Intermission
The Irish cinema enters the field of ‘inter-connected’
narratives, with this rather good movie about a group of eccentric
characters who are eventually interlinked through a bungled
kidnapping. There is a lot of wit in the movie.
American Gangster
Ridley Scott’s latest mobster movie looks a lot like,
and plays a lot like, a Martin Scorsese or Francis Ford Coppola
‘family’ epic. Russell Crowe is a solemn narcotic
cop hunting Mr. Big, vividly played by Denzel Washington.
One Way
A psychotic rape victim fails to achieve satisfaction in the
courts, so she sets about extracting her own form of revenge.
The leading man is intentionally insipid, and is well played
by Til Schweiger, in a justly unsympathetic role.
13 Tzameti
Gela Babluani’s nasty French film owes a lot to certain
scenes from Michael Cimino’s ‘The Deer Hunter’
(1978). There is much implied violence, which doesn’t
make it to the screen, but, even so, most of the movie is
hard to take.
No Reservations
In this rehash of the German comedy ‘Mostly Martha’,
Catherine Zeta-Jones portrays a snobbish chef who suddenly
has to cope with her orphaned niece, and a sexy upstart assistant
chef. The film will make you ravenously hungry!
Factotum
Based on Charles Bukowski’s auto-biographical novel,
Matt Dillon plays a writer who aimlessly wanders through menial
jobs, bars, and ‘loose’ women, seeking some meaning
to his life. The film is as bleak as Bukowski’s book.
Civic Duty
An unemployed accountant gets slightly paranoid about the
‘Middle-Eastern Guy’ living downstairs. This low-budget
movie is surprisingly good, and it makes pertinent comments
about America’s current internal political scene.
Alatriste
Spanish director Agustin Diaz Yanes creates a spectacular
historical costume drama about a 17th century mercenary solider,
fighting for the Spanish cause. The movie is successfully
based on Arturo Perez-Revete’s bestselling books.
Scary Movie 4
Maybe I am brain damaged, but, under the right circumstances,
I sometimes find these movies hysterically funny. ‘Scary
Movie 4’ makes a full quota of cheeky hit-or-miss pot-shots,
at a mixture of recently released popular films.
Reign Over Me
Don Cheadle is extremely good as a successful New York dentist,
who cares for his old college buddy, when the buddy becomes
totally alienated after he looses his family in the 9/11 tragedy.
Adam Sandler should stick to comedy.
3:10 To Yuma
Adapted from a short-story by Elmore Leonard, Russell Crowe
is provided, or provides, no motivation for the main character.
What results is a standard ‘western’, about getting
an apprehended outlaw onto the 3:10 train to Yuma.
Hell in Tangier
Falsely arrested for drug trafficking, a Belgium tour bus
driver and his mate are sentenced to five years in a Moroccan
jail. Quite reminiscent of Sir Alan Parker’s ‘Midnight
Express’ (1978), the movie is not in the same ball park.
Death At A Funeral
This impertinent and scatological British comedy scoffs at
a family funeral, where everything goes wrong. The major culprit
is a bottle of hallucinatory pills, mislabeled as Valium,
and in which some of the mourners overindulge.
Year of The Dog
After the death of her beloved pet Beagle, a loveless spinster
goes overboard for all things ‘alternative’ and
‘vegan’, causing considerable distress to her
family and friends. Molly Shannon is wonderful in this sad
and odd comedy.
Pittsburgh
Does Jeff Goldblum really think people would care about this
documentary, concerning his two week gig in the musical ‘The
Music Man’, so his co-star come girlfriend can get a
Green Card? Talk about movie stars and their egos.
Colma, The Musical
Having just graduated high school in a country town south
of San Francisco, three teenagers must decide what the future
holds for them. The plotline is predictable, but, there are
some catchy tunes sprinkled throughout the movie.
After The Wedding
When a social worker returns from India to Copenhagen seeking
funding, a millionaire invites him to a wedding. At the function,
the past rebounds with dramatic results. Danish director Susanne
Bier crafts another beguiling film.
A Mighty Heart
Michael Winterbottom makes a boring pseudo-documentary, dealing
with an American journalist abducted in Pakistan. The movie
is dreary because the end is telescoped at the start. Angelina
Jolie has a go at a bad French accent.
Firehouse Dog
Kids will love this movie. Rex, a canine movie star, gets
lost on location and ends up the mascot for a provincial city
fire brigade. I liked the mauve, pink, and aquamarine sexy
poodles, placed as bait to lure Rex back to Hollywood.
Knocked Up
A TV presenter gets ‘knocked up’ after a one-night-stand
with a computer nerd. Wanting to keep the baby, she decides
to get to know the nerd better. Katherine Heigl sparkles,
in this somewhat tasteless and questionable movie.
Mon Colonel
Written by the legendary Costa-Gavras, and directed by Laurent
Herbiet, this French movie stars Olivier Gourmet and Cecile
De France. The movie brutally exposes the use of torture against
Algerians during the colonial war.
My Name Is Modesty
Quentin Tarantino ‘presents’ this off-beat movie,
which probably would not have got a ‘look-in’
without his sponsorship. Scott Spiegel directs a curious interpretation
of the 1960s’ Pop Icon espionage caricature, Modesty
Blaise.
Marnie
Tippi Hedren was to make her second movie for Alfred Hitchcock
in 1964. Sir Alfred used her like a puppet, and she lived
to tell the tale. Probably the most psychological of his thrillers,
the film is really only for dedicated fans.
