Takers - 2 smiles

“Takers” is a typical B heist movie that boasts a great chase scene and way too much hand-held camera jerkiness. Directed by John Luessenhop and penned by a team of writers, “Takers” is more concerned with style than substance. When not in ski masks conducting well-planned bank robberies or in hard hats during an elaborate armored-car takeover, the five bad guys, or ‘Takers,’ wear fashionable clothes, drink Dom Perignon, smoke Cuban cigars, read the Bloomberg Report and generally hang out in their luxurious penthouse apartments. They look fantastic. The script does not allow for much character development, however: there’s Gordon (Idris Elba), the leader; John (Paul Walker), Gordon’s best buddy and second in command; A.J. (Hayden Christensen), strategist and hipster; and brothers Jesse and Jake (Chris Brown and Michael Ealy). And I mustn’t forget Matt Dillion and Jay Fernandez play cops two steps behind these master criminals.

And Los Angeles looks fantastic - the city skyline, crimson sunsets, classy swimming pools. The guys hijack a TV news chopper for a getaway vehicle and land it at Dodger Stadium, which looks fantastic. Nonetheless, “Takers” is all about the heist of $23 million from an armored car, suggested by Ghost (Tip ‘T.I’ Harris), a former member of the gang who has spent the last five years in prison. The real reason for Ghost hooking up with his old gang should have played a greater part in the conflict, but Luessenhop focuses on the obvious cops vs. robbers instead. “Takers” will hold your attention because it’s got lots of action, but don’t look for characters or story. 8/30/10

Mesrine: Killer Instinct - 2 smiles

The main problem with “Mesrine: Killer Instinct,” the first of a two-part bio-pic about actual French criminal Jacques Mesrine, is that much of it plays like movies we’ve seen before. Add to the been-there-seen-that feel is the fact that we really never see what motivates Mesrine. So, essentially, we’ve got “Good Fellas” mixed with a little “Godfather,” “Bonnie and Clyde” and any number of James Cagney flicks. And “Killer Instinct” doesn’t offer anything that’s uniquely different because Mesrine’s story, that of a French Army veteran who embarked on a career as a hard-core criminal, lends itself to every possible movie cliché. Plus, in an attempt to include as many key events as possible, the movie often jumps from scene to scene without pausing for any character development. However, there certainly are many grisly scenes of violence, including stabbings, shootings and, during one uncomfortable sequence, Mesrine being tortured by prison guards. The highlight of part one is Vincent Cassel’s performance. He won a Cesar Award (the French equivalent of the Oscar) for his work in this film and it’s clear why. His Mesrine is part sexy charmer and part irrational monster, capable of jamming a gun into the mouth of the mother of his children.

The obvious question at this point is: Do we care enough about Jacques Mesrine to buy a ticket for the second installment, “Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1,” which seems reminiscent of last summer’s John Dillinger bio-pic, “Public Enemies.” I know how Mesrine dies – in a hail of bullets, of course. Do I need to sit though another two hours? Subtitles. 8/29/10

Mao's Last Dancer - 3 1/2 smiles

Heartfelt story telling, fine performances and the perfection of ballet all combine to make “Mao’s Last Dancer” a memorable movie. Based on Li Cunxin’s memoir, this movie chronicles Li’s artistic journey as he struggles to first understand ballet, then master it, and finally, love it. In 1972 eleven-year-old Li Cunxin is plucked from his rural home in China to study ballet at the academy in Beijing and become part of Mao’s cultural revolution. Li will grow up to be a ballet dancer of rare talent and eventually visit the US where his defection will become a cause célèbre, reaching all the way to the White House. To be sure, Li Cunxin gets plenty of advice before he leaves China for a three-month stint with the Houston Ballet. But Li quickly realizes that all of the warnings about life in the West, including the ‘unimaginable squalor,’ are not true. Li comes to understand that dancing for the love of dancing gives him a freedom he didn’t have in China.

One of the strengths of this movie is director Bruce Beresford’s willingness to stage several beautiful and compelling performances by Li. And a crucial piece of casting was selecting Chi Cao, a principal dancer with the Birmingham Royal Ballet who was born and trained in China, to play Li as an adult. Though novice actor he might be, Cao is more than able to convey a range of emotions burning beneath the surface. Beresford also draws strong performances from his supporting cast, most notable being Bruce Greenwood who plays Ben Stevenson, the British-born director of the Houston Ballet who first brought Li Cunxin to the US as an exchange student. Kyle MacLachlan is the immigration attorney Charles Foster who intercedes on Li’s behalf when officials at the Chinese consulate in Houston try to kidnap the dancer and return him to China. “Mao’s Last Dancer” is feel-good film bursting with energy and magic. See it. You won’t be disappointed. 8/18/10

A Film Unfinished - 3 smiles

Yael Hersonski’s documentary “A Film Unfinished” revolves around the reels discovered in a German vault: Nazi footage of life inside the Warsaw Ghetto in 1942 where half a million starving Jews squeezed into three square miles. Many of the scenes on these reels were staged by members of Hitler’s propaganda ministry. In fact, you can see some of them caught on film as the images roll by. No one knows for sure how this film was to be used, but best guess, according to Hersonski, is the Nazis meant to illustrate how well-to-do Jews lived, such as eating in fancy restaurants and enjoying the theater while poor Jews starved to death under their feet. Hersonski juxtaposes the Reich’s attempt to tell the story from their perspective with testimony of those who saw it being filmed. These witnesses recall that they were directed to dress up and look like they were having a good time or to coldly walk by the beggars or corpses in the street. As the cameramen strive to capture manufactured truths (Hersonski shows that many scenes required multiple takes), the film also reveals heartbreaking realities: a mother wandering the street with her baby in her arms, crying for food; the shrunken faces, huge eyes and enlarged ears of a people being systematically starved to death; a mass grave outside the city with rail-thin bodies sliding down a long chute. “A Film Unfinished” clearly demonstrates that what you see, especially historical footage, does not always equal the truth. 8/20/10

Nanny McPhee Returns - 3 smiles

If you liked “Nanny McPhee,” you’ll like “Nanny McPhee Returns.” And you don’t even have to be a kid. Like its predecessor, this one is sweet, sentimental and silly with a fairytale story that makes everything magical. Emma Thompson, who again produced and wrote the screenplay, focuses on the life lessons that children must learn: being kind, helpful, and brave. If there’s a problem, it’s the shift from the enchanting silliness of piglets engaged in synchronized swimming to the dark reality of World War II. While Thompson and the children are engaging, Ifans over plays his role as the villain and I can’t for the life of me understand why Maggie Smith agreed to a scene where she sits in a cow pie.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, radiant as Isabel Green, a sweet-natured but frazzled mother of three children whose husband is off at war, is in danger of losing their farm because Isabel’s brother-in-law (Rhys Ifans) has gambling debts. Between managing her job at a local shop, overseen by the absentminded Mrs. Docherty (Smith) and coping with her boisterous children, Isabel needs help, especially when a pair of spoiled young cousins from London arrive. Enter Nanny McPhee (Thompson), ‘small c, big P,’ with her jutting snaggletooth, hairy warts and scraggily unibrow, to help set things right. Children will be delighted that there’s lots of poo is this movie, but they’ll also appreciate the lessons Nanny McPhee teaches. 8/22/10

The Switch - 2 1/2 smiles

I guess the directors of “The Switch,” Josh Gordon and Will Speck, were locked into the romantic comedy genre. How else can you explain the split personality of this movie? On the surface, this movie does follow the boy-meets-girl-boy-falls-in-love-with-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-wins-girl formula and from the boy’s perspective, too. But Jennifer Aniston’s Kassie is the typical perky character she plays in most of her other rom-coms and there’s little chemistry with any of her co-stars. However, there is a secondary story, which results in several moving scenes between Jason Bateman (as Wally, a man-child who discovers maturity as he bonds with his son) and child actor Thomas Robinson (as Sebastian, a fatherless child yearning for an adult role model), which should have been the focal point. This relationship is the heart of “The Switch” and allows Bateman’s skillful acting to shine. Unfortunately, the directors spend too much time with cheap jokes and an exploration of a romance that really doesn’t work. If this is a successful comedy, it’s due to Jeff Goldblum, who plays Wally’s best friend. Unfortunately, he’s not given much screen time.

The story opens ‘seven years ago’ with best friends Wally and Kassie having lunch. Wally has loved Kassie for years but she relegated him to the ‘best friend’ category. Kassie announces that she’s going to get pregnant and wants Wally to help her find a suitable sperm donor. At Kassie’s insemination party, a drunk Wally substitutes the donor sperm for his own with little memory of the deed afterward. Kassie moves away from New York so she can raise her son in a different environment. Seven years later Kassie returns with her six-year-old son in tow. Sebastian is like a miniature Wally and that triggers Wally’s memory. But while Wally is trying to find the courage to tell Kassie, he becomes the go-to person to take care of Sebastian as she goes off on dates with another man. Essentially, the good parts of “The Switch” outweigh the bad and it is watchable, especially if you have a free afternoon where you can get matinee prices. Otherwise, wait for cable. 8/11/10

Eat Pray Love - 2 smiles

I didn’t read Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir, but I’m well aware of the difficulty of translating the effective communication a writer has with her readers into a visual medium such as a movie. And I’m guessing that Liz didn’t come off as a bored, self-centered whiner in her book, where her obvious premise is to recount a journey of self-discovery. Unfortunately, the movie, starring Julia Roberts, doesn’t fare as well. One morning Liz (Roberts) decides she doesn’t want to be married any more. “You know what I feel when I get up in the morning?” she complains to her husband of a decade (Billy Crudup). “Nothing.” Maybe she’s empty inside, but since Roberts doesn’t do introspective very well, we have to settle for bored. So after a brief dalliance with a younger actor (James Franco), Liz takes off on a yearlong, around-the-world quest for self-fulfillment that’s basically a beautiful travelogue, but not much more. I think the biggest flaw with “Eat Pray Love” is the 135-minute length; it’s just too long. And although Roberts does her best to make Liz appealing, it’s a losing battle and there’s no real sense of an emotional journey and lessons learned.

In Italy, Liz eats a lot of enticing food – the pizza and pasta are mouth-watering – and meets some nice people. Her biggest crisis is struggling to get into a pair of jeans. Liz moves on to India where she arrives at an ashram to learn to meditate. Here she endures some mild criticism from Richard from Texas (Richard Jenkins), a recovering alcoholic whose revelations about his own sad life are supposed to show Liz the path to enlightenment. Finally she travels to Bali where she falls for the scruffy Felipe (Javier Bardem), who, like Liz, isn’t looking for love. If you read and liked the book, you might have a different reaction to “Eat Pray Love.” I’d like to know if you did. 8/13/10

The Expendables - 2 smiles

If you take “The Expendables” for what it is, a throwback to the action films of the 80s, you might find yourself enjoying it. Sure the plot is thin and the dialogue cheesy, but there are lots of fight sequences and explosions. And there’s a humorous bantering scene between Sylvester Stallone, who directed and co-wrote, and Jet Li, where Li’s character, Ying Yang, demands more money because he’s short. You see, when you’re short, you have to run harder and jump higher. And when you’re shot, the hole is bigger because….well, you’re smaller. “The Expendables” doesn’t take itself seriously and that’s a good thing. After all, when your mercenaries have names like Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Ying Yang, Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), and Toll Road (Randy Couture), how serious can it be?

Stallone and his mercenary buddies take an assignment in Latin America to remove a dictator. There they encounter former CIA operative (Eric Roberts) and his hulking bodyguard (Steve Austin) who are the true villains. Just don’t pay attention to the odds that say our heroes are outnumbered. And ignore Mickey Rourke’s hammy delivery of a soliloquy that doesn’t fit anywhere in this movie. You do get to see Bruce Willis and the governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in cameos. If you like action flicks, you’ll like this one. 8/14/10

Animal Kingdom - 3 1/2 smiles

The overarching conceit of “Animal Kingdom” is Darwinian survival of the fittest, or in this case, the smartest. Set in a bland suburban neighborhood of Melbourne, Australia, this movie is more character study of ruthless predators than hot and fast action. And the narrative is dominated by Smurf Cody (Jacki Weaver), the bleached-blonde mama lion with her glittering blue eyes and menacing smile. Although her three sons are bank robbers and drug dealers, she is the most dangerous and the one to keep your eye on. The opening images of the movie, the directorial and screenwriting debut of David Michôd, are statues and drawings of lions and for 17-year old J Cody (James Frecheville), the narrator and protagonist, it seems that he is one of the weak and doomed. When J’s mother, Smurf’s estranged daughter, dies of a drug overdoes, J realizes that he’s in the lion’s den and his family is a group of sociopaths engaged in a deadly war with Melbourne’s out-of-control armed-robbery squad.

The 60-something Smurf is a scary incarnation of Ma Barker camouflaged as a cheery grandmother. She adores her outlaw sons although her favorite is the youngest and she kisses them with just a little too much enthusiasm. Pope (Ben Mendelsohn), the eldest and self-appointed leader, is a creepy drug-using sociopath; Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) is a heavily tattooed, hyper-active drug dealer and user; and Darren (Luke Ford), the youngest and most ineffectual, walks around in a perpetual drug haze and does his older brothers’ bidding. Once he moves in with his relatives, J is unavoidably involved in the family business. Although J remains silent most of the time, his animal instincts tell him that his uncles are just as frightened as he is and he understands that he needs to find a safe place for himself even if it means talking to the police. Guy Pearce plays a decent cop genuinely interested in J’s safety. “Crooks always come undone, always, one way or another,” says J in a commentary that introduces the story. “Animal Kingdom,’ the 2010 Sundance Grand Jury World Cinema prize winner, is a winner. 8/16/10

The Disappearance of Alice Creed - 1 smile

Written and directed by first-timer J. Blakeson, the overly brutal “The Disappearance of Alice Creed” is fairly suspenseful for the first hour that begins with a dialogue-less opening sequence. Two men (Eddie Marsan and Martin Compston) kidnap Alice (Gemma Arterton) and take her to a secluded apartment where she’s stripped, tied to a bed and forced to make tearful videos to her rich father pleading with him to pay the ransom. Unfortunately, the story never rises above contrived coincidence and then lapses into the improbable. This thriller is well acted, but the plot twists and shifting alliances feel a little too forced, not the result of desperate people in life-threatening situations. 8/9/10

The Extra Man - 1 smile

Is there a point when quirky becomes so eccentric that it’s unlikable … and unwatchable? That’s what’s happened to “The Extra Man,” starring Kevin Kline and Paul Dano. First we have our protagonist, Louis Ives, a want-to-be novelist who cross-dresses, has the manners of an 18^th century nobleman and the personality of a peanut. He moves to New York and rents a room from Henry Harrison (Kline), an aging gigolo who collects Christmas ornaments, wrote a play that was stolen by a hunchback, and disapproves of education for women. Henry’s downstairs friend, Gershon (John C. Reilly) looks like the Cowardly Lion with his wild dreadlocks and ragged beard and speaks in a falsetto but sings in a normal voice. At its heart, “The Extra Man” is about Louis’s education, but the oddball people that enter his life are caricatures and they do nothing to endear themselves to the audience and give meaning to the lessons Louis learns. This movie works too hard to be weird, neglecting genuine emotions and character development. 7/28/10

Flipped - 3 smiles

“Flipped” is Rob Reiner’s coming-of-age tale about first love that’s heartfelt and real. That the narration shifts between Juli Baker (Madeline Carroll) and Bryce Loski (Callan McAuliffe), the adolescent protagonists, gives this film a unique quality. Their distinct differences make for a meaningful, and often hilarious, narrative. Juli has been madly in love with Bryce, the boy who lives across the street, since second grade, but he doesn’t feel the same. Bryce is pretty much indecisive about everything while Juli is willing to take a stand for what she believes. Her commentary is more analytical and insightful, clearly indicating the kind of person she is. Some of the pleasure in watching this film is identifying with Juli and watching Bryce grow.

Reiner explained in a recent discussion that he knew he wanted to make this adolescent novel, written by Wendelin Van Draanen, into a movie as soon as he read it. Primarily it’s about first love and the powerful and confusing feelings that go along with it, but it’s also about the importance of being yourself. Bryce doesn’t really know who he is and what’s going on and his father (Anthony Edwards) is too angry to be a good role model. Bryce is lucky that his grandfather (John Mahoney) teaches him about who he is and, more importantly, the kind of person he can be. Juli has a loving family that instills in her the right values. She has a strong understanding of who she is and she knows what she wants. Set in the late 50s and early 60s, “Flipped” also has a wonderful sound track, including “Pretty Little Angel Eyes” by Curtis Lee, “One Fine Day” by the Chiffons, and “Let It Be Me” by Phil Everly. Nostalgic? Certainly. Universal in its appeal? You bet. Someone who’s 80 can relate as well as someone who’s 12. See “Flipped.” You’ll enjoy it. 8/6/10

Cairo Time - 3 smiles

I saw an interesting movie last night called “Cairo Time,” starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig. Clarkson is luminous and effective as Juliette, a Canadian wife just arrived in Cairo to rendezvous with Mark, her UN worker husband, only to discover he’s delayed by his work in Gaza. Her portrayal of a woman not looking for another love but finding it anyway is subtle and affecting. I thought Alexander Siddig looked familiar when the camera zoomed in for a close-up. He played Dr. Julian Bashir on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999). He is sympathetic as the handsome Tareq, a retired UN security officer and Mark’s friend. At Mark’s request, Tareq plays tour guide for Juliette, taking her on a Nile cruise, to Alexandria for a wedding and ultimately, to the pyramids.

Director and writer Ruba Nadda pulls you into the often chaotic milieu of Cairo with its bustling streets, crowded bazaars and honking traffic that forces you to slow down – hence, Cairo time. Her film is all about beauty, subtlety, and unspoken communication. And there’s also the delightful clash of cultures, which takes the form of verbal sparring between Juliette and Tareq, where at times he is the teacher and at times she is. Clarkson and Siddig are wonderful together and I found myself hoping that Mark would stay in Gaza. Nadda’s conclusion, which she says she wrote first before the rest of her script, is bittersweet and appropriate. 8/4/10

The Concert - 3 smiles

“The Concert,” a tale about a group of former musicians that goes to Paris for a major engagement without the real Russian orchestra finding out, is an entertaining movie that is both screwball comedy (with some implausibilities) and earnest human drama. Andrei Filipov (Alexei Guskov) used to be the conductor of the Bolshoi Orchestra in Russia, but was fired by Communist pressures after he refused their order to rid the Bolshoi of all its Jewish players, among them his pal Sacha Grossman (Dmitri Nazarov). Now, decades later at the age of 50, Andrei still works at the Bolshoi, but as a custodian, spending his nights immersed in booze and severe depression. When he intercepts a fax inviting the Bolshoi to take on a last-minute Paris engagement in two weeks, Andrei reassembles his old orchestra and passes them off as the real thing. He also manages to entice a world-renowned violinist Anne-Marie Jacquet (Melanie Laurent) to join them as a guest soloist. Andrei has ulterior motives for wanting her to join the orchestra as the climax reveals.

The comedy stems from the various musicians suddenly set loose from their grim Russian existence on the magical streets of Paris. They are people who have been repressed all of their lives and unsure how to react to this freedom. In particular, Guskov, as Andrei, captures the sense of how meaningful it is for him to have his dream within his grasp. And Laurent is genuinely impressive as a virtuoso violinist. She reportedly studied for three months on the violin to ensure that the film’s final concert scene be authentic. But at the heart of “The Concert,” directed by Radu Mihaileanu, is the importance of art, its ability to fill the soul and transform life, which comes in the form of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.’ This is definitely a feel-good film and definitely worth your time. 8/1/10

Get Low - 4 smiles

“Get Low,” starring Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and Lucas Black, is a wonderfully told tale about love, loss, and redemption with some comedy thrown in for good measure. Duvall is Felix Bush, a 1930s Tennessee hermit, a curmudgeon with a past, a recluse who terrifies his neighbors. Rumors fly about who he is and what he’s done. News of an acquaintance’s death gets Felix to thinking about his own mortality. However, he decides he wants a party at his funeral and he wants to attend before he’s dead. He hires Frank Quinn (Murray), a transplanted Chicagoan who runs the funeral parlor and his assistant Buddy (Black) to plan this event. The prospect of death brings Felix back into the mainstream of life and he renews contact with Mattie (Sissy Spacek), an old flame. His other meaningful association is with a preacher (Bill Cobbs) who lives in Illinois and who refuses Felix’s initial request that he speak at the unorthodox funeral service. As “Get Low” slowly moves toward its conclusion, it’s clear that we’re going to learn about Felix’s long-buried tragedy and he’s going to get the redemption he craves.

Based on a true story, “Get Low” boasts a top-notch cast and they don’t disappoint. Sissy Spacek enlivens her quiet role with just enough spark to make Mattie interesting and Lucas Black imbues Buddy with honesty and genuine goodness. Bill Murray’s dry humor is hilarious. ‘What do you do when people won’t die?’ Frank moans about no business. Murray’s funeral parlor owner, who is a bit shady and a lot greedy, adds many appreciated moments of levity. But the biggest pleasure is watching 79-year-old Duvall play crusty and cranky to perfection. Felix’s confession before the crowd, a superior piece of acting, is one of Duvall’s best. Duvall has a juicy role and he knows it, one that will certainly be remembered come awards time. Murray, too, will most likely be recognized at Oscar nomination time. “Get Low” is a pleasure to watch. 7/30/10