DVD DOMAIN
REIGN OF FIRE Eschewing the gee-whiz approach of
Dragonslayer and forsaking the downright
silliness of Dragonheart, this may well be the
most grim dragon movie ever made -- and it's all the
more effective for the filmmakers' decision to play it
straight. As a rush of pure excitement on the gritty
side, this futuristic yarn about an earth overtaken by
fire-breathing beasts delivers the goods, and it's
buoyed by arguably the best dragons ever created for
the screen. DVD extras include two
behind-the-scenes featurettes and the theatrical trailer.
Also
New:BAD COMPANY The sort of inane drivel
that has long given "buddy action-comedies" a bad
name, this one elected to team Anthony "Give me my
damn paycheck already" Hopkins and Chris "I'll be a
movie star any year now!" Rock in a distressingly
formulaic romp that played like a discarded Rush
Hour 3 script. 1/2
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST In an
attempt to open up Oscar Wilde's immortal play about
mistaken identity, writer-director Oliver Parker has
made a needlessly fussy adaptation that's
nevertheless blessed with fine performances (Colin
Firth, Rupert Everett, Judi Dench) and Wilde's own
way with words. 1/2
SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE CIMARRON The
cuteness quotient is remarkably low in this engaging if
not particularly distinguished tale about a magnificent
stallion that befriends a Lakota lad in the days of the
Old West. Major debit: the song score by Bryan
Adams. 1/2
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THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE It's easy to appreciate what Jonathan Demme was trying to do with this remake of Charade without actually enjoying any part of it. Stanley Donen's effervescent effort from 1963 isn't exactly a classic, but with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn breezing through an engaging mystery-romance set in Paris, it's awfully enjoyable stuff. Demme probably figured a straight retelling couldn't compete, so he used the occasion as an opportunity to pay homage to the French New Wave of the 60s, get back to the hipster style of filmmaking he employed in Something Wild and Married to the Mob, and hand his Beloved star Thandie Newton a potential star-making role. His ambition should be applauded but his creation should be avoided, as the truth about Charlie is that it's a brazenly misguided project. Full of schizophrenic edits, shot in a frequently warped style, and full of maddening asides and non sequiturs, this yarn about a widow pursued by various shady characters who were all involved with her late husband never locates an appropriate wavelength. Newton acquits herself well enough, but Mark Wahlberg, in Grant's old role of the mysterious suitor, seems more a schoolboy than a sophisticate. 1/2
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