| Issue #48, March 9, 2007 |
Dave Evan's Mini Movie Reviews
300
This film adaptation of a comic book about the Battle of Thermopylae might seem like a hard sell but this really is smart and spectacular, fantasy filmmaking. Obviously there’s kind of a lot of violence on show here, but it is so perfectly choreographed and executed that there are moments when one forgets that what is actually happening is something horrifying rather than beautiful. Mesmerizing, but not for the faint-hearted.
The Namesake
Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut novel seems to have been forced into the window of every bookshop in America and now it finds itself a new potential audience. It’s a sweeping and not terribly interesting saga of a young Indian man’s (Kal Penn) struggles to live as an American and a first-generation immigrant. Overblown and silly, it is just another dud from the once great director Mira Nair.
Miss Potter
Renee Zellweger has few charms but one thing she certainly does have is a great English accent. That’s about all that keeps her afloat in this twee-biopic of children’s writer, Beatrix Potter, and while the flights of fancy with animated animals are sometimes diverting, the central love story (between Zellweger and the ever-lovely Ewan McGregor) never really ignites sufficiently.
Wild Hogs
It’s as if Hollywood has suddenly become all self-conscious in this tale of four bloated and over-the-hill suburbanites who decide to become bikers, played by three (William H. Macy has no excuse for being in this film) bloated over-the-hill actors: John Travolta, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence. A wretched, wretched film.
Zodiac
It’s been five years since the uninspiring Panic Room and director David Fincher is trying hard to regain some street credit with this film that is based-on-a-true-story of the Zodiac killings in 1970s San Francisco. It’s a strong, dark film, aided by an excellent cast (Mark Ruffalo, Brian Cox, Robert Downey Jr. and the fantastic Jake Gyllenhaal), which should place him firmly back on top.
Full of It
This tale of a school kid forced to live out the lies he’s told is Christian Charles’ feature-length fictional debut. It’s a slightly awkward mix of edgy, young-adult humor and cutesy moral learning, but Ryan Pinkston plays the central character with a charm and wit that may well make him a face to watch out for.
The Number 23
Jim Carrey takes another swipe at serious acting in this thriller about a man who finds a book which seems to be based on his life but ends with a dreadful murder. Carrey isn’t bad as the frazzled hero but even without the laughs, his rubber face is hard to take all that seriously. Joel Schumacher directs in his usual manner: commercial, schlocky but often entertaining.
Reno 911!: Miami
Why those in charge of Comedy Central saw fit to bring this mediocre cop comedy to the big screen is anyone’s guess. That’s not to say there aren’t funny moments and that fans of the show won’t enjoy this immensely but there’s nothing new that comes from transplanting the bumbling constabularies to Florida. Fans only.
Black Snake Moan
Fresh from the success of Hustle and Flow, director Craig Brewer returns with this tale of an abused young girl who finds help and guidance from Samuel L. Jackson’s retired bluesman. There’s something unpleasantly racist about the assumption that blackness is in and of itself spiritually healing and while Christina Ricci’s central performance is strong, her character never quite feels complete.
The Astronaut Farmer
Billy Bob Thornton stars as a NASA astronaut who is forced to retire to save his family’s homestead. Once there he begins building his own rocket much to the consternation of the authorities. It’s exactly the kind of scrappy little-guy-against-the-big-corporation that will cause half the audience to swoon and cheer and the other half to vomit. Personally, I’m with the latter.
Because I Said So
The last few years have seen Diane Keaton stick closely to a certain, mildly successful and somewhat charming role. Here she plays an overprotective and interfering mother to Mandy Moore but it’s hard to distinguish this from her work in Something’s Gotta Give or The Family Stone. This is good light-hearted fare but Keaton can and should be so much better.
Daddy’s Little Girls
Director Tyler Perry (best known for the Madea films) has been carving himself a nice market for mainstream melodrama over the last few years. This is no exception, telling the story of a woman (Gabrielle Union) who falls for a penniless father-of-three (Idris Elba) and tries to make it work out, against the wishes of his vicious ex. It’s not great but it is solid and competent at least which, in today’s market, is a rare enough combination.
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