Mademoiselle Chambon - 1 1/2 smiles

Director Stéphane Brizé’s film, “Mademoiselle Chambon,” has been praised for its wordless exchanges and strong emotions but although the cinematography is beautiful, none of that emotion comes through. In fact, there are so many pauses and long sequences without dialogue that you being to wonder what all the fuss is about. Also, Jean (Vincent Lindon), a devoted husband and father, is hardly a sympathetic character when he falls in love with his son’s teacher. His wife, Anne-Marie (Aurore Atika) is more beautiful and dynamic although Brizé spends too much time with Mademoiselle Chambon, who seems overly frail and lacks any personality. Obviously, Brizé is trying to capture the subtle development of love between two adults, but that hardly makes for satisfying cinema. Subtitles. 7/27/10

Ramona and Beezus - 2 1/2 smiles

“Ramona and Beezus,” based on the Beverly Cleary books, is lightweight summer fare, interesting if you’re a nine-year-old girl or if you’re looking for an old-fashioned 50s-style story. Even the names in this movie harken back to another era: there’s Ramona (newcomer Joey King), her older sister Beatrice (Selena Gomez), her parents, Robert (John Corbett) and Dorothy (Bridget Moynahan), her Aunt Bea (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her best friend Henry Huggins (Hutch Dano). Reminiscent of Ozzie and Harriet or Leave It to Beaver. Plus the plot is episodic, involving a lost job, a possible move, various school mishaps, two romances and the death of a family pet.

Joey King is adorable as Ramona, whose vivid imagination often gets her into trouble. However, she’s perhaps too cute to play an awkward misfit like Ramona. Because director Elizabeth Allen gives everything that Disney wholesomeness (even though it’s being released by Fox), “Ramona and Beezus” could easily fit into a Disney lineup. This is a likable family movie, especially if you like it sweet. 7/24/10

The Kids Are All Right - 4 smiles

The kids might be all right, but the adults certainly aren’t in “The Kids Are All Right,” starring Annette Bening, Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Director Lisa Cholodenko, who wrote the script with Stuart Blumberg, sensitively tells a universal tale about the difficulties that can arise in any family regardless of its structure. And she resists wrapping everything up in a neat bow at the end although the conclusion is satisfying nonetheless. Joni (Mia Wasikowska) is 18 and about to leave for college. Laser (Josh Hutcherson) is her 15-year old half-brother. The two share the same father, but have different mothers. Joni’s biological mom is Nic (Bening) while Laser’s mom is Jules (Moore). Nic and Jules, lesbian spouses with more than 20 years together, conceived their children through artificial insemination using an anonymous donor. Now that Joni is of legal age, she approaches the sperm bank with a request to meet her biological father. Aging hippie Paul (Ruffalo) is a bit taken aback to discover that he has two grown children, but he’s curious enough to agree to meet them. While Joni, Laser and Jules seem to get along with Paul, Nic is resentful and suspicious. Things are further complicated when Jules and Paul have an affair.

That the spouses are the same sex hardly matters when it comes to examining the dynamics of a marital relationship. Nic, a doctor, is the classic A type personality – controlling and inflexible while Jules is more submissive and believes that Nic doesn’t appreciate her any more. Because Jules is not getting the affection and attention that she craves from Nic, Paul becomes a handy substitute. The performances are all top notch. Bening’s Nic is a strong-willed, though emotionally vulnerable, workaholic. Moore is excellent as her more open-minded partner. Ruffalo has the most difficult role, to make an immature, womanizing free spirit into a sympathetic person. And Wasikowska and Hutcherson are believable as sensitive, well-adjusted teens. “The Kids Are All Right” is smart, sexy, hopeful, and above all, entertaining. 7/23/10

Salt - 2 1/2 smiles

I like action movies. Give me James Bond, Jason Bourne, or Frank Martin (Transporter) and I’m happy. And because “Salt,” starring Angelina Jolie, is pure action, I’m content, but I’m not going to overvalue its quality. Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is one of the CIA’s most talented agents. But when a Russian defector, Orlov (Daniel Olbrychski), names her as a sleeper KGB agent, she finds her self hunted by Agent Peabody (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an Internal Affairs operative, and her partner Ted Winter (Live Schreiber). According to Orlov, Salt is going to assassinate the Russian president, who is in the United States attending the funeral of the U.S. Vice President. The film’s key question is, whose side is Salt on?

Director Phillip Noyce pushes the envelop of credibility, hoping that you’ll ignore holes in the plot and believe Jolie’s increasingly impossible stunts. Nonetheless, the action scenes are exciting and tension building although our heroine jumps from one moving truck to another to a third. Believable? And she just happens to know how to get to the Russian president with a few clicks of Internet research. Reportedly, Tom Cruise was supposed to make this movie and if he did, “Salt” would be another generic action flick. Having a female protagonist does add another dimension, but at 95 minutes, Noyce really doesn’t have much time to develop her character. Nonetheless, Jolie seems more than capable of proving herself a solid action star. And because this has a PG-13 rating, there’s a lot of violence, but not a lot of blood (except on Jolie). Despite its problems, “Salt” is an enjoyable popcorn movie. 7/26/10

The Sorcerer's Apprentice - 2 smiles

The main problem with “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is casting Jay Baruchel, with his nasally, whiny voice, as the apprentice. The second problem is Matt Lopez and Doug Miro & Carlo Bernard’s script then spends too much screen time with him. Nicholas Cage doesn’t disappoint as Balthazar Blake, a centuries old wizard, but it takes all of his skill to regain the momentum that’s lost when the story shifts to Dave’s (Baruchel) awkward attempt to court the girlfriend of his dreams, Becky (Teresa Palmer). And Alfred Molina as Horvath, the evil sorcerer intent on destroying the world, is as effective as a PG rating will allow. A minor problem is the predictability of the narrative although I could argue that fantasy is always about good vs. evil, with good triumphing over evil.

Director Jon Turteltaub manages to create some interesting special effects, including the scene borrowed from Fantasia where Dave tries to get some mops to do his bidding. “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is no Harry Potter, but if you like fantasy, it’s an easy way to spend an afternoon, especially if you can munch on some popcorn. 7/17/10

Inception - 4 smiles

“Inception,” written and directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, requires that you pay attention. If you do, you’ll be rewarded with a journey to a visually sumptuous world filled with suspenseful action and layer upon layer of intriguing dream sequences. Despite blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, it’s hard for the attentive viewer to get lost in Nolan’s carefully crafted story, which sounds more complicated than it really is. Suffice it to say that a team of dream raiders for hire led by Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) attempts the risky proposition of planting an idea in the subconscious of a business-empire heir (Cillian Murphy). The team includes Dom, the ace at invading a target’s dreams and stealing his secrets; Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the project manager and point man; Ariadne (Ellen Page) the newly recruited architect, who builds the dream worlds; Eames (Tom Hardy) who can impersonate anyone in a dream; and Yusef (Dileep Rao), a chemist whose drugs can keep sleepers sedated or bring them back to wakefulness. Because businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe) is bankrolling this project, he wants to be involved in the process.

The cast is perfect. Although I’m not a DiCaprio fan, he proves that he is capable of creating a conflicted character that is both believable and likable. We know early on that his character harbors secrets and his most deadly is his deceased wife Mal (Marion Cotillard), who haunts his subconscious. DiCaprio skillfully reveals Dom’s guilt and regret as the story progresses. And it’s refreshing to see Page in a role that doesn’t require juvenile sarcasm while Gordon-Levitt demonstrates what a versatile actor he is. The impressive special effects are an integral part of the story rather than the reason for making the movie. Like James Cameron, Nolan has created a fascinating other world with cities where streets defy gravity and massive cliffs that collapse into the sea. And Hans Zimmer's music, while heavy-handed at times, effectively enhances the suspenseful build-up of the climax. “Inception,” arguably the best film of the summer and perhaps all year, is as sophisticated and intelligent as it is exciting and breathtaking. 7/17/10

The Girl Who Played with Fire - 3 1/2 smiles

If you’re going to see “The Girl Who Played with Fire,” it would help if you’ve seen “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” or read the books. Based on Swedish writer Steig Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy, “The Girl Who Played with Fire” jumps into the narrative and assumes you’ll be able to follow along. In the first movie, we met the central characters, journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michael Nyqvist) and computer hacker Lisabeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), who worked together to solve a case involving kidnapping and murder. In this film, a straightforward thriller with mystery elements, the lead characters do not interact, but solve the crime from different angles. The crime is the murder of a Millennium Magazine writer and his girlfriend, who are working on a story about a sex-trafficking ring. Evidence at the scene of the murders, as well as the killing of Lisabeth’s guardian Nels Bjurman (Peter Andersson), implicates Lisabeth and the police begin hunting her. She, in turn, begins tracking Zala, an underworld crime lord and the man she believes to be the killer. Meanwhile, Mikael, convinced of Lisabeth’s innocence, launches his own investigation into Zala.

The main reason to see “The Girl Who Played with Fire” is Noomi Rapace. She breathes life into Lisabeth, illuminating Lisabeth’s indomitable strength and the vulnerability that hovers behind her eyes, most often hidden, but visible during the quiet times. That’s not to say that Michael Nyqvist’s Blomkvist isn’t effective. He is, but when compared to Rapace’s Goth, pierced Lisabeth, with her damaged soul and haunted eyes, there’s no comparison. Chunks of the plot have been have been deleted in the screenplay so at times it might be hard to follow what’s happening. So you might find the first movie more satisfying. And because this is the second in a trilogy, it suffers from being the middle child. Nonetheless, I’m eagerly waiting for “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest,” which opens in October. Subtitles. 10/12/10

Despicable Me - 3 smiles

While “Despicable Me” isn’t by Pixar so there’s no insightful message beyond the superficial one in the story, it’s very entertaining and the minions deserve their own movie. The despicable one is Gru (voiced by Steve Carell, trying out an Eastern European accent), whose goal is to be the number one villain. So far, his accomplishments have been small in scale, such as stealing the Statue of Liberty … the small one from Las Vegas. However, with the help of his ‘minions,’ an army of squeaky little yellow guys in overalls, he’s ready for something really big: he’s going to steal the moon. First he needs a shrink ray and to get this, he must invade the heavily guarded domain of rival villain Vector (Jason Segel). To do this, he needs the help of three orphan sisters who sell Vector’s favorite cookies.

“Despicable Me” is really about someone who chose the wrong profession. Gru wants to be a villain, but deep down, he has a good heart. When he adopts the sisters to help him with his nefarious plot, they have a bigger impact on him than he could have imagined. Director Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud keep things from being overly sweet without sacrificing the warmth. And it doesn’t hurt that the kids, voiced by Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, and Elsie Fisher, are truly adorable. Much of the slapstick humor is associated with the minions, but they’re such cute sidekicks that you want more. “Despicable Me” is full of heart and energy and even if it’s another animated flick, it’s certainly worth seeing. 7/10/10

Predators - 2 1/2 smiles

I always thought that Predator was one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s better movies so I was interested when I heard that the 2010 version would star Adrien Brody and be called “Predators” (plural). The key to this movie is Brody, who has to be believable as the warrior who fights the alien predators. Brody, cast against type, has buffed up and with his gravely voice, we never doubt that his Royce is going to be the winner in the climatic showdown. The script by Alex Litvak & Michael Finch borrows from “The Dangerous Game,” a short story every high school student has read. Eight strangers are stranded on a game preserve planet, where they are being hunted by aliens for sport. The goal, obviously, is survival, but the odds are stacked against them: their weapons are inferior and they can’t see their pursuers. Royce (Brody) decides that running is not the best way to survive; they must defeat the enemy and find a way back to earth.

Brody’s Royce is joined by various characters that represent different types and ethnicities. Isabelle (Alice Braga) is the only one in the group with something that resembles a conscience. Stans (Walter Groggins) is a death row convict; Nikolai (Oleg Taktarov), a Russian mercenary; Hanzo (Louis Ozawa Changchien), a yakuza; Mombasa (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), an African mercenary; Cuchillo (Danny Trejo), a Columbian drug runner. Topher Grace is Edwin, a mild-mannered doctor, whose presence in the midst of so many killers should be a red flag. And Laurence Fishburne plays Nolan, a hunt survivor with questionable sanity. “Predators” is an entertaining film if you like sci-fi action movies. 7/9/10

Twilight: Eclipse - 1 1/2 smiles

“Eclipse,” the latest installment of the Twilight Saga, is two hours of soap opera bloat. And one of the things that bothers me so much about these movies is Kristen Stewart’s character, Bella. She’s way too passive and indecisive, waiting around for one of her two boyfriends to protect or rescue her. And by the time you’re half way through this movie, you want to shout, ‘Choose already.’ But nooooo. Although she tells Jacob (Taylor Lautner) that she loves Edward (Robert Pattinson), she refuses to tell Jacob to take a hike. This love triangle is an adolescent girl’s fantasy. And I guess Pattinson can act; however, all he does is look like he’s got a severe case of gas. As for Lautner, who goes shirtless much of the time, he’s certainly ‘abs’solutely hunky. “Eclipse” is the movie its fans expect if the sighs in the audience and its huge box office receipts are any indication. For the non-Stephanie Meyer fans? Skip it. 7/4/10

The Last Airbender - 2 smiles

While “The Last Airbender,” written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, isn’t good, it’s not all bad either. There are a few things that I liked. I heard about the criticisms lodged at Shyamalan for using white actors in roles where he should have used Asians or Native Americans. Nonetheless, Noah Ringer, the newcomer who plays Aang, the last Airbender, is effective, quite believable in his portrayal of a boy who has a conflict with his destiny. It’s Shyamalan’s script that doesn’t give us time to get to know him and care about him. That we do is a credit to his acting. And Dev Patel playing Prince Zuko, the exiled son of the villainous Fire Lord, is another standout. It’s clear that his character is struggling to do what his father wants versus what he knows is right. Too bad the rest of the cast, who either perform as if they’re part of a high school play or over act, aren’t as effective. Visually, the biggest problem with “The Last Airbender” is the post-production conversion to 3D. The entire film is murky and slightly out of focus. Even the snow scenes that should have been bright and crystal clear are washed out.

Shyamalan hasn’t been able to duplicate the success of The Sixth Sense (1999), a movie with an intelligent script, well-developed characters and an unexpected twist although he’s tried. The Happening, Lady in the Water, The Village, Signs, Unbreakable — we keep waiting for another movie with that Shyamalan magic. With “The Last Airbender,” we’re going to have to wait some more. 7/3/10.

Knight and Day - 3 smiles

One word describes “Knight and Day,” a romantic actioner starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz, and that’s fun. It’s fun to have Tom Cruise on screen again and not taking himself too seriously. It’s fun to see Cameron Diaz in a film where she has some chemistry with her leading man. And it’s fun to see a romantic comedy (with lots of action) that has a halfway decent script. Cruise is super spy Roy Miller and Diaz is June Havens. His assignment is to keep the inventor of a new energy source safe. Since Roy’s agency thinks he’s gone rogue, he’s being pursued by his own organization as well as the bad guys. Stuck in an airport and fearing that the energy source that he’s carrying will be found, Roy hides it in June’s suitcase, which puts her in the middle of the situation. Soon she and Roy are jetting around the globe as Roy kills bad guys by the bunch.

The biggest surprise is Cruise. Other than a clever cameo in Tropic Thunder, you have to go back several years to find a movie where he seems to be having so much fun. Few actors have the comic skill to create a sympathetic character out of a loose cannon operative, especially when it seems he really has gone rogue. Of course, the smart script by Patrick O’Neill helps. The line he gives Cruise, “Nobody follow us or I’ll kill myself and then kill her” deserves to become a classic. Although much of the plot, especially the action sequences, are totally implausible, you’re having so much fun that you don’t care. 7/23/10