Thursday, October 23, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Film shorts

Adventures in Wild California

3 stars (NR, 41 min.) Greg McGillivray's 2000 Imax flick has vertigo-inducing footage of sky surfing over San Diego, the Golden Gate bridge and up, then down inside, a giant sequoia.--AA

The Book of Mormon Movie, Volume 1

Not reviewed (PG-13, 120 min.) The LDS folks invade theaters again with this quasi-historical drama, directed and co-written by Gary Rogers, and starring Noah Danby, Jacque Gray, Bryce Chamberlain and Jan Gardner.--AA

Cabin Fever

Not reviewed (R, 94 min.) In a remote cabin in the woods, five teens' post-college vacation turns into a nightmare when one is infected with a voracious, flesh-eating virus. Las Vegas native Cerina Vincent stars in Eli Roth's horror flick debut, with Rider Strong, Jordan Ladd, Joey Kern and James DeBello.--AA

Cold Creek Manor

Not reviewed (R, 119 min.) Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone and kids move into a dilapidated old house in upstate New York, then wish they hadn't. Stephen Dorff, Juliette Lewis and Christopher Plummer co-star in Mike Figgis' thriller.--AA

Duplex

Not reviewed (PG-13, 97 min.) Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore's new, New York dream home comes with one unexpected problem, a feisty old female tenant upstairs, in Danny DeVito's comedy.--AA

The Fighting Temptations

Not reviewed (PG-13, 123 min.) To collect an inheritance, New York ad exec Cuba Gooding, Jr. creates a gospel choir in his Georgia hometown, with help from lead singer Beyoncé Knowles. Jonathan Lynn (Trial and Error, The Whole Nine Yards) directs.--AA

Freaky Friday

2 stars (PG, 95 min.) Jamie Lee Curtis and teen daughter Lindsay Lohan switch personalities, in Disney's remake. Taps into Hollywood's familiar "girl power" ethos. But doesn't break the mold.--TM

Good Boy!

Not reviewed (PG, 82 min.) Liam Aiken learns his cute pooch Hubble (Matthew Broderick) is from another planet, investigating why, instead of dominating Earth, dogs have become "man's best friend." Molly Shannon and Kevin Nealon co-star in John Robert Hoffman's kidflick.--AA

Haunted Castle

Not reviewed (PG, 38 min.) Aspiring rock star Jasper Steverlinck visits dead mom's spooky English mansion and learns that rock 'n' roll really is the devil's music, in this 2001 3-D Imax horror flick from Belgian director Ben Stassen.--AA

House of the Dead

Not reviewed (R, 92 min.) In German director Uwe Boll's schlock horror videogame spinoff, a group of college kids find their island rave interrupted by a bunch of zombies, and try to survive the night in a creepy house. With Clint Howard, JŸrgen Prochnow.--AA

Intolerable Cruelty

3 stars (PG-13, 109 min.) George Clooney is in top comic form as a divorce lawyer who falls for Catherine Zeta-Jones' gorgeous gold digger. But despite the stars' sizzling chemistry, Joel and Ethan Coen's breezy sex comedy is just a mildly entertaining social satire. An uneasy alliance of lowbrow populism with quirky Coenesque accents, co-written by Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone (Big Trouble). Light, slight and flimsy. With Billy Bob Thornton, Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer.--AA

Kill Bill Vol. 1

3 1/2 stars (R, 110 min.) Quentin Tarantino's over-hyped homage to spaghetti Westerns, martial arts movies, blaxploitation flicks and revenge epics is stunning but superficial. Beaten and shot on her wedding day, the Bride (Uma Thurman) seeks vengeance from killers Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox and (in Vol. 2, due Feb. 20, 2004,) Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen and their leader, Bill (David Carradine). The Pulp Fiction master's deviation from his trademark dense, amusing dialogue works for our trenchant anti-heroine. Yet the Bride is no more than an athletic killing machine. Such is the hip, harrowing vision of mindless violence on female terms, courtesy of the ultimate film geek guy.--TM

Lost in Translation

4 1/2 stars (R, 105 min.) Filmed in Tokyo, Sofia Coppola's drama observes the chance connection of two dislocated souls reaching out from shaky marriages: fiftysomething B-list actor Bill Murray (in a gentle performance of pure genius) and quiet, soft Scarlett Johansson. A film about how traveling alone encourages introspection and how temporariness heightens experience. With Giovanni Ribisi.--JC

Luther

Not reviewed (PG-13, 121 min.) Joseph Fiennes stars as Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk who led the struggle to break from the Roman Catholic church. Bruno Ganz, Alfred Molina and Peter Ustinov co-star in Eric Till's historical drama.--AA

The Matrix Reloaded

2 1/2 stars (R, 138 min.) Andy and Larry Wachowski go for breadth over depth in the sequel to their 1999 hit. With Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne. [Cut, cropped Imax version.]--JC

Mystic River

4 stars (R, 137 min.) In a South Boston working-class neighborhood, a brutal murder forces an unwelcome reunion between three boyhood buddies: store owner Sean Penn, cop Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins, a severely damaged adult whose tense wife (a riveting Marcia Gay Harden) is slowly losing her grip. With his film based on Dennis Lehane's claustrophobic novel of psychological torment and unstoppable revenge, Clint Eastwood explores the dark side of his own nature. A police procedural that illuminates a close-knit community poisoned by its own bitter history. With Emmy Rossum, Laura Linney.--JC

Ocean Wonderland 3D

Not reviewed (NR, 44 min.) Filmed in the Bahamas and on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the latest IMAX documentary features rays, sharks, dolphins and other marine life in glorious 3D.--AA

Once Upon a Time in Mexico

Not reviewed (R, 98 min.) Robert Rodriguez reteams with Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek in a sequel to Desperado and El Mariachi, as the mythic, guitar-slinging hero (Banderas) is coaxed out of retirement by rogue CIA agent Johnny Depp to foil a plot by cartel boss Willem Dafoe to assassinate the Mexican president.--AA

Out of Time

3 stars (PG-13, 105 min.) Framed for murder, Florida cop Denzel Washington races to clear his name. Dave Collard's script deftly introduces all the thriller elements in predictably formulaic style. Carl Franklin smoothly connects the directorial dots. An unobjectionable way to kill a couple of hours. With Sanaa Lathan, Eva Mendes.--AA

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

1/2 star (PG-13, 143 min.) Johnny Depp sashays down the gangplank to defeat Geoffrey Rush's undead brigands in Disney's overlong zombie farrago. With Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Pryce.--AA

Runaway Jury

3 1/2 stars (PG-13, 127 min.) In the New Orleans trial of a gun manufacturer, whose weapon was used in a (brilliantly staged) massacre, consultant Gene Hackman battles prosecutor Dustin Hoffman for the hearts, minds and verdict of the luckless jury--one of whom (John Cusack), has an agenda of his own. Gary Fleder's film of the John Grisham novel has an unsettling atmosphere of fretful paranoia. Mainstream entertainment that actually lives up to the claims of its ad campaign. With Rachel Weisz.--JC

The Rundown

Not reviewed (PG-13, 98 min.) Ex-wrestler Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock continues his rise to superstardom, as a bounty hunter heading to the Amazon to pick up renegade fortune hunter Seann William Scott. Peter Berg's adventure co-stars Rosario Dawson and Christopher Walken.--AA

The School of Rock

3 1/2 stars (PG-13, 108 min.) Zealous rock fan Jack Black masquerades as a sub teacher in principal Joan Cusack's elementary school, and uses his kids' passion for music to create a band. Occasionally unhinged to the point of bombast, Black's performance is otherwise flawless. Balancing pop celebration and antiestablishment fervor (the very definition of rock 'n' roll), Richard Linklater's comedy, written by co-star Mike White, will attract both popcorn mainstreamer and indie snob.--MP

Seabiscuit

4 stars (PG-13, 140 min.) Gary Ross' film is more than just the story of three men and a racehorse. There's a dream cast (Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper and Tobey Maguire), meticulous period detail and documentary-style interludes narrated by historian David McCullough. But this nostalgic trot down memory lane doesn't quite achieve movie magic. With William H. Macy.--AA

Secondhand Lions

2 stars (PG, 109 min.) Geriatric Texas (alleged) bank robbers Michael Caine and Robert Duvall host Haley Joel Osment, while mom Kyra Sedgwick slinks off to 1960s Vegas, in Tim McCanlies' saccharine, coming-of-age tripe.--AA

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

1 1/2 stars (R, 98 min.) Marcus Nispel's flat, uninvolving remake of Tobe Hooper's 1974 horror hit has a van full of young adults waylaid by a backwoods family of cannibalistic retards, and introduces the fear of disease. Nispel can't resist utilizing tricks he learned directing music videos. The effect is dehumanizing and alienating, making viewers more inclined to laugh than scream. With Jessica Biel, R. Lee Ermey.--JC

Under the Tuscan Sun

3 stars (PG-13, 113 min.) Whip-smart and fragile Diane Lane overcomes post-divorce blues by buying a villa in central Italy. With a cutesy Romeo and Juliet subplot, Audrey Wells' film of Frances Mayes' bestseller isn't flawless. But it occasionally unfolds in refreshingly real, unexpected ways. With Sandra Oh, Vincent Riotta. (Part-subtitled.)--TM

Underworld

Not reviewed (R, 121 min.) Aristocratic bloodsucker Kate Beckinsale's ongoing battle with her vampire clan's ancient werewolf enemies, the lycans, becomes complicated when she falls in love with young werewolf Scott Speedman. Bill Nighy co-stars in Len Wiseman's gothic horrorfest debut.--AA

Veronica Guerin

4 stars (R, 98 min.) Director Joel Schumacher and producer Jerry Bruckheimer almost make amends for past sins with their film about an Irish journalist's one-woman war on drugs. Cate Blanchett gives a commanding, Oscar-worthy performance, brimming with socially redeeming merit. Carol Doyle and Mary Agnes Donoghue's script is a model of concision. Though Schumacher raises the hagiography quotient considerably, this is a suspenseful, thought-provoking thriller. With superbly menacing Gerard McSorley, tremulous Ciaran Hinds, plus Don Wycherley, Brenda Fricker and Colin Farrell. --AA

Reviews by: AA: Anthony Allison; JC: Jeannette Catsoulis; MP: Mike Prevatt; TM: Tammy McMahan