Movie/TV Reviews

Team America: World Police

Susan Granger’s review of “Team America: World Police” (Paramount Pictures)

Years ago, Jonathan Swift wrote: “Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own.” Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the raunchy, irreverent creators of “South Park,”are fiendish, scatological satirists. Discarding subtlety, they skewer indiscriminately, and the absurdly episodic result is – at times – scathing and hilarious. Team America is an elite squadron of James Bonds and Charlie’s Angels who are gung-ho about maintaining global stability, even if that means sacrificing national monuments like the Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Egyptian pyramids. When they learn that a power-hungry dictator – North Korea’s Kim Jong Il – is selling weapons of mass destruction to terrorists, they embark on a perilous mission to save the world, recruiting a Broadway actor, to help them go undercover. Using two-foot-tall wooden marionettes and catchy songs, Parker and Stone mock an aggressive, imperialistic American foreign policy that resembles a formulaic, blow-’em-up Jerry Bruckheimer action-adventure with “Fahrenheit 9/11” filmmaker Michael Moore as a suicide bomber. But beneath that clichŽ-ridden political jab, there’s serious criticism of American mass culture, including politically active, pacifist actors (Alec Baldwin, Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, etc.), and its effect on our electoral process, particularly our open disdain for other cultures. As for the ludicrous R-rated, ribald sex controversy, these are passionate, potty-mouth puppets and that degenerate scene, uncut, will inevitably wind up on the DVD. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Team America: World Police” is a controversial, cleverly caustic 8. They’re equal opportunity offenders as they outrageously blast away at America’s sacred cows.

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The Grudge

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Grudge” (Columbia Pictures)

Timing is everything – and the end of October is perfect for a white-knuckle, edge-of-your-seat ghost story, especially one that leaves enough to your imagination to be truly terrifying. This English-language remake of the Japanese horror hit, “JU-ON: The Grudge,” revolves around the curse of someone who dies in the grip of a terrible rage. According to folklore, those who encounter this supernatural spell perish. Then these victims become ghosts and repeat the evil cycle in an endless, growing chain of horror. Think of it as a timeless, surreal virus. Sarah Michelle Gellar (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) plays Karen, an American health care worker/exchange student living in Tokyo. She’s sent to care for elderly Emma (Grace Zabriskie) who is in Japan with her son, Matthew (William Mapother, Tom Cruise’s brother), and his wife Jennifer (Clea DuVall). Rounding out the American cast, there’s Jason Behr, KaDee Strickland, Bill Pullman and Ted Raimi. But most of all, there’s this haunted house with its shadowy ghosts. Adapted by Stephen Susco (“Endgame”) and directed by Takashi Shimizu (who created the original), it’s not gory, it’s not bloody and it’s not filled with computer graphics. Yet because of its psychological suspense and elusive, non-linear simplicity, it’s a much more effective thriller, not unlike “The Ring.” Which I’m sure is what producers Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man,” “Darkman”) and Rob Tapert (“The Evil Dead,” “The Gift”) had in mind in evoking these intangible, uniquely evil spirits that play off Geller’s innate vulnerability. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Grudge” is an ominous, intangibly scary 7. This is the eerie, mystical stuff of nightmares – a real spookfest!

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Maria Full of Grace

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Maria Full of Grace” (Fine Line Features/HBO Films)

Imagine being a pregnant 17 year-old in rural Colombia, South America, who is so desperate that she’s willing to smuggle drugs in her stomach for a life-changing $5,000. That’s the premise for this harrowing, frighteningly authentic drama from first-time writer-director Joshua Marston. Before she became a drug mule, Maria Alvarez (Catalina Sandino Moreno) had impulsively quit her dead-end job at a flower plantation where she stripped thorns off roses for export to wealthier countries. Then she was offered an irresistible “get-rich-quick” opportunity: swallow some drug pellets, board a plane and fly to New York and deliver the cargo she’s carried in her belly. A glib, motorcycle-riding recruiter, Franklin (Jhon Alex Toro), assures her that only those who wish to become “famous” get caught. What he doesn’t reveal is that Maria, under the guidance of Lucy (Guilied Lopez), an experienced mule, will have to ingest 62 latex-coated pellets at 10 grams each, amounting to more than a pound of pure heroin, along with medicine to slow her digestive system. Her potentially deadly journey as an illicit courier is terrifying, but then she’s interrogated at JFK and shipped off to New Jersey, where she’s held prisoner. Finally, she winds up with Lucy’s pregnant sister (Patricia Rae) in the sheltering borough of Queens. A real-life native of Bogota, Colombia, screen newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno is electrifying, and it’s easy to see why this spellbinding performance tied with Charlize Theron’s for the Best Actress Award at the Berlin Film Festival. In Spanish with English subtitles, on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Maria Full of Grace” is a graphic, profoundly disturbing 8, revealing one young woman’s perilous attempt to escape a bleak future of abject poverty.

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The Manchurian Candidate

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Manchurian Candidate” (Paramount Pictures)

Back in 1962, when John Frankenheimer originally made this thriller, it was about a group of captive US soldiers who were brainwashed during the Korean War. In this timely reinvention, Jonathan Demme focuses on a group of soldiers in Kuwait, 1991, just before Desert Storm. As the story begins, a dedicated US Army major, Ben Marco (Denzel Washington), has been having nightmares and bizarre hallucinations that he suspects are related to his service in the Gulf War, where he and his squad were rescued, single-handedly, by a fellow soldier, Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber). Now a Congressman, the enigmatic Shaw won the Medal of Honor for his heroics and, thanks to his powerful mother, Senator Eleanor Shaw (Meryl Streep), and the financial backing of a ruthless geopolitical corporation, Manchurian Global, he could be the next Vice-President of the United States. At least, until Marco surfaces with preposterous conspiracy theories involving sinister surgical implants and a fugitive geneticist. Far-fetched? Maybe not. Screenwriters Daniel Pyne and Dean Gerogaris have updated George Axelrod’s script, based on Richard Condon’s novel, to encompass Gulf War syndrome and contemporary paranoia. In the original, the diabolical mother (Angela Lansbury) was the wife of a United States Senator; today, she’s a controversial Senator herself. Of course, if you remember the plot, much of the suspense is gone. On the other hand, if you don’t know what’s going to happen, this a terrifying cautionary tale in which Meryl Streep delivers an electrifying, Oscar-caliber performance. In fact, all the acting is flawless. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Manchurian Candidate” is a topical, relevant 9, one of those superbly crafted, content-driven chillers that makes you think.

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The Village

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Village” (Touchstone Pictures)

The name M. Night Shyamalan drew crowds on opening weekend, along with expectations of psychological horror, from the creator of “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable” and “Signs.” But “The Village” veers off in another direction as Shyamalan delves into the nature of fear. The creepy story centers on the inhabitants of a bucolic late-19th century New England hamlet and the mysterious forces that emanate from the dark forest that surround it. Strict laws are enforced by a close-knit council of elders (Sigourney Weaver, William Hurt, Cherry Jones, Brendan Gleeson), primarily one that forbids any of the townspeople from entering the forbidden woods. When the village idiot (Adrien Brody) wanders off to pick some red berries – the color red is verboten, too – an animal is eviscerated and red slashes appear on people’s doors. None of this sits well with young Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix), who has asked permission to venture out, nor with his spunky blind girl-friend (Bryce Dallas Howard) who’s determined to obtain medicine. This time, Shyamalan eschews the supernatural in favor of what amounts to an allegorical ghost story. Building with a slow, deliberate pace, introducing each of the pivotal characters and maintaining his usual stylish visuals, the 33 year-old writer/director/producer knows how to keep the tension taut. The ensemble acting is superb, particularly newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of director Ron Howard). Problem is: the tame, third-act plot payoff just isn’t worth the build-up and doesn’t come as much of a surprise if you listen carefully to the dialogue. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Village” is an anti-climactic yet suspenseful 6, revolving around the timely, thought-provoking ideas of restricting freedom and manipulating the mind.

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Thunderbirds

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

Based on a British TV sci-fi series that was popular back in the ’60s, “Thunderbirds” is about a family of Space Age adventurers – and it seems to be aimed specifically at 10-13 year-old boys. Patriach Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) is a billionaire-turned-astronaut who – with his four grown sons – jets around the world with a fleet of cool, high-tech vehicles called Thunderbirds on heroic missions to save people caught in natural disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and fires. They’re known as International Rescue. Usually left behind, Tracy’s youngest son, Alan (Brady Corbet) is eager to get in on the fun, so he swings into action during a school vacation when he’s home and the rest of the family are otherwise occupied. Alan and his friends – geeky Fermat (Soren Fulton) and spunky Tin Tin (Vanessa Anne Hudgens) – form a teenage team to take on The Hood (Ben Kingsley), a criminal mastermind who utilizes his telekinetic powers to seize Tracy Island and the valuable Thunderbirds. Offering assistance is a posh, pink-clad secret agent, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward (Sophia Myles) and her chauffeur/aide Parker (Ron Cook). Screenwriters William Osborne and Michael McCullers must have known that the original TV series was made with marionettes, which explains the wooden dialogue. Instead of utilizing more stylish disaster-rescue CGI visuals, director Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: Insurrection”) concentrates on the stilted, retro-style “Spy Kids”-like formula. The frantic pace fails to combine action with nostalgia, although Frakes’ real-life wife, former soap opera queen Genie Francis (“General Hospital”), pops up as a globe-hopping TV reporter. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Thunderbirds” is a bland, brainless 2. The gadgets are great but the concept crashes.

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Open Water

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Open Water” (Lions Gate Films)

Remember how you were hesitant to go swimming after you saw “Jaws”? That could happen to scuba-divers after viewing the harrowing dilemma of a couple abandoned several miles out at sea while scuba-diving on a Caribbean island holiday. It’s every diver’s worst nightmare! Stressed-out Susan and Daniel are bickering workaholics who have carved out time for a much-needed tropical vacation. One morning, they schedule a dive trip and join a group of 20 board the Reef Explorer. Soon, they’re in their wetsuits and jumping into the water at the Magic Kingdom site for what should be a 35 min. dive. Unfortunately, they miscalculate time and surface after their boat has departed. The confused guide apparently miscounted his passengers, believing that everyone was on-board. And so their ordeal begins. “What if they don’t know we’re missing?” is quickly followed by “Is that a shark?” Hours pass. They’re thirsty, hungry, exhausted and cold. The danger of their complete isolation increases as their fragility becomes more and more apparent. Tension thickens until it’s almost unbearable. And then the predators arrive. Inspired by a true incident that happened off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, independent filmmaker Chris Kentis and his wife, Laura Lau, have created a white-knuckle cinematic experience, filmed on digital video with no special effects or computer-generated images. Indeed, actors Blanchard Ryan (Susan) and Daniel Travis (Daniel) spent over 120 risky hours in the water amidst all kinds of sea life, including real-life barracudas, jellyfish and sharks. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Open Water” is a chilling, psychologically intense 8. Despite its low-budget, it’s undoubtedly the most terrifying film of the summer!

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Little Black Book

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Little Black Book” (Columbia Pictures)

In this banal romantic comedy, Brittany Murphy stars as Stacy Holt, an idealistic, ambitious associate TV producer for Kippie Kann (Kathy Bates), a once-popular Oprah-type talk show hostess whose cheesy syndicated program emanates from New Jersey. When Stacy’s live-in boyfriend Derek (Ron Livingston), a scout for a hockey team, goes off on a business trip, he accidentally leaves his Palm Pilot behind. Urged by an acerbic co-worker (Holly Hunter) to “look under the hood before you purchase the car,” Stacy decides to do some “research” (i.e.: snooping) about his past. That involves an investigation of three of Derek’s former girl-friends: a bulimic supermodel (Josie Maran), a self-absorbed gynecologist (Rashida Jones) and a wholesome, endearing chef (Julianne Nicholson). Cute and confused Stacy learns more about herself than about Derek as she’s forced to confront her own doubts and insecurities – while stoutly maintaining that Carly Simon’s songs have the answers to all life’s questions. Screenwriters Melissa Carter and Elisa Bell spice up workplace nuggets from “Broadcast News” and “Working Girl” with philosophical clichŽs like “omissions are betrayals” and “knowledge is a terrible and marvelous thing,” while British TV director Nick Carter simply propels the pace as fast as he can, using slapstick comedy as a distraction from the confused script’s obvious inadequacies and stale, dated view of daytime television. What may have been an intriguing premise simply flounders, emerging as an innocuous sit-com. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Little Black Book” is a shallow, futile 5 that even a fluffy, feel-good ending cannot retrieve. “I need a reality check,” whines Stacy. So does this movie.

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Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Returning to the mythical European kingdom of Genovia after graduating from Princeton, Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) – the onetime San Francisco teenager – is warmly greeted by her ready-to-retire grandmother, Queen Clarisse (Julie Andrews), and coldly received by Parliament. According to an old Genovian tradition, Mia cannot take her rightful place as Queen of Genovia unless she is married – and she has exactly 30 days to find a husband or forfeit the throne. What a dilemma! Will Mia follow in her beatific grandmother’s footsteps, dutifully entering an arranged marriage with an amiable titled Brit (John Rhys-Davies), or will she follow her heart and fall for the outrageously handsome Genovian pretender-to-the-throne (Chris Pine)? Guess. Written by Shonda Rhimes from a story by Gina Wendkos and Shonda Rhimes, based on Meg Cabot’s characters, you could cut the cloying blandness with a knife! Veteran director Garry Marshall moves his actors around like cardboard storybook dolls so they don’t drown in the soggy, sappy romance that exhibits scant evidence of the charm and sparkle of its predecessor. There’s one peppy interlude when Mia summons all the other princesses in the world for a wedding-shower, mattress-surfing slumber party. Under that pretext, Disney Channel star Raven joins Julie Andrews in a lively duet, playing the nostalgia chord, reminding us of the days when elegant Julie starred in far better films. Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizondo and Heather Matarazzo are endearing, while the costumes and jewelry are served up as sumptuous eye-candy. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” is a stodgy, saccharine 5. When will Hollywood realize that G-rated does not have to stand for generic and predictable?

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Hero

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Hero” (Miramax Films)

It’s been nearly two years since its Asian release and foreign-film Oscar-nomination, yet this exciting folkloric epic is worth the wait, particularly for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” fans. During the third century B.C., before the reign of the first Emperor, China was split into seven feudal kingdoms. Determined to expand his power, the tyrannical King of Qin (Chen Dao Ming) is the target of three legendary assassins: Sky (Donnie Yen), Flying Snow (Maggie Cheung) and Broken Sword (Tony Leung), accompanied by Moon (Zhang Ziyi), his devoted servant. All are summarily vanquished by a skilled but lowly, nameless peasant (Jet Li), the titular Hero, who is then summoned to Qin’s Royal Court for a unique private audience. Writer/director Zhang Yimou (“Raise the Red Lantern,” “Ju Dou”) is a consummate story-teller, and the structure recalls “Rashomon,” as ambiguous, often contradictory flashbacks reveal truths and half-truths, revolving around the theme that individuals should abandon personal ambition for the greater good. But it’s Christopher Doyle’s luminous, poetic cinematography that leaves you breathless, along with the stylized production and costume design, Tan Dun’s musical score (featuring Itzhak Perlman’s violin and Japan’s Kodo Drummers), cleverly choreographed CGI and audacious wirework. One beautiful, strikingly sumptuous scene features two women, clad in crimson robes, fencing as golden leaves gently swirl around them. In another, the dueling figures are in blue, then green, and white. Bold, visually ravishing colors conceptualize the legend. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Hero” is a dazzling, exquisite, emotionally resonant 10. Known as China’s most expensive movie, “Hero” is a truly a innovative work of art.

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