Rambo (2008)

“Rambo” is an extremely gory movie with body parts flying in all directions as people are shot or blown up by landmines. So I wonder at its R rating. Is the graphic violence supposed to replace the physical stunts Sylvester Stallone can no longer do at 61? The script, which Stallone co-wrote, calls for Rambo to do a lot of running through the jungle, sneaking around in the rain and shooting a very big machine gun. He does not, for example, fight crocodiles, leap from cliffs or get into any fistfights. However, we do get to see him outrun the blast from a claymore mine that appears to have the explosive power of a small nuclear bomb. Stallone steps easily into the role of John Rambo, pulling the mantle of a man comfortable with killing over his shoulders as easily as putting on a pair of old shoes.

This time around, the story takes place in Burma and director Stallone takes great care to illustrate the violence and genocide that has kept this country embroiled in civil war for 58 years. A group of missionaries, including Sarah (Julie Benz) persuades Rambo to take them upriver from Thailand to a Burman village. After they arrive, the village is attacked by a sadistic colonel and his army and the missionaries are captured. Soon Rambo and a group of mercenaries are off on a rescue mission. Rambo has not changed in the last 20 years, but he has come to terms with his killer instinct. And for those Rambo fans, this movie will not disappoint. (1/29/08)

Untraceable

Don’t get talked into seeing this distasteful movie. At the heart of “Untraceable” is a moral question that the movie deals with intelligently for the first half. If you know that someone is being tortured and eventually killed on-line, would you visit that web site? And would you visit that web site if you knew that by doing so, you increase the chances of the person dying? Obviously the filmmakers take a cynical approach to human nature. It’s much like traffic jams in Los Angeles. There might be an accident on one side of the freeway, but the other side slows down because people are busy trying to see what happened.

Jennifer March (Diane Lane) and her partner Griffin Dowd (Colin Hanks, Tom’s son) work out of the Portland FBI’s cybercrime division. When Jennifer discovers a web site called killwithme, she’s understandably upset because the first victim is a small kitten, who, over a week’s time, is starved to death. The killer moves on to human victims and then it becomes a race to see if Jennifer and Griffin can identify and catch him before he selects someone else to torture and kill. For a film wanting to tackle a serious issue, they show way too many scenes of torture and gruesome death. And although Jennifer is an intelligent woman for the first half of the movie, she devolves into someone who makes stupid decisions during the second. By forcing the audience to witness these horrific deaths, director Gregory Hoblit succeeds in turning the viewers against this film. (1/28/08)

Michael Clayton - Re-release

“Michael Clayton,” starring George Clooney, is about a man who moves in the gray areas of life and who is forced to do the right thing. Michael Clayton (Clooney), an attorney for a large firm, is their fixer, the ‘go-to’ man when there are problems. He is most comfortable moving in the shadows and finding solutions that are just short of illegal, not to mention unethical. Michael’s friend Arthur (Tom Wilkinson), who has spent several years creating a defense for a giant agrichemical company, has a meltdown. As Michael investigates, he discovers that Arthur, instead of building a defense, has been building a case that supports plaintiffs’ claims that the company is responsible for several deaths. The chief counsel for the company (Tilda Swinton) maneuvers behind the scenes to smooth the way for her client. She embodies evil, but Swinton plays her with such bland ordinariness that it is hard to see that behind her mask lurks a woman with no soul. Clooney is at his best when his character struggles with his contradictions. Michael Clayton is not unaware of what is right and what is wrong, but somewhere along the way, he became so good at walking the line between that he has lost his way. So in a sense, this movie is about one character’s redemption. “Michael Clayton” is a well-written and well-acted drama that pulls you in and makes you think, even after the final credits have finished. (10/16/07)

"Michael Clayton" has received several Oscar nominations and all of them well deserved. Tony Gilroy certainly stands out for his original script and his directing. This story, that explores ethical behavior and what it takes to get one man to do the right thing, is original and thought-provoking. One can often argue that some actors always play versions of themselves. George Clooney does this is the "Ocean's" series. However, as Michael Clayton, Clooney provides a layered performance. I would hope that Tilda Swinton wins the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her Lady McBeth-like performance of behind the scenes manipulation. And although Tom Wilkinson deserves to be nominated, my vote for Best Supporting Actor has to go to Javier Barden in "No Country For Old Men."

Persepolis

“Persepolis,” the ancient capital of Persia, is Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical story based on her graphic comics about growing up in Iran. It is also a glimpse into Iran before, during and after the 1979 revolution that ended the reign of the shah and resulted in a repressive Muslim theocracy. Nine-year old Marjane is a fun-loving child who admires the shah until her father gives her a crash course in 20th century Iranian history, explaining that the current shah is a dictator in a long string of dictators. She learns that her uncle is currently a torture victim in one of the shah’s prisons. Her uncle is freed after the revolution, but when a restrictive Islamic government is unanimously voted in, her left-leaning uncle is again arrested (and later executed) and women are required to keep their hair and forehead covered. When Iraq declares war on Iran and bombs start falling, Marjane’s parents decide to send her to school in Vienna, where she will be safe. Unfortunately, although freer in Vienna, she discovers that there are other kinds of restrictions. With animation going to the computer graphics typically used by Pixar, “Persepolis” demonstrates a marked contrast with its stark use of black and white and hand-drawn scenes. Satrapi wrote and co-directed this coming-of-age story and while it has universal elements such as rebelliousness and the arrogance of youth, it gives us a story from a different cultural perspective. French with subtitles. (1/24/08)

27 Dresses

“27 Dresses,” starring Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, is a predictable romantic comedy and for those who like the genre, it’s quite enjoyable. Jane (Heigl) loves the fairy tale quality of weddings so much that she has become a wedding planner for all of her friends. She arranges flowers and the invitations, haggles with the baker for the perfect wedding cake and even stands in for the bride for wedding gown fittings. Jane has been a bridesmaid 27 times (and has a closet full of dresses to prove it) and hopes that she will soon be a bride. Her love for George, her boss (Edward Burns), has been unrequited and just when she gets enough courage to admit her feelings, George meets and falls for Jane’s sister Tess (Malin Ackerman). To complicate matters, Kevin (Marsden), a reporter for the New York Journal’s wedding section, decides to do a feature story on Jane, the perennial bridesmaid, unbeknownst to her. Kevin and Jane react to each other like a dog meeting a cat and there are such sparks that you know they will get together eventually. Besides, how could she love bland George with sexy Kevin around? Heigl established her comedic chops in “Knocked Up” and she’s perfect here – attractive, full of life and appealing. Marsden is effective as the man who is first interested in the woman as a story and then becomes interested in the woman herself. And their on-screen chemistry works. Especially fun is the scene where they have too much to drink and sing Elton John's "Benny and the Jets." If you like chick flicks, this is the movie for you. (1/20/08)

Mad Money

In an interview with the Sunday Los Angeles Times, director Callie Khouri explains that her goal for “Mad Money” is ‘unabashed entertainment.’ To that end, she is successful. This fluffy caper story does not ask much of the audience nor of its stars, Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes. Bridget (Keaton) gets a job as a janitor at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank when her husband (Ted Danson), downsized from his job, announces that they are $280,000 in debt and will have to sell their house. During her daily routine of cleaning, Bridget observes the process of destroying worn-out money, which gives her ideas. She enlists the aid of a shredder (Queen Latifah) and a woman (Holmes) who carts the money from the security room to the shredder. Soon these three unlikely partners are successfully stealing millions of dollars. And since the money is to be destroyed anyway, who’s to know how much they take. Keaton’s Bridget is a bright woman who counts on others underestimating her. Queen Latifah’s Nina is a single mother struggling to keep her two sons in school and away from the drug influences in the neighborhood. Holmes’s character Jackie is the only one that seems underwritten because, for the most part, all she does is chew gum and bop around while listening to her ipod. Although I must admit, she does exhibit some interesting moves. Khouri employs flashback to tell much of the narrative and intersperses her characters speaking directly to the camera, which gives the feel of watching a reality television show. People who like happy endings will like “Mad Money.” Maybe that makes this movie too predictable, but that’s part of the pleasure of escaping the realities of one’s own life. (1/16/08)

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

“In the Name of the King” could have been a better movie, assuming you like sword and sorcery movies, but for three things: 1) overacting on the part of some of the actors, 2) cheesy special effects, and 3) its excessive length. Farmer (Jason Statham) lives on a farm with Solana, his wife (Claire Forlani) and his son. This peaceful existence ends when a band of marauding krugs attacks the nearby village, killing Farmer’s son and capturing Solana. Vowing revenge, Farmer, accompanied by his neighbor, Norick (Ron Perlman) and Solana’s brother, sets out to rescue Solana from the krug and find those responsible for his son’s death. However, this story is about more than one man’s tragedy. The land hovers on the brink of war. On the side of good are King Konreid (Burt Reynolds), his loyal mage, Merick (John Rhys-Davies) and the commanders of his soldiers. On the side of evil are the wicked sorcerer, Gallian (Ray Liotta), heir-to-the-throne Duke Fallow (Matthew Lillard) and an army of krugs. In an attempt to create an epic tale, director Uwe Boll has assembled a strong cast, but Liotta and Lillard overplay their roles to the point of being ridiculous. And Lillard is downright irritating. Statham is typically the strong, silent type (but able to kick a lot of krug butts) and Rhys-Davies is effective as the king’s magician. The krug look suspiciously like Peter Jackson’s orcs, but their faces are blurred. The battle between the humans and krugs was filmed in such a way that we aren’t supposed to notice the limited number of participants and the shots of the king’s army are obviously computer enhanced. And with a running time of 125 minutes, this movie is at least 25 minutes too long. I happen to like sword and sorcery movies, and really good one are hard to find. Unfortunately, “In the Name of the King” isn’t one of the good ones. (1/14/08)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly,” an adaptation of a French memoir of Jean-Dominique Bauby and directed by Julian Schnabel, as truly a harrowing experience. In 1995, Bauby, then editor of Elle magazine, suffered a massive stroke, resulting in ‘locked-in’ syndrome. He becomes a prisoner with a body that is totally paralyzed and a mind fully functional. His only means of communication is by blinking one eye. After dwelling in self-pity for a period of time (who wouldn’t?), he decides to write about his experiences and thoughts, one letter at a time. Schnabel, who won the Golden Globe for Best Director, is also a recognized painter and he deftly tells Bauby’s story in inventive visual ways. In fact, the first 20-30 minutes of the film is a first person experience: the audience is Bauby. As he awakens from a three-week coma, the camera sees what he sees and hears what he hears. Later, since Bauby cannot move his head, the camera remains stationary and people move in and out of view. For Bauby, the diving bell represented his trapped life where he is unable to move, talk, and sometimes even hear. The butterfly represented his imagination, where he could escape. Both visuals enhance this story. French actor Mathiew Amalric is exceptional as Bauby and Max von Sydow does a heart-breaking turn as Bauby’s father. “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” is not a feel-good movie, but it is a story of one man triumph over adversity. Subtitled (1/11/08)

P.S. I Love You

“P.S. I Love You,” starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler, is, on the surface, about the grieving process – how one moves through grief and resumes living. But this movie is also a romantic comedy, which means light and fluffy. So any meaningful exploration of grief proves superficial and any real emotional response seems manipulated. That being said, the main reason to see this movie is Gerard Butler, who reveals a different aspect of his acting persona to those who know him as the buff King Leonidas in “300.” Holly (Swank) and Gerry (Butler) are married and deeply in love. However, after Gerry’s death due to brain cancer, Holly discovers that he prepared a series of letters to be delivered to her at key moments during her first year of widowhood. Much of Holly’s interactions with Gerry are shown through flashback and imagined conversations she has with him. The characters, Holly, her two best friends (Lisa Kudrow and Gina Gershon), and her mother (Kathy Bates) never get beyond one-dimension because the script is more focused on either being cute or trying to wring tears from the audience. Hilary Swank has two Oscars to prove that she is a capable actor. What she hasn’t proved is that she can consistently select quality roles to play. (1/29/07)

Mr. Brooks - Available on DVD

“Mr. Brooks,” starring Kevin Costner, isn’t a movie for everyone. It has an interesting premise – one of pitting good against evil by creating a central character with an alter ego. However, it’s not really an original premise because Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1886. Costner plays Earl Brooks, Portland’s Man of the Year, a man with a gruesome secret. You see, Earl is the Thumb Print Killer and he’s a very, very smart serial killer. To create audience sympathy for Earl, there’s Marshall (William Hurt), his alter ego, ever goading Earl to murder and mayhem. Earl’s foil, the police detective (Demi Moore) investigating the Thumb Print Killer’s crimes, would have been more effective if she had been a genuine threat to Earl. Both Costner and Hurt are effective, but Moore’s role lacks credibility. The movie has a few twists, but I’d wait until it’s out on DVD. (6/8/07)

There Will Be Blood

In spite of the hype about being the Best Picture for 2007, “There Will Be Blood,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis, is essentially a character study. Certainly there are strong elements in this movie, but there are weaknesses as well. At the center of “There Will Be Blood,” is Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis), an oilman who makes his living swindling people out of their land, drilling for oil and keeping the profits. He finds himself in California, looking to expand his empire. With him are his partner, Fletcher (Ciarán Hinds) and his son, H.W. (Dillon Freasier). Standing in the way of Daniel acquiring prospective oil land is preacher Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), who wants Daniel to donate $10,000 to his church before Eli allows his father to sell their land. Once the drilling starts, there is an accident and H.W. loses his hearing. Daniel is an interesting man and for the first half of the movie, he is an appropriate protagonist: charismatic, easygoing, pragmatic and smart. He knows what he wants and how to get it. There are also glimpses of a darker side, one filled with ruthlessness, rage and violence. The more wealth and power Daniel accumulates, the more corrupted he becomes. He sends his son away and he murders a man. By the last third of the movie, Daniel is quite psychotic, more monster than man. The strength of the film is Day-Lewis’s performance. Although it seems that director Paul Thomas Anderson’s intent is to portray Daniel Planview as a tragic character, one whose conscience ultimately causes his fall, that intent is not really clear. In fact, it’s debatable that Daniel has a conscience given the violence of the final scene. And the musical score by Jonny Greenwood is the most irritating I’ve heard in a long time. At 2 hours and 40 minutes, “There Will Be Blood” is an investment of time. It’s interesting, even disturbing, but not the Best Picture for 2007. (1/8/08)

The Bucket List

“The Bucket List,” directed by Rob Reiner, is a movie about two men dying of cancer who decide to live life to the fullest before they die. The two veterans playing the lead roles provide solid performances although Jack Nicholson too often lapses into typical Nicholson mugging for the camera rather than acting. Morgan Freeman, as always, is totally believable as Carter Chambers, an auto mechanic who shares a hospital room with billionaire Edward Cole (Nicholson). After undergoing painful chemotherapy and then creating a ‘bucket list,’ things they want to see and do before they die, these two men decide not to waste any more time. First they try skydiving followed by racecar driving. During their visits to the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids, and the Great Wall of China, they discuss such issues as God, faith and religion although not in much depth. And they discover that it’s the personal things in one’s life that have the most meaning. There is nothing profound in Justin Zackham’s script; “The Bucket List” is not intended to be a treatise on the meaning of life. The pleasure in this movie comes from the camaraderie between the two men. And although the ending is a little too sentimental, you leave the theater with the feeling that you’ve seen a worthwhile movie. And nary a drop of blood was spilled. (1/7/08)

The Savages

“The Savages,” starring Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, is not an easy movie to watch. It provides a picture of family dynamics that is neither pretty nor uplifting. Lenny Savage (Phillip Bosco) is suffering from dementia and is no longer capable of living by himself. His care falls to his adult children, Wendy (Linney) and Jon (Hoffman), neither of whom like their father. Both carry deep emotional scares from Lenny’s abuse when they were children. Nevertheless, they are Lenny’s only relatives and they go about finding a nursing home where he can live until the escalating dementia results in his death. Because the nursing home is near Jon’s apartment, Wendy temporarily moves in with Jon to share the responsibilities of visiting their father. Lenny’s increasingly argumentative behavior adds to the friction between brother and sister. That Wendy and Jon dislike their father so intensely and also feel guilty about that dislike adds to this intense character study. Wendy and Jon are damaged people, shaped by their father’s earlier treatment of them. Wendy is a bundle of nerves and plagued by self-esteem issues, willing to settle for an affair with a married man rather than thinking she deserves more. Jon is a brilliant college professor, but lazy and resistant to change, even when the change would be good for him. Neither is able to move forward in life until they deal with their father. Laura Linney and Phillip Seymour Hoffman are outstanding; their performances are a treat to watch. However, a movie about dementia is a ‘too-close-to-home’ topic for many. If you’re looking for escapism, select a different movie. (12/27/07)

The Great Debaters

“The Great Debaters” is an enjoyable movie if you don’t mind predictable: predictable in plot, predictable in character development, predictable in themes. The one element that is not predictable is the slap-you-in-the-face racism that the characters in this story confront on a daily basis. We like to think that our country has moved beyond the racism inherent in the Jim Crow South, but we really haven’t. Racism exists today and it is no less insidious in its effect. “The Great Debaters,” based on a true story, is about Wiley College’s impressive debate record in 1935. Mel Tolson (Denzel Washington), an English professor and social activist, forms a debate team. Initially, he intends to compete against black colleges, but when the team goes undefeated, which includes toppling one of the best black college debating teams in the country, he sets his sights on National Champion Harvard. If Harvard agrees, it will be the first time the debating team from a black college will face off against a national champion. The three young actors cast as the debate team, Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett and Denzel Whitaker, are effective as students who come to understand the power of words. The debating sequences, which touch on issues of race, civil rights and civil disobedience, are presented with passion and fervor as the students wield words as weapons. Forrest Whitaker has a small role as the father of one of the debaters and professor at Wiley College. “The Great Debaters” is ultimately a story of individual achievement, of triumph against steep odds. Predictable? Certainly. But uplifting nonetheless. (12/31/07)

Charlie Wilson's War

When you have a cast consisting of Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, a script by Alan Sorkin and Mike Nichols directing, you have high expectations, right? And sometimes high expectations can be disappointing. Such is the case with “Charlie Wilson’s War,” a light-hearted tale of the United States’ covert war against the USSR in Afghanistan. Charlie Wilson (Hanks), a Texas Congressman known more for his love of parties and beautiful women, has just been appointed to the Defense Appropriations subcommittee in 1980. At the same time, socialite Joanne Herring (Roberts) and CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Hoffman) share a common goal of kicking the communists out of Afghanistan although they do not use the same methods to obtain that goal. When Herring convinces Wilson to use his clout on the committee to provide funding, these three very different people prove to be effective associates. In fact, Charlie Wilson is credited with being one of the architects of the successful efforts to rid Afghanistan of communism. Hanks gives an effective performance and his charisma lights up the screen even though he plays a man with questionable morals. Hoffman is allowed to chew up all of the scenes he’s in and he certainly takes advantage. Amy Adams (“Enchanted”) is appealing as Wilson’s faithful assistant, but Roberts seems a little too plastic. Nichols keeps the pace zipping along and Sorkin’s script is interspersed with humorous one-liners. What’s not to like? All of the ingredients seem to indicate a successful concoction. However, “Charlie Wilson’s War” isn’t the sum of its parts. Hanging over this story is the knowledge that the Afghan Mujahideen that the US provided with weapons are the same people fighting our soldiers today. It’s hard to watch this movie and naively cheer for Charlie Wilson’s War. (12/27/07)

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

What was interesting and new with “National Treasure” becomes been there, seen that with “National Treasure: Book of Secrets.” Why tamper with a recipe for success, right? And if you like action/adventure films, you’ll like this one even if it is redundant. And plot holes? Don’t worry. Nothing has to make much sense anyway. Just go with the flow. Treasure hunter Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) is out to prove that his great-great grandfather did not participate in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. To do that, he must find the fabled lost City of Gold (Makes sense, right?). Clues along the way take him to Buckingham Palace and the Oval Office, and he must also kidnap the President of the United States (Bruce Greenwood). Those providing assistance include Ben’s father (Jon Voight), his mother (Helen Mirren), his former girlfriend (Diane Kruger) and his irritating sidekick, Riley (Justin Bartha). The villain is Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris), who wants to find the City of Gold before Ben does. The acting is adequate, but when you have three Oscar winners (Cage, Voight and Mirren) and two nominees (Harris and Harvey Keitel), you expect a little more. And Justin Bartha’s whining, while cute in the first movie, is just plan annoying this time around. Director Jon Turteltaub is following an obvious formula so don’t be surprised when you leave the theater with a sense of déjà vu. (12/23/07)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

After watching “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp, I couldn’t help but wonder why. Why make this particular Broadway play into a movie? After all, it is essentially a slasher movie and the music is certainly not memorable. Benjamin Barker (Depp) is framed and deported by the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who covets Barker’s wife. When Barker returns to London after 15 years of imprisonment, he discovers that his wife committed suicide and his daughter is Turpin’s ward. Taking the name Sweeney Todd, Barker vows revenge and his accomplice is Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who owns a bakeshop under Todd’s former residence. Soon Sweeney Todd is open for business and his victims become the meat for Mrs. Lovett’s pies. Burton’s London, filmed in desaturated color, is full of shadows and horror and Depp and Bonham Carter, looking like walking corpses, resemble characters from another of Burton’s movies, “The Corpse Bride.” That Burton trusts Depp’s acting skill is evident in a script that calls for more expression and fewer spoken words. And although Depp and Bonham Carter do their own singing, neither their voices nor the songs have any memorable impact. It’s hard to recommend this movie, full of serial murders and cannibalism, even if it is based on an award-winning play. (12/31/07)