Movie/TV Reviews

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

Ever since silent films, movie-makers have remembered the Alamo. Perhaps John Wayne’s 1960 folklore version is the most famous. Now that iconic military engagement is revisited. The story begins in the 1820s, when Mexico encouraged development of its northern territory by offering free land to anyone, including U.S. citizens, who would settle there. By the early 1830’s, conflict arose between the Mexican government and American residents or “Texians.” As an organized rebellion developed, frontiersmen like Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton) and boozy Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) took command, along with colorless Lt. Col. William B. Travis (Patrick Wilson). They were among the nearly 200 Texians killed in 1836 defending The Alamo, an old Franciscan mission-turned-fortress, during a savage 13-day siege by sadistic Gen. Santa Anna (Emilio Echevarria) and his 1,400 Mexican soldiers. Two months later, Gen. Sam Houston (Dennis Quaid) wreaked revenge at San Jacinto, shouting: “Remember the Alamo!” If this sounds like a solemn history lesson, it is. Writers Leslie Bohem, Stephen Gaghan and John Lee Hancock, who also directed, go for authenticity. So the characters are flawed and dull – with the exception of Crockett, thanks to the eccentricity of Billy Bob Thornton. Meticulous attention is paid to the accuracy of the grandiose production; a canon-ball shot is amazing. And Carter Burdwell’s wooden-flute music adds flavor. (Director Ron Howard’s pre-production departure, with writer John Sayles and actor Russell Crowe, took its toll.) On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Alamo” is a talky, thoughtful, if rambling 6. But I suspect Disney chief Michael Eisner may someday want to forget he forked over $100 million for “The Alamo.”

Susan Granger’s review of “Kill Bill, Volume 2” (Miramax Films)

Here’s the scoop: Quentin Tarantino created this uber-violent exploitation film that was much too long. His solution? Divide and conquer. So, in Vol. 1, we met this strong, brave warrior (Uma Thurman), known as the pregnant Bride, who’s out for a bloodbath of vengeance after that fatal day in El Paso when her wedding rehearsal was massacred by her former lover/boss (David Carradine) and his Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. In Vol. 2, she accomplishes her mission. Having already dispatched two of Bill’s four assassins (Viveca A. Fox, Lucy Liu), the Bride – a.k.a. Black Mamba or Beatrix Kiddo – goes after Bill’s laconic brother Budd (Michael Madsen), who buries her alive. (Claustrophobics beware!) But lethal, hard-learned lessons from her cruel martial arts master Pei Mei (Gordon Liu) pay off, and she escapes to slaughter a cool combatant, the eye-patched Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah). Finally, after memorable moments with Esteban Vihaio (Michael Parks), it’s on to the deadly dangerous showdown with Bill, complete with revelations about Bill’s theft of comatose Beatrix’s daughter, B.B. (Perla Honey-Jardine), whom he’d fathered. There’s more ironic, melodramatic talk and less frenzied fighting this time ’round. Planning for Vol. 3, more than a decade later, Tarantino says that Nikki, the terrified child who watched in horror as the Bride killed her mother (Viveca A. Fox), will grow up to retaliate. Meanwhile, on the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Kill Bill, Vol. 2” is a self-indulgent, audacious, excessive 8. Filled with pop culture references and iconic images paying homage to a myriad of action films, and seen together, as they will be on DVD, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 pack a mighty wallop as an epic, brutal revenge thriller that’s ripe to become a video game.

Susan Granger’s review of “Man on Fire” (20th Century-Fox)

Thanks to Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning, this predictable thriller, set in Mexico City, joins “Kill Bill, Vol. 2” and “The Punisher” in the revenge-saga box-office sweepstakes. After a prologue explaining that, in Latin America, there are brutal kidnappings every hour and 70% of those taken do not survive, Washington plays boozy John Creasy, a burned-out former CIA operative/assassin, whose guilt has driven him to seek solace in the Bible, Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou” and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. After a shifty lawyer (Mickey Rourke) advises a wealthy Mexican industrialist, Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony), and his American trophy wife Lisa (Radha Mitchell), that they need security protection for their precocious nine year-old daughter Lupita (Dakota Fanning), an old friend and former colleague (Christopher Walken) gets Creasy the job. So when “Pita” is kidnapped, Creasy is determined to avenge the crime, ruthlessly blowing away corrupt police officers, gangsters and everyone else who gets in his way, telling a reporter (Rachel Ticotin): “I’m going to kill them all….Anybody involved in it.” Riffing off Brian Helgeland’s hard-boiled script, director Tony Scott delivers a flashy orgy of torture, executions and explosions, hyped to-the-max by Paul Cameron’s frenzied camera work and Christian Wagner’s nerve-racking editing. The redeeming factor in this fracas is the tender relationship that’s been forged between Denzel Washington and cherubic Dakota Fanning, who views her benefactor as “a big, unhappy bear.” On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Man on Fire” is a slick but self-indulgent 6. At nearly 2 1/2 hours, it’s much too long, considering that it’s a re-make of “Man on Fire”(1987), starring Scott Glenn, that runs at least an hour shorter.

Susan Granger’s review of “Connie and Carla” (Universal Pictures)

Second-acts are difficult – as screenwriter/actress Nia Vardalos is discovering after her low-budget “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” mega-success. In creating this sweet-natured, campy comedy, she was obviously inspired by “Some Like It Hot” and “Victor/Victoria.” Childhood chums Connie (Nia Vardalos) and Carla (Toni Collette) are airport lounge singers who go on-the-run after accidentally witnessing a murder at a Chicago dinner theater. Mobsters are after them, so they go into hiding, pretending to be drag queens at a West Hollywood gay bar. As undercover Belles of the Balls transvestites, they’re a hoot, finding an appreciative audience for their bizarre fashions sense, big hair and overdone make-up. Of course, pretending to be men passing as women puts a crimp in their social life, particularly in Connie’s flirtation with a fellow performer’s (Stephen Spinella) straight brother (an obviously embarrassed David Duchovny). Under veteran TV director Michael Lembeck, the kitschy gender-bender concept has some crowd-pleasing numbers. “Chin up! Boobs out! It’s show time!” So you can’t help smiling as the hammy drag queens parade in soap-bubble wigs, warbling “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair.” And when M.G.M. singing/dancing star Debbie Reynolds (“Singin’ in the Rain”) arrives on the scene, she becomes an integral part of the musical finale. Under the surface, there’s still some obvious discomfort in dealing with sexual role-playing. In addition, the writing is uneven and the dialogue is often repetitive. “Your voice is giving me the shingles” is reprised as “Your voice is giving me mono.” On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Connie and Carla” is a brassy, shrill, silly 6. But if you’re a sucker for show tunes, you’ll have a good time.

Susan Granger’s review of “Fahrenheit 9/11” (Lions Gate Entertainment)

Although Oscar-winning Michael Moore’s incendiary new film fits into the documentary genre, it’s really agit-prop – and whether you’ll like it or not probably depends on whether you’re opposed to President George W. Bush or one of his supporters. Moore’s rabble-rousing agenda leaves no room for historical context, an analysis of facts or debate. It’s a brilliant blame game. “Fahrenheit 9/11” is a scathing political attack that begins with shocking footage of how our President, a vacant, confused look on his face, sat in a kindergarten class in Florida, reading “My Pet Goat,” for seven long minutes after being told that America was under attack on Sept. 11th. While Moore refers to murky connections between the Bush and bin Laden families and cites Craig Unger who wrote “House of Bush, House of Saud,” he catapults the viewer into the grim, sordid reality of war, showing dying Americans and Iraqis, and speaking with a few of the 4,000+ casualties at US hospitals who feel betrayed. A sequence involving US troops ridiculing hooded detainees near Samara parallels the sexual humiliations that occurred at Abu Ghraib at the same time. Finally, there’s grief-stricken Lila Lipscomb reading a letter from her son, Sgt. Michael Pedersen, who was killed in Iraq, noting: “He got us here for nothing whatsoever.” Much of this information is not new. It’s simply packaged in such a compelling way that it ignites controversy and provokes discussions about its implications. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, which measures how well a movie succeeds it what it set out to do (i.e.: a thriller, a comedy, a drama), “Fahrenheit 9/11” is an angry 8, although its real effectiveness as muckraking propaganda may be reflected by the outcome of the November elections.

Susan Granger’s review of “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” (20th Century-Fox)

In this crazed sports spoof, slobby nice-guy Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn) has a dilapidated, ramshackle gym called Average Joes, which is, unfortunately, right across the street from the sleek, successful, high-tech Globo Gym run by egomaniacal fitness guru White Goodman (Ben Stiller). In order to save his failing business from foreclosure, LaFleur has to secure $50,000 and, to that end, he enters his inexperienced team of misfits (Alan Tudyk, Justin Long, Joel David Moore, Chris Williams) in a dodge-ball championship in Las Vegas, where – predictably – they’ll face Goodman’s Purple Cobras, a team of super-buff players including a Russian Amazon. Written and directed as a first feature by Rawson Marshall Thurber, it’s simply an adolescent rehash of the lovable-losers-triumph-over-adversity story. While he’s sometimes hilarious, like in “Starsky and Hutch” and “Zoolander,” Ben Stiller’s frantic, caricatured schtick too often gets tedious here. Instead, it’s Jason Bateman of TV’s “Arrested Development” who gets the most laughs as a sportscaster whose patter is filled with non-sequiturs during the tournament finale. Hank Azaria plays the young Patches O’Houlihan, a legendary dodge ball champion, whose instructional video touts “the sport of violence, exclusion and degradation,” while Rip Torn is the older, demented Patches, arriving in a motorized wheelchair to coach the Average Joes. There are cameos by Chuck Norris and cyclist Lance Armstrong – and for trivia buffs, Stiller’s real-life wife, Christine Taylor, is the bank lawyer who joins the Average Joe’s team after fending off Goodman. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10,, “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” scores a silly, stupid, intermittently funny 6. It’s only 96 minutes long but I’d wait for the video.

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

Because of galvanizing performances by seasoned pros Robert Redford and Helen Mirren, this dynamite kidnapping drama is as much of a character study as it is a psychological thriller. Wayne Hayes (Redford) is a wealthy, successful entrepreneur whose car rental company has emerged as a rival to Hertz and Avis. Semi-retired, he shares a gracious McMansion in suburban Pittsburgh with his wife Eileen (Mirren). It’s obvious that, over the past 30 years, their once-loving relationship has become perfunctory. But when, one morning, Wayne is abducted at gunpoint by Arnold Mack (Willem Dafoe) a disillusioned former employee, their tranquil world is shattered. As an FBI agent (Matt Craven), literally, takes up residence in her home, Eileen is forced to re-examine her repressed suspicions and marital secrets, particularly when her grown children (Alessandro Nivola and Melissa Sagemiller) gather at her side. Written by novelist Justin Haythe and producer Pieter Jan Brugge (“The Insider”), who makes his directorial debut, it’s structured, within a varying timescape, as a parallel emotional struggle between the kidnap victim and his captor, juxtaposed against the agony of the helpless wife who is left behind. Inspired by an actual kidnapping in the Netherlands, Brugge conceived the complex plotline, centered in deception, and set it against the relevant background of the American dream, delving into the emotional price paid by those who achieve it as well as those who do not. Production designer Chris Gorak and French cinematographer Denis Lenoir heighten the palpable suspense. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Clearing” is an engrossing 8, unflinching in its tension and unconventional in its mystery.

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

Evoking memories of “The English Patient,” filmmaker Anthony Minghella once again explores love amidst the perils of war, this time adapting Charles Frazier’s 1997 best-seller.

Set in 1864 in the South, a wounded Confederate soldier named Inman (Jude Law) decides he’s had his fill of the Civil War. Memories of his brief encounters with beautiful Ada Monroe (Nicole Kidman), the pampered preacher’s (Donald Sutherland) daughter, propel him to desert his beleaguered unit and embark on a perilous trek back to Cold Mountain, North Carolina. Like Homer’s “Odyssey,” Inman encounters eccentric, colorful characters and finds himself in bizarre situations en route. Meanwhile, on the home front, the cultured-but-now-impoverished Ada is struggling, incapable of living off the land until Ruby (Renee Zellweger), a tough, outspoken working girl, comes to her aid. Together, they manage to survive, as treacherous Teague (Ray Winstone) and his zealous enforcers are hunting down Rebel deserters and those who aid them.

Despite its pretentious, episodic structure and emotional restraint, “Cold Mountain” retains its tension through multi-layered character development. Jude Law and Nicole Kidman are doggedly stalwart, but they’re often eclipsed by surprising supporting turns from scene-stealing Renee Zellweger, Kathy Baker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brendan Gleeson, Natalie Portman and Eileen Atkins. Production designer Dante Ferretti, editor Walter Murch and cinematographer John Seale are top-notch with special credit to Gabriel Yared who utilizes traditional mountain tunes in the melodic score. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Cold Mountain” is a chilly, cerebral 9, celebrating the triumph of hope during the grim brutality of war.

Susan Granger’s review of “What Alice Found” (Factory Films)

When 18 year-old Alice (Emily Grace) escapes from the bleakness of her home and job in New Hampshire, ostensibly to visit a high-school friend in Florida, she embarks on a totally unexpected coming-of-age trek. It’s a timely twist on that other Alice with the Looking Glass. Driving along, Alice is accosted by rednecks and forced to flee down the highway. When her beat-up car seemingly dies at a rest-stop and the wad of cash she had stashed under the seat disappears, she’s stranded. Suddenly, two cheerful Samaritans appear. Sandra and Bill (Judith Ivey and Bill Raymond) are a middle-aged couple, apparently seeking perpetual pleasure in their roomy RV that’s equipped with all the amenities – and plenty of space for a passenger. Sandra immediately senses Alice’s turmoil and offers her a ride to Florida, along with warm, nurturing friendship, make-up advice and a shopping spree to spice up the pretty teen’s frumpy wardrobe. Outspoken, funny and earthy, Sandra becomes Alice’s surrogate mother – and Bill’s paternal protectiveness makes her feel comfortable, even at home, in the confining space. Then, suddenly, penniless Alice realizes just how Sandra and Bill make their money. What was once mysterious now becomes crystal clear, along with the role her benefactors envision for her in their plans. Writer/director A. Dean Bell not only has a solid sense of story but also a keen eye for casting, pairing two veterans – Judith Ivey and Bill Raymond – with Emily Grace, a talented newcomer. And producer/cinematographer Richard Connors deftly captures their improvised intimacy on digital video. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “What Alice Found” is an intricate, ambiguous 7. It’s a modest, independent drama that turns out to be a gem!