Thursday, March 20, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Film shorts

About Schmidt

5 stars. Rated R. 125 minutes. Jack Nicholson is getting better with age. As a newly retired insurance salesman unhappily looking back on his life, he loses most of his Jackisms to supply a frighteningly real character. Full of great supporting performances, including Dermot Mulroney as a mullet-sporting waterbed salesman, and Kathy Bates as a free-spirited divorcee, the film is both funny and scary. Once more, Election director Alexander Payne proves he's a maestro of dark comedy.--BG

Adaptation

5 stars. Rated R. 114 minutes. A mind-bender starring Nicolas Cage as twin brothers, Charlie and Donald Kaufman, screenwriters with entirely different sensibilities. Spike Jonze's film is in part the real Charlie Kaufman's semi-autobiographical account of his difficulty in adapting Susan Orlean's book The Orchid Thief. The most unusual take on writer's block and creative hardship since the Coen brothers' Barton Fink. With Meryl Streep as Orlean and Chris Cooper as a toothless orchid poacher. Amazing.--BG

Agent Cody Banks

2 stars. Rated PG. 95 minutes. After last year's pitiful Big Fat Liar, Frankie Muniz again fails to achieve big-screen stardom as the kid who learns, at a secret CIA camp, to be a miniature 007. Harald Zwart's sad Spy Kids/James Bond hybrid completely lacks humor and stylistic charm. With Disney Channel hottie Hilary Duff.--BG

Biker Boyz

1 1/2 stars. Rated PG-13. 110 minutes. Viewers expecting to be immersed in the thrills of the motorcyclist's lifestyle will be disappointed. The bike action is secondary to the melodrama, indifferently filmed by Reggie Rock Blythewood. Stars Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke and Kid Rock.--GC

Boat Trip

Not reviewed. Rated R. 93 minutes. Bachelors Cuba Gooding Jr. and Horatio Sanz (The New Guy) book a singles cruise to find buxom, bikini-clad babes but, due to a prank by a resentful travel agent, find themselves aboard a ship exclusively for gay men. This "comedy" from debut director Mort Nathan (who co-wrote Kingpin) was described by British critics as "puerile," "mirthless" and "offensive to gays and straights and everyone else with a brain." Co-starring Vivica A. Fox and Roger Moore.--AA

Bringing Down the House

1 1/2 stars. Rated PG-13. 105 minutes. The extreme talents of Steve Martin, Eugene Levy and Queen Latifah can't save Adam Shankman's insulting, embarrassing mess of a movie, about a tight-assed lawyer (Martin) who reluctantly helps escaped con Latifah clear her name. All sorts of warm and fuzzy racial slurs are thrown in our faces. A throwback to crap films like Carbon Copy and Soul Man, that act as modern-day minstrel shows.--BG

Catch Me If You Can

5 stars. Rated PG-13. 140 minutes. Leonardo Di Caprio is charming and charismatic as scam artist Frank Abagnale Jr., who bilked millions out of businesses with false checks and impersonated everyone from a doctor to an airline pilot. Tom Hanks is the FBI man pursuing Frank, Christopher Walken his loyal father. Steven Spielberg's film is a real find, flamboyant without being hammy, expressive without the melodrama.--MP

Chicago

4 stars. Rated PG-13. 113 minutes. After Moulin Rouge, considered by some the musical-film comeback kid, this taut, flashy spectacle starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere should further that sentiment. Rob Marshall brings Bob Fosse's musical to the big screen packed with 14 brilliantly-envisioned song-and-dance numbers. The stars might not be ready for the stage, but their capable voices shine within the constructs of a motion picture. May be too slick and tidy, but it's always entertaining.--MP

City of God

3 1/2 stars. Rated R. 130 minutes. [Cidade de Deus] Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund's film about gangs in a Rio de Janeiro shantytown tells a grim tale of ghetto escape and social ascent as seen through the eyes of an amateur photographer (Alexandre Rodrigues). This world of impoverished carnage and underage ferocity--where masculinity and maturity are defined by drugs, guns and homicidal tendencies--is ruled by menacing kingpin Leandro Firmino da Hora. Odd camera angles and rapid-fire editing lend a guerrilla flair to a film that panders to short attention spans but whose shock value isn't diminished, thanks to its strong moral center. Portuguese dialogue, English subtitles.--MP

Cradle 2 the Grave

3 1/2 stars. Rated R. 100 minutes. Jet Li finally gets it right in an American-made movie, as a Taiwanese Intelligence man helping thief DMX rescue his kidnapped daughter. The action is top notch, with admirable camerawork and a nice soundtrack. A sci-fi subplot almost wrecks it, but Andrzej Bartkowiak's film is a decent meathead of a movie. With Tom Arnold providing decent comic relief and Gabrielle Union.--BG

Daredevil

3 1/2 stars. Rated PG-13. 96 minutes. The producers manage to avoid sucking while staying true to the story of the blind Marvel comic superhero who kicks ass in Hell's Kitchen. Ben Affleck plays Matt Murdock, compassionate lawyer by day, vengeful vigilante in red leather by night. Mark Steven Johnson's film can sit on the shelf beside Spider-Man without embarrassment. With Jennifer Garner (the acrobatic Elektra) and Michael Clarke Duncan (Kingpin).--FMC

Darkness Falls

3 stars. Rated PG-13. 75 minutes. A woman wrongfully hanged 150 years earlier returns to haunt the titular town. A good horror movie that borrows from The Blair Witch Project and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and keeps the suspense going. Lacking in originality, but if you're looking for a good fright, Jonathan Liebesman's pic will do the trick. With Chaney Kley and Emma Caulfield.--FMC

Far From Heaven

5 stars. Rated R. 107 minutes. An homage to the four-hankie dramas of the '50s. A wife (Julianne Moore) discovers her husband (Dennis Quaid) is having an affair, and she receives innocent, conversational solace from a black man (Dennis Haysbert). The film addresses subjects that were once too taboo for public discussion. Oscar would be remiss to ignore Moore's performance, and Quaid displays a bold depth missing from much of his previous work.--MP

Final Destination 2

Not reviewed. Rated R. 100 minutes. Characters escape death, only to be singled out for even grislier demises. The key word that pops up in descriptions of David Ellis' sequel is "gory." Starring A.J. Cook and Ali Larter (returning from James Wong's 2000 hit).

Frida

2 1/2 stars. Rated R. 103 minutes. Salma Hayek plays legendary Mexican painter Frida Kahlo in this eager-to-please biopic that rarely serves its audience, let alone Kahlo's legacy. While Hayek nails some moments of fire, agony and wit, her precocious treatment of Kahlo's idealistic side is hamfisted. With Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush.--MP

Gangs of New York

5 stars. Rated R. 168 minutes. Martin Scorsese proves he remains one of cinema's best directors with this sprawling epic about the clash of rival gangs in 19th-century New York. Daniel Day-Lewis is a marvel as Bill the Butcher, a knife-wielding "Nativist" who has zero tolerance for immigrants. Leonardo Di Caprio is excellent as Amsterdam, a greasy hoodlum seeking revenge for the death of his father (Liam Neeson). With Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly, Brendan Gleeson, Henry Thomas.--BG

Gods and Generals

1/2 star. Rated PG-13. 220 minutes. A bunch of Civil War enthusiasts apparently got together for a good old time in Ronald F. Maxwell's four-hour slopfest, exec-produced by Ted Turner. Robert Duvall and Stephen Lang make asses of themselves as Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson and the battle scenes seem completely indistinguishable. Rent Ken Burns' 1990 documentary instead.--BG

Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets

2 stars. 40 minutes. Kieth Merrill's 1984 Imax movie mixes spectacular giant-screen footage with a brief history lesson about early explorers John Wesley Powell and Garcia de Cardenas.--AA

The Guru

2 1/2 stars. Rated R. 94 minutes. Dance teacher Jim Mistry travels from India to America and winds up a sex guru. The novelty of Daisy von Scherler Mayer's film is its portrayal of Hindus living the American dream, so ethnic jokes blanket the script. Owes a lot to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, unfortunately. With Heather Graham, Marisa Tomei.--MP

The Hours

5 stars. Rated PG-13. 113 minutes. Three compelling stories set in three different time periods comprise Stephen Daldry's staggeringly beautiful film, adapted by David Hare from Michael Cunningham's novel. Nicole Kidman is heartbreaking as author Virginia Woolf; Julianne Moore and Meryl Streep are equally brilliant as two women cosmically tied to her novel Mrs Dalloway. The direction and editing make the storytelling and time switches seamless. Great filmmaking. With Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Stephen Dillane, Ed Harris, John C. Reilly and Miranda Richardson.--BG

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

2 stars. Rated PG-13. 116 minutes. Journalist Kate Hudson agrees to write a column about trying to scare away a man within 10 days, unaware that her target male (Matthew McConaughey) has made a wager that he can make a woman fall in love with him in the same period of time. Hudson and McConaughey make for a decent screen coupling, but Donald Petrie's romantic comedy is confused and corny. The screenplay craps out and becomes your average stupid Meg Ryan romance flick. --BG

The Jungle Book 2

Not reviewed. Rated G. 72 minutes. After 36 years, Disney delivers a sequel to Wolfgang Reitherman's 1967 hit, based on Rudyard Kipling's stories, complete with all the original animated characters and new versions of songs like "The Bare Necessities" and "I Wanna Be Like You." Voices include John Goodman and Haley Joel Osment.

The Life of David Gale

1 1/2 stars. Rated R. 130 minutes. Kevin Spacey continues the series of dogs he's made since his American Beauty Oscar win, with Alan Parker's transparent, unenlightening film about an anti-capital punishment activist sentenced to die for murder. Spacey has lost his powerful control and subtlety. Now he seems to prefer schmaltz. With Laura Linney, Kate Winslet.--MP

The Lion King

4 stars. Rated G. 88 minutes. The "Large Format Cinema Special Edition" of Disney's beloved 1994 animated musical boasts a new digital transfer with stunningly sharp Imax images and a remastered soundtrack that beautifully highlights the stentorian tones of James Earl Jones (as Mufasa), Hans Zimmer's Oscar-winning score and the songs by Elton John and Tim Rice.--AA

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

5 stars. Rated PG-13. 179 minutes. While this reviewer does have a few "geek" quibbles regarding this continuation of Tolkien's grand adventure, this film still qualifies as the best of 2002. Further proof that director Peter Jackson is the right man for the job, part two is as good as The Fellowship of the Ring, and will leave viewers clamoring for this winter's third and final chapter. Featuring outstanding CGI effects, including an excellent Gollum, this is a terrific cinematic achievement. Starring Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen.--GS

Lost in La Mancha

4 stars. Rated R. 93 minutes. Terry Gilliam's attempt to film Miguel De Cervantes' classic 1605 novel Don Quixote, featuring one of literature's most lovably hapless characters, rendered him a modern-day Quixote. Perhaps the director of Brazil, 12 Monkeys and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen foresaw the potential irony, because he gave carte-blanche access to filmmakers Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe to record the preproduction of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (starring Jean Rochefort and Johnny Depp). As the project spiraled downward, not only did the documentarians capture every mishap, they weaved the footage into a compelling, cinéma-vérité story about a man who hasn't reconciled ambition with reality.--MP

Morvern Callar

4 stars. Not rated. 97 minutes. Samantha Morton's uncommon reaction to her lover's suicide is the starting point for one zonked-out trip, as Morvern makes some unconventional decisions and takes a liberating trek to Spain with best friend Lanna (luminous Kathleen McDermott). Morton's performance is extraordinary, simultaneously conveying a state of shock and complete control of her senses. Is she grieving or celebrating her freedom? Ratcatcher director Lynne Ramsay's beautifully made, wholly original but weird drama defies classification.--BG

Old School

3 1/2 stars. Rated R. 91 minutes. Those of you in dire need of a Will Ferrell fix, this one's for you. Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Ferrell star as a trio of friends who start a fraternity willing to accept anyone as a member, college not included. Director Todd Phillips (Road Trip) follows in the great tradition of Caddyshack and Animal House with a film that is vulgar, yet good-natured with a big heart. Ferrell makes every moment he is on screen worth watching. Also starring a scantily-clad Elisa Cuthbert, so knock yourselves out!--BG

The Pianist

4 stars. Rated R. 148 minutes. Roman Polanski's latest is an adaptation of the memoirs of concert pianist and Holocaust survivor Wladyslaw Szpilman (brilliantly played by Adrien Brody). What gives Szpilman's story its transcendence is his passion for music. Himself a survivor of the Cracow ghetto, Polanski is a natural to bring this story to the screen. Instead of going into the death camps, his film remains focused on Szpilman's singular survival in and around the Warsaw ghetto, his dedication to living and his muse. With Thomas Kretschmann.--MP

Piglet's Big Movie

Not reviewed. Rated G. 75 minutes. Vilified for his diminutive stature, Piglet runs away from home, whereupon his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit and Eeyore set out to find him. John Fiedler, Jim Cummings and Peter Cullen provide the voices for Disney's animated follow-up to 2000's The Tigger Movie, featuring A.A. Milne's beloved characters, directed by Francis Glebas and with new songs by Carly Simon.--AA

The Quiet American

3 1/2 stars. Rated R. 118 minutes. Phillip Noyce's film of Graham Greene's 1955 novel is a sad movie about a devastating love triangle, with the origins of the Vietnam War as a backdrop. Michael Caine is excellent as a jaded British journalist taking refuge from a tedious marriage in Saigon, where he has taken a young lover (Do Thi Hai Yen) and smokes lots of opium. The arrival of a na•ve American (Brendan Fraser) threatens to disrupt the reporter's fantasyland.--BG

The Recruit

4 stars. Rated PG-13. 105 minutes. In a movie about CIA recruits, it's good to have some secrets. Unfortunately, the marketing team for this Al Pacino thriller chose to give away the plot in the trailer. If you should come into contact with it, cover up your ears and eyes and break into song. Colin Ferrell is excellent as a new CIA hire undergoing increasingly hard testing and Pacino delivers a great performance as his trainer.--FMC

Shanghai Knights

1 1/2 stars. PG-13. 114 minutes. In David Dobkin's sequel to Shanghai Noon, the further adventures of Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson prove to be irritating and useless. Searching for his father's murderer, Chon Wang (Chan) heads for England with partner Roy (Wilson) in tow. They confront various historical figures (Queen Victoria, Jack the Ripper), crash a vehicle into Stonehenge and befriend a street urchin by the name of Charlie Chaplin. Even Chan's fight scenes are lame.--BG

Space Station

2 stars. Not rated. 47 minutes. Though the 3D footage in Toni Myers' Imax film is spectacular, Tom Cruise's anodyne narration studiously glosses over the fact that the $28 billion international space station is proving to be NASA's most expensive orbiting white elephant ever.--AA

Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones

1 star. Rated PG. 119 minutes. "What did I do to deserve this?" moans C-3PO. The Imax version of George Lucas' lumbering 2002 sci-fi monstrosity is 20 minutes shorter than the 35mm theatrical print, cropped (to fit the taller screen) and the magnified format highlights the imperfections in the digital image (pixellation, fuzzy focus, blurry outlines). Not an improvement. With Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor and Natalie Portman.--AA

Tears of the Sun

4 stars. Rated R. 118 minutes. In Antoine Fuqua's thriller, Navy SEAL commander Bruce Willis has a crisis of conscience while on a mission to rescue a doctor and some civilians from civil war-torn Nigeria and the good doc (Monica Bellucci) refuses to leave the refugees behind. Critics who are saying this is Willis' best action flick since Die Hard aren't far off.--FMC

Willard

2 1/2 stars. Rated PG-13. 100 minutes. The rat-averse will find Glen Morgan's remake of Daniel Mann's 1971 horror flick excruciating to watch. Crispin Glover is perfect as the demented rodent lover, pushed around by his mom (Jackie Burroughs) and browbeaten by Frank Martin (a delightful R. Lee Ermey), his boss at the manufacturing company founded by Willard's late father. After training the rats in his basement, Willard loses his grip on reality and leads them into full-fledged mayhem. More cerebral than most horror films. With Laura Elena Harring.--FMC

Reviews by: AA: Anthony Allison; BG: Bob Grimm; FMC: Full Metal Critic; GC: Gregory Crosby; MP: Mike Prevatt