Movie/TV Reviews

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

The Irish are renown as storytellers – and as writer/director Jim Sheridan (“My Left Foot,” “In the Name of the Father”) mixes humor with pathos, he once again proves why. Reaching back into his own memory bank, he evokes New York City through an immigrant’s eyes. His reminiscence begins as optimistic Irish ŽmigrŽs (Paddy Considine, Samantha Morton) drive into the United States from Canada with their two precocious daughters (Sarah Bolger – who serves as the narrator – and Emma Bolger, her younger sister), pretending to be on holiday. A third child, a son, is listed on their travel papers but he’s died, and they all tote the pain of that tragedy with them as heavy emotional baggage. Through the girls’ eyes, Manhattan is magical; even the mean streets hold undeniable charms. Soon, a grimy tenement in the dilapidated urban area known as Hell’s Kitchen – with its ‘resident’ junkie out-front – becomes their new home. And the huge, once-terrifying ‘screaming man’ (Djimon Hounsou) downstairs is no longer a stranger. As writing collaborators, Jim Sheridan has recruited his two daughters, Naomi and Kirsten, who actually ‘lived’ this episodic, semi-autobiographical story, and their authenticity is not only palpable but deeply moving, brought to life by astonishing naturalistic acting performances, particularly from the young Bolger sisters. Cinematographer Declan Quinn repeatedly contrasts the awe-inspiring Manhattan skyline with the brutal reality of persevering within a penniless day-to-day existence, including taking menial jobs en route to achieving the American Dream. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “In America” is an astonishingly rich and revelatory 8, a poignant, heart-warming, timeless tale of faith and hope.

Susan Granger’s review of “Shattered Glass” (Lion’s Gate Films)

Long before Jayson Blair disgraced the editorial staff of ‘The New York Times,’ an ambitious 24 year-old ‘New Republic’ staff writer was caught fabricating facts. Inspired by a ‘Vanity Fair’ article by Buzz Bissinger, writer-director Billy Ray dissects exactly how this slippery scam-artist so charmed and manipulated the editors and staff co-workers that the accepted and essential rituals of copy editing and fact-checking were routinely suspended in his favor. Charming Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen) was just out of college and enrolling in law school when he became the pampered ‘favorite’ of popular editor Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria), churning out sensational essays that, invariably, made the cover of the weekly political magazine that compensated for its low circulation by claiming to be “the in-flight magazine of Air Force One.” But when Kelly was fired, he had to report to Charles Lane (Peter Sarsgaard) who was alerted by an on-liner (Steve Zahn) who became suspicious about Glass’s elusive sources. As Glass’s journalistic transgressions became ever more transparent, Lane was forced into decisive action, despite indignant protests from Glass’s duped colleague (Chloe Sevigny) and others. Hayden Christensen (“Star Wars”) captures a geek’s hunger for glory, while Peter Sarsgaard conveys serious torment. In contrast to “All the President’s Men” in which two investigative reporters were heroes, this cautionary tale excuses the culprit’s duplicity, a familiar stance in our current climate of celebrity forgiveness. Yet, as a journalist, I find it difficult to empathize with Glass’s deliberate dishonesty. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Shattered Glass” is a facile 5. “Journalism is just the art of capturing behavior,” Glass asserts. But ethics count too.

Susan Granger’s review of “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” (Columbia Pictures)

Since the original “Charlie’s Angels” movie made nearly $260 million worldwide, a sequel was inevitable and its trio of playful, sexy, butt-kicking stars are back – Drew Barrymore as Dylan, Cameron Diaz as Natalie and Lucy Liu as Alex – along with director McG.

This time, the Angels’ boss, Charlie (voiced by John Forsythe), asks them to retrieve a pair of titanium rings encoded with the new identities of everyone in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Dylan’s in particular danger since a killer ex-boyfriend (Justin Theroux) is after her. And there’s a former-now-fallen Angel, villainous Madison Lee (sleek, sensational Demi Moore) with her own agenda. Basically, the Angels are heavily into having a good time, changing costumes with almost every scene and revealing as much skin as possible within a PG-13 rating. While the publicity makes much ado about the buffed Angels performing their own stunts, if you look closely at the wirework, you’ll realize there are lots of quick cuts and close-ups, augmented by the cacophonous noise, blaring soundtrack and “Matrix” bullet-time motion. McG’s hyperkinetic music video background must have come in handy with the editing. Bill Murray’s gone, replaced by Bernie Mac as his brother Bosley – and for more Y-chromosomes, there’s Crispin Glover as the silent Thin Man, Brazil’s Rodrigo Santoro as an assassin, John Cleese as Alex’s father, Matt LeBlanc as Alex’s boyfriend and Luke Wilson as Natalie’s live-in lover. In cameos, Bruce Willis pops up as a federal agent and Jaclyn Smith as Kelly Garrett, an original 1970’s TV angel. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle” is a fresh, fun-filled, frenetic 7, propelled by action if not acumen.

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

Isn’t it finally Tom’s turn for an Oscar? Tom Cruise scores big in this historical epic set in Japan in the 1870s. Previously nominated for “Jerry Maguire” and “Born on the Fourth of July,” Cruise excels once again at playing men engaged in a subtle struggle with their own conscience. He’s Capt. Nathan Algren, a contemptuous Civil War veteran, who is bitter disillusioned with the U.S. Army’s postwar campaign against the Indians. When he’s recruited by young Emperor Meiji of Japan to train the Imperial army in modern warfare, he accepts – only to be snared by Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), the regal leader of the Samurai, whose ancient feudal traditions are being eradicated by modernized bureaucrats. Spending a winter in captivity, he learns about Samurai ritualized discipline, dedication to service and spiritual compassion. Above all, he respects their code of honor which forces him to re-examine where his loyalties lie. Tutored by the fierce warrior Ujio (Hiroyuki Sanada), he tenaciously learns to fight alongside them. Obviously influenced by Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, co-writer/director Edward Zwick (“Glory,” “Courage Under Fire”) stages awesome battle scenes, filled with carnage, while meticulously developing the tragic nobility of the exotic personal drama. Kudos to photographer John Toll, production designer Lilly Kilvert, fight coordinator John Powell and composer Hans Zimmer. In supporting roles, Timothy Spall’s acerbic, Billy Connolly’s irreverent, and Tony Goldwyn’s contemptible. Above all, it’s time to give underrated Tom Cruise an Academy Award. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Last Samurai” is an exquisite, exciting, powerful 10. One of the best pictures of the year, it’s filled with challenging, cutting-edge excitement.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Cooler” (Lion’s Gate Films)

Set in Las Vegas at the aging Shangri-La Casino, this is the story of Bernie Lootz (William H. Macy), a man whose luck is so bad that it radiates damaging karma, condemning those around him. He’s known as a “cooler,” meaning that his mere presence can subdue a hot streak or stop a run on the house as he innocuously ambles from table to table. In fact, his talent for devastation is so reliable that he’s almost finished working off a gambling debt to the casino’s volatile boss, Shelly Kaplow (Alec Baldwin). But that all changes when Bernie falls for a sexy, enticing cocktail waitress (Maria Bello) who, to his surprise, returns his adoration. Suddenly, Lady Luck seems to be smiling on Bernie – which is not a good thing for a man who has built a reputation as a loser. Writer-director Wayne Kramer and co-writer Frank Hannah keep the tension taut, even while working in subplots about the demise of a junkie lounge singer (Paul Sorvino), the sudden appearance of Bernie’s estranged son (Shawn Hatosy) with a pregnant girl-friend (Estella Warren), and plans for modernizing the Shangri-La with a timely subtext on the future of the bright lights of the Vegas Strip. But, above all, this is a brilliant tour-de-force for the perennially underestimated character actor William H. Macy, whose hang-dog look and sad-sack physicality personify his low-life character. Maria Bello is convincing and Alec Baldwin is in top form as the nasty, menacing operations director, evoking memories of his turn in “Glengarry Glen Ross.” On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Cooler” is an intriguing, suspenseful 7. If strong performances intrigue you, gamble on this one.

Susan Granger’s review of “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (Lion’s Gate Films)

As this film unfolds, you’re transported back in time to the 17th century of Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. Based on Tracy Chevalier’s best-selling novel, screenwriter Olivia Hetreed and director Peter Webber speculate on the circumstances surrounding the mysterious creation of Vermeer’s most famous painting – and their fiction is presented so realistically that it’s convincing. Set in Holland, in 1665, the story revolves around 16 year-old Griet (Scarlett Johansson), the modest Calvinist daughter of a Delft tilemaker, who is hired as a servant in the tempestuous Catholic household of Vermeer (Colin Firth). As she’s dutifully cleaning the artist’s attic studio, she becomes fascinated by the interaction of light, space and color. Gratified by her interest in his craft, he teaches her how to mix paints, but their intimacy arouses his wife’s (Essie Davis) jealousy and his mother-in-law’s (Judy Parfitt) ire. Tension is escalated when Vermeer’s conniving patron, Master van Ruijven (Tom Wilkerson), demands that he, secretly, paint a portrait of Griet, who is psychologically tormented as she’s also being courted by the butcher’s son (Cillian Murphy). Having scored earlier this year in “Lost in Translation,” Scarlett Johansson radiates luminous intelligence, bearing uncanny resemblance to the real model for the painting, while Colin Firth embodies the artist’s muted conflict. Cinematographer Eduardo Serra, production designer Ben van Os and costumer Dien van Straalen pay tribute to Vermeer by meticulously constructing each scene as a vibrant work of art, and the sensuous, inherent intrigue is augmented by Alexandre Desplat’s musical score. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Girl With a Pearl Earring” is an elegant, exquisite 8. Watching it is to see a painting come to life before your eyes.

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

Christmas cynics rejoice! Here’s a big bad comedy just for you. Willie T. Stokes (Billy Bob Thornton) is a surly, sleazy, sarcastic alcoholic who earns enough money cracking department store safes at Christmastime to support his boozing-and-babes lifestyle for the rest of the year.  It works like this: each December, Stokes is summoned to a different locale by his partner Marcus (Tony Cox), a dwarf, for jobs as a Santa and his elf. While Santa bounces the kids on his knee, listening none too patiently to their wishes, the elf meticulously investigates the store’s security system. Then, on Christmas Eve, when the safe’s full of cash, they pull a robbery scam. Problem is: Willie’s perpetual drinking has made him unreliable and unruly, so their current gig in suburban Phoenix gets off to a shaky start with the store manager (the late John Ritter, to whom the film is dedicated). He reports their suspiciously rude behavior to the security chief (Bernie Mac), who has plans of his own. Meanwhile, Santa’s befriended by a sweet, chubby, achingly lonely kid (Brett Kelly) whose takes him home. Since the kid’s in the care of his grandmother (Cloris Leachman) who’s perpetually comatose in front of the TV, rising only to make sandwiches, soon Willie’s frolicking in the hot-tub with a lusty barmaid (Lauren Graham).  Striving to earn their R-rating, director Terry Zwigoff (“Ghost World”) and screenwriters Glenn Ficarra and John Requa spare no one. It’s equal opportunity offensive – and very, very funny. Which is not surprising since the quirky Coen brothers are executive producers. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Bad Santa” is a wickedly subversive 8. And if you like this kind of vulgar humor, Bill Murray’s “Scrooged” (1998) takes a similar tone.

Susan Granger’s review of “Under the Tuscan Sun” (Touchstone Pictures)

If you read Frances Mayes’ memoir, “Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy,” you’ll find that the screen adaptation by director/writer Audrey Wells is quite different, except in setting. The heroine has become a lonely divorcee, resulting in an unexpectedly added depth to the story. Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”) plays Frances, the San Francisco book critic who has just endured an devastating divorce. Her pregnant friend (Sandra Oh) gives her a ticket to Italy, hoping that the trip will lift her spirits. While visiting a bucolic town, she sees a lovely villa listed for sale. When the tour bus makes an unscheduled stop directly in front of the 300 year-old manor home, called Bramasole, meaning “yearns for the sun,” she impulsively grabs her suitcase and ventures inside. A German couple is haggling price with the realtor (Vincent Riotta), but when a pigeon poops on Frances, it’s a “signale de Deo.” Bramasole is hers – and her transformational adventure begins. First, she hires a contractor with three Polish workers to do the repairs and renovations. Then she’s befriended by a delusional Brit expatriate (Lindsay Duncan) and courted by manly Marcello (Raoul Bova) from Positano, who vows, “I am going to make love all over you.” At its core, this is a true romance, revolving around a heartbroken woman who transplants herself into a foreign culture in order to start life anew. She rises to the challenge and discovers her own resiliency. Filmed in Cortona, Positano, Rome and Florence, Geoffrey Simpson’s photography is evocative and beautiful. And above all, the film is a tribute to love, laughter and friendship. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Under the Tuscan Sun” is a surprisingly satisfying 9, recommended for anyone who’s ever wondered if there really are second chances.

Susan Granger’s review of “Anything Else” (DreamWorks)

I’m a devoted Woody Allen fan but even I was hard-pressed to find anything funny in this lackluster romantic comedy that feebly re-hashes “Annie Hall” for a younger generation. Jason Biggs (“American Pie”) plays Jerry Falk, a younger version of Woody Allen. He’s a nerdy, neurotic New York comedy writer who is used and abused by those near and dear to him. First there’s Amanda (Christina Ricci), his self-obsessed, aspiring-actress girl-friend who refuses to have sex with him for months at a time while conducting torrid clandestine affairs – and who moves her wannabe chanteuse mother (Stockard Channing) and a piano into their tiny apartment. Then, there’s Harvey (Danny DeVito), his aggressive and annoying manager. Finally, there’s his psychiatrist (William Hill) who refuses to talk to him. The only light-in-his-life is his friend David Dobel (Woody Allen), an anti-intellectual public school teacher whom he meets, daily, in Central Park. While the paranoid Dobel rants and raves about Nazis, guns and the Holocaust, he also offers Jerry some ironic insight into solving his domestic and career problems. Writer/director Woody Allen hauls out several of his “Annie Hall” devices, like having his characters face the camera and share their angst with the audience, along with an all-too-familiar snorting-cocaine scene that no longer evokes laughter. While the setting is supposed to be contemporary, Allen’s allusions are disconcertingly ’60s and his casting choices are bizarre – yet it’s all beautifully photographed by Daius Khondji. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Anything Else” is a dull, depressing 4. To his credit, Woody Allen, now 67, is finally beginning to act his age but – as one character observes – “funny is money” – and this just isn’t funny..

Susan Granger’s review of “Underworld” (Screen Gems)

Cleverly contrived to evoke fear about viral contamination, this action-horror fantasy revolves around the provocative premise of two ancient rivals vying for domination over the human race. For centuries, vampires and lycans (werewolves) have evolved. In an unnamed Eastern European city, the arrogant leader (Shane Brolly) of the dominant, blood-drinking vampires believes they’ve achieved superiority, but black leather-clad Selena (Kate Beckinsale), a vengeful Death Dealer warrior, isn’t quite sure. When she spies some feral, snout-nosed lycans stalking a human, Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman), she’s suspicious and intervenes. Has the lycan leader (Michael Sheen) discovered something in this mortal that would tip the balance of power in favor of the werewolves. Indeed he has. It seems that the unwitting young medical student is a genetic cross-breed, descended from a family that has both vampire and lycan blood. So it’s time to awaken Viktor (Bill Nighy), the hibernating vampire chief, and go to battle once again. Written by Danny McBride and directed by Len Wiseman from a mysticism-discarding story by McBride, Wiseman and Kevin Grevioux, it reeks with grotesque Gothic atmosphere, courtesy of cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts. Kate Beckinsale is the stylishly sleek heroine, evoking a Carrie-Ann Moss/ Lara Flynn Boyle/Angelina Jolie amalgam, while victimized Scott Speedman achieves an amazing visual transformation, courtesy of creature-creator Peter Tatopoulos. After this summer’s excessive CGI, it’s refreshing to watch prosthetic-enhanced actors perform the wire-work and stunts. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Underworld” is a slick, supernatural 5. Let’s just say: you can really sink your teeth into this bloody, predatory lore.