Upcoming Releases
BROTHERS SOLOMON (PG-13) If nothing else, a comedy with sheer Will power, as Arrested Development's Will Arnett and Saturday Night Live's Will Forte team up for what promises to be some seriously over-the-top antics. Bob Odenkirk directs. Opens Sept. 7 at local theaters. (Not Reviewed)
RECENT RELEASES
2 DAYS IN PARIS (R) A brief encounter with a mixed Franco-American couple that inevitably evokes the Before Sunset/Before Sunrise projects, 2 Days in Paris stars director/screenwriter Julie Delpy as Marion, a quirky Frenchwoman on vacation with her even quirkier American boyfriend, Jack (Adam Goldberg). As its title suggests, the movie takes place during a quick stopover on Marion's Parisian home turf, where the couple spend their time strolling and engaging in mostly amusing and nearly nonstop chatter as in the Sunset/Sunrise films. There's also more than a whiff of Woody Allen here, with Delpy's goofy nervous ticks vaguely recalling the scattered charms of Diane Keaton, while Goldberg's whiney obsessiveness riffs on a lineage of neurotic Jewish comedians encapsulated by Allen. Days in Paris doesn't do itself favors by inviting such close comparisons to the movies that inspired it, but the conversation is usually engaging, the scenery pretty and the price of admission a whole lot cheaper than a plane ticket to Paris. Also stars Daniel Bruhl, Marie Pillet, Albert Delpy and Aleksia Landeau. 3 stars
ARCTIC TALE (PG-13) A documentary that's tempting to describe as March of the Penguins with global warming and farts, Arctic Tale chronicles the lives and times of Nanu and Seela, a polar bear and walrus who struggle to survive at the top of the world and whose destinies eventually become entwined. The movie falls all over itself trying to be as family-friendly as possible, ascribing names and simplified human attributes to its animal subjects and providing an ingratiating narration by Queen Latifah that frequently reduces the on-screen action to homespun homilies and quasi-jive talk. Directed by Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson. 2.5 stars
BALLS OF FURY (PG-13) Dan Folger stars as Randy Daytona, a former table tennis prodigy who, after a legendary defeat two decades ago, has been reduced to an obese, Def Leppard-loving clown doing dinner theater in Reno. Randy's chance at redemption comes when FBI agent George Lopez recruits the poor slob to help bring down a Chinese Triad boss (Christopher Walken), who just happens to be a huge ping-pong fan, and organizes private tournaments that give new meaning to the term "sudden death." Walken hams it up even more than usual here — with his glittery capes and mile-high pompadour, he's both Siegfried and Roy, along with a touch of Coppola's Dracula — but carpet chewing will only get you so far. Also stars George Lopez, Maggie Q, James Hong, Aisha Tyler, Jason Scott Lee and Thomas Lennon. 2 stars
THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (PG-13) The third and supposedly final installment of the popular Bourne franchise is by far the best of the batch, a relentless barrage of sheer adrenaline that more than compensates for any shortcomings in the material. The Bourne Ultimatum refines and relies upon all the elements that have made the series so successful and so appealing — the consistently agitated, you-are-there camerawork; the tense, nearly nonstop games of cat-and-mouse played by lethal adversaries; the slam-dunk action set pieces and breakneck chases through crowded, exotic locales; the globe-trotting storyline that whisks us from Moscow to Madrid to London to Tangier, before settling in for the duration in New York City. Things happen fast, lines blur between the hunter and the hunted, and some of the action is shot and edited in so frenetic a fashion that a second viewing may be required just to figure out what actually went on. Also stars Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Joan Allen, Albert Finney and Scott Glenn. 3.5 stars
EYE OF THE DOLPHIN (PG) Sweet, handsomely mounted coming-of-age meanderings with troubled teen Alyssa (Carly Schroeder) hooking up with her long-lost father (Adrian Dunbar) and eventually finding a reason to live. Dad's a disheveled but dedicated dolphin researcher and, after the obligatory period of initial resistance, daughter Alyssa casts off her black eyeliner and throws herself mightily into her father's work, grooving on his sleek aquatic pals and helping him thwart the greedy city fathers trying to rain on his parade. Also stars Christine Adams and George Harris. 2.5 stars
GOLDEN DOOR (PG-13) Harking back to an earlier, artier Euro-cinema far from the megaplex crowd, Golden Door (known as Nuovomondo in its native Italy) unfolds as a series of long, slow and thoroughly enigmatic episodes of the sort that certain critics love to call "meditative." The film is, on the surface, yet another drama about poor huddled masses making the perilous trek to prosperity and freedom, but the story here takes a back seat to poetic rhythms and the astonishing images of cinematographer Agnes Godard. The first half of the film mesmerizes us with scene after scene of mysterious, largely unexplained rituals and customs, sequences that seem timeless and take on a feverish, hallucinogenic intensity that blurs the fertile ground between folklore and fantasy. Matters become considerably more mundane in the movie's second half, as the scene shifts from Sicily to an ocean passage to a way station at Ellis Island. Stars Vincenzo Amato, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Aurora Quattrocchi, Francesco Casisa, Filippo Pucillo and Don Luigi. 3.5 stars
HALLOWEEN (R) Dedicated gorehound and horror-flick fanboy Rob Zombie in what, for better or worse, should be his element. John Carpenter's '70s slasher prototype gets remade by someone who cares, but will we? Stars Malcolm McDowell, Tyler Mane, Daeg Faerch, Sheri Moon, Brad Dourif, Udo Kier and Scout Taylor-Compton. (Not Reviewed)
HOT ROD (PG-13) Saturday Night Live comedian-du-jour/performance artist/digital filmmaker Andy Samberg stars as a klutzy amateur stuntman who needs to raise big bucks fast to pay for a heart transplant for his disapproving father. In case you were wondering, it's a comedy. Also stars Ian McShane, Isla Fisher, Jorma Taccone and Bill Hader. (Not Reviewed)
THE INVASION (PG-13) Every era probably gets the Invasion of the Body Snatchers it deserves, and this might just be ours. Don Siegel's original take on alien pods turning humans into emotionless robots was the perfect '50s sci-fi flick as thinly veiled critique of communism; Philip Kaufman's 1978 remake pumped up the existential dread in exciting and strangely believable ways; and Abel Ferrara's 1993 version reimagined the tale with the director's lurid and vaguely nihilist panache. Now, director Oliver Hirschbiegel (whose last-days-of-Hitler romp, Downfall, was one of 2005's best films) takes a crack at the tale, with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig starring as the hapless humans in danger of losing their souls. Also stars Jeremy Northam, Jeffrey Wright and Jackson Bond. (Not Reviewed)
LADRON QUE ROBA A LADRON (PG-13) Ladron Que Roba a Ladron blithely riffs on classic heist films from Rififi to Ocean's Eleven while putting a unique ethnic and socio-political spin on the proceedings. There's not much going on in Ladron Que Roba a Ladron that's particularly original, but the movie wins points for its rendering — sort of like a novel sauce pairing for broiled chicken. Also stars Saul Lizaso, Ivonne Montero, Julie Gonzalo, Oscar Torres, Richard Azurdia, Gabriel Soto and Jojo Henrickson. 2.5 stars
MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY (PG) From its title on down (a bald-faced riff on Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot), Rowan Atkinson's new movie strains to announce its debt to Jacques Tati and to the great French director's most famous creation, Monsieur Hulot. Mr. Bean's Holiday finds our sweetly clueless provincial leaving soggy Britain for a vacation in France, where it's pretty much Bean business as usual: struggles with unfamiliar food (he dumps oyster ooze into a lady's handbag); apoplexy over lost objects (bags, tickets money); creating chaos on a movie set; clowning with a lost child and, of course, lots of basic mugging. Also stars Emma de Caunes, Willem Dafoe, Jean Rochefort, Karel Roden and Max Baldry. 2.5 stars
RESURRECTING THE CHAMP (PG-13) A boxing flick, a father-son drama and the tale of an ethically challenged journalist all collide in Resurrecting the Champ, a movie that almost certainly would have benefited by honing at least one or two of its multiple personalities. Josh Hartnett stars as a mediocre sports writer who senses an opportunity for a career-making story when he befriends a local homeless man (Samuel L. Jackson) claiming to be a former heavyweight contender. Jackson delivers a strong if somewhat gimmicky performance as the dilapidated ex-fighter — buried under a matted, gray wig and wrinkly latex, the actor slurs and grunts in a hoarse, defeated croak aimed squarely at an Oscar — and singlehandedly holds together the movie's disparate narrative strands by his sheer presence. The movie takes a few interesting turns when the writer's story is published and his career skyrockets, only to plummet just as quickly, but the film never settles on one element long enough to become truly satisfying. Also stars Teri Hatcher, Kathryn Morris, Rachel Nichols, Alan Alda and David Paymer. 3 stars
SEPTEMBER DAWN (PG-13) The September 11 so luridly detailed in September Dawn occurred in 1857, when 120 innocent Christian settlers were massacred by Mormon zealots, but the movie sinks its teeth into the parallels between the two 9/11s and doesn't let go until it's drawn blood. Rife with the sort of clunky dialogue and narrative shortcuts associated with bad made-for-TV movies, the film has a field day crosscutting between the gentle Christians and the oppressive, fear-based community of Mormons. Lacking either the kick of camp or the authority of meaningful drama, the movie methodically drains the nuance from what might have been a consummate tragedy of miscommunication. Stars Jon Voight, Trent Ford, Tamara Hope, Terrence Stamp, Jon Gries, Taylor Handley, Lolita Davidovich and Dean Cain. 1.5 stars
STARDUST (PG) An appealing concoction that honors the spirit of fairy tales while putting a clever, gently ironic spin on everything it touches. Danes is just awkward enough to be immensely appealing here, Michelle Pfeiffer is perfectly cast as an aging witch desperate to hang on to her beauty, and, just when your attention might be about to flag, in marches Robert De Niro, chewing up the scenery as a big, bad pirate screaming to unleash his inner queen. Also stars Sienna Miller, Jason Flemyng and Rupert Everett. 3.5 stars
SUPERBAD (R) The next generation in American Pie's mutated strain, Superbad is so hilariously dirty that we don't always recognize its jokes can also be pretty darned smart. Our horndog heroes are Evan (Michael Cera) and Seth (Jonah Hill), best pals who, along with their even more pathetic friend, Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), embark on a mission to buy booze and get laid at the big, end-of-high-school party. A comedy of errors ensues where absolutely everything goes wrong, and the more wrong things go, the funnier they get. Superbad is rarely less than rude, crude and ridiculous, thank goodness, and no one gets let off the hook here. Also stars Emma Stone, Martha MacIssac, Bill Hader and Seth Rogan. 3.5 stars
This article appears in Sep 5-11, 2007.
