Matthew Vaughn’s Stardust (B+) is a whimsical adventure in the tradition of The Princess Bride. Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes and Robert DeNiro are standouts in this fantasy about getting over the walls that block our way to our dreams. Witches, pirates, unicorns, voodoo dolls and so much more are part of the journey ahead. This is a pleasant surprise of a movie that nobody seemed to see in theatres but that has enchanted folks who have seen it.
Allure of “Spider-Man 3” Doesn’t Stick
Sam Raimi throws in everything against his cinematic spiderweb to see what sticks in the overloaded, bloated and often irritating Spider-Man 3 (C-). It basically becomes the third film in a trilogy by default as viewers watch the oxygen seap out of the enterprise in a way that basically proclaims, “There’s really not much more to do or say in this universe of storytelling.” Continuing to breathe lifelessness into their performances, Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst return to battle super-villains and the superego. Specifically, Peter Parker/Spider-Man’s celebrity is on the rise as Mary Jane’s Broadway career hits the rocks; and the jovial hero is blissfully oblivious of his girlfriend’s emerging depression (granted, it would be hard to notice, since Dunst’s acting is just the same when she’s happy or sad). Throw into this mix a black suit that turns Spidey into Jim Carrey from The Mask, a series of forgettable antagonists ranging from Sandman to Venom (did we learn nothing from Joel Schumacher’s Batman films about stuffing movies with too many villains?) and an undisciplined storyline and running time, and it’s like Raimi is simply begging to be fired from the series. Still, it’s not so drastically different in quality than its two predecessors; the trilogy is giddily middle of the road.
You’ll Fall Slowly and Instantly in Love with Musical Almost-Romance “Once”
John Carney’s Once (B+) is a treasure box of a musical with an unassuming storyline showcasing a man and a woman who enter each other’s lives when they need each other most. Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglova play the unnamed pair – he, a busking Irish guitarist and she, a Czech pianist, who find themselves “Falling Slowly” into the spell of making beautiful music together. Very much in the vein of Before Sunrise, the duo are fated to be together and bring out talents and insights in each other that they never could have found separately. In its simplicity and handheld look and feel, it celebrates the joy of discovery and the brilliant promises of second chances at love.
“Sweeney Todd” a Stunningly Good Horror Musical
Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd (A-) is a monster musical. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, neither renowned for their singing voices, sink their teeth into Sondheim’s gruesome tale of a demon barber bent on revenge against humanity that wronged him and his skirted accomplice who makes meat pies out of the corpses from his haircuttery. Atmospheric London sets, lovely tunes and absolutely blood-spewed sequences don’t often go together seamlessly, but Burton orchestrates them quite nicely here, thank you very much. It’s one of the director’s best works in years.
“Knocked Up” Blends the Profane and the Poignant
Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up (B+) pairs schlubby slacker Seth Rogen and career-minded Katherine Heigl as participants in a one-night stand who are now parents-to-be. It’s a modern-day comedy about reverse courtship as the parallel notion of falling in love while expecting a baby brings out the best and worst of all involved. Apatow’s writing style is taboo-smashing; and while he sometimes could use a self-editor, what he gets right, he gets really right in this fresh comedy.
Coen Brothers Craft Mighty “No Country For Old Men”
Joel and Ethan Coen’s No Country for Old Men (A-) is a cat and mouse caper told by amazing artisans. When Josh Brolin’s character finds a satchel of money, he thinks he’s hit the mother load, until he finds that there’s a tracking mechanism, and the tracking is being done by super-scary hitman Javier Bardem. This neo-Western breaks lots of rules – no music, minimalist sound sculpture, weird ending and the like. But it’s a consistently entertaining thriller that tells its story in its own idiosyncratic way.
Flashback Review: “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006) is a Sassy Clash of the Sartorial Titans
Starting a new job can be savage. Based on Lauren Weisberger’s popular roman à clef, David Frankel’s workplace comedy The Devil Wears Prada (B+) follows aspiring journalist Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) as she embarks on a demanding assistant gig to magazine fashion editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), a character modeled after Vogue‘s Anna Wintour. The movie works as canny cringe as the air quickly seeps out of the plucky protagonist’s naive career expectations. It equally balances starry-eyed wonder as characters from all backgrounds provide a glimpse into the machinations of a fantastical world of jet-setting fashion. For Hathaway’s character, it’s a relatable coming of age story in a high-pressure environment, and the actress nails the role with winning grace. And for Streep, it’s a scenery-skewering chance to flex wicked witch vibes with a simple sizing-up or dressing-down. She says as much in her stunned silence as in her iconic snappy dialogue, and it’s simply a marvelous performance from an actress who has nothing left to prove. Buoyed by supporting turns by Emily Blunt as a bratty cubicle colleague and Stanley Tucci as a terse journeyman, the film discovers great fun as the wide-eyed young woman in the big city drinks from the fire hose of a wily watercooler without losing her integrity.
I’m Telling You, You’re Gonna Like Me: “Dreamgirls” Musical Movie Mostly Works
Bill Condon’s Dreamgirls (B) is a musical backstage drama with style and panache, but it’s conflicted about whether or not the characters sing when they are not on stage. Musicals require a suspension of disbelief, for sure, but within the film, it should be consistent. So the stage numbers are great, and some of the personal ballads are too, just awkward. Beyoncé Knowles is compelling as the attractive star of a girl group, and Jennifer Hudson is an acting and vocal powerhouse as the woman behind the group’s hits who is unlucky in love and fame. Jamie Foxx turns in a nice performance, and Eddie Murphy delivers a sly dramatic turn that lights up his scenes. The film is pulpy melodrama with gorgeous production design and art direction, and the talented ensemble showcases acting and singing chops. If only Condon had figured out the musical conceit like he did with his Chicago screenplay, the film wouldn’t seem so self-conscious.
“Shortbus” Creative and Sexually Daring
Explicit and magical, John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus (A) is a sprawling ensemble about sexual release in modern New York and is one of the best films of 2006. Sook-Yin Lee and Paul Dawson are among the superb members of a cast in overlapping stories of lust, loneliness, longing and liberation. With dandy music by Yo La Tengo and clever animations surrounding a phenomenal menagerie of human characters, this freestyle film is experimental, daring and fascinating.
“Borat” Movie Outreageous and Funny
Larry Charles’ Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (A-) is a splendidly offensive mockumentary comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen as a vaguely Kazakh TV personality on a cross-country trip to showcase life in America and possibly to find and woo pop icon Pamela Anderson. An innocent abroad for the gross-out generation, Cohen’s character fuses Charlie Chaplin, Peter Sellers and the cast of Jackass in one singular vulgariate. Cohen’s fish-out-of-water schtick turns a shrewd satiric eye to global poltics, gender roles and sociological mores within an efficient laugh-fest. Director Charles knows just how far to push the madness, and then pushes it even a little more.
Third Entry in Series “X-Men: The Last Stand” Shows Signs of Age
Director Brett Ratner botches his shot at the helm of the third entry into an iconic comic book film series with X-Men: The Last Stand (C-). The characters are all back and look basically the same; but none move, talk or relate in the same way Bryan Singer set them up in past installments. Instead Ratner relies on big explosions, larger-than-life set pieces and general bluster. His sound and fury doesn’t symbolize much of anything, and the prophetic “last stand” of the title means it’s time for prequels and reboots already.
Todd Field Helms Brilliant, Unsettling “Little Children”
Todd Field’s Little Children (A) is a film about unease in modern-day suburbia featuring Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson as a couple meeting up at the neighborhood swimming pool and having an affair. Meanwhile, a freaky neighbor (Jackie Earle Haley) is possibly on the prowl for his own kind of release in the community. Field once again draws amazing, absorbing performances from his actors and doesn’t give obvious hints about where his plot is headed.