I Am Sam (PG13)
Sean Penn twists and shouts as Sam Dawson, a single father who
possesses the intellectual capacity of a 7 year old. Sam is retarded.
He is also a loving father and a devotee of The Beatles. His daughter
Lucy Diamond Dawson (Dakota Fanning) is clearly not going to get
enough cerebral stimulation at home even though she proclaims,
"All you need is love." Sam's low wage job makes for some
hard days. Night is the time he spends with his beloved Lucy. Sam's no
fool on the hill but he clearly needs help. The matter comes to a head
and is turned over to the courts. Sam hires a pretty lawyer (Michelle
Pfeiffer) because her name is Rita Harrison ("Lovely
Rita"/George Harrison) and because she offers to work pro bono
(U2. Just kidding). Sam's modest apartment is brimming with Fab Four
posters and no less than seven Lennon/McCartney songs (recorded by
various musicians) provide the soundtrack. Sean Penn, Dakota Fanning
(isn't that what killed John Lennon?) and Michelle Pfeiffer (at one
point it looks as though the veins on her temple are going to explode)
turn in fantastic performances but I was left wondering if young Lucy
wouldn't ultimately be better off in a foster home. But that's not
really the point. I Am
Sam is a story of undying love between a man and his little child.
Yes, this is a sappy, cliché ridden tear-jerker but this boy liked
it. Sort of like Rain Man meets
Kramer vs. Kramer. This is an archetypal chick-flick. I'm so
tired. Good night. Also starring Laura Dern, Richard Schiff, Mary
Steerburger and Diane Wiest. 133 minutes.
 
Ice Age (PG)
A mammoth, a sloth and a tiger team up to return a human infant (rather
than use it as taco filling) to it's tribe in Ice Age.
Apparently in 78,000 BC, animals could talk but humans couldn't. If only
Rosie O'Doughnut were alive then. This animated odyssey will entertain
the entire clan. Starring the voices of Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John
(I'd like to break his) Leguizamo. 88 minutes.
The Ice Harvest
(R)
Drunken mid-west mobsters chase a bag of cash. Violent, occasionally
funny and ultimately depressing. Just in time for the holidays.
Directed by Harold Ramis. Starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton,
Randy Quaid and looking like a young Kathleen Turner, Connie
Nielsen. 88 minutes.
Ice Princess
(G)
Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) , a nerdy teenaged math/science wiz,
stumbles on a paradigm for executing figure skating moves. Against her
mother's wishes, Casey decides to pursue professional skating rather
than Harvard. Despite it's predictability (we know for instance that
Casey's Mom will turn up in the crowd during the big competition and
smile approvingly) this is a quality family film. Also starring Joan
Cusack and Kim Cattrall. 92 minutes.
Igby Goes Down (R)
Igby joins a long list of recent quirky films (they're all the rage you know) that includes
Moonlight Mile and The Royal Tennenbaums. Igby, played skillfully by Kieran
Culkin,
is a wealthy teenaged screw-up who is much too smart and cynical for his own good. He has the great
misfortune of being able to see the hypocrisy that is so prevalent in American culture and he
refuses to accept it. After being expelled from several schools, he runs away to New York City so
that he may begin his journey of self discovery. No new ground broken here, but a great script and
a fine cast. The problem is,
Igby Goes Down is full of characters that are intelligent, good looking, privileged,
spoiled, crazy, self-centered, arrogant and cold. I really didn't give a damn what happened to any
of them. In fact, I wanted them all to die horrible, painful deaths. Unfortunately, most of them
didn't. I also kept waiting for Howard Cossell to scream "DOWN, GOES,
IGBY!" Also starring the
omnipresent Susan Saranwrap, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Ryan Phillippe, Amanda Peet and
Claire Danes. 97 minutes.
The Illusionist
(PG13)
An Austrian magician (Edward Norton) who appears to have
supernatural powers, makes an enemy of The Crown Prince when it is
discovered that the prince's girlfriend is the prestidigitator's
long lost love. This spellbinding film is a sort of cross between
1953's Houdini which starred Tony Curtis and Romeo And
Juliet. The Illusionist is so good that you can overlook
the prince's laughable mustache and make the occasional leaps of
faith that are so often necessary in movies like this. Based on a
short story by local author Steven Millhauser, the cast includes
Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man, Sideways, The Truman Show) who
really has that grim/pissed off look down to a science and sex pot
Jessica Biel (Elizabethtown, Summer Catch, Ulee's Gold) who
really has perfected that come hither look. 110 minutes.
The Importance Of Being Earnest (PG)
As a youngin', my fav-o-rite home picture wuz alwayz The Andy Griffith
Show. Whenun' Mama would let us, my sister Randean and I would stay glued to the Philco
so's we could watch Andy, Barney, Opie and Aunt Bee. But brick throwin', Barney
baitin', pie stealin' Earnest T. Bass was our hero. When
Randean told me that Earnest done made his own show, we got right down to that Speculum
movie house. Well I'll tell you what. There was no Earnest T. Bass to be found. Justin'
a couple a' snooty, fruity English soundin' guys and some ladies dressed like they all was the queen a'
somethin'. No window smashin', name callin' or foot chases. Randean and me could
barely keep awake. I'd sooner lose another toe than sit through that again. An eternity.
Imposter (R)
Gary (I'm trying to hold back a) Sinise stars as a scientist who may or may not be an
alien with a bomb implanted in his heart. The year is 2079 and Earth is domed and doomed.
This dark sci-fi thriller is for enthusiasts only. Vincent D'Onofrio is horribly
mis-cast
as a military boss. Also starring Tony Shalhoub, Madeleine Stowe and Mekhi
Phifer. 87
minutes.
In
Good Company (PG13)
A veteran ad salesman's (Dennis Quaid) new 26 year old boss (Topher
Grace) falls in love with his pretty young daughter (Scarlett
Johansen). The fact that Quaid has played dozens of these kinds of
roles over the years works to his advantage. Better yet, In Good
Company manages to avoid an obvious ending. A rarity in Hollywood
these days. 131 minutes.
In Her
Shoes (PG13)
The story of two sisters who have nothing in common except their
shoe size. Maggie (Cameron Diaz) is a beautiful screw-up and Rose
(Toni Collette) is an uptight corporate lawyer. When they discover
that they have a grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) their lives are
forever changed. A perfect date film. 130 minutes.
An Inconvenient Truth
(PG)
Former presidential candidate, Vice President and Senator Al Gore's
scientific and frightening look at the way mankind is changing our
planet's atmosphere by the constant burning of fossil fuels. The
effects of global warming are indisputable and unfolding just as
many scientists predicted that they would thirty years ago. Why
haven't our political leaders done anything about it? Gore contends
that we have the means to change and that it's not too late. When he
set out to make this film, Mr. Gore obviously had three objectives.
He wanted the world to know about this impending disaster, that the
American public should have voted him in as president by a wider
margin and that he is a witty and personable guy, not the stiff that
the press makes him out to be. Gore's critics will undoubtedly say
that he has simply manipulated statistics in order to create a self
serving propaganda film. Also starring Jason Bateman as George W.
Bush. 120 minutes.
Inside Man (R)
Director Spike Lee has managed to make an interestingly original
film using one of Hollywood's most worn out subjects; a bank
robbery. Except for two of his patented "enraged character on a
dolly" shots, his usual great soundtrack and gritty New York
realism, you would hardly know that Lee directed. And that's not a
knock. Inside Man is Lee's most mainstream "joint" and it
will probably be one of his most successful "joints". It was
certainly well rolled. Starring Brother Denzel, Clive Owen, Jody
Foster, Christopher Plummer and Willem Dafoe (whose parents were
obviously bad spellers). 129 minutes.
The Interpreter
(PG13)
Sylvia Broome (Nicole Kidman), a United Nations interpreter, overhears
whispers that indicate there may be a plot to assassinate a
controversial African President who will soon be addressing the
General Assembly. After a background check, the lead detective
assigned to protect her (Sean Penn) begins to suspect that Broome may
herself be involved. Exciting and suspenseful with great New York
location photography. Superbly directed by Sydney Pollack (The
Firm, Absence Of Mayonnaise and Three Days Of The Condom).
Also starring Catherine Keener. 128 minutes.
In The Bedroom (R)
A small fishing town on the coast of Maine is the setting for this compelling character study.
Dr. Matt Fowler (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife Ruth (Sissy Spacechick) must
come to terms with the violent murder of their only child. Their son Frank
(Nick Stahl) is a fisherman who is in love with Natalie Strout (Marisa
Tomei). Natalie is a recently separated mother of two young boys and several years
his senior. Frank considers not going to college in order to stay with them.
Natalie's husband Richard (William Mapother) has other ideas. This is a fine
motion picture with many great performances. It's especially interesting to
see how it takes the death of a child to get Matt and Ruth to truly
communicate with each other. Kind of like Ordinary People with lobsters.
There's a cameo by Karen Allen (Raiders Of The Lost Ark). 130 minutes.
Innocence
(NR)
Andreas (Charles Tingwell) and Claire (Julia Blake) fell in love in their late teens and
then parted ways. Almost fifty years later, Andreas discovers that they both live in the
same Australian town and a meeting is arranged. Once reunited, they discover that they
are still madly and passionately in love with each other. Innocence is a tender, sweet
and moving film. Senior citizens are not usually allowed to be passionate on screen and
it didn't gross anyone out either. If you have a romantic bone in your body, go see this
motion picture. The only flaw is, at the end, Claire's car is commandeered by French
Marxists who are intent on hijacking a 747 and
kidnapping the British Prime Minister. Just kidding.
Inside Deep Throat
(NC17)
A documentary about the sexually explicit 1972 film that brought porno
to the masses. Deep Throat was the story of a woman who........
Never mind. It cost $25,000 to make, grossed over $600 million and
forever changed the lives of those who were associated with it.
Present day interviews with the principles are fascinating. Some are
sad, some are ironic while others are downright funny. Inside Deep
Throat is everything that a documentary should be. 92 minutes.
Insomnia (R)
A veteran Los Angeles detective (Al Pacino) is sent to a small Alaskan town to solve
a murder in Insomnia. Unable to get any sleep due to the constant sunlight
and stress, his body and mind begin to break down. This effectively creepy and
claustrophobic film was directed by Christopher Nolan, who was also at the helm
of one of 2001's best releases, Memento. Robin Williams does a fine job
as a writer who is a suspect. Also starring Hilary Swank. 118 minutes.
Iris (R)
Iris is a heartbreakingly beautiful film about Alzheimer's and the devastating
effect that the disease has on its victim and her loved ones. Iris is also a
moving love story. The film examines British novelist Iris Murdoch (Judi
Dench,
Kate Winslet) and her adoring husband John Bayley (Jim Broadbent, Hugh Bonneville).
Through flashbacks, we see young Iris and John as they were when they first
fell in love. Bring a box of tissues to this brilliantly acted motion picture.
90 minutes.
The Island
(PG13)
Soylent Green meets The Fugitive. Sci-fi thriller about a colony of
clones created solely as replacement parts (livers, skin, babies,
etc.) for their wealthy sponsors. The clones think that they are
living in a biosphere because the earth is uninhabitable. A great
premise and first act. Unfortunately The Island is dumbed down by
too many Hollywood shoot-em-ups and a script that seems to have a
half life of about 40 minutes. Starring Ewan McGregor, Scarlett
Johansson, Sean Bean and Steve Buscemi. 127 minutes.
Italian For Beginners (R)
This film takes place in Denmark. It centers around an Italian language class
that is given at a Copenhagen community center. The eight (eventually nine)
adult students share each others problems, grief and happiness. This is one of
those fine foreign films that make you laugh and cry in a decidedly quirky way.
Splendid little movie this one. In Danish with English subtitles. 99 minutes.
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