Short Subjectives July 04 2007

Opening Friday

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DAYWATCH 2 stars (R) Like Russia’s answer to the cheesy, faux-Gothic Crow or Highlander franchises, Daywatch, like its predecessor Nightwatch, features the murky, portentous exploits of supernatural beings in contemporary cities. The second installment features some welcome humor (including a terrific bit with hero Konstantin Khabensky switching bodies with a female colleague), but the film’s second half turns ponderous and shrill. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov. -- Curt Holman

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TEN CANOES 3 stars (NR) See review.

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Opening WEDNESDAY

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HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (PG-13) The fifth Harry Potter film may inspire some series-fatigue. Fortunately, Order of the Phoenix is one of J.K. Rowling’s best books, and the theme of youthful rebellion to authoritarian adults could give the film real teeth. Director David Yates is best known for the acclaimed British political thriller State of Play; presumably they wouldn’t have hired him if he didn’t bring something to the table.

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Duly Noted

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A/V GEEKS GREATEST HITS (NR) See review.

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DREAMGIRLS (PG-13) Based on the long-running Broadway musical, Bill Condon’s rousing film adaptation parallels the rise of a fractious girl group inspired by the Supremes with the changes in African-American culture in the 1960s and ’70s. Stars Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson. Summer Film Festival. Wed., July 11, at 7:30 p.m. Fox Theatre. $7. 404-881-2100. www.foxtheatre.org.

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THE HOST (R) A dysfunctional family bands together when an amphibious mutant in Seoul’s sewers kidnaps a young girl as a midnight snack. June 29-July 12. Cinefest, GSU University Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. 404-651-3565. www2.gsu.edu/~wwwcft.

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MEET THE ROBINSONS (G) Lewis, voiced by Daniel Hansen, travels to the future to meet the family he never had in Stephen Anderson’s animated comedy. Summer Film Festival. Sun., July 8, at 2 p.m. Fox Theatre. $7. 404-881-2100. www.foxtheatre.org.

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THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) (R) The cult classic of cult classics, the musical horror spoof follows an all-American couple (Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick) to the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a drag queen/mad scientist from another galaxy. Midnight Fri. at Lefont Plaza Theatre and Sat. at Peachtree Cinema & Games, Norcross.

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STRANGER THAN FICTION (PG-13) The life Harold Click (Will Ferrell) leads is being written and narrated by author Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) in director Marc Forster’s comedy. Flicks on 5th. Wed., July 11, at dusk. Georgia Tech, Technology Square. 404-894-2805. www.flickson5th.com.

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THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) (G) Whisked from her home in Kansas to “somewhere over the rainbow,” Dorothy (Judy Garland) must seek out the “Wonderful Wizard of Oz” to help her return home in Victor Fleming’s fantasy musical. Summer Film Festival. Mon., July 9, at 7:30 p.m. Fox Theatre. $7. 404-881-2100. www.foxtheatre.org.

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Continuing

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1408 (PG-13) Stephen King’s twisted mind and extensive collection spawn yet another horror flick, brought to life this time by Swedish director Mikael Håfström and stars Samuel L. Jackson and John Cusack, who plays a skeptical horror novelist checking into the Dolphin Hotel’s infamous room 1408.

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28 WEEKS LATER 3 stars (R) Following the outbreak of the “rage” virus in Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later that turned most of the population of mainland Britain into crazed berserkers, this sequel takes up after the crisis has passed — or so it seems. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo may surpass Boyle’s ability to craft jittery, unnerving thrill scenes, but the script’s harsh anti-U.S. sensibility relies on plot points too nonsensical to be easily ignored in the film’s last half-hour. -- Holman

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AFTER THE WEDDING 3 stars (R) An Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language film, Susanne Bier’s Danish drama depicts a schoolteacher in India (Casino Royale’s bad guy Mads Mikkelsen) who returns to his native Denmark to woo a potential philanthropist and, at a wedding, discovers new family ties. Thanks to the cast’s realistic responses to some melodramatic plot points and the energetic storytelling, Bier’s film combines fish-out-of-water humor and heated family conflicts without feeling like a Danish soap opera. -- Holman

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ANGEL-A (R) Set in Paris, Luc Besson’s eccentric black-and-white rom-com stars Jamel Debbouze as Andre, an out-of-luck criminal, and Rie Rasmussen as Angela, the mysterious woman who pledges her loyalty and service to Andre after he saves her life.

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AWAY FROM HER 5 stars (PG-13) An exceptionally accomplished and thoughtful directorial effort from the actress Sarah Polley. A luminous Julie Christie delivers one of the best performances of her career as a Canadian woman suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, who along with her husband (Gordon Pinsent) makes the difficult decision to enter a nursing home. -- Felicia Feaster

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BLACK BOOK 4 stars (R) In the Netherlands in 1944, a Jewish fugitive (Carice van Houten) turns femme fatale as an anti-Nazi resistance fighter, only to discover that things aren’t as black-and-white as it seems. Dutch director Paul Verhoeven returns to his homeland after making such lurid, visceral Hollywood product as Basic Instinct, Showgirls and Starship Troopers, with results that can be thrilling and ridiculously melodramatic. -- Holman

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THE BOSS OF IT ALL 4 stars (R) That subversive Dane Lars von Trier is back, though this time taking a break from his usual humanity-is-sick perspective to engage in a more frolicsome venture in this comedy about an actor (Jens Albinus) hired to impersonate the CEO of a technology company. The results are Bertolt Brecht meets “The Office,” and show von Trier can juggle humor without sacrificing content. -- Feaster

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BUG 3 stars (R) William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) adapts a gritty off-Broadway script by Tracy Letts in this ambitious, if uneven, film about two dead-end types (Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon) holed up in an Oklahoma motel who believe they are infested by government-implanted bugs. -- Feaster

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CHALK 3 stars (PG-13) Director/co-writer Mike Akel’s heavily improvised faux documentary chronicles a high school year through the eyes of three teachers and an assistant principal. In welcome contrast to the usual inspirational-teacher fare, Chalk captures the drudgery of education and features sympathetic portrayals from its unknown cast, but presents such modest narrative arcs that you wonder why they didn’t just make a real documentary. -- Holman

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CRAZY LOVE 3 stars (PG-13) A sick true-crime documentary about a beautiful woman (Linda Riss) and her scorned, married boyfriend (Burt Pugach), who decided to punish her by hiring a thug to throw acid in her face. The grossest twist in this lurid drama came when Riss eventually married Pugach in Dan Klores’ documentary about a fascinatingly weird couple done in questionable taste. -- Feaster

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EVAN ALMIGHTY 2 stars (PG) In Tom Shadyac’s superficial yarn, selfish freshman congressman Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) finds his political career derailed by a holy decree from God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark. A crass attempt to get the fundamentalists and progressives on the same page, this misguided comedy about environmentalism-through-Scripture suggests Close Encounters meets Mr. Smith Goes to Washington without either film’s integrity or skills. -- Feaster

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EVENING 2 stars (PG-13) From a novel by chronicler of WASP angst Susan Minot, Evening chronicles the various bees in the bonnets of an upper-crust Yankee clan on the 1950s weekend of their youngest daughter’s (Mamie Gummer, Meryl Streep’s daughter) marriage. The story flashes back and forth between the present, as Ann (Vanessa Redgrave) lies dying of cancer, and that fateful weekend when she was a young bohemian bridesmaid (Claire Danes) observing the rituals of the rich. -- Feaster

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FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER 2 stars (PG) If it weren’t for the bad casting, dialogue and direction, this sequel about a surrogate family of superpowered celebrities might be a pretty good movie. The extraterrestrial menace from the Silver Surfer (Doug Jones, with voice by Laurence Fishburne) gives some urgency and scope that’s faithful to the classic Marvel Comics series, but not enough to redeem the film’s awful sense of humor. -- Holman

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GOLDEN DOOR 3 stars (PG-13) Members of a deeply superstitious Sicilian family experience drastic levels of culture shock while emigrating to America in the early 20th century. Apart from the third act, set entirely within the buildings of Ellis Island, Emanuele Crialese’s Italian film never shows or sets foot in the United States, emphasizing the miragelike nature of the American promise. Despite its slow pace, the film deserves attention for its sympathetic portrait of the cruelties of the immigration experience. -- Holman

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HOSTEL PART II (R) Picking up where Hostel left off, director Eli Roth follows three girls studying in Italy who make an unfortunate stop in a Slovakian hostel.

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IMAX THEATER Hurricane on the Bayou (NR) Shot before and after the unprecedented devastation of Hurricane Katrina by director Greg MacGillivray, this documentary brings into focus the startling loss of Louisiana’s rapidly disappearing coastal wetlands that are New Orleans’ first line of defense against deadly storms. Starring Meryl Streep, Allen Toussaint II and Tab Benoit. Wired to Win: Surviving the Tour de France (NR) explores the minds of cyclists training for the Tour de France and studies the effects of the race on their brains. Fernbank Museum of Natural History IMAX Theater, 767 Clifton Road. 404-929-6300. www.fernbank.edu.

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JINDABYNE 3 stars (R) Australian director Ray Lawrence expands Raymond Carver’s short story about how four fishing buddies’ discovery of a dead body fails to interrupt their vacation. A rich, complex and grim work, Jindabyne may be too sprawling and enigmatic for its own good, but it features powerful, implosive performances from Gabriel Byrne and Laura Linney as spouses sharing a failing marriage. -- Holman

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KNOCKED UP 4 stars (R) On the foundation of just two films, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and now Knocked Up, writer/director Judd Apatow is rewriting the adolescent sex comedy a la Porky’s and American Pie with smarter, more incisive and hilarious results. The story of an overachieving beauty (Katherine Heigl) whose one-night stand with overgrown slacker Seth Rogen leaves her with child, the gimmick is a little creaky, but the humor and generational read on savvy women and Peter Pan men is spot-on. -- Feaster

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LA VIE EN ROSE 5 stars (PG-13) An extraordinary, transcendent biopicture treating the trauma-plagued life of parental neglect, drug addiction and loss but also the amazing, artistic legacy of French national icon and chanteuse Edith Piaf. Olivier Dahan’s direction is stunning and star Marion Cotillard disappears into the role with a remarkable ease. -- Feaster

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LICENSE TO WED (PG-13) Before Ben (John Krasinski) and Sadie (Mandy Moore) can tie the knot, Reverend Frank (Robin Williams) must test their love through his patented marriage-prep course in this romantic comedy.

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LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD 3 stars (PG-13) In the fourth Die Hard film, supercop John McClane (Bruce Willis) and a scruffy hacker (Justin Long) thwart evil genius Timothy Olyphant’s plan to crash America’s computer, banking and utility services. Director Len Wiseman offers elaborate ’80s-style action scenes (not to mention some old-school misogyny), but can’t measure up to director John McTiernan’s two efforts in the series. -- Holman

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A MIGHTY HEART 3 stars (R) Based on Mariane Pearl’s memoir, this restrained and intelligent film feels too careful and moored to the technicalities of the situation to really deliver the emotional or insightful goods. Director Michael Winterbottom focuses on Mariane’s (Angelina Jolie) determined search for her kidnapped (and eventually brutally murdered) Wall Street Journal reporter husband, Daniel Pearl, in 2002 Pakistan. -- Feaster

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MR. BROOKS 3 stars (R) Kevin Costner and William Hurt prove eerily entertaining as a Portland pillar of the community and the imaginary friend who encourages his “addiction” to murder. The thriller features numerous surprising twists, but suffers enormously when the plot shifts to Demi Moore’s drab turn as a millionaire police detective stalked by a predictably crazed killer. -- Holman

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THE NAMESAKE 2 stars (PG-13) Mira Nair’s latest foray into cross-cultural ennui is a bit of a disappointment. When her adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel is focused on recent newlyweds Ashima (Tabu) and Ashoke (Irfan Khan) as they make the immigrant’s journey from Calcutta to Queens in the ’70s, the film succeeds. -- Feaster

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NANCY DREW (PG) Often suggesting a tween “Murder She Wrote,” this film based on the classic book series features Emma Roberts as a ’50s-style girl detective stuck in a contemporary L.A. full of Bratz decadent teens. The film doesn’t live up to that comic culture clash premise, though it may provide a welcome plucky girl role model for younger tweens. -- Feaster

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OCEAN’S THIRTEEN 4 stars (PG-13) In Steven Soderbergh’s latest fizzy, flashy caper film, unflappable Danny Ocean (George Clooney) enlists his band of hipster heisters to sting scuzzy casino magnate Willie Bank (Al Pacino with a mesmerizing fake tan). Despite few emotional stakes and plot complexity that crosses the line into incoherence, Soderbergh and company’s cool cleverness hits the jackpot anyway. -- Holman

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ONCE (R) The Guy (Glen Hansard) works part-time helping his father run a small vacuum-cleaner-repair business in Dublin, Ireland, but dreams of one day landing a record deal. His life changes when he meets the Girl (Marketa Irglova), an Eastern European woman who has moved to Ireland to start a new life for herself. Directed by John Carney.

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PAPRIKA 4 stars (R) Director Satoshi Kon strives to push the surreal possibilities of animation to their absolute limit in this mind-boggling tale of scientists trying to wrestle with technology that manipulates dreams. Even when the film seems reckless with its plot and rules, its use of dreams as metaphor for terrorism, cinema and the internet provide more than just eye candy. ­-- Holman

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PARIS JE T’AIME (R) Twenty filmmakers, including Alfonso Cuarón, the Coen brothers and Gérard Depardieu, bring their own personal touches to the film, which features 20 interconnected narratives set in Paris.

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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END 3 stars (PG-13) Jettisoning clarity of plot and character like so much ballast, the overstuffed final film in Gore Verbinski’s swashbuckling trilogy lives up to its origins as a diverting theme-park ride, particularly in a pitched battle between two ships in a whirlpool and the surreal sequence of Capt. Jack Sparrow’s (Johnny Depp) rescue from Davy Jones’ Locker. -- Holman

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RATATOUILLE 5 stars (G) Despite having a cast that’s nearly half rodent, Ratatouille breaks from the Pixar formula of cute, funny action-comedies about talking toys/bugs/cars/etc. for an ingenious, bittersweet culinary farce. The brilliant gags might tickle your sweet tooth, but the film also serves hearty subtext about life’s pleasures and the need for of personal evolution. -- Holman

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SEPTEMBER DAWN (R) Academy Award winner Jon Voight stars as Jacob Samuelson in Christopher Cain’s fictionalized love story set against the historical backdrop of the 1857 massacre of more than 100 men, women and children supposedly ordered by one of the nation’s most controversial religious figures.

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SEVERANCE 3 stars (R) A bus-load of white-collar office drones experiences a high mortality rate on a “team-building weekend” at a remote Eastern European lodge. Director Christopher Smith strikes a sharp balance of humor and horror in this lightly satirical slasher flick with a keen political edge. -- Holman

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SHREK THE THIRD 2 stars (PG) Slovenly ogre Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) shirks his royal duties by trying to enlist the only other heir, meek teen Arthur (de facto king of pop Justin Timberlake). Smug and self-congratulatory, Shrek the Third lacks the freshness and energy of its predecessors and takes perfunctory potshots at such cutting-edge topics as high school, dinner theater, hippies and vain, snobby princesses. -- Holman

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SICKO 5 stars (PG-13) Propumentarian Michael Moore thankfully tends to fade into the background in this impassioned film about America’s health-care crisis. Apart from the occasional stunt, such as a trip to Cuba to highlight the advantages of nationalized health care, Moore instead lets the victims of America’s bureaucracy-choked and bottom-line-minded health-care business show how adequate medical treatment has become a luxury item in this country. ­-- Feaster

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SPIDER-MAN 3 4 stars (PG-13) In the third and most entertaining of director Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy, the darker impulses of normally sunny superhero Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) take over thanks in part to an alien parasite. Spider-Man 3 keeps the conflicts rooted in character while improving on the spectacular special effects of the earlier films. -- Holman

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STEEL TOES (NR) Danny Dunkelman (David Strathairn) is a Jewish Lawyer appointed to defend Mike Downey (Andrew Walker), a neo-Nazi on trial for the murder of a Pakistani man in David Gow’s film about race, hatred and forgiveness.

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SURF’S UP (PG) Another CGI film about adorable penguins, except this time a “documentary” crew takes audiences behind the scenes at the Penguin Surfing World Championship, following the world’s greatest penguin surfers. The tuxedoed surfer dudes are voiced by Shia LeBeouf, Jeff Bridges, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Heder, Mario Cantone and more.

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TRANSFORMERS 3 stars (PG-13) See review.

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WAITRESS (PG-13) From director Adrienne Shelly comes this romantic comedy about a small-town waitress (Keri Russell) who is pregnant with her abusive husband’s baby and finds love with the new doctor in town.