Movie/TV Reviews

Knocked Up

Susan Granger’s review of “Knocked Up” (Universal Pictures)

Since “Knocked Up” was written and directed by Judd Apatow (“The 40 Year-Old Virgin”), you’d expect it to be crude, rude and profane – and it doesn’t disappoint.
Because she’s drunk out of her mind, twentysomething Alison (Katherine Heigl of “Grey’s Anatomy”), a beautiful up-and-coming interviewer on E! Entertainment television, hooks up with Ben (Seth Rogen), a stoned slacker, for a one-night stand. At breakfast the next day, she quickly realizes they have nothing in common and forgets about him. Until – several weeks later – she realizes she’s pregnant. After rejecting the idea of abortion, Alison decides to have the baby and calls Ben to accompany her to the obstetrician.
Against all odds, they become an unlikely couple. Alison’s moral support comes from her controlling sister Debbie (Leslie Mann, a.k.a. Mrs. Apatow) and restless brother-in-law (Paul Rudd), while Ben’s eternally adolescent buddies (Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, Martin Starr) are testosterone-propelled layabouts who’ve been talking about designing a website listing when and where actresses appear nude in movies.
What distinguishes Apatow’s writing is his bawdy, blunt-spoken dialogue and insightful, refreshing honesty, particularly in the poignant, soul-bearing sessions. His characters have an essential sweetness about them with little of the cynicism that’s so prevalent these days. Pop culture references abound; particularly funny are the many allusions to “Spider Man 3,” playing in an adjacent theater.
But Apatow’s directorial pacing for two-plus hours is uneven, as is his casting. Katherine Heigl’s emotional versatility so outshines Seth Rogen’s schtick that it’s disconcerting; sadly, Rogen lacks Steve Carrell’s charisma. And as an envious E! executive, SNL’s Kristen Wiig gets the best caustic lines. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Knocked Up” is a hilariously vulgar 7.After the resounding success of “Borat” nothing surprises me.

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Away From Her

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Away From Her” (Lionsgate)

What strength does the power of love have against the ravages of Alzheimer’s? That’s the question posed by 28 year-old actress-turned-writer/director Sarah Polley’s powerful drama about the grace and the cruelty of aging.
Fiona (Julie Christie) and Grant (Gordon Pinsent) have been married for 44 years when he observes her placing a frying pan into the freezer after washing and drying it. Obviously, something’s wrong. As her mental capacity declines, Fiona becomes a danger to herself, wandering off and becoming lost. When it’s obvious that he can no longer care for her, they agree that she should move into a nearby assisted-living facility. Soon Fiona becomes attached to another patient (Michael Murphy), as Grant relates to his pragmatic wife (Olympia Dukakis).
Independent, outspoken Sarah Polley tackles the screen adaptation of the Alice Munro short story “The Bear Came Over the Mountain,” saying: “I think the ways in which people are damaged are the ways in which they’re strong,” she says. “It’s what makes people interesting – what they’ve overcome and how, and what they haven’t and how that’s become a good thing. Almost everyone’s life is both a gorgeous story and a tragedy. I think being alive is really, really hard, and I’m constantly stunned and amazed by people who make it something interesting and wonderful.”
Julie Christie remains as luminous as she was in “Darling” and “Dr. Zhivago,” and she’s matched by Gordon Pinsent, a Canadian actor best known for “The Shipping News.” Shot in the bitter cold of rural Ontario on a modest $4 million budget, it’s one of the most mature movies to come along in awhile. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Away From Her” is an indelible, uncompromising 9, a sensitive testament to emotional endurance.

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Even Money

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Even Money” (Yari Film Group)

This low-budget, independent cautionary tale about gambling attempts to capture the insidious Lady Luck addiction fever – and despair.
Instead of writing her new novel, Carolyn Carver (Kim Basinger) secretly spends her days in front of the slot machines at the local casino, much to the chagrin of her neglected husband (Ray Liotta) and teenage daughter. Deeply in debt, her desperation grows – until she befriends Walter (Danny De Vito), a washed-up magician who convinces her that he knows of a fixed sport event, “a sure thing,” she can bet on. That involves a college basketball star (Nick Cannon) who has been shaving points to help his brother (Forrest Whitaker) settle a gambling debt and a bookmaker (Grant Sullivan) who is losing his girlfriend (a now-grown-up Carla Gugino) because of the unsavory nature of his business. Traipsing through the crumbling trail of tales, there’s a detective (Kelsey Grammer, wearing a distracting prosthetic nose) and a sleazy, sadistic mobster (Tim Roth).
Problem is: since you have no idea why Carolyn’s wasting her life, Kim Basinger’s portrayal is shallow, at best. First-time screenwriter Robert Tannen fails to give her motivation, an omission which irreparably dilutes Mark Rydell’s (“The Rose,” “On Golden Pond”) direction. In addition, neither production designer Robert Pearson nor cinematographer Robbie Greenberg captures the sensory allure of today’s casinos. And the rising threat of Internet wagering is never even mentioned.
According to statistics, pathological gambling affects 1% of all adults. Another 2-3% have less significant but still serious problems and are known as ‘problem gamblers.’ But, unfortunately, this low-budget, independent series of interconnected vignettes adds little that hasn’t been covered – better – before. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Even Money” is a floundering, clichŽ-filled 4. Don’t bet on it.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (Disney)

Call it the curse of great expectations. So much is anticipated about the continuing adventures of free-spirited Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) that some disappointment is inevitable – but, fortunately, not much.
Beginning where “Dead Man’s Chest” left off, Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and undead Capt. Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) must rescue Jack from Davy Jones Locker. East India Trading Company’s Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) has gained control of heartless Davy Jones’ (Bill Nighy) ghost ship, the Flying Dutchman, and formed an Armada to eliminate piracy.
“There was a time when a pirate was free to make his own way in the world,” recalls Capt. Barbossa. “But our time is comin’ to an end. The Nine Pirate Lords from the four corners of the Earth must stand together.”
So the buccaneers are off to exotic Singapore to confront Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat) to get charts, and a ship, to sail to World’s End to free Jack from a desert island where he’s been trapped with dozens of clones of himself – along with thousands of rock crabs – since his encounter with the monstrous kraken.
Deception, betrayal, duplicity and upside-down, supernatural confusion abound, culminating in a spectacular sequence in which rain-soaked Sparrow and Davy Jones battle high in the rigging as their ships swirl in a giant whirlpool created by the sea goddess, Calypso.
Directed by Gore Verbinski, it’s not about living forever – it’s about living with yourself – at least according to a cameo by Rolling Stone Keith Richards. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” is an exciting, entertaining 9. Be patient through the long credits for a revealing epilogue as the salty seafarers sail on.

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Bug

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Bug” (Lionsgate)

If you were expecting a disturbing horror movie or creature-feature, think again. This adaptation of a bizarre Off-Broadway play buzzes along like a bad drug trip.
Cocktail waitress Agnes White (Ashley Judd) lives in a seedy motel in the middle of Western nowhere, answering an incessantly and ominously ringing phone, dreading the day that her abusive ex-con husband, Jerry Goss (Harry Connick Jr.), will appear and torment her about how she, inexplicably, lost their son Lloyd in a supermarket.
Her tattooed lesbian lover R.C. (Lynn Collins) brings by Peter Evans (Michael Shannon), a shy, pleasantly polite Southern drifter with whom Agnes falls into bed. Soon after she’s smoked another roach and consumed another vodka and Coke, Peter confides his paranoid conspiracy theories about being the subject of a secret governmental medical experiment gone awry in which his body was infested with blood-sucking aphids – i.e.: bugs. Amazingly, he persuades Agnes that her body has been contaminated too. So they stock up on every insect repellent on the market, covering the floor, walls and ceiling with aluminum foil, and go into homicidal panic when Peter’s doctor (Brian O’Bryne) shows up on the doorstep.
Using Tracy Letts’ screen adaptation of his avante-garde play, director William Friedkin (“The Exorcist,” “The French Connection”) allows characters to indulge in tiresome, repetitive and seemingly endless monologues – never opening the psychological concept beyond the confines of a filmed stage production. The actors babble incessantly about imaginary creepy crawlies, none of which are ever seen on-screen. The performances are convincing, especially hunky Harry Connick Jr., who never gets involved in the buggy nonsense. But Friedkin’s direction is over-indulgent and his taste for gruesome gore seems insatiable. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Bug” is a reprehensible, repugnant 2. Pretentious poppycock!

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Oceans Thirteen

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Oceans Thirteen” (Warner Bros.)

Move over, Spidey, Shrek and Sparrow – Danny Ocean’s back in Vegas!
When trusting Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould) has a coronary seizure after he’s been swindled out of half-ownership in a new hotel/casino by ruthless, egomaniacal Willy Bank (Al Pacino), Danny (George Clooney) summons the gang to avenge their old pal by breaking The Bank: rigging the gambling games so Willy loses millions, stealing his precious collection of diamond necklaces, and dashing his dreams of winning the coveted Five Diamond Award. The crime caper’s scheduled on The Bank’s Opening Night, July 3rd – and, being “analog players in a digital world,” the gang’s got a lot to learn in a short time in order to outmaneuver the impregnable Greco, The Bank’s artificial intelligence security system that not only thinks but also reasons.
Writers Brian Koppelman and David Levien (“Rounders”) and sophisticated director/cinematographer Steven Soderbergh explain the absence of Tess and Isobel (Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones) – “It’s not their fight” – so it’s Linus (Matt Damon) who romances Abigail Sponder (Ellen Barkin), Willy’s top exec. Otherwise, it’s about loyalty, professionalism and male camaraderie among Brad Pitt, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Eddie Jemison, Shaobo Qin and Carl Reiner.
Frank Sinatra starred in the original “Oceans Eleven” and its three sequels, so it resonates when Reuben recoils at Bank’s duplicity, saying, “You and I both shook Sinatra’s hand, and there’s a code among the guys who shook Sinatra’s hand.” Crassly, Bank snorts, “Screw Sinatra’s hand!”
Omnipresent Oprah makes an appearance and – at the conclusion – there’s in-joke bantering about Clooney’s “Syriana” poundage and Pitt’s well-publicized parenthood. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Oceans 13” is a cool, playful 9. It’s a winner as one of this summer’s guiltiest pleasures.

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Mr. Brooks

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Mr. Brooks” (M.G.M.)

It’s easy to understand why Oscar-winning actor/producer/director Kevin Costner decided to change his image by playing a schizophrenic serial killer who dutifully attends AA meetings as “an addict” and engages in imaginary conversations with his creepy, caustic alter ego (William Hurt) as he struggles to control his impulses.
While he’s a successful businessman/philanthropist – Portland, Oregon’s Man of the Year – Earl Brooks has a secret. He’s dutiful to his wife (Marg Helenberger) and a doting father to his rebellious daughter (Danielle Penabaker) but – late at night – he sneaks out to feed his lurid fantasies.
While Costner once ruled the summer with “Field of Dreams” and “Bull Durham” and won Oscars for “Dances With Wolves,” he’s also suffered setbacks with “Waterworld” and “The Postman.” But he’s always been a risk-taker and Mr. Brooks is a blood-thirsty psycho, no doubt about it.
The story begins with great promise, delineating his character and introducing a disturbed peeping-Tom (Dane Cook) who photographs Mr. Brooks as he slaughters a young couple in their bed. The twist is that he won’t go to the police with his incriminating evidence if Mr. Brooks will take him along on his next “outing.”
Hot on their trail is a tough detective (Demi Moore) who’s in the midst of a nasty divorce and being pursued by a vengeful escaped convict (Matt Schulze) determined to kill her. Too bad he doesn’t because Moore is so plasticized that she’s almost as detestable as her prey.
Writer/director Bruce A. Evans and co-writer Raymond Gideon suffer from a plethora of coincidences and contrivances, including making Moore a multimillionaire and introducing a startling genetic concept. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Mr. Brooks” is a violent, implausible 6. It’s Costner’s dark field of screams.

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Gracie

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Gracie” (Picturehouse)

Supposedly based on events from the adolescence of actress Elisabeth Shue, this is an amiable, totally predictable, underdog sports melodrama about a determined young girl who defies the odds to play high-school soccer.
Set in South Orange, New Jersey, in 1978, back when it wasn’t socially acceptable for females to participate in certain athletic endeavors, it revolves around Grace Bowen (Carly Schroeder) who, after her oldest brother dies in a car accident after his team lost to their archrival, attempts to break the gender barrier to take his place on the boys’ soccer team. She trains tenaciously, impresses everyone and scores the big goal to save the day. No surprises.
Since she’s obviously too old to star in this fictionalized but very personalized story, Elisabeth Shue plays her own – i.e. Gracie’s – overprotective mother, while her real-life director husband, David Guggenheim (Oscar-winner “An Inconvenient Truth”), gets tripped up with too little time-centric authenticity and too many clichŽs, like utilizing soaking rains and soggy violins to evoke sadness and Gracie’s setting a caged bird free to fly away.
From Lisa Marie Petersen and Karen Janszen’s screenplay, we learn very little about Gracie except her overwhelming soccer ambition, and the dialogue is heavily laced with declarations like “I am tough enough” and “You can do anything!” Elisabeth’s brother Andrew Shue, a survivor of “Melrose Place,” makes a token appearance as a teacher.
It’s sad that it’s so decidedly mediocre because Carly Shroeder (“Lizzie McGuire”) delivers a spirited performance, as does Dermot Mulroney as Gracie’s gruff but loving father, burdened with his own childhood issues. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Gracie” is an inspirationally formulaic 4. In every sense, it’s a vanity-propelled family project that would have played better as an after-school television special.

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Nancy Drew

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Nancy Drew” (Warner Bros.)

‘Way back when I was a ‘tween, I devoured all the “Nancy Drew” mystery novels written by various authors using the pseydonym Carolyn Keene.
Still passionate, determined and ambitious, 16 year-old Nancy Drew (Emma Roberts) moves from midwestern River Heights to Hollywood, where her windower father (“The O.C.’s” Tate Donovan) has rented the creepy estate that once belonged to famous actress Dehlia Draycott (Laura Elena Harring). Nancy chose the Draycott Mansion specifically because of the unsolved mystery revolving around the death of the glamorous film star.
While she’s determined to solve the case, Nancy, in her preppy penny loafers, must also adjust to making friends in a new high school where her vacuous classmates are obsessed with fashion trends. Then Ned Nickerson (Max Thierot), Nancy’s hometown beau, arrives in her cool, sky blue Nash Metropolitan convertible as a surprise, much to the chagrin of Corky (Josh Flitter), a fast-talking 12 year-old who has a crush on Nancy.
Emma Roberts (Nickelodeon’s “Unfabulous”) is a delightful revelation. With coltish energy and disarming naturalness, she has one of the most expressive young faces on the screen today, reminiscent of Aunt Julia. And Josh Flitter is an expert comic – with a veteran’s instinct for timing.
If only writer/director Andrew Fleming and co-writer Tiffany Paulsen had been as focused. They’ve created a retro teenager who is priggish, rather than charming – with self-confidence that borders on insufferable arrogance, inquiring: “Is there a law against common courtesy in Los Angeles?”
Desperate to be contemporary, it’s, nevertheless, wooden and dated although Nancy’s sleuthing is occasionally nifty – as is Bruce Willis’ uncredited cameo and Ralph Salls’ music. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Nancy Drew” is a sweet yet clueless 5. It’s quaint and campy, an odd combination.

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Surf’s Up

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Surf’s Up” (Columbia/Sony Pictures)

Are you ready for more anthropomorphic penguins? Since “March of the Penguins,” the lumbering, black-and-white birds have dominated the silver screen. Now they’ve waddled into yet another major ocean picture.
Like one of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries, this animated comedy delves behind the scenes of pro surfing, profiling an up-and-coming teenage Rockhopper penguin, Cody Maverick (voiced by Shia LaBeouf), as he enters his first pro competition. After convincing a cynical talent scout (Mario Cantone), Cody leaves Shiverpool, Antarctica, hitching whale transport to tropical Pen Gu Island for the Big Z Memorial Surf Off, making friends en route with goofy Chicken Joe (Jon Heder).
While fast-talking promoter Reggie Belafonte (James Woods, channeling Don King) and coy lifeguard Lani Alikai (Zooey Deschanel) acknowledge Cody’s passion for surfing – and the hulking current champion, thug-like Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader), derides his audacity (“You’re goin’ down, snowflake!”) – it’s a reclusive veteran surfer named Geek (Jeff Bridges, channeling his “The Big Lebowski” character) who takes him under his flipper, teaching Cody that coming in first doesn’t always make you a winner: “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.”
Written and directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck, it’s supposed to be about cool dudes breezing on boards but, mid-way, it meanders so much that both kids and their parents are bound to get restless. One sure laugh comes when Cody steps on a spiny sea urchin and Geek knows that the only way to alleviate the pain is to piddle on the wound.
Sony’s colorful CGI doesn’t match that of Pixar or DreamWorks yet and the shaky, “handheld” camerawork evokes a Stacy Peralta surfing documentary. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Surf’s Up” floats with a laid-back 6, hitching aboard the “Happy Feet” penguin wave.

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