Review: Get Smart Worth a Sunday Matinee

The main thing Get Smart has going for it is that it's not The Love Guru. Whatever else you hear on this site, know that Guru has pee and poop jokes by the bushel and is worthy of only our scorn and derision. That film IS not good news for fans of comedy, but it IS good news for a little title named Get Smart. After all, they've proven that attractiveness isn't based upon anything more than who you're surrounded by. This is why I normally travel around with a pack of gargoyles. You should too.


Get Smart was a TV show back in the '60s! Are you at all aware of this? Actually, this is one of those "Catch-22s" Heller talked about back in the day. If you're aware of it, I shouldn't have told you; but if you weren't, you probably don't care to know anyway. Curses. Luckily, I get paid by the word. Moving on, it seems to me that fans of the original show should be happy enough here. The film isn't a remake in terms of tone but it has similar elements fo' sho'. If the TV program were an octopus then the movie is calamari. You get the idea. You know, I'm not even sure a rabid fan of the original still exists. I mean, it was fine, but c'mon it was on air 40 years ago and it only went 138 episodes anyway. We're not talking Knight Rider here. (Note: that was a joke, I promise. Long live The Hoff.)

I'm a Steve Carell fan. Unabashedly. No bash about it. I'm also becoming a bigger fan of Anne Hathaway, though every time I mention her people say, in unison, "Egh." I don't know what about her turns the people off, but I personally found her lovely throughout the movie. She and Steve have nice chemistry together too; I could definitely see a few more spins out of this yarn. Why not? It has laughs throughout its running time.

Let's wrap this up on a low note! The one thing Get Smart is missing is the hilarious factor. The stomach hurting, the tears-streaming-sort-of-comedy that Superbad nailed. Actually, let's just list my good and bad comedies so you can aptly judge if my opinion is worth a damn:

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The Children of Huang Shi (2008)

In 1937, George Hogg (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) inexplicably finds himself leading a group of 60 orphan Chinese boys on a journey over the Liu Pan Shan mountains to the Mongolian desert to escape the Japanese invasion. Helping Hogg on his heroic rescue are Chen Hansheng (Chow Yun-Fat), the leader of a Chinese partisan group; Lee (Radha Mitchell), an Australian woman who lends medical help; and Madame Wang (Michelle Yeoh), an aristrocrat also fleeing for her life.

Cast Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Radha Mitchell, Yun-Fat Chow, Michelle Yeoh, David Wenham, Guang Li (more)

Director(s) Roger Spottiswoode

Writer(s) James MacManus, Jane Hawksley

Status In theaters (limited)

Genre(s) Drama

Release Date May 23, 2008

Running Time 114 minutes

MPAA Rating R - for some disturbing and violent content

Web Site Official Site for The Children of Huang Shi

Keywords Drama, Historical, Chinese, China

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The Edge of Heaven (2008)

Nejat (Baki Davrak) doesn't like the fact that his widowed father Ali (Tuncel Kurtiz) has a prostitute, Yeter (Nursel), as a girlfriend. But after Yeter dies in a car accident, Nejat travels to Turkey to find her daughter, Ayten (Nurgul Yesilcay) and give her the bad news. However, he finds Ayten stuck in a Turkish prison after having been deported from Germany for political reasons.

Cast: Baki Davrak, Nursel Kose, Hanna Schygulla, Tunçel Kurtiz, Nurgül Yesilçay, Patrycia Ziolkowska (more)

Director(s) Fatih Akin

Writer(s) Fatih Akin

Status In theaters (limited)

Genre(s) Foreign

Release Date May 21, 2008

Running Time 122 minutes

MPAA Rating Not Rated

Keywords Drama, Foreign (All), Germany, Prostitutes/Whores, Fathers And Sons

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Bigger, Stronger, Faster

This documentary examines the use of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports and entertainment. As a child, director Christopher Bell wanted to grow up to be like Hulk Hogan, Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger and ended up taking steroids to accomplish that goal. This documentary looks at Bell's own involvement in the steroid subculture and examines why our country demands its heroes to be so much bigger than life.

Director(s) Christopher Bell

Writer(s) Christopher Bell, Alexander Buono, Tamsin Rawady

Status Upcoming (limited)

Release Date May 30, 2008

MPAA Rating PG-13 - for thematic material involving drugs, language, some sexual content and violent images

Web Site Official Site for Bigger, Stronger, Faster

Keywords Sports, Documentary, Theatrical Release, Sports (General), Wrestlers, Baseball Players, America

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Movie of the Week: Anchoress

In this week's Movie of the Week, Anchoress, an illiterate young peasant girl becomes obsessed with the Virgin Mary and, supported by the local priest, claims special powers to communicate with her.

Anchoress (1993)
Director: Christopher Newby
Producers: Paul Breuls, Ben Gibson, Judith Stanley-Smith
Starring: Natalie Morse, Gene Bervoets, Toyah Wilcox, Pete Postlethwaite, Christopher Eccleston
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 105m



Synopsis
In a 14th century British village an illiterate young peasant girl becomes obsessed with Virgin Mary and, supported by the local priest, claims special powers to communicate with her. According to custom, and much to the dismay of her skeptical and often profane mother, she is enclosed in the wall of the local church, becoming an "Anchoress" in the life-long service of God.

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Meet the Browns (2008)

Genre: Comedy, Drama
Duration: 1 hr. 40 min.
Starring: Angela Bassett, Sofia Vergara, Jenifer Lewis, Rick Fox, Tyler Perry,
Director: Tyler Perry
Producer: Reuben Cannon, Tyler Perry
Distributor: Lionsgate
Release Date: March 21, 2008
Writer: Tyler Perry

Synopsis
A funny, moving romantic drama about the power of love and family, Lionsgate’s TYLER PERRY’S MEET THE BROWNS marks another winning portrayal of life by writer/director/actor Tyler Perry (DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN, MADEA’S FAMILY REUNION) and features a return to the big screen by Madea, the indomitable, law-breaking, fun-loving grandma.

A single mother living in inner city Chicago, Brenda has been struggling for years to make ends meet and keep her three kids off the street. But when she’s laid off with no warning, she starts losing hope for the first time – until a letter arrives announcing the death of a father she’s never met. Desperate for any kind of help, Brenda takes her family to Georgia for the funeral. But nothing could have prepared her for the Browns, her father’s fun-loving, crass Southern clan. In a small-town world full of long afternoons and country fairs, Brenda struggles to get to know the family she never knew existed…and finds a brand new romance that just might change her life.

Based on the popular stage production of the same name, TYLER PERRY’S MEET THE BROWNS is a charming story about the joys of family, and the possibility of second chances. TYLER PERRY’S MEET THE BROWNS was written and directed by Tyler, and produced by Reuben Cannon.

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Movie of the Week: Scalpers

Scalpers (2000)
Director/Writer: Adam Rodin
Starring: Steve Braun, Seun Olagunju, Jeff Skinner, Rachel Toles
Genre: Comedy
Studio: Vanguard
Runtime: 84m

In this week's Movie of the Week, Scalpers, a newcomer fighting for his place in the territorial ticket trade learns the ins and outs of the scalper underworld.

Synopsis
Who needs two? Who needs tickets? The mantra of the ticket scalper beckons the fan. In this hip urban drama, Joey Grey, a newcomer fighting for his place in the territorial ticket trade, learns the ins and outs of the ticket underworld. Raised by his Grandpa, Joey grew up hustling instead of playing little league. When the conflict over turf and tickets reaches a boiling point, he must outfox the competition and pull off the most important hustle of his life.

This film is provided to Film.com through its relationship with CABINETIC (http://www.cabinetic.com), a San Francisco-based company with an extensive library of independent, international and documentary films.

Source: www.film.com

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Box Office Movie: The Last Legion (2007)

Rome, 476 AD. The Roman Empire, a mighty force for almost 500 years, is being threatened. On the eve of twelve-year-old Romulus Augustus' crowning ceremony to become the new emperor, Barbarian general Odoacer arrives in Rome to make a deal with Orestes. Odoacer makes demands of the Roman Empire in fair exchange for his decade-long support of the Roman legions in the east. But Orestes refuses. On Coronation day, as all of Rome gathers to watch the proceedings, Ambrosinus, the shaman who is a mentor and tutor to Romulus, predicts danger.

Orestes is worried about his son's safety and appoints Aurelius of the fourth legion to be his personal guard. That night, Aurelius and his legionnaires confront danger--Odoacer and his army have returned to Rome. With a deafening roar, the Barbarian army storms the city. With Orestes slaughtered, Romulus is captured along with Ambrosinus and taken to the island fortress of Capri.

But, not all the Roman legionnaires are dead. Aurelius is alive and when he learns that the Byzantine Empire will give Romulus sanctuary, he embarks on a journey to the coast accompanied by a small group of his men and a mysterious, black-clad Byzantine warrior. Later, Aurelius discovers what lies behind the black clothing--a beautiful, young woman named Mira. Thanks to the strategic cunning of Ambrosinus and the fighting skill of Aurelius and Mira, Romulus is freed. But, when the group arrives on shore, they learn that the Byzantines have joined forces with Odoacer's army of Goths. Faced with such betrayal, they must find the one legion still loyal to Rome--the ninth legion in Britannia. As they set off in search of the last legion, Romulus and Aurelius together embark on a new beginning.

Also Known As:
L' ultima Legione
La Derniere Legion
Last Legion
The Enchanted Sword

Production Status: In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama and Adaptation
Running Time: 1 hr. 41 min.
Release Date: August 17th, 2007 (wide)
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense action violence.
Distributors: The Weinstein Company
Production Co.: Dino De Laurentiis Company, Zephyr Films, Carthago Films, Empire Productions, Quinta Communications
Studios: RAI Cinema
Financiers: Co-Financier: Ingenious Media, Quinta Communications
Filming Locations: Slovakia Tunisia
Produced in: France

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'Superbad' a Super Fun Teen Romp

By Christy Lemire, Associated Press

"Superbad" has been so super-ubiquitous, it only feels like it's already been in theaters for months.

Between the posters, TV commercials and promotional appearances by its stars, the hype machine has been in full force. Just ask anyone under 25 who McLovin is — they'll immediately be able to tell you.

And the association with "Knocked Up," one of the summer's biggest hits and one of the best comedies in a while, certainly doesn't hurt. Judd Apatow, who wrote and directed that film, serves as producer here; Seth Rogen, its star, co-wrote the "Superbad" script and has a supporting role as a hilariously inept police officer.

But "Knocked Up" is a hard act to follow, so the smartest thing you can do for yourself walking into "Superbad" is lower your expectations. It has all the laughs of its predecessor but only about half the heart.

Still, co-stars Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are pretty irresistible together as high school best friends on a quest for alcohol, which they hope will help them hook up with girls at a big party before they graduate. The sweetness and awkwardness of their freakishly co-dependent relationship is totally believable, and their personalities and comic styles complement each other beautifully. Not a moment between them feels false in the script from Rogen and Evan Goldberg, themselves best friends since high school who based the movie on their own adolescent angst.

MSN talks to the 'Superbad' cast

But Christopher Mintz-Plasse, as an even geekier kid who gets a fake ID with the one-word name McLovin, pretty much steals the whole thing in his first film. Initially you think he's going to be a minor figure, a guy who floats in and out, gets tooled on for laughs and then leaves. But similar to the respectful treatment Steve Carell received in Apatow's "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," Mintz-Plasse's scrawny, bespectacled Fogell has a rich, full experience all his own — much more so than other characters in the movie who kid themselves by thinking they're higher up on the food chain.

Director Greg Mottola is visiting familiar territory here — the high school hijinks movie has been a staple from "American Graffiti" to "American Pie" — but everyone is relatable and the situations rarely feel strained, which makes "Superbad" a cut above most.

Taking place over the course of a day, the film follows the misadventures of Seth (Hill) and Evan (Cera) — named for the screenwriters who inspired them — the closest of pals since childhood who are about to leave each other for the first time to attend separate colleges. They're both trying not to freak out about this; actually, they struggle to keep themselves from talking about it. So instead they throw all their energy into figuring out a way to buy alcohol for a big bash at the home of pretty, popular Jules (Emma Stone), whose parents are out of town in classic teen-movie fashion.

More than a bit nerdy, these guys are just psyched to have been invited, even if it's only for their supposed booze-buying ability. Seth, the tubby, profane trash-talker of the two, is desperate to lose his virginity before heading off to college and hopes his newfound connection with cool-girl Jules will do the trick. Up-and-coming comic actor Hill has a great energy about him and he's had a solid few years as a regular member of Apatow's troop; he was the best part of the watered-down "Evan Almighty."

Evan, meanwhile, is skinnier and kinder, more thoughtful and more timid. He's had a longtime crush on classmate Becca (Martha MacIssac), a girl who's nice enough to give him the time of day, unlike most, and who might have a secret crush on him, too. Cera is probably best known for playing the lovably goofy George-Michael Bluth on the sadly defunct sitcom "Arrested Development." Here, his self-conscious starts and stops reveal more than a few glimmers of his TV character, and while he's funny and extremely likable in that mode, he also makes you want to see what else he can do.

But while Seth and Evan fumble toward inebriation, it's the unlikely Fogell, the guy with the cheesy ID, who has the greatest adventure of all. We won't give away the details — though you probably already know what happens, since awareness of all things "Superbad" is so high. We'll just say that McLovin turns out to be the baddest mutha by far.

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Movie Review: 3:10 to Yuma

A Lionsgate release presented in association with Relativity Media of a Tree Line Films production. Produced by Cathy Konrad. Executive producers Stuart M. Besser, Ryan Kavanaugh, Lynwood Spinks. Directed by James Mangold. Screenplay, Halsted Welles, Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, based on the short story by Elmore Leonard.

Ben Wade - Russell Crowe
Dan Evans - Christian Bale
Byron McElroy - Peter Fonda
Alice Evans - Gretchen Mol
Charlie Prince - Ben Foster
Grayson Butterfield - Dallas Roberts
Doc Potter - Alan Tudyk
Emmy Roberts - Vinessa Shaw
Will Evans - Logan Lerman
Tucker - Kevin Durand
Marshal Weathers - Luce Rains
Tommy Darden - Johnny Whitworth
Mark Evans - Benjamin Petry

"3:10 to Yuma" is a tense, rugged redo of a film that was pretty good the first time around. Reinforced by a strong central premise, alert performances, a realistic view of the developing Old West and a satisfying dimensionality in its shadings of good and evil, James Mangold's remake walks a fine line in retaining many of the original's qualities while smartly shaking things up a bit. A Western these days needs to be more than a solid, unfussy programmer to break out of the pack commercially, but this Lionsgate release should be able to generate moderately good theatrical returns prior to a solid home entertainment life, where casual viewer curiosity will be well rewarded.

Russell Crowe may be the biggest name in the cast, but one curious sidelight of the project is that the author of the 1953 short story on which the original 1957 film is based, Elmore Leonard, reps far more of a draw now than he did half a century ago. Tightly focused yarn was at the time viewed as firmly in the Western-with-a-conscience camp of "High Noon," in which lawmen and ordinary citizens alike were tested by their willingness to confront the evil in their midst.

Unlike in "High Noon," however, the man putting himself on the line here is not a sheriff or marshal, but a lame rancher whose life and family are just one bad season from coming apart at the seams. In the first of many tight, anxious scenes fraught with violence or the threat of it, the barn of Dan Evans (Christian Bale) is set afire. But Dan's vow of vengeance falls on deaf ears; so seemingly ineffectual has he become that his wife (Gretchen Mol) and older son Will (Logan Lerman) differ only in the degrees of their loss of faith in him.

In a subsequent bracing scene, a wild bunch led by the dapper Ben Wade (Crowe) attacks a payroll coach with a Gatling gun. Numerous bloody deaths ensue, but so does a big payoff for Ben, who, after his men take off, tarries too long with a luscious barmaid (Vinessa Shaw) in a nearby town and is arrested with Dan's help.

Although tempted to kill the notorious outlaw on the spot, local authorities prudently decide to turn him over the feds for official hanging. This, however, will involve transporting him to the railway town of Contention, where in two days' time, Ben can be put on the train to Yuma. To pay off his debt, Dan volunteers to help escort Ben to his destination.

Thus begins a war of nerves that plays out in tasty ways across a vivid landscape. Although handcuffed and surrounded by several armed men, it's Ben who sets the tone and exerts the power. Quoting Scripture when it suits the occasion, he elicits information with seemingly innocuous questions, taunts his guards, and baits Dan about his missing leg and inability to support his family or please his beautiful wife. An excellent judge of character and master manipulator, he manages to kill one, then another of his guards, and is on the verge of getting away when who should turn up in a pinch but young Will, who wants to help his dad but harbors an ill-concealed admiration for the charismatic bandit.

As the diminishing group proceeds through renegade Apache territory and into a mountainous railway construction site, they are shadowed by Ben's remaining gang, headed in his absence by his No. 2, the psychopathic Charlie Prince (Ben Foster). If anyone's going to gain the most, career-wise, from "3:10 to Yuma," it will definitely be Foster, who puts the kind of indelible imprint on this juicy role that, in earlier eras, allowed such thesps as Lee Marvin, Richard Boone, Dan Duryea, James Coburn, Jack Palance, Lee Van Cleef, Strother Martin and others to immortalize themselves in the annals of Western villainy.

With his albino coloring, pinched mouth, reedy voice and remorseless wall-eyes, Foster's lightning-draw killer brandishes a dementia amplified by an intense loyalty to Ben that gently borders on homoeroticism; he'll do anything for his boss, for some reasons that are clear and for some that must be intuited. Foster is a mad delight to watch, and a reminder that the relative scarcity of Westerns deprives a generation of character actors of opportunities to shine.

Eventually, the few surviving wayfarers wind up in Contention to await the train. The least satisfying aspect of the original film -- which was confidently directed by Delmer Daves and written by Halsted Welles, who receives shared script credit here with Michael Brandt and Derek Haas -- was the ending, which wrapped things up too thoroughly. Conclusion has been significantly altered here, with an eye toward more complex layering of emotion and meaning. But qualms persist, as aspects of the physical action and psychological motivation remain murky and forced.

All the same, "Yuma" provides an absorbing ride, with helpful contributions from all hands. Honoring tradition in the storytelling but pushing for a heightened visual realism, Mangold has lenser Phedon Papamichael thrust the camera right into the action with a lot of handheld and perspective shots that must keep pace with constantly mobile characters, horses and coaches. Michael McCusker's cutting and the clangy, propulsive score by Marco Beltrami keep a cattle prod on the proceedings.

Crowe is completely in his element here as, in the best tradition of great stars, he betrays no effort in conveying the masculine confidence, psychological acuity and manipulative power of his alluring bad guy; his Ben is one slick customer and more. Bale, whom one can imagine being effective in his own way as the villain, well embodies the strengths and frailties of the Eastern-bred rancher without sentimentality, and Lerman earns notice as a kid ready to skip adolescence and burst into full-blown manhood. Supporting turns are vivid, including a wonderfully leathery characterization by Peter Fonda as a supremely tough old bounty hunter.

Camera (FotoKem color, Panavision widescreen), Phedon Papamichael; editor, Michael McCusker; music, Marco Beltrami; production designer, Andrew Menzies; art director, Greg Berry; set designers, Roger Lundeen, Rich Roming; set decorator, Jay R. Hart; costume designer, Arianne Phillips; sound (DTS/SDDS/Dolby Digital), Jim Stuebe; supervising sound editor, Don Sylvester; assistant director, Nicholas Mastandrea; second unit director/stunt cordinator, Freddie Hice; second unit director, Mark Vargo; casting, Lisa Beach, Sarah Katzman. Reviewed at Raleigh Studios, Los Angeles, Aug. 15, 2007. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 120 MIN.

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Rocket Science Review: "Debatable"

Is high school coming-of-ager Rocket Science quirky for good or evil?
by Jim Ridley

Let me state my position clearly: I am far handsomer than that kid from The Squid and the Whale.
photo: Picturehouse

Rocket Science
Written and directed by Jeffrey Blitz
Picturehouse/HBO Films, opens August 10

It seems fitting that a movie about debate competition should produce ambivalent feelings. As a master debater says early on in Jeffrey Blitz's Rocket Science, a strong opinion is a luxury the great ones don't allow themselves—it only gets in the way. What matters is being able to argue either side with equal conviction, based on the evidence.

So: Rocket Science is yet another Eagle vs. Little Miss Napoleon Dynamite quirk fest that practically frames its characters in cartoon panels, letting arch oddity trump genuine depth of imagination and empathy. No: Rocket Science evokes the moment a kid starts to sort out the mixed signals of human complexity. If everything seems weird and goofy, no shit—when you're 15, clumsy and shy, everything is weird and goofy: girls, parents, frisky middle-aged chamber-musos whose idea of a musicale is sawing away at the Violent Femmes. . .

What? Keep reading. The evidence supports both takes on Rocket Science, a mix of sleeve-tugging whimsy and keenly recalled misery set against the high-stakes backdrop of the Plainsboro, N.J., public school system. What makes the first fiction feature from documentarian Blitz persuasive is its late-film detour from the inspirational niche-sports genre to something altogether unexpected—and the winning lead performance of Reece Daniel Thompson as Hal Hefner, a bashful teen coaxed into helping his school earn some payback for last year's debate-team fiasco.

Remember? It was the Jersey state finals, and Ben Wekselbaum (Nicholas D'Agosto), the Twista of policy debaters, was busy "spreading" (i.e., speed-freak steamrolling) his opponents with a firehose blast of agricultural rhetoric when suddenly, in mid-spiel, he stopped. Could Ben's godlike argumentative powers and Bone Thugs flow have transferred, through some cosmic punch line, into chronic stutterer Hal, for whom specifying "fish" or "pizza" to the lunch-line lady is a daily ordeal? He's recruited for the team by Ben's still-smarting partner, the preternaturally assured Ginny Ryerson (Anna Kendrick), who senses raw talent. "Deformed people are the best," Ginny tells Hal matter-of-factly on the school bus. "Maybe it's because they have a deep resource of anger."

The law of niche-sports comedy (see: Dodgeball Codicil, Section Hot Rod) says that Hal will tame his stutter, capture Ginny's heart, and make the final round at state. But Ginny is made of sterner stuff, and so is the movie. Rocket Science is both a companion piece and a rejoinder to Spellbound, Blitz's bright 2002 doc that followed eight teen contenders to the 1999 National Spelling Bee. The risk of public humiliation—the governing terror of adolescence—looms over both films: To be smart and apart from the crowd is scary enough, but to fail is unthinkable. Yet debate has no obvious, according-to-Webster's answer. That's what makes it tantalizing for Hal or any other teenager seeking a voice: the chance to try on points of view in search of one that fits. The funniest scenes involve Hal's hapless attempts to adopt his mentors' advice—bewildering opponents with a Peter Sellers Fu Manchu accent, croaking an opening statement to "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." Because Thompson is an endearingly gangly, gallant presence—he has the wistful look of a hungry pup just inches shy of a steak— his mortification is ours.

Rocket Science lacks Spellbound's kaleidoscopic richness, its curiosity about the lives of others. While you'd think a former documentary filmmaker couldn't wait to invent all the narrative detail he had to chase in real life, the cutely conceived adults here appear to have been posed just seconds before the camera was switched on: Hal's mom's red-hot lover, a desperate-to-please Korean-American judge (Steve Park) who's unimaginable on the bench; Ginny's mom, who answers a door as if she'd been standing there hours waiting for her cue. Worse, they evaporate when the camera's switched off. Because movies about smart, studious teens are as rare as concentration-camp comedies, the overenthusiastic are comparing Rocket Science to Rushmore, but there's not a supporting character here as expansively sketched as Max Fischer's barber dad, who suggests a life beyond the frame.

In the movie's second half, though, Blitz pulls the first of several surprises that disorient us almost as much as they do Hal. Once Rocket Science enters the realm of the debate competition, the director's eye for detail never deserts him. As shot by Jo Willems, these scenes evoke the low-stakes/high-drama milieu so astutely that you can almost smell the lemony floor cleaner in those too-white institutional classrooms. In the end, Rocket Science is less about debate than resolution: The title refers to the mind-boggling complexity of human interaction, of which the hauntingly unresolved ending gives Hal his first inkling. In several scenes, the movie juxtaposes the purity of inarticulate rage (flipping a bird, heaving a cello through a window) with Ginny's glib sophistry—a motif with an unfortunate anti-intellectual bent. But in our current landfill of empty, conviction-free punditry, a single middle finger is worth a thousand words.

:: source: villagevoice.com

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Latest Movie Review: Tales From Earthsea (2007)

Japan's leading animator Hayao Miyazaki hands his pen to son Goro in Tales From Earthsea, a lacklustre adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin's fantasy series. Set in a world of myth and magic, it follows Archmage Sparrowhawk (Timothy Dalton) as he searches for the cause of Earthsea's failing crops and ecological imbalance, with the help of troubled teen Prince Arren (Matt Levin). Skimping on the breathtaking pizzazz of Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, it's a surprisingly dreary addition to the studio's catalogue.

Full of wizards and dragons, slave traders and magic swords, this could have been a timely update of Le Guin's '60s fantasy for a generation weaned on Oblivion and World of Warcraft. But Goro lacks his father's light touch and approaches the fantasy with stony-faced seriousness. It's glum and miserable, and it doesn't help that we're thrown into Earthsea at the deep end - Goro's decision to adapt the third book in the series leaves his story with an excess of plot holes and exposition. At times it's about as easy to follow as the Pokemon rulebook. Eventually we learn that evil wizard Cobb (voiced with throaty menace by Willem Dafoe) is robbing Earthsea of its vitality in his search for eternal life.

"LITTLE CHILDREN WILL PROBABLY BE TERRIFIED"

Short on action and comic relief, the movie rallies itself in its second half with a cute farmhouse interlude - where Sparrowhawk and Arren spend time ploughing and lambing, while teasing out the movie's "green" theme - before climaxing with an epic showdown. As our heroes confront gloopy shapeshifter Cob in his castle, Tales From Earthsea finally lurches into life. Little children will probably be terrified by it but Studio Ghibli devotees will be relieved to see the animators haven't completely lost their touch. Still, not even the most forgiving fan of Asian animation will be spirited away...

The film is released in two versions: dubbed and in Japanese with subtitles. The cast listed here relates to the dubbed version.

Tales From Earthsea is out in the UK on 3rd August 2007.

Director: Goro Miyazaki
Writer: Goro Miyazaki, Keiko Niwa
Stars: Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Matt Levin, Cheech Martin, Mariska Hargitay
Genre: Animation, Fantasy
Length: 115 minutes
Cinema: 03 August 2007
Country: Japan

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*This review is officially published at www.bbc.co.uk

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Latest Movie Review: Gandhi My Father (2007)

Gandhi's political and spiritual life has been the subject of countless books, documentaries and feature films, but very few have examined the personal history the Mahatma shared with his own family. Writer/director Feroz Abbas Khan does just that in Gandhi My Father, a bold melodrama that highlights Gandhi's tumultuous relationship with his eldest son. Akshaye Khanna takes on the role of the troublesome offspring, who rebels against his father's aspirations only to suffer at the hands of the very society he tried to liberate.

As the spiritual father of the Indian nation, Gandhi (Darshan Jariwalla) could do no wrong. But as a patriarch in his own household he was far from perfect. Deterring his son Hiralal (Khanna) from following in his footsteps to become a barrister, he instead pushes him towards serving humanity. Robbed of a formal education, self confidence and the chance to live with his own family, Hiralal turns to alcohol, and is inevitably used as a pawn by his father's enemies. Hiralal's personal struggle for independence as an analogy for India's fight against the British Empire may be obvious, but it's actually the recurring drunken make-up and break ups with his father that stunt the story.

"ATTENTION-GRABBING"

The notion that Gandhi managed to save the soul of a nation, but failed to save the soul of his own son is attention-grabbing, and this is particularly due to the lack of exposure their troubled association has had. But somehow Jariwalla and Khanna's competent performances, and Khan's simplistic screenplay fail to grip and elevate this from an average to an exceptional piece of cinema. Attenborough and Kingsley can rest easy.

Gandhi My Father is out in the UK on 3rd August 2007.

Credits
Director: Feroz Abbas Khan
Writer: Feroz Abbas Khan
Stars: Akshaye Khanna, Darshan Jariwalla, Shefali Shah, Bhumika Chawla
Genre: Bollywood, Drama
Length: 137 minutes
Cinema: 03 August 2007
Country: India

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*This review is officially published at www.bbc.co.uk

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Movie Review: The Hoax (2007)

Considering our current obsession with media dishonesty, there couldn't be a better time for this fictionalised film version of Clifford Irving's memoir The Hoax. Irving was the struggling writer who, in 1971, lied his way into a million dollar cheque and a wave of controversy when he claimed to have been engaged by Howard Hughes to write the reclusive tycoon's autobiography. It's a great story, cleverly embellished by director Lasse Hallström and superbly acted by an on-form Richard Gere.

Film is a medium that continually toys with our perceptions of what is real and what is not, so it's no surprise that characters like Irving make great cinematic heroes. From Orson Welles' F For Fake - actually based on an earlier Irving book on art forgery - to George Clooney's Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind, the lives of great liars can be told without boundaries. As such, Hallström and writer William Wheeler spin Irving's story in several directions, some true, some false, even perhaps losing sight of the facts themselves. The result is a tremendous shaggy dog story that bounds capably between comedy and tragedy.

"GERE REALLY STANDS OUT"

As David Fincher's Zodiac recently proved, this period, with its lasting cultural connotations of White House deception, is a perfect setting for conspiracy theories. The Hoax goes too far when it tries to incorporate Watergate, but otherwise the clothes, the music and the atmosphere of early 70s America make this a satisfying companion to All The President's Men. However, it's Richard Gere's performance that really stands out. His trademark impenetrability is the perfect cloak for a character with the moral and psychological complexity necessary to attempt such an audacious scam.

The Hoax is out in the UK on 3rd August 2007.

Credits:
Director: Lasse Hallström
Writer: William Wheeler
Stars: Richard Gere, Alfred Molina, Marcia Gay Harden, Julie Delpy, Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci
Genre: Drama
Length: 116 minutes
Cinema: 03 August 2007
Country: USA

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*this review is officially published at www.bbc.co.uk

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Movie Review: Evan Almighty (2007)

For a few memorable minutes in Bruce Almighty (2003), Steve Carell caught lightning in a bottle. His jabbering turn as newsreader Evan Baxter upstaged 'comedy god' Jim Carrey and director Tom Shadyac quickly signed him up for a spin-off. Alas, Carell isn't blessed with a second strike of divine inspiration in Evan Almighty. Having said that, he exudes enough of a warm glow to make this updated Noah's Ark story an enjoyable outing for all the family.

After launching a new high-profile career in politics, Evan is visited by God (Morgan Freeman) and warned of an imminent flood. The deity helpfully throws a few planks his way, plus a copy of Ark Building For Dummies and commands him to get busy. Soon enough what starts as a weekend DIY project takes over Evan's life, and he struggles to convince the world - and more importantly his family - that he's only doing it because God said so.

"MILDLY AMUSING"

It's evident early on that writer Steve Oedekerk (who scripted the original) is short on ideas. He takes one mildly amusing skit, like Evan being stalked by animal twosomes, and plays it over and over again. Then there's the one where Evan wakes up with a shaggy Noah-style beard which immediately grows back after shaving. Oedekerk stretches that gag so far it's on a par with JC's miracle of the loaves and fishes. Thankfully, Carell's hapless puppy dog charm makes him immediately sympathetic and he possesses the comic timing to put a much-needed spin on an obvious joke. Wanda Sykes adds her brand of sassy, wisecracking attitude playing his secretary and a splashy CGI finale ups the excitement. Of course it's left to Carell to steer us through the choppy parts.

Evan Almighty is out in the UK on 3rd August 2007.

Credits

Director: Tom Shadyac
Writer: Steve Oedekerk,
Stars: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Wanda Sykes, John Goodman, Lauren Graham
Genre: Comedy
Length: 96 minutes
Cinema: 03 August 2007
Country: USA

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*This review is officially published at www.bbc.co.uk, visit the link source

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Movie Review: Daddy Day Camp

A Sony Pictures Entertainment release of a TriStar Pictures and Revolution Studios presentation of a Davis Entertainment Co. and Blue Star Entertainment production. Produced by William Sherak, Jason Shuman. Executive producers, John Davis, Matt Berenson, Derek Dauchy, Richard Hull, Chris Emerson, Nancy Kirhoffer, Jefferson Richard. Co-producers, Rhiannon Meier, Adam F. Goldberg. Directed by Fred Savage. Screenplay, Geoff Rodkey, J. David Stern, David N. Weiss; story, Rodkey, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow.

Charlie Hinton - Cuba Gooding Jr.
Lance Warner - Lochlyn Munro
Col. Buck Hinton - Richard Gant
Kim Hinton - Tamala Jones
Phil Ryerson - Paul Rae
Dale - Joshua McLerran
Ben Hinton - Spencir Bridges
Uncle Morty - Brian Doyle-Murray

Some former child stars have been known to overdose on drugs, get busted for carrying guns, pose nude for Playboy and appear on late-night infomercials. Fred Savage has directed "Daddy Day Camp." As helmed by the onetime "Wonder Years" thesp and first-time filmmaker, this sequel to the 2003 Eddie Murphy comedy may appeal to auds still young enough not to have seen it all before, or who still find flatulence hilarious, or who think adults, when agitated, flail about like epileptic marionettes.

More discerning auds may find the hyperactive tone of this dysfunctional family comedy a bit hard to swallow. Having succeeded at running their home-based day care center, Charlie Hinton (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and partner Phil Ryerson (Paul Rae) start up a dilapidated day camp -- largely because Charlie wants revenge after the childhood trauma of being humiliated at the 1977 Summer Camp Olympiad by Lance Warner (Lochlyn Munro), who's now the head of rival Camp Canola. The dump Charlie and Phil buy, Camp Driftwood, is a long-neglected health-department violation with a methane problem in the outhouse. You find yourself counting the seconds until it blows up. You don't wait long.

Much of the humor revolves around bodily functions and feral children. Vomiting. Bed-wetting. Exploding outhouses. When someone actually uses a toilet, the film feels as though it's moved uptown.

After an initial surge in campers and then a dropoff following an initial series of catastrophes, Charlie and Phil are left with a hardcore group whose parents, one must conclude, are negligent, ill or imprisoned. There's the belligerent fat kid; the tiny, oh-so-articulate girl; the hillbilly felon-to-be with a mullet; the delicate boy who, when he throws up, manages to do it on someone's shoes or sleeping bag.

And there's Charlie's son, Ben (Spencir Bridges), an uncertain little camper who will eventually find himself -- thanks to his dad and his martinet of a grandfather, Buck (Richard Gant). Dad and Grandpa, lifelong antagonists, will eventually meet in a middle ground between wimpdom and the Marine Corps.

"Daddy Day Camp" suffers all the near-classic sequel handicaps: an all-new cast lacking whatever celebrity luster was embodied by the first; a story that essentially recycles the original's sitcomish elements; a director getting his feet wet in features (Savage has done a lot of TV, which is what this feels like); and the general sense that no one was really in it for anything but a quick payday.

Production values are adequate, except for that outhouse explosion, which may have been an outtake from "Pearl Harbor."

Camera (Technicolor), Geno Salvatori; editor, Michael Aller; music, Jim Dooley; music supervisors, Manish Raval, Tom Wolfe; production designer, Eric Weiler; art director/set decorator, Mark J. Mullins; costume designer, Carolyn Leone; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Les Udy; supervising sound editor, Sandy Gendler; visual effects supervisors, Tom Burton, John Follmer; visual effects, Technicolor Digital Services; assistant directors, Craig Steiner, Matias Alvarez; casting, Lindsey Hayes Kroeger, David H. Rapaport. Reviewed at Sony screening room, New York, Aug. 2, 2007. MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 89 MIN.

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*this review is writeen by John Anderson, officially published at Variety.com

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Movie Review: Stardust

Distributor: Paramount
Cast: Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Jason Flemyng, Sienna Miller, Peter O’Toole and Michelle Pfeiffer
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Screenwriters: Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman
Producers: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Michael Dreyer, Neil Gaiman and Matthew Vaughn
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Rating: PG-13 for fantasy violence and some risqué humor
Running time: 130 min.
Release date: August 10


Pulled down from the heavens by an enchanted necklace belonging to the cruel King of Stormhold (Peter O’Toole, Venus), the celestial lady Yvaine (Claire Danes, Evening) lands unceremoniously in a crater in a far corner of the dying monarch’s magical kingdom. In the English village of Wall (which is separated from Stormhold by—you guessed it—a wall), lovelorn lad Tristan Thorne (Charlie Cox, Casanova) sees the star fall, and promises the beautiful-but-bratty Victoria (Sienna Miller, Interview) that he’ll bring it back—in one week’s time—in order to prove himself a worthy suitor.


But the sweet-natured Tristan isn’t the only one who wants something from Yvaine. The surviving sons of the King of Stormhold, Primus (Jason Flemyng, Transporter 2) and Septimus (Mark Strong, Sunshine) want her necklace—as it will elevate the first who finds it to the throne. And the coven of crones led by Lamia (Michelle Pfeiffer, Hairspray) want her heart—as it will bestow eternal life on those who cut it out and eat it.



- Chad Greene

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Movie Review: Rush Hour 3

Distributor: New Line
Cast: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Vinnie Jones, Roman Polanski and Max von Sydow
Director: Brett Ratner
Screenwriter: Jeff Nathanson
Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Andrew Z. Davis, Jonathan Glickman, Arthur M. Sarkissian and Jay Stern
Genre: Action/Comedy
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action violence, sexual content, nudity and language
Running time: TBD
Release date: August 10


There’s a scene in Rush Hour where LAPD Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) takes a call from the kidnappers of a Chinese consul’s daughter, who are demanding a $50 million-dollar ransom.

“Fifty million dollars?” Carter shouts into the phone. “Man, who do you think you kidnapped? Chelsea Clinton?”

The kidnappers go on to specify that they want exactly $20 million in $50-dollar bills, $20 million in $20-dollar bills and $10 million in $10-dollar bills.

Almost a decade later, the outrage that Tucker’s character expresses in that scene seems ironic considering the king’s ransom he demanded for starring in the third installment in the action/comedy film franchise.

Tucker hadn’t done a film in six years, but he had 25 million reasons to do Rush Hour 3.

New Line is betting the box office bank on the comedian, paying Tucker a reported $25 million to reprise his role as the motormouthed Detective James Carter—although there’s no word on exactly what denomination of bills were specified in the deal. (By comparison, co-star Jackie Chan is earning a reported $15 million.)

That makes the 34-year-old—whose only other starring roles were in, that’s right, Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2—the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.

Of course, New Line had plenty of reasons of its own to shell out—about 591.7 million, to be precise. That’s how much the original 1998 culture-clash cop comedy and its 2001 sequel earned in worldwide box-office receipts.

Rush Hour 3—which like the previous pictures, is directed by Brett Ratner— finds Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) and Detective Carter in Paris, which should give both characters ample opportunities to shout the comic catchphrase: “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?”

New Line is certainly hoping that audiences all over the world do exactly that, and laugh—all the way to the bank.


*This article is written by Chad Greene, officially published at www.boxoffice.com

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Two Days in Paris

Julie Delpy's romantic dramedy "2 Days" in Paris" is very much in the vein of Woody Allen's early films, say, a combo of the fun and laughs of "Annie Hall" with the more serio and bitter tone of "Manhattan"—call it "Marion in Paris," after the main character's name, played by Delpy.

The other strong influence on this auteurist endeavor—-Delpy wrote, directed, edited, composed the music and stars in her debut picture—-is indie director Richard Linklater and his intimate films, "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset," in which Delpy co-starred with Ethan Hawke. As such, the dialogue-ridden "2 Days in Paris" belongs to a cycle of mid-1990s movies that I described in my book "Cinema of Outsiders," as "Walking and Talking."

"2 Days in Paris" is literally a walking-and-talking picture since the characters are always debating and on the move, from the very first scene, set on a train (also a tribute to Linklater's aforementioned works) and throughout the comedy, when the duo argue, reconcile, and again argue in various locales of Paris, with a restless camera impressively recording their moves and counter moves.

The harsh, often bitter and cynical tone of Delpy's candid comedy may be the reason why it took long for her movie, which premiered at the Berlin Film Fest in February, to play theatrically in the U.S.; it's now released by Samuel Goldwyn.

What's meant to be a Parisian getaway gradually turns into anything but romantic or erotic for a high-strung New York couple. As writer, Delpy challenges the prevalent romantic theory of opposites attract, since in her picture the disparate characteristics of the couple complement each other—up to a point. At least half of the time, they also drive each other crazy.

Delpy plays Marion, a thirtysomething French photographer whose boyfriend of two years Jack (Adam Goldberg) is an American interior designer. After a less than idyllic vacation in Italy, they stop off in Paris for two days. It's a classic "fish out of water" tale, with Jack forced to contend with a new language, a crazily unfamiliar culture, Marion's sexually frank and permissive family, and, worst of all, a bevy of flirtatious ex-boyfriends.

It's one of the film's running motifs that wherever they go, Marion runs into a former flame. In one public scene, set in a restaurant, Marion is upset to see a desirable lover who dumped her that she assaults him—both verbally and physically. This and other motifs turns her film, like many similar episodes in the popular TV series, "Sex and the City," into a comedy of embarrassment—or comedy of humiliation—par excellence.

Once in the City of Lights, Marion's native habitat, Jack and Marion begin to see each other in a different, less appealing light and the cultural divide between them continues to grow. We are led to believe that both Jack and Marion are high strong and headstrong.

To her credit, Delpy maintains a nice feel of suspense. You never are sure, not even at the end, whether the couple will overcome their increasingly apparent oppositions. Here is a romantic comedy in which the obstacles to overcome far surpass the initial physical and subsequent intellectual attraction between the duo.

There's always the possibility that these two days in Paris will be Jack and Marion's last days as a couple. But the alternate possibility is viable as well, that the harsh, sobering experience in Paris will form the nucleus of a new, richer, more honest life together.

Quite remarkably, Delpy doesn’t just look at the relationship from a distinctly female perspective, but in her insightful and bitingly dissection of contemporary relationships, she is often more critical of Marion than of Jack. In most American romantic comedies, the men are womanizers, obsessed with sex, can't commit to one woman, etc. In contrast, in "2 Days in Paris," Marion is the temperamental and unstable partner (is she bi-polar?), a free-spirited, sexually aggressive woman, who's flirtatious with men and knows exactly what kind of position she likes in bed—she likes to be on top.

Despite a number of sex scenes, what the film doesn't make clear is to what extent the sexual relationship is--or ever was--mutually satisfying. In one scene, Jack gets so insecure that he claims that the condoms are too small for him (an inside joke since French men are known for their well-endowed organs). In another, as soon as they begin to make love, they quarrel, or the act is interrupted by Marion's mother entering into their bedroom to discuss some routine manner like laundry.

Made on a small budget and reportedly shot in a very brisk 20 days, "2 Days in Paris" looks good, offering a non-touristy view of the City of Light that highlights both the grandeur and intimacy of a place that has served as a locale for romantic comedies and drams more than nay other metropolitan in the world.

The movie benefits from its limitations. Shooting in a city like Paris is tricky and challenging because of the busy traffic and congestion, all of which are captured naturalistically by cinematographer Lubomir Bakchev.

When denied permits to shoot in her favorite locales (Delpy is Parisian), she substitutes with other sites that look or feel like the places she likes. One such locale was the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, resting place for statesmen and artists such as Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, and Chopin. In "2 Days in Paris," Jack insists on visiting the grave of Jim Morrison ("The Doors"), who is buried at Père Lachaise, and an amusing scene follows, showing the site full of star-struck fans paying homage to the rock star.

In another poignant and hilarious scene, designed to depict the difference between
French and American personalities and sensibilities, the couple attends a gallery opening featuring a selection of sexually edgy art. Fittingly, the scene was shot in one of Paris' most popular cinemas, L'Accattone, a mini-Cinemateque where they show the best art films by Pasolini and documentaries.

For a big party scene, where Jack learns more than he bargained for about Marion's past from an ex-boyfriend, Delpy used a friend's multi-leveled apartment. A number of scenes were shot in close quarters in small Parisian flats, a task met by shooing in HD, using a Sony 750 camera.

One of the film's strongest scenes is a family lunch at Marion's parents' apartment shortly after the couple arrives in Paris. Marion's father, fancying himself a gourmet, and eager to tweak Jack's delicate stomach, prepares a French delicacy--braised rabbit—with close-up shots of the bunny's head as well as of Jack's increasingly tense reaction.

Though Delpy has claimed that "2 Days in Paris" is a personal but not autobiographical work, several characters are based from her own life, such as the lunch scene written by her as a tribute to her parents, veteran actors Marie Pillet and Albert Delpy. I had my parents in mind

Cast

Jack - Adam Goldberg
Marion - Julie Delpy
Lukas - Daniel Bruehl
Anna - Marie Pillet
Jeannot - Albert Delpy
Rose - Alexia Landeau
Mathieu - Adan Jodorowsky
Manu - Alex Nahon
Taxi driver - Ludovic Berthillot

Credits

A Samuel Goldwyn Presentation of Rezo Films (in France)/3L Filmverleih (in Germany) release of a Polaris Film Prod. & Finance, Tempete Sous Un Crane Prod. (France)/3L Filmproduktion (Germany) production, in association with Back Up Media.
Produced by Julie Delpy, Christophe Mazodier, Thierry Potok.
Executive producer, Charles Paviot.
Co-producers, Werner Wiersing, Ulf Israel.
Directed, written by Julie Delpy.
Camera: Lubomir Bakchev.
Editor, Delpy, Etienne Boussac, Jeffrey M. Werner.
Music, Delpy.
Art director, Barbara Marc.
Costumes, Stephan Rollot
Sound, Nicolas Cantin

Running time: 95 Minutes.

::source: http://emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=6588

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Nicole Kidman New Film: The Invasion (2007)

Nicole plays Carol

The Visiting tells the story of Carol, a Washington D.C. psychiatrist with a practice overlooking Freedom Plaza. She has a young son, Oliver, but is no longer involved with his father. Ben (Craig) is her companion and colleague. Not long after a national tragedy has occured, a mysterious "bug" spreads across the globe. Carol's skills as a psychiatrist soon help her recognize a strange pattern that has developed. People are becoming almost emotionless, "oddly somber," and their loved ones all have the same panicked refrain: "He no longer seems like my husband/son/brother, etc." After people she knows begin to change, Carol learns from a doctor that there is actually something inside them, "something completely foreign," that is altering human DNA. Although it has thus far proven resistant to treatment, Carol discovers that the key to combating this otherworldly invader may lie with someone close to her. [filmforce.ign.com] // The movie centres on an epidemic sweeping the human race, which is greatly altering their behaviour. After discovering that aliens are behind the invasion, Carol battles to protect her son, who may hold the key to halting the takeover.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Released: US- 17th August 2007; UK- 14th September 2007; Germany- 1st November 2007; Russia- 8th November 2007; Japan- 22nd December 2007;
Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel
Written by: Dave Kajganich
Co-stars: Daniel Craig (Ben), Jeremy Northam (Tucker), Jackson Bond (Oliver), Alexis Raben (Danila)
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller, Action, Drama
Filming: Filming started on the 26th September and ended 18th December 2006. Filmed in Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington
Budget: $50m
Box Office: -
Runtime: mins / hr mins


TRIVIA
[1] Nicole is reportedly earning $16 million for this film
[2] Project was initially called 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers', then they changed it to 'Invasion' before deciding on 'The Visiting'
[3] Contact address: Invasion, 1301 S. Baylis Suite #425, Baltimore, MD 21224.
[5] Nicole was involved in an accident whilst filming a car scene - read about it here.

More information, visit Nicole Kidman official site http://www.nkidman.com

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