NEW THIS WEEK:
AFTER THE SUNSET (PG-13) Although there are worse ways to wile away 90-some minutes, After the Sunset isn't really exciting or original enough to engage us as a heist movie, and it's not funny enough to succeed as a comedy. Pierce Brosnan (further distancing himself from the 007 image in flip-flops and a gray, gristled chin) and Salma Hayek are retired jewel thieves playing elaborately pointless cat-and-mouse games with FBI agent Woody Harrelson while they consider that inevitable one last heist. The movie is pleasant to look at (particularly the island locations and a frequently semi-clad Hayek), and some of the dialogue is fairly clever and quirky, but we've seen this Elmore Leonard-lite shtick too many times before. Also stars Don Cheadle. Opens Nov. 12 at local theaters. 
1/2
BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON (R) In this sequel to 2001's Bridget Jones' Diary, Renee Zellweger reprises her role as the eponymous homely Brit who just can't seem to find Mr. Right. More of the same quirky love-lamenting is in the offing when the would-be match-made-in-heaven from the original film begins to dissolve nearly as quickly as it began. Also stars Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Opens Nov. 12 at local theaters. (Not Reviewed)
THE POLAR EXPRESS (G) An amazing technical achievement, but one with a very big heart (even if it does occasionally wear that heart a little too openly on its sleeve), Polar Express looks a lot like an instant holiday classic. Based on Chris Van Allsburg's popular book, this beautifully animated feature follows a magical train as it transports a group of children to the North Pole for a close encounter with the Clausmeister. Along the way, all sorts of strange things happen, things both inexplicably surreal and, sometimes, terribly exciting, and it all culminates in an irresistibly sappy message about the child-like joys of believing in believing. Director Robert Zemeckis handles the movie's frenetic action sequences in fine style, but is equally adept at communicating the atmospheric poetry of the long, nearly wordless stretches. Tom Hanks, whose voice and movements provided the template for no less than five of the movie's characters, is in fine form here as well, although there's still something just a little unintentionally creepy about watching digitally generated humans who are this close to being exactly like us, but aren't. Also features Eddie Deezen, Nona Gaye and Peter Scorlari. Opens Nov. 12 at local theaters.
SEED OF CHUCKY (R) Those demonic dolls are back again, and this time we get the whole dysfunctional family. Chucky and his evil bride, definitively dispatched in the last installment, are resurrected by their do-gooder son Glen, who just can't believe his parents are really all that bad. They are, of course, and mayhem ensues, much of it reportedly on a set for a Hollywood movie — a scenario bound to be milked for all sorts of postmodern irony. Featuring the voices of Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly. Opens Nov. 12 at local theaters. (Not Reviewed)
RECENT RELEASES:
ALFIE (R) Jude Law stars in this slick but pointless remake of the 1966 Michael Caine star-maker about a womanizing, commitment-phobic cad. Behavior that seemed shocking and provocative on a movie screen nearly four decades ago, however, now simply seems a bit inane and even creepy, and this new version of Alfie can't quite figure out what to do with its eponymous hero or how to feel about him. Law's character spends most of the movie yakking directly to the camera, endlessly re-stating versions of his personal philosophy ("It's all about FBB — face, boobs, buns)" and flitting from one woman to the next. Similarly, the movie flits from one Big Emotion to the next, starting out as a zippy and gleefully superficial ode to a superficial sex addict, and then executing some wild mood swings into unreservedly maudlin territory before swinging back again. The action's been transplanted from swinging '60s London to contemporary Manhattan, but otherwise the movie acts as if feminism, AIDS or even the notion of political correctness had never happened. Even during those moments when Law's character begins expressing something resembling remorse or the rudimentary stirrings of a conscience, the movie's not sharp enough to point out the multiple ironies implicit in the sadness. Marisa Tomei is very good here as one of Alfie's conquests, and there's a nice scene involving Susan Sarandon (another conquest) and some absinthe, but otherwise don't waste your time. Also stars Omar Epps, Nia Long and Sienna Miller.
AROUND THE BEND (R) Just in time for Halloween comes the inaugural film from writer/director Jordan Roberts. It's about spooky skeletons — no, not the ambulatory remains of the dead — the kind that reside in proverbial closets. This type of skeleton waits for a prime opportunity to emerge and reveal discomforting, fundamental truths about its owner, spawning films with pathos-invoking plots and soul-searching characters. That Christopher Walken fills a primary role in this movie should make it just a smidge creepier. Also stars Michael Caine and Josh Lucas. (Not Reviewed)
BIRTH (R) Ponderously artsy and turgid almost beyond belief, Birth is a very beautiful and very boring movie that can't make up its mind whether it's a psychological thriller, a bizarre love story or some big, fat, metaphysical statement on the nature of the universe. Nicole Kidman stars as an upper-crusty Manhattanite whose seams begin cracking when a 10-year-old boy (Cameron Bright) shows up at her door claiming to be the reincarnation of her dead husband. The mood is heavy and the pensive characters speak in terse, dense, oddly balanced cadences that seem lifted from a mid-'60s Ingmar Bergman film — or, more specifically, from Woody Allen doing Bergman. The whole thing frequently borders on unintentional parody, an investigation of spiritual dread on the Upper West Side a la Allen's Interiors, where every character's request to pass the salt is supposed to be charged with enigma. Birth is elegantly shot and lushly scored, but the movie doesn't seem half as meaningful as it wants us to believe, and could certainly have benefited by allowing a glimmer of humor to poke through on occasion. The film is a radical and not particularly satisfying change of pace and direction from Jonathan Glazer, director of the ferociously energetic Sexy Beast. Also stars Danny Huston, Anne Heche and Lauren Bacall.
BONJOUR MONSIEUR SHLOMI (NR) A quirky, colorful and charming coming-of-age tale from Israel that manages to amuse despite an occasional penchant for over-sentimentalizing its characters. Oshri Cohen stars as Shlomi, a doe-eyed teen who serves as principal caregiver to his wacky and barely functional Moroccan-Jewish family. Shlomi stoically accepts his lot in life, plugging ahead with a dreamy stare and zipped lips that lead most people to assume he's borderline retarded. In actuality, the boy turns out to be gifted in all sorts of surprising ways, and although that turn of events is handled in a fairly interesting and entertaining way, the movie's message (warning of the dangers of judging books by covers) is a bit too predictable to have much impact. Also stars Esti Zakhelm, Yigal Naor and Arie Ellias. Held over at Sunrise Cinemas. Call to confirm. 1/2
FACING WINDOWS (R) Giovanna Mezzogiorno delivers a stunning performance as an unhappily married woman with eyes for the handsome stranger who lives across the way (Raoul Bova). Director Ferzan Ozpetek (Steam) parallels this bittersweet modern romance with a second, half-century-old love story that plays out in the imperfectly remembered thoughts of an elderly man who ingratiates himself into Giovanna's household. The film juggles a few too many plot strands, but the bulk of Facing Windows is a satisfyingly lush, elegant experience, complete with beautiful music, strong performances and sterling production values. Also stars the late Massimo Girotti, Italian cinema icon from numerous Rosselini and Visconti classics. Currently playing at Burns Court Cinemas. Call to confirm. 1/2
THE FORGOTTEN (PG-13) In The Forgotten, the latest Julianne Moore vehicle, the question posed is: "Could there be a function of the brain that causes someone to invent a fictional life for themselves? If so, is this function compelling enough to build a decent movie around? No? Oh hell, well just do it anyway." This laughably contrived psychological thriller opens on a distraught Telly Paretta (Moore) agonizing over the loss of her 5-year-old son, Sam. Although Sam's disappearance was surrounded by questionable circumstances and it was never determined whether the kid was dead or simply missing, mom-of-the-year Telly only decides to investigate after she is told that Sam never existed at all. The already shaky plot worsens in execution, with the Sam-napping attributed simultaneously to Telly's faltering sanity, clandestine government agencies, shape-shifting pilots, and what appears to be a giant, human-sucking vacuum cleaner in the sky.
—Casey Clague
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (PG-13) Thoughtful and well-acted, Friday Night Lights gets what high school football in small-town America is all about. Odessa, Texas, the small town in question, has a history of state championships and nothing less than perfection will do. These people are serious. Walk down Main Street on game night and you'll find "Gone to Game' signs in all the shop windows. Visit the local Wal-Mart and you might catch the head coach (Billy Bob Thorton) being accosted by alumni boosters making veiled threats about winning or else. This is a film so focused on football, it contains only one scene involving girls and no scenes set in a classroom. Varsity Blues it's not. Instead, Director Peter Berg looks for realism in the relationships of the characters and in the brutality of the sport. Even though the plot spins in some predictable sports movie ways, the results are well above average for the genre. 1/2
—Joe Bardi
THE GRUDGE (PG-13) Silly remake of a Japanese horror film that finds Sarah Michelle Gellar studying in Tokyo and working as an elderly caregiver whose first patient turns out to live in a cursed house. The house comes complete with a creature in the attic that has a penchant for killing all those who enter (except, strangely, real estate agents). The direction, by Takashi Shimizu (who directed the original as well), is stylish and delivers some nice thrills, especially in an atmospheric first act. Never before have Japanese children seemed so creepy! Unfortunately, the film is unable to sustain the suspense and quickly turns into a repetitive series of prefab shocks, with predictable musical cues underlying familiar frights. By the time the atrocious ending rolls around, any horror has long since left the screen. Besides, in an October that saw the Red Sox win the World Series, does anyone really believe in curses, anyway?
—Joe Bardi
I ♥ HUCKABEES (R) The story here, or as close to a story as Huckabees gets, involves a lank-haired environmentalist-cum-poet named Albert (Rushmore's Jason Schwartzman) who hires a couple of wacky "existentialist detectives" (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) in order to find out why he suddenly feels that life has no meaning. The movie alternately meanders and zips through a series of verbal and visual non sequiturs, related in a scrambled, non-linear manner that apes the patterns of human memory, not unlike a more frenetic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind that wears its philosophical pedigree on its sleeve. The movie is smart as a whip, in an almost painfully self-conscious way, but it's not particularly interesting, and the wordplay — non-stop chatter, really, shtick — ultimately begins to take on the abrasive quality of white noise. Also stars Jude Law, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts and Isabelle Huppert. 1/2
A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD (R) A Home at the End of the World follows Bobby, Colin Farrell's wide-eyed, gentle character, from small-town kid to big-city adult, with special attention paid to Bobby's friendships and on-and-off-again sexual dalliances with longtime pal Jonathan (Dallas Roberts) and multi-hued-haired comrade Claire (Robin Wright Penn). The relationship isn't quite a menage-a-trois, but the essence of what's going on seems to revolve around everybody being maybe a little too in love with Bobby. Scattered throughout the proceedings are ham-fisted signposts that are supposed to illuminate the characters and their emotions, but don't. Also stars Sissy Spacek. Currently playing at Burns Court Cinemas. Call to confirm.
THE INCREDIBLES (PG) Having previously invested fish, bugs and tiny bits of plastic with human speech and emotions, Pixar have finally taken on real live human beings — and in honor of the occasion, they've opted for a slightly (but only slightly) more sophisticated, pop-culture-savvy approach. The Incredibles mines some familiar movie models — three parts action blockbuster to two parts classic spy flick, shaken not stirred, and complete with cool gadgets, dastardly arch-nemesis and a groovy Goldfinger-esque score. Like all of Pixar's little animated opuses, however, it is also essentially a love letter to the family unit, and although this smart and very funny movie's emotional center might be a touch less overtly warm and fuzzy than something like Finding Nemo, it still gets the job done nicely. Beyond that, the movie is filled with some spectacular animation and expertly realized action sequences, culminating in a final, Spy Kids-like blow-out where everyone gets a chance to strut their super stuff. And although it's become something of a cliche to say this about each new Pixar release, the results are pretty darned magical. Featuring the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Lee.
LADDER 49 (PG-13) Well made and horribly depressing, Ladder 49 leaves the viewer with an admiration for the craft that went into the film and a desire to somehow purge it from memory. Joaquin Phoenix stars as a Baltimore firefighter injured and trapped in a burning high-rise. As he drifts in and out of consciousness and the other members of his crew desperately try to find and rescue him (much yelling over saws and fire), the film presents us with an overview of his life. The standard "rookies' first day," firehouse-hazing and love-interest scenes are all present and accounted for, and the structure will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen a movie. However, the acting and direction rise well above the material, and therein lies the dilemma. While it is easy to admire Ladder 49 for its technical prowess, it's also tempting to leave the theater in search of a stiff drink — or a noose.
—Joe Bardi
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (R) A beautifully observed road movie/buddy pic that gains considerable resonance from the fact that one of its central travelers is a young Che Guevara, sowing a few wild oats before becoming the revolutionary poster-boy who went on to famously fight in Cuba and die in Bolivia. The movie follows 23-year-old medical student Ernesto Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal as a sweetly sincere pre-Che Che), and his slightly older friend Alberto (Rodrigo de la Serna), as they embark on an epic journey across Latin America on a rickety motorbike dubbed "The Mighty One." The early portions of the film are loose and lively and not in a particular hurry to get anywhere fast, unfolding as a vibrantly colored On the Road, with our heroes revealing themselves as less interested in earth-shaking self-discovery than in the simple pleasures of having a good time. The movie becomes more downbeat but no less engrossing as it progresses, with Director Walter Salles (Central Station) tracing with admirable subtlety the young Guevara's changing connection to the world and his budding political consciousness. Also stars Gustavo Bueno, Mia Maestro and Jorge Chiarella. Currently playing at Tampa Theatre and Burns Court Cinemas. Call to confirm.
RAISE YOUR VOICE (PG) Not much surprising about this saccharine-sweet "girl-triumphs-over-inner-turmoil' blockbuster. Hilary Duff, a teen-movie repeat offender, stars as Terri Fletcher, a small-town girl whose livelihood depends on getting into a prestigious summer program at a music conservatory in L.A. Tragedy strikes when her brother is killed in a car accident after the two of them deviously attend a rock concert; racked with guilt, Terri almost can't find the urge to sing. Almost. Of course, she must strive for her brother's sake, even if it means overcoming contrived dialogue; unconvincing, shamefully stereotypical characters; plot seams that feel more like speedbumps; and an utter lack of artistic vision. Undoubtedly, any truly prestigious art school would be expected to produce more than a few songs of substandard MTV-ified drivel — but the musicians in the film just can't deliver. Sometimes a spoonful of saccharine won't help the medicine go down.
—Casey Clague
RAY (PG-13) While not quite the modern American classic we were hoping for, Ray is still solid entertainment and a particular joy for Ray Charles fans (and who isn't these days?). The movie presents Charles as a fusion of musical genius, tortured soul and Daredevil/Zatoichi (with an impressively developed hearing sense compensating for his blindness), and then dutifully walks us through the high and low points of his life. We get the music (thankfully, and lots of it), the childhood traumas, the drugs, the womanizing, the refusal to see blindness as a handicap, and the eventual rise to fame. The music is glorious, of course (with a heavy concentration on Ray's brilliant mid- to late-'50s period), and Jamie Foxx's performance/impersonation ranks with Jim Carrey's impeccable Andy Kaufman, but Ray is not immune to many of the problems that inevitably plague bio-pics. As is common with this form, the movie tends to play like a greatest hits (and flops) of Charles' life, with equal weight given to nearly everything, too much crammed in, and too little transitional material. The movie makes a stab at a narrative center, supplied by Ray's lifelong battle with heroin, but it's a battle we barely know is being waged until the movie's last few scenes. There are also some hackneyed attempts at pop psychology (in which an annoying succession of flashbacks loom large), but these are basically minor bumps in what is for the most part a pretty groovy road. Also stars Kerry Washington and Regina King. 1/2
SAW (R) There's an intriguing set-up here — two confused victims waiting for death in a filthy bathroom (think Waiting for Godot dressed down as a splatter flick) — but it quickly gives way to scads of clumsy exposition, awful acting and miscalculated shock tactics borrowed from other, better movies. The script is essentially a patchwork of cliches that would have a hard time passing muster at 3 a.m. on basic cable or in a first-year film student's project. Saw is barely the sum of its own plundered parts, and it undercuts even that modicum of creepiness by constantly cutting away to a series of unnecessary subplots and flashbacks that dissipate the film's energy. It's only a horror flick, though, so all of this would be forgivable if the movie would just shut up occasionally and scare us. Whenever there's an opportunity for something moody, however, you can bet the film won't miss the chance to confront us with yet another jarring close-up of hands sifting through squishy human entrails. The movie is bound to be someone's guilty pleasure, and I suppose it does try to show us a good time (while calling into question just how we define "good time"), but too much of it is either laughably inept or gratuitously ugly. Stars Cary Elwes, Leigh Whannell, Danny Glover and Monica Potter. 1/2
SHARK TALE (PG) Shark Tale takes the familiar fable of the brave little tailor and sets it in an underwater realm, with Will Smith giving voice to a poor little fish who becomes a celebrity when he's mistaken as a fearless shark slayer. There's also a big, scary-looking shark who just wants to cuddle, and a typical array of uplifting messages about the value of family, tolerance and being true to yourself. The computer-generated animation is as dazzling as we've come to expect in these big-budget CGI projects, but the movie's humor and incessant pop culture references seem to consist largely of leftovers from Shrek. Featuring the voices of Jack Black, James Gandolfini, Angelina Jolie, Renee Zellweger and Martin Scorsese. 1/2
STAGE BEAUTY (R) Billy Crudup stars in this adaptation of the play Compleat Female Stage Beauty, a true tale of two actors in 17th-century London whose careers are forever changed when women are finally accepted as actors on the British stage. Also stars Rupert Everett, Tom Wilkinson, Ben Chaplin and Claire Danes. (Not Reviewed)
SURVIVING CHRISTMAS (PG-13) Ben Affleck stars as a rich advertising salesman who, when dumped by his girlfriend and lacking a family of his own, attempts to rent a stranger's brood (James Gandolfini's) for the holidays. Surviving Christmas tries to put a seasonal spin on the screwball comedy. Unfortunately, it lacks the timing and comes across as equal parts cruel and annoying. Neither Affleck nor Gandolfini ever find their footing with the material, and the results are often awkward. Even the usually terrific Catherine O'Hara is humbled in a ludicrous subplot involving a modeling shoot. The film is not completely devoid of laughs, and a few bits about signed contracts and a grandparent called "Doo-Dah' get a Santa-like belly laugh, but by the time the perfunctory romantic interest (Christina Applegate) pops up, you may begin wondering why it's Christmas in October.
—Joe Bardi
TAXI (PG-13) Speed demon cabbie Queen Latifah teams up with bumbling undercover cop Jimmy Fallon in pursuit of sexy female bank robbers in this astonishingly lame remake of Luc Besson's 1999 action comedy. Fallon, who has done some very funny things on Saturday Night Live, seems noticeably uncomfortable in this very badly written role, and barely warrants a single laugh throughout the movie's entire running time. The film lacks the high style and crisp editing associated with a Besson project, the performances are phoned-in, and there's really no story here to speak of, hence very little reason at all to see Taxi. Also stars Jennifer Esposito.
TEAM AMERICA:WORLD POLICE (R) South Park bad boys Trey Parker and Matt Stone dish up an all-puppet raunch-fest that more than lives up to its claim of being "the most outrageous movie of the year,' complete with copious amounts of puppet gore, puppet sex and virtually non-stop, gleefully foul puppet profanity. Team America also happens to be one of the funniest movies of the year (if you can suspend your more sensitive, politically correct instincts), at least until the energy level begins to flag when some of the jokes start repeating themselves after the first hour or so. Still, the crude, Thunderbirds-style marionette animation (with no attempt to even hide the strings) is a perfect vehicle for Parker and Stone's spoof of big, dumb action movies, the musical numbers are as clever as they are hummable, and the movie has the dubious distinction of featuring what has to be the funniest vomiting scene ever (Monty Python included). 1/2
VERA DRAKE (R) The powerful new film from English director Mike Leigh (Secrets and Lies) features an eponymous heroine (Imelda Staunton), who's a working-class wife and mom, puttering about 1950 London with a cheerful smile on her face, making small talk and offering up the ubiquitous cup of tea (the chicken soup of England). On other days, Vera Drake applies that same pleasant, positive manner to the abortions she secretly performs, free of charge, for various victimized singles and married women who simply can't afford another mouth to feed. Vera Drake is a fairly conventional movie for Leigh — there's a plot here, and it hinges on Vera eventually being caught and put on trial for her "crime" — but the film is primarily a character study, grounded in the remarkable performances and unerring sense of observation that mark the director's best work. Almost all of the characters are beautifully drawn, as in most Leigh films, all the way down to the supporting and bit parts. There's a political agenda to be found here if you look closely enough, but the movie is as carefully balanced as it is nuanced, and as far as what it has to say about the world, Vera Drake is as firmly swathed in shades of grey as the familiar London sky that covers its characters. Also stars Phil Davis, Daniel Mays, Alex Kelly and Eddie Marsan. 1/2
THE YES MEN (R) Documentary following The Yes Men, a group of anti-globalization pranksters who parlayed a misunderstanding about a parody World Trade Organization website into invitations to speak at conferences as representatives of the WTO. Much satire, a TV appearance, several speeches and one outrageous costume followed. While the presentations, complete with hilarious power point slides and computer graphic animations, offer some good laughs, it's the response these guys get from their audiences that really shock and amaze. The Yes Men is the latest entry in an emerging genre that blends the muckraking documentary with reality television's penchant for putting real people in unusual situations and filming what occurs. The results are amusing and succeed in presenting a point of view, even if the craft involved never really rises to the level of the material. This documentary may have been better for TV, and it will no doubt enjoy a long life on The Sundance Channel.
—Joe Bardi
ZATOICHI (R) Like Daredevil, Zatoichi is a blind guy whose other senses have been heightened to compensate for his lack of sight, resulting in extraordinary fighting skills. Daredevil isn't quite a pop icon, though, which is exactly what Zatoichi is in Japan — the hero of some 26 feature films (!) released from the early '60s to the late '80s, as well as a long-running TV show. That background information isn't crucial to appreciating this new take on the legendary Japanese hero from director Takeshi Kitano (Fireworks), a film that perfectly encapsulates the essence of the Zatoichi stories, but stands on its own just fine as well. Kitano also plays the title character, paying homage to the self-deprecating chuckle and bow-legged shuffle of original star Shintaro Katsu, while adding a few neat twists of his own. The samurai period trappings are unfamiliar turf for Kitano, but he navigates them with typical skill and wit, crafting a movie that is both exciting and stylish, with wonderfully charming bursts of humor where we least expect them. Also stars Tadanobu Asano and Michiyo Ogusu. Currently playing at Burns Court Cinemas. Call to confirm.
ZHOU YU'S TRAIN (PG-13) A love triangle in the Chinese countryside, Train involves a young pottery maker, the shy poet she falls for (and for whom she endures two-hour train rides to visit), and the man one the train who becomes captivated by her. Mandarin with English subtitles. Currently playing at Burns Court Cinemas. Call to confirm. (Not Reviewed)
Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted.
This article appears in Nov 10-16, 2004.