Sahara (PG13)
Treasure hunters, World Health Organization doctors, corporate
polluters and corrupt heads of state meet head on in Africa. Kind of
like Raiders Of The Lost Arc Lite. Another in a long line of
action films in which all of the bad guys are really bad shooters.
Stupid but fun. Starring Mathew McConaughey, Steve Zahn (That Thing
You Do) and Penelope Cruz. 127 minutes.
The Salton Sea (R)
If you like imaginative films that are full of twisted humor and violence, then The Salton Sea is for you.
Elusive and difficult Val Kilmer (The Doors) portrays a grieving widower who goes undercover into the
world of methamphetamines in order to avenge his wife's murder. This is the kind of movie that plops you
into the middle of the story and then slowly doles out the details. A character named Pooh Bear
(Vincent D'Onofrio) is so over the top that you will not soon forget him. Also starring Luis Guzman,
Anthony LaPaglia, Peter Sarsgaard (I just installed one of them on my leather stage pants), Deborah Kara Unger
(pick TWO names honey) and Meat Loaf. 103 minutes.
Scoop (PG13)
A magician's (Woody Allen) audience volunteer (Scarlett Johansson)
is visited by a ghost who claims to know the identity of a British
serial killer. Not one of Allen's best comedies and a big
disappointment when compared to his previous film, Match Point,
which was also filmed in London and starred Ms. Johansson. After
getting off to such a fine start acting in great films like The
Horse Whisperer (1998), Lost In Translation (2003) and
The Girl With A Pearl Earring (2003), people (not just horses)
are beginning to whisper things about Johansson like: "Beautiful
yes, but she's not a great actress, is she?" Only time will tell if
she can prove her detractors wrong. Also starring Jack Human. 96
minutes.
The Score (R)
This taut crime drama was directed by former Muppeteer and voice of Miss Piggy Frank Oz. Corpulent Marlon Brando reportedly taunted Oz mercilessly during filming. Max
(Brando) tries to talk restauranteur/thief Nick (Robert De Niro) into the
clichéd "one last heist". Max insists that Nick teams with his young associate (Edward Norton). The movie is fabulous. It's great to see three generations of acting
talent on one screen. Recommended for audiences 25 and over.
The Scorpion King (PG13)
The Scorpion King (The Rock) squares off against tyranical King Memnon in the new adventure
film The Scorpion King. Like The Rock's pro wrestling events, this
movie features non-stop
action, very little plot and no suspense. The sword play, snakes, fire ants and locations
will enthrall the young, mostly male demographic that this film is aimed at. The rest of
us will long for another Raiders Of The Lost Ark sequel. There's no doubt that The Rock
has a considerable screen presence, albeit of the lowest common denominator variety. I
can "smell what The Rock is Cookin'" and it's a big greasy double cheesburger with fries
and a Coke. Also starring Michael Clarke Duncan (pick TWO names dude) and Kelly Hu
(Kelly who?). 94 minutes.
Secretary (R)
A young woman (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who was recently institutionalized for self-mutilation,
gets a job as a legal secretary for a rather strange attorney (James
Spader). As it turns
out, they are both into S & M and we are treated to a fly on the wall look at their
courtship. Bizarre sets, characters and scenes abound. Clearly, there are all kinds of
people and all kinds of relationships in this world but this is a film for repressed voyeurs
only. 104 minutes.
Separate Lies
(R)
After a hit and run fatality, a middle aged couple's relationship is
put under a microscope. This veddy, veddy British film shows just
what wonderfully stupid and often destructive things we do for love.
Starring Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson and Rupert Everett. Separate
Lies clocks in at a tidy 87 minutes.
The Sentinel
(PG13)
There is a mole amongst the group of men guarding The President Of
The United States and Pete Garrison (Michael Douglas), a long time
Secret Service agent is the primary suspect. The mole must be
removed or there could be serious consequences. This promising film
wilts during the third act and I was left feeling a bit underwhelmed.
Too bad because The Sentinel looked so great in the trailers.
Also starring Kim Basinger and Kiefer Sutherland. 108 minutes.
Serendipity (PG13)
Serendipity (n. the gift of valuable or agreeable things not sought for) is a romantic tale
starring beautiful Kate Beckinsale (Pearl Harbor) as Sara Thomas and likeable John Cusack
(America's Sweethearts, High Fidelity, Say Anything) as Jon Trager. After several
coincidental meetings in Mid-Town Manhattan, they go out on a spur of the moment date and
realize that they are perfect for each other. Sara however, refuses to give Jon her phone
number or even her last name, partly because they are both involved with other people, and
partly because she insists that if they are meant to be together they will meet again. They
then go several years without any contact. Suddenly, they both decide to try to find each
other. I suspect that people will be very divided about this film. Some (most men) will find
it tedious and frustratingly contrived while others (some women) will love it's hopeful and
romantic tone. It is very hard not to root for Beckinsale and Cusack no matter what your sex.
Beckinsale is a good actress and it's hard to take your eyes off of her while witty Cusack
has a knack for making the written script sound as if it just came off the top of his head.
A decent date movie. I went alone. Also starring the great Jeremy Pivin
("The Larry Sanders Show"), John Corbett ("Northern
Exposure", "Sex And The City"), Eugene Levy (Best In
Show, "Second
City TV") and the tiresome Molly Shannon ("Saturday Night
Live").
Serving Sara (PG13)
A process server (Mathew Perry) pursues a woman (Elizabeth Hurley) whose husband is suing her for divorce.
Reginald Hudlin directs this comedy which is neither very funny or interesting. It certainly doesn't help
matters that neither of the film's stars can act a lick. Perry has been able to parlay his considerable
television popularity into movie roles but how does Hurley get big screen work? Oh yeah, she won the genetic
lottery. Also starring Vincent Pastore
(The Sopranos). 95 minutes.
Sex And Lucia (Unrated)
A writer's novel in progress is driving him mad and worrying his girlfriend and agent. This latest
work, it turns out, may be autobiographical. Sex And Lucia is erotic, confusing, sad,
pornographic, challanging and joyous. Not for everyone. In Spanish with subtitles.
128 minutes.
Shallow Hal (PG13)
The Farrelly Brother's (There's Something About Mary, Dumb And
Dumber, Me,
Myself And Irene) newest film Shallow Hal has most of their trademark elements. There are
offbeat characters, physical deformities, embarrassing situations and weird revelations.
Unfortunately, it lacks laughs and is mis-cast. The result is uncomfortable, mostly unfunny
and grotesque. Sure there are a few humorous moments but we have already seen most of them
countless times in Hal's trailers. As we all know, Hal (Jack Black), gets hypnotized by
self-help guru Tony Robbins and from then on, supposedly only sees people's inner beauty. In
other words, he is free to date women that he previously found unattractive. Hal begins
dating Rosemary (1996's "it girl" Gwyneth Paltrow) who looks beautiful and trim to him but
in fact weighs in at about three hundred pounds. Ms. Paltrow gets to wear a fat suit, suffers
the usual insults and prat-falls (furniture breaks under her not once but twice) and Hal's
best friend (one-trick pony Jason Alexander) is aghast. What worked in a film like
There's
Something About Mary doesn't work here; mostly because the writing and casting is weak but
also because, unlike Mary, there is supposed to be a lesson to be learned here.
If Hal now sees real inner beauty, why does it manifest itself as outer beauty? Another
problem is that Black (I'm so sure Jack Black is his real name) is a fine character actor but
simply can not carry a film. I also got to hear one of the worst ersatz Irish accents ever
performed on screen. Skip dis one and goo have a pint lad.
Shanghai Knights (PG13)
This is a kung-fu comedy set in the late 1800's. A Chinese sheriff (Jackie Chan) living
in Nevada quits his post and hops a stage to New York. Once in The Medium Apple he tracks
down his old side-kick (Owen Wilson). They then board a ship to England in order to
avenge a death. The martial-arts mayhem and high-noon hi-jinks is pretty much non-stop.
107 minutes.
She's The Man
(PG13)
Family friendly gender bender about a young woman (Amanda Bynes) who
pretends to be her twin brother in order to play soccer. Based on
William Shakespeare's ("Romeo And Juliet") "Twelfth Night", this is
a fairly funny but predictable film. Because there are so few movies
for kids and tweens that are acceptable for their adult chauffeurs,
I am recommending it. Also starring Julie Hagerty (cheap shot alert:
who finally looks good for her age) and Channing Tatum (cheap shot
alert: nice name babe). 105 minutes.
The Shipping News (R)
A Poughkeepsie dullard named Quoyle (pronounced coil) marries a bar slut named Petal (the
fabulous Cate Blanchett) and they have a daughter named Bunny. Petal and her
boyfriend die in a car crash and Quoyle (Kevin Spacey) and Bunny move to their
ancestral home (Quoyle Point) in Newfoundland. Quoyle Point is one of those made-up
towns where every single inhabitant is quirky, humorous and eloquent and you just
know that these colorful characters will bring happiness and vitality to the morose
Quoyles. There are some fine performances in this film but The Shipping News just
doesn't ring true. Also starring Julianne Moore, Judi Dench and Scott Glenn.
120 minutes.
Shopgirl (R)
Written by and starring Steve Martin (The Jerk) and directed
by Anand Tucker (Hilary and Jackie). A beautifully
bittersweet love story. Not one person dies, gets punched or has a
drink thrown in their face. Martin plays Ray Porter, a wealthy
middle aged loner who finds himself in the middle of a romantic
triangle. How come it's always a triangle? There are plenty of
situations in life where a group of four or more people become
romantically interconnected. Why doesn't someone ever write a story
about a romantic rhombus or trapezoid? Also starring Claire Danes
and Jason Schwartzman. 116 minutes.
Showtime (PG13)
Showtime is an action/comedy that's a dud despite a promising premise and talented stars.
There are wise-cracks, car chases, explosions and bullets-a-plenty but little excitement
and few laughs. Stay away. Starring Robert De Niro, Eddie Murphy, William Shatner and
Rene Russo. 92 minutes.
Shrek (PG)
State of the art animated medieval romance complete with bathroom humor,
Disney jabs and Freudian jokes. Something for all ages. Mike Meyers is the
ogre with a heart of gold and Eddie Murphy is his hilarious donkey sidekick.
Also starring the voices of John Lithgow and Cameron Diaz. Good clean fun.
Sidewalks Of New York (R)
Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen) wrote, directed and stars in this fine romantic comedy. The
film centers around seven slightly neurotic New Yorkers who are searching
for romance and happiness (good luck!). Story lines are set up and propelled
by documentary style interviews (complete with jerky edits) of the seven
throughout the film. This is the type of movie that Woody Allen used to make,
albeit without Mr. Allen ridiculously attracting all of the leading ladies.
The Manhattan locations are not as lovingly photographed as they were in
Allen's Hannah And Her Sisters or Manhattan but the characters and
situations are often funny and quite believable, especially the subtly
heartbreaking split between Tommy (Burns) and Maria (Rosario Dawson). There
are many fabulous performances by a lot of big and small names including
Dennis Farina as Tommy's smarmy boss Carpo. Postponed because of the
September 11th terror attacks, Sidewalks Of New York was worth the wait.
Also starring Brittany Murphy (Girl Interrupted, Riding In Cars With
Boys,
Don't Say A Word), Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, Austin
Powers, From Hell)
Stanley Tucci (The Pellican Brief) and David
Krumholtz.
Sideways (R)
Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Hayden Church) have been
friends since college. A week before Jack's wedding, they travel north
to California wine country for one last bash. There they meet Maya and
Stephanie, both of whom are smart, pretty and way too good for these
lovable creeps. Jack is a washed up television actor and an aging
lothario. Miles is a depressed writer who steals cash from his mother.
This comedy/drama is a drunken joy ride with a sobering third act.
Also starring Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. 123 minutes.
Signs (PG13)
Suppose Earth was invaded by beings that were not benevolent like say, the aliens in
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind or ET? That is the premise of writer-director
M. Night Shyamalan's (write the county hall of records and direct them to change your name to the acceptable
TWO words, dude) new sci-fi thriller. Clearly taking inspiration from Rod Serling works such as
The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street and Mr. Dingle The Strong, Signs is a clever,
occasionally lighthearted and exciting film. A minister (Mel Gibson) who has lost his faith because of a personal
tragedy realizes that the crop markings in his corn field might be landing markers for space ships. This film
scared the crap out of me; no easy feat! Also starring Rory Culkin (how many
freakin' Culkins are there?)
and Joaquin Phoenix. 106 minutes.
Simone (PG13)
Fed up with having to work with pampered and arrogant movie stars, disillusioned writer/director
Viktor Taransky (Al Pacino), strives to find the perfect actress. Simone (SIMulation ONE) is beautiful,
sensitive and talented. The only catch; she is a computerized image. A synthespian (not that there's
anything wrong with that). Via computer post-production, Simone is inserted into scenes after her
co-stars have left the sound stage. She even appears as a hologram for a concert tour. As Simone's
popularity becomes enormous, Taransky begins to "lose himself" in her.
Simone suffers greatly from a lack of believability to the point where it almost becomes
a farce and that's too bad. Director Andrew Nicci
(The Truman Show) has a great premise and cast. It just doesn't quite work. Also starring
Jay Mohr and Catherine Keener. 110 minutes.
Sin City (R)
Kill Bill meets Sky Captain. Based on novels by comic
book author Frank Miller. Non-stop graphic violence. Filmed in quirky
black and white with splashes of color. Crooked cops, dirty senators,
career criminals and black belt prostitutes clash endlessly. Sin City
will entertain most teens and twenty somethings and depress most older
folks. Starring Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Michael Madsen, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del
Toro, Brittany Murphy and Jessica Alba. Directed by Robert Rodriguez
and "guest director" Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill). 124
minutes.
The Sisterhood Of The
Traveling Pants (PG)
Four teenaged girls buy a single used pair of Levis. Not only do
they all fit into them but special things seem to happen to whomever
wears them. As they go their separate ways for summer vacations they
agree to ship the pants so that they can take turns wearing them. It
took a dead body to bring four young boys together in Stand By Me
but blue jeans do it for these gals. This coming of age chick flick
is geared towards the distaff 13-20 set but it worked for me too.
Starring America Ferrara (Real Women Have Curves), Amber
Tamblyn, Alexis Bledel and Blake Lively. 119 minutes.
16 Blocks
(PG13)
Jack Mosley (Bruce Willis), a worn out alcoholic NYC police
detective, is ordered to escort Eddie Bunker (Mos Def), a prisoner
who is due to testify before a grand jury, sixteen blocks from the
precinct house to the court house. Mosley should be takin' Bunker to
a learnin' house instead 'cause he is dumb. The short trip proves to
be a deadly game of cat and mouse due to the fact that Bunker's
testimony will bring down a number of dishonest high ranking cops.
Willis can play this type of part in his sleep (see 2005's
Hostage) while Mos Def is most definitely annoying. This film
will appeal to males aged 15-25. Also starring David Morse. Directed
by Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon). 105 minutes.
Slackers (R)
Three scam artist college seniors are blackmailed by a classmate in the classless new teen
gross-out film Slackers. As is the norm with most of these movies, there are a few good
gags, a lot of lame ones and smug characters that are instantly dislikable. This motion
picture is about as far as you can get from the mother of all films of this genre,
Animal House. Recommended for seventh grade boys only. 87 minutes.
Snakes On A Plane
(R)
With the title Snakes On A Plane, you know exactly what to
expect, and this true B movie delivers. You practically jump out of
your seat as dozens of the poisonous pests bite and crawl through
every orifice, organ and appendage of dozens of unlucky passengers
traveling in a metal tube going 500 miles an hour nine miles above
the earth. If there weren't so many implausibilities and such an
abundance of crappy dialogue, I could almost recommend this creepy
thriller. Starring Samuel L. Jackson and Julianna Margulies who's
still gettin' it done at 40. 106 minutes.
Solaris (PG13)
Futuristic sci-fi love story. A psychiatrist (George Clooney) is sent to a space
station to investigate strange phenomena. A bit slow and predictable but effective
none the less. Directed and written by Steven Soderbergh. Also starring Natasha
McElhone, Jeremy Davies and Viola Davis. 98 minutes (it seemed longer).
Songcatcher (PG13)
Credit must be given to the talented Aidan Quinn. Unlike most other contemporary Hollywood actors, Quinn seems to pick only quality projects and thus works much
less than most of his peers. He plays Tom Bledsoe, one of many skeptical 1907 North Carolina hill people who possess a veritable treasure chest of centuries old
folk music. Dr. Lily Penleric (Janet McTeer) a university musicologist, has decided to gather or "catch" these songs and to publish a collection of them. The
singing and playing is first rate as is most of the film. Also starring Iris Dement, Pat Carroll and Emmy
Rossum.
Spider-Man (PG13)
Remaining faithful to the original story, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man is colorful
and exciting yet surprisingly moving. Unlike Tim Burton's
Batman, Raimi's film is bright and humanistic. A shy young man (Tobey Maguire)
discovers that he can climb walls and hurl webs from his wrist after being bitten by a
genetically altered laboratory spider. He then sets out to fight crime and win the girl
of his dreams (Kirsten Dunst). I would not recommend bringing kids under ten to see
Spider-Man though. It is quite violent and melancholy at times. For the rest of
us, it's one hell of a fun roller-coaster ride. Also starring Willem Dafoe and Cliff
Robertson. 121 minutes.
Spy Game (R)
This is a gripping espionage thriller in which Nathan Muir (Robert Redford), an aging CIA
operative attempts to, against agency directive, free his young protégé
Tom Bishop
(Brad Pitt) from a Chinese prison. The trick is, Muir must arrange it all under the
suspicious eyes of his bosses, get it done in 24 hours, and never leave the Langley,
Virginia CIA Headquarters. The relationship between Muir and Bishop is explained through a
series of flashbacks to places like Beirut and Viet Nam. If you can get past the flashbacks'
physical implausabilities (Redford and Pitt look remarkably the same when they are supposed
to be 15 years younger) there is an intelligent and exciting story here, somewhat reminiscent
of the classic No Way Out. Also starring Catherine McCormack (Braveheart).
The Squid And The Whale
(R)
Joan (Laura Linney) is an up and coming writer who is cheating on
her husband Bernard (Jeff Daniels). Bernard is a college professor
and published author whose career is waning. They decide to separate
just when their two sons seem to need them the most. Set in New York
City circa 1986, The Squid And The Whale is a superbly realistic
story about four members of a dissolving family who are all trying
to find out who they are and where they are going. Also starring
Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, Anna Paquin and William Baldwin. 88
minutes.
Star Trek: Nemesis (PG13)
About ten years ago, it was decided to pull the plug on the highly successful sci-fi series
Star Trek: The Next Generation. Even though the long running television program was
still at a creative, critical and commercial peak, the producers saw motion pictures as
the logical next step. The final frontier if you will. Many of the cast members were
understandably upset. The
Next Gen movies have not been very good. In Nemesis, a clone of Captain
Picard (Patrick Stewart) threatens to take over The Enterprise and wipe out Earth. Ooh,
I'm so scared! What we have here is a mediocre TV episode that has been stretched out into
a feature film. There is a great chase scene early on and that's about it. Also starring
Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner (who also helped write the story), LeVar Burton (Is he
related to Richard?), Michael Dorn (Will someone please remove the chocolate bar from his
forehead?), Ron Pearlman and the decidedly un-funny Whoopi Goldberg (I wonder what temple
she goes to?). 116 minutes.
Star Wars: Episode II - The Attack Of The Clones (PG)
Director George Lucas is back with his fifth Star Wars saga, Attack Of The
Clones. It stars whiney Hayden Christensen (Life As A House) as
Heineken Skywalker and Natalie Portman as Petme, now a Galactic Senator. The two fall in
love and it was all that I could do to stay awake during their mercifully brief
courtship. Soon after the lovin', the action begins and that has always been the
Star Wars franchise strong point. Frank Oz returns as Yogurt, master Jedi. Quite a
warrior in his younger days, the green nebbish was. While Clones is not as good as
Star Wars: Episode IV (The first film) or it's stunning sequel,
The Empire Strikes Back, it's lightyears better than 1983's cutsey
Return Of The Jedi and 1999's mediocre
The Phantom Menace. Let's hope that Lucas goes out with a bang when he releases
Episode III and that he has the good sense to kill off Jar Jar Binks. Also
starring Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Lee. 132 minutes.
Star Wars: Episode III -
Revenge Of The Sixth (PG13)
Episode III, the sixth and final installment of George Lucas'
blockbuster Star Wars franchise comes out of the gate as one of
the most expensive motion pictures ever made and unbelievably with a
typo in its title! All of the posters at the theater and the actual
film titles left the letter x out of the word sixth. In
this day and age, it's incredible that misspelled words can get past
every one of the writers and studio honchos. Doesn't anyone's computer
have a spell check? Look for this mistake to be remedied when the film
goes to DVD. That aside, Sixth does a nice job of tying up all
of the loose ends and dovetails nicely into Episode Four, the
first Star Wars release. Sixth reacquaints us with some
of Lucas' most beloved characters such as Heineken Skywalker, Dark
Helmet, Loan Me One Cannoli, See Me Pee Oh, Chewtobacca, twins Luke
and Laura and the lovable nebbish/Jedi Master, Yogurt. This dark and
violent film stands alongside Episodes IV and V as one
of the three best Star Wars films. Starring Hayden Christensen,
Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Ian McDiarmid. 140 minutes.
The Sum Of All Fears (PG13)
Question: What do James Cromwell, George W. Bush and Homer Simpson have in common? Answer:
They all mispronounce the word nuclear. This latest screen adaptation of a Tom Clancy novel
brings Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) back to save the USA. A nuclear bomb, lost by an Israeli pilot
in 1973, is found and sold to a neo-Nazi. He plans to detonate the bomb in America and make it
look like the Russians did it, thereby starting a war between the two super powers. In Clancy's
book, it is an Arab that acquires the device. It was decided that for the film, the antagonist
should not be Middle Eastern. Why?
Fears is a decent dramatization of an event that half the world would like to see.
Following Sir Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford as CIA operative Ryan is no easy task but Affleck
does a fine job. If he keeps this up, he could be the next Matt Damon. Remember, it's
NEW-clee-urr not NEW-que-lurr. And while I'm at it, the word lozenge does not have an r in it.
Also starring Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Alan Bates and Liev Schreiber. 118 minutes.
Summer Catch (PG13)
Summer Catch is just another fetid Freddy Prinze Jr. teen romance. It uses the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League as a vehicle for
Prinze, Jessica Biehl and Mathew Lillard to drink beer, fall in love, skinny-dip and philosophize. The over-rated
Bull Durham at least had some funny and
insightful baseball moments but was done in by the use of Susan Sarandon's mother/slut character. This pale imitation fares even worse due to it's trite
characters, dialogue, situations and ridiculous sexual exploits. Given the presence of
Prinze, I didn't expect much. I was still disappointed.
Super Troopers (R)
A group of Vermont State Troopers square off against their city police rivals
in the new comedy Super Troopers. This broad farce looked fairly
promising and I'd heard a few good things but Super Troopers is a turkey
from start to finish. Save your money. With a cameo by the untalented Lynda
Carter. 103 minutes.
Sweet Home Alabama (PG13)
I like Reese Witherspoon (Election, Legally Blonde). I like the song
Sweet Home Alabama. I like the south. I like romantic comedies. I did not like
Sweet Home Alabama. 103 minutes.
The Sweetest Thing (R)
Cameron Diaz and her two roommates (Christina Applegate and Selma Blair) are
party girls who just might be looking to settle down in the new romantic comedy
The Sweetest Thing. The trailers made this movie look like it had the potential
to be another There's Something About Mary. Not so. As with most of America's
worst contemporary comedies, this film lacks genuine humor, originality and most
of all, subtlety. Just when I thought The Sweetest Thing couldn't get any worse,
Georgia Engel appeared. As the sickeningly sweet Georgette, Engel almost sank,
single-handedly, one of history's finest sitcoms, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Memo
to Ms. Applegate: your fifteen minutes are up. Go away now. Also starring
Thomas Jane (61*). 84 minutes.
Swimfan (PG13)
A pretty but disturbed teen (Erika Christensen) seduces a classmate and
then tries to destroy his life in
Swimfan. Half way through, the film becomes grainy, poorly lit
and tastelessly filtered. Did they run out of money? Did the director of
photography quit mid-film? It doesn't really matter. This teenage
Fatal Attraction is not good. A full 18 minutes of lousy
previews before the 6:50 showing too. Probably because the movie clocks
in at a mercifully short 84 minutes.
Syriana (R)
Technology, Islamic fundamentalism, corporate greed, oil, politics
and the CIA bump heads. Spies kill for money while Muslims with
little hope for this life kill for the next. Shuttling between
Washington, Switzerland and the Middle East, the story is too
complex to follow at times but I was spellbound and then ultimately
depressed. While in Lebanon, an over the hill assassin (George
Clooney, who has surprisingly emerged as an important film
presence), receives a manicure and facial that you just can't get at
the mall. Also starring Matt Damon, Christopher Plummer and Chris
Cooper. 126 minutes.
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