Movie/TV Reviews

Mystery of the Nile

Susan Granger’s review of “Mystery of the Nile” (IMAX presentation)

What’s the longest river in the world? It’s the Nile which, in its entirety, flows 4,132 miles through Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Eritrea and Burundi. The Nile’s water comes from two main tributaries: the White Nile, with its milky, silt-filled appearance, and the Blue Nile, which joins the White Nile in Sudan. But until last year, no one has successfully “run” or descended the entire Nile river by boat – from its primary source at Lake Tana in Ethiopia to the Mediterranean Sea – until an expedition led by geophysicist Pasquale Scaturro in April, 2004. Scaturro’s journey of some 3,260 miles took 114 days. It began in the highlands of Ethiopia at Sakala Springs, near Lake Tana. While Scaturro had previously explored many Africa rivers, his claim-to-fame was guiding blind climber Erik Megahed up Mount Everest in 2001. For this Nile expedition, he assembled a motley crew: experienced kayaker Gordon Brown, Spanish journalist Saskia Lange, Spanish archeologist Myriam Seco, Egyptian hydrologist Mohamed Megahed and Chilean photographer Michel L’Huillier. Except for Brown, the others were relatively inexperienced in the rigors of rafting. That makes their trials and tribulations, amid extreme heat, with sandstorms, windstorms, a pod of hippos and other predators even more daunting. Filmed in part by acclaimed IMAX cinematographer Reed Smoot and directed by writer Jordi Llompart, this expedition chronicle offers stunning large-format footage of some of Africa’s most breath-taking locations, including Brown’s rope descent of Tissisat Falls and a terrifying look at what it’s like when a raft capsizes, dumping its occupants into raging white waters where crocodiles have been spotted. (Crocodiles devour more people than all other African animals.) What “Mystery of the Nile” lacks is the tension that’s inherent in what we’ve come to expect from drama. Basically, it’s a travelogue, not an adventure saga. While the expedition seems to be alone in the wilderness, the IMAX crew was obviously there, along with its support staff. For that reason, there’s no suspense when Brown is fired on by gun-toting bandits as he’s on a scouting expedition; we already know that the ambush failed. And instead of showing a ferocious crocodile attack, a narrative voice-over briefly mentions that it occurred. Too much screen time is devoted to a picturesque Coptic church carved from a single block of limestone and huge Egyptian tomb statuary which, while mildly interesting the first time, are not worth re-visiting twice, even when Scaturro blithely identifies the Ark of the Covenant with the 10 Commandments that were given by God to Moses as “the box that Indiana Jones was after.” And not enough time is spent exploring the remnants of ancient city of Meroe in Sudan with its mystical ruins and black pyramids from the powerful Kingdom of Kush that flourished as a Nubian commercial center for caravan trade for seven centuries. It’s also too bad that no mention is made of the light-skinned caste of priests, probably from India, who appointed a Meroe king who was obliged to live and act according to prescribed rules and could be sentenced to death whenever the priests wished. It was not until the 3rd century B.C., during the reign of Ptolemy II in Egypt, that King Ergamenes was able to free himself from the priests’ tyranny. Now Meroe is a haunting ghost town, covered with sand. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, IMAX’s “Mystery of the Nile” is a scenic 6, exploring that mighty river’s cultural, agricultural and societal importance.

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The Interpreter

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Interpreter” (Universal Pictures)

Evoking the savvy suspense of “Three Days of the Condor,” director Sydney Pollack delivers a taut, timely thriller propelled by international intrigue and global terrorism. The story begins in Africa, where a journalist and a photographer discover brutal genocide in a deserted soccer stadium. The action then switches to the United Nations in Manhattan, where South African-raised translator Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) reports that she’s inadvertently heard a whispered death threat against Edmond Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), the president of the fictional republic of Matobo who is scheduled to address the General Assembly. Realizing that she, too, has become a target of the assassins, Silvia must convince curt, cynical Secret Service agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) and his acerbic partner (Catherine Keener) who are assigned to protect Dr. Zuwanie. Suspicious characters abound, along with mysterious and elusive alliances. Director Sydney Pollack and screenwriters Chuck Rudolph, Scott Frank and Steve Zaillian let the explosive urgency of the situation and the ambiguous, high-tension interaction between their skillfully delineated characters propel the plot. While Silvia believes, “Vengeance is a lazy form of grief,” Tobin is highly skeptical of this mysteriously cool, compellingly calculated interpreter. This is the first film ever shot inside U.N. headquarters and photographer Darius Khondji makes the most of the opportunity, prowling the Security Council area and outdoor courtyards as the highly competent ensemble deliver richly textured portrayals. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Interpreter” is a realistic, relevant, riveting 8, favoring political diplomacy and compassion over the frenzied forces of violence and packing a powerful cinematic punch.

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Kung-Fu Hustle

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Kung-Fu Hustle” (Sony Pictures Classics)

So much of our enjoyment of a movie depends on what we expect when we buy a ticket. If I tell you this is Stephen Chow’s latest chop-socky, what springs to mind? Comedy? Martial arts? Set in pre-Communist China, writer/director/actor Stephen Chow (“Shaolin Soccer”) relies on campy slapstick as much as CGI special effects in relating the story of a cocky con artist named Sing (that’s Chow) and his dopey buddy (Lam Tze Chung) as they vainly attempt to terrorize and extort the residents of a dusty tenement slum known as Pig Sty Alley by pretending to be members of the murderous Axe Gang. Their charade not only infuriates the bad-tempered Landlady (Yuen Qiu), perpetually clad in a housecoat and curlers, a cigarette dangling from her lips, but also attracts the attention of the real, axe-wielding, top-hatted Axe Gang, igniting stylized yet imaginative fights that are intricately choreographed by famed Yuen Po Ping, whose credits include “Kill Bill,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and the “Matrix” trilogy. Stephen Chow references a number of eccentric comedic styles, paying homage to a variety of cinematic sources, including Buster Keaton, Bruce Lee, The Three Stooges, “The Godfather,” “Gangs of New York” and “The Matrix.” While Poon Hang Sang’s inventive cinematography is audacious, the narrative needs emotional coherence and the cartoonish comedy is repetitive and lacks timing. In Chinese with English subtitles, the sight-gag spoof/farce seems best suited to adrenaline-propelled teens but the gruesome bloodshed and ruthless violence earns an R-rating. Which poses a conundrum. At whom is this movie aimed? On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Kung-Fu Hustle” is a manic, madcap 6, offering goofy, wacky, over-the-top kung-fu justice.

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Downfall

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Downfall” (Newmarket Films)

What would Hitler’s last 12 days in his elaborate subterranean bunker have been like? That’s what piqued the curiosity of writer/producer Bernd Eichinger. In April, 1945, as the Third Reich collapses above him under Allied assault, Adolf Hitler (Bruno Ganz) – his hand twitching from Parkinson’s – drinks Champagne out of crystal flutes and dines on fine china, set on a white tablecloth, celebrating his 56th birthday, snug within his fortified sanctuary. His flirtatious mistress, Eva Braun (Juliane Koehler), is at his side, kicking his pet German Shepherd Blondi and encouraging everyone to dance. Shortly before they die, Adolf and Eva marry. Then there’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels (Ulrich Matthes) whose wife Magda (Corinna Harfouch) forces cyanide capsules between the lips of their six cherubic children rather than have them grow up in a Germany without National Socialism. Culling from Traudl Junge’s recollections in “Until the Final Hour” and “Blind Spot: Hitler’s Secretary,” director Oliver Hirschbiegel attempts to depict Germany’s most notorious murderers as nuanced, sympathetic human beings, rather than ruthless, cold-blooded psychopaths. Swiss-born Bruno Ganz’s impersonation of Hitler is eerily convincing and, as Hitler’s secretary, actress Alexandra Maria Lara narrates the death-laden docudrama. In German with English subtitles, “Downfall” was Oscar-nominated as Best Foreign Film, but its disturbing objectivity has, understandably, infuriated many W.W.II survivors and fellow German filmmaker Wim Wenders. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Downfall” is an insightful, chilling, intense 9, appealing to those who might be intrigued by a revisionist version of History Channel fare.

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The Amityville Horror

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Amityville Horror” (M.G.M)

There’s a lesson to be learned from the box-office success of this film: horror pictures make money, even if they’re quite dreadful. Why? Audiences like to be scared. So, once again, we’re back with an unsuspecting couple, George and Kathy Lutz (Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George), buying a huge, creepy but surprisingly inexpensive old Dutch Colonial house at 112 Ocean Avenue on Long Island and moving in with their three children and a dog. No matter that, a year early, a 23 year-old nutcase claimed that sinister voices from his TV test pattern told him to murder his entire family at 3:15 a.m.. After all, as George insists, “Houses don’t kill people; people kill people. There are no bad houses, only bad people.” But then their little daughter makes friends with Jodie, a ghost who lives in the closet, blood pours from the water faucets and kitchen magnets spell out a warning: “Katch ‘Em & Kill ‘Em.” Could something really be wrong here? You betcha! A priest (Philip Baker Hall) who tries to sanctify the house with holy water is attached by killer insects, the face of Satan beckons from a gateway to hell and ghouls abound. Within 28 days, the Lutz family runs for their lives. The 1979 version with Margot Kidder and James Brolin built on the real-life 1974 tragedy that put Amityville on the map but, back then, many of writer Jay Anson’s “facts” were not yet contested. Now, at least, hunky Ryan Reynolds demonstrates that he can tackle big-screen drama and beautiful Melissa George is delightfully distraught. Too bad director Andrew Douglas lacks subtlety, innovation and imagination. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Amityville Horror” is a shocky, schlocky 4. With the psychological horror, it’s a real estate nightmare.

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A Lot Like Love

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “A Lot Like Love” (Touchstone Pictures)

It begins a lot more like lust, as a punky, aggressive young woman grabs a shy, grungy fellow, a total stranger, to join the Mile High Club in a cramped airplane lavatory on a flight from Los Angeles to New York. Since all of this is a flashback, their love story is what happens next. After their amorous introduction, self-absorbed twentysomethings Emily Friehl (Amanda Peet) and Oliver Martin (Ashton Kutcher) discover that they not only live in different cities but their lives are on divergent tracks. So three years pass. It’s New Year’s Eve and Emily’s boyfriend has dumped her. She finds Oliver’s parents’ phone number and calls him. Once again, they meet and greet. But then more complications and obstacles arise. All-in-all, it takes them seven years of sporadic couplings to discover what the audience grasps in the first reel: they’re in love. Lanky Ashton Kutcher has a curious career. His primary claim-to-fame is hosting TV’s “Punk’d,” and he’s occupied a semi-permanent niche in the tabloids as Demi Moore’s boy-toy. His acting ability certainly seems secondary, yet he shows an earnest, appealing quality, particularly in the scenes that illustrate his close relationship with his deaf brother (Ty Giordano). But when Kutcher shares the screen with free-spirited Amanda Peet, her thespian ability so outweighs his that he’s at a distinct disadvantage and comes across as clumsy and inept. Colin Patrick Lynch’s coincidence-propelled screenplay is curiously similar to Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise” and “After Sunset,” so director Nigel Cole simply plays out the low-key, clichŽd soulmates-seeking-each-other scenario as best he can. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “A Lot Like Love” is a quirky, terminally cute 5. It’s instantly forgettable fluff.

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Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” (Touchstone Pictures)

Confession: I never read Douglas Adams’ book. That having been said, let’s look at the movie: In England, bleary Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is having a really bad day. He discovers his house will be razed, his unflappable friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def) is an alien doing research and Earth is doomed to make way for a hyperspace bypass. (The dolphins warned us!) So Arthur and Ford hitch a ride on the Heart of Gold Spaceship, embarking on the misadventure of a lifetime. Joining them on the surreal speedway are Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), the two-headed, three-armed Galaxy President, and curious, clever Trillian (Zooey Deschanel), their love interest. Then there’s the poignant planet craftsman Slartibartfast (Bill Nighy), morosely robotic Marvin (Warwick Davis with Alan Rickman’s voice) and malicious missionary Humma Kavula (John Malkovich). Plus voices of Deep Thought (Helen Mirren) and The Guide (Stephen Fry). En route to discovering answers to life’s eternal, philosophical pondering, they encounter a myriad of weird, whimsical beings created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. Director Garth Jennings mixes high-tech, character-driven animatronics (like the bulbous, repulsive Vogons) with low-tech, 2-D comic animation for rich visuals. Production designer Joel Collins’ sci-fi universe is superbly photographed by Igor Jadue-Lillo. But the key is the eccentric cast: British comic Martin Freeman, hip-hop’s Mos Def, manic Sam Rockwell and kooky Zooey Deschanel. Is it chaotic, nonsensical and confusing? Yes. Yet, on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” is an absurdist, inventive, intelligent 8. It’s a wry, silly, satirical spin on outer-and-inner space. Bring a towel and don’t leave Earth without it!

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Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” (Magnolia Pictures)

As timely as today’s court prosecutions, this insightful documentary demonstrates how avaricious top execs Kenneth L. Lay, Jeffrey K. Skilling and Andy Fastow were not only greedy and arrogant but supremely confident that they could shuffle the corporate ledgers – until their Texas-based energy-trading company completely collapsed. Once the seventh-largest corporation in America, Enron’s value fell from an all-time high of $90 per share to about 30 cents per share. Based on the best-seller by Fortune magazine reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, writer/director Alex Gibney (“The Trials of Henry Kissinger”) has assembled an impressive array of straightforward yet incendiary material: unofficial archival data, in-house video clips of company meetings, Congressional hearings and TV talk-shows. That’s augmented by clarifying commentary from stock analysts and angry former Enron employees who felt betrayed – like whistleblower Sharon Watkins. Amanda Martin Brock, Colin Whitehead and Mike Muckleroy. As the scandalous, shocking inside-story unfolds, even the Enron connection to California’s rolling blackouts back in 2000 and 2001 becomes clear as audio tapes reveal eager Enron traders telling West Coast power plants that they should shut down, thereby effectively inflating power prices during that harrowing energy crisis, then chortling, “Burn, baby, burn!” On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” is an intriguing, infuriating 9, a civics and ethics lesson for every American citizen. See how the savvy, smirking Enron executives simply took the money and ran from the bankruptcy, leaving investors and employees with nothing. Now the question is: will they get away with it?

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House of D

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “House of D” (Lions Fate Films)

One of the perks of fame today is the vanity production. So it’s understandable how “X-Files” star David Duchovny was able to finance this self-indulgent writing/directing debut feature. This coming-of-age story opens with Tom Warsaw, a 43 year-old illustrator living in Paris with a French wife and 13 year-old son. As his marriage is flounders, there’s a flashback to his youth. As a 13 year-old, Tommy (Anton Yelchin) had to cope with his father’s death, his chain-smoking depressed mother (Tea Leoni), the awkwardness of his first parochial school crush (Zelda Williams, real-life daughter of Robin), mischief and the strain of a long friendship. As his mentors, he chose a mentally challenged janitor/deliveryman (Robin Williams) and a sassy, heart-of-gold hooker (Erykah Badu) incarcerated in a Women’s House of Detention. The literacy of Duchovny’s screenplay isn’t surprising since he holds a masters degree in English literature from Yale. And he draws on his own Greenwich Village background for the concept, recalling how he used to hang out with friends near a women’s detention center in lower Manhattan, nicknamed “House of D.” He was fascinated by the women in the detention center who, even while jailed, were able to chat openly with passersby from their cell windows. While cinematographer Michael Chapman and costume designer Ellen Lutter admirably re-create the ’70s era, the maudlin, formulaic story, unfortunately, is riddled with trite clichŽs and utterly, profoundly predictable. Perhaps a more experienced director would have helped the novice writer overcome these obstacles, perhaps plumbing for more poignancy. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “House of D” is a faltering 4. Best to wait for the video/DVD.

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Kingdom of Heaven

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

With this Crusader epic about guilt and redemption, Ridley Scott misses so many chances for greatness, although he’s dealing with a timely, relevant topic: the sanctity of Jerusalem. In the 12th century, Balian (Orlando Bloom), a French blacksmith, discovers he’s the son of a great knight, Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), whom he joins on a spiritual journey to the Holy City. Jerusalem is ruled by King Baldwin IV (Edward Norton), who’s afflicted with leprosy, and his military advisor Tiberias (Jeremy Irons), who have forged a tenuous peace with the legendary Muslim leader Saladin (Ghassan Massoud). But this alliance is threatened by fanatic baron Guy De Lusignan (Marton Csokas) and his army of Knights Templar. So much for the muddled plot. After the success of “Gladiator,” Ridley Scott has reassembled his film crew, minus Russell Crowe. That’s a big minus, since Orlando Bloom (Legolas in “Lord of the Rings”) struts around, more like a model on the runway than a credible hero. William Monahan’s macho script lacks character delineation and development, so the audience has no emotional involvement whatever. And those unfamiliar with medieval history won’t realize how Pope Urban II urged Christians to claim Jerusalem as theirs alone, sowing the seeds of religious conflict for centuries to come. What works are the meticulously executed battle spectacles, as the carnage is photographed by John Mathieson in Spain and Morocco with remarkable CGI and visual effects. The climactic scene has Saracen troops hauling huge siege towers up against the walls of the city. Some 2,000 soldiers look like 200,000. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Kingdom of Heaven” is a swashbuckling 6. Exhausting more than exhilarating, it’s sword ‘n’ sandals style over substance.

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