Waking Life (R)
Someone (I think it was either Plato or Orville Reddenbacker) once said that "the unexamined life
is not worth living." So many movies are mind-numbingly dumb these days. In
director Richard Linklater's (Dazed And Confused, Slacker) new film
Waking Life, mankind's existence gets a thorough going over. "Dreams are
reality" we are told. Waking Life has been widely acclaimed by critics and
opened to raves at The Sundance Film Festival. Wiley Wiggans stars as a
young man who is not sure whether he is dreaming or really experiencing a
day in his life. Interviews, monologues, scenes and conversations were
filmed and then painstakingly turned into surreal state-of-the-art animation.
Deep philosophical questions that we can never truly know the answers to
such as free will, religion, re-incarnation and the nature of existence are
discussed endlessly. The result is mentally and visually exciting at first
but ultimately exhausting. I'm not kidding, there were people sleeping all
around me. This is a perfect film for blow-hard pseudo-intellectuals to
watch and then discuss while sipping lattes at a trendy bistro. Yes,
this movie makes you think but then it bores and ultimately infuriates
(with the exception of the scene with the monkey and the movie projector).
I couldn't wait for it to end. The overexamined life is not worth living
either. I coined that one many years ago. Also starring Ethan Hawke.
101 minutes.
Walk On Water
(R)
A hit-man for Israel's Mossad is assigned to kill an ex-Nazi
officer, now in his nineties. He befriends the Nazi's German
grandson by posing as an Israeli tour guide. Their travels become a
(caution: cliché ahead) journey of self-discovery as both the German
and Israeli must come to terms with their past before they can move
ahead. Go see this unusual film rather than the putrid Mr. And
Mrs. Smith. 104 minutes.
 
Walk The Line
(PG13)
Very good Hollywood biopic. Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter
were both involved in the film's development but passed away in
2003. A bit long, somewhat overly dramatic but moving glimpse at the
pill popping, beer guzzling, songwriting guitar-slinger in his early
years. As the young Man in Black is shown peering into Sun Studio
observing Elvis recording "Milk Cow Blues", I was struck by the fact
that I didn't think that Elvis was using a drummer at that early
point in his career. However, when I realized that T-Bone Burnette
was in charge of Walk The Line's music, I figured that
Burnette would know. Did you ever notice that Americans love people
with names like T-Bone, Spike, Mickey and Woody? I must admit that
it was a bit eerie having met several of the real-life characters
(Rosanne Cash, Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana) when I lived in
Nashville. Having recorded "Folsom Prison Blues" and written a check
to Mr. Cash in 2002, I really feel that if they ever make a film
about the second half of his life, I will have a good shot at being
a character in it. I'm thinking Brad Pitt should play me. He would
only have to dye his hair, fix his nose and work with a dialogue
coach for a few weeks. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon
and Ginnifer Goodwin (whose parents were obviously bad spellers).
136 minutes.
A Walk To Remember (PG13)
Teen singing sensation Mandy Moore stars as Jamie, a free spirited social outcast and Shane
West co-stars as Landon, a popular classmate in A Walk To Remember. Much like
1985's Pretty In Pink, the boy must choose between his "friends" and the
girl he loves. Unlike Pink, this movie is pretty serious business. Moore and
West do good work but unfortunately the film disintegrates into a medical melodrama.
I like these kind of films and this is a decent one. Also starring Peter Coyote. 100 minutes.
War Of The Worlds
(PG13)
Effective sci-fi thriller about an alien attack on Earth. There are
some plot weaknesses. Exactly who are these aliens? They look
ridiculous. They've stashed thousands of "giant killer tripods"
underground for centuries. How was one never found? Aren't the
tripods ill-designed for such an advanced race? They tip over rather
easily! These problems aside, this cross between Titanic,
Independence Day, Star Wars and Close Encounters Of The Third
Kind is so compelling that it is impossible to dismiss or ignore. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Tom Cruise and Dakota
Fanning. 118 minutes.
The Wash (R)
A Los Angeles car wash is the setting for the Black urban comedy The
Wash.
Snoop Dogg grimaces and smokes blunts throughout while his buddy Dr. Dre is
preoccupied with finding women. There is a shred of a story (the owner of the
car wash gets kidnapped) but this film is mostly a chance for rapper DJ Pooh (who
directs and appears) to party with his friends. This is not a great film. This
isn't even a good film but I must confess that I sort of enjoyed it and felt very
guilty for having done so. With cameos by Pauley Shore, Eminem, Tommy Chong and
Shaquille O'Neal.
We Were Soldiers (R)
By the time Mel Gibson retires, he my well have fought in every major war in human history.
The year is 1965. Most Americans don't know where Viet Nam is or that American troops have
been sent there. This is the true story of 400 GIs who fought a battle against 2000 North
Vietnamese soldiers in the very early days of the war. Unlike films such as
Apocolypse Now and Full Metal Jacket, We Were Soldiers has a more
simple, patriotic feel. There's no Jimi Hendrix soundtrack, no pot smoking, no surfing and
no "Why are we here man?" It's a lot like the WWII movies they used to make in the 50's
except that the enemy is shown in a somewhat more sympathetic light and the realism is
mind-blowing. Bloody, gripping and emotional,
We Were Soldiers is an exceptional war film. Anyone who doesn't think so is a dope.
Also starring Barry Pepper, Sam Elliott, Madeleine Stowe and Greg
Kinnear. 138 minutes.
The Weather Man
(R)
Dave Spritz (Nicolas Cage), a Chicago television weather reporter,
trudges through a privileged existence that he can't make sense of
and doesn't really enjoy. Dave is his own worst enemy. If you like
depressing subplots full of ironic situations, this film's for you.
Also starring Hope Davis and Michael Caine who brandishes an
embarrassingly shoddy American accent. Fair to partly crappy. 102
minutes.
Wedding Crashers
(R)
Two friends (Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn) spend their free time
showing up at stranger's weddings and receptions. Because they are
so smart, handsome, witty, charming, clever and charismatic, they
instantly become the life of every party and of course get their
choice of sexy women to bed down. Packed with There's Something
About Mary type gross-outs; some of them genuinely funny. I kept
wishing that they would both catch some type of horrible sexually
transmitted disease and be taken by boat to a remote island where
beautiful exotic birds would pluck out their eyeballs. Also starring
Christopher Walken and Rachel McAdams. 119 minutes.
The Wedding Date
(PG13)
An attractive woman (Debra Messing) hires a handsome male whore
(Dermot Mulroney) to escort her to her sister's wedding in England.
Will her family figure it out? Will her ex-fiancé be jealous? Will
they fall in love? Will I throw up on the girl sitting in front of me?
The wedding was more like an a-hole convention. I found myself wanting
most of the characters to die horrible deaths. Did I mention that I
didn't care for this film? 90 minutes.
The White Countess
(PG13)
Mr. Jackson (Ralph Fiennes), a blind former US Diplomat now working
in the private sector and living in Shanghai in 1936, opens a
nightclub called The White Countess. Jackson hires Sofia (Natasha
Richardson), a former Russian Countess now living in exile with her
family, to be the social centerpiece of his club. The club is a
haven for it's many regulars. A place for folks to get away from
their everyday troubles such as the impending Japanese invasion!
This lush Merchant/Ivory film is intentionally anachronistic. It was
made as if it were filmed and released in the 1940's and it wants us
to believe it's another important work such as Casablanca or
Gone With The Wind. Unfortunately though it just seems a bit
silly. The characters and situations seemed so old-fashioned and
stiff that I laughed out loud several times. The fact that it shows
an American flag with fifty stars (there were only forty eight
states in 1936) doesn't help either. Ralph Fiennes is very handsome
and dashing in his many bow ties though. The bow tie is making a
comeback you know. With people like Irving R. Levine, Dahani Jones,
Mathew Lesco, Orville Redenbacher, Louis Farrakhan, Pee Wee Herman, Mr. Peanut and
Mr. Clean wearing them, how could they not be back in style? 138
minutes.
White Noise
(PG13)
A man's (Michael Keaton) recently deceased wife seems to be trying to
contact him through scratchy radio and video messages. Some of the
adjectives that come to mind are: shallow, depressing, pointless and
boring. Too many minutes.
White Oleander (PG13)
A pretty teen (Alison Lohman) passes through several foster homes and state facilities
after her mother (Michele Pfeiffer) is convicted of murder in White Oleander. This
engrossing film focuses on the close but unhealthy relationship between mother and
daughter. Based on a best-selling novel, Oleander is a bit melodramatic but features many
fine performances. A good chick-flick. Also starring Robin Wright Penn (pick TWO names
honey), Renée Zellweger and Noah Wyle. 110 minutes.
Who Killed The Electric
Car? (PG)
A companion piece to the recent An Inconvenient Truth. This
is a sobering documentary about the development and the sudden
mysterious demise of electric cars. America's dependence on Middle
Eastern oil is costing us huge amounts of money and wasting young
soldiers lives trying to keep the pipelines flowing. The electric
cars were clean, quiet, quick and could be easily recharged at home
and at work. They were abandoned and eventually shredded as a result
of pressure from the federal government, oil companies and the car
manufacturers themselves, who were only building them to comply to a
new California state law which was eventually repealed. These cars
were both beautiful and practical. The folks who leased them weren't
even allowed to buy them after their lease expired. Widespread use
of them could have made the air cleaner, slowed down global warming,
saved consumers money on fuel and maintenance and let us leave The
Middle East alone to drown in their obsolete oil fields. This film
will really piss you off. As I left the theater, I vowed to get
involved. We'll see. Several celebrities appear, including a pre
anti-Semitic meltdown Mel Gibson. 91 minutes.
The Wild Parrots Of
Telegraph Hill (G)
Mark Bittner, a San Francisco street person, befriended a flock of
non-indigenous birds. They soon become his one and only passion and
Bittner a minor celebrity. Because the red and green parrots and the
city are so strikingly beautiful and her human subject so odd,
renowned film maker Judy Irving really only needed to keep her
cameras balanced for white, focused and running. 83 minutes.
The Woodsman
(R)
A recently paroled child molester (Kevin Bacon) attempts a difficult
transition back into society. Reluctant to work in a project together,
Bacon and his co-star wife (Kyra Sedgwick) reportedly completely
ignored each other on the set during filming in order to stay in
character. Their dedication shows. A very good film that I can not
recommend to anyone except hardcore movie buffs. Also starring
Benjamin Bratt ("Law And Order"). 87 minutes.
Wordplay (PG)
A surprisingly entertaining documentary focusing on the world of
crossword puzzles. Wordplay begins by examining Will Shortz, The New
York Times puzzle editor and NPR host and then branches down and
across to include creators of the puzzles and their many
intellectual enthusiasts. The film climaxes with the annual American
Crossword Puzzle Tournament which was won in 2005 by an RPI
undergrad. Also starring Bill Clinton, Mike Mussina, Jon Stewart,
Ken Burns, Bob Dole and Jason Bateman. In Swahili with subtitles. 94
minutes.
An eleven letter word beginning with the letter "r"- To have put
forward something with approval as being suitable for a particular
purpose or role; to have advised or suggested.
The World's Fastest Indian
(PG13)
Heartwarming story about Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins), an eccentric
New Zealand senior citizen who has had a lifelong dream of racing
his 1920 Indian motorcycle in America. Much like Crocodile Dundee,
Munro's Down Under wit and wisdom serve him well in The USA. This
film has gotten zero publicity and that's too bad because it's one
of the best films that I have seen this year. 127 minutes.
World Trade Center
(PG13)
Directed by Oliver Stone although you would never know it. Stone
opts for a straightforward telling of the horrific events of 9/11 in
New York City's financial district without any conspiracy theories
or political undercurrents whatsoever. WTC focuses on two
Port Authority cops (Nicholas Cage and Michael Pena) who are trapped
under the rubble and struggle to stay alive while rescuers
frantically search for survivors. The debate goes on as to whether
it is too soon for 9/11 movies to be made. Keep in mind that
Hollywood was churning out World War Two films while the war was
still being fought! Also starring Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
125 minutes.
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