Short Subjectives August 13 2008

Capsule reviews of recently reviewed films

Opening Wednesday

TROPIC THUNDER (R) See review.

Opening Friday

FLY ME TO THE MOON (G) Three houseflies stow away on the Apollo 11 spaceship and fly to the moon in this first-ever all-CGI animated 3-D film.

THE LAST MISTRESS (NR) See review.

MIRRORS (R) Kiefer Sutherland stars as Ben Carson, an ex-cop working as a museum security guard, who discovers evil lurking in the mirrors at the museum and in his home.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS (PG) See review.

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (PG-13) See review.

Continuing

AMERICAN TEEN 2 stars (PG-13) Nanette Burstein (co-director of The Kid Stays in the Picture) flies solo on this manipulative but often-affecting portrait of a group of high school students in a small Indiana town. Burstein consciously plays with the same “types” that can be found in the 1985 John Hughes comedy-drama The Breakfast Club but comes to the same conclusion: Teens transcend the labels we give them. That message might feel a lot more authentic if the movie didn’t feel too artificially crafted and plotted, her subjects feeling like a “cast” from a reality TV show. — David Lee Simmons

THE ANIMATION SHOW 4 3 stars (NR) The fourth installment of the edgy animation anthology, created by Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt, puts a little too much emphasis on rude slapstick. (You can pretty much guess the punchlines of the recurring shorts called “Yompi, The Loveable Crotch-Biting Sloup.”) Nevertheless, the jokes are pretty good on a short-by-short basis. Smith & Foulkes’ “This Way Up” is a small masterpiece of deadpan humor and other highlights include a collage adaptation of Billy Collins’ poem “Forgetfulness.” — Curt Holman

BOTTLE SHOCK (PG-13) Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman star in this film, based on a true story, about a struggling California wine seller who changes the wine industry with a remarkable chardonnay.

BRICK LANE (PG-13) A young Bangladeshi woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee) is forced to confront the realities of life when she leaves her family to move to London for a loveless arranged marriage.

CSNY: DÉJÀ VU 3 stars (R) Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s tour documentary, shot during the group’s aptly named 2006 Freedom of Speech Tour, deftly blends the band’s anti-war sentiment with a fond appreciation of the troops’ sacrifices. The delicate balance undercuts the notion of protest as unpatriotic, and instead underscores the value of dissent. Unfortunately, the movie’s a little light on the band’s interpersonal dynamics, and instead settles for an early observation by David Crosby of Young as a “benevolent” dictator. We see too many group hugs, and not enough creative collaboration. — Simmons

THE DARK KNIGHT 4 stars (PG-13) Director Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to Batman Begins features such sharp conflicts, gritty locations and breathless action scenes that the flamboyant hero and villain costumes seem almost superfluous. The late Heath Ledger’s creepy, charismatic turn as the anarchic Joker could have earned the actor a second career playing movie bad guys, while Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal of district attorney Harvey Dent, the “white knight” of crime-ridden Gotham City, gives the film the dimensions of classic tragedy. As Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale doesn’t seem to mind being upstaged. — Holman

ELSA AND FRED (PG) Elsa, a young romantic, falls in love with a widower named Alfredo and in pursuing him, teaches him how to live again. Marcos Carnevale directs.

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD 3 stars (G) Werner Herzog combs Antarctica’s icebergs and underwater marvels in another existential meditation on the tensions between man and nature. The film underscores Herzog’s enduring existential crisis — that man’s importance is infinitesimal when set against the backdrop of nature. It’s not long before we realize that the “end of the world” referred to in the movie’s title isn’t just a geographical location, but man’s fate as well. — Simmons

FORBIDDEN KINGDOM (PG-13) Obsessed with kung fu classics, American teenager Jason (Michael Angarano) discovers an ancient Chinese staff and finds himself transported back in time. Jason must return the staff to its rightful owner, the Monkey King. Also starring Jet Li, Yi Fei Liu and Jackie Chan.

GET SMART 2 stars (PG-13) In this adaptation of the 1960s sitcom, eager espionage analyst Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is paired with gorgeous Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) to track down Russian nuclear material. With supporting players including Alan Arkin as the slow-burning chief, the spy spoof features smart casting but can’t decide whether Carell’s role should be likably naïve or a bumbling, overbearing know-it-all like Don Adams in the original show. Get Smart’s fat jokes and lumbering stunt scenes evoke the lame action-comedies of the 1980s, and topical gags about subjects like airport profiling were funnier in Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. — Holman

HANCOCK 3 stars (PG-13) Will Smith plays hilariously against his slick megastar image as John Hancock, a superhero with Kryptonian powers who’s nevertheless a drunken, surly jerk who causes more problems than he alleviates. The first hour or so of Hancock has a great deal of fun with its premise, which satirizes superheroes and misbehaving celebrities, and gives Hancock an amusing foil in Jason Bateman’s idealistic publicist (now there’s a contradiction in terms). The last section throws logic, humor and audience goodwill out the window, and no one catches the movie when it falls. — Holman

THE HAPPENING 2 stars (R) An unexplained toxic event causes people to commit suicide en masse, beginning in Central Park and spreading throughout the Northeast. The question is, what happened to Sixth Sense writer/director M. Night Shyamalan? He presents a few eerie sequences in this unsatisfying “Twilight Zone”-type horror tale with heavy-handed riffs on 9/11 and environmentalism. Alas, he seems to have completely lost the ability to write or direct human beings we can care about and misuses such actors as Mark Wahlberg and Zooey Deschanel. — Holman

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY 3 stars (PG-13) Wisecracking outcast demon Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his ghostbusting pals try to stop a pissed-off prince (Luke Goss) of mystical beings from waging war on the human race. Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro may be a visionary filmmaker, but isn’t much of a juggler, and here he takes on more themes, subplots and running gags than he can handle. With Hellboy II, he’ll have to settle for offering one of the most outlandishly stylish screen fantasies ever made. -- Holman

HELL RIDE (R) Quentin Tarantino presents writer/director/actor Larry Bishop’s spaghetti-Western-style action thriller about the Victors — a group of vengeful bikers — and their rival gang, the 666ers.

HENRY POOLE IS HERE (PG) Luke Wilson plays Henry Poole, a disillusioned man attempting to live his life as a recluse in a suburban society that just won’t leave him alone.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK 3 stars (PG-13) In this snappy do-over sequel to Ang Lee’s sluggish, overthought Hulk in 2003, fugitive scientist Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) seeks a cure for the anger-management condition that turns him into raging green giant. Transporter 2 director Louis Leterrier not only sets a fast pace and crafts plenty of CGI mayhem, he and the cast (including Liv Tyler, Tim Roth and William Hurt) find the soap-operatic heart of the story. All comic book movies should be at least this good. — Holman

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL 3 stars (PG-13) The latest Indy flick embraces the franchise’s nostalgia for itself, but the sentimental streak seems justifiable given the 19-year interim between chapters. It isn’t exactly a fresh film adventure — an automotive chase through the jungle feels like an undisguised retread of Raiders of the Lost Ark’s truck chase. But Crystal Skull comes across not as lazy, but laid-back, as though the filmmakers have too much confidence to panic about trying to top the earlier films, or compete with their younger selves. -- Holman

IRON MAN 4 stars (PG-13) After being kidnapped in Afghanistan, industrialist Tony Stark (an exceptional Robert Downey Jr.) uses a flying metal suit to right the wrongs of his company’s munitions wing. Marvel Studios builds a better superhero movie by taking such radical innovations as smart writing, rich acting and a recognizable, real-world setting. Enjoying spectacular special effects without relying on them, Iron Man feels more like an American James Bond film than a wannabe Batman or Spider-Man franchise. -- Holman

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3-D 2 stars (PG) Brendan Fraser plays a scientist who uses Jules Verne’s novel Journey to the Center of the Earth as a guide to a prehistoric underground realm. The plot resembles those tame family comedies like Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but if you’ve never seen a 3-D film before, you can enjoy the way the characters and filmmakers shove stuff at the audience. Last fall’s Beowulf film had more impressive 3-D, though. -- Holman

KUNG FU PANDA 4 stars (PG) In fairy-tale, talking-animal China, a fat panda named Po (voiced by Jack Black) is improbably chosen to be the all-powerful “Dragon Warrior.” The studio that gave us the Shrek movies downplays the pop references and body-function humor for a satisfying CGI action/comedy that features a splendid visual design and surprisingly exciting fight scenes, including a chopstick fight between Po and his diminutive teacher (voiced by Dustin Hoffman). — Holman

MAMMA MIA! 3 stars (PG-13) The songs of 1970s Swedish supergroup ABBA inspire this musical, which trades sequins and disco for the sun and sand of a gorgeous Greek isle. A bride-to-be (Amanda Seyfried) invites the three men who may be her father (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård) to her wedding, without the knowledge of her single mother (Meryl Streep). The dads can’t sing at all, and choreography is practically nonexistent, but the catchy melodies and Streep’s upbeat portrayal should give the film plenty of appeal to women of a certain age. Christine Baranski steals the show with a saucy rendition of “Does Your Mother Know.” — Holman

MAN ON WIRE 4 stars (PG-13) Man on Wire examines one of the most breathtaking — and positive — events in the World Trade Center’s history: Phillippe Petit’s high-wire crossing between the towers on Aug. 7, 1974. Rather than mourn the loss of the towers, Man on Wire celebrates them without excessively glorifying Petit. The tale of his accomplishment proves even more moving with the knowledge that the towers are now gone. — Holman

MEET DAVE (PG) Eddie Murphy and Norbit director Brian Robbins come together again in this sci-fi comedy in which a crew of tiny aliens travels to Earth inside Dave (Murphy), their human spacecraft.

THE MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (R) A struggling photographer (Bradley Cooper) tracks a brutal subway serial killer in director Ryuhei Kitamura’s adaptation of a short story by Clive Barker.

MONGOL 4 stars (R) Russian director Sergei Bodrov traces the rise of Temudgin (Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano), better known to history as Genghis Khan, in this sweeping, exciting period piece nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Not a particularly complex story (it slightly resembles the plot of Conan the Barbarian), Mongol presents the kind of old-school, epic cinema virtues you almost never get to see any more, including starkly beautiful scenery and panoramic battle scenes with hundreds of actors and horses. As he pursues his beloved wife Boorte (Khulan Chuluun) Temudgin displays progressive attitudes toward love and law that make him a Mongol ahead of his time, as well as an ass kicker with a sword. — Holman

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR 3 stars (PG-13) In post-WWII China, retired treasure hunters Rick and Evelyn O’Connell (Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello) must stop resurrected Chinese Emperor Han (Jet Li) from finding Shangri-la, becoming immortal and raising an unstoppable army of terra-cotta warriors. -- Holman

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS 2 stars (R) A disgruntled process server, Dale (Seth Rogen), bonds with his friendly neighborhood pot dealer Saul (James Franco) over a fresh shipment of “Pineapple Express.” Dale sees a drug supplier (Gary Cole) and a corrupt policewoman (Rosie Perez) commit murder, so Dale and Saul go on the run in the LA area. Bad enough is the off-putting violence that builds to a 1980s-style shoot-out. Pineapple Express’ problem is that director David Gordon Green, who previously specialized in moody Southern indie films such as George Washington and Undertow, is too cerebral for a comedy that should be a stupid romp of the Harold & Kumar variety. — Holman

POLAR OPPOSITES (PG-13) Scientists David (Charles Shaughnessy) and Martin (Ken Barnett) are enlisted to help save the world when Iranian nuclear tests cause a rise in solar radiation and earthquake activity. Part of the Everyday Gay Heroes series.

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 (PG-13) This sequel finds best friends Tibby, Carmen, Bridget and Lena reunited after a year away at college and struggling to keep in touch against the odds. Based on the series of novels by Ann Bradshare.

SOLAR FLARE (PG-13) A teenager who can predict solar flares must prevent a global catastrophe when a flare threatens Earth’s power grid. Tracey Gold and Michelle Clunie star. Part of the Everyday Gay Heroes series.

SPACE CHIMPS (G) A group of chimps embark on a dangerous space mission led by Ham III (voiced by Andy Samberg), the slightly incompetent grandson of the first chimp astronaut.

STEP BROTHERS 2 stars (R) Two immature fortyish men (Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly) become despised roommates after the wedding of their single parents (Mary Steenburgen and Richard Jenkins). Ferrell and Reilly seem to have had more fun making the movie than the audience has watching it, and though Ferrell’s and Reilly’s sibling rivalry generates some belly laughs, the familiar premise and thin story make the film perfectly forgettable. On the plus side, it’s the least unfunny of this summer’s big, star-driven comedies. — Holman

THE STRANGERS (R) While spending a romantic evening in a remote suburban home, a couple (Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman) is targeted by masked strangers.

SWING VOTE (PG-13) Due to a ballot error in the presidential election, the fate of the free world hangs on the vote of one man — apathetic single father Bud Johnson (Kevin Costner).

TELL NO ONE (NR) Pediatrician Alexandre Beck (François Cluzet) finds out his wife, murdered eight years earlier, might still be alive and is instructed to “tell no one” in this adaptation of Harlan Coben’s international best seller.

TUYA’S MARRIAGE (NR) Tuya (Yu Nan), a Mongolian desert herder, is forced to legally divorce her loving, disabled husband and seek a wealthier man when a back injury makes her unable to support her family.

UP THE YANGTZE 5 stars (NR) This fascinating documentary combines spectacular images with intimate stories by showing the flooding of the Yangtze River as an example of China’s industrial growing pains. Canadian-Chinese director Yung Chang uses the Victoria Queen cruise ship both as a venue for filming cities abandoned by the rising river, and as a microcosm for China’s new economy. He follows a brash young karaoke singer and a withdrawn would-be student in their new shipboard jobs and Western-style assimilation, and captures the anguish of economic dislocation with some strikingly emotional interviews. — Holman

THE WACKNESS 2 stars (R) In 1994 Manhattan, a pot dealer and recent high school graduate (Josh Peck) forms an unlikely friendship with one of his customers, an aging psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley). Jonathan Levine’s semi-autobiographical feature has much to recommend it, including an appealing soundtrack and charming performances from Peck and Olivia Thirlby (as an elusive young beauty). Kingsley’s oversized, showboating performance undermines his chemistry with Peck, however, and the plot follows the coming-of-age formula a little too closely. — Holman

WALL-E 4 stars (G) “WALL-E,” a lonely, trash-compacting machine that might be the last entity on Earth, pursues his love for a sleek, feminine robot to the titanic starship that contains the human race. Finding Nemo director Andrew Stanton crafts a story with the intelligence and heart that’s the trademark of Pixar Studios (creators of the Toy Story movies), as well as the stunning images and visionary ideas of the best science fiction. Some audiences may be put off by the film’s sharp-edged satire of consumer culture, but WALL-E, like its robotic namesake, should last another 700 years. — Holman

WANTED 2 stars (R) A miserable young accountant (Atonement’s James McAvoy) discovers that his long-lost father belonged to an ancient “Fraternity” of assassins with magic hitman powers. Nightwatch director Timur Bekmambetov overdoses on flash in an effort to outmuscle The Matrix without capturing the other film’s ingenious sci-fi rules or its sparks of wit. The film features enough outlandish money shots to make it a hit (Angelina Jolie’s sexuality qualifies as its own special effect), but Wanted’s insolent attitude caters to just the kind of white-collar douchebags the film pretends to make fun of. — Holman

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE 1 star (PG-13) In the last gasp of the once-proud TV franchise, former FBI agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) try to solve a kidnapping that hinges on the alleged psychic visions of a pedophile priest. The mystery proves neither compellingly written nor competently directed, and though it’s nice to see Duchovny and Anderson back together, the film will only appeal to the folks who write “X-Files” fan fiction on the Internet. — Holman