New Releases
DREAMER: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY Considering that every third movie made these days seems to have been "inspired" by a true story (as opposed to "based on," thereby allowing for even more mangling of the actual facts), it's amusing that this film goes ahead and places its disclaimer right in the title. It's a curious decision, especially since the target audience for this particular picture will find itself too uplifted to worry about historical veracity. Taking a well-worn formula and adding some flavor through the rich characterizations of its leading players, Dreamer centers on the circumstances that transpire when horse trainer Ben Crane (Kurt Russell) and his young daughter Cale (Dakota Fanning) elect to nurse an injured race horse named Soñador (Spanish for Dreamer) back to health. Planning to use the mare for breeding purposes until learning she's infertile, the financially strapped Ben, with constant prodding by his daughter as well as his own crusty dad (Kris Kristofferson), decides to take a chance on prepping her for competition contention -- with the Breeders' Cup Classic just around the corner. Many child stars are either sloppily sentimental or coldly calculating, and while Fanning has occasionally veered toward the latter, she delivers her warmest and most natural performance in this picture. And although Elizabeth Shue (as Mom) is once again wasted (has no one in Hollywood seen Leaving Las Vegas and what this actress can do?), there's a heartwarming family dynamic between father and daughter, and the scenes between Russell and Fanning are especially good -- so memorable, in fact, they occasionally make us forget we've seen all this before. HH 1/2
ELIZABETHTOWN Many directors reveal little about themselves through their motion pictures. Cameron Crowe isn't one of them. He has consistently made movies that tap into some aspect of his personal life, with this autobiographical penchant reaching its pinnacle via his Oscar-winning screenplay for Almost Famous. With Elizabethtown, Crowe seeks to honor the memory of his father, who died of a heart attack in 1989. It's a noble endeavor but a disappointing movie, as engaging individual scenes fail to disguise either the slackness or superficiality of the piece. Orlando Bloom, nothing special but getting the job done, stars as Drew Baylor, a failed shoe designer who temporarily shelves his own demons in order to attend the funeral of his dad back in the title Kentucky town. Along the way, he meets a chatty flight attendant (Kirsten Dunst) who stirs him out of his stupor -- she's the new constant in his life as he attempts to do right by his various relatives, including his grieving mother (Susan Sarandon). Crowe, a former Rolling Stone writer, is renowned for his films' savvy music selections, yet here he overplays his hand: The final portion of Elizabethtown is one long road trip in which Drew explores the country while his car CD blasts a multitude of diverse tunes, and the overriding feeling is that Crowe simply wanted to impress audiences with cuts from his personal music collection. Dunst is passable as Drew's kooky, life-loving confidante, though I preferred Natalie Portman in the role in the similar (and superior) Garden State. HH
Current Releases
EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED Well, not quite everything, but almost enough to provide this ersatz road film with the gravitas it clearly seeks. Based on Jonathan Safran Foer's book, this is an odd meld of cinematic whimsy and Holocaust tragedy, relating how Jewish Jonathan (Elijah Wood), a meticulous collector of his family's history, journeys to the Ukraine to locate the woman he believes saved his grandfather's life during World War II. His guides turn out to be a real odd couple: Alex (Eugene Hutz), a gangly guy decked out in hip-hop duds, and his cantankerous grandfather (Boris Leskin). This emotionally muted film improves as it progresses, though stabs at humor run hot-and-cold and the climactic sequence fails to pack the wallop it desperately requires. Wood's performance is monotonous by design, leaving the energetic Hutz (from the gypsy-punk band Gogol Bordello) as the closest thing to an audience surrogate. HH 1/2
FLIGHTPLAN On the heels of Red Eye comes another aerial thriller. Both films require some suspension of disbelief, but Red Eye at least took care to dot every i, cross every t, and shovel dirt into every gaping plothole. This one, about a widow (Jodie Foster) whose daughter disappears during an intercontinental flight, quickly begins its narrative descent and eventually explodes on contact, creating fireballs of flaws so massive that they obliterate entire theater auditoriums and even singe the concession stands. Foster's performance deserves a better showcase -- instead, she's much like the lone suitcase that's left on the baggage claim belt, circling wearily while surrounded by an atmosphere of indifference. HH
THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED Based on a true story, this handsome drama centers on the 1913 US Open and how a 20-year-old American lad named Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) finds himself pitted against two British pros -- one being six-time British Open winner Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane) -- for the championship. On paper, it sounds like the usual "brash Yankee upstart shows the stiff-upper-lip Brits a thing or two." But Francis and his two opponents all spring from humble origins, fighting prejudice every step of the way as their grit and determination allow them to beat the ruling class at its own game. It's an American story in the truest sense: Championing the underdog, it depicts the struggle between the haves and the have-nots -- and for once, it's the haves who are left wanting. What could be more inspiring than that? HHH
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE A Canadian filmmaker, David Cronenberg here resembles nothing so much as one of his fellow countrymen glimpsed in Bowling for Columbine, gazing at our land across the lakes and wondering why we're always so obsessed with carnage. In much the same manner that David Lynch deconstructed the myth of the squeaky-clean small Southern town in Blue Velvet, so too does Cronenberg take a hatchet to the façade of bland Midwestern homeliness. His protagonist is Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen), a family man who becomes a national hero after killing two psychos in self-defense. But the exposure brings a stranger to town, a gruff mobster (menacing Ed Harris) who insists that Tom was once a homicidal kid back in Philadelphia. Cronenberg and scripter Josh Olson create a dizzying examination of this country's love-hate affair with brutality, exploring numerous gray areas with the help of a powerhouse cast. HHH 1/2
IN HER SHOES An initially acrid look at sibling rivalry, this stars Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette as Maggie and Rose, two sisters who have nothing in common except their shoe size. After a falling out, irresponsible Maggie heads to Florida to meet the grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) she never knew, while insecure Rose remains in Philadelphia in an effort to get her own life back on track. It isn't hard to guess how this will play out, but the pleasures rest in the journey more than the destination. Diaz and Collette are both excellent, though they're effortlessly matched by MacLaine. Even when the movie surrounding her turns soft, this wily veteran remains its pillar of strength: Espousing tough love at every turn, she provides In Her Shoes with its own hard-won terms of endearment. HHH
INTO THE BLUE Paul Walker, whose main contribution to the art of acting is that he can furrow his brow with the best of them, and Jessica Alba, who wears the same vapid look she displayed earlier this year in Sin City and Fantastic Four, play a couple who not only discover a sunken pirate ship in the Bahamas but also a downed airplane containing a sizable cocaine stash. Yet while they're concerned only with the shipwreck, their obnoxious pals (Scott Caan and Ashley Scott) are more interested in profiting from the coke, a decision that places everyone in danger. This is the sort of low-IQ fare in which Alba's derriere receives more close-ups than her face, yet writer Matt Johnson does make an admirable stab at providing some dramatic heft to his script until the inanities finally get the best of him. I especially liked how Walker's character could hold his breath underwater for five-minute stretches -- who was his dad, Aquaman? H 1/2
OLIVER TWIST This "re-imagining" (as the press material calls it) of the Charles Dickens classic tinkers with the original tale, but deviation from the source material isn't its primary problem. Instead, it's that while this timeless tale has been uncorked once again, it isn't allowed to properly breathe, stewing instead in its own stodginess. It's a respectable production, but compare it to David Lean's definitive version from 1948 and you'll notice the lack of fire and ire that seemed to charge every frame of that earlier take. Director Roman Polanski and scripter Ronald Harwood downplay the juicy melodrama, though two actors break through the stifling air: Leanne Rowe makes a favorable impression as the ill-fated Nancy, while Ben Kingsley turns the sniveling thief Fagin into a figure more likely to be pitied than loathed. As for the child actor essaying the title role, Barney Clark is rather non-descript. HH 1/2
PROOF Like Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind, this adaptation of David Auburn's Pulitzer Prize-winning play tries to turns mathematics into a cinematically sexy beast; unfortunately, John Madden (Shakespeare In Love) has even less visual flair than Howard, so try as he might, he can never fully disguise this piece's stage roots. Luckily, the scripting and acting exist at such a lofty level that the film's lack of mobility is never a drawback. Gwyneth Paltrow plays Catherine, the daughter of a brilliant math professor (Anthony Hopkins) who eventually became gripped by madness. Now that he's passed away, Catherine wonders if she inherited his genius, his insanity or both. Paltrow does exemplary work, as her character's melancholy descent into possible madness produces a kick that was noticeably absent in her recent Sylvia Plath biopic. HHH
SERENITY Fans of the short-lived TV series Firefly will doubtless want to add another couple of stars to the rating for this big-screen spin-off: The show's devotees who attended the advance screening were cheering as lustily as Romans watching Christians being fed to the lions. But for those who haven't already built up a rapport with these characters and their struggles, Serenity is a long slog through sci-fi tedium, mixing elements from the countless space operas that preceded it without bringing anything new to the party. Offering next to nothing in the way of character development or even simple introductions -- and scrambling fortune-cookie philosophies in the hopes of coming up with something profound -- this tale about the members of a rickety spaceship (but not the Millennium Falcon) squaring off against an evil empire (but not the evil Empire) is a cinematic flatline, only perking up for a bravura finale. H 1/2
THUMBSUCKER Adapted from Walter Kirn's novel, Thumbsucker tells the story of 17-year-old Justin Cobb (Lou Pucci), a withdrawn kid whose habit of sucking his thumb perturbs his parents (Tilda Swinton and Vincent D'Onofrio) and hinders his self-confidence. Various adults, from his orthodontist (Keanu Reeves) to his debate coach (Vince Vaughn), try to help him overcome his mental roadblocks, but it isn't until after he's diagnosed with ADD and prescribed pills that he breaks out of his shell. But with this newfound success comes newfound problems, and Justin must look within himself to locate the person he wants to become. The script's pat, symbolic overtures (the mad rush to curb Justin's bad habit is a condemnation of society's insistence on blanket conformity) aren't nearly as interesting as its exploration of the various roles adults can adapt as they seek to establish any sort of rapport with younger versions of themselves. HHH
TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE A fine mix of rot and romance, Corpse Bride finds Johnny Depp, working with Tim Burton for the fifth time, providing the voice of a shy Victorian lad who's set to marry a shy lass (Emily Watson). Instead, he accidentally ends up wed to the title character (Helena Bonham Carter), a lovely (if decaying) young woman who drags him to the Land of the Dead, which resembles nothing so much as a jazz joint populated by beer-swilling skeletons, men with hacked up bodies and a buck-toothed maggot who sounds like Peter Lorre. Burton has returned to the stomping ground of his previous foray into stop-motion animation, 1993's Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Christmas featured better songs, more interesting characters and a darker sensibility, yet this still qualifies as a marvel of wit and imagination: While the movie is light on boisterous laughs, its visual wit never ceases to delight. HHH
TWO FOR THE MONEY Al Pacino's back in full manic mode in this malnourished morality tale not dissimilar in structure to other Pacino vehicles in which he serves as a shady mentor to a hot young actor (The Devil's Advocate, The Recruit, etc.). He plays Walter Abrams, the head of a sports consulting firm who finds his protégé in Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey), a naïve guy with a near-psychic ability to accurately handicap gridiron match-ups. Brandon's picks make both men rich, but personality conflicts threaten to derail their careers. The film's entertainment value can be found in its incoherence -- this movie is so ludicrous on so many fundamental levels (unexplained character motivations, clumsy scene transitions) that it almost crosses over into camp territory. The football game recreations seen throughout the movie rarely look convincing, more Marx Brothers (a la Horse Feathers) than Manning brothers. H 1/2
WAITING Writer-director Rob McKittrick obviously views his pet project as the new Clerks, but whereas that Kevin Smith gem featured genuine wit (not to mention some killer quips) beneath the rampant vulgarity, this toxic dump is merely puerile, crammed with incessant employment of the "F" word (fag, that is) and featuring more unkempt pubic hair (male and female) than any picture this side of a 50s-era stag film. Ryan Reynolds, recycling every smart-ass dating back to Tim Matheson in National Lampoon's Animal House, plays the veteran employee at a chain eatery who's assigned to show the new kid (John Francis Daley) the ropes. The story kicks into high gear once he explains to the rookie that every male employee must try to trick the other guys into looking at his exposed genitalia. As a compelling plotline, I think it's safe to say it doesn't quite compare to Chinatown. H
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT Clay animator Nick Park first showcased his characters -- befuddled, cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his more intelligent canine companion Gromit -- in a trio of award-winning short films, then gave the pair a rest as he put his efforts into the delightful Chicken Run. This is the first feature-length W&G outing, and it's a gem -- endlessly witty, it's the best animated effort of 2005. In this yarn, Wallace (voiced as always by Peter Sallis) and his silent sidekick form a pest control outfit (Anti-Pesto) to humanely take care of their burg's bunny population, but they soon have their hands full dealing with a monstrous rabbit that's been destroying all the neighbors' crops. Tom & Jerry? Mutt & Jeff? Chip & Dale? Amateurs all. It appears that in the toon world, the clay's the thing, with Wallace & Gromit as the new pioneers of Plasticine. HHH 1/2
OPENS FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21:
DOOM: The Rock, Karl Urban.
DREAMER: INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY: Kurt Russell, Dakota Fanning.
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK: David Strathairn, George Clooney.
NORTH COUNTRY: Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand.
STAY: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts.
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