Thursday, March 11, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Film shorts

Along Came Polly

2 stars

(PG-13, 90 min.) John Hamburg's "sparkless" romantic comedy is as risk-averse and unamusing as Ben Stiller's overly cautious character, who falls for flaky free spirit Jennifer Aniston.--TM

The Barbarian Invasions

3 1/2 stars (R, 99 min.) [Les invasions barbares] Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand's sequel to 1986's The Decline of the American Empire is a sophisticated, poignant film about the death of shameless Lothario Rémy Girard, whose inoperable tumor is an apt, toxic metaphor for the demise of intelligence in a post-literate world. The conclusion inspires tears and hope: death's grimace may silence an epicurean voluptuary, but his friends and family will keep his memory alive. With Stéphane Rousseau, Dorothée Berryman. (Subtitled.)--RC Oscar: foreign film.

Barbershop 2: Back in Business

3 1/2 stars (PG-13, 106 min.) Kevin Rodney Sullivan's sequel improves on Tim Story's 2002 talkfest, targeting the Starbuckization of the planet. With Ice Cube, Cedric the Entertainer, Queen Latifah.--AA

The Butterfly Effect

2 stars (R, 113 min.) Like the chaos theory concept (the flapping of a butterfly's wings in China might cause a hurricane in Florida), this is a mindbender about reality. But it suffers due to Ashton Kutcher's inadequacy.--TM

Cheaper by the Dozen

Not reviewed (PG, 98 min.) Steve Martin cares for his 12 kids when wife Bonnie Hunt leaves to promote her new book. Hilary Duff and Piper Perabo co-star in Shawn Levy's comedy.--AA

City of God

3 1/2 stars (R, 130 min.) [Cidade de Deus] Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund's film about gangs in a Rio de Janeiro shantytown tells a grim tale of ghetto escape as seen through the eyes of photographer Alexandre Rodrigues. A film that panders to short attention spans but whose shock value isn't diminished, thanks to its strong moral center. With Leandro Firmino da Hora. (Portuguese dialogue, English subtitles.)--MP

Cold Mountain

3 1/2 stars (R, 155 min.) Nicole Kidman's incipient romance with field hand Jude Law is interrupted by the Civil War. Anthony Minghella's beautiful film of Charles Frazier's novel balances the folksy and the horrifying.--JC Oscar: supporting actress Renée Zellweger.

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen

Not reviewed (PG, 86 min.) New York teen Lindsay Lohan copes with the ultimate indignity: moving to New Jersey. With Adam Garcia, Carol Kane.--AA

The Cooler

3 stars (R, 101 min.) In Wayne Kramer's gritty, faux noir William H. Macy, employed to bring his chronic bad luck to gamblers, falls in love with cocktail waitress Maria Bello. More interesting is the backstory, with old-school casino boss Alec Baldwin clinging to his traditionalist ways in the face of corporate Vegas. A film awash in moral ambiguity and contradictions. With Maria Bello, Shawn Hatosy, Ron Livingston.--MP

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights

2 stars (PG-13, 86 min.) Blushing WASP Romola Garai itches to dance with hot Cuban waiter Diego Luna. Guy Ferland's sequel is the nadir of Hollywood's efforts to rediscover the magic of the 1987 flick.--JC

The Dreamers

3 1/2 stars (NC-17, 115 min.) Bernardo Bertolucci returns to the city and sexual manipulation theme of 1972's Last Tango in Paris, with a drama set during the 1968 student demonstrations. Twins Eva Green and Louis Garrel embroil timid American Michael Pitt in bizarre mind games involving incest, homosexuality and sadism. Gilbert Adair's adaptation of his novel The Holy Innocents, an homage to Jean Cocteau's The Holy Terrors, allows Bertolucci to indulge his nostalgia for the counterculture generation. A banquet of emotional, political and intellectual food for thought. (Part-subtitled.)--AA

EuroTrip

1/2 star (R, 90 min.) This weapon of movie denigration sends Scott Mechlowicz and friends around Europe. Assumes viewers will accept a hero so dumb he thinks his German e-mail correspondent (Jessica Boehrs) is a guy. Vacuous crud.--AA

50 First Dates

1/2 star (PG-13, 96 min.) The problem is all inside Drew's (Barrymore) head, you see; Her short-term memory is screwy, can't take it logically; (Adam) Sandler's motto: it's lucrative to be crude, his non-character misconstrued; There must be 50 ways to leave this loser. Just avoid (Dan) Aykroyd; Make a new plan, (Sean) Astin; Don't need to be a slob, Rob (Schneider), just listen to me; Hop on the bus, (Lusia) Strus; Don't need to discuss much; Just channel E.T., and get yourself free.--TM

The Fog of War

4 stars (PG-13, 95 min.) With his portrait of Robert S. McNamara, Errol Morris attempts to unearth a conscience. The ex-defense secretary reiterates that we should have withdrawn from Vietnam in 1963, and passes the moral buck so slickly to JFK and Lyndon Johnson that even the skeptical may feel beguiled. A troubling, cautionary film.--JC Oscar: documentary feature.

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

Hidalgo

1 1/2 stars (PG-13, 136 min.) Joe Johnston's plodding, Middle Eastern horse race saga, ostensibly based on the "true" story of dispatch rider Frank Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen) is jingoistic twaddle. Johnston uses cheesy accelerated footage, an unreal digital sandstorm and locusts, and dragged Omar Sharif out of retirement. Why are we surprised that Muslim fanatics want to destroy Western civilization?--AA

In America

3 1/2 stars (PG-13, 103 min.) Irish immigrants Paddy Considine and Samantha Morton move to New York with daughters Sarah and Emma Bolger. The adults in Jim Sheridan's autobiographical story are great, but the Bolger sisters' heart-melting guilelessness sets this far above average.--AA

The Last Samurai

2 stars (R, 154 min.) After Edward Zwick's unoriginal sushi Western, with Tom Cruise as a disillusioned U.S. soldier learning the way of the Samurai in 1870s Japan, one wonders--will Tom now honorably commit career hara-kiri?--AA

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

3 1/2 stars (PG-13, 200 min.) Frodo and Sam (Elijah Wood, Sean Astin) are led to Mordor by Gollum (Andy Serkis); Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli (Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies) awaken the Army of the Dead; and Gandalf (Ian McKellen) heads for Minis Tirith. With scandalously beautiful images, Peter Jackson's epic fantasy is an astonishing achievement.--JC 11 Oscars: picture, director, adapted screenplay, art direction, costumes, makeup, editing, sound mixing, visual effects, score, song "Into the West."

Lost in Translation

4 1/2 stars (R, 105 min.) Sofia Coppola's Tokyo drama observes the chance connection of two dislocated souls: fiftysomething actor Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson, wife of workaholic photographer Giovanni Ribisi. A film about how traveling alone encourages introspection.--JC Oscar: original screenplay.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

3 1/2 stars (PG-13, 138 min.) Russell Crowe stars in Peter Weir's splendid maritime adventure. But not even his presence gives this shallow sea story depth. With Paul Bettany.--AA 2 Oscars: cinematography, sound editing.

Miracle

2 1/2 stars (PG, 135 min.) In this lengthy crowdpleaser about the U.S. ice hockey team's bid to beat the Soviets at the 1980 Olympics, Kurt Russell passably impersonates coach Herb Brooks.--AA

Monster

3 stars (R, 108 min.) Charlize Theron's monstrous appearance, and her performance, steamroller everything in Patty Jenkins' film about serial killer Aileen Wuornos, including Christina Ricci's magnificent turn.--JC Oscar: actress Theron.

Mystic River

4 stars (R, 137 min.) A brutal murder forces a reunion between boyhood Boston buddies Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins, in Clint Eastwood's dark film of Dennis Lehane's novel.--JC 2 Oscars: actor Penn, supporting actor Robbins.

Ocean Wonderland 3D

Not reviewed (NR, 44 min.) Filmed in the Bahamas and Australia, this Imax doc features rays, sharks, dolphins and other marine life in glorious 3D.--AA

The Passion of the Christ

2 1/2 stars (R, 127 min.) Mel Gibson's exceedingly gory crucifixion drama, with blood-spattered Jim Caviezel, isn't apt to inspire; it must merely be endured. With the inevitable accusations of anti-Semitism, Mel must have known he was asking for trouble, and priceless publicity, and his pedestrian style only exacerbates the agony. With Mattia Sbraglia (Caiaphas), Hristo Naumov Shopov (Pilate), Maia Morgenstern (Mary), Monica Bellucci (Magdalene). (Aramaic and Latin dialogue, with subtitles.)--AA

Something's Gotta Give

3 1/2 stars (PG-13, 136 min.) After a heart attack, Jack Nicholson (masterfully sarcastic) is nursed by Diane Keaton, who proves there's hope for older actresses, in Nancy Meyers' comedy. With Frances McDormand, Keanu Reeves.--TM

Starsky & Hutch

2 1/2 stars (R, 100 min.) Uptight cop Ben Stiller and rule-bending slacker Owen Wilson get in their Coke can on wheels (Starsky's beloved Ford Gran Torino) to go after Bay City cocaine kingpin Vince Vaughn. Todd Phillips' spoof isn't exactly your daddy's "Starsky & Hutch." But this imperfect take on that beloved 1970s show provides pure escapist entertainment. With Snoop Dogg, Will Ferrell.--TM

The Triplets of Belleville

4 stars (PG-13, 80 min.) French-Canadian animator Sylvain Chomet's enchanting 2002 debut follows the adventures of a racing cyclist, his feisty Portuguese grandmother and their faithful dog. Imagine an anarchic mix of Amélie and Wallace & Gromit, that blends traditional animation and digital effects as seamlessly as Beno”t Charest's eclectic score mixes "hot" jazz with bits of Bach and Mozart. Deliriously daffy, darkly humorous.--AA

Twisted

1 star (R, 97 min.) Hunting a serial killer, cop Ashley Judd discovers all the victims are her own, recent lovers. Philip Kaufman's thriller is so predictable it's enough to make your Hitchcock-starved hair curl. With Andy Garcia, Samuel L. Jackson.--AA

Welcome to Mooseport

2 stars (PG-13, 110 min.) In this lame political comedy, Maine hardware store owner Ray Romano battles retired U.S. President Gene Hackman in the mayoral race. With Marcia Gay Harden, Maura Tierney.--TM

You Got Served

Not reviewed (PG-13, 93 min.) In Christopher Stokes' musical drama, Marques Houston and Omarion set out to win a street dance contest.--AA

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