Archive for June, 2009
‘Cheri’ misses an urgent edge
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
A variety of failures — all of them mild — turn “Cheri,” an adaptation of two of Colette’s Parisian novels, into a surprisingly bloodless costume drama, a movie full of love and sex that never generates enough heat.
Stephen Frears, who directed “Dangerous Liaisons” from a script by playwright [...]
A law suit, leukemia and lots of tears
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
“My Sister’s Keeper” raises a powerful question but cops out before providing an answer. Although parts of this weepie — those dealing with a young woman dying of cancer — put a lump in my throat, the movie proved intellectually unsatisfying. This is not a small matter because [...]
Three reviews of this week’s art house fare
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
FOOD FOR THOUGHT AND ACTION
We all probably should be hungry for the kind of information dispensed in “Food, Inc.,” a documentary that takes us inside corporate agriculture and provides enough information to feed your worst nightmares about the lack of nutritional value in the food we eat.
Director Robert [...]
And the losers were…..
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
What do the following movies have in common?
I’ll answer the question before I give you the list, which is presented in alphabetical order. Not one of these highly regarded films was nominated for a best-picture Oscar. A reader suggested that it might be instructive to compile a list [...]
Ten movies will vie for best-picture Oscar
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Wednesday announced that it will double the number of best-picture nominees from five to 10, starting with Oscar’s 82nd edition. For more than 60 years, the Academy has been following the five-picture format. Increasing the number of best-picture nominees probably [...]
‘Transformers:’ revenge on the ear drums
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
If you can’t make it better, make it so overwhelmingly chaotic, it will leave audiences speechless.
That seems to be the credo followed by director Michael Bay, who assembled “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” a sense-shattering sequel to the 2007 original. Less a movie than a clangorous mixture of [...]
Riddles, hats, and boats - and one man for them all
Rating 3.50 out of 5
[?]Written by Black Entertainment USA
You just can never tell where Johnny Depp will wind up. Especially if he has director Tim Burton leading him.
There are the rumors that Depp will play the Riddler in the next Batman Dark Knight film. Which would be one of the best choices since they picked [...]
‘Year One:’ a collection of hits and misses
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
“Year One,” a new comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera, is a spectacular mess, which is another way of saying that the movie offers a variety of haphazard pleasures and silly asides. I arrived at “Year One” with low expectations and was surprised that I enjoyed any [...]
Sandra Bullock’s formula frolic
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Sandra Bullock tries to make up for lost time (three years without a picture) in “The Proposal,” a romantic comedy that follows the dictates of formula so closely you wonder whether the screenwriter wasn’t forced to swear a blood oath to predictability. But here’s where things get tricky. [...]
Mission Impossible 4 - more explosions, more Tom Cruise close-ups
Rating 4.00 out of 5
[?]Written by Black Entertainment USA
Well the news is out. Tom Cruise will be doing yet another Mission Impossible movie. But I wonder if we really care.
Given that Tom Cruise makes money every time he shows up on a screen. It’s actually very hard to think of a movie with Cruise, in [...]
Bela plucks his way through Africa
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
At the outset of “Throw Down Your Heart,” a documentary that chronicles banjo player Bela Fleck’s journey across Africa, we’re told that Africa too often is portrayed as a troubled continent. Fleck, who begins by reminding us that the banjo is an instrument with African roots, sets out [...]
DVD Review: Christina Ricci in Little Red Riding Hood
Rating 4.00 out of 5
[?]Written by Black Entertainment USA
The title sounds so innoucuous. I’m sure that many are thinking that this has got to be a mistake on my part. That it must be a audio book review. But I’m not mistaken, and you will be surprised. And you will understand why this is a [...]
Laughs and insight slim in ‘Away We Go’
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Where to begin with “Away We Go,” a movie that teams two television personalities for one very misanthropic road trip?
Well, we could start (and perhaps finish) with the issue of miscasting. Director Sam Mendes (”American Beauty” and “Revolutionary Road”) seems like the wrong guy for a loosey-goosey comedy [...]
Updating a wild subway ride
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Credit screenwriter Brian Helgeland with a shrewd updating of 1974’s “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3.” Adding a variety of new intrigues and giving the movie’s villainy a topical spin qualify as improvements over the version that starred Walter Matthau and Robert Shaw.
This time out, Denzel Washington [...]
Eddie Murphy finds a mild success in Denver
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Imagine a great movie. You’ll have to do just that if you see “Imagine That” because this family-oriented Eddie Murphy comedy — filmed in Denver –doesn’t qualify as great by any standards I know. Still, it’s easier to appreciate Murphy in this innocuous bit of fluff than in [...]
Caring for the dearly departed
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
Last February, the Japanese movie “Departures” shocked many moviegoers when it took home the Oscar for best foreign-language film. “Departures” beat out “The Class” (France) and “Waltz With Bashir” (Israel), both of which were considered better bets.* At the time, few reviewers had seen “Departures,” and many observers [...]
Three new comedies at the multiplex
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
This is a week, Hollywood hopes to keep you laughing. I’d say the industry is batting a dismal one for three.
CRUDE, DISTASTEFUL AND LIKELY TO SUCCEED
Doug (Justin Bartha) is about to get married when his buddies take him to Vegas for a bachelor party. Who are these buddies? [...]
Notes on two new documentaries
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]Submitted by Denerstein Unleashed
LIVING THE HEAVY METAL LIFE — IN OBSCURITY
A couple of worthy documentaries open this weekend, and they couldn’t be more different.
“Anvil! The Story of Anvil” chronicles the 30-year history of a heavy metal band called (you guessed it) Anvil. It seems that Anvil enjoyed its 15 minutes of [...]
Producer Abigail Disney discusses the independant film Playground
Rating 4.00 out of 5
[?]Written by Black Entertainment USA
For my readers that recall my interviews at the Tribeca Film Festival, you will note that I had to cut my interview with producer Abigail Disney short. We were discussing Pray The Devil Back To Hell and Playground, but most of our time was spent on Pray [...]
