Film Capsules

By Dan Hudak       

êêêê Genuine must-see

ê A wretched waste of time

Hancock **1/2

(James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman) A lowly accountant (McAvoy) realizes his purpose in life when he’s recruited into an organization of assassins and vows to avenge his fathers death. The action is stylish, extravagant and exciting, although, how could two bullets colliding in mid-air not be? Unfortunately, there’s not much story here, which makes the action more mindless and less awesome. Rated R.

Wall*E ***1/2

(Voices of John Ratzenberger, Sigourney Weaver, Fred Willard) In the post-nuclear war 28th century, a waste disposal robot named Wall*E (Ben Burtt) discovers a plant and is whisked off to the space station in which the human race now lives. There’s not much dialogue, but Wall*E has an endearingly human personality in this humorous, touchingly sweet fable from Pixar, the studio that brought us Finding Nemo. Rated G.

Chicago 10 ***

(Voices of Nick Nolte, Jeffrey Wright, Hank Azaria) Skillful documentary by writer/director Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture) blends archive footage, animation and music to depict the chaos and controversy surrounding the riots in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention. Although Morgen is clearly more sympathetic to the protesters, this is an intriguing look at people speaking out against an unpopular war and the government censorship that tried to quiet their voices. Rated R.

Mongol ***1/2

(Tadanobu Asano, Honglei Sun, Khulan Chuluun) The life of Mongolian ruler Genghis Khan (Asano) is startlingly captured in this lush period piece with strong action sequences, gorgeous visuals and compelling performances. It may drag in spots and there are some abrupt jumps in time, but this Oscar nominee for best foreign language film delivers. Rated R.

Roman de Gare ***

(Fanny Ardant, Audrey Dana, Dominique Pinon) A successful French novelist’s (Ardant) ghost writer (Pinon) — who may also be a serial killer, or a woman’s missing husband, or all of the above — befriends a distraught woman (Dana), then pretends to be her fiancé as they travel to her parent’s farm. Writer/director Claude Lelouch (Les Miserables) has fun toying with the audience before he settles for a pat ending that isn’t as clever as he no doubt thinks it is. Still, as a mystery/thriller the movie works because it keeps you guessing and interested throughout. Rated R.

Get Smart **

(Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson) Based on the TV series that ran from 1965-70, Maxwell Smart (Carell) and Agent 99 (Hathaway) try to stop a terrorist (Terence Stamp) from exploding a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. It’s an action-comedy that isn’t very funny and lacks great thrills. Worse, the references to the TV show will only be funny for those who are in on the joke. Rated PG-13.

The Love Guru *
(Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake) Self-help expert Pitka (Myers) is hired by the owner (Alba) of the Toronto Maple Leafs to help its star player (Romany Malco) get over his broken heart. You know a movie is in trouble when Justin Timberlake is the lone comedic highlight. This is a crass, utterly stupid misfire that resorts to elephant humping in an ice rink for its grand finale. And so begins the long, painful decline of Myers’ career. Rated PG-13.

The Incredible Hulk ***

(Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth) Bruce Banner (Norton) and his beloved Betty (Tyler) try to find a cure for the radiation poisoning that causes Bruce to morph into a big green monster (aka, the “Hulk”) when he loses his temper. Meanwhile, Betty’s father, General Moss (William Hurt), gives a special serum to one of his soldiers (Roth) that will allow his strength to rival the Hulk’s. It’s a jubilant, fun action movie that proves, along with the success of Iron Man, that Marvel Comics has a very bright future on the big screen. Rated PG-13.

The Happening **

(Mark Wahlberg, Zooey Deschanel, John Leguizamo) A Philadelphia high school science teacher (Wahlberg), his wife (Deschanel) and best friend (Leguizamo) head to the Pennsylvania farmlands to avoid a deadly phenomenon that forces people to commit suicide. The latest from writer/director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense) is yet another misfire, this time because it lacks intensity, the acting is wooden and, in an odd way, nothing really happens. Rated R.

The Promotion ½

(Seann William Scott, John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer) Supermarket assistant managers (Scott and Reilly) vie for the manager’s job at a new store in this racist would-be comedy that’s offensive to African-Americans, gays, Hispanics and the mentally challenged. It’s also lifeless, unfunny and easily one of the year’s worst movies. Rated R.

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan **1/2

(Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui) Sick of having to catch Palestinian terrorist “The Phantom” (Turturro) every time he escapes, Israeli army specialist Zohan (Sandler) fakes his own death and moves to New York City to pursue his true passion: a career as a hairstylist. The social commentary on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a bit much, but the sophomoric comedy is laugh-out-loud funny. Rated PG-13.

Kung Fu Panda **
(Voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie) Po (Black) the panda learns Kung Fu from Master Shifu (Hoffman) and fights the villainous Tai Lung (Ian McShane) in order to bring peace to his small Chinese village. The animation looks good and there
are some exciting action sequences once the story “kicks” into gear, but there’s not much for adults. Perhaps more importantly, a friend’s five-year-old daughter proclaimed “it stinks” as the final credits rolled. Rated PG.

Sex and the City ***

(Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon) Picking up where the hit HBO series ended in 2004, Carrie (Parker) and Mr. Big (Chris Noth) plan to marry; Charlotte (Davis) is happy with her adopted Chinese daughter; Miranda (Nixon) is unhappy with Steve (David Eigenberg) in Brooklyn; and Samantha (Cattrall) is now bi-coastal as she constantly travels between New York and L.A. Fans of the show will enjoy writer/director Michael Patrick King’s funny, sweet and sensitive movie, although Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls) is criminally underused as Carrie’s assistant. Rated R.

The Fall **

(Catinca Untaru, Lee Pace, Justine Waddell) In a Los Angeles hospital in the 1920s, a stuntman (Pace) wows a girl (Untaru) with a tale of revenge involving mythical heroes, a corrupt governor (Daniel Caltagirone) and his seductive fiancé (Waddell). It’s an interesting idea to allow the girl’s imagination to visualize the story, and the lush colors make for a beautiful-looking film. However, the narrative is clunky and there’s too much unnecessary drama in the hospital that detracts from the fantastical story. Rated R.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ***

(Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf) It’s 1957, and Indiana Jones (Ford) is traveling with a rebellious teenager (LaBeouf) to rescue Indy’s old colleague, Prof. Oxley (John Hurt), from a Russian scientist (Blanchett) who covets the power of Oxley’s ominous Crystal Skull. Fans of the franchise will find the action, visual effects, acting and story up to par, although it’s not quite as humorous or emotionally-involving as its predecessors. Rated PG-13.

Up the Yangtze ***1/2

(Yu Shui, Chen Bo Yu, Ping He) This fascinating documentary by writer/director Yung Chang follows two teenagers (Shui and Yu) from very different backgrounds as they work on a cruise ship that travels China’s Yangtze River. It’s a slow moving yet compelling look at poverty, teenage life and China’s economy, all masterfully told by Chang, who includes his grandfather’s stories telling of the mysticism of the river. Not Rated: Adult themes.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian **

(Ben Barnes, William Moseley, Sergio Castellitto) The four Pevensie siblings are summoned back to Narnia to help a prince (Barnes) reclaim the throne from his devious uncle (Castellitto). Director and co-writer Andrew Adamson’s film is a long, dull adventure that lacks joy and is clearly just a second-rate Lord of the Rings rip off for kids. Sequel to the 2005 hit The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Rated PG.

How the Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer **

 (America Ferrera, Steven Bauer, Elizabeth Pena) A beleaguered woman (Pena) feels lonely while her daughter (Ferrera, Ugly Betty) and mother (Lucy Gallardo) experience sexual awakenings. Languid pacing drags the film to more than two hours, and stilted dialogue hinders what could have been decent performances. Also, some scenes in Spanish inexplicably lack subtitles. Rated R.

Son of Rambow ***

(Bill Milner, Will Poulter, Jules Sitruk) Set in early ‘80s England, a conservative boy’s (Milner) life is changed forever after seeing a bootlegged copy of “First Blood,” a.k.a. the first Rambo movie. He proceeds to team with the school bad boy (Poulter) to make their own version of the story, with the added elements of scarecrows and flying dogs. It’s a cute British charmer that only gets sidetracked when it takes itself too seriously. Rated PG-13.

Speed Racer ***1/2

(Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci, Matthew Fox) Based on the 1960s Japanime cartoon series that became a hit in the U.S., racing prodigy Speed (Hirsch) is helped by his family and the mysterious Racer X (Fox) as he fights a business mogul (Roger Allam) who’s corrupted the World Racing League. Writer/directors Andy and Larry Wachowski (The Matrix trilogy) have made yet another exciting, surreal movie full of great action, a soulful heart and an eye-popping visual style that’s unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Rated PG.

What Happens in Vegas ***

(Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, Queen Latifah) After a night of glorious debauchery in Las Vegas, New Yorkers Jack (Kutcher) and Joy (Diaz) wake up married and regretful. An annulment seems to be in order, but a virtuous judge (Dennis Miller) forces them to live together for six months before splitting the $3 million jackpot they won in Sin City. It’s a decent romantic comedy with Kutcher and Diaz serviceable as the leads, but it’s the spirited Rob Corddry (Semi-Pro) as Jack’s friend who’s so funny that he steals the movie. Rated PG-13.

Then She Found Me ***

(Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Bette Midler) Desperate for a child and recently dumped by her husband (Matthew Broderick), 39-year-old schoolteacher April (Hunt) rebounds with a single father (Firth) who’s not emotionally ready. Making April’s life more complex is that her birth mother (Midler) has found her for the first time and wants a relationship. Hunt co-wrote, produced and directed the film in addition to playing the lead, and her efforts have paid off: This is a funny movie that’s also touchingly sweet without getting too melodramatic. Rated R.

Fugitive Pieces ***

(Stephen Dillane, Rosamund Pike, Rade Serbedzija) A writer (Dillane) tries to find happiness in his wife (Pike) and work while haunted by childhood memories of the Holocaust. This thoughtful drama is a bit slow-moving and occasionally veers too far into formulaic “tortured writer” territory, but as a whole it’s a compelling, nicely acted film about learning to embrace the present without forgetting the past. Rated R.

Iron Man ***

(Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Jeff Bridges) Billionaire munitions expert Tony Stark (Downey) creates an armored suit to fight evil after he’s kidnapped by terrorists who’ve stolen his weapons. By keeping the focus on the story and characters rather than visual effects, director Jon Favreau has crafted a thoughtful movie with a great performance from Downey and fun action sequences. Rated PG-13.