Movie/TV Reviews

The Station Agent

Susan Granger’s review of “The Station Agent” (Miramax Films)

Three ill-matched misfits find emotional solace in friendship in actor-turned-writer/director Tom McCarthy’s gently charming character study that became the surprise hit of the Sundance Film Festival this spring, walking away with the Audience Award, among others. First, there’s Fin McBride (Peter Dinkage), a reclusive dwarf who is obsessed with trains and has inherited an abandoned rural railway station in New Jersey; he’s spent a solitary lifetime steeling himself against insensitive curiosity and rude remarks about his size. His new neighbor is goofy Joe (Bobby Cannavale), a persistently friendly, chatty Cuban who runs his ailing father’s hot-dog stand that’s parked alongside the depot. Then there’s Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), a ditsy, accident-prone painter who is still grieving over the tragic death of her young son two years ago. Much to their surprise and delight, these desperately lonely souls find solace in each other’s quirky company. One of the best scenes in the film occurs when Olivia’s estranged husband drops in one morning and finds the three of them – in bleary-eyed bliss – after boozing themselves into oblivion. And there are appealing, multi-faceted supporting characters – like a sympathetic librarian (Michelle Williams) and an inquisitive schoolgirl (Raven Goodwin). Don’t be surprised if Peter Dinkage becomes the first dwarf nominated for an Oscar; his performance is that good! (Dinkage pops up in a hilarious cameo in “Elf” and has two more films already set for 2004, along with the part of Toulouse-Lautrec in Charles Mee’s upcoming play at Lincoln Center.) On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Station Agent” is an edgy, understated yet dryly funny 8. In its simplicity, it’s a gem about isolation and its alternatives.

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The Singing Detective

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Singing Detective” (Paramount Classics)

Based on Dennis Potter’s popular seven-hour BBC mini-series (1986), this quirky, intriguing story revolves around cranky Dan Dark (Robert Downey Jr.), a mystery writer who is suffering from such a severe skin condition that he’s confined to a hospital bed, unable to move and feeling desperately – and understandably – sorry for himself. In his disordered mind, episodes from the manuscript of his story, called “The Singing Detective,” intermingle with painful childhood memories, as he imagines himself as a character in his own pulp novel. A kindly bald, bespectacled psychiatrist (Mel Gibson, who is also a producer of the film) helps him sort out his grotesque hallucinations in a Freudian manner. First, there’s Dan himself, a private eye/lounge singer. That explains the musical numbers. Then there’s his estranged wife (Robin Wright Penn) who is trying to cheat on him in an episode evocative of his real-life memories of his unhappy mother’s (Carla Gugino) illicit affair. There’s the thug, First Hood (Adrien Brody), who’s far better than Second Hood (Jon Polito). And Katie Holmes scores as luscious Nurse Mills, who dons latex gloves to lubricate Dan with thick cream. While he too often flounders with the narrative, director Keith Gordon pulls no punches with Downey’s graphic make-up. Dan Dark refers to himself as “a human pizza”; indeed, that’s what he looks like. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Singing Detective” is an ambitious if not totally realized 7. Of course, it’s got great buzz from the National Psoriasis Foundation for revealing a disease that affects more than five million Americans, including Art Garfunkel, John Updike and Jerry Mathers, making them, as Dan Dark says, “a prisoner inside their own skin.”

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Pieces of April

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Pieces of April” (United Artists/IFC Productions)

This black comedy belongs to a new sub-species of films known as the Thanksgiving genre, like Jodie Foster’s cynical “Home for the Holidays” and the syrupy “What’s Cooking?” Written and directed by Peter Hedges (“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?”), the unconventional story revolves around stubbornly independent April Burns (Katie Holmes) who has invited her dysfunctional suburban family to drive into Manhattan to join her for the traditional feast. April’s never cooked a turkey before but her devoted boy-friend Bobby (Derek Luke) helps her get the bird and the “fixin’s” ready in their shabby apartment before cycling off to find appropriate attire to meet April’s family. Soon after his departure, April discovers to her horror that the stove’s not working, leaving her to knock on various neighbors’ doors to beg to use their ovens. Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, April’s bitterly alienated mother, Joy (Patricia Clarkson), is already sitting in the station wagon, ready for the journey. She’s terminally ill with cancer and callously uses deathbed humor to manipulate her husband and children. After several stops – to pick up a senile grandmother (Alice Drummond), smoke ‘medicinal’ pot and bury road-kill – Mom, Dad (Oliver Platt) and April’s two younger siblings arrive at her tenement in a dilapidated Lower East Side neighborhood, only to discover that April’s beloved Bobby is a black man. Peter Hedges cleverly captures familial estrangement, just as Tami Reiker’s hand-held digital photography has unvarnished realism. It’s an amusingly indelible portrait a family reunion and reconciliation – and leaving this life with no regrets. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Pieces of April” is a wry, ironic, off-beat 7, seasoned with the spicy sentiment of Thanksgiving.

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Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” (Warner Bros.)

Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck square off once again in this action-packed celebration of their long-time rivalry as cartoon characters. Combining live-action with animation, the story revolves around a Warner Brothers security guard, D.J. Drake (Brendan Fraser), who dreams of being a stuntman. Instead it’s his unpleasant job to escort Daffy off the lot when humorless studio exec Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman) shelves the duck whose audience appeal has dwindled. At least that’s what market research data says. What she didn’t count on was Daffy’s befriending Drake and accompanying him on a search for D.J.’s father Damian (Timothy Dalton), an actor who, in addition to playing a James Bond-like spy, is a real-life secret agent who seeks the legendary Blue Monkey Diamond which, according to myth, has the power to turn people into monkeys. This treasure is also coveted by the evil Chairman (Steve Martin) of the Acme Corporation who uses energetic three year-olds as slave labor by putting double-espresso in their sippy cups. Directed by Joe Dante, the hunt sprints to Las Vegas, where Daffy and D.J. meet up with Dusty Tails (Heather Locklear), an undercover operative. Then it’s off to Paris – the Eiffel Tower and Louvre – and, finally, Africa. Writers Larry Doyle, John Requa & Glen Ficarra utilize all the Looney Tunes lore – Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian – and raid franchise fodder from James Bond, Austin Powers, “Mission Impossible,” “Star Wars,” “Psycho,” “The Mummy,” etc. But “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” it isn’t, even though it shares cinematographer Dean Cundey. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Looney Tunes: Back in Action” is a frenetic 4. Too bad it’s not funny. “That’s all, folks!”

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National Lampoon’s Thanksgiving Reunion

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review:”National Lampoon’s Thanksgiving Reunion” (TBS Superstation)

National Lampoon’s long tradition of irreverent comedies hits a new low with this made-for-television movie. The story begins with Dr. Mitch Snider (Judge Reinhold), anesthesiologist to the stars, removing Britney Spears’ appendix – or, rather, the surgeon does it while he keeps her unconscious. Soon after, at home, Mitch bemoans the lack of Thanksgiving spirit: “Why can’t we celebrate as a family?” “Because we don’t have any,” his wife (Hallie Todd) notes. Then an unexpected invitation arrives from Woody (Bryan Cranston of “Malcolm in the Middle”), a long-lost cousin he never knew he had. Immediately, Mitch packs his two kids and Uncle Phil, a lonely neighbor, into the family’s new Mercedes SUV and heads for Pinkney, Idaho, to celebrate the holiday. “This trip is important to your father,” his wife chirps, “no matter how it inconveniences the rest of us.” But chaos ensues when Mitch discovers that he’s entered a hippie enclave. Woody’s a sweet-natured former football player and his wife (Penelope Warren) is a free-spirited former groupie. Penniless, they’ve never left Woodstock frame-of-mind, eschewing “bad vibes, bad karma.” Or could these whacked-out relatives have their own agenda? Directed by Neal Israel (“Bachelor Party”) from a script by Marc Warren & Dennis Rinsler (“Full House”), it’s not only formulaic but totally predictable. Even Robert E. Seaman’s camerawork is amateurish. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “National Lampoon’s Thanksgiving Reunion” is a gross 3. It premieres on TBS Superstation on Sun., Nov. 23, at 8 p.m. with encores at 10 p.m. and midnight; more encores on Wed., Nov. 26 at 8 p.m., 10 p.m. and midnight. If the tryptophan in the turkey doesn’t put you to sleep, this may.

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Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat” (Universal/DreamWorks)

After the tremendous success of Jim Carrey’s “The Grinch,” I expected the same kind of fanciful delight with Mike Myers as Dr. Seuss’s six-foot-tall talking feline. Unfortunately, it isn’t there. Not that there aren’t amusing moments. There are. Just not as many as there should be. More than anything else, it looks like the prototype for a theme-park ride at Universal Studios. As the story begins, siblings Sally (Dakota Fanning) and Conrad (Spencer Breslin) are bored, having been left at home with a sleeping baby-sitter while their over-stressed single mom (Kelly Preston), a real estate agent, prepares a company party for her germaphobic boss (Sean Hayes). Suddenly, the Cat in the Hat appears with a “phunometer” to measure their “fun” quotient. Since Sally’s a control-freak and Conrad’s a rule-breaker, The Cat transports them to a fantastical world – where they meet Thing #1 and Thing #2 – and learn valuable life-lessons, albeit while making the mother of all messes. The bad taste subplot of their mother’s smarmy suitor (Alec Baldwin) and the scene with socialite Paris Hilton dancing at a rave should have been left in the litter box. Problem is: production designer Bo Welch (“Edward Scissorhands,” “Beetlejuice,” “Men in Black”) is a novice director. Working with designer Alex McDowell and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, Welch’s highly-stylized CGI concept may be inventive and imaginative but his directing isn’t. And Mike Myers isn’t charismatic enough to rise above the prosaic script by Alec Berg & David Mandel & Jeff Schaffer that veers too far from the mischievous Seussian spirit. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Cat in the Hat” prowls in with a shtick-filled 6. It’s may be a young children’s film, but it’s not a family film – and there is a difference.

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Tupac Resurrection

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Tupac Resurrection” (Paramount Pictures)

In the seven years since 25 year-old charismatic rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas, a myriad of books, plays, movies and TV shows have delved into his life and ruminated on his legacy. And he remains the world’s best-selling rap artist. Directed by Lauren Lazin, with Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s Black Panther-activist mother, as an executive producer, this documentary utilizes only archived interviews, photos and the rapper’s personal jottings in his journal, a selective technique which lends an eerie, beyond-the-grave autobiographical tone, as if the clowning, yet self-analytic Tupac had planned it himself. Cleverly edited voice-overs reveal that Tupac Shakur considered himself “a poet and a born leader.” Raised in New York, he began performing at age 12 with a Harlem acting group. At the Baltimore School of Arts, he studied violin, along with ballet, and learned to appreciate Shakespeare as well as the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. He also started rapping and, by age 20, had created his debut album, “2Pacalypse Now.” A politically astute, hip-hop pioneer, his most revealing and reflective interview was with MTV’s Tabitha Soren shortly before he was gunned down. “This is my story,” he says. “Ambition, redemption, violence and love.” Predictably, the less savory aspects of Tupac’s short life are glossed-over, including an 11-month jail sentence for sexual assault – although he does note that actor Tony Danza wrote him a “cheer-up” letter at the time. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Tupac Resurrection” is a vivid 5, perhaps exaggerating his mythical stature which is understandable since it’s similar to the near-deification of Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Buddy Holly and Jimi Hendrix.

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The Missing

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

Set in 1885 in New Mexico, the story revolves around a gutsy frontier healer, Maggie Gilkeson (Cate Blanchett), who – after her pleas to a cavalry officer (Val Kilmer) go unheeded – reluctantly reunites with her volatile estranged father, Jones (Tommy Lee Jones), when her silly elder daughter, Lily (Evan Rachel Wood), is abducted and her lover/farm hand (Aaron Eckhart) is murdered by a vicious Apache witch-doctor (Eric Schweig) who sells young girls into slavery in Mexico. And who should be able to track the Apaches better than her stubborn, erstwhile dad who abandoned Maggie and her mother 20 years earlier to live with the Indians? While they’re on the trail in a rescue race against time – with Kate’s spunky younger daughter (Jenna Boyd) tagging along – inevitably, there’s a father-daughter reconciliation as each steps beyond resentment and guilt and learns more about the sacrifices one will make for the other. Based on Thomas Eidson’s 1995 novel “The Last Ride,” Ken Kaufman has crafted a multi-faceted screenplay that evokes John Ford’s “The Searchers” (1956), despite an emotionally alienating wrong-turn into the eerie supernatural-shaman arena. Cate Blanchett embodies the strong, complex, capable heroine, delivering a richly detailed, Oscar-caliber performance, matched by Tommy Lee Jones’ haunting portrayal of the rueful drifter. Working with skilled cinematographer Salvatore Totino, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (“A Beautiful Mind”) relishes his first experience in the Western genre, turning it into a bleak thriller, effectively scored by James Horner (“Titanic”). On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Missing” is a stark, suspenseful 7. It’s a family drama set against the authentic brutality of the Old West.

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Gothika

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

At the Woodward Penitentiary for Women, Dr. Miranda Grey (Oscar-winner Halle Berry) is a highly respected criminal psychologist who works with her husband (Charles S. Dutton), the chief administrator of the psychiatric ward. Driving home late one stormy night, she crashes her car to avoid hitting a distraught young girl whose body mysteriously bursts into flames. When she awakens, Miranda discovers she’s incarcerated behind thick glass doors at Woodward and accused of brutally killing her husband. While she realizes that the ability to repress is a vital survival tool, the only people who will listen to her distorted rantings are a sympathetic former colleague, Dr. Pete Graham (Robert Downey Jr.), and a dangerously disturbed patient, Chloe (Penelope Cruz), who seems to be having similar difficulties distinguishing reality from fantasy. At first, Miranda claims, “I am a rational person. I don’t believe in the paranormal and I don’t believe in ghosts.” Then, after a few lurid hallucinations, it comes down to: “I’m not deluded. I’m possessed.” In-between are several silly dashes up and down the atmospheric labyrinth of corridors as she desperately tries to fit together the pieces of a bizarre psychological puzzle that ultimately involves ludicrous sadistic torture and a strange anima sola tattoo. Written by Sebastian Gutierrez, directed by France’s Mathieu Kassovitz and photographed by Matthew Libatique, “Gothika” chooses style over substance. Unintentional laughter is evoked, and there’s some heavy-duty irony watching seriously addicted actor Robert Downey Jr. dispensing drugs. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Gothika” loses its grip with a psychobabbling 4. “Logic is over-rated,” Miranda declares. Not when it comes to ghost stories.

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21 Grams

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “21 Grams” (Focus Features)

In his first English-language film, acclaimed Mexican director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu (“Amores Perros”) once again explores the spiritual meaning of living and dying in this drama of three families that are changed forever by a tragic automobile accident. Significantly, the title refers to what a body supposedly loses at the moment of death, perhaps the weight of the soul. As the story begins, a tortured heart-transplant patient (Sean Penn) wonders, “What am I doing in this pre-corpse club?” as his wife (Charlotte Gainsbourg) implores a gynecologist to use her dying husband’s sperm for artificial insemination. Across town, a conscience-stricken Born Again ex-con (Benicio Del Toro) interrupts a birthday celebration with a horrific tale to tell his long-suffering wife (Melissa Leo). And a hysterical drug-addicted party girl-turned-suburban housewife/mother (Naomi Watts) faces the devastating loss of her husband and two daughters. At first, writer Guillermo Arriaga’s complex construction is confusing – like the non-linear structure of “Memento” – but soon the seemingly random past-and-present fragments seamlessly interlock with a cohesive texture, like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. Indeed, the lives of the disparate characters are intertwined in riveting and ironic ways. At the emotional center, grieving Naomi Watts (“Mulholland Drive”) exudes a ferocious, relentless intensity that deserves an Oscar nomination, while Sean Penn (“Mystic River”) delivers an astonishing, electrifying performance which won him the Best Actor award at the Venice Film Festival. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “21 Grams” is a powerfully provocative, weighty 8. “Life goes on” – all the devastated people whose lives have been affected by the automobile accident are told – but at what price?

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