Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 3 1/2 smiles

The problem with a movie like “Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is expectations. If you recall, the first of the Indy movies, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” was Spielberg’s tribute to those old serials where our hero encounters any number of difficult situations and always comes out on top. Remember the pure enjoyment you gained from seeing that first movie? Unfortunately, Spielberg followed with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” a purely awful movie and only partially redeemed himself with “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” Now, 19 years later, Spielberg gives us an opportunity to spend a few fun hours with old friends, meet a new one, and take another journey with Indy, packed full of wild chases, impossible situations and good overcoming evil.

This time out, it is 1957 and Indy is asked to foil a Soviet squad, led by Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), in their quest to find a crystal skull, linked to possible psychic powers that would put the Soviets in the driver’s seat in the escalating Cold War. Along the way, Indy (Harrison Ford) encounters an old sidekick, Mac (Ray Winstone), a young man, Mutt (Shia LeBeouf) searching for Professor Oxley (John Hurt), and Indy’s first love, Marion (Karen Allen). Allen and Ford exhibit much of the chemistry that was present in “Raiders” and it’s a pleasure to see her again. Ford effortlessly slips into Indy’s clothes, with the signature hat and whip, to add to our enjoyment of seeing another Indiana Jones movie. LeBeouf’s presence suggests that, if the Indy saga continues, he is in the wings to take over. The humor in “Crystal Skull” often revolves around Indy’s age and there’s never any pretense that he’s not nearing retirement. At one point, Indy says, “This used to be easier.” Nonetheless, we’re with Indy all the way as he escapes from his Soviet captors, drives through a jungle to reclaim the crystal skull, and solves various puzzles that take him to the Lost City of Gold. This is a movie everyone will see. Don’t be left out. (5/22/08)

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - 2 smiles

Although eagerly anticipated, the second installment of The Chronicles of Narnia is a disappointment, lacking two crucial elements in an effective movie – strong character development and engaging narrative. “Prince Caspian” takes place one year after the events in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” in our world and 1,300 years later in Narnia. Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) are summoned to once again save Narnia from evil.

The greatest weakness in “Prince Caspian” is a lack of character development. And the character that suffers most is Prince Caspian. Because you know that good will ultimately conquer evil, it’s hard to root for Caspian, who is so bland that you wonder how he’s going to inspire the Narnians to follow him into battle. And the four returning Pevensie children pretty much follow the character delineations previously developed in “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” with the exception of Edmund, who seems to be the only one who thinks. And it is Peter, not Caspian, who learns an important lesson about impetuous behavior. The second element, a solid narrative, is also weak although there is so much computer graphics going on that the simple story, Caspian must regain his throne, seems more that it really is.

At 2 hours, 17 minutes, “Prince Caspian” is longer than it needs to be. It has less magic and a much darker tone than “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. There’s no blood, but there is a lot of violence and death for a PG movie so “Prince Caspian” is not for the very young. But if you enjoyed the first Narnia film, you’ll probably feel compelled to see this one even though you're bound to be disappointed. (5/16/08)

Made of Honor - 2 smiles

“Made of Honor,” starring Patrick Dempsey and Michelle Monaghan, is a typical genre movie – a romantic comedy that follows the tried and true formula, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. Unfortunately, this film is so predictable that you don’t even care if the boy gets the girl at the end. In fact, Tom (Dempsey) is such a self-centered jerk that you don’t even like him for most of the movie. He’s such a whiner. And there is absolutely no chemistry between Tom and Hannah (Monaghan). So when Hannah returns from a six-week business trip to Scotland with Colin, her fiancé, in tow (Kevin McKidd), you’re happy that she has someone who appreciates and loves her for who she is, not someone like Tom who has taken her for granted for the last ten years. When Hannah asks Tom to be her maid of honor, Tom agrees, thinking he can disrupt Hannah’s plans more if he’s on the inside. But even this rather novel idea doesn’t enliven the movie.

There are no scenes of Tom and Hannah together to illustrate their ‘falling in love” although you know that Tom and Hannah are comfortable with each other’s foibles. Rather than develop these two through more of their conversations and actions, script writers Adam Sztykiel and Deborah Kaplan & Harry Elfont prefer to take the easy way out: they have Tom tell you how he feels. And after seeing Patrick Dempsey in “Enchanted,” an exceptional romantic comedy, it’s hard to accept him in anything less. At the heart of “Made of Honor” is a tepid romance that’s scarcely worth seeing. (5/9/08)

Speed Racer - 1 frown

One might think that a movie written and directed by the Wachowski brothers (“The Matrix”) would be good. However, Andy and Larry fail to follow a fundamental rule in making a movie with a lot of computer-generated special effects: the effects must support the story. (See “Iron Man” for an effective application of this principle.) Instead of starting with a meaningful narrative and strong characters, the Wachowskis periodically trap you in a psychedelic car race, which swirls around like a kaleidoscopic video game gone bad and then spits you out for your next dose of dialogue.

Based on a 40-year old Japanese cartoon, the movie is about Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch), a young race car driver who comes to the attention of big business mogul Royalton (Roger Allam), who wants Speed to race for him. And Royalton is not above fixing races to get what he wants. That’s pretty much the plot and the movie might have been better if the Wachowskis had left it at that. Instead they throw in perplexing flashbacks about Speed’s older brother Rex (Scott Porter); vague conversations about art and business and racing for the love of racing and racing for money; silly antics from Speed’s younger brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) and his chimpanzee; and the mysterious comings and goings of Racer X (Matthew Fox). ‘Throw in’ is the operative word here so a coherent story is impossible. On paper, the cast of “Speed Racer” is strong: Hirsh, Fox, John Goodman and Susan Sarandon (Speed’s parents), and Christina Ricci (Trixi, Speed’s girlfriend). But this is a movie about racing and the script leaves little room for character development.

Skip “Speed Racer.” It’s overly long (134 minutes) and talky and the redundant race sequences have so much CG glitz that it’s hard to know who’s winning. The intended audience for this movie is obviously 6-10-year-old boys; however, for their parents and any other sentient adult, it’s pretty awful. (5/11/08)

Iron Man - 3 1/2 smiles

For me, “Iron Man” is the first of several eagerly anticipated summer films and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Its $100.7 million weekend box office grosses indicate that a good number of people across the country weren't disappointed either. Director Jon Favreau keeps the tone light while developing both characters and story and the result is an exceptional superhero movie. Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.), a multi-billionaire weapons manufacturer and genius inventor, has a change of heart (literally and figuratively) after being injured by one of his own missiles and then captured by Afghani terrorists. Tony escapes by building a bulletproof iron suit, but not before he discovers he must wear an electromagnet attached to his chest to keep shrapnel from moving to his heart. Once home, he decides to terminate the company’s weapons division and concentrate on perfecting the iron suit. However, his decision sends his stock plummeting and his board of directors moves to lock Tony out.

Favreau uses story and character to develop Iron Man’s origins, rather than rely on action and special effects. Of course, there is plenty of action and special effects, but they support the narrative rather than become the focus. And Robert Downy, Jr. is absolutely perfect as a rather naïve, spoiled playboy who is shocked into awareness and once aware, cannot stand by and do nothing. Downey brings a credible intensity to Tony’s transformation and his acerbic delivery of lines only enhances his character. The work of two screenwriting teams, Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby (“Children of Men”) and Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, results in a cohesive narrative and snappy and humorous dialogue for Downey. Downey’s able supporting cast consists of Gwyneth Paltrow (Tony’s devoted Girl Friday, Pepper Potts), a bald and bearded Jeff Bridges (Tony’s ambitious business partner, Obadiah Stane), and Terrence Howard his Air Force buddy, Jim Rhodes).

The special effects are top-notch and some are even played for laughs, such as when Tony scolds a robot for spraying him with fire-extinguishing chemicals when he wasn’t on fire and the robot moans and hangs his head. However, at the center of “Iron Man” is the suit and we marvel at what it can do – flying machine, rocket launcher, flame thrower, bulletproof outfit, and cell phone all rolled into one. I want one of those! Even for those who aren’t fans of superhero movies, “Iron Man’ is highly entertaining and certainly not to be missed. (5/4/08)

Hats Off - 2 1/2 smiles

“Hats Off,” a documentary by Jyll Johnstone, is about Mimi Wedell, who, at 93, is the oldest working actress. You’ve probably seen Mimi in any number of movies, television shows or commercials, but because she has such small parts, you wouldn’t have noticed her name in the credits. Mimi started acting at 65 when her husband died, leaving her with numerous bills and she discovered a life-long passion. Not only does Mimi make the endless rounds of casting calls, but she also takes tap dancing lessons, voice lessons and works out with a personal trainer. Mimi’s motto is “90 is the new 40” and her mantra is “Rise above it.” She currently lives in New York with her grown son and daughter and their children. “Hats Off” is an inspirational story about a woman who is not about to let her age slow her down. (4/9/08)

88 Minutes - 1 1/2 smiles

“88 Minutes” is one of those frustrating movies. You know, one with a good actor and an interesting premise, but where everything else is wrong. The plot holes are big enough to walk through, the red herrings are just plain irritating, and the character development nonexistent. Dr. Jack Gramm (Al Pacino with a distracting pouffy hairstyle), a famous forensic psychiatrist, has been told via cell phone that he has 88 minutes to live. At the same time, Jon Forester (Neal McDonough), who has been convicted of rape and murder based on Jack’s testimony, is fighting to get a reprieve from his death sentence due to be carried out within 12 hours. When bodies start popping up and evidence points to him, Jack sets out to discover who is responsible.

Unfortunately, rather than develop “88 Minutes” though a logical sequencing of events with plausible clues, Gary Scott Thompson’s script has Jack mindlessly running around, flashing his ID as if it were police credentials and suspecting everyone around him. And Pacino is getting a little too old to be the object of college-girl crushes. It’s obvious Forester is guilty because McDonough is typically type-cast as the creepy bad guy. Amy Brenneman is wasted at Jack’s gay assistant and Alicia Witt (Jack’s teaching assistant) and Leelee Sobieski (one of Jack’s students) overact. “88 Minutes” deserves 1 smile, but because Al Pacino is the star, it gets an extra half of a smile. (5/1/08)

Redbelt - 3 1/2 smiles

“Redbelt,” a film written and directed by David Mamet and set in the milieu of mixed martial arts, is about an honorable man who has the courage to remain true to his convictions when circumstances dictate that he choose a more expedient path. Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor) runs a martial arts academy where he teaches jiu-jitsu and firmly believes in the philosophy of jiu-jitsu: that competition weakens a fighter, that there is always an escape from a difficult situation. So despite the lure of big money from competitive fighting, Terry refuses, even if it would give him the needed cash to pay his bills. When a distraught young woman (Emily Mortimer) enters his academy one rainy evening, she triggers a string of events that puts all Terry believes in to the test. Along the way Terry meets a fight promoter (Ricky Jay), an actor (Tim Allen), the actor’s wife (Rebecca Pidgeon) and the actor's front man (Joe Mantegna).

According to an interview (http://www.emanuellevy.com), Mamet spent five years training with jiu-jitsu master, Renato Magno and his colleagues and friends, the Machados and the Gracies, where they impressed Mamet with “a vision of the possibility of correct, moral behavior in all circumstances. …it seemed the perfect encapsulation of the hero, and the world of martial arts, the perfect arena for its exploration.” And “Redbelt” is the result of this exploration.

Chiwetel Ejiofor (“Talk to Me,” “Kinky Boots”), new to the Mamet acting crew, is perfect as Mike Terry, projecting sincerity, humility, and a samurai’s code of honor. Brazilian actress Alice Braga plays Terry’s wife with one loving eye on her husband and the other on his severely depleted bottom line. Emily Mortimer’s Laura provides just enough nervous mystery to keep audiences guessing as to how she will ultimately affect Terry. Mamet regulars, Ricky Jay, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Joe Mantegna along with Tim Allen, provide competent support.

The world of mixed martial arts might be the setting for “Redbelt,” but it’s really about the choices a man makes to stay true to his beliefs. There’s enough action to keep martial arts aficionados interested and enough story and character development to keep everyone else interested. However, a Mamet movie requires that you pay attention or you just might miss something important. (5/2/08)