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Bad Company (PG13)
A fallen CIA agent's twin brother is recruited to take his place in Joel Schumacher's
Bad Company. If you only miss one film this summer, miss this one.
Bad Company is long winded and trite. There is no chemistry between any of the
actors and the wise cracks fall flat. Another nuclear bomb in a suitcase? Enough already.
Starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Christopher Rock. 111 minutes.
Bad Education
(NC17)
A boy who was abused by his priest while in Catholic School seeks
revenge. This film noir becomes much more complex as its plot unfolds.
Like David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, by the end, it's almost as
if you are watching a different film. Starring hunky Gael Garcia
Bernal (The Motorcycle Diaries, Y Tu Mama Tambien) who looks
simply smashing in a skirt and heels. In Spanish with subtitles. 109
minutes.
 
Bad News Bears (PG13)
Cover film. A booze-soaked ex-pro ballplayer reluctantly agrees to
manage a hapless group of little leaguers. The 70's original was
funny and fresh. 2005's version follows the same story and much of
the old script but is slightly less effective. One reason is that
the child actors were so much better in the first one. Also, this
new take has been filtered through today's confusing politically
correct yet mean spirited "social values". Thus we now get a
teammate in a wheelchair and non-alcoholic beer at the film's
conclusion (the original had the kids chugging and spraying the real
thing). At the same time, the dialogue is much more graphic
(discussion of the size of male genitalia, menstruation, liberal use
of the middle finger, etc) and The Bears, originally sponsored by
Chico's Bail Bonds, are now brought to you by a local strip club. If
you like this re-make, rent the real thing. Coming off an Oscar
winning performance in Paper Moon, Tatum O'Neal was a joy to
watch as hard throwing Amanda. Starring Billy Bob Thornton, Greg
Kinnear and Marcia Gay Harden. 111 minutes.
The Ballad Of Jack
And Rose (R)
Jack and his teenaged daughter Rose are the only surviving inhabitants
of an island "hippie commune" circa 1984. Their world is turned upside
down when Jack's girlfriend and her two sons come to live with them.
Did I mention that Rose really, really, really loves her Dad? An
interesting film but it depressed me more than anything, not to
mention a couple of glaring plot holes. Starring
Daniel Day-Lewis, Camilla Belle (who looks strikingly like Chris Noth)
and Catherine Keener (The Interpreter). 112 minutes.
Bandits (PG13)
This crime/action/comedy is told in flashback-documentary (or "docuflash" as I like to
say) style with the final few scenes playing themselves out in the present. Alpha male
Joe (Bruce Willis) and hypochondriac Terry (Billy Bob Thornton) escape from prison, kidnap
a bored housewife (the very talented Cate Blanchett) and go on a (ho hum) bank robbing
spree. Unfortunately the obvious "love triangle" situation also rears it's familiar head.
Bandits is a bit slow and Thornton and Willis' odd-couple bickering gets old quickly.
The film is somewhat bolstered by a clever ending but not enough to recommend it.
The Banger Sisters (R)
Sueslut, I mean Suzette (Goldie Hawn) and Lavinia (Susan Saranwrap) were big time
Los Angeles groupies in the late 60's and 70's. Groupies were mythical beings who,
as legend has it, had sex with musicians just because they were musicians. Yeah,
right! Since then, Suzette has continued the lifestyle while Lavinia has long ago
left it behind, opting for money, marriage and children. When Suzette loses her
job, she decides to drive out to Phoenix to surprise Lavinia and perhaps ask for
a loan. Lavinia must come to terms with her past while Suzette must come to terms
with her future. Or something like that. As the preposterous and predictable plot
unfolds, you really want to hate the film but Hawn and Sarandon are able to rise
above the script. I've now seen Erika Christensen
(Swimfan) in two films and she has had sex in a swimming pool in both.
Nice career babe. Also starring Geoffrey Rush. 97 minutes.
Barbershop (PG13)
A day in the life of a small inner-city barbershop is the focus of Tim Story's
Barbershop. The shop employs seven barbers (six black and one white) and,
much like Floyd's shop in
The Andy Griffith Show, it is a social gathering place where everybody
has something to say. Someone named Cedric the Entertainer (what are his kid's
names? Earl the Entertainer and Jamaal the Entertainer? What if they choose to
grow up to be say, accountants or morticians?) shines as the witty and sage Eddie.
This is a crisp ensemble film, reminiscent of the fabulous and superior
Soul Food. There are some unnecessary sub-plots thrown in but this is
a solid piece of work. Also starring Keith David (not to be confused with
David Keith) and Ice Cube (don't get me started). 102 minutes.
Batman Begins
(PG13)
Bruce Wayne (Jewish Bales) an orphan of rich, philanthropic parents,
decides to fight crime in his hometown (although he lives in the
suburbs) of Gotham. First he must be trained in martial arts by the
mysterious Far East group, The League Of Shadows. Then it's off to
see his father's old friend Lucious Fox (Morgan Freeman) who is a kind of
Special Ops R&D man. Fox designs gadgets like the ones Q designed
for 007. For his outfit, Wayne decides on a bat motif. Thank God he
wasn't obsessed with say, woodpeckers. Bruce Wayne is now ready to
do battle with bad guys. The citizens of Gotham refer to their new
hero as "The Bat Man". Batman Begins does for the previously
existing Batman films what Revenge Of The Sith does for the
original three Star Wars films. A well done prequel. Also starring
Katie Holmes (does anyone really care about her personal life?),
Michael Caine (what a great career he continues to have) and Gary
Oldman. At 140 minutes, I thought that it was too long.
Be Cool (PG13)
A movie mogul decides to get into the music business. A sequel to
1995's Get Shorty. Both films explore the sordid underworld of
the entertainment industry. This hit and miss action farce boasts an
impressive cast and yields more than a few laughs. Starring John
Travolta, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Vince Vaughn, The Rock, Cedric
The Entertainer, Christina Milian, the late Robert Pastorelli ("Murphy
Brown") and Aerosmith. 112 minutes.
A Beautiful Mind (PG13)
Russell Crowe (Mystery Alaska) stars as John Forbes Nash Jr. (pick two names,
smart dude), a brilliant mathematician who suffers from schizophrenia in
A
Beautiful Mind. Director Ron Howard (little Opie Cunningham) brings to the
screen a film that is exciting, clever and quite moving. Mental illness has
never been so chillingly realistic in a movie. Crowe and Howard will
most likely be nominated for Oscars. Please let me know if they are. One of
2001's best. Also starring Ed Harris (Pollack, The Right
Stuff), Judd Hirsch (Ordinary People) and Jennifer Connelly. 129 minutes.
Because Of Winn-Dixie
(PG)
After moving to a small Florida town, a lonely preacher and daughter's
lives are forever changed when they adopt a stray dog. This film has a
cute factor of 9.5. Its bland and non-threatening themes make
Winn-Dixie a passable cinematic experience for a parent and his or
her distaff tweens. Starring AnnaSophia Robb (you're getting
dangerously close to three names there little lady), Jeff Daniels,
Cicely Tyson (playing apparently the only black person living in the
south), Dave Mathews (yeah, that Dave Mathews) and the most famous
graduate of my high school, Bethlehem Central, Eva Saint (On The
Waterfront). 105 minutes.
Behind Enemy Lines (PG13)
Navy Pilot Burnett, played by Owen Wilson (Zoolander), is shot down over Bosnia while
on a reconnaissance mission in Behind Enemy Lines. Aircraft carrier commander
Admiral Reigart (Gene Hackperson), who is not allowed to send a rescue team due to
a fragile NATO peace accord, must try to find a way to get Burnett to safety. This
is pretty standard stuff. The Serbian bad guys can't shoot straight, the dialogue
is hackneyed and the ending is predictable and drenched with crappy rock music.
Gene Hackman is a fine actor but he apparently never met a script that he didn't
like and Owen Wilson is like that wise-ass kid in school that nobody ever beat up
because he was good looking. There are many exciting scenes in this film but the
end result is no day at the beach.
Bewitched
(PG13)
An embarrassingly bad film based on the popular 1960's TV series
about the trials and tribulations of a witch married to and living
amongst mortals. This romantic comedy is agonizingly slow and bereft
of humor. Worse yet but not surprisingly, there is zero chemistry
between stars Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. Also starring Shirley
MacLaine and Michael Caine. Directed by Nora Ephron. 102 minutes.
Beyond
The Sea (PG13)
Kevin Spacey directs and stars as the late Bobby Darin. Spacey is a
decent song and dance man but he's a bit too old to be convincing as
Darin in his prime. And besides, Darin's story is not all that
compelling. 121 minutes.
Big Fat Liar (PG)
Jason Shepherd (Frankie Muniz) is a 14 year old Michigan eighth-grader who is an habitual
liar. His teacher (Sandra Oh) gives him an extention on an overdue paper, and while
rushing it to her, he collides with a limousine. Riding in the limousine is a Hollywood
film producer known as "Wolfman". Jason persuades Wolfman to give him a ride (after all,
he just ran him over) but leaves his story "Big Fat Liar" in the limo. Months later,
Jason sees that his story has been turned into a major motion picture and that Wolfman
has taken credit for the story. Jason then sets out to try to get Wolfman to admit that
the script was stolen. That way, Jason can get his parents and teachers to believe that
he has turned over a new honest leaf. Big Fat Liar is one of those children's
films that is inhabited by bumbling and dishonest adults and clever teens. This is a
pleasant film for the little ones. Also starring Paul Giamatti. 87 minutes.
Big Trouble (PG13)
Big Trouble is a fine screw-ball comedy. Based on a Dave Barry novel, this film features
an impressive cast. It was supposed to be released last fall but was postponed because of 9/11.
That's because it involves a suitcase sized nuclear bomb that was stolen from the Soviet Union.
Not that funny if you really think about it. Starring the marginally talented Tim Allen (he even
mispronounces the word nuclear), Rene Russo, Tom Sizemore, Stanley Tucci, Janeane
Garofalo,
Dennis Farina, Jason Lee, Omar Epps, Patrick Warburton and Johnny Knoxville. 85 minutes.
Birthday Girl (R)
A lonely British bank teller (Ben Chaplin) purchases a Russian mail-order bride
(Nicole Kidman) who turns out to be a con artist in Birthday Girl. The story is
fairly derivative and the result is pretty predictable but I enjoyed this film a
little. There are much worse ways to spend an hour and a half. High praise indeed.
93 minutes.
The Black Dahlia
(R)
Directed by Brian De Palma (Carrie, Body Double, The Bonfire of
the Vanities), this kinky and violent police drama is set in Los
Angeles circa 1947. Based on actual events involving the mutilation
homicide of an aspiring actress, The Black Dahlia's scenes
alternate between over the top histrionics, gratuitous sex and
violence and cheesy pathos. There is also way too much cigarette
smoking. My estimate was about a pack a scene. I regretted wasting
two hours of a beautiful September afternoon sitting through this
gory, pretentious, smoked turkey. Starring Josh Hartnett (I recently
discovered that Hartnett's movie contracts specify that his beauty
mark be visible in at least 75% of his scenes), Aaron Eckart (Thank
You For Smoking, Erin Brockovich), Hilary Swank (Million
Dollar Baby, Boys Don't Cry) and ubiquitous Scarlett Johansson (Scoop,
Match Point, Lost In Translation). 121 minutes.
Black Hawk Down (R)
War is Hell and this is a hell of a good war movie. Its realism is
gutty and gritty much like Platoon. This is not an easy watch however.
Black Hawk Down tells the true story of a group of United States Rangers and Delta Force
soldiers who, in 1993, go on an ill-fated "peace-keeping" mission in Somalia.
Like Ron Howard with Apollo 13, Ridley Scott directs a film based on a real event and
whose outcome we already know yet we are on the edge of our seats. Definitely not for the squeamish.
Starring Sam Shepard, Tom Sizemore, Ewan McGregor and Josh Hartnett. 143 minutes.
Black Knight (PG13)
Slim Jim comedian Martin Lawrence is transported back to a 14th century world of
kings, queens, swords and castles in Black Knight. When at his best, Lawrence
spins, riffs and cracks wise like a pre-teen on Sugar Smacks and Starbucks.
Unfortunately as the movie progresses, it begins to take on the burdens of plot and
choreography. That is too bad because Lawrence is funny here but the film bites.
Unless you are an avid Martin fan, avoid Black Knight like the plague.
Blade II (R)
"Good" vampires face off against "bad"
mutant vampires in the new Blade II. Wesley Snipes is back as
Daywalker, half mortal, half vampire. This film is full of tired special
effects (mandable-less jaws which open to reveal Alien type
organs that pop out, bodies disintegrating into flaming ash), situations
(vampire dance clubs, underground labs) and dialogue ("Keep your
friends close and your enemies closer," "Let's do this
thing."). Blade II takes itself way too seriously. It is not
fun, funny or very interesting. If you must see this, check your brain
at the door. You won't be needing it. Also starring Ron Pearlman. 110
minutes.
Blood Work (R)
A retired FBI agent with a transplanted heart (Clint Eastwood) helps a woman track down her sister's
killer in
Blood Work. Eastwood, who does his best work in gritty crime dramas like these, also produced
and directed. Unfortunately, some of his characters and situations lack credibility and are
cliché ridden. Also starring Anjelica Huston, Jeff Daniels and Wanda
DeJesus. 111 minutes.
Bloody Sunday (R)
In 1972, a peaceful civil rights march through Derry (Londonderry) in Northern
Ireland turned deadly, mostly because the British "peacekeeping" forces acted
irresponsibly. Thirteen unarmed civilians were murdered by the forces of The Crown
who at first used rubber bullets and then metal ones. The British played right into
the hands of the
Separatists, giving them exactly what they wanted; martyrs. "Bloody Sunday", as it
has become known, lent great momentum to The IRA and the cycle of violence in
Ireland that continues today. This compelling film is shot documentary style and is
a must see for anyone interested in Irish culture. 110 minutes.
Blue Crush (PG13)
If you are anything like me, you don't know jack squat about surfing, nor do you care to. Furthermore,
I seldom see good movies revolving around minor sports such as surfing, snowboarding, skiing, bull riding etc.
Blue Crush tells the story of four very young women living together in Hawaii. They live to surf
and the most talented of them, Anne Marie (Kate Bosworth), has a chance to get a sponsor and become one of
the sport's elite. But first she must do well in the Pipe Masters, a big-time surf competition that attracts
the world's best surfers and where the deadly waves can reach 30 feet or more. Razor sharp coral awaits those
who fall off their boards. Anne Marie has frequent flashbacks of almost drowning while riding the same pipe
three years earlier. Things get more complicated when she falls in love a few days before the competition.
This film is beautifully photographed, well acted and exciting.
Blue Crush accomplishes what a good movie should. It takes you into a world that you would probably
never enter, makes it believable and entertains you in the process. Also starring Michelle Rodriguez
(Girl Fight, The Fast And The Furious). 103 minutes.
Born Into Brothels
(Not Rated)
A documentary that examines children born to prostitutes and into a
cycle of poverty in the slums of Calcutta. Zana Briski, an American
photographer, buys them cameras and helps them get started. Some of
the photos are quite good and are sold to bookstores, to Amnesty
International and auctioned at Sotheby's in New York. Proceeds are
then used to send a few of these impoverished kids to boarding schools
and away from their abusive families. Some stay home and a grim future
awaits. 85 minutes.
The Bourne Identity (PG13)
A wounded and unconscious man with no memory (Matt Damon) is pulled out of the sea by fishermen. He
turns out to be a CIA agent who is being hunted by his own agency because of a failed mission.
Sound complex? It's really not.
The Bourne Identity, based on the Robert Ludlum best seller, is an exciting and violent spy
film with just enough plot to justify a plethora of action. Damon puts in a good
day's work. If he
keeps this up, he could be the next Ben Affleck. A pretty face can take you only so far, and teen
film star Julia Stiles, who portrays an assistant, is proof positive. She is given very little to
do and makes the least of it. Also starring the excellent Franka Potente
(Run Lola Run). 116 minutes.
Bowling For Columbine (R)
Using the 1999 Columbine school massacre as a backdrop, writer/director/producer
Michael Moore examines America's love of firearms, history of violence and
unbelievably high murder rate. Windsor Ontario, just a stone's throw from Detroit,
seems to be light years away from America as far as violent crime, fear and ethnic
tolerance are concerned. There are 7 million guns for 10 million households in Canada
but almost no firearm homicides. Most Canadians don't even lock their doors. Moore
raises more questions than he answers but a few things seem clear. America has become
a nation built on fear. It's dished out in heaping helpings by politicians, news
media and entertainment. "We have been made to fear", says Moore, "minorities both
at home and abroad." The US has often, he points out, propped up
foreign governments who, in time, turn out to be our enemies. We are told to fear the
very people we gave billions to just a few years ago. Clearly, our government is
often misinformed and foreign policy changes like the wind. Other targets such as
The NRA, Charlton Heston, Dick Clark and the welfare system get a thorough working
over as well. This wonderfully ironic film makes you angry, makes you laugh and MAKES
YOU THINK. If you care at all about this great but terribly flawed country, you must
see this film! 120 minutes.
Bread And Tulips (Pane E Tulipani) (PG13)
In Bread And Tulips, a bored Italian housewife on a bus tour with her family and friends
gets left behind at a rest stop. Instead of waiting for them to return, she decides to
hitch a ride to Venice. Once there, she rents a room, finds a job, rediscovers her love of
music, makes friends and falls in love. This gentle and funny story of self-discovery is
the type of project that Hollywood could not or would not ever make. Mainstream American
audiences ought to take a break from the shooting and the car chases to enjoy this simple
pleasure. In Italian with subtitles.
The Break-Up
(PG13)
Being a huge Jason Bateman fan, I was totally psyched to see his
newest movie. The Jason Bateman Film Festival, held last year in his
hometown of Rye, NY, was one of the highlights of my life. Not only
was it a thrill to see works like Teen Wolf Too (1987),
Necessary Roughness (1991) and Love Stinks (1992) in one
sitting but I almost got to meet him that day. The waitress said
that he had just left the diner that I had gone to for coffee. In
The Break-Up, Bateman plays a Chicago realtor named Riggleman.
Riggleman is an accomplished agent who also has a conscience and
loves his wife and friends. He faces a serious dilemma when a couple
with whom he is quite close, decides to end their relationship and
sell their beautiful condominium. Although he feels as though
accepting a commission for the sale would be wrong, Riggleman is
bound by the rules of his agency. Despite the great set-up and cast,
The Break-Up never really takes off. As always though,
Bateman shines. Also starring Vincent D'Onofrio ("Law And Order
CI"), Joey Lauren Adams (love her voice), Cole Hauser (the keeper of
the slaw), Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn. 106 minutes.
Brian Wilson Presents
SMiLE (DVD Not Rated)
In the summer of 1966, while The Beach Boys were on tour, their
leader, songwriter and producer Brian Wilson was writing and
recording tracks for their new album, Smile. Brian had quit
touring in late 1964 because he hated the road and being home
enabled him to devote more time and energy into his songs. While the
Boys were performing out of town, Brian, back home in L.A., hired
the best rock and jazz musicians to record all of the instrumental
parts of his new songs. When The Beach Boys returned home, he would
teach them their vocals and they would overdub them to the
instrumental tracks. This arrangement worked perfectly for a while.
But with the critically acclaimed Beach Boys album Pet Sounds,
support for Brian's work began to erode. Resistance came from
Capital Records and from some band members. Singer Mike Love in
particular felt that this new music was too much of a departure from
the Beach Boys' formula of surfing, cars and girls. There was enough
of the 'old sound' on Pet Sounds to temporarily appease
everyone but disaster was just around the corner.
Brian was very
much challenged by the newest Beatles' albums Rubber Soul and
Revolver. He wanted to create something better yet completely
different. This new album would be called Smile.
Wilson enlisted West Coast whiz kid Van Dyke Parks to write lyrics.
He had met Parks at a party and was very impressed with his ability
to turn a phrase. By 1966 Parks had already amassed an impressive
resume. Parks had met Albert Einstein, played with Vladmir Horowitz
at Carnegie Hall, played the kid on the Jackie Gleason Honeymooners
show, was on Broadway in Hansel And Gretel, was in a movie with
Grace Kelly and could play almost any instrument. Wilson
described this new project as "a teenage symphony to God." Smile
would reflect American history, from New England to Hawaii as well
as the basic elements of our planet: fire, earth, water and wind.
Certainly an ambitious project but this was the 60's and anything
seemed possible.
Returning from their latest tour, The Boys were
even more skeptical and Capital Records executives were definitely
not smiling about Smile. This new album, though less than
half finished and recorded in modular sections, was deemed too weird
and thought to have extremely limited commercial potential. Brian
became angry and depressed. The rejection of Smile was a blow
that he could not handle. He completely ceased work on Smile. The fish was then gutted by Capital Records. Record companies are
good that way. Completed songs like "Good Vibrations", "Heroes And
Villains" and "Surfs Up" made it on to other albums and Brian
retreated into alcohol, drugs and mental illness. In the years
that followed, the Smile legend grew. It became a kind of
metaphor for the 60's. A beautiful promise that was never realized.
If Smile had been accepted by the band and the record company
and completed in 1967, would Brian have been able to write an even
better album next? Was Smile the product of a man on the
edge; at his creative peak but nearing a collapse from self abuse
and mental illness? We will never know.
Fast forward to early 2003. Brian is recovered
and has been productive for a number of years. After a successful
live appearance on an award show where he and his band performed "Heroes
And Villains", Wilson entertained the idea of finishing Smile
and performing it live. Parks and Wilson picked up where they left
off 37 years earlier and finished the album. Wilson and his amazing
17 piece band performed Smile for the first time in its
entirety in the fall of 2003 to enthusiastic London audiences that
included Paul McCartney and Beatles' producer George Martin. People
came from around the world to witness an event that nobody thought
would ever happen. As Brian put it, "Our Smile dream has come true."
Was Smile worth the wait? The reviews: "....a triumph. Five stars,"
".....Wilson's masterpiece," "......likely the most coherent
long-form composition in rock," and "....a serious contender for the
greatest album ever made." Smile is not about rock stars or extended solos.
Smile is about brilliant songs which are brought to life by the
exceptional talents of the singers and players. Songs about Planet
Earth, America, passion, love, spirituality and inner beauty, played
with modern orchestral sensibilities. It is without a doubt one of
the greatest albums ever recorded. Personally, I wish that Wilson
had left "Workshop" and "Vega-Tables" on the computer's hard drive
but that's just me.
Like many fine things in life, Smile is
an acquired taste. The more that you listen to it, the more you like
it and the more you get out of it. Robert Hunter, lyricist for The
Grateful Dead, writes beautiful but ambiguous words. Lyrics like
"It's a buck dancer's choice my friend, better take my advice. You
know all the rules by now and the fire from the ice" from "Uncle
John's Band" remind me of the writing of Van Dyke Parks. For
Smile, Parks has penned some fabulous lyrics. Songs like the
beautiful "Cabin Essence": "Light the lamp and fire mellow cabin essence timely hello welcomes a time for a change," and the
haunting "Wonderful": "She knew how to gather the forest when
God reached softly and moved her body. One golden locket, quite
young and loving her mother and father" contain a depth and
complexity that allows for repeated listening. I'll take those
lyrics over stuff like "My baby left me with a broken heart" any
day. Coupled with Wilson's flair for rich melody, the songs
contained on Smile are some of the finest ever written.
The Smile DVD set contains 2 discs. Disc 1,
Beautiful Dreamer is a fine introduction. It tells all about the
making of Smile and contains some great interviews. Disc 2 is
The Smile Concert recorded in Los Angeles, California. If you
didn't get a chance to see Smile performed live (I saw it at
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center in August 2005) the disc is
almost as great. Every note that is played and sung on the CD is
performed brilliantly by Wilson's amazing 17 piece band/orchestra. The only difference between the CD and the live performance are the
transitions between sections. In the studio, the engineers are able
to cross-fade and digitally splice sections together. Performed
live, there are short (usually only one measure) added lines that
are played, sung or counted that enable the musicians to get from
section to section. History will show that getting to see Brian
Wilson perform Smile live in the early 21st century was like
seeing Beethoven or Mozart perform their greatest works. 240 minutes
Bringing Down The House (PG13)
After meeting in a cyber chat room, a divorced lawyer (Steve Martin) invites his
electronic pen pal (Queen Latifah) to his house for a romantic dinner. The joke is
that he doesn't know that she is a big, black, street smart woman who has recently
escaped from prison. We have already seen the handful of funny scenes countless times
in previews. This clash-of-cultures romantic comedy is dumb and
embarrassing. Not all white people are unhip bigots and not all blacks are pistol toting,
malt liquor swilling dance experts. This film continues an alarming trend that Madison
Ave. and Hollywood began about fifteen years ago. Like a funhouse mirror,
Bringing Down The House makes everybody look bad. I hated each character and
every word of dialogue with the possible exception of Joan Plowright smoking pot. To
see Steve Martin at his best in a recent release, rent
Novocaine. Also starring Eugene Levy (Serendipity). 105 minutes.
Brokeback Mountain
(R)
Two young cowboys partner up for a rugged summer of herding sheep in
the desolate mountains of Wyoming. They develop a deep bond that
lasts the rest of their lives. Even though they go their separate
ways, marry and raise families, they continue to get together two or
three times a year to "fish". Unfortunately, they are never quite
able to deal with their feelings. This is a sad but beautiful story
featuring breathtaking cinematography and first rate acting.
Starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Directed by Ang Lee. 134
minutes.
Broken Flowers
(R)
Bill Murray stars as Don Johnston, a wealthy retired bachelor who
receives an anonymous letter claiming that he has a son. Johnston
embarks on a road trip with the intention of dropping in on four
ex-girlfriends from twenty years ago. The road trip turns out to be
(caution: cliché ahead) a journey of self discovery. When Johnston
was a player, he definitely did not have a "type" because these
women are all completely different. This is Murray at his low-key
best. Great ending too. If you didn't like Lost In Translation,
you will hate Broken Flowers. Also starring Sharon Stone,
Frances Conroy ("Six Feet Under"), Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton and
Julie Delpy. 106 minutes.
Brotherhood Of The Wolf (R)
A "superwolf" terrorizes the 19th century French countryside in Brotherhood Of The
Wolf. This
stylish but ultra violent French film is a tasty gumbo of political intrigue, martial arts,
swashbuckling swordsmanship, romance, mysticism and murderous mayhem. If you don't mind the
gore, this is such a fun movie to watch that you forget how ridiculous it really is. In French
with subtitles. 146 minutes.
Brown Sugar (PG13)
Friends since they were kids, a man (Taye Diggs) and a woman (Sanaa
Lathan) who
are now in their 30's and in the music business, toy with the idea of getting together
romantically. As a friend (Queen Latifah) who thinks that it's a good idea says, "You
get the buddy and the bootie!" Using Hip-Hop as a metaphor from the genre's New York
infancy through the present, we follow both the music and the couple through all the
ups and downs. Unfortunately, the soundtrack is not compelling enough to motivate the
characters and the jokes fall flat but Lathan is a joy to watch throughout. Too bad
the film is not. 108 minutes.
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