Movie/TV Reviews

Iron Man

Susan Granger’s review of “Iron Man” (Paramount Pictures/Marvel Studios)

What happens when a hip, new superhero appears? He attacks corporate amorality, skewering the military/industrial complex, and changes the geo-political landscape. Too bad he can’t run for President.
When arrogant billionaire playboy/weapons manufacturer Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is in Afghanistan demonstrating his company’s new Jericho missile, he’s kidnapped by insurgents who bomb his convoy. Awakening in a cave, he learns his life has been saved by doctor (Shaun Toub) who implants an electromagnetic device to keep the shrapnel from piercing his heart. While the terrorist leader, Raza (Faran Tahir) demands that he replicate a Jericho out of spare parts, Tony secretly makes a high-tech suit of armor and escapes, looking a bit like the Michelin Man. But his life has been changed.
Back in his Malibu mountaintop mansion, he’s determined to stop making armaments and use his knowledge to wreak vengeance on his captors and save humanity, much to the surprise of his manipulative guardian/mentor (Jeff Bridges), loyal assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow), military liaison (Terrence Howard) and an investigative reporter (Leslie Bibb).
While the making-of-a-superhero story is formulaic, by assembling a high-caliber cast, headed by gifted Robert Downey Jr., director Jon Favreau (“Elf,” “Swingers”) elevates the superhero concept, making it hip, augmenting the imagery with metallic touches from “Iron Giant” and reminiscent tinges of the reclusive lifestyle of Howard Hughes. And credit production designer J. Michael Riva and cinematographer Matthew Libatique for convincing us that there’s really a man with a soul propelling that special effects suit.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Iron Man” is a nifty 9. Make no mistake, though. It’s Robert Downey Jr., having triumphed over his substance abuse battle, who puts the pedal to the metal and scores the freshest new franchise going.

Iron Man Read More »

Deception

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Deception” (20th Century-Fox)

What a waste of talent and money! Burdened with the ineptitude of commercials director Marcel Langenegger, this forgettable wannabe thriller fizzles.
It begins with corporate auditor Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) working late in the conference room of a prestigious Manhattan law firm. An amiable attorney, Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman), pops his head in the door and introduces himself. Eventually, they’re sharing marijuana and male bonding. Wimpy, socially awkward Jonathan opens up to confident, gregarious Wyatt, admitting, “I see life, literally, passing me by.”
They meet for tennis, then for lunch in Central Park, where they accidentally swap cell phones just before Wyatt jets off to London on a business trip. Answering Wyatt’s cellphone opens a decadent new world for lonely Jonathan when a woman’s voice seductively inquires, “Are you free tonight?”
The cellphone contains “The List,” the conduit to an upscale sex club where anonymous members meet for “intimacy without intricacy.” After timid trysts with some randy Wall Street executives (Charlotte Rampling, Natasha Hensridge, Maggie Q), Jonathan falls for a mysterious woman (Michelle Williams) whom he can only identify by the initial “S” from the letter on her key ring and is gradually drawn into manipulative Wyatt’s lethal web of treacherous financial intrigue; it’s a slick blackmail scam that grows increasingly preposterous as time goes by.
Written by Mark Bomback (“Live Free or Die Hard”), the clunky concept must have seemed far better on paper to attract actors of this magnitude who soldier on despite the ludicrous plot twists and total lack of eroticism. So when does enigmatic become incoherent? In the hands of an inexperienced director. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Deception” is a devious, implausible 2, a deadly, duplicitous dud.

Deception Read More »

Then She Found Me

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Then She Found Me” (ThinkFilm)

Straight from the heart, without restraints, Helen Hunt’s directorial debut is a fresh, funny, fascinating emotional journey.
Raised in a traditional Jewish family, April Epner (Hunt) is a 39 year-old New York primary schoolteacher whose biological clock is ticking so loudly that she can think of little else. An adoptive child herself, she is determined to conceive, much to the chagrin of her immature husband Ben (Matthew Broderick), who deems their marriage a mistake and confesses to an affair.
Obviously distraught and vulnerable at his betrayal, April encounters amorous Frank (Colin Firth), the recently divorced father of one of her young students, who cautions her, “Don’t do anything until you’ve slept. Don’t let anybody try to set you up with anyone.”
To add to April’s confusion, after her adoptive mother dies, a woman purporting to be her birth mother suddenly introduces herself. It’s Bernice (Bette Midler), the brassy host of a local morning TV talk show. Self-deprecating April is skeptical but curious, particularly when Bernice claims that actor Steve McQueen was her father. And then the real romantic complications begin.
Loosely based on a novel by Elinor Lipman and adapted by Alice Arlen, Victor Levin and Hunt, there’s vivid, nuanced storytelling with deft, intelligent dialogue laced with a sense of humor that is both defensive and revealing. Hunt’s graceful direction flows naturally and easily, giving the story an understated authenticity.
The deftly chosen, altogether believable ensemble cast is superb, plus there’s a surprise Salman Rushdie cameo as April’s obstetrician, along with Edie Falco and Janeane Garofalo as Bernice’s celebrity guests.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Then She Found Me” is a stylish yet deeply sensitive 7, lifting your spirit. No one will come away without a smile.

Then She Found Me Read More »

Baby Mama

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Baby Mama” (Universal Pictures)

With every magazine extolling “baby bumps” and the awareness of thirtysomethings that their biological clock is ticking, there’s no question that this romantic comedy is timely.
And perhaps I expected too much when two of the funniest comediennes from “Saturday Night Live” – Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler – teamed up with writer/director Michael McCullers and producers Lorne Michaels and John Goldwyn.
Businesswoman Kate Holbrook (Tina Fey) has always been so focused on her career at Philadelphia’s Round Earth Organic Market – catering to her New Age guru boss (Steve Martin) – that she never considered having a family. But now that she’s ready, apparently, her uterus isn’t. Discouraged about adoption, she turns to Chaffee Bricknell’s (Sigourney Weaver) maternal ‘outsourcing’ agency that teams her up with a ‘gestational assistant’ or surrogate, scheming Angie Ostrowiski (Amy Poehler). Or, as Kate’s wisecracking doorman (Romany Malco) dubs her, “the baby mama.”
But Angie’s saddled with a sleazy, duplicitous common-law husband (Dax Shepard) whom she eventually leaves – and moves in with Kate. They’re a female “Odd Couple”: Kate’s an obsessed perfectionist, while Angie’s a junk-food gobbling slob. To add to the confusion, Kate’s falling in love with a local fruit juice-bar owner (Greg Kinnear), a single father. Of course, eventually, everyone discovers what the non-traditional concept of ‘family’ is really all about.
While seasoned as the writer of two successful “Austin Powers” pictures, Michael McCullers, who once shared a “SNL” office with Tina Fey, could have used a more experienced comedy director; this is his first feature film – and it shows, not only in the pacing but in the woefully weak third act. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Baby Mama” is a wry, satirical 7. It’s just not as hip as I was hoping.

Baby Mama Read More »

Forbidden Kingdom

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Forbidden Kingdom” (Lionsgate/Weinstein Co.)

The gimmick is that Hong Kong action stars Jackie Chan and Jet Li team up for the first time – but is that enough to warrant such a muddled martial arts fantasy?
It all begins as a bullied teenager, Jason Tripitikas (Michael Angarano), is forced to become involved in the robbery of an elderly pawnbroker (Chan) in South Boston. As he’s fleeing from local thugs and toting a mysterious golden staff, he’s magically transported to China’s Middle Kingdom. Lost and bewildered, he’s befriended by Lu Yan (Chan), a wisecracking, perpetually drunk martial arts master who identifies Jason as the “the seeker” who is destined to fulfill the ancient prophecy and begins training him in fighting skills so that he can return the staff to its rightful owner, the immortal Monkey King (Li), who has been imprisoned by a tyrannical Warlord. Joining them on the long, arduous trek to the Jade Palace is orphaned Golden Sparrow (Liu Yifei), who is determined to kill the evil Warlord, and the fearless Silent Monk (Li), who also becomes Jason’s teacher. From time to time, they’re harassed by a wicked white-tressed, whip-wielding, bounty-hunting witch (Li Bing Bing).
As Jason’s physical prowess improves, so does his self-confidence, which he’ll need when and if he can ever “return home.”
Screenwriter John Fusco and director Rob Minkoff deliver a fusion smorgasbord with a smattering of “The Wizard of Oz,” combined with “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” topped with a fillip of “Rush Hour” and “The Karate Kid.” It’s generic enough to give anyone cinematic indigestion, followed by repetition-induced sleep, despite the impressive efforts of cinematographer Peter Pau and choreographer Woo-Ping Yuen.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Forbidden Kingdom” is a tedious, butt-kicking 4, filled with cliché-ridden, chop-schlocky action.

Forbidden Kingdom Read More »

Prom Night

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Prom Night” (Screen Gems/Sony Pictures)

With its impressive box-office tally, this remake of the slasher thriller “Prom Night” has put some bite back into the horror genre although, surprisingly, the violence has actually decreased this time ‘round in order to get that coveted PG-13 rating.
Bridgeport High School senior Donna Keppel (Brittany Snow of “Hairspray”) lives with her aunt and uncle (Jessalyn Gilsig, Linden Ashby). As shown in flashback, three years earlier, as she hid under the bed, her parents were butchered by Richard Fenton (Johnathon Schaech), a psychopathic teacher who’s obsessed with her. Now fiendish Fenton has escaped from a maximum security prison.
Unsuspecting Donna is looking forward to spending prom night with Bobby (Scott Porter of “Friday Night Lights”) and their friends (Dana Davis, Collins Pennie, Jessica Stroup, Kelly Blatz) who have booked a stretch limo and a suite at the Pacific Grand Hotel for their own private ‘after prom’ celebration which is crashed by the knife-toting killer, trailed by a dim-witted cop (Idris Elba).
Veteran TV director Nelson McCormick (“Prison Break,” “CSI”) makes his directing debut, working from an inane script by J.S. Cardone (“The Covenant”). It’s tepid fare with a vacuous cast, particularly when compared with the previous 1980 version featuring Jamie Lee Curtis as the scream queen.
The only memorable line of dialogue is delivered by Brianne Davis, as nasty Crissy, who disses her prom date, noting: “If he were any dumber, I’d have to water him.”
And it’s truly unfortunate that Johnathon Schaech (“That Thing You Do”) lumbers around looking like a demented Forrest Gump. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Prom Night” loses its bloomin’ corsage with an easily forgotten 2. Or, as another critic cryptically remarked, “Many people in this picture actually died of boredom.”

Prom Night Read More »

Street Kings

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Street Kings” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

There ought to be a testosterone warning posted at the box-office and stamped on each ticket because overdosing is a distinct possibility.
Recently widowed veteran LAPD Det. Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) is a psychotic killing machine. He starts his day by purchasing three airline bottles of cheap vodka, the first of which he gulps just before he massacres four scummy thugs and rescues two kidnapped Asian girls in Koreatown.
“You went toe-to-toe with evil and you won!” chortles his ambitious supervisor, Capt. Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker), who firmly believes that the end justifies the means.
But when anti-heroic Ludlow is implicated in the death of his former partner, Det. Terrence Washington (Terry Crews), he’s determined to track down the real murderers while eluding persistent Internal Affairs Capt. James Biggs (Hugh Laurie), who’s fishing for information about everyone else in the department.
Bottom line: if you’re looking for an incorruptible cop, look in a less sordid county.
Directed by David Ayer (“Training Day”) from a predictable, paper-thin plot by “L.A. Confidential” novelist James Ellroy, Kurt Wimmer and Jamie Moss, it’s a cynical, cliché-laden litany of police corruption. Gratuitous violence is ladled out like greasy gravy, along with racial slurs. And the platitudinous dialogue is often ludicrous.
One of the most incongruous moments comes, early on, when Ludlow’s ex-partner’s body has been riddled with dozens of bullets from two machine guns at close range in a convenience store. Contorting his almost static facial muscles, Keanu leans over, stares into his eyes and flatly entreats him: “Stay with me!” Like for seven seconds maybe. To call Reeves’ acting wooden is an insult to Pinnochio. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Street Kings” is a brutal 3, giving gritty realism a bad name.

Street Kings Read More »

Shine a Light

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Shine a Light” (Paramount Pictures)

If you’re into the music of the Rolling Stones and admire the cinematic artistry of director Martin Scorsese, then this rockin’ concert film is for you – either on the flat screen or the extra-large IMAX format.
Most of the two hours is devoted to the Stones concert at Manhattan’s 2,800-seat Beacon Theater in the fall of 2006, celebrating the 60th birthday of Bill Clinton. There are more than 20 numbers, mostly Stones standards. As to be expected, brash Mick Jagger’s visage dominates the footage, strutting, scampering, scatting and shouting around a stage that thrusts right into the audience, but drummer Charlie Watts, along with guitarists Ronnie Woods and Keith Richards, do get their well-deserved close-ups.
Speaking of those tight, low-angle shots, on the huge IMAX screen, it may be a closer examination than you bargained for: Mick Jagger was 63 when this was filmed and the ravages of time have not been kind to his deeply lined face and extensive dental work.
Humor is injected through vintage clips and archival interview footage. It’s poignant when, in 1972, Dick Cavett asks Jagger if he could imagine doing this at 60 and Jagger quips, “Oh, yeah, easily.” There are guests – singer Jack White, slinky Christina Aguilera and bluesman Buddy Guy – but little insightful, behind-the-scenes footage.
If you enjoy this kind of entertainment, check out Scorsese’s “The Last Waltz” (1978), which, frankly, is far better. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Shine a Light” is an energetic 8. Scorsese has already decided to do another music documentary – this time about the life and times of the late reggae legend Bob Marley – and he dedicates this film to longtime music guru Ahmet Ertegun who died shortly after it was completed.

Shine a Light Read More »

Smart People

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Smart People” (Miramax)

American astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan once said, “Knowing a great deal is not the same as being smart; intelligence is not information alone but also judgment, the manner in which information is collected and used.”
So it’s not surprising that some ‘smart people’ can be thick as planks.
While pompous Carnegie Mellon University literature professor Lawrence Wetherhold (Dennis Quaid) may be a brilliant academician, he’s a caustic, contemptuous curmudgeon. And while his smug, selfish 17 year-old whiz-kid daughter Vanessa (Ellen Page) may ace her SATs, ensuring early admission to Stanford, she hasn’t a clue about herself. Sent to Pittsburgh to dig them out of their self-inflicted misery are his inept, irresponsible adopted brother Chuck (Thomas Haden Church) and former student-turned-lonely-ER doctor, Janet Hartigan (Sarah Jessica Parker).
Drawing from “The Wonder Boys,” “The Squid and the Whale” and “Dan in Real Life,” first-time screenwriter Mark Jude Poirier and former commercials director Noam Murro delineate some potentially provocative, dysfunctional family situations but then let them drift somewhat aimlessly for far too long before coming to a totally predictable conclusion.
The three leading actors dig into their idiosyncratic characters: Dennis Quaid (“Vantage Point”) embodies the misanthropic widower, matched by Ellen Page (“Juno”) as his smartass verbal sparring partner, and Thomas Haden Church (“Sideways”) as the freewheeling humanist/slacker. On the other hand, Sarah Jessica Parker (“Sex and the City”) can’t seem to latch on to what’s appealing about this erudite, middle-aged loser – resulting in zero chemistry between them – and the majority of Ashton Holmes’ role as Wetherold’s collegiate son must have been left on the cutting-room floor.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Smart People” is an underwhelming, fragmented 5 – ending with a photographic epilogue that’s quite confusing if you really look closely.

Smart People Read More »

Nim’s Island

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Nim’s Island” (Fox Walden Media)

This is a children’s fantasy and, as such, it works rather well. But if you’re hankering for adult adventure, look elsewhere.
On a remote volcanic paradise somewhere in the South Pacific, resourceful 11 year-old Nim (Abigail Breslin) lives an idyllic existence with her scientist/writer father, Jack (Gerard Butler) and her playful friends: Selkie the sea lion, Galileo the pelican and Fred the tiny bearded dragon. Unlike Robinson Crusoe, however, once a month, a supply boat delivers the ‘essentials,’ like the latest novel by Nim’s favorite explorer hero, Alex Rover.
Meanwhile, cloistered in a flat in San Francisco, agoraphobic writer Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster) is desperately trying to extricate her fictional alter-ego from a sticky ‘volcanic’ situation. When she reads Jack’s article on volcanoes in the National Geographic and e-mails him for more information, it’s Nim who answers on the Internet. So when Jack disappears at sea and tourists from a cruise ship invade their island for a luau, Nim’s only recourse is to summon Alex Rover for help.
Over-written and awkwardly directed – with Nim chatting up the animals, Jack fighting the elements, and Alexandra talking to her computer – by the husband-and-wife team of Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett, along with producer Paula Mazur and Joseph Kwong, it’s based on Wendy Orr’s novel.
Plucky Abigail Breslin (“Little Miss Sunshine”) strikes just the right notes, ‘becoming the heroine of her own life,’ as does Jodie Foster, handling pratfalls with her usual aplomb. While Gerard Butler (“300”) seems a bit out of his element in as the paternal Jack, he succeeds as fictional persona of intrepid Alex Rover. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Nim’s Island” is a family-friendly 6, complete with flying lizards and a flatulent sea lion.

Nim’s Island Read More »