criminal with the dangling carrot of a multi-million dollar deal. Into this mix comes the scrappy One-Two (Gerard Butler) and his cohorts Mumbles (Idris Elba) and Handsome Bob (Tom Hardy), who manage to get a loan from the super-crooked, old-timey crime boss Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson). He intends to nab the property for himself and demands the money owed him anyway. In order to get the money repaid, One-Two hooks up with an attractive but shifty accountant (Thandie Newton), who works for a shady rich Russian dude. This is just the beginning, as the plot thickens and the atmosphere gets loaded with all sorts of interweaving characters with distinct motivations of their own to get a piece of the pie in an ever-changing London.
Acting
Guy Ritchie knows how to cast these things, and RocknRolla is no exception--starting with Wilkinson, almost recognizable, as the vicious oily mob boss who knows how to work the system to get just what he wants. Wilkinson is deliciously fun to watch. So is Toby Kebbell, as Lenny’s loopy and off-the-wall stepson--a junkie rock star named Johnny Quid, who turns out to have the key to all the money. Butler is strong as the macho small-time thug out to conquer London real estate but gets stuck in a silly subplot when his partner (Hardy) suddenly admits he’s gay and has feelings for him. Mark Strong, also impressive in this week’s Body of Lies, is terrific as Lenny’s right-hand man Archie, a guy who knows how these operations work. Karel Roden has nice moments as the billionaire Russian, but we wished there was more to Newton’s role as she simply turns up every now and then without adding much to the proceedings. Elba (The Wire) is great as Mumbles, One-Two’s best buddy and other partner in crime. And just for fun a couple of Americans get thrown into the stew: Jeremy Piven and Chris "Ludicris" Bridges, playing rock promoters who are trying to make it in the London music biz.
Direction
Guy Ritchie has had a rough patch lately, what with the dreadful Swept Away and the mind bogglingly numbness of Revolver, which sat on the shelf for two years before finally getting a nominal U.S. release. It’s no wonder the director wanted to return to the Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch turf in which he made his name. With RocknRolla, he’s done just that, and the results are encouraging. This flick is pure Guy Ritchie, with his patented penchant for colorful low-life characters, dense crime plotlines and a gang that can’t seem to shoot straight. Even though there are characters being dropped in at a steady pace, and lots of stuff always going on, Guy Ritchie manages to keep it all humming and visually arresting. Another big plus is the soundtrack, which cranks. Overall, RocknRolla really rocks and totally delivers. It’s a wild ride all the way. A promised sequel on the end credits can’t come too soon.
23. My Bloody Valentine 3-D
Story
We can understand the resurrections of Leatherface, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers. But one-hit wonder the Miner? Yes, pickaxe-wielding mad miner Harry Warden appears to be on the rampage again. The residents of Harmony believe police fatally shot Warden after he picked off kids partying in the mine. But his body was never found. If Warden really is dead, who’s now driving his pickaxe through the heads of those connected with all the mine murders? Could it be Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles), the mine owner’s son responsible for the accident that turned Harry into a homicidal maniac.? Or could it be Sheriff Axel Palmer (Kerr Smith)? Caught in the middle is Sarah (Jamie King), who married Axel after Tom dumped her and fled Harmony. Worse, the killer’s set his sights on Sarah so he can finished what was started long ago down in Tunnel No. 5.
Acting
Bearing in mind the damsel in distress must remaining standing, it’s more important that King can bust some moves than explore the emotional and psychological toll of being victimized by an unstoppable force of evil. Luckily, King prevails over her initial jitters in order to swing a mean shovel when under attack. On the other hand, wimps Ackles (Supernatural) wears nothing but a pained expression on his face, while Smith (Dawson’s Creek) is all bark and no bite. Horrors fans, though, will get a kick out of seeing ageless tough-guy Tom Atkins take on the Miner. Oh, and as for that glasses-fogging moment that’s mandatory for a 3-D chiller, it’s Betsy Rue’s unenviable task to strip down to her birthday suit as Palmer’s high school sweetheart and rub what she’s got right in our faces.
Direction
Does it matter that this My Bloody Valentine redo fails miserably as a whodunit? Or that the only time you’re on the edge of your seat is during a tense supermarket confrontation between King and the Miner? This remake exists solely to gross you out by throwing anything and everything at you in 3-D. Eyeballs pop out, body parts drop the floor, blood and pieces of bone cover the screen -- to that end, director Patrick Lussier doesn’t disappoint. Props to him for not giving us a scene-by-scene carbon copy of one of the earliest holiday-themed Halloween knockoff, but the director falls short whenever he attempts to recreate his source material’s most nail-biting moments. So if its gore you want, you got it; but if you want to be scared out of your wits, give My Bloody Valentine the kiss off.
We can understand the resurrections of Leatherface, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers. But one-hit wonder the Miner? Yes, pickaxe-wielding mad miner Harry Warden appears to be on the rampage again. The residents of Harmony believe police fatally shot Warden after he picked off kids partying in the mine. But his body was never found. If Warden really is dead, who’s now driving his pickaxe through the heads of those connected with all the mine murders? Could it be Tom Hanniger (Jensen Ackles), the mine owner’s son responsible for the accident that turned Harry into a homicidal maniac.? Or could it be Sheriff Axel Palmer (Kerr Smith)? Caught in the middle is Sarah (Jamie King), who married Axel after Tom dumped her and fled Harmony. Worse, the killer’s set his sights on Sarah so he can finished what was started long ago down in Tunnel No. 5.
Acting
Bearing in mind the damsel in distress must remaining standing, it’s more important that King can bust some moves than explore the emotional and psychological toll of being victimized by an unstoppable force of evil. Luckily, King prevails over her initial jitters in order to swing a mean shovel when under attack. On the other hand, wimps Ackles (Supernatural) wears nothing but a pained expression on his face, while Smith (Dawson’s Creek) is all bark and no bite. Horrors fans, though, will get a kick out of seeing ageless tough-guy Tom Atkins take on the Miner. Oh, and as for that glasses-fogging moment that’s mandatory for a 3-D chiller, it’s Betsy Rue’s unenviable task to strip down to her birthday suit as Palmer’s high school sweetheart and rub what she’s got right in our faces.
Direction
Does it matter that this My Bloody Valentine redo fails miserably as a whodunit? Or that the only time you’re on the edge of your seat is during a tense supermarket confrontation between King and the Miner? This remake exists solely to gross you out by throwing anything and everything at you in 3-D. Eyeballs pop out, body parts drop the floor, blood and pieces of bone cover the screen -- to that end, director Patrick Lussier doesn’t disappoint. Props to him for not giving us a scene-by-scene carbon copy of one of the earliest holiday-themed Halloween knockoff, but the director falls short whenever he attempts to recreate his source material’s most nail-biting moments. So if its gore you want, you got it; but if you want to be scared out of your wits, give My Bloody Valentine the kiss off.
22. My Best Friend's Girl
Story
Yet another in a continuing line of dismal Dane Cook so-called romantic comedies (Good Luck Chuck, Employee of the Month) , My Best Friend's Girl can’t seem to decide exactly what kind of movie it wants to be, landing somewhere between gross-out humor and silly relationship dreck. Tank (Cook) is a moronic, commitment-free, sex-addicted loser, who offers up his services to guys in need of keeping their girlfriends from jumping ship. The solution? One date revolving around Tank’s intentionally repulsive antics, and they will come running back, no questions asked. So when his roommate and best friend, the love-struck Dustin (Jason Biggs), finds his new girlfriend Alexis (Kate Hudson) isn’t ready to marry him after just one month, he turns to Tank to work his disgusting mojo on her. But it backfires when Alexis turns into a drunken, sex-starved slut on their first outing to a strip bar, thoroughly impressing Tank. The complications pile up as the mismatched pair fall in love, and Tank begins second guessing the new relationship he has created behind his buddy’s back.
Acting
Cook has now been down this road so many times, it feels like yesterday’s warmed-up oatmeal. There’s no doubt he’s got comic talent and even a kind of oddball leading man appeal--but over and over he is asked to play the same garish guy, an expletive hurling sex machine with no sense of social decorum, manners or even common sense. He’s the poster boy for beer guzzling dunderheads, who want jump into bed with no questions asked. He has a moment at the end of Best Friend's Girl in which he finally get the laughs but a little too late. Hudson is also apparently determined to take any script that comes her way, floundering helplessly as the sexually confused Alexis who can’t seem to decide what she wants in a relationship: the good boy or the bad. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to have any chemistry with Biggs--or for that matter, Cook. All they do is shout at each other repeatedly, using some form of the word "asshole" over and over. Biggs as the third wheel just doesn’t have anywhere to go with this role, basically serving as an annoying plot device to get the two leads together. The only one who survives with any dignity is Alec Baldwin as Tank’s unapologetic womanizing father, who offers up advice to his son that is blissfully politically incorrect. Sure, Baldwin can do this kind of thing in his sleep, but he does it with style, even if wasted on this sorry enterprise.
Direction
Eighties teen movie veteran Howard Deutch (Pretty In Pink) finds his career literally in the tank (pun intended), trying to unearth a romantic comedy from material that just doesn’t give him much to work with. Deutch is so divorced from the concept that it looks like he just turned the cameras on and let his stars improvise for the most undemanding moviegoers imaginable (even though there is a credited script supposedly written by Jordan Cahan). To top everything off, he shoots most of it in unattractive, poorly lit close-ups that do no favors for anyone, particularly the usually bright and fetching Hudson. This looks like one of those movies in which everyone is having such a good time on the set, they forgot to let the audience in on all the "fun."
Yet another in a continuing line of dismal Dane Cook so-called romantic comedies (Good Luck Chuck, Employee of the Month) , My Best Friend's Girl can’t seem to decide exactly what kind of movie it wants to be, landing somewhere between gross-out humor and silly relationship dreck. Tank (Cook) is a moronic, commitment-free, sex-addicted loser, who offers up his services to guys in need of keeping their girlfriends from jumping ship. The solution? One date revolving around Tank’s intentionally repulsive antics, and they will come running back, no questions asked. So when his roommate and best friend, the love-struck Dustin (Jason Biggs), finds his new girlfriend Alexis (Kate Hudson) isn’t ready to marry him after just one month, he turns to Tank to work his disgusting mojo on her. But it backfires when Alexis turns into a drunken, sex-starved slut on their first outing to a strip bar, thoroughly impressing Tank. The complications pile up as the mismatched pair fall in love, and Tank begins second guessing the new relationship he has created behind his buddy’s back.
Acting
Cook has now been down this road so many times, it feels like yesterday’s warmed-up oatmeal. There’s no doubt he’s got comic talent and even a kind of oddball leading man appeal--but over and over he is asked to play the same garish guy, an expletive hurling sex machine with no sense of social decorum, manners or even common sense. He’s the poster boy for beer guzzling dunderheads, who want jump into bed with no questions asked. He has a moment at the end of Best Friend's Girl in which he finally get the laughs but a little too late. Hudson is also apparently determined to take any script that comes her way, floundering helplessly as the sexually confused Alexis who can’t seem to decide what she wants in a relationship: the good boy or the bad. Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to have any chemistry with Biggs--or for that matter, Cook. All they do is shout at each other repeatedly, using some form of the word "asshole" over and over. Biggs as the third wheel just doesn’t have anywhere to go with this role, basically serving as an annoying plot device to get the two leads together. The only one who survives with any dignity is Alec Baldwin as Tank’s unapologetic womanizing father, who offers up advice to his son that is blissfully politically incorrect. Sure, Baldwin can do this kind of thing in his sleep, but he does it with style, even if wasted on this sorry enterprise.
Direction
Eighties teen movie veteran Howard Deutch (Pretty In Pink) finds his career literally in the tank (pun intended), trying to unearth a romantic comedy from material that just doesn’t give him much to work with. Deutch is so divorced from the concept that it looks like he just turned the cameras on and let his stars improvise for the most undemanding moviegoers imaginable (even though there is a credited script supposedly written by Jordan Cahan). To top everything off, he shoots most of it in unattractive, poorly lit close-ups that do no favors for anyone, particularly the usually bright and fetching Hudson. This looks like one of those movies in which everyone is having such a good time on the set, they forgot to let the audience in on all the "fun."
21. Hancock
Story
Hancock must have sounded great--at least on paper. Hancock (Smith) is the anti-superhero, a crime fighter with a bad attitude in contemporary Los Angeles who drinks way too much, dresses like skid row and doesn’t give a hoot what anyone thinks about him. Of course, since he can fly like Superman, stop a speeding train with his fist and take care of just about any badass gang member with his little finger, he is invaluable to the police. But the public hates him--so into his life comes PR wizard Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), who is determined to remake Hancock into the image of a hero the city can embrace, including getting a spandex outfit. When Hancock comes over to Embrey’s house, his wife Mary (Charlize Theron) gets an immediate bad vibe about the guy. There’s good reason and therein lies the film’s big twist, which comes at the half-way point of the very tight 92-minute running time. To say much else about where the plot goes would put us in spoiler hell and for a movie so reliant on the sudden turn it takes you’ll just have to figure it out yourself.
Acting
They call the 4th of July "Big Willie Weekend" because Smith has been responsible for opening so many blockbusters during this time frame, including Independence Day, Bad Boys, Men In Black, among others. The movie-going public obviously loves him (so do we) and he’s coming off two strong recent performances in I Am Legend and The Pursuit of Happyness. On the surface, the role of Hancock--a complicated, reluctant superhero who is all ’tude-- fits right in with the rest of the resume, but despite the star’s best efforts Hancock comes off a little too contrived and affected. Will’s charisma is going to have to work overtime for eager audiences to completely buy this character. An abrupt tonal shift halfway through presents a strong challenge to Theron, who suddenly isn’t who she appears to be at first. Credit must go to this fine actress for making the awkward transition Mary Embrey seamless. And thank God for Jason Bateman, whose innate charm and ability to play comedy makes Ray, a guy in a REAL quandary--the most likeable of all the main stars as he is caught in a Twilight Zone of superhero antics.
Direction
Actor-turned-director Peter Berg (The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights) is all flash and style with Hancock. He moves his shaky camera right up into the stars faces and back again, awkwardly shifting the tone from comedy to maudlin drama and trying to ramp up a story that just doesn’t make a whole lot of narrative sense. Films about comic-book superheroes are a dime a dozen in the summer months, and audiences have shown they can easily suspend disbelief if they have a protagonist to root for. Berg’s failure here is to present Will Smith in such a way that we don’t care. The movie is full of botched opportunities, with the whole arc collapsing as the thin screenplay recklessly takes off in unexpected directions--including a ridiculous scene in which Hancock goes to prison (for no good reason) that gives new meaning to the term "butting heads." Not only do sequences like this seriously challenge the viability of the film’s PG-13 rating, they test our patience for all its worth. Even though there are some nice special effects and its faults do not lie in our stars (we still love you, Will), Hancock does not set off the kind of fireworks you may have been expecting this Big Willie Weekend.
Hancock must have sounded great--at least on paper. Hancock (Smith) is the anti-superhero, a crime fighter with a bad attitude in contemporary Los Angeles who drinks way too much, dresses like skid row and doesn’t give a hoot what anyone thinks about him. Of course, since he can fly like Superman, stop a speeding train with his fist and take care of just about any badass gang member with his little finger, he is invaluable to the police. But the public hates him--so into his life comes PR wizard Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), who is determined to remake Hancock into the image of a hero the city can embrace, including getting a spandex outfit. When Hancock comes over to Embrey’s house, his wife Mary (Charlize Theron) gets an immediate bad vibe about the guy. There’s good reason and therein lies the film’s big twist, which comes at the half-way point of the very tight 92-minute running time. To say much else about where the plot goes would put us in spoiler hell and for a movie so reliant on the sudden turn it takes you’ll just have to figure it out yourself.
Acting
They call the 4th of July "Big Willie Weekend" because Smith has been responsible for opening so many blockbusters during this time frame, including Independence Day, Bad Boys, Men In Black, among others. The movie-going public obviously loves him (so do we) and he’s coming off two strong recent performances in I Am Legend and The Pursuit of Happyness. On the surface, the role of Hancock--a complicated, reluctant superhero who is all ’tude-- fits right in with the rest of the resume, but despite the star’s best efforts Hancock comes off a little too contrived and affected. Will’s charisma is going to have to work overtime for eager audiences to completely buy this character. An abrupt tonal shift halfway through presents a strong challenge to Theron, who suddenly isn’t who she appears to be at first. Credit must go to this fine actress for making the awkward transition Mary Embrey seamless. And thank God for Jason Bateman, whose innate charm and ability to play comedy makes Ray, a guy in a REAL quandary--the most likeable of all the main stars as he is caught in a Twilight Zone of superhero antics.
Direction
Actor-turned-director Peter Berg (The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights) is all flash and style with Hancock. He moves his shaky camera right up into the stars faces and back again, awkwardly shifting the tone from comedy to maudlin drama and trying to ramp up a story that just doesn’t make a whole lot of narrative sense. Films about comic-book superheroes are a dime a dozen in the summer months, and audiences have shown they can easily suspend disbelief if they have a protagonist to root for. Berg’s failure here is to present Will Smith in such a way that we don’t care. The movie is full of botched opportunities, with the whole arc collapsing as the thin screenplay recklessly takes off in unexpected directions--including a ridiculous scene in which Hancock goes to prison (for no good reason) that gives new meaning to the term "butting heads." Not only do sequences like this seriously challenge the viability of the film’s PG-13 rating, they test our patience for all its worth. Even though there are some nice special effects and its faults do not lie in our stars (we still love you, Will), Hancock does not set off the kind of fireworks you may have been expecting this Big Willie Weekend.
20. Monster House
Story
It’s Halloween Eve in suburbia, and while most of the neighborhood kids are gearing up for a candy extravaganza, two young‘uns--DJ (voiced by Mitchell Musso) and Chowder (voiced by Sam Lerner)--are fretting and dreading. They’re convinced that the decrepit house across the street is in fact a monster house inhabited by an old hermit named Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi) that will lure kids in on Halloween night. But just as DJ’s parents, who naturally don’t believe him to begin with, leave for a vacation, DJ inadvertently sends Nebbercracker to his death--or so he fears. Now DJ believes Nebbercracker’s monster house will seek revenge on him specifically, and to make matters worse, his negligent babysitter (voiced by Maggie Gyllenhaal) won’t hear of his yapping. After DJ and Chowder are forced to take action, they, along with a girl peddling candy (voiced by Spencer Locke), discover how the monster came to be and just how unforgiving she is.
Acting
When it comes to animation acting, the main goal is to make audiences forget that the actors are giving their performances in a studio, possibly dressed in their PJs and sans makeup. That goal’s usually achieved, but Monster House takes a gamble in supposing that child actors, comprising the lead characters, will be able to wrap their still-expanding brains around the concept. Somehow, Lerner and Musso grasp this despite sounding like they haven’t even been in this world very long! The two are surrounded by a fail-proof supporting cast: it takes a while to recognize Buscemi’s voice as Nebbercracker, but once it hits, it fits, and Gyllenhaal as the babysitter is great, if unpredictable, casting. Quasi-cameos from Jason Lee as Gyllenhaal’s punk boyfriend, Jon Heder as a video-game god and Kevin James and Nick Cannon as slow-moving and -thinking cops garner the most laughs.
Direction
Not only does it help a film’s box office performance to have Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis onboard as executive producers, it helps a film’s director--in this case a rookie director named Gil Kenan. (Zemeckis directed ‘04’s somewhat similar-looking The Polar Express.) While the animation doesn’t quite stand up to, say, Pixar’s earth-shattering visuals, Kenan makes up for it with a fun-filled story (from scripters Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler) and an overall lively, involved effort--and it’s not like the movie doesn’t still look gorgeous. Besides, sometimes it’s refreshing to not be so entranced by the CGI that you lose sight of the actual movie at hand. Kenan’s film is one of the scarier animated movies in a while, but that still doesn’t exclude many age groups. What the first-time director thrives on is stopping just shy of true horror moments, at which point he reverts to feel-good mode without ever being sappy.
It’s Halloween Eve in suburbia, and while most of the neighborhood kids are gearing up for a candy extravaganza, two young‘uns--DJ (voiced by Mitchell Musso) and Chowder (voiced by Sam Lerner)--are fretting and dreading. They’re convinced that the decrepit house across the street is in fact a monster house inhabited by an old hermit named Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi) that will lure kids in on Halloween night. But just as DJ’s parents, who naturally don’t believe him to begin with, leave for a vacation, DJ inadvertently sends Nebbercracker to his death--or so he fears. Now DJ believes Nebbercracker’s monster house will seek revenge on him specifically, and to make matters worse, his negligent babysitter (voiced by Maggie Gyllenhaal) won’t hear of his yapping. After DJ and Chowder are forced to take action, they, along with a girl peddling candy (voiced by Spencer Locke), discover how the monster came to be and just how unforgiving she is.
Acting
When it comes to animation acting, the main goal is to make audiences forget that the actors are giving their performances in a studio, possibly dressed in their PJs and sans makeup. That goal’s usually achieved, but Monster House takes a gamble in supposing that child actors, comprising the lead characters, will be able to wrap their still-expanding brains around the concept. Somehow, Lerner and Musso grasp this despite sounding like they haven’t even been in this world very long! The two are surrounded by a fail-proof supporting cast: it takes a while to recognize Buscemi’s voice as Nebbercracker, but once it hits, it fits, and Gyllenhaal as the babysitter is great, if unpredictable, casting. Quasi-cameos from Jason Lee as Gyllenhaal’s punk boyfriend, Jon Heder as a video-game god and Kevin James and Nick Cannon as slow-moving and -thinking cops garner the most laughs.
Direction
Not only does it help a film’s box office performance to have Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis onboard as executive producers, it helps a film’s director--in this case a rookie director named Gil Kenan. (Zemeckis directed ‘04’s somewhat similar-looking The Polar Express.) While the animation doesn’t quite stand up to, say, Pixar’s earth-shattering visuals, Kenan makes up for it with a fun-filled story (from scripters Dan Harmon, Rob Schrab and Pamela Pettler) and an overall lively, involved effort--and it’s not like the movie doesn’t still look gorgeous. Besides, sometimes it’s refreshing to not be so entranced by the CGI that you lose sight of the actual movie at hand. Kenan’s film is one of the scarier animated movies in a while, but that still doesn’t exclude many age groups. What the first-time director thrives on is stopping just shy of true horror moments, at which point he reverts to feel-good mode without ever being sappy.
19. Gladiator
Story
Russell Crowe stars as a victorious Roman general who wants nothing more than to go home to his family farm. Unfortunately, he gets caught up in the battle to rule the empire and soon finds himself stripped of all he holds dear. Later, he engages in deadly battles of honor and survival in the arenas of Rome. Sound contrived and a bit convoluted? Well, it is. The script is the Achilles' heel in this powerful film. At times, the narrative is hard to follow, and the characters' motivations are muddy. More important, the climax borders on hokey. (Was that Enya in the background?) That said, the film still works. There is no shortage of thrills, and the characterizations are far richer than most films of this scale.
Acting
For years, Crowe has been marked as the next big thing. As Maximus, he finally lives up to the hype by literally stepping into the arena and coming up victorious. But for a great hero to rise, he needs a great villain. Unfortunately, Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus, the scorned son and scheming emperor, falls short, and at times his dramatic lines seem almost comical. Phoenix's off-the-mark performance definitely hurts Crowe's overall star power. Spencer Treat Clark, as the emperor's young nephew, deserves high praise. Talented kids in Hollywood films can be harder to find than a good deal at a cinema snack bar, so it's a nice to know that Haley Joel Osment no longer stands alone.
Direction
Ridley Scott couldn't have had an easy time with a huge cast, dazzling special effects and the ferocious tigers (who probably seemed like kittens next to the strong-willed leading man). But from the first scene, Scott lets us know that he has succeeded in creating a film that defies the challenges and raises the standard for Hollywood blockbusters.
Russell Crowe stars as a victorious Roman general who wants nothing more than to go home to his family farm. Unfortunately, he gets caught up in the battle to rule the empire and soon finds himself stripped of all he holds dear. Later, he engages in deadly battles of honor and survival in the arenas of Rome. Sound contrived and a bit convoluted? Well, it is. The script is the Achilles' heel in this powerful film. At times, the narrative is hard to follow, and the characters' motivations are muddy. More important, the climax borders on hokey. (Was that Enya in the background?) That said, the film still works. There is no shortage of thrills, and the characterizations are far richer than most films of this scale.
Acting
For years, Crowe has been marked as the next big thing. As Maximus, he finally lives up to the hype by literally stepping into the arena and coming up victorious. But for a great hero to rise, he needs a great villain. Unfortunately, Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus, the scorned son and scheming emperor, falls short, and at times his dramatic lines seem almost comical. Phoenix's off-the-mark performance definitely hurts Crowe's overall star power. Spencer Treat Clark, as the emperor's young nephew, deserves high praise. Talented kids in Hollywood films can be harder to find than a good deal at a cinema snack bar, so it's a nice to know that Haley Joel Osment no longer stands alone.
Direction
Ridley Scott couldn't have had an easy time with a huge cast, dazzling special effects and the ferocious tigers (who probably seemed like kittens next to the strong-willed leading man). But from the first scene, Scott lets us know that he has succeeded in creating a film that defies the challenges and raises the standard for Hollywood blockbusters.
18. Bedtime Stories
Story
Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is a handyman at a hotel his father once owned. When Skeeter’s dad sold it to Mr. Nottingham (Richard Griffiths), it was with the proviso that Skeeter would one day become manager, but unfortunately, the job is given to Skeeter’s main nemesis Kendall (Guy Pearce). But Skeeter’s luck is about to change. While babysitting for his niece and nephew (Laura Ann Kesling and Jonathan Morgan Heit), Skeeter starts telling them bedtime stories that come to life the next day, using characters from his real life, including the kids and their mom’s best friend, Jill (Keri Russell). Set in Medieval Times, Ancient Greece, the Old West -- and even outer space -- the stories usually show Skeeter triumphing over the bad guys like The Booger Monster and Sir Buttkiss. And beware of raining gum balls; it’s that kind of movie.
Acting
Adam Sandler’s teaming with Disney is an inspired idea since his humor has always had a juvenile, Jerry Lewis-style flavor -- even in his more adult-oriented comedies. Leaving the gross-out comedy behind this time, Sandler proves he is a perfect fit for this kind of harmless, rather broad PG-formula family flick that should prove to be loads of fun for the youngest audience members. He’s a riot in some of the get-ups he is forced to wear,coming off best in the Ancient Greece sequence. Keri Russell is sweet and attractive as a foil for a lot of Sandler’s hijinks, while Courteney Cox, as Skeeter’s uptight sister, is given virtually nothing to do in the mom role. The kids are cute in a Disney Channel kind of way, but often seem a little precocious for their own good. Work colleagues are played rather one dimensionally by Pearce and Griffiths, but they all seem to be having fun inhabiting various stereotypical characters in the stories. Teresa Palmer is lovely as the owner’s daughter and the innocent object of Skeeter’s affections.
Direction
Director Adam Shankman (Hairspray) brings lots of color and verve to the film but knows what Sandler fans expect -- even in a kids comedy. Giving the film a necessary light touch, he ably moves it along through the various set pieces and special effects sequences that are required to bring all these imaginative shenanigans to life. Similar in many ways to Ben Stiller’s Night at the Museum, the production values of the bedtime stories at the film’s center don’t seem to be as elaborate or technically savvy as they might have been with a larger budget. Still, the cast seems to be having a great time, and it’s all in the name of some harmless fun that parents should feel safe taking their kids to this holiday season.
Skeeter Bronson (Adam Sandler) is a handyman at a hotel his father once owned. When Skeeter’s dad sold it to Mr. Nottingham (Richard Griffiths), it was with the proviso that Skeeter would one day become manager, but unfortunately, the job is given to Skeeter’s main nemesis Kendall (Guy Pearce). But Skeeter’s luck is about to change. While babysitting for his niece and nephew (Laura Ann Kesling and Jonathan Morgan Heit), Skeeter starts telling them bedtime stories that come to life the next day, using characters from his real life, including the kids and their mom’s best friend, Jill (Keri Russell). Set in Medieval Times, Ancient Greece, the Old West -- and even outer space -- the stories usually show Skeeter triumphing over the bad guys like The Booger Monster and Sir Buttkiss. And beware of raining gum balls; it’s that kind of movie.
Acting
Adam Sandler’s teaming with Disney is an inspired idea since his humor has always had a juvenile, Jerry Lewis-style flavor -- even in his more adult-oriented comedies. Leaving the gross-out comedy behind this time, Sandler proves he is a perfect fit for this kind of harmless, rather broad PG-formula family flick that should prove to be loads of fun for the youngest audience members. He’s a riot in some of the get-ups he is forced to wear,coming off best in the Ancient Greece sequence. Keri Russell is sweet and attractive as a foil for a lot of Sandler’s hijinks, while Courteney Cox, as Skeeter’s uptight sister, is given virtually nothing to do in the mom role. The kids are cute in a Disney Channel kind of way, but often seem a little precocious for their own good. Work colleagues are played rather one dimensionally by Pearce and Griffiths, but they all seem to be having fun inhabiting various stereotypical characters in the stories. Teresa Palmer is lovely as the owner’s daughter and the innocent object of Skeeter’s affections.
Direction
Director Adam Shankman (Hairspray) brings lots of color and verve to the film but knows what Sandler fans expect -- even in a kids comedy. Giving the film a necessary light touch, he ably moves it along through the various set pieces and special effects sequences that are required to bring all these imaginative shenanigans to life. Similar in many ways to Ben Stiller’s Night at the Museum, the production values of the bedtime stories at the film’s center don’t seem to be as elaborate or technically savvy as they might have been with a larger budget. Still, the cast seems to be having a great time, and it’s all in the name of some harmless fun that parents should feel safe taking their kids to this holiday season.
17. Eagle Eye
Story
While I certainly don’t want to give away the big "twist," I can safely say Eagle Eye is all about big, bad technology--or the pitfalls of having too much technology at our fingertips and how it can turn into a Big Brother situation. As it goes, we meet copy store employee Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) and single mom Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan), two strangers who suddenly find themselves in a whole mess of trouble after they receive a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. She dictates they carry out a series of dangerous tasks, and if they refuse, she will either kill them or the ones they love--and of course shows proof when they do. Who is this ominous woman? How can she control cell phones, trains, traffic lights, construction cranes, electrical power poles and just about anything else she wants to, at any time? And why is she targeting Jerry and Rachel? Ah, watch as the web unweaves
Acting
LaBeouf and Monaghan are two very appealing young actors, who both have a lot of potential in their burgeoning careers. Of course, LaBeouf is now running the risk of doing too many big-budgeted, action movies; he should remember he was once a pretty good kid actor. Monaghan, too, showed great promise in films such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Gone Baby Gone but has gone the cheap ingénue route with the likes of Made of Honor and The Heartbreak Kid. And now Eagle Eye, which unfortunately doesn’t do much to boost their resumes. Still, they manage to make the film watchable with the sparks between them. The rest of the cast are fairly wasted, however, including Rosario Dawson as a tough-nut Air Force investigator and Michael Chiklis as U.S. Defense Secretary. The only other cast member worth watching is Billy Bob Thornton as an FBI agent tracking Jerry and Rachel. He has all the best lines.
Direction
Director D.J. Caruso, who cut his teeth in the thriller department with last year’s sleeper Disturbia, goes for the full-action this time--and does a pretty good job, considering. It might not be up to the Bourne Ultimatum level but the car chases are exciting and inventive. A giant crane picking up a cop car and tossing it away in a garbage dump is a particularly clever way to dispose of an automobile. But Eagle Eye fails to engage the audience into caring much about the characters because you are too busy trying to figure out what the hell is going on and why these random people are involved. And when you do find out, you're still not convinced it was all necessary in the end. Maybe it'll play better on DVD.
While I certainly don’t want to give away the big "twist," I can safely say Eagle Eye is all about big, bad technology--or the pitfalls of having too much technology at our fingertips and how it can turn into a Big Brother situation. As it goes, we meet copy store employee Jerry Shaw (Shia LaBeouf) and single mom Rachel Holloman (Michelle Monaghan), two strangers who suddenly find themselves in a whole mess of trouble after they receive a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. She dictates they carry out a series of dangerous tasks, and if they refuse, she will either kill them or the ones they love--and of course shows proof when they do. Who is this ominous woman? How can she control cell phones, trains, traffic lights, construction cranes, electrical power poles and just about anything else she wants to, at any time? And why is she targeting Jerry and Rachel? Ah, watch as the web unweaves
Acting
LaBeouf and Monaghan are two very appealing young actors, who both have a lot of potential in their burgeoning careers. Of course, LaBeouf is now running the risk of doing too many big-budgeted, action movies; he should remember he was once a pretty good kid actor. Monaghan, too, showed great promise in films such as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Gone Baby Gone but has gone the cheap ingénue route with the likes of Made of Honor and The Heartbreak Kid. And now Eagle Eye, which unfortunately doesn’t do much to boost their resumes. Still, they manage to make the film watchable with the sparks between them. The rest of the cast are fairly wasted, however, including Rosario Dawson as a tough-nut Air Force investigator and Michael Chiklis as U.S. Defense Secretary. The only other cast member worth watching is Billy Bob Thornton as an FBI agent tracking Jerry and Rachel. He has all the best lines.
Direction
Director D.J. Caruso, who cut his teeth in the thriller department with last year’s sleeper Disturbia, goes for the full-action this time--and does a pretty good job, considering. It might not be up to the Bourne Ultimatum level but the car chases are exciting and inventive. A giant crane picking up a cop car and tossing it away in a garbage dump is a particularly clever way to dispose of an automobile. But Eagle Eye fails to engage the audience into caring much about the characters because you are too busy trying to figure out what the hell is going on and why these random people are involved. And when you do find out, you're still not convinced it was all necessary in the end. Maybe it'll play better on DVD.
16. Secret Life of Bees
Story
Wracked by guilt over what she believes is her responsibility for the tragic death of her mother -- and running away from a distant father (Paul Bettany) -- 14 year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) takes off with her caretaker, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), and heads to the South Carolina home of the Boatwright sisters, a place that holds many memories of her own mother’s childhood. She is immediately taken under their wing and bonds with August (Queen Latifah), the family matriarch who runs the enterprising bee farm on the property and teaches Lily the ways of the honey. There’s also the spirited June (Alicia Keys), a music teacher resisting the marriage proposals of the well-intentioned Neil (Nate Parker), and fragile and childlike May (Sophie Okonedo). In forging new relationships with these women, a whole new world of self-esteem is slowly opened for Lily.
Acting
For Dakota Fanning her performance in Bees marks a turning point into a new phase of her already impressive career and in Lily proves she is able to move effortlessly into strong teenage roles and more sophisticated material. She’s quite touching as a young Southern girl who comes of age with the help of some wonderful African-American women at the height of the Civil Rights movement in 1964. Hudson also proves she can move comfortably beyond her Oscar-winning powerhouse debut in Dreamgirls. In Rosaleen, she gives voice to a young black woman, who is determined to exercise her right to vote for the first time, but at a price. Latifah is warm and commanding and the Queen bee of this clan, and her scenes with Fanning are nicely toned. In an unusual cast with lots of singers-turned-actresses, such as Hudson and Latifah, Keys also shows smart acting instincts even if her interpretation of June is a little on the flat side. Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda) is simply wonderful and touchingly understated as the shy, inward May. You wish there was more with her. Among the men, Bettany takes a one-dimensional role as the demanding father and gives it some light, while Parker (The Great Debaters) and Tristan Wilds, as August’ godson and Lily’s new friend, are spot on.
Direction
Gina Prince-Bythewood, who directs and smartly adapted the popular Sue Monk Kidd novel, does go for the sentiment inherent in an old-fashioned story of this kind. But she also thankfully doesn’t pour it on. She creates a world in the deep South that doesn’t shy away from showing the harshness of life for African-Americans, but whose lives, at least politically, are right at a major turning point. Most of all, though, she nurtures some lovely performances and brings an ensemble cast together with ease and heart. Prince-Bythewood, whose breakthrough feature was the entertaining sleeper hit Love and Basketball, clearly knows how to bring out the best in her actors. Secret Life of Bees elicits laughter and tears in equal doses, proving to be the kind of not obviously commercial but uplifting movie-going experience rarely seen these days.
Wracked by guilt over what she believes is her responsibility for the tragic death of her mother -- and running away from a distant father (Paul Bettany) -- 14 year-old Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) takes off with her caretaker, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson), and heads to the South Carolina home of the Boatwright sisters, a place that holds many memories of her own mother’s childhood. She is immediately taken under their wing and bonds with August (Queen Latifah), the family matriarch who runs the enterprising bee farm on the property and teaches Lily the ways of the honey. There’s also the spirited June (Alicia Keys), a music teacher resisting the marriage proposals of the well-intentioned Neil (Nate Parker), and fragile and childlike May (Sophie Okonedo). In forging new relationships with these women, a whole new world of self-esteem is slowly opened for Lily.
Acting
For Dakota Fanning her performance in Bees marks a turning point into a new phase of her already impressive career and in Lily proves she is able to move effortlessly into strong teenage roles and more sophisticated material. She’s quite touching as a young Southern girl who comes of age with the help of some wonderful African-American women at the height of the Civil Rights movement in 1964. Hudson also proves she can move comfortably beyond her Oscar-winning powerhouse debut in Dreamgirls. In Rosaleen, she gives voice to a young black woman, who is determined to exercise her right to vote for the first time, but at a price. Latifah is warm and commanding and the Queen bee of this clan, and her scenes with Fanning are nicely toned. In an unusual cast with lots of singers-turned-actresses, such as Hudson and Latifah, Keys also shows smart acting instincts even if her interpretation of June is a little on the flat side. Okonedo (Hotel Rwanda) is simply wonderful and touchingly understated as the shy, inward May. You wish there was more with her. Among the men, Bettany takes a one-dimensional role as the demanding father and gives it some light, while Parker (The Great Debaters) and Tristan Wilds, as August’ godson and Lily’s new friend, are spot on.
Direction
Gina Prince-Bythewood, who directs and smartly adapted the popular Sue Monk Kidd novel, does go for the sentiment inherent in an old-fashioned story of this kind. But she also thankfully doesn’t pour it on. She creates a world in the deep South that doesn’t shy away from showing the harshness of life for African-Americans, but whose lives, at least politically, are right at a major turning point. Most of all, though, she nurtures some lovely performances and brings an ensemble cast together with ease and heart. Prince-Bythewood, whose breakthrough feature was the entertaining sleeper hit Love and Basketball, clearly knows how to bring out the best in her actors. Secret Life of Bees elicits laughter and tears in equal doses, proving to be the kind of not obviously commercial but uplifting movie-going experience rarely seen these days.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
15. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Story
After a brief flashback prologue where we see how the young lion Alex (Ben Stiller) is separated from his father Zuba (Bernie Mac), inadvertently ending up in the Big Apple, the story returns to present day as our favorite New York zoo denizens prepare to take off from Madagascar in a crudely constructed airplane, piloted by the penguins and propelled by slingshot. Unfortunately for Alex, lovelorn giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer), fast talking zebra Marty (Chris Rock) and svelte hippo Gloria (Jada Pinkett-Smith), instead of landing in NYC, the aircraft sputters and crash lands right in the middle of Africa, where they run into a world of exotic creatures. This also includes Alex’s long lost dad and mom. Happy reunion? Not quite. Zuba’s nemesis Mukunga (Alec Baldwin) insists they follow lion pride lore, which means Alex must go through a rite of passage -- one he is sure to fail if Mukunga has his way. Meanwhile, Marty tries to integrate into a pack of zebras; Gloria gets hooked up with a soulful hippo (will.i.am); and Melman is up to his neck looking for love. Oh, and they also all have to save the Kenya preserve from a life-threatening water shortage. No biggie!
Acting
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa’s witty and hip dialogue provides rich voice over opportunities for a talented crew of actors. Stiller continues to be a riot as the showbiz loving, Zooperstar Alex, especially in his attempts to earn the pride’s respect. Chris Rock earns his stripes, as he tries to hang with a large group of look-a-like, sound-a-like zebras. Schwimmer is winning and hysterical as Melman, now considered a witchdoctor by his fellow giraffe-ians, while Pinkett-Smith continues to shine as hippo Gloria, looking for a little action. Among the new voices, rapper will.i.am as Moto Moto, the last of the red-hot hippos, will have you wanting More More, while Alec Baldwin gets to play the heavy with Lion King style. The late Bernie Mac, playing it relatively straight as Alex’s father proves (as he does in his other new release this week, Soul Men), shows us just how much his unique brand of humor will be sorely missed. Stealing the show, however, and getting king-sized laughs in an expanded role is Sacha Baron Cohen back as King Julien, the hard-partying head of the lemurs.
Direction
With a vast improvement in Madagascar’s state-of-the-art computer graphic work, directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath take this sequel several notches up in terms of technical savvy, including the exciting opening sequence as well as the plane crash. But they really score with the script, with new co-writer Etan Cohen adding some crisp comedy. What was mostly just a serviceable script the first time around has gotten a lot more sophisticated and clever, a development parents being dragged by their kids will be keenly grateful for. This is the rare animated sequel that actually has a reason for existence other than minting money. It has more heart, drama and laughs than the original Madagascar, which, despite its flaws, still made half a billion dollars worldwide. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa should make even more as it proves to be one of the year’s most entertaining comedy delights.
After a brief flashback prologue where we see how the young lion Alex (Ben Stiller) is separated from his father Zuba (Bernie Mac), inadvertently ending up in the Big Apple, the story returns to present day as our favorite New York zoo denizens prepare to take off from Madagascar in a crudely constructed airplane, piloted by the penguins and propelled by slingshot. Unfortunately for Alex, lovelorn giraffe Melman (David Schwimmer), fast talking zebra Marty (Chris Rock) and svelte hippo Gloria (Jada Pinkett-Smith), instead of landing in NYC, the aircraft sputters and crash lands right in the middle of Africa, where they run into a world of exotic creatures. This also includes Alex’s long lost dad and mom. Happy reunion? Not quite. Zuba’s nemesis Mukunga (Alec Baldwin) insists they follow lion pride lore, which means Alex must go through a rite of passage -- one he is sure to fail if Mukunga has his way. Meanwhile, Marty tries to integrate into a pack of zebras; Gloria gets hooked up with a soulful hippo (will.i.am); and Melman is up to his neck looking for love. Oh, and they also all have to save the Kenya preserve from a life-threatening water shortage. No biggie!
Acting
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa’s witty and hip dialogue provides rich voice over opportunities for a talented crew of actors. Stiller continues to be a riot as the showbiz loving, Zooperstar Alex, especially in his attempts to earn the pride’s respect. Chris Rock earns his stripes, as he tries to hang with a large group of look-a-like, sound-a-like zebras. Schwimmer is winning and hysterical as Melman, now considered a witchdoctor by his fellow giraffe-ians, while Pinkett-Smith continues to shine as hippo Gloria, looking for a little action. Among the new voices, rapper will.i.am as Moto Moto, the last of the red-hot hippos, will have you wanting More More, while Alec Baldwin gets to play the heavy with Lion King style. The late Bernie Mac, playing it relatively straight as Alex’s father proves (as he does in his other new release this week, Soul Men), shows us just how much his unique brand of humor will be sorely missed. Stealing the show, however, and getting king-sized laughs in an expanded role is Sacha Baron Cohen back as King Julien, the hard-partying head of the lemurs.
Direction
With a vast improvement in Madagascar’s state-of-the-art computer graphic work, directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath take this sequel several notches up in terms of technical savvy, including the exciting opening sequence as well as the plane crash. But they really score with the script, with new co-writer Etan Cohen adding some crisp comedy. What was mostly just a serviceable script the first time around has gotten a lot more sophisticated and clever, a development parents being dragged by their kids will be keenly grateful for. This is the rare animated sequel that actually has a reason for existence other than minting money. It has more heart, drama and laughs than the original Madagascar, which, despite its flaws, still made half a billion dollars worldwide. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa should make even more as it proves to be one of the year’s most entertaining comedy delights.
14. The Duchess
Story
Although set about 200 years before the world had ever heard of Lady Diana Spencer, this is the true story of another royal Spencer, The Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer (Knightley) whose personal and professional life and innate sense of fashion and glamour made her all the rage in England and led her to a royal life of triumph and tragedy. Sound familiar? Based on Amanda Foreman’s award-winning biography, this compelling film version introduces us to a dynamic woman, whose feistiness and sense of style made her a star attraction in England’s royal circle. Smart as a whip and eventual leader of the progressive Whig party, Georgiana had it all--except the one thing she wanted most, the love of her husband The Duke (Ralph Fiennes), who became so obsessed with siring a son that he turned to open affairs with other women, including his wife’s best friend, Bess (Hayley Atwell). This humiliation and betrayal by her husband and friend leads to her own attempt at romantic happiness in a sizzling affair with the abolitionist, Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper).
Acting
Putting it simply, Knightley has the role of a lifetime and socks it home with the kind of acting bravado she hasn’t displayed even in her best films, Pride and Prejudice and last year’s Atonement. This is the kind of part an actor kills for, an emotional powerhouse that allows her to run the gamut from glamour queen, powerful political force, tortured wife, passionate lover and tragic heroine. The story of this Duchess has it all and is only enhanced by the eerie parallels to her royal descendant Princess Diana. If there is any justice, Knightley will be nominated for an Oscar. She deserves it. Fiennes is equally good, enjoying his finest screen outing in some time as the cold-hearted Duke who puts his own selfish goals above all else. Their scenes together are spectacularly well-acted. Atwell is demure and understated as Bess, the third wheel in a very complicated relationship. She’s slyly amusing, particularly in scenes she shares at the dining table with the Duke and Duchess. Cooper makes a strong impression turning up the heat as the dashing Grey, especially in a smoldering love scene with Knightley. The ever-reliable Charlotte Rampling is regally comfortable in the role of Lady Spencer, Georgiana’s proper mother, who tries to dole out useful advice against all odds.
Direction
Saul Dibb (Bullet Boy) does not have a long directing resume, but you wouldn’t know it from the first-rate production he has mounted for The Duchess. Dibb recreates the privileged world of these somewhat pained characters with no detail spared. Dibb’s widescreen framing of this historic soap opera is breathtakingly beautiful to see, his obvious filmmaking confidence paying off in a great looking motion picture. But it is a lot more than just pomp and circumstance. Often period dramas tend to get bogged down in spectacle and forget the human element. This is a case where moviegoers will be glued to their seats from first frame to last. It’s a whopper of a story he has adapted (with Jeffrey Hatcher and Anders Thomas Jensen) that thankfully doesn’t get lost in minutiae. Of particular note are Michael O’Connor’s costumes and Jan Archibald’s loopy hairstyle designs along with a stirring musical score supplied by Rachel Portman.
Although set about 200 years before the world had ever heard of Lady Diana Spencer, this is the true story of another royal Spencer, The Duchess of Devonshire, Georgiana Spencer (Knightley) whose personal and professional life and innate sense of fashion and glamour made her all the rage in England and led her to a royal life of triumph and tragedy. Sound familiar? Based on Amanda Foreman’s award-winning biography, this compelling film version introduces us to a dynamic woman, whose feistiness and sense of style made her a star attraction in England’s royal circle. Smart as a whip and eventual leader of the progressive Whig party, Georgiana had it all--except the one thing she wanted most, the love of her husband The Duke (Ralph Fiennes), who became so obsessed with siring a son that he turned to open affairs with other women, including his wife’s best friend, Bess (Hayley Atwell). This humiliation and betrayal by her husband and friend leads to her own attempt at romantic happiness in a sizzling affair with the abolitionist, Charles Grey (Dominic Cooper).
Acting
Putting it simply, Knightley has the role of a lifetime and socks it home with the kind of acting bravado she hasn’t displayed even in her best films, Pride and Prejudice and last year’s Atonement. This is the kind of part an actor kills for, an emotional powerhouse that allows her to run the gamut from glamour queen, powerful political force, tortured wife, passionate lover and tragic heroine. The story of this Duchess has it all and is only enhanced by the eerie parallels to her royal descendant Princess Diana. If there is any justice, Knightley will be nominated for an Oscar. She deserves it. Fiennes is equally good, enjoying his finest screen outing in some time as the cold-hearted Duke who puts his own selfish goals above all else. Their scenes together are spectacularly well-acted. Atwell is demure and understated as Bess, the third wheel in a very complicated relationship. She’s slyly amusing, particularly in scenes she shares at the dining table with the Duke and Duchess. Cooper makes a strong impression turning up the heat as the dashing Grey, especially in a smoldering love scene with Knightley. The ever-reliable Charlotte Rampling is regally comfortable in the role of Lady Spencer, Georgiana’s proper mother, who tries to dole out useful advice against all odds.
Direction
Saul Dibb (Bullet Boy) does not have a long directing resume, but you wouldn’t know it from the first-rate production he has mounted for The Duchess. Dibb recreates the privileged world of these somewhat pained characters with no detail spared. Dibb’s widescreen framing of this historic soap opera is breathtakingly beautiful to see, his obvious filmmaking confidence paying off in a great looking motion picture. But it is a lot more than just pomp and circumstance. Often period dramas tend to get bogged down in spectacle and forget the human element. This is a case where moviegoers will be glued to their seats from first frame to last. It’s a whopper of a story he has adapted (with Jeffrey Hatcher and Anders Thomas Jensen) that thankfully doesn’t get lost in minutiae. Of particular note are Michael O’Connor’s costumes and Jan Archibald’s loopy hairstyle designs along with a stirring musical score supplied by Rachel Portman.
13. Body of Lies
Story
Although its Mideast trappings have become terribly familiar in any number of recent movies from Syriana to The Kingdom to director Ridley Scott’s own Black Hawk Down, William Monaghan’s (The Departed) tight script still has pertinent things to say about the lies and deceptions inherent in our covert operations in the region. Cloaked in a cat and mouse thriller format, the story centers on Roger Ferris (DiCaprio)--a top CIA operative, fluent in the Arab language-- who roams from country to country trying to penetrate top secret terrorist cells and uncover plans for mayhem. In trying to smoke out a shadowy terrorist who has been directing a series of key bombings against civilian targets in Europe, Ferris comes up with the ingenious idea to create a phony rival group that appears to be taking credit for the “real” Al Qaeda-type organization’s business. Complicating matters for Ferris is his boss, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), back at CIA headquarters, who sees the world in black and white and believes there is no such thing as going too far to achieve goals in the best interest of the U.S. Both must also deal with the head of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), who recognizes that each is useful for his own counter-terrorism efforts.
Acting
There are a LOT of explosions that keep getting in the way of the dramatics--and much of the Crowe/DiCaprio teaming is played out on opposite sides of a phone line. But Body of Lies incorporates a first-rate cast, including many local Middle Eastern performers who make strong impressions. Crowe--adopting some sort of quasi-southern accent (apparently from Arkansas)--creates an amusing CIA boss who sees the world from one perspective--his. Juxtaposing his duties to family as well as America, Crowe creates a full blooded portrait of a husband, father and CIA lifer who thinks he knows all the answers. His few scenes when he is face to face with co-star DiCaprio are worth the wait and both stars play off each other with ease. DiCaprio is back in Blood Diamond territory here as a rogue operative using his own ingenuity to make a difference. His on-screen command of some Arabic phrases is unforced and impressive and he earns the audience’s empathy , particularly when he winds up in well over his head. There are also some nice scenes opposite a Muslim nurse he strikes up a relationship with while in the hospital. Iranian star Golshifteh Farahani is beautiful and nicely understated in these moments. Strong, who also is very fine in another of the week’s new releases, RocknRolla, is suave and powerful as the shrewd Jordanian Crowe and DiCaprio cross swords with. Other regional actors fill out their roles with uncommon authenticity.
Direction
There can be no question Ridley Scott is a master of the film medium. Body of Lies moves very well and thanks to the Scott style manual has lots of urgency. Employing his usual use of multiple cameras getting simultaneous angles in every scene, Scott doesn’t rely on actors having to do a lot of takes and in the process manages to give the film a documentary kind of feel. Although the filmmaking approach sometimes leads to more confusion than we would like, it also puts us right in the center of the action. And there’s plenty of that. Working for the fourth time with Crowe, the two clearly have a rapport and similar seat-of-the-pants way of working, which DiCaprio seems to have picked up nicely. If this isn’t as impressive an overall achievement as Black Hawk Down, it’s still an entertainment that is a cut above some of the other recent spate of Middle East-set thrillers. Locations are well used too, with Northern Africa and specifically the Moroccan environs filling in for the some dozen countries identified on the screen.
Although its Mideast trappings have become terribly familiar in any number of recent movies from Syriana to The Kingdom to director Ridley Scott’s own Black Hawk Down, William Monaghan’s (The Departed) tight script still has pertinent things to say about the lies and deceptions inherent in our covert operations in the region. Cloaked in a cat and mouse thriller format, the story centers on Roger Ferris (DiCaprio)--a top CIA operative, fluent in the Arab language-- who roams from country to country trying to penetrate top secret terrorist cells and uncover plans for mayhem. In trying to smoke out a shadowy terrorist who has been directing a series of key bombings against civilian targets in Europe, Ferris comes up with the ingenious idea to create a phony rival group that appears to be taking credit for the “real” Al Qaeda-type organization’s business. Complicating matters for Ferris is his boss, Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe), back at CIA headquarters, who sees the world in black and white and believes there is no such thing as going too far to achieve goals in the best interest of the U.S. Both must also deal with the head of Jordanian Intelligence, Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), who recognizes that each is useful for his own counter-terrorism efforts.
Acting
There are a LOT of explosions that keep getting in the way of the dramatics--and much of the Crowe/DiCaprio teaming is played out on opposite sides of a phone line. But Body of Lies incorporates a first-rate cast, including many local Middle Eastern performers who make strong impressions. Crowe--adopting some sort of quasi-southern accent (apparently from Arkansas)--creates an amusing CIA boss who sees the world from one perspective--his. Juxtaposing his duties to family as well as America, Crowe creates a full blooded portrait of a husband, father and CIA lifer who thinks he knows all the answers. His few scenes when he is face to face with co-star DiCaprio are worth the wait and both stars play off each other with ease. DiCaprio is back in Blood Diamond territory here as a rogue operative using his own ingenuity to make a difference. His on-screen command of some Arabic phrases is unforced and impressive and he earns the audience’s empathy , particularly when he winds up in well over his head. There are also some nice scenes opposite a Muslim nurse he strikes up a relationship with while in the hospital. Iranian star Golshifteh Farahani is beautiful and nicely understated in these moments. Strong, who also is very fine in another of the week’s new releases, RocknRolla, is suave and powerful as the shrewd Jordanian Crowe and DiCaprio cross swords with. Other regional actors fill out their roles with uncommon authenticity.
Direction
There can be no question Ridley Scott is a master of the film medium. Body of Lies moves very well and thanks to the Scott style manual has lots of urgency. Employing his usual use of multiple cameras getting simultaneous angles in every scene, Scott doesn’t rely on actors having to do a lot of takes and in the process manages to give the film a documentary kind of feel. Although the filmmaking approach sometimes leads to more confusion than we would like, it also puts us right in the center of the action. And there’s plenty of that. Working for the fourth time with Crowe, the two clearly have a rapport and similar seat-of-the-pants way of working, which DiCaprio seems to have picked up nicely. If this isn’t as impressive an overall achievement as Black Hawk Down, it’s still an entertainment that is a cut above some of the other recent spate of Middle East-set thrillers. Locations are well used too, with Northern Africa and specifically the Moroccan environs filling in for the some dozen countries identified on the screen.
12. Barnyard
Story
Barnyard reminds me of a classic Far Side comic strip from Gary Larson, in which there’s a bunch of cows in a field near a road, standing around on two legs, smoking cigarettes, chatting with one another. One of them suddenly yells, “CAR!” and they drop on all fours and act like, well, cows, as the car drives by. Once the car is gone, they stand back up again and resume their activities. Funny, right? For a comic strip. To concoct a whole movie around the idea, however, you might be pushing it. And so we have Barnyard. The cows—along with the hens, the goats, pigs, horses, et. al.—walk on two legs and conduct themselves in a humanly fashion when the farmer is away. They even party hardy in the barn-turned-speakeasy once the sun goes down. Of course, to keep the story going, Barnyard throws in a father-son conflict, with evil, pillaging coyotes as the villains. Whatever. The cows are still standing in the end.
Acting
The list of big talent lending their vocals this time around also fail to inspire. Comedian Kevin James voices the main cow, Otis, the “original party animal” who could care less about anything else but having fun. Gruff veteran Sam Elliot plays his dad, Ben, the strong leader of the farm who tries to teach his son how to care for the other animals. Yawn. Let’s see, there’s also Friends’ Courteney Cox as a lovely she cow; Wanda Sykes as her wisecracking friend (does she do anything else but wisecrack?); Danny Glover as a wise old mule (yes, this is what he’s been reduced to); and Andie MacDowell as a mother hen. A real mother hen. Don’t even ask about Wild Mike.
Direction
And don’t even get me started on the fact ALL the bovines have udders, regardless of gender. Is Otis a bull trapped in a cow’s body? Of course, as I’m obsessing over this rather glaring error in animal realism, I have to stop myself, realizing I’m watching a movie about talking farm animals, livin’ life large as quasi-humans. Sigh. Writer/director Steve Oedekerk—Jim Carrey’s go-to screenwriter, having penned Bruce Almighty and both Ace Venturas—also has Kung Pow: Enter the Fist under his belt. Yes, he knows a bit about comedy, but his comic sensibilities obviously run very broad. In other words, there are no subtle inside remarks aimed at the adults. To Oedekerk’s credit, there are some moments of hilarity, especially when Otis and a bunch of “Jersey” thug cows go for a joy ride. But it’s fleeting. It might be time to take a break from this glut of cutesy CGI animation.
Barnyard reminds me of a classic Far Side comic strip from Gary Larson, in which there’s a bunch of cows in a field near a road, standing around on two legs, smoking cigarettes, chatting with one another. One of them suddenly yells, “CAR!” and they drop on all fours and act like, well, cows, as the car drives by. Once the car is gone, they stand back up again and resume their activities. Funny, right? For a comic strip. To concoct a whole movie around the idea, however, you might be pushing it. And so we have Barnyard. The cows—along with the hens, the goats, pigs, horses, et. al.—walk on two legs and conduct themselves in a humanly fashion when the farmer is away. They even party hardy in the barn-turned-speakeasy once the sun goes down. Of course, to keep the story going, Barnyard throws in a father-son conflict, with evil, pillaging coyotes as the villains. Whatever. The cows are still standing in the end.
Acting
The list of big talent lending their vocals this time around also fail to inspire. Comedian Kevin James voices the main cow, Otis, the “original party animal” who could care less about anything else but having fun. Gruff veteran Sam Elliot plays his dad, Ben, the strong leader of the farm who tries to teach his son how to care for the other animals. Yawn. Let’s see, there’s also Friends’ Courteney Cox as a lovely she cow; Wanda Sykes as her wisecracking friend (does she do anything else but wisecrack?); Danny Glover as a wise old mule (yes, this is what he’s been reduced to); and Andie MacDowell as a mother hen. A real mother hen. Don’t even ask about Wild Mike.
Direction
And don’t even get me started on the fact ALL the bovines have udders, regardless of gender. Is Otis a bull trapped in a cow’s body? Of course, as I’m obsessing over this rather glaring error in animal realism, I have to stop myself, realizing I’m watching a movie about talking farm animals, livin’ life large as quasi-humans. Sigh. Writer/director Steve Oedekerk—Jim Carrey’s go-to screenwriter, having penned Bruce Almighty and both Ace Venturas—also has Kung Pow: Enter the Fist under his belt. Yes, he knows a bit about comedy, but his comic sensibilities obviously run very broad. In other words, there are no subtle inside remarks aimed at the adults. To Oedekerk’s credit, there are some moments of hilarity, especially when Otis and a bunch of “Jersey” thug cows go for a joy ride. But it’s fleeting. It might be time to take a break from this glut of cutesy CGI animation.
11. Cassandra's Dream
Story
Woody Allen’s neurotic-speak works wonders coming from a New Yorker, but coming from a Brit? Not so much. The British could very well be just as phobic as anyone else, but they are also repressed, and trying to force the neurosis out just doesn’t ring as true. Nevertheless, Allen is bound and determined to film abroad these days and thus once again sets Cassandra's Dream in contemporary London, where we meet two brothers struggling to better their lives financially. The more blue-collar Terry (Colin Farrell) has a gambling problem and is in debt up to his eyeballs, while enterprising Ian (Ewan McGregor) dreams of leaving his family’s restaurant and moving to California with his newfound love Angela (Hayley Atwell), an ambitious actress. Their only hope is their wealthy uncle, Howard (Tom Wilkinson), but the boys quickly find out you can’t get something for nothing. You see, Uncle Howard is also in a bit of trouble, and he asks his nephews to help him out of his jam--with sinister consequences.
Acting
First of all, Farrell and McGregor look about as related as a dog and cat. Secondly, they don't seem at ease in the film, partly because their characters are anxious, but also partly because they don’t mesh as well with Woody Allen’s sensibilities. Farrell fares a bit better since his natural Irish tendencies towards emotional outbursts fit the character well. His Terry is the one with the conscience, and murdering someone just doesn’t sit well with him. McGregor, on the other hand, plays Ian almost robotically, saying the words with as little emotion as possible, which doesn’t do Allen’s dialogue any justice. Wilkinson falls under the same category as McGregor, but his character is the one most morally challenged, so playing it cold sort of works. The women in Cassandra's Dream are fairly wasted, including newcomer Atwell as the manipulative actress and Sally Hawkins as Terry’s sweet and concerned girlfriend. Even the boys’ mother, played by veteran stage actress Clare Higgins (The Golden Compass), comes off screechy. The cast must have all been thrilled to be in a Woody Allen movie, to be sure, but it just seems like Allen didn’t get them.
Direction
Cassandra's Dream suffers from some of the same hang-ups as Match Point. Even though many heralded that 2005 movie as Woody Allen’s return, the film had the same problems, namely the ill-fitting British cast. At least Match Point had an American, Scarlett Johansson, whom Allen could pour all his tried-and-true fixations into--the paranoia, the obsessiveness and the ultimatums. But Cassandra's Dream really proves that as a filmmaker, Allen has become a stick-in-the-mud. He really hasn’t changed his tune in 25 years, exploring the same themes over and over again, and it’s finally getting old. When his films turn dark, it’s usually about how murder can corrupt the soul. Natch. Sometimes the murderers, however bothered they are by their deeds, get away with it; sometimes they don’t. But rarely does Allen veer from this path, making Cassandra's Dream a now very stale rehash of Crimes and Misdemeanors, without the benefit of having, at the very least, some good old-fashioned Allen-styled, American-acted neurosis to back it up.
Woody Allen’s neurotic-speak works wonders coming from a New Yorker, but coming from a Brit? Not so much. The British could very well be just as phobic as anyone else, but they are also repressed, and trying to force the neurosis out just doesn’t ring as true. Nevertheless, Allen is bound and determined to film abroad these days and thus once again sets Cassandra's Dream in contemporary London, where we meet two brothers struggling to better their lives financially. The more blue-collar Terry (Colin Farrell) has a gambling problem and is in debt up to his eyeballs, while enterprising Ian (Ewan McGregor) dreams of leaving his family’s restaurant and moving to California with his newfound love Angela (Hayley Atwell), an ambitious actress. Their only hope is their wealthy uncle, Howard (Tom Wilkinson), but the boys quickly find out you can’t get something for nothing. You see, Uncle Howard is also in a bit of trouble, and he asks his nephews to help him out of his jam--with sinister consequences.
Acting
First of all, Farrell and McGregor look about as related as a dog and cat. Secondly, they don't seem at ease in the film, partly because their characters are anxious, but also partly because they don’t mesh as well with Woody Allen’s sensibilities. Farrell fares a bit better since his natural Irish tendencies towards emotional outbursts fit the character well. His Terry is the one with the conscience, and murdering someone just doesn’t sit well with him. McGregor, on the other hand, plays Ian almost robotically, saying the words with as little emotion as possible, which doesn’t do Allen’s dialogue any justice. Wilkinson falls under the same category as McGregor, but his character is the one most morally challenged, so playing it cold sort of works. The women in Cassandra's Dream are fairly wasted, including newcomer Atwell as the manipulative actress and Sally Hawkins as Terry’s sweet and concerned girlfriend. Even the boys’ mother, played by veteran stage actress Clare Higgins (The Golden Compass), comes off screechy. The cast must have all been thrilled to be in a Woody Allen movie, to be sure, but it just seems like Allen didn’t get them.
Direction
Cassandra's Dream suffers from some of the same hang-ups as Match Point. Even though many heralded that 2005 movie as Woody Allen’s return, the film had the same problems, namely the ill-fitting British cast. At least Match Point had an American, Scarlett Johansson, whom Allen could pour all his tried-and-true fixations into--the paranoia, the obsessiveness and the ultimatums. But Cassandra's Dream really proves that as a filmmaker, Allen has become a stick-in-the-mud. He really hasn’t changed his tune in 25 years, exploring the same themes over and over again, and it’s finally getting old. When his films turn dark, it’s usually about how murder can corrupt the soul. Natch. Sometimes the murderers, however bothered they are by their deeds, get away with it; sometimes they don’t. But rarely does Allen veer from this path, making Cassandra's Dream a now very stale rehash of Crimes and Misdemeanors, without the benefit of having, at the very least, some good old-fashioned Allen-styled, American-acted neurosis to back it up.
10. Ghost Town
Story
Don’t get me wrong--Gervais’ acerbic, socially reclusive dentist Bertram Pincus isn’t really the catch of the century. On the contrary. He’d rather drink battery acid then have to speak to anyone directly, including his attractive new neighbor Gwen (Tea Leoni). But Bertram gets a severe attitude adjustment when he accidentally dies--for seven minutes--during a routine colonoscopy. When he comes back from the dead, so to speak, he can suddenly SEE the dead--ghosts with unfinished business who follow Bertram around and try to get him to help them. This includes Frank (Greg Kinnear), who wants Bertram to break up the impending marriage of his widow, the very same lovely Gwen. At first, Bertram tries to very hard to ignore the request--until he gets a good look at Gwen and decides it might be worth it after all. Now Bertram just has to convince her he isn’t really the total twit he seems to be. Good luck with that.
Acting
When Gervais won the Golden Globe in 2001for his achingly funny BBC series The Office, most of us Yanks were like, “Who is that?” Then he came up and gave one of the more hilarious acceptance speeches--and well, a star was born. He certainly hasn’t disappointed since, turning in another hit comedy show Extras for HBO--and now, movies. Whether he’d admit it or not, Gervais has leading man qualities in that very offbeat British way, master of the miscommunication and half-finished sentences. And playing off veteran comic actors such as Kinnear and Leoni in Ghost Town only make Gervais look even better. Leoni is especially fetching in her breezy role as Gwen, an Egyptologist who could be a total nerd if not for her charm and sense of humor. The chemistry with Gervais is odd at best, but they make it work AND seem believable. There are a few scenes she does with Gervais where you just know it took a lot of takes because she couldn’t quit laughing. I know I certainly wouldn’t have been able to.
Direction
Ghost Town’s head honcho David Koepp is definitely known more for his writing than directing, having penned such scripts as Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, War of the Worlds and Spider-Man, thus the reason Ghost Town shines as it does. The premise isn’t anything groundbreaking, but the dialogue is spot-on. Co-writing with John Kamps, Koepp manages to mix both screwball comedy with poignancy without it seeming too silly or too syrupy, while the plot moves along at a nice pace. And Ghost Town has one of those feel-good endings (a rom-com must have) you don’t really expect to feel as good about as you do. Koepp’s other directorial efforts included Secret Window and Stir of Echoes, but it seems romantic comedies are now and should always be his forte.
Don’t get me wrong--Gervais’ acerbic, socially reclusive dentist Bertram Pincus isn’t really the catch of the century. On the contrary. He’d rather drink battery acid then have to speak to anyone directly, including his attractive new neighbor Gwen (Tea Leoni). But Bertram gets a severe attitude adjustment when he accidentally dies--for seven minutes--during a routine colonoscopy. When he comes back from the dead, so to speak, he can suddenly SEE the dead--ghosts with unfinished business who follow Bertram around and try to get him to help them. This includes Frank (Greg Kinnear), who wants Bertram to break up the impending marriage of his widow, the very same lovely Gwen. At first, Bertram tries to very hard to ignore the request--until he gets a good look at Gwen and decides it might be worth it after all. Now Bertram just has to convince her he isn’t really the total twit he seems to be. Good luck with that.
Acting
When Gervais won the Golden Globe in 2001for his achingly funny BBC series The Office, most of us Yanks were like, “Who is that?” Then he came up and gave one of the more hilarious acceptance speeches--and well, a star was born. He certainly hasn’t disappointed since, turning in another hit comedy show Extras for HBO--and now, movies. Whether he’d admit it or not, Gervais has leading man qualities in that very offbeat British way, master of the miscommunication and half-finished sentences. And playing off veteran comic actors such as Kinnear and Leoni in Ghost Town only make Gervais look even better. Leoni is especially fetching in her breezy role as Gwen, an Egyptologist who could be a total nerd if not for her charm and sense of humor. The chemistry with Gervais is odd at best, but they make it work AND seem believable. There are a few scenes she does with Gervais where you just know it took a lot of takes because she couldn’t quit laughing. I know I certainly wouldn’t have been able to.
Direction
Ghost Town’s head honcho David Koepp is definitely known more for his writing than directing, having penned such scripts as Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, War of the Worlds and Spider-Man, thus the reason Ghost Town shines as it does. The premise isn’t anything groundbreaking, but the dialogue is spot-on. Co-writing with John Kamps, Koepp manages to mix both screwball comedy with poignancy without it seeming too silly or too syrupy, while the plot moves along at a nice pace. And Ghost Town has one of those feel-good endings (a rom-com must have) you don’t really expect to feel as good about as you do. Koepp’s other directorial efforts included Secret Window and Stir of Echoes, but it seems romantic comedies are now and should always be his forte.
9. Happy Feet
Story
In the beginning of Happy Feet, you might think a handful of moviegoers forgot to silence their cell phones; it’s just the emperor penguins, singin’ their beaks off to one of any number of songs popular circa 2003. In Antarctica, that’s how they stick together--it’s how they harmonize, so to speak. But with the birth of one penguin, Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood), the whole colony is shaken up. Mumble has the voice of a puberty-stricken boy and is unable to keep a tune, but he can dance like the dickens! His mother, Norma Jean (voiced by Nicole Kidman), thinks it’s a cute habit, but his father (voiced by Hugh Jackman) and the rest of the tight-knit community ostracize him. After toiling around a while with his new buddies (of which two are voiced by Robin Williams), some of whom are “Latino penguins,” Mumble realizes his only chance at redemption is to find the source of the penguins’ current fish famine--and he’ll stop at nothing, not even “aliens."
Acting
Robin Williams is quite the odd bird himself. Nowadays--movie-wise, at least--he’s better heard and not seen (i.e. voice-over roles like this one), whereas his mile-a-minute physicality was once a necessary evil to get the full 3-D effect of his personality. His animated self obviously less in-your-face, Williams’ dialogue does all the work in Feet and gives a performance that matches his beloved Aladdin Genie. Frodo alert: Wood, also starring in this weekend’s Bobby, hits all the, er, wrong notes to turn in a solid performance as the movie’s lead, Mumble. Since he sounds (and looks) much younger to most people than his actual age (25), it’s another in his long line of impeccable role choices. As the unattainable object of Mumble’s affection, Brittany Murphy stars as Gloria, a character that if nothing else allows the actress to display her singing talents as a preview of her reported upcoming album. (Yes, seriously.) The biggest names, Kidman and Jackman, with small parts, don’t offer much besides superficial mainstream appeal, but bit parts from Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia and the late Steve Irwin round out the formidable cast with some zing.
Direction
Penguins have long been ripe for the animating, what with their waddling, clumsiness and stuffed-animal cuteness. March of the Penguins outed them as lovable, misunderstood Antarctic creatures, Madagascar turned them into ‘toon comedians and now Feet director and co-writer George Miller (Mad Max) gives them the full treatment by animating and literally humanizing them. Miller’s labor of love, which he’d deliberated over for some time, encompasses all the kiddie messages we’ve come to expect while managing to toss in the rare animation curveball: ecological themes. Miller is clearly an animal lover--he also wrote and produced Babe--a passion he ties into the film without forcing. But the animation, nonstop musical numbers and technical aspect of the film will truly and pleasantly surprise you. In fact, a few scenes in particular involving humans juxtaposed with animated penguins make for memorable images--and messages. He and his team of co-writers, Warren Coleman, John Collee and Judy Morris, also formulate typically quicker-witted dialogue for the primarily Aussie cast, but it’s the overall heartwarming tale and execution thereof that’ll have you smiling all movie long.
In the beginning of Happy Feet, you might think a handful of moviegoers forgot to silence their cell phones; it’s just the emperor penguins, singin’ their beaks off to one of any number of songs popular circa 2003. In Antarctica, that’s how they stick together--it’s how they harmonize, so to speak. But with the birth of one penguin, Mumble (voiced by Elijah Wood), the whole colony is shaken up. Mumble has the voice of a puberty-stricken boy and is unable to keep a tune, but he can dance like the dickens! His mother, Norma Jean (voiced by Nicole Kidman), thinks it’s a cute habit, but his father (voiced by Hugh Jackman) and the rest of the tight-knit community ostracize him. After toiling around a while with his new buddies (of which two are voiced by Robin Williams), some of whom are “Latino penguins,” Mumble realizes his only chance at redemption is to find the source of the penguins’ current fish famine--and he’ll stop at nothing, not even “aliens."
Acting
Robin Williams is quite the odd bird himself. Nowadays--movie-wise, at least--he’s better heard and not seen (i.e. voice-over roles like this one), whereas his mile-a-minute physicality was once a necessary evil to get the full 3-D effect of his personality. His animated self obviously less in-your-face, Williams’ dialogue does all the work in Feet and gives a performance that matches his beloved Aladdin Genie. Frodo alert: Wood, also starring in this weekend’s Bobby, hits all the, er, wrong notes to turn in a solid performance as the movie’s lead, Mumble. Since he sounds (and looks) much younger to most people than his actual age (25), it’s another in his long line of impeccable role choices. As the unattainable object of Mumble’s affection, Brittany Murphy stars as Gloria, a character that if nothing else allows the actress to display her singing talents as a preview of her reported upcoming album. (Yes, seriously.) The biggest names, Kidman and Jackman, with small parts, don’t offer much besides superficial mainstream appeal, but bit parts from Hugo Weaving, Anthony LaPaglia and the late Steve Irwin round out the formidable cast with some zing.
Direction
Penguins have long been ripe for the animating, what with their waddling, clumsiness and stuffed-animal cuteness. March of the Penguins outed them as lovable, misunderstood Antarctic creatures, Madagascar turned them into ‘toon comedians and now Feet director and co-writer George Miller (Mad Max) gives them the full treatment by animating and literally humanizing them. Miller’s labor of love, which he’d deliberated over for some time, encompasses all the kiddie messages we’ve come to expect while managing to toss in the rare animation curveball: ecological themes. Miller is clearly an animal lover--he also wrote and produced Babe--a passion he ties into the film without forcing. But the animation, nonstop musical numbers and technical aspect of the film will truly and pleasantly surprise you. In fact, a few scenes in particular involving humans juxtaposed with animated penguins make for memorable images--and messages. He and his team of co-writers, Warren Coleman, John Collee and Judy Morris, also formulate typically quicker-witted dialogue for the primarily Aussie cast, but it’s the overall heartwarming tale and execution thereof that’ll have you smiling all movie long.
8. The X-Files: I Want to Believe
Story
The first problem is the title: I Want to Believe? Not at all mysterious as an X-Files title should be. What it points to, however, is the age-old question of why former FBI agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny)--now a recluse hiding out from the FBI and cutting out newspaper articles--believes in the unexplainable, while Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson)--now a pediatric doctor--continues to discount it. But rather than going into more back story on what these two have been up to (are they living together?), I Want to Believe jumps right into the middle, as if X-Files just went off the air a few months ago and this movie is just a continuation of one of the episodes. The story centers around a missing FBI agent and a former priest-turned-convicted pedophile (Billy Connolly), who seems to have psychic abilities in finding her. Of course, it gets weirder, but not in the ways you want or expect from an X-Files movie; it’s more CSI than UFO. Now, if at some point, after Scully furrowed her brow at Mulder, her head were to split open and his long-missing sister popped out, THAT would be something.
Acting
You can’t completely knock Duchovny and Anderson for I Want to Believe’s faults. Their Mulder and Scully are the yin and yang of the strange and unexplainable who still have that it’s-so-complicated-but-I-really-do-love-you relationship, which made the show work so well. Even if the plot to this sequel needs a lot more explanation than what is given, Duchovny and Anderson slip right into it without blinking an eye, which is somewhat comforting. Everyone else, however, is entirely misplaced--from Connolly as Father Joe, just trying to find redemption for his crimes, to Amanda Peet as the FBI agent in charge of the case who brings the outlawed Mulder in to help and ends up flirting with him. Huh? There are also some well-placed X-Filers making appearances, but really, it’s all about Mulder and Scully--once again.
Direction
Director/creator of X-Files Chris Carter has taken the wrong approach with I Want to Believe. Instead of making a bigger X-Files movie, to keep up with the first X-Files feature film with even more out-of-this-worldliness, he decides to bring it in and make it more, well, normal. That may have worked with the TV show, but not on the big screen. We want the spaceships. An X-Files movie, even to laymen fans, means you should be seeing some kind of super-paranormal activity--or at least something levitating. Let’s just say a psychic former priest who bleeds from his eyes is not exactly aliens and government cover-ups. I Want to Believe also rivals Fargo for its endless snowy vistas, but while Fargo uses the weather to its advantage, this X-Files just leaves you feeling cold. If the truth is really out there, this time it’s not very exciting.
The first problem is the title: I Want to Believe? Not at all mysterious as an X-Files title should be. What it points to, however, is the age-old question of why former FBI agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny)--now a recluse hiding out from the FBI and cutting out newspaper articles--believes in the unexplainable, while Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson)--now a pediatric doctor--continues to discount it. But rather than going into more back story on what these two have been up to (are they living together?), I Want to Believe jumps right into the middle, as if X-Files just went off the air a few months ago and this movie is just a continuation of one of the episodes. The story centers around a missing FBI agent and a former priest-turned-convicted pedophile (Billy Connolly), who seems to have psychic abilities in finding her. Of course, it gets weirder, but not in the ways you want or expect from an X-Files movie; it’s more CSI than UFO. Now, if at some point, after Scully furrowed her brow at Mulder, her head were to split open and his long-missing sister popped out, THAT would be something.
Acting
You can’t completely knock Duchovny and Anderson for I Want to Believe’s faults. Their Mulder and Scully are the yin and yang of the strange and unexplainable who still have that it’s-so-complicated-but-I-really-do-love-you relationship, which made the show work so well. Even if the plot to this sequel needs a lot more explanation than what is given, Duchovny and Anderson slip right into it without blinking an eye, which is somewhat comforting. Everyone else, however, is entirely misplaced--from Connolly as Father Joe, just trying to find redemption for his crimes, to Amanda Peet as the FBI agent in charge of the case who brings the outlawed Mulder in to help and ends up flirting with him. Huh? There are also some well-placed X-Filers making appearances, but really, it’s all about Mulder and Scully--once again.
Direction
Director/creator of X-Files Chris Carter has taken the wrong approach with I Want to Believe. Instead of making a bigger X-Files movie, to keep up with the first X-Files feature film with even more out-of-this-worldliness, he decides to bring it in and make it more, well, normal. That may have worked with the TV show, but not on the big screen. We want the spaceships. An X-Files movie, even to laymen fans, means you should be seeing some kind of super-paranormal activity--or at least something levitating. Let’s just say a psychic former priest who bleeds from his eyes is not exactly aliens and government cover-ups. I Want to Believe also rivals Fargo for its endless snowy vistas, but while Fargo uses the weather to its advantage, this X-Files just leaves you feeling cold. If the truth is really out there, this time it’s not very exciting.
7. Yes Man
Story
Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is a drag -- a recent divorcee in a dead-end job, who basically has one word for everything: “No!” Then one day he is dragged to one of those super positive, self-help seminars that forces him to say “Yes” to everything or face dire consequences. Thing is, it works. Need Viagra? Yes. Bungee jumping? Yes. A quick hummer by his over-sexed septuagenarian neighbor (Fionnula Flanagan)? Uh … yes? Carl’s newfound, agreeable self gains him more than he ever imagined. He even finds the love of his life, a kooky musician/amateur photographer named Allison (Zooey Deschanel). Of course, all this goodwill does have its consequences, and Carl learns some valuable lessons. Sound familiar? Hey, if Liar Liar worked once why not go back to the comedy well?
Acting
Jim Carrey is just his best when he’s in a comedy -- even quirky comedies such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He is so at home in the shoes of this kind of loveable loser, who gets to live life in broad strokes. He knows how to play for big laughs without going overboard. So from now on, Jim, just say NO to thrillers like The Number 23. In the top notch supporting cast, Sasha Alexander is a deadpan standout as the Persian wife he orders online, and veteran Terence Stamp is a hoot as the self-help guru who gets Carrey into his predicament in the first place. Also very amusing are his best buddies, played by Bradley Cooper and a hilarious Danny Masterson. As his bonkers New Zealand-esque boss, Flight of the Concord’s Rhys Darby is a riot as Carl's boss. Deschanel is kind of the “straight man” here, but she’s handles it well, if not memorably.
Direction
Peyton Reed is a fairly reliable comedy director with mostly hits (Bring It On, The Break-Up). He knows Yes Man exists as a vehicle for the Jim Carrey brand of comedy and lets Carrey hog the spotlight. The movie lives or dies on what Carrey can deliver and on that scale Yes Man is a hit. There are some bits that fall flat and might have been cut, but for all its broad humor, Reed manages to keep it grounded and in simple scenes between Carrey and Deschanel, the movie even borders on sweet. In a season of dark drama on screen -- and off -- the antidote could well be this dumb but fun time killer. So, is a little comic relief worth the $10 in the economic downturn? We say, YES!
Carl Allen (Jim Carrey) is a drag -- a recent divorcee in a dead-end job, who basically has one word for everything: “No!” Then one day he is dragged to one of those super positive, self-help seminars that forces him to say “Yes” to everything or face dire consequences. Thing is, it works. Need Viagra? Yes. Bungee jumping? Yes. A quick hummer by his over-sexed septuagenarian neighbor (Fionnula Flanagan)? Uh … yes? Carl’s newfound, agreeable self gains him more than he ever imagined. He even finds the love of his life, a kooky musician/amateur photographer named Allison (Zooey Deschanel). Of course, all this goodwill does have its consequences, and Carl learns some valuable lessons. Sound familiar? Hey, if Liar Liar worked once why not go back to the comedy well?
Acting
Jim Carrey is just his best when he’s in a comedy -- even quirky comedies such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. He is so at home in the shoes of this kind of loveable loser, who gets to live life in broad strokes. He knows how to play for big laughs without going overboard. So from now on, Jim, just say NO to thrillers like The Number 23. In the top notch supporting cast, Sasha Alexander is a deadpan standout as the Persian wife he orders online, and veteran Terence Stamp is a hoot as the self-help guru who gets Carrey into his predicament in the first place. Also very amusing are his best buddies, played by Bradley Cooper and a hilarious Danny Masterson. As his bonkers New Zealand-esque boss, Flight of the Concord’s Rhys Darby is a riot as Carl's boss. Deschanel is kind of the “straight man” here, but she’s handles it well, if not memorably.
Direction
Peyton Reed is a fairly reliable comedy director with mostly hits (Bring It On, The Break-Up). He knows Yes Man exists as a vehicle for the Jim Carrey brand of comedy and lets Carrey hog the spotlight. The movie lives or dies on what Carrey can deliver and on that scale Yes Man is a hit. There are some bits that fall flat and might have been cut, but for all its broad humor, Reed manages to keep it grounded and in simple scenes between Carrey and Deschanel, the movie even borders on sweet. In a season of dark drama on screen -- and off -- the antidote could well be this dumb but fun time killer. So, is a little comic relief worth the $10 in the economic downturn? We say, YES!
6. Pride and Glory
Story
Merging Serpico with an almost Shakespearean sense of tragedy, Pride and Glory details an extremely complicated investigation into the gunning down of four New York City cops after an attempted drug bust goes terribly wrong. With increasingly bad PR and an apparent cop killer still at large, the Chief of Manhattan Detectives Francis Tierney Sr. (Jon Voight) assigns his son Detective Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) to lead the probe. The younger Tierney is reluctant since he knows all four cops served under his brother Francis Jr. (Noah Emmerich) and brother-in-law Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell). Ray’s instincts may be right because as he digs deeper he discovers an awkward and uncomfortable connection between Francis, Jimmy and the case. Could his own family have been involved in an inside job and tipped off the drug dealers? Soon, Ray finds himself having to choose between the greatest moral dilemma of all: loyalty to the job or loyalty to his family.
Acting
Although Pride and Glory doesn’t break any new ground and is composed of elements we’ve seen in many previous films dealing with police corruption, this film is distinguished by some of the finest work in the storied careers of many of its cast. Norton follows up his summer comic-book movie The Incredible Hulk with a far smaller and more focused character in P&G, playing a man caught in a moral bind facing the unthinkable prospect of going after his own family members. Norton wears his ticklish predicament on his face and is enormously effective conveying pure angst. Emmerich (Little Children) delivers a rich portrayal of a tortured soul, not only caught up in an intense investigation, but dealing with a wife (Jennifer Ehle) dying of cancer. Farrell is better than he has been in some time, playing a shady officer who seemingly will stop at nothing to get what he needs. Voight, as the proud family patriarch and veteran of the NYPD, clearly understands the dilemma of this man who is watching his family torn apart.
Direction
Co-writer/director Gavin O'Connor has spent a frustrating couple of years trying to bring this story to the screen, but his perseverance pays off. Pride and Glory is a well-written cop tale that co-exists as an interesting character study about the power of family ties vs. personal pride. O’Connor manages to put us right in the center of the moral conflict at the heart of his story and with several first-rate actors (even in the lesser roles) crafts a film that seems authentic to its core. Incorporating Declan Quinn’s in-your-face, realistic cinematography, O’Connor resists going for a more obvious audience-pleasing flashier style, achieving a look and feel that seems more grounded in the milieu he’s trying to capture. His script, co-written with Joe Carnahan (who wrote and directed the equally gritty Narc) is tight and unsympathetic, slowly letting layers of a very intricate and complex story peel away to reveal a core that packs a punch right to the gut.
Merging Serpico with an almost Shakespearean sense of tragedy, Pride and Glory details an extremely complicated investigation into the gunning down of four New York City cops after an attempted drug bust goes terribly wrong. With increasingly bad PR and an apparent cop killer still at large, the Chief of Manhattan Detectives Francis Tierney Sr. (Jon Voight) assigns his son Detective Ray Tierney (Edward Norton) to lead the probe. The younger Tierney is reluctant since he knows all four cops served under his brother Francis Jr. (Noah Emmerich) and brother-in-law Jimmy Egan (Colin Farrell). Ray’s instincts may be right because as he digs deeper he discovers an awkward and uncomfortable connection between Francis, Jimmy and the case. Could his own family have been involved in an inside job and tipped off the drug dealers? Soon, Ray finds himself having to choose between the greatest moral dilemma of all: loyalty to the job or loyalty to his family.
Acting
Although Pride and Glory doesn’t break any new ground and is composed of elements we’ve seen in many previous films dealing with police corruption, this film is distinguished by some of the finest work in the storied careers of many of its cast. Norton follows up his summer comic-book movie The Incredible Hulk with a far smaller and more focused character in P&G, playing a man caught in a moral bind facing the unthinkable prospect of going after his own family members. Norton wears his ticklish predicament on his face and is enormously effective conveying pure angst. Emmerich (Little Children) delivers a rich portrayal of a tortured soul, not only caught up in an intense investigation, but dealing with a wife (Jennifer Ehle) dying of cancer. Farrell is better than he has been in some time, playing a shady officer who seemingly will stop at nothing to get what he needs. Voight, as the proud family patriarch and veteran of the NYPD, clearly understands the dilemma of this man who is watching his family torn apart.
Direction
Co-writer/director Gavin O'Connor has spent a frustrating couple of years trying to bring this story to the screen, but his perseverance pays off. Pride and Glory is a well-written cop tale that co-exists as an interesting character study about the power of family ties vs. personal pride. O’Connor manages to put us right in the center of the moral conflict at the heart of his story and with several first-rate actors (even in the lesser roles) crafts a film that seems authentic to its core. Incorporating Declan Quinn’s in-your-face, realistic cinematography, O’Connor resists going for a more obvious audience-pleasing flashier style, achieving a look and feel that seems more grounded in the milieu he’s trying to capture. His script, co-written with Joe Carnahan (who wrote and directed the equally gritty Narc) is tight and unsympathetic, slowly letting layers of a very intricate and complex story peel away to reveal a core that packs a punch right to the gut.
5. The Tale of Despereaux
Story
In the tradition of a classic Disney-esque animated fairy tale, The Tale of Despereaux, based on the award winning children’s classic by Kate DiCamillo, is about a mouse named Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), with Dumbo-sized ears and an oversized heart. His home , the Kingdom of Dor, was once a happy place but now due to unexpected events, it has been shrouded by doom and gloom. Not for Despereaux! The fearless rodent doesn’t adhere to the usual mouse-like criteria but instead yearns for adventure, especially after he starts reading fables from the castle library. He also bonds with Princess Pea (Emma Watson), who is sad and lonely her kingdom is in such disarray. Despereaux looks at her as a damsel in distress and wants to help. Unfortunately, these are all serious no-nos in Mouseworld, and so Despereaux is banished him to live in the dungeon with the evil Rats, where he meets an agreeable rat, Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), who is also different from his kind. Roscuro wants to right some past wrongs but is spurned by the princess. Needless to say, things do indeed go awry, and Despereaux must summon all his courage and bravery to save the day.
Acting
Some of the best ensemble casts in movies are being assembled for animated features these days, and The Tale of Despereaux is a prime example. Broderick is ideal as the dignified and ultimately courageous little mouse. Hoffman -- in his second ‘toon turn of the year (Kung Fu Panda) -- proves again as the soup-loving Roscuro he has a real future as an animated character. Harry Potter’s Watson has the perfunctory English princess role but plays it with compassion, while Tracey Ullman, as maid-cum-wannabe princess Mig, doesn’t go for the laughs but portrays Mig as a hopeful outcast looking for a fairy tale ending to her humdrum life. A whole set of other wonderful vocal talents in Despereaux include Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, Richard Jenkins, Stanley Tucci, William H. Macy, Robbie Coltrane and Christopher Lloyd. And to top it off with just the right touch of whimsy is the lilting narration of Sigourney Weaver, whose comforting voice will assure the youngest kids in the audience that things in Dor aren’t quite as dire as they appear.
Direction
Co-directors Sam Fell and Rob Stevenhagen invest into this gorgeous-looking film all the care that went into the art of DiCamillo’s beautiful book. In fact, unlike many other recent animated features, Despereaux is distinctly old-fashioned, despite all the CGI. The look of the movie is definitely inspired by older, more traditional Disney-style fairy tale classics. Gary Ross’ (Seabiscuit) fine screenplay is reverential to the book and doesn’t back away from the darker aspects of the story which, despite its G rating might be a little on the scary side for the very young ones. For everyone else The Tale of Despereaux is most likely this season’s must-see movie event for the entire family.
In the tradition of a classic Disney-esque animated fairy tale, The Tale of Despereaux, based on the award winning children’s classic by Kate DiCamillo, is about a mouse named Despereaux (Matthew Broderick), with Dumbo-sized ears and an oversized heart. His home , the Kingdom of Dor, was once a happy place but now due to unexpected events, it has been shrouded by doom and gloom. Not for Despereaux! The fearless rodent doesn’t adhere to the usual mouse-like criteria but instead yearns for adventure, especially after he starts reading fables from the castle library. He also bonds with Princess Pea (Emma Watson), who is sad and lonely her kingdom is in such disarray. Despereaux looks at her as a damsel in distress and wants to help. Unfortunately, these are all serious no-nos in Mouseworld, and so Despereaux is banished him to live in the dungeon with the evil Rats, where he meets an agreeable rat, Roscuro (Dustin Hoffman), who is also different from his kind. Roscuro wants to right some past wrongs but is spurned by the princess. Needless to say, things do indeed go awry, and Despereaux must summon all his courage and bravery to save the day.
Acting
Some of the best ensemble casts in movies are being assembled for animated features these days, and The Tale of Despereaux is a prime example. Broderick is ideal as the dignified and ultimately courageous little mouse. Hoffman -- in his second ‘toon turn of the year (Kung Fu Panda) -- proves again as the soup-loving Roscuro he has a real future as an animated character. Harry Potter’s Watson has the perfunctory English princess role but plays it with compassion, while Tracey Ullman, as maid-cum-wannabe princess Mig, doesn’t go for the laughs but portrays Mig as a hopeful outcast looking for a fairy tale ending to her humdrum life. A whole set of other wonderful vocal talents in Despereaux include Kevin Kline, Frank Langella, Richard Jenkins, Stanley Tucci, William H. Macy, Robbie Coltrane and Christopher Lloyd. And to top it off with just the right touch of whimsy is the lilting narration of Sigourney Weaver, whose comforting voice will assure the youngest kids in the audience that things in Dor aren’t quite as dire as they appear.
Direction
Co-directors Sam Fell and Rob Stevenhagen invest into this gorgeous-looking film all the care that went into the art of DiCamillo’s beautiful book. In fact, unlike many other recent animated features, Despereaux is distinctly old-fashioned, despite all the CGI. The look of the movie is definitely inspired by older, more traditional Disney-style fairy tale classics. Gary Ross’ (Seabiscuit) fine screenplay is reverential to the book and doesn’t back away from the darker aspects of the story which, despite its G rating might be a little on the scary side for the very young ones. For everyone else The Tale of Despereaux is most likely this season’s must-see movie event for the entire family.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
4. Revolutionary Road
Story
Novelist Richard Yates tried for years to bring his 1961 story of marital trouble in ‘50s suburbia to the screen but died before seeing it finally come to fruition in the form of this scorching adaptation by writer Justin Haythe. April (Kate Winslet) and Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio) are young marrieds, living what appears to be the ideal life in the Connecticut of the 1950s. He has a nice job, she is a mother of two with dreams of an acting career. But beneath the surface is a lingering dissatisfaction with their lives; Frank is having an affair with an office worker (Zoe Kazan), and April is terribly unhappy with the way her life is turning out. They engage in ferocious arguments, constantly disproving the idea they are the perfect couple. One day April decides the answer to all their problems is to move to Paris and start over. Frank initially agrees, but the relationship goes downhill even further from there and things spiral out of control.
Acting
Revolutionary Road’s brilliant ensemble ignites and delivers on just about every level imaginable. Kate Winslet, who seemingly can do no wrong these days, is heartbreakingly good as a housewife who foreshadows the feminist movement. Her April is an ambitious, confused woman tragically living a couple of beats ahead of her time. Leonardo DiCaprio gives his finest film performance as a man who knows he is not living up to his potential but seems to be in a state of denial trying, almost pathetically, to keep what’s left of his marriage and family together. It’s the subtext and unspoken words between them that really give power to these tremendously effective performances. After the first 10 minutes, you will be so mesmerized by their raw, naked acting you will forget you are watching the two young stars who first appeared together in Titanic a decade earlier. Kathy Bates as a cheerful real estate agent with her own family problems is also quite good, as is Michael Shannon, as her disturbed grown son who seems to know more about the sad state of the Wheelers home life than anyone realizes. He should be a frontrunner for the supporting actor Oscar if there is any justice. Also blending in nicely are Kathryn Hahn and David Harbour as neighbors who are the polar opposite of Frank and April.
Direction
Sam Mendes, who won an Oscar for directing yet another stinging view of suburbia with his Oscar-winning American Beauty does another great job of bringing out the essence of what Yates says about a generation hiding behind a façade of happiness but living on the cusp of great, profound social change. Mendes lets long dialogue scenes play out, packing them with riveting moments. His filmmaking style should be savored for the insights it provides and the emotional challenges it presents. Mendes also manages to get an extraordinary portrayal of suburban angst from his real-life wife Winslet. Not since Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton battled so brazenly in 1966’s Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf has there been a wounded couple’s marriage so deeply and poignantly exposed on screen.
Novelist Richard Yates tried for years to bring his 1961 story of marital trouble in ‘50s suburbia to the screen but died before seeing it finally come to fruition in the form of this scorching adaptation by writer Justin Haythe. April (Kate Winslet) and Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio) are young marrieds, living what appears to be the ideal life in the Connecticut of the 1950s. He has a nice job, she is a mother of two with dreams of an acting career. But beneath the surface is a lingering dissatisfaction with their lives; Frank is having an affair with an office worker (Zoe Kazan), and April is terribly unhappy with the way her life is turning out. They engage in ferocious arguments, constantly disproving the idea they are the perfect couple. One day April decides the answer to all their problems is to move to Paris and start over. Frank initially agrees, but the relationship goes downhill even further from there and things spiral out of control.
Acting
Revolutionary Road’s brilliant ensemble ignites and delivers on just about every level imaginable. Kate Winslet, who seemingly can do no wrong these days, is heartbreakingly good as a housewife who foreshadows the feminist movement. Her April is an ambitious, confused woman tragically living a couple of beats ahead of her time. Leonardo DiCaprio gives his finest film performance as a man who knows he is not living up to his potential but seems to be in a state of denial trying, almost pathetically, to keep what’s left of his marriage and family together. It’s the subtext and unspoken words between them that really give power to these tremendously effective performances. After the first 10 minutes, you will be so mesmerized by their raw, naked acting you will forget you are watching the two young stars who first appeared together in Titanic a decade earlier. Kathy Bates as a cheerful real estate agent with her own family problems is also quite good, as is Michael Shannon, as her disturbed grown son who seems to know more about the sad state of the Wheelers home life than anyone realizes. He should be a frontrunner for the supporting actor Oscar if there is any justice. Also blending in nicely are Kathryn Hahn and David Harbour as neighbors who are the polar opposite of Frank and April.
Direction
Sam Mendes, who won an Oscar for directing yet another stinging view of suburbia with his Oscar-winning American Beauty does another great job of bringing out the essence of what Yates says about a generation hiding behind a façade of happiness but living on the cusp of great, profound social change. Mendes lets long dialogue scenes play out, packing them with riveting moments. His filmmaking style should be savored for the insights it provides and the emotional challenges it presents. Mendes also manages to get an extraordinary portrayal of suburban angst from his real-life wife Winslet. Not since Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton battled so brazenly in 1966’s Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf has there been a wounded couple’s marriage so deeply and poignantly exposed on screen.
3. Valkyrie
Story
We all know Adolf Hitler did not die as a result of an organized assassination plot against him, but this fact does not hinder the enjoyment of watching how that attempt by members of his own Nazi command plays out. Reminiscent of great ‘60s WWII conspiracy thrillers such as 36 Hours and Night of the Generals, this film centers on the actions of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), a loyal German officer, who nevertheless is horrified by what he sees Hitler doing to his country and is determined to find a way to stop him. In 1942, he tries to persuade senior commanders to overthrow Hitler, and later in 1943, while recovering from combat injuries, he joins the German Resistance, a secretive anti-Hitler group comprised of several men in the highest ranks on the inside. Using Hitler’s own contingency plan, labeled Operation Valkyrie, to prop up the government should he die, this group puts their assassination and take over plan in motion.
Acting
As the eye patch-wearing SS colonel, Tom Cruise is excellent. He comfortably manages to get to the heart of Stauffenberg and portray a man who clearly loves his country and feels it’s a patriotic duty to stop the madness. Wisely Cruise (who produced through his United Artists studio) surrounds himself with actors of the first stripe. Among those supporting the mission are: Kenneth Branagh, in a relatively brief turn as an German officer; Bill Nighy, as one of von Stauffenberg’s closest allies in the venture; and Eddie Izzard, as a communications specialist charged with cutting Hitler’s contact to the rest of Germany. There’s also superb work from Terence Stamp as another high-ranking conspirator and the always great Tom Wilkinson, as career officer Fredrick Fromm who seems to be playing all sides despite appearing to be a stern supporter of the Fuhrer. And as Stauffenberg’s loyal wife, Carice van Houten (Black Book) looks lovely and hits just the right notes as her husband’s sounding board.
Direction
Although he has guided big popcorn pictures such as Superman Returns and X-Mens, director Bryan Singer has also given us intense thrillers like the Oscar winning Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil. So, the command he shows in turning out this nifty thriller should come as no surprise. Clearly, Singer knows how to grab hold of an audience and keep them on the edge of their seats -- no easy trick here since the outcome is never in doubt. He keeps this going like a speeding train, ratcheting up the suspense at every turn and focusing his camera directly into the eyes and sweat of these courageous conspirators. Valkyrie is a pulse-pounding, heart-racing excitement from start to finish.
We all know Adolf Hitler did not die as a result of an organized assassination plot against him, but this fact does not hinder the enjoyment of watching how that attempt by members of his own Nazi command plays out. Reminiscent of great ‘60s WWII conspiracy thrillers such as 36 Hours and Night of the Generals, this film centers on the actions of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), a loyal German officer, who nevertheless is horrified by what he sees Hitler doing to his country and is determined to find a way to stop him. In 1942, he tries to persuade senior commanders to overthrow Hitler, and later in 1943, while recovering from combat injuries, he joins the German Resistance, a secretive anti-Hitler group comprised of several men in the highest ranks on the inside. Using Hitler’s own contingency plan, labeled Operation Valkyrie, to prop up the government should he die, this group puts their assassination and take over plan in motion.
Acting
As the eye patch-wearing SS colonel, Tom Cruise is excellent. He comfortably manages to get to the heart of Stauffenberg and portray a man who clearly loves his country and feels it’s a patriotic duty to stop the madness. Wisely Cruise (who produced through his United Artists studio) surrounds himself with actors of the first stripe. Among those supporting the mission are: Kenneth Branagh, in a relatively brief turn as an German officer; Bill Nighy, as one of von Stauffenberg’s closest allies in the venture; and Eddie Izzard, as a communications specialist charged with cutting Hitler’s contact to the rest of Germany. There’s also superb work from Terence Stamp as another high-ranking conspirator and the always great Tom Wilkinson, as career officer Fredrick Fromm who seems to be playing all sides despite appearing to be a stern supporter of the Fuhrer. And as Stauffenberg’s loyal wife, Carice van Houten (Black Book) looks lovely and hits just the right notes as her husband’s sounding board.
Direction
Although he has guided big popcorn pictures such as Superman Returns and X-Mens, director Bryan Singer has also given us intense thrillers like the Oscar winning Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil. So, the command he shows in turning out this nifty thriller should come as no surprise. Clearly, Singer knows how to grab hold of an audience and keep them on the edge of their seats -- no easy trick here since the outcome is never in doubt. He keeps this going like a speeding train, ratcheting up the suspense at every turn and focusing his camera directly into the eyes and sweat of these courageous conspirators. Valkyrie is a pulse-pounding, heart-racing excitement from start to finish.
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Story
Spanning from WWI to the 21st century, Eric Roth’s screenplay (based loosely on a 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald) tells the unique story of a man named Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt). He is born in New Orleans as a very old baby, the equivalent of a man in his 80s, who then ages backward into youth over the better part of a century. The film is told in flashback by a very old, dying woman Daisy (Cate Blanchett), who recounts her tale to her daughter (Julia Ormond) from a hospital bed during Hurricane Katrina. Left on the doorstep of a retirement home one night by his father (Jason Flemyng), Benjamin is brought up by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), who runs the place. While there he meets a young girl, Daisy, who will become a key figure -- romantically and otherwise -- in his life. Ben does have some grand adventures: He goes to work on a boat, sees sea battles during WWII, finds love with an older married woman (Tilda Swinton) -- and gets progressively younger as the decades fly by. It all manages to be alternately haunting, romantic, funny, epic, emotional and incredibly moving and will likely to stay with you a lifetime.
Acting
Brad Pitt manages to deliver a thoughtful and subtle performance through all the special effects makeup and CGI. He does so much just by using his eyes. Cate Blanchett is equally fine as she plays Daisy from a teenager to an old woman and matches Pitt in bringing an entire lifetime skillfully to light. Her aging makeup is completely natural and she’s very moving in the hospital scenes opposite Ormond. Henson is just marvelous as Queenie, a warm and understanding soul. Swinton is elegant and memorable in her few crucial encounters with Ben and plays beautifully off Pitt. Jared Harris (TV’s The Riches) as the colorful Captain Mike, who hires Ben on his tug boat, and Flemyng (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), as Ben’s father, are also effective in their brief screen time.
Direction
Interestingly, Benjamin Button has been gestating for decades in the Hollywood firmament but needed time for the proper technology to catch up to it. Director David Fincher (Zodiac, Fight Club) with his early background at George Lucas’ ILM, proves to be the perfect choice to marry a compelling story with spectacular visual effects achievement. He did not want to do the film unless the technology allowed one actor to play the role throughout the course of the film. Remarkably, they were able to achieve this superimposing Brad Pitt’s face and eyes into all the incarnations of Ben Button. In one sequence, Pitt looks just like he did in Thelma and Louise. It’s an amazing feat. He has seamlessly created a unique universe without ever bringing attention to it, advancing the art of screen storytelling leaps and bounds ahead of everything else that has come before. Benjamin Button is a plaintive and provocative meditation of life, death and what we do while we are here. It’s the stuff of dreams.
Spanning from WWI to the 21st century, Eric Roth’s screenplay (based loosely on a 1922 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald) tells the unique story of a man named Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt). He is born in New Orleans as a very old baby, the equivalent of a man in his 80s, who then ages backward into youth over the better part of a century. The film is told in flashback by a very old, dying woman Daisy (Cate Blanchett), who recounts her tale to her daughter (Julia Ormond) from a hospital bed during Hurricane Katrina. Left on the doorstep of a retirement home one night by his father (Jason Flemyng), Benjamin is brought up by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), who runs the place. While there he meets a young girl, Daisy, who will become a key figure -- romantically and otherwise -- in his life. Ben does have some grand adventures: He goes to work on a boat, sees sea battles during WWII, finds love with an older married woman (Tilda Swinton) -- and gets progressively younger as the decades fly by. It all manages to be alternately haunting, romantic, funny, epic, emotional and incredibly moving and will likely to stay with you a lifetime.
Acting
Brad Pitt manages to deliver a thoughtful and subtle performance through all the special effects makeup and CGI. He does so much just by using his eyes. Cate Blanchett is equally fine as she plays Daisy from a teenager to an old woman and matches Pitt in bringing an entire lifetime skillfully to light. Her aging makeup is completely natural and she’s very moving in the hospital scenes opposite Ormond. Henson is just marvelous as Queenie, a warm and understanding soul. Swinton is elegant and memorable in her few crucial encounters with Ben and plays beautifully off Pitt. Jared Harris (TV’s The Riches) as the colorful Captain Mike, who hires Ben on his tug boat, and Flemyng (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), as Ben’s father, are also effective in their brief screen time.
Direction
Interestingly, Benjamin Button has been gestating for decades in the Hollywood firmament but needed time for the proper technology to catch up to it. Director David Fincher (Zodiac, Fight Club) with his early background at George Lucas’ ILM, proves to be the perfect choice to marry a compelling story with spectacular visual effects achievement. He did not want to do the film unless the technology allowed one actor to play the role throughout the course of the film. Remarkably, they were able to achieve this superimposing Brad Pitt’s face and eyes into all the incarnations of Ben Button. In one sequence, Pitt looks just like he did in Thelma and Louise. It’s an amazing feat. He has seamlessly created a unique universe without ever bringing attention to it, advancing the art of screen storytelling leaps and bounds ahead of everything else that has come before. Benjamin Button is a plaintive and provocative meditation of life, death and what we do while we are here. It’s the stuff of dreams.
1. Defiance
Story
Although most Holocaust-themed works present the Jews as victims, this true story shows there were small bands who did manage to fight back no matter how difficult the challenge. Starting near the beginning of World War II, the film focuses on three Jewish brothers, who lead a small but effective resistance against the surging Nazi presence in the forests of Belarussia. Eldest brother Tuvia Bielski (Daniel Craig) returns home to find most of his family murdered. His only surviving siblings are his wild, quick-tempered brother Zus (Liev Schreiber), prone to shoot first and ask questions later, and his youngest brother Asael (Jamie Bell), whose gentle nature allows to him to act as a buffer between his two older siblings. Crux of the film is the conflict between Zus’ quest for revenge at any cost and Tuvia’s more measured desire to save lives. As they round up more and more Jewish outcasts, the Bielskis form a community deep in the woods. But soon Tuvia must rise to the occasion and lead the 1,200 strong group deeper into hiding in order to survive the winter and the lurking Nazi threat.
Although most Holocaust-themed works present the Jews as victims, this true story shows there were small bands who did manage to fight back no matter how difficult the challenge. Starting near the beginning of World War II, the film focuses on three Jewish brothers, who lead a small but effective resistance against the surging Nazi presence in the forests of Belarussia. Eldest brother Tuvia Bielski (Daniel Craig) returns home to find most of his family murdered. His only surviving siblings are his wild, quick-tempered brother Zus (Liev Schreiber), prone to shoot first and ask questions later, and his youngest brother Asael (Jamie Bell), whose gentle nature allows to him to act as a buffer between his two older siblings. Crux of the film is the conflict between Zus’ quest for revenge at any cost and Tuvia’s more measured desire to save lives. As they round up more and more Jewish outcasts, the Bielskis form a community deep in the woods. But soon Tuvia must rise to the occasion and lead the 1,200 strong group deeper into hiding in order to survive the winter and the lurking Nazi threat.
Acting
Daniel Craig gets back to his acting roots after two high-profile outings as 007. He’s strong, resilient and complex as a man with a criminal past whose mettle is tested when he chooses to become an advocate for life over the prospect of turning into a killing machine. Schreiber is superb as well as the toughest of the brothers -- at least on the outside. His primal urge to survive at all costs by using whatever preemptive force is necessary is apparent throughout his well-detailed portrayal. And finally Bell, who more than holds his own as the most innocent of the bunch and the one with the most to learn. Alexa Davalos, Iben Hjejle and Mia Wasikowska add needed warmth and emotion as the three very different women, or “forest wives,” with whom the brothers romantically bond during their years in hiding. Stand out in the enormous meticulously chosen cast is Mark Feuerstein as an intellectual and Viktor Panchenko as Isyyanov, the leader of the People’s Army.
Daniel Craig gets back to his acting roots after two high-profile outings as 007. He’s strong, resilient and complex as a man with a criminal past whose mettle is tested when he chooses to become an advocate for life over the prospect of turning into a killing machine. Schreiber is superb as well as the toughest of the brothers -- at least on the outside. His primal urge to survive at all costs by using whatever preemptive force is necessary is apparent throughout his well-detailed portrayal. And finally Bell, who more than holds his own as the most innocent of the bunch and the one with the most to learn. Alexa Davalos, Iben Hjejle and Mia Wasikowska add needed warmth and emotion as the three very different women, or “forest wives,” with whom the brothers romantically bond during their years in hiding. Stand out in the enormous meticulously chosen cast is Mark Feuerstein as an intellectual and Viktor Panchenko as Isyyanov, the leader of the People’s Army.
Direction
Edward Zwick is known for intelligent, historically based films like Glory, The Last Samurai and Blood Diamond. Defiance follows suit, shot on a rather large scale with lots of impressive action sequences buffering an intimate story. Zwick’s co-writer Clayton Frohman stumbled upon the Bielskis’ story while reading a newspaper obituary on one of them. Armed with exhaustive research and an unerring eye for authenticity, the director does not present any of these characters as saints. They were flawed, conflicted human beings caught up in a extraordinary situation, which only highlights their indomitable determination and fortitude to walk out of that forest alive. James Newton Howard’s brilliant score with haunting violin solos from Joshua Bell deserve special mention among the talented artists who made Defiance come to life. This is a must-see movie and another towering cinematic achievement for Zwick, his best since Glory.
Edward Zwick is known for intelligent, historically based films like Glory, The Last Samurai and Blood Diamond. Defiance follows suit, shot on a rather large scale with lots of impressive action sequences buffering an intimate story. Zwick’s co-writer Clayton Frohman stumbled upon the Bielskis’ story while reading a newspaper obituary on one of them. Armed with exhaustive research and an unerring eye for authenticity, the director does not present any of these characters as saints. They were flawed, conflicted human beings caught up in a extraordinary situation, which only highlights their indomitable determination and fortitude to walk out of that forest alive. James Newton Howard’s brilliant score with haunting violin solos from Joshua Bell deserve special mention among the talented artists who made Defiance come to life. This is a must-see movie and another towering cinematic achievement for Zwick, his best since Glory.
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