Movie/TV Reviews

Surf’s Up

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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A Mighty Heart

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “A Mighty Heart” (Paramount Vantage)

On January 23, 2002, journalist Daniel Pearl, South Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped in Karachi, Pakistan, while investigating a link between the “shoe bomber” Richard Reid and Mubarik Ali Gilani, a Pakistani cleric involved with militant Islamic groups. As his six-month pregnant wife, Mariane, waited anxiously, the US consulate and FBI, working with Pakistani law enforcement, tracked down leads.
Michael Winterbottom’s documentary-style drama captures the desperation and intensity of the tragic five-week manhunt for Daniel Pearl. Dispassionately narrated by Mariane (Angelina Jolie) and based on her memoir, it traces Daniel’s (Dan Futterman) harrowing last night of freedom with flashbacks to happier moments during their marriage, eventually delineating the misery that breeds terrorism and declaring that dialogue should displace anger, prejudice and hate.
Despite the known outcome, screenwriter John Orloff maintains tension and urgency with Winterbottom using a gritty, handheld, cinema-verite style, intercutting Mariane’s vigil in the company of her comforting colleague Asra Normani (Archie Panjabi) with the suspenseful mystery of the Pakistani jihadists evolving within their own socio/political context. In some ways, “A Mighty Heart” is a follow-up to Winterbottom’s “Road to Guantanamo.”
In the most challenging role since “Girl, Interrupted,” Angelina Jolie delivers an utterly believable, incomparably powerful performance, commanding the screen with her own brand of low-key incandescence, evoking a heartbreaking mix of strength and sadness; there is no extraneous element in her work. Dan Futterman (Oscar-nominated for writing “Capote”) is convincing, as are Will Patton and Irrfan Khan.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “A Mighty Heart” is a timely, morally complicated 8. As Mariane Pearl poignantly concludes on CNN, 10 other people were killed by terrorists in Pakistan during the same month – and none of them were foreigners.

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Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (20th Century Fox)

Although the original 2005 “Fantastic Four” was a forgettable entry in the superhero movie genre, following behind “Spider-Man,” “Batman” and “Superman,” kids loved the simplistic Marvel Comics mutant concept, and it was a surprising hit.
For the uninitiated, the Fantastic Four consists of Reed Richards (Ioan Gruffudd), a.k.a. elastic Mr. Fantastic, who can stretch and contort his body at will; Sue Storm (Jessica Alba), a.k.a. The Invisible Woman, who can project force fields; Johnny Storm (Chris Evans), a.k.a. The Human Torch, who can fly and burst into flames; and Ben Grimm (Michael Chiklis), a.k.a. The Thing, who is a super-strong rock-like hulk.
Now, the Fantastic Four learn they aren’t the only super-powered beings in the universe. At the request of Army General Hager (Andre Braugher) and Captain Raye (Beau Garrett), they must contend with the enigmatic Silver Surfer (vapidly voiced by Laurence Fishburne), the hunky harbinger of the arrival of amorphous, planet-devouring entity, Galactus, which takes ages to show up. Plus there’s villainous Dr. Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), back after his apparent destruction in the first installment.
If this movie makes money, which it undoubtedly will, credit director Tim Story and visual effects supervisor Scott Squires (“Star Wars, Episode 1: The Phantom Menace”) and Weta Digital (“Lord of the Rings,” “King Kong”) for creating the title character, a bodaciously buff alien gliding around the galaxy on a surfboard. He actually looks like a shiny hood ornament, but don’t tell anyone!
Briskly paced at 90 minutes, the dialogue is dumb drivel and the acting is atrocious, so on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” glides in with a 5. The best parts were in the theatrical trailer.

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D.O.A.: Dead or Alive

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of D.O.A.: Dead or Alive (Universal Pictures)

After sitting on the shelf for almost a year after opening overseas, this smarmy, butt-kicking bikini-jiggle fest has finally made it into our local theaters.
Obviously based on a video game, it involves an invitation-only, top-secret martial arts tournament on a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean that’s run by Dr. Victor Donovan (Eric Roberts). This malevolent mastermind injects all the contenders with nanobots that record data from their blood stream. This information is relayed into his computer system so he – and all viewers – can judge the frenetic fighting. Ah-ha, but he also has a hidden agenda involving virtual-reality sunglasses.
Feisty competitors include a father-daughter pro-wrestling team (Kevin Nash and Jaime Pressly of “My Name is Earl”); a sultry British jewel thief (Holly Valance of “Prison Break”) with an unreliable partner (Matthew Marsden) and an eye on stealing the stash in a giant Buddha; a rebellious Japanese Ninja princess (Devon Aoki) looking for her brother (Collin Chou) who never returned from a previous DOA tournament. Lurking in the background, there’s the DOA heiress (Sarah Carter of “Shark”) and a nerdy scientist (Steve Howey).
Not wasting time with much of a story, although there are four credited screenwriters, Hong Kong action fight choreographer Corey Yuen (“The Transporter”) concentrates on photographing the scantily clad, buxom beauties in imaginative – if contrived – hand-to-hand combat sequences in exotic locales, utilizing extensive wire work and cheesy CGI and a loud, electro-pop soundtrack. Think of a highly combative Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and you get the picture.
According to the press notes, this is the first Western production to be filmed in China’s Hengdian World Studios. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “D.O.A.” is a lasciviously trashy 3, shamelessly exploiting girl power.

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La Vie en Rose

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “La Vie en Rose” (Picturehouse)

Iconic chanteuse Edith Piaf was a Gallic Judy Garland – her life as legendary as her unmistakably soulful voice.
But instead of honoring traditional biography continuity, writer/director Olivier Dahan lets her story unfold in episodic, nonlinear fashion, transitioning from one time period to another with few defining guideposts, opening in New York City in 1959, then flashing back to her Dickensian childhood.
Born in Belleville, Paris, in 1915, Edith was abandoned by her mother and left in the care of her paternal grandmother, who ran a brothel in Normandy, where she was ‘mothered’ by a prostitute (Emmanuelle Seigner). In childhood, Edith went blind, regaining her sight only after a pilgrimage to honor Saint Therese de Lisieux. At age 14, Edith was reclaimed by her father, an acrobat who toured with a circus. Then she became a scrappy street performer in Pigalle, where nightclub owner Louis Leplee (Gerard Depardieu) discovered her, named her Piaf (“little sparrow”) and made her a star. The great love of her life was 1948 Middleweight Boxing Champ Marcel Cerdan (Jean-Pierre Martins) who died in a plane crash in 1949. Subject to bouts of rage, depression and alcoholic binges, Piaf was in a car accident which led to serious morphine addiction; she died of cancer at age 47 in 1963.
Curiously, Olivier Dahan chooses to barely allude to Piaf’s first husband and the loss of their baby and never notes her relationship with Yves Montand or heroic work with the French Resistance during WW.II.
What makes this bleak vagabond melodrama extraordinary is Marion Cotillard’s mesmerizing performance. She doesn’t play Piaf, she embodies her, lip-sync’ing to recordings. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “La Vie en Rose” is an evocative 7 – in French with English subtitles.

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Sicko

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Sicko” (Lionsgate & The Weinstein Company)

Why do we go to the movies? To be entertained and to be informed. Movies can capture America’s ethical or moral values of the moment, and movies can make us question who we are as individuals and what we are as a society.
That’s what docu-dramatist Michael Moore does – with “Roger & Me,” “Bowling for Columbine” and “Fahrenheit 9/11.” Now he’s taken aim at our corrupt health-care system, showing – albeit anecdotally – how the insurance industry and pharmaceutical companies have ‘bought’ Congress so they can continue to dictate governmental decisions about health care. It’s an incontrovertible indictment.
According to the World Health Organization, the United States is ranked 37th, far behind Canada, England, France and Cuba. These nations manage to care for their citizens at little or no cost to the individual patient. Taxes pay the medical bills – for everyone.
Michael Moore’s cinematic style is manipulative, often confrontational and brutally comic. Granted, his unsubtle irony is simplistic and his “hospital” vignettes are staged; they’d have to be. Perhaps the drugs an American patient buys in Havana for five cents, as opposed to $120 at home, are not FDA approved. And Moore’s voyeuristic visit to Guantanamo with 9/11 rescue workers is obviously a stunt. But the evidence of American profiteering is overwhelming.
Moore poses the question: why do we gratefully accept the aid of our police and fire departments – which are government funded – yet become alarmed at the concept of “socialized medicine”? Isn’t taking care of ourselves the essence of “democracy”?
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Sicko” is a sensational 10. It’s not a perfect movie but it will make you think – and the conversations you’ll have afterwards are worth far more than the price of admission.

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Evan Almighty

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Evan Almighty” (Universal Pictures)

In this only mildly amusing sequel to “Bruce Almighty,” Steve Carrell (“The 40 Year-Old Virgin”) plays Evan Baxter, an arrogant Buffalo, New York, TV anchorman-turned-Congressman, who loads up his Hummer and moves to a huge house in suburban Virginia with his wife, Joan (Lauren Graham), and their three young sons.
Vowing to “change the world,” Evan arrives at the Capitol and discovers – to the delight of his staff (Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins and Jonah Hill) – that he’s been invited to co-sponsor a high-profile, anti-environmental bill by one of the House’s most powerful members (John Goodman). But much to the chagrin of his neglected family, Evan’s work load is overwhelming.
Then God (Morgan Freeman) appears, commanding Evan to build an ark because a mighty flood is imminent. Ancient tools appear along with truckloads of lumber. Relying on “Ark Building for Dummies,” Evan reluctantly begins, as birds and animals appear two-by-two, including elephants, lions, tigers, leopards, giraffes, Kodiak bears, zebras, reindeer, camels, buffalos, porcupines and skunks, to name a few.
Suddenly and inexplicably long-haired, bearded and clad in robes – surrounded by furry or feathered companions – Evan’s faith is sorely tested as he’s held up to ridicule as the “New York Noah.”
Written as a family-friendly parable by Steve Oedekerk, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow – and there’s definitely an audience for contemporary adaptations of Bible stories – but heavy-handedly directed by Tom Shadyac, it’s preachy and ponderous.
God works in mysterious ways but, having been an anchorwoman (on WNHC and then WTNH in New Haven), I can assure you that no newscaster can continue on-air while running for political office.
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Evan Almighty” is a stultifying, self-righteous, sanctimonious 5, desperately needing divine intervention.

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License to Wed

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “License to Wed” (Warner Bros.)

To get a driver’s license, you need classroom instruction, a learner’s permit, behind-the-wheel training, etc. But to get a marriage license, all you have to do is pay a minimal fee. Perhaps that’s why there’s a 50% divorce rate.
Reverend Frank (Robin Williams) is determined to create happy, life-long unions.or, at least, prevent divorces. So when seemingly compatible couples, like Ben Murphy (John Krasinski) and Sadie Jones (Mandy Moore), schedule a ceremony, they’re required to pass his “foolproof” marriage prep course.
Their ‘homework’ consists of writing their wedding vows, unbeknownst to one another, and not engaging in sex until the honeymoon. The course consists of communication exercises, simulating scenarios that a young couple might not think of or have to deal with until they’re already married – when it’s too late. Like caring for creepy-looking, lifelike animatronic babies that are remotely controlled by Rev. Frank’s cherubic ‘Ministers of Tomorrow’ assistant (Josh Flitter) who programs them – calm, cranky or hysterical – when he’s not sneaking into bedrooms to plant mini-microphones so Rev. Frank can maintain round-the-clock surveillance of the couple’s conversations.
Written by Kim Barker, Tim Rasmussen and Vince Di Meglio and directed by Ken Kwapis, it’s more than slightly predictable with pop psychology and sporadic humor. John Krasinski (“The Office”) is amiable but hardly charismatic; the same for singer Mandy Moore. While Robin Williams’ irreverence is always funny, Josh Flitter (“Nancy Drew”) gets the biggest laughs. The only discordant note comes from the underwritten yet overly cynical, misogynistic ‘best man’ (DeRay Davis).
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “License to Wed” is an amusing 7. It’s a droll cautionary tale about the chances of living ‘happily ever after’ – and wait for the zany outtakes during the final credits.

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Ratatouille

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Ratatouille” (Buena Vista/Disney)

“Ratatouille” is delicious! Who would believe this rat-turned-chef gastronomical caper could capture the culinary heart of the City of Light?
Cultured, educated and blessed with acute sensibilities, Remy (voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt) is a thin blue rat who lives with his rodent relatives in the French countryside. But he’s different. Remy’s taste buds are more cultivated; he prefers haute cuisine to garbage. So when disaster strikes and the family is forced to flee through the sewers, it’s not surprising that Remy winds up in Paris near a restaurant that belonged to a legendary chef, Auguste Gusteau (Brad Garrett), who proclaimed, “Anyone can cook!”
Intrigued and sensually intoxicated, Remy sneaks in and spices up a vat of soup ostensibly cooked by Linguini (Lou Romano), a garbage boy who’s ordered by the sous chef (Ian Holm) to reproduce it as a menu staple. Realizing his ineptitude, Linguini reluctantly teams up with Remy, forming an unlikely partnership (filled with slapstick shtick) that must be kept secret from everyone, including adorably coquettish Colette (Janeane Garofalo), the lone female cook, and a caustic restaurant critic, Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole – at his haughty nastiest).
Conceived and co-directed by Jan Pinkava (“A Bug’s Life”) with screenwriter/director Brad Bird (“The Incredibles”), it’s filled with perfectly paced yet subtle character humor and heart, emerging as another Oscar-tempting Disney/Pixar creation. The meticulously detailed animation is stunning, subtly shifting between the rodent and human perspectives – and the mouth-watering food is temptingly textured.
Historically, Disney has built much of its reputation on romping rodents – beginning with Mickey and Minnie Mouse and rollicking through “The Rescuers” and “Cinderella.” On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Ratatouille” (pronounced by Pixar as “rat-a-too-ee”) is a captivating, inventive, soufflŽ-light 10. Family audiences will eat it up!

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Evening

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Evening” (Focus Features)

When Vanessa Redgrave and her real-life daughter, Natasha Richardson, and Meryl Streep and her real-life daughter, Mamie Gummer, are on the screen, this generational drama is divine. When they’re not, it suffers mightily.
Redgrave plays aging Ann Lord who, lying in her deathbed, attended by a nurse (Eileen Atkins) and two bickering daughters (Natasha Richardson, Toni Collette), remembers a pivotal weekend when she was an aspiring singer from New York.
In her reverie, her younger self (Claire Danes) shows up in Newport, Rhode Island, for the genteel wedding of her best friend, Lila Wittenborn (Mamie Gummer), in a baronial beach house, where Lila’s socialite parents (Glenn Close, Barry Bostwick) reign and her self-destructive brother Buddy (Hugh Dancy) is on a perpetual drunk. Hovering in the background is an attractive young doctor (Patrick Wilson), the housekeeper’s son, on whom everyone – Lila, Ann and Buddy – dotes.
Based on a novel by Susan Minot, who collaborated on the screenplay with Michael Cunningham (“The Hours”), the fragmented story works far better on paper than on celluloid. I suspect that’s also the fault of Hungarian cinematographer-turned-director Lajos Koltai, who allows far too many scenes to run on far too long. In addition, Koltai and film editor Allyson C. Johnson shift time frames clumsily, so the pivotal scene, when Meryl Streep appears as an elderly Lila, seems a bit forced.
Coltish Claire Danes should not have been cast as a young Vanessa Redgrave. Their voices, features and acting styles are entirely different. On the other hand, the genetic inheritance of Mamie Gummer from Meryl Streep is remarkable. Watch for Mamie – she’s going to be a star! On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Evening” fades to a stultified 6, becoming a luminous meditation on mortality.

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