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Movie Reviews From A Family Perspective
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Take
The Lead
Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Ten Commandments(on DVD)
The Benchwarmers
The Big Question
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The Break Up
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The Devil Wears Prada
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The King Of Kong: A Fistfull Of Quarters
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Cast: Antonio Banderas, Rob Brown, Yaya DaCosta, Alfre Woodward. New Line Cinema. Written by Dianne Houston. Directed by Liz Friedlander.
Antonio Banderas stars as internationally acclaimed ballroom dancer Pierre Dulaine (the man behind the inspiring school dance program chronicled in the last year’s hit documentary Mad Hot Ballroom) in the family drama Take the Lead. The film, inspired by a true story, revolves around a professional dancer who volunteers to teach in the New York City public school system. But when his classic methods clash with his students’ hip hop instincts, he teams up with them to create a new style of dance and becomes their mentor in the process. As Dulaine becomes a mentor for his students, many of whom haven’t had much to strive towards in their lives, he inspires them to hone their craft for a prestigious city ballroom competition, and in return they share with each other valuable lessons about pride, respect and honor.
A fine title, but Mr. Holland’s Dance Class would have been more descriptive, for Take the Lead is about as formulaic as a movie can get. In keeping with all the new-teacher-befriends-urban-high-schoolers movies, this one follows the numbers, well, to the letter: he must win them over, they learn to like his music by blending in their own; and they gear up for the big contest, despite their underdog status and coming of age travails.
That said there are several positive elements that make this familiar effort a worthy entry into the genre. Mr. Banderas injects a suave honesty into his role. The music, a blend of Gershwin and hip-hop, is lively and tolerable for purists of both styles. And then there is the insightful message – only some get the dream, those who show up to receive it. Breezy and humorous, Take the Lead is lightweight, but fun.
PG-13 30 expletives, 5 harsh obscenities; two misuses of God’s name; a brief fist fight; a youth is hit by his drunken father; he then has a gun put to his head by a thug; he is then beaten by the bad guys; a car is trashed by a hostile youth with a golf club; he later faces up to the deed; a grown man gets aggressive with a teen girl; there is some erotic dancing, with several girls provocatively dressed for the roller skate/dance competition. It is implied that a teen girl’s mother is a prostitute - this is not glorified, but incorporated to reveal the difficulties many teens are contending with.
TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY
Will
Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole, Michael Clarke Duncan.
Sony Pictures/Columbia. Comedy. Written by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay. Directed
by Adam McKay.
NASCAR sensation Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) has one goal – to win at all
costs. His ne’er-do-well father instilled the philosophy: “If
you’re not the first, you’re last.” While that attitude
has made him a national hero, it’s now about to be tested. There’s
a new flamboyant driver in town – a Frenchman, one Jean Girard (Cohen).
Will Ferrell’s humor is always very conceptional, much like a skit from Saturday Night Live. And like his work on that program, if the concept is not bringing the desired response, he thinks making it louder and more raucous will save the routine. Often that belief worked on his TV alma mater. It seldom does in his movies.
Remember Gary Larson’s The Far Side? His daily comics were hysterical because, while they contained an element of outrageousness, there was also a truism or theme that we related to. Sad to say, there’s not a lot of such observational humor in movies, today. What there is, is outrageousness. A few examples come to mind.
After surviving a car crash, the lead jumps from the car and races around the track, delusionally thinking he is on fire. He strips down to underwear and socks and flees from ambulance medics. (By the way, in how many films have we seen Will in his BVDs, now?) Then there are the two boys playing his 7- and 8-year-old sons, both with more attitude than Colin Farrell and with the same obnoxious vocabulary. The joke is, the two boys have been raised to take no guff from anyone – not even grandpa. “Shut up, old man, before I go --- ---- all over your ass.” And then there’s Ricky Bobby’s nemesis, a gay French racer whom Ricky likes to call Peppy Labitch. The antagonist promises to return home and let Ricky remain rooster of the racetrack if he will merely kiss him in public. Being a good ol NASCAR boy, there’s no way that’s going to happen. Yeah, right. We know right away, before this movie ends, we’re going to see these two men in a passionate lip-lock. Why? Because it’s outrageous.
I keep hoping the I-can’t–believe-I-just-heard-that factor has run its coarse. The shock value that spills forth from talented but unsophisticated comics is limited in scope and ultimately numbing to the soul. What’s more, these guys fail to tap into humor from sources other than bodily malfunctions. Glad to say, there are exceptions to the rule, and there is a very bright spot on the way to today’s comic scene. A few nights ago I viewed a DVD of a standup comedy event. Hosted by Everybody Loves Raymond’s Patricia Heaton, Thou Shalt Laugh presents several very funny Christian comics. The DVD featured routines that made us adults laugh out loud and other material that pleased my 5- and 7-year-old nephews. Thou Shalt Laugh is slated for release in November. Believe me, you’ll be hearing a lot about this one. It may possibly change the direction of today’s comedy. I live in hope.
As for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, there are some funny moments. After all, these are talented people. But I found that every other laugh came from sexual bawdiness, while the remaining gags were yanked from bad-boy behavior that wears thin if you’re not Larry the Cable Guy.
PG-13 (crude language and visuals all the way through;15 or so expletives a dozen or more obscenities, and seven profanities; played for laughs, the violence is slapstick, such as a man, thinking he is paralyzed, stabbing himself with a sharp knife; there are several car crashes; one sexual situation, played for laughs; two supporting characters are gay, much humor is mined from their lifestyle. We see men kiss on two occasions; one gesture and lots of sexual dialogue, even some from kids; several comic drug references. Ricky’s dad is supposed to be a drug dealer; there is a long-running gag with Ricky saying grace; though I hesitate to call it blasphemous, it’s disrespectful).
Video Alternative: The Great Race. A comic spoof of old-time melodramas, with Jack Lemmon very funny as the villainous Professor Fate, Tony Curtis stalwart as the Great Leslie, and Natalie Wood luminous as a suffragette. I think this film has some of the greatest site gags of all time, plus a great sword fight between Leslie and the evil Ross Martin. It also has the pie fight to end all pie fights.
Cecil B. DeMille’s Oscar-winning classic The Ten Commandments will debut as a three-disc Collector’s Edition DVD on March 21 from Paramount Home Video. Nominated for six Academy Awards and winning for Best Special Effects, DeMille’s 1956 remake stars Charlton Heston as Moses leading God’s chosen people from an enslaved existence in Egypt to freedom in the promised land.
Yul Brynner costars as the Pharaoh who needed a great deal of convincing before allowing the Israelites to flee. And even after several destructive plagues, his heart hardened once more, which led to the destruction of his army, here vividly portrayed by ground-breaking, make that sea-parting, special effects.
Filmed in Egypt and the Sinai with one of the biggest sets ever constructed for a motion picture and truly a cast of thousands, the newly restored and remastered biblical epic has a rare on-screen introduction by Cecil B. DeMille himself, is enhanced by a Dolby surround stereo soundtrack, and features a commentary by Katherine Orrison – author of Written in Stone - Making Cecil B. DeMille’s Epic, The Ten Commandments. The 3-disc set contains the original 1923 silent version, also directed by DeMille. And there are enough extras (a 6-part documentary is a highlight) to keep you entertained for several evenings.
C. B. DeMille was a taskmaster, a hard man, but he had a strong faith and he spent much of his artistic life bringing biblical truths to the general movie-going public. Born in 1881, he was the son of an artistic man torn between being a minister and a playwright. Obviously, the great filmmaker inherited both these traits. Not always respected by his peers due to his gargantuan scenic extravagances, which often overshadowed the films’ dramatics, but flamboyant DeMille always amazed and entertained audiences with his spectacles (The Squaw Man, King of Kings, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Plainsman, Union Pacific, Sign of the Cross, The Crusades and Unconquered).
His work can be looked on as pious and overtly sentimental, but there’s no escaping the entertainment value. And one other thing – Cecil Blount De Mille was a storyteller unsurpassed by most. He knew that the narrative, the story, was the true special effect. And never more so than in this grand envisioning of Moses. Heightened by the depictions of plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the creation of the tablets containing God’s Holy Commandments, the 220 minute extravaganza moves along with a satisfying pace and a standout performance by Mr. Heston.
“The Lord of Hosts will do battle for us. Behold his mighty hand,” Heston as Moses before parting the Red Sea.
Cast: Rob Schneider, David Spade, Jon Heder, Jon Lovitz, Molly Sims, Tim Meadows. . Sony Pictures/Columbia. Comedy. Written by Allen Covert, Nick Swardson. Directed by Dennis Dugan. Opens 4/7/06
Three athletically challenged 30-somethings form a baseball team for equally inept elementary school kids. The underdogs then take on the best teams in the state.
This is not a review. (One syndicated Knight Ridder critic was able to see the film in Florida due to a mistake made by a field representative. He gave it one star out of four and had nothing positive to say about the film.) Most other reviewers were not allowed to review it. Not even the guys who give Thumb’s Up or Down. But allow me to tell you how I learned that I couldn’t see it.
Studios, afraid that the consensus of critics will hurt a film’s box office, will prevent the press from seeing it prior to opening day. Hey, it’s a business, I can understand their reasoning. But generally, these films are adolescent teen sex comedies or freaky horror flicks their intended audiences attend without first consulting a review. So one can only assume that this studio has other motives in mind for refusing us admittance. An interest builds whenever one writes about a film, even when the report is a negative. And lots of us are writing about this film despite the fact we haven’t yet seen it. This may actually serve the studio. “Let’s go see if it’s really that bad!”
Here’s how I found out I couldn’t see it. I flew in Tuesday from a press junket in Florida, with plans to see a screening of Benchwarmers two hours after my plane landed. I had to change planes in Charlotte, where the bumpy descent and take-off generated pints of palm sweat. Next, I boarded a US Airways aircraft that resembled the ones featured on the old Flintstones cartoons, you know, with the rock seats and pterodactyls in place of jets. Crammed in like chickens awaiting the KFC treatment, it was a most unpleasant flight. I arrived at my destination at 5:30 and raced nearly an hour away to where I was to see the screening. (New to PREVIEW, I didn’t want to miss the screening. I wanted my bosses to know they could depend on their cub reporter.) As I approached the publicist, a nice lady, a pro, but one suddenly put in a difficult position by her studio, she informed me that I couldn’t enter and why. The studio had decided to pass on press screenings. The decision was last minute.
Now, there are two responses a reviewer can take as he watches those who garnered promotional tickets from local radio stations enter a theater he can’t. He can get all huffy, which will not serve him then or in the future. Or, he can let out a sigh of relief, realizing there is one less Rob Schneider/David Spade he’s going to have to subject himself to. I chose the latter and left for Captain Jack’s Crab Shack.
At the time, I thought, “Well, I’ll go see the first matinee and rush back to put a quick review up on the site.” But you know what folks? I just can’t bring myself to pay $7.00 to see Rob Schneider and David Spade in a movie that a colleague gave one star out of four. That, plus I’m flying that opening day to NY for another press junket.
If you’re not curious about Benchwarmers, allow me to suggest a video alternative: The Sandlot. This comedy/drama concerns a new boy in town struggling to become a member of the neighborhood baseball team. I admit it’s not a great movie, but at least the studio let me come see it when it came out. It is rated PG (a few mild expletives, one graphic scene where the kids get sick after chewing tobacco).
Now, if you really, really insist on my reviewing Benchwarmers, send me a note, indicate your reason and include the $7.00.
Featuring the cast and crew of The Passion of the Christ. Think Films. Documentary. Directed by Francessco Gabras and Alberto Molinari. Opens in limited release Opens 3/24/06.
The Big Question poses questions to a large and varied group of people regarding their own intimate perception of the divine. The peculiar microcosm consists of the cast and crew during the making of The Passion of the Christ.
While viewing it, I lost count of how many questions answered began with “I think...” Never once was the Bible consulted by either the filmmakers or the questionees. True, convictions based on Scripture are taken from a faith that God’s Word is just that, but, ultimately, forming spiritual theories without scriptural grounding is rather like baking a cake having never consulted a recipe.
It may be of interest to those who believe the question is more important than the answer, but those devout in their beliefs will likely find it ponderous, and ultimately, unsatisfying.
Not rated (Two obscenities, but I caught no misuse of God’s name; mature subject matter as people express different views of God and the meaning of life).
Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, Joan Allen, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy
Considine, Edgar Ramirez. Universal. Espionage thriller. Written
by Tony Gilroy, Tom Stoppard, Scott Burns, Paul Attanasio. Directed
by Paul Greengrass.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Matt Damon returns as the trained assassin Jason Bourne for the latest showdown in The Bourne Ultimatum. All he wanted was to disappear. Instead, Jason Bourne is now hunted by the people who made him what he is. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is undeterred by the barrage of bullets and a new generation of highly trained killers. Bourne has only one objective: to go back to the beginning and find out who he was.
Now, in the new chapter of this espionage series, Bourne will hunt down his past in order to find a future. He must travel from Moscow, Paris and London to Tangier and New York City as he continues his quest to find the real Jason Bourne, all the while trying to outmaneuver the scores of cops, federal officers and Interpol agents with him in their crosshairs.
REVIEW: Excessive, paranoid and noisy. That said, a fan base may enjoy the further adventures of Mr. Bourne and may also be hypnotized by the chase scene, which begins at the opening and continues until the end.
Director Paul Greengrass did one of my favorite films of last year, United 93, and he brings the same production skill to this Bourne sequel. He also brings my least favorite photographic gimmick – the handheld “unsteady” cam. It’s used to add tension to a scene, as the camera constantly bobs up and down, jitters sideways and twirls all around. Here, he even shoots people seated, drinking coffee, using this technique. Suddenly, the camera is close on one eye, then swings to a close-up of the other person’s face. The constant movement nearly causes nausea.
And where would today’s action/thriller be without the ever present cell phone and the all-knowing computer? Good heavens, they use those two tools to death.
Those are my two hang-ups with this film. Well, those and the profane language. Still, Mr. Damon is terrific, bringing dimension to an under-written character, and the action is ceaseless and kinetic for those who like their movies to look like MTV videos.
PG-13 (though no one sits around telling off-color jokes, nearly everyone expresses frustration and anger with expletives, obscenity and profanity; around 12 expletives and three or four obscenities; Jesus, Christ, Jesus Christ – they are uttered several times throughout, and not in a prayerful manner; God’s name is followed by a curse three times; dangerous car chases, martial arts battles, shootings and things that go boom occur from beginning to end; it’s excessive and often brutal; Jason Bourne is like James Bond in that he takes a licking, but keeps on ticking; he’ll limp for a scene or two after falling off a roof or surviving car crashes that would do-in crash dummies, with minor bloody cuts; some smoke, some drink, but mostly these people run and shoot). Running Time: 111 min. Intended Audience: Older teens and adults
Video Alternative: The Ipcress File. Michael Caine. Although it suggests some sexual activity, it doesn't bombard your senses with a lot of rough language or sexuality like much of today's cinema, but rather focuses on a great espionage caper.
Zach
Braff, Amanda Peet, Charles Grodin, Jason Bateman. MGM. Written by David Guion,
Michael Handelman. Directed by Jesse Peretz.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Tom Reilly (Zach Braff) is a bit of an underachiever when it comes to his career (or lack thereof), but his adoring wife, Sofia (Amanda Peet), a formidable lawyer, has always been happy to act as the breadwinner. With the birth of their first child, Sofia decides she wants to be a stay-at-home mom so Tom needs to step up and take care of his growing family. Unfortunately he gets fired from his job in New York City and is forced to start working with his father-in-law (Charles Grodin) in Sofia’s hometown of Ohio. Tom soon clashes with his work colleagues, especially the outrageous Chip (Jason Bateman), who still carries a torch for Sofia from their high school days, and Sofia becomes increasingly uncomfortable staying home with their new baby.
REVIEW: Loaded with a lot of family strife ala Everybody Loves Raymond (indeed, Mr. Braff looks and acts like a younger version of Ray Ramono) the film grates on the nerves. There’s nothing worst than having someone covertly alter your life by saying and doing things to make you look foolish, corrupt or inept. The lead goes through this from opening to nearly the end, with the last few minutes turning around much like a TV situation comedy.
The film is just not smartly written. From all I could learn, this was the first film script for the writers and it looks like silly slapstick TV comedy. That said, many people in the screening room enjoyed the slapstick silliness. That would explain why King of Queens and Life According to Jim have lasted so long.
PG-13 (several crude sexual comments and references to the male anatomy; around ten uses of the s-word, one from a kid who also gives a rude gesture and at least one use of the f-word; there are several minor expletives; I caught two profane uses of Christ’s name; there are a couple of fights, a man falls down a flight of stairs; several graphic discussions concerning sexual matters; some wine drinking).
Running Time: 89 min.
Intended Audience: Older teens and adults
THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS
Documentary
from Picturehouse. Written by Ed Cunningham, II, and Seth Gordon. Directed
by Seth Gordon.
FILM SYNOPSIS: In 2003, 35-year-old family man Steve Wiebe, after losing his job at Boeing, found solace in Donkey Kong. He began perfecting his game every night after his wife and kids went to bed, and not only surpassed Billy Mitchell (“Gamer of the Century” and Donkey Kong Champion), but ended up with a thought-to-be-impossible 1,000,000 points. In the months that followed, Steve and Billy engaged in a cross-country duel to see who could set the high score that would be included in the 2007 Guinness World Records’ book and become “The King of Kong.” Along the way, both men learned valuable lessons about what it means to be a father, a husband, and a true champion…discovering that you don’t always need to win to be a winner.
REVIEW: So well conceived, I thought for a while, “Are we being punked?” But no, even though it has a mockumentary feel, it’s the real deal. Despite the title, which, as a colleague pointed out, is the best film title this year, this is not a Christopher Guest (Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show) comic satire, but an honest appraisal of a cult of obsessed people who take video game playing very seriously.
Searching for an outlet to nurture their energies or artistic nature or just a venue where they can succeed above all others, these geeky gamesman are tunnel visioned and a picture of obsessive-compulsives. While many people apply such efforts and time to activities that aid others, the people who spend their time in front of arcade machines tend to be less social, more in tune with their own desires. They appear to be selfish and self-centered. Even the “good” guy here, the man we root for, is so possessed by being the highest scorer that when his four-year-old boy calls from the top of the stairs, “Daddy, come wipe my butt,” daddy dearest refuses to budge.
Now, there will be those who defend this “sport,” and I’ll admit that -- like anything done well -- it demands discipline and expertise. But what does it say when the most astute person in the room is a preteen girl who suggests to her father, who wants to enter the Guinness World Records, “Some people ruin their lives to be in that book.” She’s wise in her generation.
The King of Kong is not mean spirited or belittling. It is, however, a taunting exposé that masterfully reveals the makeup of these two advocates of the arcade. The biggest surprise of the summer; I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful concept.
PG-13 (a couple of crude comments, but mostly the film seems tame for its rating; a couple of minor expletives, but I caught no harsh language; very brief sexual reference and a scene with girls scantily dressed)
Running Time: 84 min.
Intended Audience: Older teens and above
Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Ann-Margret, Judy Davis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Favreau. Universal. Romantic comedy. Story by Vince Vaughn. Screenplay by Jeremy Garelick & Jay Lavender. Directed by Peyton Reed.
Boy has met girl and our story begins with them living happily ever after. But maddening reality quickly shatters their rose-colored, opposites-attract story. He’s a blue collar tour bus guide who plays video games and forgets that garbage goes in a can, while she’s a cultured curator who demands an orderly, classy lifestyle. They’re Oscar and Felix. Without much ado, they break up (hence the clever title). The quarreling twosome is suddenly at war over the shared condo, and when neither is willing to move out, the only solution is to continue living as antagonistic roommates until somebody caves.
Well, here’s the good news; only Three Horsemen to go. For surely, this abomination has clanged the apocalyptic death knell for the romantic comedy.
Dissatisfied with the comedy/romance material he had been offered, Vince Vaughn decided to write one for himself. But storytelling should not be entered into lightly by frustrated movie stars who think they can do it better than say, a real writer. Aided by romantic-comedy neophytes Jeremy Garelick & Jay Lavender, this atrocity with its harsh, profane and mindless excursion into the world of life partnering will surely doom the genre as we knew it.
I suppose it can be argued that the story is a cautionary tale for young lovers who decide to cohabitate; but is anybody really going to learn life lessons from this clumsy attempt? It’s not satire or parody or drawing room witty. It’s a film for those who think Larry the Cable Guy is high art. I take that back. At least good old Larry has some original observations. The Break-Up and Vince Vaughn as writer of said story, don’t.
Oh, sure, there are some laughs; both stars have lots of comic timing under their belts. The funniest lines, however, are regurgitated from hipper, more amusing movie ancestors. Here we have jokes mined from not one, but two stereotypical gay characters (one singing a show tune during dinner and moving about the dinning room as if supported by fairy dust). Then there is the hulkish best friend (Jon Favreau) who dispenses sexist advice and a vampirish art gallery diva played by Judy Davis as if she were channeling Tallulah Bankhead. (All this has been executed before with far more aplomb.) There simply isn’t an original character or thought in the entire film. And Mr. Vaughn seems incapable of expressing frustration, or any other emotion for that matter, without uttering God’s name followed by a curse.
Even in this day and age, when the audience is used to writers incorporating the profane expression GD into nearly every script, its jarring effect especially endangers the tone of the romantic comedy, or even the anti-romantic comedy (which is what I guess this is supposed to be).
Forgive the harshness, but I’m angered that the builders of the romantic comedy genre (Frank Capra, Billy Wilder, Howard Hawks, George Cukor) have been undermined by this obscene tripe. What Mr. Vaughn and his partners in crime have done is comparable to today’s politicians who abuse the memory of Adams, Lincoln, and Roosevelt (both of them). Containing all the viciousness of The War of the Roses, yet none of the pithy satire, and with its melancholy The Way We Were-like ending, The Break-Up leaves filmgoers with one hostile, depressing and brainless movie.
Allow me to suggest a video alternative: The Awful Truth. This classic screwball comedy has Cary Grant and Irene Dunne as a divorced couple sabotaging each other’s new relationships. Oh, I don’t kid myself; few from this generation will watch a black-and-white movie -- from the 1940s, no less. Too bad. It’s a perfect example of a romantic comedy. May the genre rest in peace.
PG-13 (most of the crudeness, and there’s a lot of it, springs from sexual comments, references to body parts, and a few coarse comic visuals, such as a sculpture of a man with a water spigot used as a penis; over 20 obscene words, 10 minor expletives, 30 profanities; these profanities mainly come from the male lead; a comic martial arts demonstration as a gay man beats up the macho lead; the couple live together outside marriage, but there are no graphic sexual scenes. Scantily clad women playing strip poker; no nudity in this scene, but the attire is provocative; we see both a male and female naked from behind in two separate scenes; two supporting characters are both effeminate, the stereotypical gay humor overly familiar; lots of social drinking; it is obvious that the couple, who each profane both God’s name and Christ’s on several occasions, pay little heed to biblical teaching about such language).
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway.
Meryl Streep stars as a high-powered fashion magazine editor, and Anne Hathaway, as Miranda’s new assistant – a small-town girl trying to survive her impossibly demanding new boss.
Crisp, sharp-tongued wit (rare in today’s movies) and an Oscar-worthy performance by Meryl treep highlight this satire of the fashion world and the people who populate it.
Though she is mistreated by snobbish co-workers, the film’s heroine in turn gives them a caring respect, reinforcing the biblical lesson concerning loving the unlovable. She also learns life lessons about what’s important: love and integrity. Alas, again, we have a movie where the lead lives with her boyfriend outside marriage. In certain segments of society (other than the gay community) marriage is no longer important.
PG-13 (8 obscenities, four expletives, Christ’s name is misused once and the expression “oh my god” is heard 4 or five times; a woman is hit by a car, leaving her in a body cast; the lead lives with her boyfriend; we see the couple in bed, but no sexual activity; the couple and their friends meet at a bar on a regular basis, and in one scene it is implied that the lead gets drunk; separated from her boyfriend, she sleeps with a man on a first date).
Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Muloney, Claire Danes, Luke Wilson, Craig T. Nelson. 20th Centure Fox. Comedy/drama.
Home for the holidays, one of five grown children introduces his fiancée to Mom and Dad and the rest of the tight-knit family. She doesn’t fit in and mom and sis are vocal about it. And when the fiancée’s younger sister shows up, the son also begins to question if he’s doing the right thing.
Diane Keaton has never been better, a superb performance as a dying woman now facing what she believes is a major mistake on the part of her eldest son. As for the rest of the cast, well, it simply is an ensemble of very talented people come together in a poignant drama about family.
There are some touching moments and some very funny ones, but if one believes a life is incomplete without a spiritual awareness and if one feels that biblical teachings are necessary for dealing with life’s struggles and leadings, then this family will seem bankrupt and misleading.
Without going into politics, the film suggests that this is a free thinking, liberal bunch who have no qualms about sleeping together outside marriage, profaning God’s name frequently, accepting the homosexual lifestyle, and believing two gay men should be able to adopt a child.
Keaton is full of rage; apparently unable to deal with her cancer, her bitterness and smugness are taken out on her guest. Rude wouldn’t cover her behavior. It is an unpleasant attitude to witness. It is Christmas time and yet there is no evidence that any of the characters find meaning in the birth of Christ. Indeed, the only utterance of God’s name comes during moments of frustration, generally followed by a curse. Same goes for the baby Jesus.
Profanity isn’t just used as a release of anger. It’s almost conversational. To these people their cursings are mere expletives. It sends a chill up my spine to hear Jesus’ name uttered as if saying “darn it.” Not only is it offensive because I and a huge portion of the population believe Him to be the son of God, but most filmmakers don’t seem to care that it is offensive to us. But then, why should they? We’re going to their movies despite this fact.
Beyond the characters’ callousness towards Christian sensibilities, viewing an entire screen family devoid of a spiritual awareness is depressing. While these are fictional characters, they represent many people in the world without a relationship with the Savior of mankind.
The film is another on a long list determined to defend homosexuality and paint anyone who opposes the acceptance of that lifestyle as homophobic. Here the son has a male life companion, probably the nicest guy in the bunch, and the two are planning the adoption of a child. At the end of the film the gay couple introduce their new son to the gleeful group.
It is a film that desires to do away with traditions and standards the filmmakers feel society has outgrown. For example, the mother and the rest of the family think it is absurd that the fiancé wants to sleep in a separate room.
This film further signals the crumbling future of conservative and religious values in Hollywood stories. Those desiring to develop their relationship through Christ are very likely going to find movie-going ultimately dissatisfying. If they haven’t already.
PG-13 (several profanities and 4 or 5 obscenities; some crude sexual comments; sexual discussions and the film has a pronounced gay agenda; several family arguments; some social drinking and one couple gets drunk, leading to a misunderstanding – the woman thinking she has sleep with her fiancé’s brother).
Video Alternatives: Christmas Eve (1986). Loretta Young, Ron Leibman, Trevor Howard head a seasoned cast in an account of an elderly woman trying to bring her grandchildren and their father back together. Young had not made a film in 23 years, yet proved she was still glamorous and gifted.
The Gathering (1977) with Ed Asner, Maureen Stapleton. This Emmy-winning TV movie focuses on a dying man's efforts to reunite his family. It reinforces the importance of family and presents positive Christian images including a believable prayer, the scripture reading of Jesus' birth, and a child's christening. Forget the sequel.
Saint Maybe (1998) Blythe Danner, Edward Herrmann, Melina Kanakaredes, Thomas McCarthy, Jeffrey Nordling, Mary-Louise Parker. Hallmark
When a ne’er-do-well finds himself the cause of his brother’s death, he seeks a reason for his life. He stumbles upon a church gathering and quickly turns his life around, living for others.
This affecting Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation of a family dealing with the loss of a loved one is a wonderful film suitable for the Christmas holidays. There are so many powerful messages and life lessons, none of which overpowers the entertaining drama.
What a delight to find a film where scripture is quoted, the Christian lifestyle is not mocked, prayers are spoken and the gospel message is put into practice.
Due to the adult subject matter and two deaths, the material may not be suitable for little ones, but older children and their parents will be nurtured as they see a family come together after tragic circumstances. I really liked this movie. But beware: have a Kleenex on hand. It will move you.
Unrated (two women have a beer; a car crash kills a man – seen twice; an accidental death by drug overdose; the family pet passes away).
W&D-Rob Hardy. Screen Gems. Opens 10/7/05
A semi-autobiographical film about the transformative power of faith and forgiveness, The Gospel is a contemporary drama packed with the soaring, soulful sounds of gospel music. Set in the impassioned world of the African-American church, The Gospel tells the story of David Taylor (Boris Kodjoe), a dynamic young R&B star whose chart-topping albums have earned him fame and wealth, but whose decadent lifestyle has estranged him from his father (Clifton Powell), the bishop of his hometown church. When David learns his father is ill and near death, he returns home to try to reconcile and discovers his former best friend, Charles (Idris Elba), is poised to become his father’s successor at the church – and threatens to ruin everything David’s father worked so hard to achieve. Torn between his successful new life and the one he used to know, David has to decide whether he can give up his own desires to protect his father’s legacy and make peace with his family, his beliefs, and, ultimately, himself.
The cast includes Boris Kodjoe, Idris Elba, Clifton Powell, Aloma Wright, Omar Gooding, Tamyra Gray, Keshia Knight Pulliam (remember little Rudy on The Cosby Show), and Nona Gaye, as well as a “who’s who” roster of today’s best and brightest gospel music stars, including Donnie McClurkin, Yolanda Adams, Martha Munizzi, Hezekiah Walker, and Delores “Mom” Winans. The film features new songs by acclaimed gospel producer/performer Kirk Franklin.
If a film has a strong story, if it’s about something, most movie lovers are willing to forgive a few clumsily directed scenes. This film opens with a wobbly moment or two, but then redeems itself due to its…I’m searching for another word, but there’s no better description than soul. The Gospel has plenty of that.
Far too often films start out with a strong premise, but slowly poop out by the third act. The Gospel, with its prodigal son scenario and theme of destructive pride, on the other hand, builds to a fulfilling conclusion. In the beginning its few shaky scenes, seemingly in need of more takes, made me wonder if this was another one of those well- intentioned Jesus movies whose filmmaker eased away from real-life situations in order to be acceptable viewing if it should end up in church sanctuaries. But as the film progressed, so did writer/director Rob Hardy’s ability to weave the production’s elements smoothly and effectively together.
If he is entertained and moved by the film, the icing on the cake for the Christian critic comes from hearing the name of Jesus being acknowledged, reverenced, and praised on the very cineplex screen where he so often hears it used as an expletive for relieving frustration. How glorious to view a well-made film, telling a meaningful story, while at the same time sending the message that there is a God and that there are people in the arts willing to profess a belief in Him.
There are several standout moments, but one especially moved me. Our hero has fallen for a woman who is separated from her husband. When the repentant husband returns…well, come to think of it, I don’t want to give it away. Let me just say that it is a defining moment.
No, I will not expound on the film’s qualities. I think they will be more delightful as viewers discover these moments for themselves. The one exception is to recognize the joyousness of its music. Where most white churches have lost touch with true worship and praise music, African-American congregations understand how music’s vitality and message can lift the spirit into a genuine mood of exaltation. That wonder has been captured in The Gospel.
Just the night before, I saw a romance/drama that was supposed to stir my emotions. But it had a synthetic feel, like one of those paint-by-numbers pictures. The Gospel is more honest and certainly more brave as it deals with spirituality, something most filmmakers shy away from when attempting a story about healing and passion. One moment at the end of The Gospel especially touched me, as we see a young man coming forward during an alter call. I found tears coming to my eyes not due to a manipulative intent, but because it was an honest depiction of a soul professing an acceptance of Christ. The moment rang true. A life had been changed. This change could affect many others. That’s a powerful concept, one rarely addressed in the cinema.
Uplifting, entertaining, gratifying, The Gospel is this year’s sleeper hit.
PG (thematic material, some drinking and mild language; the lead, having grown up in the church, becomes a rock star – to emphasize this, there is a brief scene of him doing a music video surrounded by scantily clad female dancers gyrating to his music – but the filmmaker is not attempting to exploit, but merely depict the world of secular entertainment; another scene has him in bed with a sleeping woman – again this is done to show the lifestyle of an artist who considers sex without love as merely a perk of his career).
Despite its disputable title, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” is a charming, totally engrossing family pleaser. The elements are all there for good drama: a put-upon young hero dealing with a distant father, elitist hostilities, a fascination with a gentleman’s sport and even the smile of a lovely lass who comes from the better side of the tracks. Basically an unknown underdog story from sports annuals, the true tale is masterfully handled by its filmmakers. But the film has a couple of obstacles.
First, that title, which is rather pretentious and, as I said, debatable. Second, will moviegoers care about a story set on golf courses populated by men in tweeds and knickers? The milieu doesn’t suggest much action and moviegoers seem uncaring about the events at the top of the last century. “Cinderella Man” has been the best film of this past year, but despite its electrifying cast, optimistic theme and powerhouse director Ron Howard, its lackluster boxoffice returns suggest that the Depression era timeframe was of little interest to today’s movie-going majority.
Notice, however, that these deterrents have nothing to do with the qualityof “Greatest Game.” In other words, filmgoers looking for quality entertainment they can enjoy with the family will be cheating themselves if they pass on this movie.
In 1913, 20-year-old Francis Ouimet, engagingly played by Shia LaBeouf, unexpectedly became an overnight American hero. In a standoff at golf’s U.S. Open, he stunned American audiences by proving that golf wasn’t just a game for the country club elite but a sport in which any American – no matter how youthful, how poor or how unknown - could aspire to triumph. It was to become one of those rare defining moments in sports history. Inspired by Francis Ouimet, the infant sport of golf soon exploded into one of America’s most popular pastimes and a source of dreams for numerous young heroes-in-the-making.
The picture points out that there have always been people with a penchant for prejudice. For too many, class structure, ethnic backgrounds and, of course, financial situations determine the value of a person rather than his integrity or ability. I doubt this film will detour that thinking. It may, however, remind those with a dream not to be discouraged or detoured by the will of others.
Says actor-turned-director Bill Paxton: “It’s a classic tale of an American underdog. Here was an immigrant kid growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts at the turn of the century – a time when if you were born working class you stayed working class. There was no crossing over into another social class because it just wasn’t done. But Francis Ouimet decided to do things his own way and he changed things for everybody. He showed that it wasn’t about how much money you had or who your father was. It’s who you are inside that really counts.”
Paxton, along with an amazing cameraman and just a little help from the studio’s special effects department, energizes the golfing scenes, bringing humor and excitement to what could have been bland TV-like coverage. And both Shia LaBeouf (“Holes”) and Stephen Dillane (“The Hours”), who plays Harry Vardon – the genteel British champ who never expected to be challenged by a young American – have an intensity and sincerity that’s downright magnetizing.
But here is the film’s greatest selling point: Josh Flitter. Who? He’s the young actor playing 10-year-old Eddie Lowery. Who? Well, Lowery was the youngster who caddied for Ouimet. A miniature hustler, little Lowery was as sharp as a tack and kept Ouimet centered and focused.
Flitter has moments of hilarity, but far more, he injects poignancy into the story. Here’s this short-of-stature, 10-year-old caddie, who, coupled with a lanky 20-year-old working class golf amateur, faces down naysayers and besting golfing greats of the day. Wise and determined Lowery is someone we could all use in our corner as he spits in the blind eye of those who would hold him back. Flitter as Lowery conveys a symbolism of the American spirit. He’s the little guy, the mutt, facing the disapproving pedigree of life’s opponents.
Avoiding the crudity and exploitation associated with many film releases these days, writer Mark Frost (one-time executive story editor for “Hill Street Blues” – the best written TV series of all time) fills his inspirational screenplay with humor, pathos and an uplifting message that makes “The Greatest Game Ever Played” this year’s best family film. Despite that title, this is one I look forward to seeing again.
The Greatest Game Ever Played. Shia LaBeouf, Stephen Dillane. Disney. W- Mark Frost. D- Bill Paxton. Opens 9/30/05
PG (other than a few minor expletives, I caught no objectionable language or profanity; the film deals smartly with inferiority complexes; nothing in the content – such as characters smoking, a habit not closely associated with cancer at that time – is done exploitively, but rather reflects the mores and customs of the day).
Edward
Norton, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel. Bulls Eye Entertainment. Romantic
drama /adventure. Written & directed by Neil Burger. Not rated at
time of screening. 109 min. Opens 8/18/06
A mystery that combines romance, suspense and magic, The Illusionist is the latest film from the producers of the Oscar® winners Crash and Sideways. The film stars Academy Award® nominees Edward Norton (Fight Club, American History X) and Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man, Sideways) as two men pitted against each other in a battle of wits. Norton plays a mysterious stage magician, Eisenheim, who seemingly bends nature's laws to his will in front of awestruck crowds. Giamatti co-stars as Vienna's shrewd Chief Inspector Uhl, a man committed to uphold the law. Jessica Biel (Stealth, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blade: Trinity) shares the screen as the beautiful and enigmatic Sophie von Teschen, who falls in love with Eisenheim as a youngster, only to be separated by class-conscious parents.
Years later, when Eisenheim begins to perform his astounding illusions in Vienna, word quickly spreads of his otherworldly powers… even reaching the ears of one of Europe's most powerful and pragmatic men, Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell, Dark City), who attends one of Eisenheim's shows accompanied by his beautiful fiancé and companion, Sophie von Teschen. Eisenheim and Sophie recognize each other from their childhoods-and a dormant love affair is rekindled.
As the clandestine romance continues, it becomes clear that the prince will hunt them down and kill them in order to protect his vanity. Eisenheim must execute his greatest illusion yet in order to live happily ever after with Sophie.
Well, finally, a movie for grownups. No cape-wearing superheroes, no fishy ghoul pirates, and no flatulence riffs that substitute for wit. Indeed, this is the type of movie generally set aside until the end of the year so the studio will be assured that Academy members will remember it come awards time. (Come to think of it, we are close to the awards season.) It is clever, even though its not difficult to realize that Eisenheim is using his gifts to pull off a sting; it is well acted (even Ms. Biel proves she's more than toned biceps and attitude); and each of the technical aspects from music to lighting to photography work together to make a sensory-satisfying movie experience. Writer/director Neil Burger deftly combines a nuanced morality play with a complex and stylish whodunit.
Not rated: (1 obscenity; the young couple is roughly treated when they are caught and separated; it is implied that the prince has a violent and dangerous temper; a woman is slapped; a woman's dead body is found floating in a stream; a man commits suicide by a pistol shot; one sensual scene between the main couple, with close-ups of skin (due to the extreme close-ups, body parts are not distinguishable; brief nudity; one crude comment from the drunken prince).
For more details visit: www.theillusionist.com
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Sandra
Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Dylan Walsh, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Christopher Plummer.
Warner Bros. Pictures / Village Roadshow Pictures. Romantic drama.
An independent-minded doctor (Sandra Bullock) who once occupied an unusual lakeside home begins exchanging letters with its newest resident, a frustrated architect (Keanu Reeves), and discovers that, incredibly, they are living two years apart. As they begin to reveal more of themselves to one another through their continuing correspondence (via a magical mailbox), they find themselves falling in love. Determined to bridge the distance between them and unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance, they tempt fate by arranging to meet.
Mixed: The relationships are nicely developed, the Twilight Zone-like plot (last seen in Somewhere in Time and Kate and Leopold) intriguing, and after their twelve-year separation, the two stars of Speed still exude a genuine chemistry. On the other hand, the spiritual disconnect renown in Hollywood ethereal dramas is less than satisfying for the spiritually minded. For example, a couple lives together. Okay, lots of unweds live together, but this status is portrayed as a matter of fact. Again, that's true in our culture, but should this fact of life be passively accepted by followers of biblical teaching? And though the dialogue is mature, often thoughtful, there are a few unnecessary profanities sprinkled throughout that jar those who believe God's name should not be used simply to express frustration.
PG (4 profanities, 3 obscenities, and 2 minor expletives; a man is seen in the street after apparently being hit by a bus; the subject matter would not interest little ones).
Get movie details at: thelakehousemovie.warnerbros.com
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on DVD, this spiritually moving documentary from Willowcreek features the
stories of two men in different parts of the world, each having a life-after-death
experience: the medical term known as the Lazarus phenomenon.
The first vignette features an African pastor who was medically and legally
declared dead. But he returned to life two days later, giving testimony of
God’s mercy and preaching that unforgiveness buried in your heart can
cost you. The second story features a surfer who never gave God a thought,
only to face death after being stung several times by jellyfish. His spiritual
insights after the death experience are equally moving.
At 100 minutes, the film includes scientific and medical insights from those
communities as well as biblical teaching.
The pastor tells of seeing the glory of Heaven and also the torment of Hell. He feels fortunate that he came back and is able to tell others of the need to forgive. According to him, asking God to forgive us must be accompanied by forgiving those who have sinned against us. While I believe there is only one “rule” for getting into heaven – accepting Jesus Christ as your Saviour, in Mark 11:25 Jesus does say, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
I had a profound experience during this segment. Although I had attempted to forgive a man who has repeatedly harmed my work, I still couldn’t stand to hear his name. Suffice it to say, I had no joy in my heart whenever someone would ask, “Do you so-and-so?” During this program, suddenly, I began to pray for him. I sought the ability to forgive him and I began seeking a blessing for his work and life. Now, understand, I haven’t been able to do that. Nor could I. It was the Holy Spirit’s touch on my heart and whatever it is the Holy Spirit does when he replaces anger and resentment with peace and understanding. I believe the Lord used this film as a catalyst for thinking of the importance of forgiveness.
What better evidence that we are God’s own than the willingness and ability to love those who have wronged us? That quality is not in man, alone. The ability to forgive and let go is further proof of God’s mercy and Christ’s love.
This step in growth took a while to manifest in my spiritual walk. And I suspect, especially since I am being forthright about this fault, it is an area that will be challenged in my spiritual walk. Maybe even daily. What encourages me is the understanding that whatever our spiritual struggle, it’s not our deeds that impress God. It’s our willingness to reverence Him and seek His will that delight His heart.
The Lazarus Phenomenon is available at Christen bookstores. Caution: Not rated, the subject matter and some visuals of Hell are too intense for children.
Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Rufus Sewell, Nick Chinlund. Action/adventure. W- Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman. D- Martin Campbell. Opens 10/28/05
Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are reunited with director Martin Campbell in the continuing adventures of the Caped Crusader. No, no, that’s the Batman. I guess Zorro was the Desert Fox, or something like that. Anyway, the attractive twosome is now opposing forces that have conspired to keep California from becoming part of the United States. The plot: the bad guys are planning to unleash a threat that has been 500 years in the making — a threat that could change the course of history. But the swashbuckler, coupled with a good woman and a 10-year-old precocious son, proves to still be a force to be reckoned with.
Armed with lots of humor and even more swashbuckling antics, Zorro should be an audience pleaser.
PG (a couple of crude expressions and one obscenity from a boy, but mainly the film receives its rating for the comic-book like action; the violence consists of lots of bloodless fights and the same kind of martial arts choreography one finds in recent James Bond adventures; one obnoxious villain murders a man, the shooting happening off camera, but little ones may be disturbed at seeing the victim leaving a grieving widow and baby fatherless; the film’s got lots of derring-do and some jolting sequences, but eventually, the good guys best the bad guys).
Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Donna Murphy, Chris Evans, Paul Giamatti,
Alicia Keys. MGM. Written by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, Jenny Bicks.
Directed by Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini. 8/24/07
FILM SYNOPSIS: The Nanny Diaries tells the story of Annie Braddock (Johansson), a young woman struggling to understand her place in the world. Fresh out of college, she gets tremendous pressure from her nurse mother to find a respectable position in the business world, although Annie would prefer to trade in her blackberry for an anthropologist's field diary. Through a serendipitous meeting, Annie ends up in the elite and ritualistic culture of Manhattan's Upper East Side -- as remote from Annie's suburban New Jersey upbringing as life in an Amazon tribal village. Choosing to duck out of real life, Annie accepts the position as a nanny for a wealthy family, referred to as simply "the X's." She quickly learns that life is not very rosy on the other side of the tax bracket, as she must cater to the every whim of Mrs. X (Linney) and her precocious son, Grayer, while attempting to avoid the nasty Mr. X (Giamatti).
REVIEW: Containing a subtle, involving performance from the magical Ms. Johansson, some good comic satire from the writers, and a stressed message that money is not the end all, it’s Mary Poppins for grownups. Indeed, there are several not so faint tributes to Disney’s Poppins, including the lead’s flight of fantasy as she sails above the city with the aid of an umbrella, and the film’s message: true riches are found in one’s own children. In place of a spoonful of sugar, Nanny convinces her little charge that peanut butter and jelly makes the medicine go down. She even finds an opportunity to repeat the world’s longest word, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (can you say it backwards?). Well, it lacks the class and classic-ness of Mary Poppins, but it is an enjoyable outing with its Erma Bombeck-like witty narration and humorous satire of parents who treat their children like possessions. That said, read the content before you decide to attend.
PG-13 (we get to see the kid vomit; the s-word is spoken six or so times by the lead and the f-word is spoken by the villainous Mr. X; one profane use of God’s name by Mr. X. “Oh my God” is heard a couple of times; no physical violence, but Mr. X is abusive in speech to his wife; several verbal battles between the husband and wife affect the child; it is implied that the Nanny finally sleeps with a new love; it is not seen; it becomes clear that Mr. X (a really bad guy) is an adulterer; he makes a unwanted pass at the nanny; a gay man is portrayed, but no sexual situations; some social drinking; the lead deceives her mother in order to escape her control).
Running Time: 117
Intended Audience: Older teens and above.
Seasons Most Anticipated “Christmas Movie” Offered On The Job Training By Denise King
Imagine
this. You have been chosen to star in a major motion picture about an epic
journey. Then you find out you are going to “boot camp” to
better prepare for your role.
This is exactly what actors chosen to star in The Nativity Story did. These include: Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) as Mary, Oscar Isaac (Guerrilla) as Joseph, and Academy Award® nominee Shoreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand and Fog) as Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. The Nativity Story is directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown) from a screenplay by Mike Rich (The Rookie, Finding Forrester).
In “Nazareth Boot Camp,” the cast learned to use tools from 2000 years ago as well as how to build homes, press olives and grapes, make bread, make cheese, and milk goats. As his character (Joseph) builds his home throughout the film, Isaac actually helped erect the actual building his character would live in with Mary.
From the writer to the director, the cast to the crew, it is clear that The Nativity Story is much more than just another film project.
Screenwriter Rich said, “I noticed a handful of magazine articles on the Nativity, on Mary and Joseph, the Magi, the shepherd; all of the characters I’d carefully placed in my family’s Nativity set every year when I was growing up, and it occurred to me that while I knew, visually, how the journey to Bethlehem ended, I had very little idea of how they got there, what kind of people they were, and what kind of challenges they likely faced… as a storyteller, those were compelling questions.”
He added, “I found myself drawn to the amazing choices and decisions that Mary and Joseph made, relying solely on their faith in God and each other,” says Rich. “It was a joy to write; not because it was a huge, epic, event-based story, but because it was just the opposite. It was a personal, intimate story of two ordinary people carrying out this absolutely extraordinary mission.”
Producer Wyck Godfrey adds, “This is really the story of a girl whose personal faith takes her on a very difficult journey. She doesn’t know whether it’s going to work out or not, but she has a faith in something and the fact that it will pay off in the end and deliver something extraordinary.”
Rich extensively researched the subject, using 2005 to study every aspect of the story and turn it into a screenplay. In addition to doing his own research, Rich worked with experts to help ensure the work’s accuracy.
“Very early on, we wanted to get this script out and into as many hands as possible,” says Rich. “Historians, theologians, Judeo-Christian experts, Catholic experts, Ecumenical experts – they have all helped elevate the authentic feel of this film. Not only visually, but from a standpoint of culture and tradition.”
With a strong screenplay in place, the next step was finding the right filmmaker to bring the words to life on the screen. Producers found Catherine Hardwicke, who previously proven herself in such films as Thirteen and Lords of Dogtown.
Hardwicke said, “This story means so much to people all over the world,” she says. “I hope audiences can relate to the film on a personal level and find some inspiration to get through their own challenges and difficulties.”
Having been a production designer for many years, Hardwicke was adamant that the locations and set look and feel real. “We want it to feel very big and beautiful, this epic journey these people are on, and have it evoke this whole other time and beautiful landscape.”
Hardwicke and Godfrey traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of perfect backdrops that still had the right look and feel for the project. Unfortunately, there has been so much modernization they ruled out shooting in Israel. So they chose to use Matera, a small town in Southern Italy that they found to be the perfect location for the production.
“Matera is more authentic than the actual sites now,” says Rich. “Present-day Nazareth is a modern town. Jerusalem is a very modern town. Even Bethlehem is not what it used to be. Matera offers absolutely every authentic aspect of those communities.” Scenes for The Nativity Story were shot in some of the same places used in The Passion of the Christ, Gladiator, and Kingdom of Heaven.
The tagline for the movie sums up the story: One Couple. One Journey. One Child...who would change the world...forever. For more information, please go to www.thenativitystory.com.
Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, August Schellenberg, Wes Studi, David Thewlis, Q’orianka Kilcher. New Line. Adventure/love story. W&D-Terrence Malick. Opens in NY & L.A. 12/25/05, expanding nationwide Opens 1/13/06
Director Terrence Malick gives his own interpretation of the classic tale of Pocahontas and her relationships with adventurer John Smith and aristocrat John Rolfe. This epic adventure/love story is set amid the encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown Settlement in 1607. It reveals the tenderness of the Native American maiden who saved John Smith from being killed by her father. This woman’s remarkable journey of love lost and found takes her from the untouched beauty of the Virginia wilderness to the upper crust of English society during the dawning of a new America.
To fully appreciate this film you must be in tune with the artistic sensibilities of its director, Terrence Malick (Badlands, The Thin Red Line). A Rhodes scholar at Oxford, Malick was a journalist for several publications and taught philosophy at MIT before venturing into filmmaking. Dividing his life between Paris and Texas, the reclusive spurns the social life of Hollywood, preferring to make a living by uncredited script doctoring over the directing of studio productions. Therefore, when he occasionally undertakes moviemaking, his approach to this art form can be seen as idiosyncratic, often reflecting his personal peculiarities.
Malick is as much a painter of pictures as a teller of stories. Indeed, in New World you will be far more seduced by the essence of his portraits than by the film’s narrative, which plods along, aided by Colin Farrell’s one expression, a grimace that serves to emote moodiness, philosophical quandaries and romantic glee.
I was enraptured with Malick’s 1978 film Days of Heaven, a love triangle set at the turn of the last century. Distinctly a mood piece, there the auteur’s visuals were the story. Now again, his meticulous, naturalistic style enhances his storytelling with Andrew Wyeth-like vistas and landscapes. But as one can only eat so much steak at one sitting, we can only take so much etherealness. At 150 minutes, scene after scene and visual after visual just go on and on. It’s just too long.
It is not a documentary, but rather an interpretation, one that makes all the explorers out to be heartless, crude and dangerous and all the Indians as noble, giving and victimized. Certainly there is evidence that there is some truth to that view, but moviemakers often warp history either as a way of taking a dramatic stance or as a reflection of their political agendas.
And while there have been countless papers and some books written that indicate a true Christian conversion by Pocahontas, here the deed is shown with no more spiritualness than her becoming accustomed to wearing European shoes.
Make no mistake, there are moments that reflect filmmaking genius and the Native American can be proud of their portrayal, but for me it was just too much steak and not enough potatoes. adoration of nature and yet again a filmmaker’s determination to expose the cruel inception of America.
PG-13 (the film receives its rating for violence; we see several battle scenes, some with gruesome bloodletting; there is some suggested sexual activity, but nothing overt or graphic; Pocahontas prays several times to “Mother,” I assume that being Mother Nature).
Video Alternative: Drums Along the Mohawk. John Ford deftly blends action, romance, intrigue and humor in this exquisitely filmed tale of pioneers facing danger from Indians and the English during Revolutionary War times. Henry Fonda stars.
Robin Williams, Toni Collette, Sandra Ho, Rory Culkin. Miramax. Drama/thriller. Written by Terry Anderson, Patrick Stettner, Armistead Maupin III. Directed by Patrick Stettner.
A late-night radio show host, struggling with a splintering gay relationship, strikes up a friendship with a dying teenager. The teen and his adoptive mom are seeking a publisher for the book of his short life. Abused and molested by his birth parents and left with a deadly sexual disease, his book is supposed to be filled with wise insights, a promising bestseller. However, as the radio guru gets deeper involved with the boy and his new mom via phone calls and emails, he begins to suspect that the book is a work of fiction and that the boy and his guardian may be the same person.
Part psychological thriller, part human drama, the story is overshadowed by its melodramatic tension. While it opens as a promising character study, it progresses into a farfetched fantasy, becoming increasingly solemn and fraught with more soap opera histrionics than an entire year of Days of Our Lives. The Williams character is a troubled soul, unhappy with his work, frustrated by his lover who needs his space, and alienated from his overbearing father. His life is unsettled and dark. The one ray of hope he gets from his new acquaintances becomes murky as his compulsive investigation into their lives proves to be another disturbing experience. Suddenly he has walked into a world even more joyless and troubled than his own.
R (around
25 obscenities, mostly the f-word, split between the male and female leads.
Profanity: 10 profanes uses of Jesus’ name and four uses of God’s
name followed by a curse; a man and woman are nearly struck by a truck; there
is a threat of violence as the lead explores an abandoned house; we see flashbacks
of sexual cruelty to a child; a man is zapped by angry cop with a stun gun;
we see two men kiss, they live together; the main character is gay; though
we do not see any sexual situations other than a kiss between two men; the
relationship is central to the film’s major character; on several occasions,
we hear discussions concerning homosexuality, some from a teen; child porn
is discussed, though it is gratefully discussed as an evil; a man buys a
Playboy magazine for a teenager; several characters smoke; a very depressing
film and one aimed at further cementing the gay lifestyle into the mainstream
consciousness).
Video Alternative: Vertigo. Complex Hitchcock romantic thriller about ex-cop hired to follow a woman whom he soon falls in love with. The director’s powerful imagery and James Stewart’s remarkable performance focus on obsession and hidden fears. Warning, it contains adult subject matter, but discreetly handled.
Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Mia Farrow, David Thewlis.
The Omen, a remake of the 1976 classic thriller, centers around a young boy named Damien, the son of an American diplomat and his wife. Damien's family is unaware he is destined to become the Antichrist – until shattering events reveal the terrifying truth.
When the Mrs. has a miscarriage, Mr. Thorne is offered another baby to raise as their own. No questions asked; the new little family bonds, moves to England, purchases what looks like Castle Dracula, and hires the nanny from Hell (literally). Bad things start happening as Satan begins moving his offspring into a position of power. The difference between this and the Gregory Peck version? The visceral special effects. While the melodramatic Valley of the Demons storyline and stoic performances remain the same, the technical improvements allow us to see a more realistic hanging and decapitation. And other gruesomes.
Will some attendees of this contemporary gothic horror begin to question spiritual matters and want to find out what the Bible says about the end times? Perhaps. It would be naive to presume that was the studio’s intent. Slick, commercial, a real seat grabber, but don’t expect any real spiritual enlightenment from its Hollywoodized theology.
R (one profanity, one obscenity and one minor expletive; sudden, jolting sequences, intense violence: a woman hangs herself, the body dropping several stories in front of a startled crowd; dogs attack two men; a boy pushes his mother over a balcony, we see her fall several levels; a woman is murdered in her hospital bed, she lies there helpless as the murderer seals the fate of the victim; a priest is speared to death by a falling pole; a man is decapitated; a boy is threatened with death; a man is shot to death; etc., along with the gory killings, there are several frightening images of demonic beings haunting the mother).
Naomi Watts, Edward Norton, Live Schreiber, Toby Jones. Warner Independent. Written by Ron Nyswaner. Directed by John Curran.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Based on the classic novel by W. Somerset Maugham, The Painted Veil is a tale of revenge that becomes a love story. Set in the 1920s, it tells of a young English couple: Walter, a middle-class doctor, and Kitty, an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity the husband accepts a job in a remote village ravaged by a deadly epidemic and forces her to go along. It is an act of vengeance, as she is subjected to danger, discomfort and the threat of cholera. Slowly, her shallow nature and his dark heart are both transformed as they attempt to help others. Their discovery of the other’s qualities leads to a loving regard.
REVIEW: This was one of the best film-going experiences I’ve had this
past year. Perhaps that is due to its containing the greatest special effect
ever conceived – the written word. Novelist Somerset Maugham was a
storyteller of the highest magnitude and movie writer Ron Nyswaner (Swing
Shift, Philadelphia, Mrs. Soffel) understands, appreciates and honors that
fact. His screenplay (updated just a touch in order to appeal to politically
correct sensibilities) almost subliminally composes an effective balance
of world-weary cynicism with romantic hope. Director John Curran (We Don’t
Live Here Anymore, Praises) skillfully brings out the human inner emotions
that magically develop between a married couple. It’s a love story.
There just aren’t that many around, these days.
PG-13 (I caught only one minor expletive; angry with his adulterous wife,
the husband threatens to strangle her; an angry Chinese mob chases the
woman; gunshots are fired; an adulterous relationship is shown, with a
sexual situation – brief backside nudity, but neither the nudity
nor the sexual act becomes overly graphic, nor is it meant to be exploitive;
the illicit affair is featured in order to lead to forgiveness and healing;
brief backside nudity as a man gets out of bed; a friend of the couple
lives out of wedlock with a young Chinese girl; occasional drinking, one
drunk scene; we see villagers devastated by cholera, including dying people
in pain and dead bodies along the roadside; themes of vengeance and forgiveness
are incorporated).
Running Time: 125 min.
Intended Audience: Older teens and adults.
Steve
Martin, Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Henry Czerny, Beyoncé Knowles.
A famous soccer coach has been murdered and his priceless ring stolen – a
ring set with the stunning diamond known as the Pink Panther. Inspector Jacques
Clouseau (Steve Martin) is assigned to the case, much to the chagrin of Chief
Inspector Dreyfus (Kline).
Not all of the sequels in the series were great, or even good, but the role of the bumbling Inspector Clouseau became equated with Peter Sellers. Others have since tried on the official Mackintosh, bore the broad mustache and faked a French accent, but their interpretation, like the films themselves, were so below radar detection that only we geeky film buffs can name them. (May their careers and those films rest in peace.)
Now, despite this Pink Panther curse, that wild and crazy guy Steve Martin takes on the role and because of his temerity, we who remember Peter Sellers are reminded of his unmatched sly genius.
I am a fan of Steve Martin, he’s an exceptional talent, but here he makes the same mistake other Clouseau imitators have made with their mimicry; he hesitates to give his creation a soul. Along with his broad slapstick and self-indulgence, Sellers managed a sincerity other actors neglect when donning this role. They go for the comedy, as did he, at any cost, but Sellers’ Clouseau was genuine. The others are trying to be funny, Sellers was trying to be real. That’s what made the comedy hilarious.
If you examine his portrayal in his Pink Panther and especially, A Shot in the Dark (made the same year as The Pink Panther) you can’t help but like him despite his self-centeredness, his complete obliviousness to reality. That’s because the character was guileless. Though his subsequent sequels dwindled to comic buffoonery, the first two films presented Clouseau as three dimensional. In this remake, Mr. Martin attempts a tender moment, but it comes across as maudlin and untrue.
Sellers had one other secret weapon – Herbert Lom as Chief Inspector Dreyfus. Indeed, in Return of… and Revenge of the Pink Panther, Lom surpassed Sellers with the brilliant, hilarious creation of the put-upon superior.
This isn’t a bad film. There are some very funny moments. Martin is, after all, that wild and crazy guy. And there are some delightful sight gags, each an homage to delightful sight gags in the original films. But as with the majority of remakes, it is unnecessary, a blurred carbon copy. I know remakes are the vogue, but what must we endure next? Will some egotist attempt to revamp the role of John Wayne’s Rooster Cogburn? In the words of Clouseau/Sellers, “Those fools!”
Interesting side note: Clive Owen (Croupier, Closer) makes a comic cameo as a British secret service agent (006). If the Bond producers see this film, they’ll realize they made a big mistake not recently casting Mr. Owen as the super spy.
PG (a couple of expletives, but no misuse of God’s name; there are a few jokes that border on the raunchy, but the filmmaker refrains from becoming too bawdy; beautiful Beyoncé is decked out in low-cut dresses, but the sexual humor is restrained to a couple of innuendos that seem tame by today’s cinema standards; that said, there is an extended flatulence joke that is both crude and unfunny; there are two killings, one by a jolting gun shot; much of the humor is derived from slapstick violence that includes overused painful crotch incidents and several times bicyclists are the target of slapstick accidents; please be aware that the sexual innuendo and the occasional crude visuals seem inappropriate for a PG film; one scene implies that the lead is going to go to bed with the femme fatale. But he loses his Viagra pill down the sink; in another scene our hero, trying to be a gentleman by helping his female assistant off a table, winds up with her legs stretched around his shoulders, his head in her crotch).
THE ROACH APPROACH: DON'T MISS THE BOAT
This DVD animated comic adventure for wee ones concerns a family of bugs about to enjoy a vacation in Florida when a hurricane nearly blows them away. Although they are unable to enjoy other activities until the storm passes, Grandpa Lou and Nana use the time to tell their grandson Squiggz the fitting story of Noah’s Ark.
With a sound biblical message, this song-filled cartoon manages to captivate its intended audience. My nephews Austin (7) and David (5) each gave it, you should excuse the expression, a “Thumbs Up.”
Also available from the same creator, Bruce Barry: The Roach Approach: The Mane Event! This adventure is based on the story of Daniel In the Lions’ Den. In this animated adventure, Grandpa Lou takes the roach kids on a camping trip. As they travel through a drain pipe, Grandpa Lou tells the kids the biblical story. Along the way, they learn valuable lessons about faith, friendship and standing up for their beliefs. Both DVDs are available at Christian bookstores (released through 20th Century Fox).
Not rated (I found nothing objectionable; the filmmakers are considerate of children’s sensibilities. I suggest parents view these productions with their little ones in order to answer questions and to see if they understood the parables).
Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, Martin Donovan, and Kim Basinger. Written by George Nolfi. Directed by Clark Johnson. 4/21/06
When a colleague is murdered, Secret Service agent Pete Garrison is put in charge of the investigation. But Garrison himself becomes a suspect after he is blackmailed by someone who knows of his affair with the first lady. Stripped of his duties and now a fugitive, Garrison races to prove his innocence and save the President's life. (Think Eastwood’s In The Line of Fire coupled with TV’s 24.)
During the viewing, it’s easy to get caught up in this tense action drama. It’s not until you drive home that the demanded suspension of disbelief begins gnawing at your intellect. Despite the professional performances and stylish direction, it fails to rise above the standard cat and mouse thriller due to clumsy dialogue and ludicrous plot. It is, however, nice to see Michael Douglas back after a three-year hiatus (he looks more like his dad every year).
PG-13 (One brief crude sexual comment. Four minor expletives (damns & hells) and two harsher obscenities. Ten or more misuses of God’s and Jesus’ names. Several people are seen shot at close range; the film opens with a replaying of the attempt on President Reagan’s life. A man shot at point blank range lies dying in a pool of his own blood.
Sex: It is implied that the lead (a secret service agent) is having an affair with the First Lady. There is a scene including sensuality. One obscene gesture. Some drinking in one scene).
Tim Allen, Kristin Davis, Zena Grey, Spencer Breslin, Robert Downey, Jr., Danny Glover. Disney Studios. Family comedy.
It all begins with workaholic Deputy D.A. Dave Douglas takes on a case involving an animal laboratory – one that will take him away yet again from his wife and kids, who already yearn for his all-too-distracted attention. But when Dave is accidentally infected with a top-secret, genetic-mutation serum, everything he thought he knew about being himself and his family changes. With his newly perked-up ears, and his front-row seat on the household carpet, Dave is able to gain a new perspective into his family’s secrets and dreams. Now, he wants nothing more than to stop fetching and retuning to fathering – only first he’ll have to stop the evil forces behind the serum.
I will refrain from calling this a real bow-wow or a dog of a movie. Indeed, I will withhold any critical analysis for if ever there was a film not made for critics, this be the one. The Shaggy Dog was made for people looking for a story about a man disconnected from his family until he turns into a dog and learns life lessons. It is a film that will generate some laughs from those weary of the day’s burdens, people who seek neither thought stimulation nor originality.
A man and his wife had dutifully brought their little boy to the screening. Within minutes, I noticed that the loving father had fallen asleep. The seats were comfortable and Tim Allen’s droning monologue, seemingly coming from his canine alter ego, had lulled the man into lullaby land. Perhaps he was dreaming of the 1959 original with Fred MacMurray, or the 1976 sequel, The Shaggy DA with Dean Jones, or the 1987 TV sequel, The Return of the Shaggy Dog, or maybe the1994 TV remake. I didn’t bother to ask on my way out.
PG (the film contains several dogs smelling butts jokes, but the filmmaker refrains form being too graphic; The covert action at the beginning of the film where ninja-like soldiers steal a dog from a Tibetan monastery may disturb very little ones, but the action quickly lightens up; bad guys are doing lab experiments with the dog; we see a snake with a tail, a dog’s head on a frog’s body, etc; the baddies threaten to harm the dog and the Tim Allen character; the meanest villain gives an injection to an old man that causes him to go into shock’ we never learn of his outcome.
arents should attend with little ones in order to reassure; A teenage boy tries to kiss a teen girl, but the father/dog prevents it; The mother has a glass of Champaign in a restaurant; Monks are seen in prayer, the dog also in the prayer possession; children may question animal/drug experimentation; the film is subtly against such scientific study.
Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt, Joy Bryant. Universal. Supernatural thriller. W- Ehren Kruger. D- Iain Softley. 7/8/05
Set in a dark, atmospheric backwoods mansion just outside of New Orleans, “The Skeleton Key” stars Kate Hudson as Caroline, a live-in nurse hired to care for an elderly woman's ailing husband. Intrigued by the enigmatic couple, their mysterious and secretive ways and their rambling house, Caroline begins to explore the old mansion. Armed with a skeleton key that unlocks every door, she discovers a hidden attic room that holds a deadly and terrifying secret.
Not great, but pretty good. Oh, if only a review could be that succinct, eh folks? But I’m supposed to look at the elements that worked together to formulate this suspense drama: dialogue, performances, structure, technical achievements, message, artistic endeavor. Sadly, most films today have to be graded on a scale. Most seem to settle for a passing grade. And most in this genre tend to build up to a far-fetched, then diminish into an unsatisfactory third act. “Skeleton Key” manages to take our minds off of ho-hum dialogue and constant nagging questions because of its star. Ms. Hudson, who has never been allowed to live up to her “Almost Famous” potential, is always a positive addition to a film. She certainly is here.
First of all, the actress is cute. I hesitate to say she’s a girl-next-door type as I have never lived next door to a girl who’s starred in a dozen major motion pictures. But the actress is more like regular people than luminous stars such as Sophia Loren or Catherine Zeta Jones. She’s perky (can’t imagine where she got all that perkiness). She’s sincere, warm, and, let’s face it, fun to look at. What’s more, she’s a good actress. Playing a hospice caregiver with a heart of gold, Hudson’s Caroline obviously read many a Nancy Drew novel in her tween years. Not believing in voodoo/hoodoo, she investigates the mysterious goings-on in the dilapidated southern mansion, evidently unafraid, just like Nancy, of what she might actually discover.
Those other elements, such as directing, cinematography, music, etc., well, they are slightly above standard, each artist/technician doing his part to further the story. The fifth-dimension ending, derived from what seemed like a “Twilight Zone” episode, is nonetheless creative, if somewhat ludicrous.
The production has some legitimate startles and a likeable star. As for the film’s take on spirituality, the lead character tries to keep an open mind for all things ethereal, but the story of a lynched black couple haunting the house and the handling of the witchcraft theme sheds little light on