Current Releases
BROKEN FLOWERS Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, Jim Jarmusch’s latest takes Bill Murray’s accidental tourist from Lost In Translation and drops him into About Schmidt Americana territory. Here, Murray plays Don Johnston, whose catatonic existence receives a much-needed jolt when he learns he may have a son he never knew about. He embarks on a road trip to locate the mother — the candidates are played by Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton and Frances Conroy — but as he moves from woman to woman, the mystery of the son becomes almost incidental; more prominent is the manner in which the hostilities increase the further he travels, as if by opening the door to his past ever wider, he risks permanent damage to the roiling emotions he’s kept bottled up. This is a movie of wry humor and wry observations, and because Jarmusch never feels the need to spell out every character nuance or tie up every narrative thread, it’s certain to strike many viewers as much ado about nothing. But for those who appreciate the delicacy with which Jarmusch can spin a tale, the film will seem like that proverbial rose by any other name. 3.5 stars.
THE BROTHERS GRIMM Terry Gilliam, the former Monty Python member whose peculiar brand of genius doesn’t always translate comfortably to his motion picture endeavors, has concocted an overstuffed boondoggle that’s miles removed from the mind-bending highs of Brazil or Twelve Monkeys. Wrestling with a muddled screenplay by Ehren Kruger (The Ring Two), Gilliam has created a noisy and nonsensical eyesore that quickly morphs from a movie into an endurance test. Matt Damon and Heath Ledger are cast adrift as the title characters, con artists whose ability to fool the local yokels of Germany with their fabricated yarns gets put to the test once they encounter genuine monsters. A bright idea threatens to surface every now and then, but it’s quickly bludgeoned to death by the rest of this fractured fairy tale. 1 star.
THE DUKES OF HAZZARD Airing from 1979 to 1985, the TV series The Dukes of Hazzard was created for people who had trouble following the plotlines of Three’s Company. Inspired by the glut of so-called “hick flicks” that dominated drive-ins throughout the 1970s, the program was primarily an excuse to showcase good ol’ boy shenanigans and plenty of car collisions. This film version follows suit, with cousins Bo, Luke and Daisy Duke (Johnny Knoxville, Sean William Scott and Jessica Simpson) trying to prevent corrupt Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds) from running Hazzard County into the ground. A sequence in which Bo and Luke drive through Atlanta suggests that the film could have worked as a clever reimagining in which the coarseness of the Old South repeatedly bumps up against the sensibilities of the New South, but this promise quickly dissipates to allow more room for the usual mix of lame slapstick and smash’n’crash auto theatrics. 1.5 stars.
THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN The summer’s most unexpected surprise, The 40-Year-Old Virgin mixes honest sentiment and raunchy humor in a manner that’s more satisfying than in just about any comparable modern comedy, including Wedding Crashers — in fact, not since There’s Something About Mary has a movie combined these disparate elements so seamlessly. Steve Carell plays Andy, a man-child who sports an impressive collection of comic books and action figures, rides a bicycle to work every day, and never has even come close to knowing the joys of a relationship, let alone the attendant carnal pleasures. His co-workers (Paul Rudd, Romany Malco and Seth Rogen) make it their mission in life to hook Andy up; he eventually bumps into a few prospects, the most promising being a single mom (excellent Catherine Keener). Carell and director Judd Apatow (who collaborated on the script) take their time developing all the principal players but never shirk on the laughs. 3.5 stars.
FOUR BROTHERS John Singleton helms this standard revenge flick that was a lot more fun when John Wayne and Dean Martin tackled the basic premise in The Sons of Katie Elder. The brothers of the title are Bobby (Mark Wahlberg), Angel (Tyrese Gibson), Jeremiah (Andre Benjamin) and Jack (Garrett Hedlund), raised by a foster home provider (Fionnula Flanagan) after nobody else wanted them. Now grown up, the lads return to their Detroit home after they learn that their mom was killed during a convenience store holdup. But as the siblings snoop around, they realize that she wasn’t an innocent bystander but the target of a planned hit. The four lead actors establish an easygoing camaraderie, but that isn’t enough to overcome silly supporting characters, a hard-to-swallow plotline and a ludicrous climax set on a frozen lake. This is also the sort of movie where a villain’s ruthlessness is established in short-hand by the fact that he swipes a fat kid’s candy bar! 2 stars.
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS It’s awfully hard to resist the charms of this documentary, which is as single-minded in its approach as its protagonists prove to be in their determination to keep their species alive. Originally a French film filled with first-person — uh, first-penguin — narration (yes, it anthropomorphized the animals) and pop songs, this has been refashioned for American audiences as a traditional documentary, with pleasant theme music and soothing narration provided by Morgan Freeman. At the risk of sounding like a xenophobic clod who would endorse “Freedom fries,” I have to say I approve of the changes — hearing a baby penguin exclaim the Gallic version of “Gosh, Dad, it sure is cold with all this ice!” would surely have made me cringe. The French are apparently second to none when it comes to making movies that champion wildlife, and this joins Winged Migration, The Bear and Two Brothers as sterling examples of the form. 3 stars.
MURDERBALL This Sundance favorite is a movie that’s easier to admire than adore, and its makers wouldn’t have it any other way. Though its focus is quadriplegic men who play wheelchair rugby, this documentary refuses to traffic in easy pathos and cheap sentiment: Its emotional moments are earned the hard way — that is to say, honestly. Clearly, Murderball doesn’t want us to feel uplifted by the everyday struggles of these men; instead, it neatly averts the audience condescension that’s invariably generated by documentaries of this ilk by forcing us to view its characters as equals, as guys — sometimes likable, often not — who are macho jocks first and physically impaired men second. The movie loses steam whenever its attention turns to the on-the-court rivalry between the US and Canadian teams; far more compelling are the personal glimpses of people whose broken bodies are no match for their brawny spirits. 3.5 stars.
MUST LOVE DOGS Many of the elements that have made the contemporary romantic comedy such a grueling (and formulaic) experience are present in Must Love Dogs, and yet the movie nonetheless will work for those willing to surrender themselves to its dreamy passion. The film’s success begins and ends with its leading players, and yet it’s important not to undervalue director Gary David Goldberg’s script (adapted from Claire Cook’s novel), which adds some interesting quirks to a familiar framework. Diane Lane plays a recent divorcee who takes a chance on meeting single men through an Internet dating service, while John Cusack co-stars as the most promising of her prospective suitors. Elizabeth Perkins, Christopher Plummer and especially Stockard Channing excel in key supporting roles, yet the movie firmly belongs to its stars. You either buy into this fantasy or you don’t — me, I happily wallowed in it. 3 stars.
RED EYE Red-Eye qualifies as the best movie that director Wes Craven has ever made: Unlike his usual junk (The Last House On the Left, Scream), this at least feels like an A-list project rather than the masturbatory exercises in misogyny he tends to foist upon the public. Rachel McAdams delivers a strong performance as Lisa Reisert, whose flight home to Miami turns into a terror trip once she discovers that the charming guy (Cillian Murphy) sitting next to her will involve her in an attempted political assassination. Red Eye may not expand the parameters of the thriller genre but it certainly knows how to make its way inside its well-established conventions. Unfortunately, that can only take it so far, and even at 85 minutes, the movie begins to coast as it reaches its obvious climax. Still, considering I once wrote that I would never subject myself to any more Craven images, this is enjoyable enough to make me glad I gave him a second — or would that be fifth? Or eighth? — chance. 2.5 stars.
THE SKELETON KEY Kate Hudson stars as Caroline Ellis, a caretaker who’s hired to look after a stroke victim (John Hurt) residing in a creaky mansion in the middle of the Louisiana swamps. The patient’s wife (Gena Rowlands) views Caroline with suspicion, though she quickly earns the trust of the elderly couple’s lawyer (Peter Sarsgaard); at any rate, it’s not long before it’s Caroline who has to keep her guard up, as mysterious events suggest that a paranormal presence might be living within the house. The supernatural element extends beyond what’s talking place on the screen, as it appears that Rowlands, delivering a performance of high camp, has been possessed by What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?-era Bette Davis. While enjoyable, her overripe turn dilutes the story’s potency, though the movie rights itself in time for a satisfying twist ending. 2.5 stars.
SKY HIGH Better than Fantastic Four but nowhere near the league of The Incredibles, Sky High is yet another feature film that centers on a family of superheroes. Cribbing as much from X-Men and the Harry Potter series as from the aforementioned pair, this live-action Disney romp stars appealing Michael Angarano as Will Stronghold, a boy who attends a high school populated exclusively by kids with special powers. As long as Sky High tweaks the superhero genre, it remains on solid ground, thanks to knowing dialogue and smart casting. But whenever the movie gets distracted by the conventions of the typical teen flick (the heroes are the popular kids and their sidekicks are the nerds — get it?), it becomes a pale imitation of Mean Girls, Clueless and half the John Hughes oeuvre. 2.5 stars.
VALIANT This animated feature clocked in at 109 minutes during its recent run in England, and for once, I’m glad of the short attention spans of American tots, as the movie has been mercifully chopped down to 76 minutes for its stateside engagement. The most interesting moment in this turgid film is the revelation at the end that of the 53 Dickin Medals given to animals for bravery during World War II, 31 of them went to pigeons. That sounds like a compelling subject for a live-action documentary (March of the Pigeons?), but instead, the topic has been tossed away on a rigidly rote cartoon that features the usual mix of audience condescension, uninspired computer-animated graphics, obvious morals aimed at small children and, oh yeah, flatulence gags. Ewan McGregor, in his second 2005 tour of duty in a mediocre cartoon (following last spring’s Robots), provides the voice for the title character, who gets to prove his mettle by delivering important messages as part of the Royal Homing Pigeon Service. 1.5 stars.
OPENS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31:
THE CONSTANT GARDENER: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz.
OPENS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2:
A SOUND OF THUNDER: Edward Burns, Ben Kingsley.
TRANSPORTER 2: Jason Statham, Amber Valleta.
UNDERCLASSMAN: Nick Cannon, Cheech Marin.
This article appears in Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2005.
