Movie/TV Reviews

Blades of Glory

Susan Granger’s review of “Blades of Glory” (Paramount Pictures)

After “Anchorman” and “Talladega Nights,” Will Ferrell now adds ice-skating star to his list of caricatures.
Ferrell and Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”) play rival figure skaters who are stripped of their gold medals and banned from skating solo after brawling on the victory stand after tying for first place at the World Championships but find a loophole that allows them to come back into competition as the first-ever pair of male skaters. Coached by Craig T. Nelson (“Coach”), their unorthodox routine includes a risky maneuver called the Iron Lotus, which has only been attempted in competition once before – and one partner was decapitated. Their European rivals are played by Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”) and Amy Poehler (“Saturday Night Live”), a bickering, vaguely incestuous brother/sister team who are determined to sabotage them. Screenwriters Jeff Cox, Craig Cox, John Altschuler and David Krinsky guilelessly lift the plot from “The Cutting Edge” (1992), while rookie directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon, who created Geico’s memorable TV commercials, pile on the goofy, stumbling slapstick. “Talladega Nights” had Sacha Baron Cohen (before “Borat”), so this has skating champion Sasha Cohen. There are plenty of spoofs of the glitzy, glittering, genteel figure-skating world and cameos by real-life Olympians Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill, Brian Boitano, Scott Hamilton and Nancy Kerrigan. While Tonya Harding, whose 1994 attack on Kerrigan garnered extensive tabloid coverage, is conspicuously missing, Poehler threatens to break Ferrell’s leg “beneath the knee and above the ankle” and Arnett pursues Ferrell with a steel pipe. Off-screen, Ferrell has vociferously complained about wearing “the dance belt,” which “hides everything but is not a fun trip.” On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Blades of Glory” glides in with a silly, satirical 6, skating on thin ice.

06

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Because I Said So

Susan Granger’s review of “Because I Said So” (Universal Pictures)

As a middle-aged suburban woman, I’m in just right demographic for this picture – and, believe me, when I tell you not to see it unless you’re subpoenaed. It’s that bad.
Cue the clichŽs. Daphne Wilder (Diane Keaton) is the meddling mother of three grown daughters: Maggie (Lauren Graham), Mae (Piper Perabo) and Millie (Mandy Moore). The first two are happily married but Daphne’s afraid that Millie, who manages a catering business, won’t even recognize Mr. Right when she meets him. So, unbeknownst to Millie, Daphne places an Internet personals ad and interviews prospective sons-in-law. After a succession of frogs, she finds her prince – ultra-yuppie Jason (Tom Everett Scott). Problem is: a musician, Johnny (Gabriel Macht), overhears Daphne and decides to meet Millie himself. Guess which one Millie goes for? The successful architect who meets all of Daphne’s criteria or the scruffy guitarist-with-a-young-son? Oh, yes, the guitarist also has a single dad (Stephen Collins) who finds Daphne irresistible. Gimme a break!
Screenwriters Karen Leigh Hopkins and Jessie Nelson (“Stepmom”) offer not one shred of originality, and director Michael Lehmann (“40 Days and 40 Nights”) repeats the same dumb, contrived sight gags, several involving large cakes splattering, multiple times, not to mention cacophonous clatter of cell-phones. As for Daphne’s experiencing her first sexual orgasm just after she turns 60, do I need to know the details of this?
Over the years, Diane Keaton has honed the funny/flustered routine into a fine art and Mandy Moore exudes a haplessly vulnerable indecisiveness. But even these two talented actresses cannot overcome the sheer banality and stupidity of the script. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Because I Said So” is a trivial 3. Don’t say you weren’t warned.

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VIDEO UPDATE

Susan Granger’s VIDEO UPDATE for week of Friday, July 14:

If you’ve ever responded to a telephone solicitation, be prepared for an eye-opener in “Boiler Room,” a disturbing cautionary tale about a stock scam that take you into the nefarious realm of Gen-Xers who want the adrenaline rush of easy money. Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Affleck star in this timely, high-wire drama about today’s mega fortune-hunters.
“Down to You” is a shallow teen saga of the trials and tribulations first love. Freddie Prinze Jr. plays a college student aiming for a career as a world-class chef, like his celebrated father, while Julia Stiles is a talented art student who steals his heart, murmuring “Cake is my world.”
For family viewing, I recommend “My Dog Skip,” based on Willie Morris’s wistful, warm, wise childhood memoir, narrated by Harry Connick Jr.  Set in the Mississippi town of Yazoo in the ’40s during World War II, it’s the coming-of-age story of a scrawny, shy, awkward boy (Frankie Muniz of TV’s “Malcolm in the Middle”), learning about the world with his loyal, loving dog at his side.
There’s the 25th anniversary edition of “Jaws” on VHS and DVD. Steven Spielberg’s thriller has both fascinated and terrified audiences, introducing the predatory shark as a new cinematic icon while striking a primal chord with action adventure, terror and moments of hilarity.
PICKS OF THE WEEK: “The Hurricane” stars Oscar-nominee Denzel Washington as Ruben “Hurricane” Carter, whose dreams of winning the middleweight boxing title were destroyed when he was arrested for a triple murder in a New Jersey bar. And the Oscar-winner for Best Foreign Language Film,  “All About My Mother,” is what Spanish director Pedro calls “a screwball drama,” a baroque, non-judgmental, witty and warm saga about what it means to be a woman

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VIDEO UPDATE

Susan Granger’s VIDEO UPDATE for week of Friday, July 6th

Martha Fiennes, sister of actors Ralph and Joseph Fiennes, makes her directorial debut with “Onegin,” a lyrical, melancholy story based on a narrative poem by Alexander Pushkin. Set in St. Petersburg in 1827, Ralph Fiennes plays Eugene Onegin, a jaded, cynical sophisticate who inherits the country estate of his wealthy uncle. While visiting his new property, he becomes friendly with a neighbor (Toby Stephens), his fiancee (Lena Headley) and her younger sister (Liv Tyler), who unwisely declares her love for him. Tragedy inevitably follows. The pace falters a bit after the first hour, but the photography and music are superb.
“Scream 3” is Wes Craven’s most recent horror sequel but it suffers from the departure of writer/creator Kevin Williamson. Neve Campbell continues as the perpetually stalked Sidney Prescott, hiding out in the California hills, even as intrepid TV reporter Gail Weathers (Courteney Cox Arquette) tries to track her down. Meanwhile, there’s a movie-within-a-movie as survivors of the original massacre become technical advisors on “Stab 3,” a silly low-budget thriller.
“Santitos,” the best Latin-American picture at the Sundance Film Festival, is an enchanting tale of love, faith and self-discovery. Dolores Heredia plays a beautiful young widow searching for her missing child – a journey that takes her from a humble Mexican village to the rowdy brothels of Tijuana and a rarely-seen side of Los Angeles. It’s in Spanish with English subtitles.
PICK OF THE WEEK: “Moon Over Broadway” is a documentary about a play that’s actually better than the play. D.A. Pennebaker and his wife, Chris Hegedus, cover in Sherlock Holmes-like detail the bumpy road traveled by Carol Burnett and company while working on Ken Ludwig’s farce “Moon Over Buffalo.” If you’ve ever been curious about the trials and tribulations of putting on a play, don’t miss this light-hearted, problem-by-problem revelation.

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VIDEO UPDATE

Susan Granger’s VIDEO UPDATE for week of Friday, June 30:

Agnieszka Holland’s “The Third Miracle” combines a provocative idea that delves into religious faith with a detective story and courtroom drama. Ed Harris plays a “miracle” detective, a priest wrestling with his own doubts about dogma, who investigates a spiritual Chicago woman recommended for sainthood, while Anne Heche delivers a powerful performance as the woman’s daughter, a non-believer, who cannot forgive her mother for abandoning her to serve the church.
“Hanging Up” offers an overdose of cheery cute as three frenzied sisters (Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow, Diane Keaton) cope with sibling rivalry while dealing with their philandering father (Walter Matthau) who’s suffered a minor stroke. It’s a flimsy, floundering attempt at comedy. Then there’s “Meeting Daddy” about a neurotic New Yorker (Josh Charles) who meets his dream girl (Alexandra Wentworth) and must cope with her manipulative father (Lloyd Bridges).
For thriller fans, Eric Roberts stars in “La Cucaracha,” which attempts to be a Hitchcockian tale of madness and redemption below the border. Roberts plays an American ex-patriate whose dreams of writing a great novel have faded into delusions and paranoia. “Mercy” is an erotic tale in which a homicide detective, played by Ellen Barkin, pursues a perverted murderer and is guided through a sexually deviant underground by Pete Wilson and Julian Sands.
PICK OF THE WEEK: “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” Anthony Minghella’s creepy Oscar-contender, stars Matt Damon as the chameleon-like Tom Ripley, who claims “I always thought it would be better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody.” Ripley’s a leech, an amoral outsider, whose appeal intrigues and mystifies Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett. If you can’t travel this summer, let John Seale’s magnificent cinematography take you to the shimmering waters of the Mediterranean and the twisting, cobbled alleys of Italy.

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Casino Royale

Susan Granger’s review of “Casino Royale” (Sony/MGM)

James Bond is reborn and probably closer to Ian Fleming’s original sociopathic spy concept as portrayed by versatile Daniel Craig.
High-octane action ignites immediately at an African construction site with Bond’s acrobatic pursuit of a would-be suicide bomber. He’s just earned his double-O status with two textbook-perfect killings although “M” (Judi Dench) still has her doubts, none of which are relieved when he sneaks into her flat and hacks into her computer. That takes Bond to the Bahamas, where he picks up a cellphone trail to Miami, single-handedly saving the world’s biggest jetliner, and then to a high-stakes poker showdown at Casino Royale in Montenegro – which leads to a spectacular shootout in crumbling Venice.
Resembling “The Bourne Identity” more than previous Bond films, it’s filled with suspense and intrigue, not high-tech gadgets and gimmicks. The villain is an evil financier, Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), and the sexy women (Eva Green, Caterina Murino) are less flamboyant. There’s even explicit torture as Bond is stripped, tied up and beaten repeatedly in the sensitive male area exposed by a bottomless chair.
Daniel Craig is the sixth actor to portray the secret agent on the screen, not counting the first “Casino Royale,” a spoof with Peter Sellers, Woody Allen and David Niven. With iridescent blue eyes, Craig’s grim, brutal and unforgiving. His face is rugged, his hunky physique utilitarian – gone is the urbane sophistication and tantalizing twinkle of Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan. But for this cold, callous character, it works!
Writers Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Paul Haggis, production designer Peter Lamont, photographer Phil Meheux and director Martin Campbell (“GoldenEye”) propel the fantasy. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Casino Royale” is a terrific 10 as escapist entertainment.

10

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The Fountain

Susan Granger’s review of “The Fountain” (Warner Bros.)

When I looked up the word “confuse” in the dictionary, to my amazement, it did not have a negative connotation. It means “to mix up, to bring disorder among, to jumble, to perplex or mix up the mind or ideas of.”
This esoteric, metaphysical meditation revolves around Thomas (Hugh Jackman) whose wife Izzy (Rachel Weisz) is dying of an inoperable brain tumor while writing a novel in long-hand.
In the first section, set during the Spanish Inquisition, he’s a brave conquistador dispatched by Queen Isabella (Weitz) to find the Tree of Life whose sap bestows immortality. The second segment takes place in the present, where he’s a scientist obsessed with keeping his wife alive despite the admonitions of his supervisor (Ellen Burstyn). The third part shows him in the monastic lotus-position, traveling through space in a shimmering bubble on an emotional journey to the Xibalba nebula, which the Mayans associated with death and eternity. All three are interwoven.
So I’m not quite sure what Darren Aronofsky is doing with this bizarre, convoluted, often repetitive romantic fantasy except confusing us while confirming the power of love and commitment. Aronofsky burst onto the indie scene at Sundance with his brainy, black-and-white “Pi,” then made the shocking drug saga “Requiem for a Dream.” Now he’s delving into eclectic, somewhat incoherent concepts of guilt, loss and the nature of immortality, visually aided by the stunning, voluptuous cinematography of Matthew Libatique.
Perhaps it all adds up to the complicated, all-too-human necessity of feeling that you’re a part of something larger than yourself. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Fountain” is an audaciously original, spiritual 6. Just because you can’t figure it out doesn’t mean that there’s not something interesting going on.

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DŽjˆ Vu

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

Everyone has experienced the inexplicable phenomenon of dŽjˆ vu – that disconcerting feeling of recognition and/or familiarity with a person or place.
It’s dŽjˆ vu that unexpectedly surfaces when a top agent from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington), is summoned to investigate a post-Katrina New Orleans ferry explosion that took place as U.S. Navy families were celebrating Mardi Gras aboard. When the body of beautiful Claire Kuchever (Paula Patton) is found among the 543 corpses, Carlin’s convinced that she was thrown into the river in an attempt to pass her off as one of the blast victims. If he can find her killer, he’ll locate the bomber.
FBI agent Agent Andrew Pryzwarra (Val Kilmer) takes Carlin to a top-secret Time Window Lab where scientists (Adam Goldberg, Erika Alexander) bend time, using satellite surveillance to scan Claire at home prior to the catastrophe and retrace the past four days. Aside from the voyeurism, Carlin is determined to use a time-travel tunnel to try to rescue her – and hundreds of others – from what would seem to be their fate.
Writers Bill Marshilii & Terry Rossio shrewdly weave a romance-in-reverse into the mystery as they venture onto the edges of modern physics’ understanding of time, while director Tony Scott (“Crimson Tide,” “Man on Fire”) reunites with Denzel Washington. Together, they impart an extraordinary logic and authenticity to the sci-fi whodunit, as Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ,” emerges as the deeply disturbed, politically zealous prime suspect. And, inevitably, there are several inventive, high-octane car chases. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “DŽjˆ Vu” is an intense, intriguing 8, an action-packed techno-thriller that makes you think.

08

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Bobby

Susan Granger’s review of “Bobby” (MGM/Weinstein Company)

On June 4th, 1968, charismatic, 42 year-old Presidential hopeful Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan, a 24 year-old Palestinian.
Writer/director/actor Emilio Estevez utilizes Robert Altman’s multi-character narrative technique to imagine a series of disparate vignettes that took place that day at RFK’s campaign headquarters, the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.
The hotel manager (William H. Macy) is cheating on his beautician wife (Sharon Stone) with a switchboard operator (Heather Graham). The former doorman (Anthony Hopkins) hangs out in the lobby with a pal (Harry Belafonte). The nightclub’s drunken diva (Demi Moore) squabbles with her long-suffering husband (Emilio Estevez). A hippie dealer (Ashton Kutcher) trips out on LSD with two Kennedy volunteers (Shia LeBeouf, Brian Geraghty). A Czech reporter (Svetlana Metkina) begs an aide (Joshua Jackson) for an RFK interview. A young bride (Lindsay Lohan) marries a friend (Elijah Wood) so he won’t be sent to Vietnam, while an older couple (Martin Sheen, Helen Hunt) emotionally reconnects.
Under the bigoted kitchen supervisor (Christian Slater), interracial tensions bubble as a Mexican busboy (Freddy Rodriguez), consoled by the chef (Lawrence Fishburne), works a double-shift even though he has tickets for a pivotal Dodgers game.
But these trivial, star-studded “Grand Hotel”-like subplots are not compelling. And the explosive ending – which should unify the episodes – is pedestrian.
Estevez unabashedly idealizes RFK, utilizing flattering newsreel footage to present him in an almost saintly light, thanks to Richard Chew’s editing and Mark Isham’s evocative music. And, in archival tirades against “an unpopular war,” it’s not difficult to substitute ‘Iraq’ for ‘Vietnam’. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Bobby” is a fragmented yet poignant 6 – concluding with RFK’s stirring final speech which illuminates the depth of America’s loss that day.

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Deck the Halls

Susan Granger’s review of “Deck the Halls” (20th Century-Fox)

It’s December 1st in Cloverdale, Massachusetts, the precise date when optometrist Steve Finch (Matthew Broderick) begins his meticulously organized preparations for the town’s annual Winterfest carnival, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering wife Kelly (Kristin Davis), sullen daughter (Alia Shawkat) and 10 year-old son (Dylan Blue) who is suffering a mid-life crisis.
That’s also the date that a sleazy car salesman , Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito), his blowsy, outspoken wife Tia (Kristin Chenoweth) and their sexy, dim-witted teenage twins (Sabrina & Kelly Aldridge) move in next door.
“How bad can it be?” burbles Kelly. Pretty bad.
Desperate for recognition, Buddy impetuously decides to put up enough dazzling, megawatt decorations so that his house can be seen from outer space. In addition to this visual extravaganza, there’s holiday music and a live manger scene with cows, sheep, donkey and camel.
Predictably, Matthew Broderick plays the uptight stiff, Danny DeVito is the weasel and Kirsten Davis (“Sex and the City”) is the compliant wife. Kristen Chenoweth (Broadway’s “Wicked,” TV’s “West Wing”) adds spark, and the only surprise is glimpsing Jorge Garcia from TV’s “Lost.”
The mean-spirited rivalry between this bore and boob to be the local King of Christmas includes the willful destruction of property, which isn’t funny, and an oddly manipulative conclusion. Writers Matt Corman, Chris Ord and Don Rhymer pile clichŽ upon clichŽ, while director John Whitesell telegraphs each twist and turn before it occurs.
But in the background on TV, there are glimpses of Judy Garland in “Meet Me in St. Louis” and Edmund Gwenn in “Miracle on 34th Street,” two Christmas films you’d be better off renting. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Deck the Halls” is a flimsy, fumbling 4. Bah humbug!

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