Movie/TV Reviews

Joshua

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

Wall Street yuppies Brad and Abby Cairn (Sam Rockwell and Vera Farmiga) are privileged, perfect parents, living in a magnificent Upper West Side, Manhattan apartment with their nine year-old piano prodigy son, Joshua (Jacob Kogan), and their newborn daughter, Lily.
In addition to his musical genius, Joshua is an exceptional student – but definitely weird. He dismisses sports, displaying, instead, a morbid fascination with Egyptian embalming techniques. His cold, creepy passive-aggressiveness manifests itself in many sneaky ways, particularly with the arrival of a little sister and the disturbing recurrence of his mother’s deep, sleep-deprived, postpartum depression.
“You don’t have to love me,” precocious Joshua ambivalently tells his father, bonding, instead with his arty, gay, composer uncle, Ned Davidoff (Dallas Roberts), who blandly appreciates his taste for dissonant Bartok and somber Beethoven sonatas and isn’t besotted by the incessantly crying baby. But then there’s his evangelical grandmother, Hazel Cairn (Celia Weston), who, ill-advisedly, interferes.
Writer/director George Ratcliff and co-writer David Gilbert combine the spooky sociopath child – explored with more visual panache in “The Bad Seed” and “The Omen” – with the darkly disturbing psychological dynamics of family drama, amplified by the chilly elegance achieved by production designer Roshelle Berliner, Belgian cinematographer Benoit Debie and musician Nico Muhly, whose moody “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is indelible.
Yet despite the best efforts of Sam Rockwell (“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”) and Vera Farmiga (“The Departed”), their characters are underdeveloped even before they begin their inevitable, slowly-paced decline. But young Joshua Kogan is a real find – and his real-life baby sister doubled as the newborn. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Joshua” is a subtle, sinister 6. Evil, yes, but not very scary.

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Rescue Dawn

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Rescue Dawn” (MGM)

Back in 1965, a cocky U.S. Air Force pilot, German-born Dieter Dengler (Chrisian Bale), took off on a top-secret bombing raid over Laos. Before flying out, he and his cohorts cynically watch an authentic military information film about surviving in the jungle – but the advice is invaluable once he’s shot down, captured and tortured.
An ant’s nest is tied to his face. Bound hand-and-foot, he’s dragged by a cow through a village and almost drowned in a shallow well. But no coercion will make him denounce American imperialism. “I love America because America gave me wings,” he declares.
Eventually, he’s dumped in a POW camp, where he meets two fellow Americans (Steve Zahn, Jeremy Davies) and plans a daring escape to Thailand during the rainy season. But if he can manage to get out of the compound, he’ still imprisoned by the impenetrable jungle.
Screenwriter/director Werner Herzog knew the real Dieter Dengler, who died in 1991 of Lou Gehrig’s disease, and made the acclaimed documentary, “Little Dieter Needs to Fly,” about him but wanted to bring this story to the screen as an action-adventure. As with “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” “Fitzcarraldo” and “Grizzly Man,” Herzog is intrigued with the man-versus-nature survival concept, aided in great part by cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger. That’s understandable, but the stereotypical script – Herzog’s first in English – could benefit from simple devices like back story and character development, accompanying the heat, hunger and exhaustion.
What’s most memorable is Christian Bale’s physically transformative performance. Once the buff “Batman” hero, he – literally – starved himself to look emaciated in “The Machinist” and visibly drops weight, once again, here. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Rescue Dawn” is an intensely visceral and violent 7. It’s not for the faint-hearted.

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Sunshine

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)

Evoking “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Solaris” and “2010,” Danny Boyle’s stunning sci-fi thriller is an intense metaphysical odyssey into the unknown.
In 2057, our sun is dying and mankind faces extinction. Earth’s last hope is Icarus II, a spacecraft with a crew of eight astronauts led by pensive Captain Kaneda (Hiroyuki Sanada). Their mission is to detonate a massive nuclear device on the sun to re-ignite it by creating a star within a star.
Deep into their voyage, amid emotional tension generated by their claustrophobic condition, the communications officer (Troy Garity) picks up a faint distress signal from the Icarus I, which disappeared on the same mission seven years earlier. Since that’s followed by a miscalculation by the navigator (Benedict Wong) which destroys the biologist’s (Michelle Yeoh) vital oxygen-producing garden, the physicist (Cillian Murphy) recommends that the pilot (Rose Byrne) rendezvous with the orbiting older vessel to heist replacements. He’s opposed by the ship’s engineer (Chris Evans) as the on-board psychiatrist (Cliff Curtis) becomes increasingly obsessed with the gloriously bright, fiery Sun. Compelling moral dilemmas abound. Then a pivotal moment occurs when the soft-spoken computer (reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick’s HAL) detects a new, mysterious, otherworldly on-board presence that questions the essence of the Icarus mission.
With his “28 Days Later” and “The Beach” collaborators – writer Alex Garland and producer Andrew Macdonald – Danny Boyle sets forth a provocative premise that eventually dissolves into an insane killer-on-the-loose religious fanaticism but not before the cinematic stylist – utilizing the talents of cinematographer Alwin Kuchler and production designer Mark Tildesley – dazzles with extraordinary visuals depicting the physical and psychological hazards of space travel. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Sunshine” glows with a gripping, adventurous 8, giving new meaning to The Big Bang. Awesome!

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I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” (Universal Pictures)

If you can overlook the slapstick and silly shtick, this mainstream, contemporary satire makes the case for civil unions, domestic partnerships and gay marriages.
Perennial bachelor Chuck Levine (Adam Sandler) and widower father Larry Valentine (Kevin James) are best-friend Brooklyn firefighters who resort to pretending to be gay ‘life partners’ when Larry has bureaucratic problems with his pension and Chuck offers to repay a life-saving favor. When a suspicious N.Y.C. fraud inspector (Steve Buscemi) questions their legitimacy, they hire a sexy, crusading lawyer (Jessica Biel) to defend their rights – “We’re big-time fruits”- not to mention the bodacious authenticity of her breasts.
Screenwriters Barry Fanaro, Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor, along with Sandler’s favorite director, Dennis Dugan (“Happy Gilmore,” “Big Daddy,” “The Benchwarmers”), lack subtlety and credulity, falling prey to gay-clichŽ moments, like the prison rape joke, the dropping-the-soap in the locker-room shower joke, and a City Council president cameo by out-of-the-closet Richard Chamberlain – and the third-act simply succumbs.
But that’s not the fault of FDNY’s Engine 506/Ladder 223 firefighters played by Dan Aykroyd, Gary Valentine, Jonathan Loughran, Michael Buscemi, Renaldo Pinera, Peter Dante and Ving Rhames or “Saturday Night Live” alums Rachel Dratch and Robert Smigel, along with Dave Matthews and Lace Bass, plus Sandler sidekicks David Spade and Rob Schneider, who steals scenes as Canada’s Two Hearts Wedding Chapel minister.
As a side note, the usually publicity-shy, Sandler recently revealed he has a gay family member who’s in a long-term relationship and is well aware of discrimination faced by same-sex couples. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” is a raunchy, testosterone-driven 5 – with a relevant message about tolerance and acceptance.

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The Reaping

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

When a thriller starring two-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank sits on the shelf for a year, it’s usually because it’s cinematic rubbish.
Hilary plays Katherine Winter, a former Christian missionary who lost her faith after her husband and daughter were murdered in an act of religious fanaticism in the Sudan. Now she’s a cynical, world-renowned debunker of paranormal religious phenomena who is summoned by a science teacher (David Morrissey) to a small Louisiana bayou town called Haven that’s suffering from what appears to be an onslaught of the ten Old Testament plagues that God used to convince Pharoah to allow Moses lead his people out of Egypt.
Accompanied by her assistant (Idris Elba), Katherine sees how the river is running red with blood and frogs are falling from the sky. Despite her skepticism, she realizes that mere science cannot explain what’s happening here and regains her faith in order to combat the dark forces that threaten the community. There’s also a confusing subplot involving a sulky young girl, Loren McConnell (AnnaSophia Robb), who may have incurred God’s wrath because she killed her brother.
Screenwriting brothers Chad and Casey W. Hayes, utilizing Brian Russo’s story, borrow from “The Exorcist,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Omen.” Instead of exploring the power of evil and the existence of Satan, director Stephen Hopkins relies on spooky, formulaic shock sequences. Thanks to cinematographer Peter Levy and CGI, there’s lots of ludicrous, graphic violence: a gruesome plague of locusts, decaying and dying cattle, putrefying corpses, murders and suicides. Insofar as acting goes, Hilary Swank strikes out completely in developing any emotional depth to her non-believing character. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Reaping” is a sloppy, shamelessly exploitive 3. Perhaps the devil made them do it.

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Firehouse Dog

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

What would happen if a pampered, top-grossing movie mutt called Rexxx wound up as a fire station mascot? That’s the premise for this family-friendly comedy.
While Rexxx (star of “The Fast and the Furriest” and “Jurassic Bark”) is shooting a commercial, an aerial stunt goes awry and he’s presumed dead. Instead, he’s is lost in a strange city and befriended by a lonely 12 year-old Shane Fahey (Josh Hutcherson from “Bridge to Terabithia”), whose widower, workaholic fireman dad (Bruce Greenwood) rescues the actor-dog after the animal’s death-defying leap from a burning building. Soon the entire company is in awe of Rexxx’s spectacular skills which they put to use during rescue calls.
But somewhere in the second half of this cute canine caper, one of several subplots barks up the wrong tree as Shane tries to solve the mystery of how his beloved uncle died in a fire that might have been caused by arson. This involves an intense scene with a boy trapped in a burning room – a nightmarish concept for kids in the audience.
There have been many celebrity dogs – from Rin Tin Tin to Lassie to Benji. This hero is actually played by an interchangeable quartet of red-coated Irish terriers trained by Ursula Brauner from Boone’s Hollywood Animals. Screenwriter Claire-Dee Lim and director Todd Holland (TV’s “Matthew in the Middle”) give Rexxx a definite personality and he’s as demanding as any screen diva with a list of ‘perks’ that includes Kobe beef, poodle groupies and diamond bling. Problem is: they also throw in too many flatulence jokes and pooch-related puns. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Firehouse Dog” is a scruffy, spirited 6, running a bit too long to keep tykes from squirming in their seats.

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Are We Done Yet?

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Are We Done Yet?” (Sony/Revolution release)

Not many people realize that the original “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” was about a city couple (Cary Grant, Myrna Loy) building a country home in New Milford, Connecticut, particularly since this wretched current reinvention of the concept is so far removed.
Elaborating on the “Are We There Yet?” (2005) characters who were trapped in an SUV traveling from Portland to Vancouver, there’s recently married Nick Persons (Ice Cube) with his good-natured bride Suzanne (Nia Long), her two growingly obnoxious children, Lindsey and Kevin (Aleisha Allen, Philip Daniel Bolden) and dog, Coco. Having settled into his former bachelor condo, the newly formed family descends into crisis when Suzanne announces she’s pregnant.with twins. There seems no choice but to move.
The sprawling, suburban Victorian house they choose is palatial – with vast grounds and lakeside views. It’s impressive but the pipes are rotted, the wiring is disastrous and dry rot is everywhere. It’s a “fixer-upper” money pit. Ah ha! No coincidence that their real-estate agent, Chuck Mitchell Jr. (John C. McGinley) is also the local contractor, building inspector, yoga instructor and – believe it or not – a Polynesian fire-dancer. (No, that was not in the original Eric Hodgins’ novel.) Nor was his Airstream trailer moving into the Persons’ yard.
The truism, “It’s gonna get ugly before it gets pretty” is repeated far too often.
Having paired with Ice Cube on “Next Friday,” director Steve Carr knows how to make the comedian a hapless Everyman, utilizing Hank Nelken’s script adaptation and a good owl gag. Cinematographer Jack Green captures the scenic scope, while production designer Nina Ruscio creates chaos. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Are We Done Yet?” is a dull, forgettable 4, relentlessly extending this family comedy franchise.

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Perfect Stranger

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Perfect Stranger” (Columbia Pi ctures)

Is it some sort of Oscar curse? Hilary Swank sleepwalked through “The Reaping” and now Halle Berry is traumatized in this techno-thriller.
Berry plays Rowena Price, an abrasive investigative reporter who suspects that the murder of her childhood friend, a party-girl named Grace (Nicky Aycox), under mysterious circumstances might be connected to a prominent, womanizing ad exec Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis). So – with the help of a tech-savvy nerd, Miles Haley (Giovanni Ribisi) – she goes undercover with not one but two separate identities. She’s Veronica, who initiates a cyber-flirtation with Hill. She’s also Katherine Pogue, a temp at Hill’s agency. But she’s not the only one with a dual identity.
Director James Foley has always had a predilection for visually stylish film noir, as evidenced by “Fear,” “The Chamber” and “After Dark, My Sweet,” noting in the press notes, “Everybody lies. It just depends on how big the lie is, and what the consequences of the lie are.” But, this time, his helming simply gets overwrought.
Todd Komarnicki’s formulaic plot, based on a story by Jon Bokenkamp, is one you’ve seen before. Besides being derivative, it also makes little narrative sense, stretching vague connections to an extreme.
Beautiful Halle Berry, whose character is tortured by a childhood trauma, seems to be re-visiting “Gothicka,” albeit via Manhattan, appropriately clad for each of her identities by inventive costume designer Renee Kalfus, a patron of Victoria’s Secret. Propelled by ambition and careless about his adultery, Bruce Willis recalls remnants of his considerable seductive charm, while Giovanni Ribisi exudes manipulative emotional intensity. But they’re both Berry’s foils. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Perfect Stranger” is a voyeuristic, pointless 5. As for the “surprise” conclusion, convoluted moral ambiguity can be very unsatisfying.

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Fracture

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Fracture” (New Line Cinema)

Recalling his chilling performance in “The Silence of the Lambs,” Anthony Hopkins creates a conflicted but cunning criminal in this tantalizing psychological thriller.
When mechanical engineering industrialist Ted Crawford (Hopkins) realizes that his beautiful, much-younger wife Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) is committing adultery, he cleverly plans the perfect murder and meticulously executes it. But there’s a strategic twist. The LAPD detective (Billy Burke) who arrests him is stunned to discover that Jennifer is the mysterious woman with whom he’s been having a clandestine affair, a sordid detail he fails to disclose to ambitious assistant district attorney Willy Beachum (Ryan Gosling), who has a 97% conviction rate.
So when Crawford’s case comes to court, Willy suddenly discovers he lacks hard evidence for what should be a clear-cut conviction, much to the chagrin of his boss (David Strathairn). Willy’s frustration is heightened because he’s been offered a lucrative position with a prestigious law firm and opportunistically seduced by his mentor (Rosamund Pike). It seems that a weak spot, or “fracture,” can be found in any facade.
Superbly crafted by screenwriters Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers and directed with fluid grace by Gregory Hoblit (“Primal Fear,” “Frequency”), it’s a puzzling, character-driven how’d-he-do-it, as opposed to whodunnit. Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau and production designer Paul Eads achieve exquisite visual elegance utilizing Frank Gehry-designed Disney Hall, L.A.’s new performing arts center.
With the naturalism of a young James Stewart, Ryan Gosling focuses the emotions of someone caught in an ethical and moral dilemma. As the witty, emotionally manipulative killer, Anthony Hopkins strikes not a single false note in a precise, tightly controlled, fiendishly combustible character. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Fracture” is an intense, intriguing 8. Challenging and provocative, it’s hard to stop thinking about.

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The Wind That Shakes the Barley

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” (IFC First Take)

In this historical drama, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes last year, Ken Loach explores the enmity between the Irish and the British – and its aftermath.
Set in 1920s in the Irish countryside, the occupying troops, known as the Black and Tans, often resort to savage measures to quash local efforts to form an independent republic.
As Teddy (Padraic Delaney) leads a group of IRA insurgents, his brother Damien (Cillian Murphy) abandons plans to practice medicine in London to fight beside him. Together, they survive torture, imprisonment and the threat of a firing squad.
But when Irish politician Michael Collins forges a treaty with the United Kingdom (cleverly depicted via a newsreel at the local movie theater) granting Ireland only partial economic independence, a wedge is driven between the siblings. Teddy thinks the agreement, ratified by the Irish Parliament, is a reasonable starting point and joins the Irish Free State’s army, while Damien denounces him as a collaborator, demanding complete separation.
As another rebel puts it, “All we’re changing if we ratify this treaty are the accents of the powerful and the color of the flag.” And therein lies the human tragedy.
Ken Loach utilizes the emotionally wrought, doomed relationship between Teddy and Damien for dramatic structure while attempting to inject some fairness into the fight. It’s a markedly different approach than the ideological social outrage that he and writer Paul Laverty evidenced in “Riff-Raff,” “Land and Freedom” and “Carla’s Story.” Credit goes to Padraic Delaney and versatile Cillian Murphy (“Breakfast on Pluto,” “Red Eye”). On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” is a bloody, brutal 8, evoking obvious, relevant comparisons with the ongoing civil war in Iraq.

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