Michael Mann deserves major gratitude from me for one thing: Thanks to him, I finally understand what apparently frustrated so many people about Stanley Kubrick.
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Director Sam Mendes’ strange journey through the American psyche (American Beauty, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Revolutionary Road) takes the British-born filmmaker down another blind alley in his latest film, Away We Go. It’s essentially a road-trip movie, highlighting the travels of expectant parents Burt (John Krasinski) and Verona (Maya Rudolph) as they search for a place to settle down and raise their child. Their relationship's naturalism clashes with the anxieties of the nutty, deluded, and broken characters they visit along the way, and inevitably, Burt and Verona wind up seeming superior and special, which puts an unpleasant spin on Away We Go. See it for the performances —they are delights from the leads to the characters in the episodic vignettes. But the film’s vision of Gen-Y nesting is liable to leave you up a tree. Only people with no real problems can devote so much time to finding the perfect place to feather their nest and raise their chicks Reviewed by MC.
They don’t make women, sexy but regal, like Michelle Pfeiffer (The Age of Innocence, Frears' Dangerous Liaisons) much anymore, and Cheri is quite a monument to her. Here, as Madame Léa de Lonval, a courtesan aging out of an industry and an epoch, Pfeiffer is enmeshed in another dangerous liaison, this one with the child of a once fellow, now former, courtesan named Madame Peloux (Bates). Peloux’s son, Chéri (Friend), is spoiled, unformed, and 30-plus years Léa’s junior. Léa takes him on initially as a twilight-years lark, but it isn't until their forced separation that the true depths of Chéri and Léa’s feelings for each other emerge – complex feelings colored by real-world concerns of practicality, propriety, and the tragic mismatch of their birth dates. This is sensual, cerebral, and surprisingly weighty stuff; only in its last moments does Cheri faintly bobble, with an over packed final confrontation, no room for reflection, and a rushed coda. Reviewed by KJ.
Directed by Robert Kenner, this chilling new documentary about the dangers of mass food production showcases extensive interviews with authors Michael Pollan ("An Omnivore's Dilemma'') and Eric Schlosser ("Fast Food Nation''), who is a c=producer. But probably the most effective footage is of ordinary citizens including Barbara Kowalcyk, a food saftey advocate whose 2-and-a-half year old son, Kevin, died 12 days after he contracted an E.coli infection from contaminatedd meat, victims of police state tactics from Monsanto and a union organizer trying to stop the exploitation at a North Carolina hog processing plant. Kenner eschews the cheap dramatics of Michael Moore or Oliver Stone; the facts on the ground speak for themselves. Food, Inc. provides food for thought—and action. At the Osio Cinemas. Reviewed by PW.
The third Ice Age installment sees Manny the Mammoth (Ray Romano), Diego the sabre-toothed cat (Denis Leary), and Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) settling down and starting families. When Sid decides to take matters into his own hands by adopting some dinosaur eggs, he leads his friends into an as yet unknown underground tropical world inhabited by dinosaurs. The gang, including Scrat the sabre-toothed squirrel, and Ellie the mammoth (Queen Latifah), meets Buck, a one-eyed weasel (Simon Pegg) and dinosaur expert, who acts as a guide through their prehistoric adventure. Reviewed by MC.
Movie Times:
Century Cinemas Del Monte Center : 11:25am; 1:50; 4:10; 6:25; 8:45
The third Ice Age installment sees Manny the Mammoth (Ray Romano), Diego the sabre-toothed cat (Denis Leary), and Sid the sloth (John Leguizamo) settling down and starting families. When Sid decides to take matters into his own hands by adopting some dinosaur eggs, he leads his friends into an as yet unknown underground tropical world inhabited by dinosaurs. The gang, including Scrat the sabre-toothed squirrel, and Ellie the mammoth (Queen Latifah), meets Buck, a one-eyed weasel (Simon Pegg) and dinosaur expert, who acts as a guide through their prehistoric adventure. Reviewed by MC.
Movie Times:
Century Cinemas Del Monte Center : 10:10am; 12:30; 2:50; 5:15; 7:35; 9:55
At times charming and frequently sweet,Imagine That is a family film with engaging performances, a straightforward moral for parents everywhere, and enough giggles to keep both parents and their young charges amused – all without a single fart joke. Murphy is Evan Danielson, a workaholic financial analyst who has become an archetype of the separated dad to his 7-year-old daughter, Olivia, who has conjured a band of imaginary friends to offset her lack of a caring father figure. As it happens, her invisible pals have a knack for finance, and soon dad and daughter are bonding over magic kingdoms and stock portfolios. All in all, Imagine That is an amiable detour from its star's usual penchant for toilet humor and bad taste. Kids will empathize, parents will breathe a sigh of relief, and film critics will be much relieved at not having to thumb through their thesauri seeking another synonym for “gaseous.” Reviewed by MS.
Anyone who watched his 2004 melodrama The Notebook knows Cassavetes is not a man to leave a spot of sap untapped, and in My Sister's Keeper, he pulls out a very big drill indeed. After years of enduring painful and invasive procedures to prolong the life of her cancer-stricken sister (Vassilieva), Anna Fitzgerald (Breslin) is suing her parents (Diaz and Patric) for her medical emancipation. The film works best as a portrait of a family at war, with cancer and each other; there's very little meat on the bone of the legal subplot, and it seems to only intermittently hold the attention of Cassavetes and his co-writer Jeremy Leven. My Sister's Keeper is unfocused, pat, and predictable, in plot and dialogue, but the actors are so likable that when two characters push a box of Kleenex back and forth, one can't help but sniffle in tandem. Unsubtleties be damned, our defenses fall. Meanwhile, Cassavetes' reign as the go-to waterworks man remains uncontested. Reviewed by KJ.
Movie Times:
Century Cinemas Del Monte Center : 10:50am; 1:30; 4:10; 6:55; 9:35
When "Pretty Boy" Floyd is gunned down in Public Enemies's opening, it foreshadows a dozen more deaths to come, many at the same hand as Floyd's – Melvin Purvis (Bale). Soon Purvis tightens his focus to public enemy No. 1, John Dillinger. The title's pluralization aside, this is Dillinger's show, and Depp's, and the actor is rock-solid in capturing the famed bank robber's charisma and confidence. Mann (Heat) tweaks the color in Public Enemies to stunning effect (as with a diseased-looking, late-afternoon yellow at a Miami horse track), and not just to stylistically wank off: The off-shade of sunlight pinpoints the emotional key of the scene, in which Dillinger tries to assure his girlfriend he's going to live forever. It's a crucial moment, but Depp doesn't quite sell it. Which is a shame, because he has a marvelous foil in Cotillard. You can't tear your eyes off her, any more than you can Mann's flawed yet engrossing picture. Reviewed by KJ.
Movie Times:
Century Cinemas Del Monte Center : 10:05am; 11:50am; 1:25; 3:00; 4:35; 6:10; 7;45; 9:25; 10:55
This story has a sturdy backbone, which is fitting for a story about paleontologists unearthing skeletons from a one-time massive inland sea that covered much of the U.S. 80 million years ago. In other words, it’s not just about the bone-snapping 3D action that evolves when massive sharks, menacing crocodile-like lizards and creatures that look like pterodactyl-penguins roamed the sea (and the space between the screen and a rapt audience). It’s about piecing together prehistoric clues to construct a fascinating saga of life long ago. Reviewed by MCA.
Presented by famed ocean environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau, the United Nations Environment Programme and 3D Entertainment, Sharks 3D definitely seeks to ring alarm bells concerning the decimation of the fish by what the film says is a super predator known as industrialized man. While sharks are billed as the stars of this film, the predator’s many co-stars get an unexpected amount of screen time. This may be because a lot of these other organisms prove to be really striking in a 3D format. Jellyfish flutter out towards the audience like soap bubbles, while sea lions twist and twirl through the water like gymnasts. Reviewed by ST.
Director J.J. Abrams (Alias, Mission: Impossible III) has shown that he knows both how to deliver brainy action, and how to leave his distinctive thumbprint on an existing franchise. With Star Trek, he turns out a terrifically energetic, highly entertaining summer adventure. Following in the footsteps of his late father, young hotshot James Kirk (Chris Pine) enlists with Starfleet to become an officer; the half-human/half-Vulcan Spock (Zachary Quinto) is already first officer to veteran Capt. Pike (Bruce Greenwood). When a mysterious Romulan called Nero (Eric Bana) threatens the very existence of the planet Vulcan, Kirk and Spock find themselves together on the starship Enterprise, attempting to prevent planetary genocide. And wouldn’t you know it, but Kirk and Spock have a history – or maybe a future – with our bad guy. This film works because it’s recognizably Star Trek, and also because it’s not only recognizably Star Trek. That’s what I’d call going boldly. Reviewed by SR.
Juliette Binoche stars in director Olivier Assayas's film exploring heritage and globalization. A french family gathers in the summer at the home of their grandmother (Edith Scob) where she informs her eldest son that she may pass away soon and wants the home and the valuable art contained in it to remain intact for her grandchildren. After her death her three children are left to fight and decide what should happen to the home. The touching portrayal of sibling relations and society's changing relationship to objects was featured in the Toronto, New York and AFI film festivals. English subtitles. Reviewed by MC.
The Hangover instantly has the feel of one for the ages. It is deliciously darker than Todd Phillips' previous comedies, Old School and Road Trip, but it isn't as thick with malice as those credits suggest. "Bromance" is too dopey of a word for what goes on here; The Hangover honors the significance of male friendship without insisting on its primacy. The occasion here is the Vegas-set bachelor party for Doug (Justin Bartha), organized by his three groomsmen: Phil, strait-laced Stu (Ed Helms), and Doug's non-sequitur-spouting future brother-in-law, Alan (the sublime Zach Galifianakis, so outré he's toeing performance art here). They wake the next morning, surrounded by the spoils of the party (a scorched hotel suite, a missing tooth, a tiger in the bathroom), but zero recollection of how it all happened. An edgier film could have been carved out of that premise, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one as consistently, relentlessly funny. Reviewed by KJ.
Movie Times:
Century Cinemas Del Monte Center : 10:15am; 12:40; 3:10; 5:40; 8:10; 10:40
Only very rarely do romantic comedies reinvent the wheel, which is why whole decades passed between Annie Hall, When Harry Met Sally… and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. At best, when we queue up for the latest studio romantic comedy, we can hope for a curve ball or two (hence the comic-relief bit player, sassy grandparent, and embarrassingly public avowal of love, all featured in The Proposal). When you strip all that away, what you're left with is two deeply charismatic lead performers. Sandra Bullock plays the Canadian-born Margaret Tate, an all-work and no-play literary editor who, when threatened with deportation, bullies her long-suffering assistant Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) into a marriage of convenience. Director Anne Fletcher demonstrates that she can put together a funny, able romantic comedy that is a cut above, but no more. Still, those leads are awfully likable, and if The Proposal doesn't reinvent the wheel, merrily we roll along nonetheless. Reviewed by KJ.
Movie Times:
Century Cinemas Del Monte Center : 10:20am; 11:45am; 1:05; 2:20; 3:45; 5:00; 6:20; 7:40; 9:00
This shouldn't surprise us, but somehow a movie about a subway hijacking ends with a car chase through New York traffic–and it's not even a good car chase. Denzel Washington stars in this remake as Walter Garber, a subway train dispatcher with personal problems, who's about to clock out for the day when a thug named Ryder (John Travolta) and his goons hijack the Pelham 1 2 3 train, so named because it leaves the Pelham area of the Bronx at 1:23 pm. This is the fourth film Washington has made with director Tony Scott, and it's easily the weakest of the bunch. And while Travolta has never been accused of being a great actor, he usually doesn't ruin movies with his mere presence, but this time he does. The Taking of Pelham 123 requires believability, and not once does Travolta appear as menacing, hateful or dangerous as he needs to. There's a good drama to be made from this story, and it's already been made. The 1974 movie starred Walter Matthau as Garber and Robert Shaw as the main bad guy. Go to the video store and rent it. Reviewed by DH.
Bay’s follow-up to his international smash hit of 2007 ups the ante on big and dumb. His new Transformers movie, whose extraterrestrials are based on the Hasbro toys which can morph from cars and other metal objects into awesome fighting machines, aims for impact over sense, clobbering viewers with its sensory overload and bludgeoning us into weary submission. The film is a clanging, full-metal racket from start to finish, with only the rare narrative pause devoted to exclusively human interactions. But, honestly, that’s not what we and gazillions of non-English-speaking viewers around the globe want from this franchise. It’s the action. On that score, this film is a poster child for the idea that more does not always equal more. With a typically grandiose running time, Revenge of the Fallen overstays its welcome by at least a half-hour, and two new Autobots – the illiterate, ghetto-speaking Skids and Mudflap (voiced by Kenny) – are the most retrograde blockbuster embarrassment since Jar Jar Binks. Reviewed by MB.
Movie Times:
Century Cinemas Del Monte Center : 10:00am; 11:10am; 12:20; 1:20; 2:30; 3:40; 4:40; 5:50; 7:00; 8:05: 9:10; 10:20
Pixar tops itself with its new animated offering Up, a movie so visually and emotionally skillful that it makes Monsters, Inc. look positively antic, Toy Story seem like mere child’s play, and WALL-E appear as sentimental fluff. Up’s promotional campaign, which suggests little more than a fantastical movie about a house that flies on balloon power, doesn’t help spread the sense of the film’s rich emotional currents and taut action sequences. The movie’s preamble is such a penetrating thing of beauty that it could exist on its own as a lovely short film. Although Up’s action sequences are well constructed and suspenseful, there is really nothing that makes the film necessary to see in 3-D. However, in terms of its narrative structure and lessons learned, I suspect we will be comparing Up with classics like The Wizard of Oz for years to come. Reviewed by MB.
Movie Times:
Century Cinemas Del Monte Center : 11:20am; 1:45; 4:15; 6:45; 9:15
Vanity Fair Special Correspondent Matt Tyrnauer documents the life and career of Valentino Garavani, the iconic fashion designer, who, with the help of partner Giancarlo Giammetti, founded the Valentino Fashion House. Filmed between 2005 and 2007, it focuses on the period leading up to Garavani's 45th anniversary gala and subsequent retirement, examining in vivid detail the behind the scenes of the fashion world and Valentino's business (which Giammetti masterminded). Most notably, however, the film is a colorfully portrays the relationship between the two business partners, who were lovers before becoming business partners, and who remain devoted friends. Reviewed by MC.
After five years of making films abroad, Allen returns to his old stomping grounds of Manhattan for his latest comedy, Whatever Works. Larry David (Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm) is Boris Yellnikoff, a misanthropic misfit who lives by himself in a crummy apartment. Into his life tumbles naive waif Melodie St. Ann Celestine (Wood), a Southern beauty-pageant princess who’s become a New York City runaway. She begs him for food, and he invites her up to his apartment for a meal, which turns into a place to sleep – and, before you know it, marriage. With scores of witty one-liners and excellent performances by David and Wood, Whatever Works. feels more like a Woody Allen movie than have many of his recent films. Still, for a movie that goes out of its way to mock the pious self-delusions of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Whatever Works offers us an ending that practically insults our intelligence. Consider our enthusiasm curbed. Reviewed by MB.
Slayer was right: God hates us all. How else to explain this blasphemously asinine and crudely scatological buddy pic so obsessed with bodily discharge that it makes Pasolini's Salò look like an episode of Full House? Year One reimagines the Book of Genesis as a warped Hope and Crosby comic travelogue – The Road to Sodom – minus the class, and with Black and Cera playing pre-Darwinian variations of their respective obnoxious oaf and wide-eyed naif roles. Zed (Black) and Oh (Cera), predictably inept hunter-gatherers, are banished from their tribe and trudge through prehistory from one biblical high point to another. Read literally, the Old Testament is awash in bestiality, rape, pedophilia, murder, and overall seaminess. But Year One somehow manages to leech all the inherently subversive fun out of the whole thing. The only people who should be peeved enough to raise hell about Year One are the viewers who had to pay to sit through it. Reviewed by MS.
Movie Times:
Century Cinemas Del Monte Center : 10:25am; 12:50; 3:20; 5:55; 8:20; 10:50
Maya Cinemas : 11:20am; 1:50; 4:10; 6:20; 8:25
Northridge Cinemas : 12:05; 2:30; 4:55; 7:20
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