Movie/TV Reviews

Radio

Susan Granger’s review of “Radio” (Columbia Pictures/Sony)

“Radio” claims its own niche in the inspirational sports movie genre, relating the mentoring relationship between a mentally challenged black man and a South Carolina football coach. Based on a true Sports Illustrated story by Gary Smith and set in the 1970s, it revolves around shy James Robert Kennedy (Cuba Gooding Jr.), nicknamed Radio, who hung around the high school football field where was spotted by Coach Jones (Ed Harris) and invited to help out with practice. Suspicious yet eager, Radio complied – only to be tied up in an equipment shed by a few cruel players. Eventually, however, he was accepted an unofficial assistant on the team. And the crux of the story is not only how Radio finds his way in the world but how those around him are affected by knowing him. Closing clips of the real-life Radio are particularly moving. Who would expect a football movie to say so much about friendship and love? Its charm lies in its affection for its idiosyncratic characters and its thoughtful mixture of humor and sentiment. Directed by Mike Tollin, Cuba Gooding Jr. is a marvel. His quirky, Oscar-caliber portrayal has depth and poignancy – he’s an original. Ed Harris is kind and fierce, hesitant and determined. He’s the perfect no-nonsense actor to bring this laconic coach to life. Its the skill of these two actors, along with less flashy supporting turns from Debra Winger, Alfre Woodard, Sarah Drew and S. Epatha Merkerson, that compensate for the somewhat sappy, formulaic script by Mike Rich (“Finding Forrester”) which is burdened by James Horner’s contrived and overblown musical score. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Radio” is a gentle, sweet 7. It’s a wistful and warm movie for the whole family.

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The Holy Land

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Holy Land” (CAVU Pictures)

Set in Israel, this strange, disquieting coming-of-age story begins as Mendy (Oren Rehany), a sexually distracted rabbinical student, is advised by his Orthodox rabbi to abandon his Torah studies and visit a prostitute to “get it out of his system.” Following that dubiously believable suggestion, he goes to a Tel Aviv brothel where he becomes obsessed with Sasha (Tchelet Semel), a Christian girl from Russia. A rugged American war photographer named Mike (Saul Stein) befriends him, revealing that Sasha hangs out at his bar in Jerusalem. Soon, Mendy’s working at “Mike’s Place,” a dive where Jews and Arabs drink side-by-side. That’s where he finds Razi (Albert Illuz), an Arab smuggler/collaborator, and The Exterminator (Arie Moskuna), an American-born Jewish settler with an M-16. As the plot unfolds, shy, lovelorn Mendy and feisty, hot-tempered Sarah inadvertently become pawns in the never-ending ‘intifadah’ or holy war. What distinguishes writer/director Eitan Gorlin’s ambitious, if muddled, prodigal son concept are the rich, local details and exotic, intoxicating locations, which perhaps lend unwarranted authenticity to the somewhat confusing story. Raised as an American Orthodox Jew, Gorlin first visited Israel at age 17, attending a Zionist yeshiva where religious studies and military service were combined. He came back to the United States for college before returning to Israel, where he worked as a bartender and spent a year in the Israel Defense Forces. His diverse experiences were chronicled in “Mike’s Place, A Jerusalem Diary,” which served as the basis for this film. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Holy Land” is a contrived, ambiguous 5, perhaps best conveying what life in Jerusalem is really like beneath the tourist facade.

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In the Cut

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “In the Cut” (Screen Gems)

In this cinematic adaptation of Susanna Moore’s controversial best-seller, Jane Campion (“The Piano”) attempts to craft a torrid psychological suspense thriller but ultimately fails. Opening with strains of “Que Sera Sera” as a gentle “petal storm” covers Manhattan’s Greenwich Village with flowers, it revolves around Frannie Avery (Meg Ryan), a romance-wary creative writing teacher who lusts for NYPD Detective Michael Malloy (Mark Ruffalo). With his partner (Nick Damici), he’s investigating a grisly neighborhood homicide. Frannie’s life is fraught with complications – from her lonely half-sister (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to an intense student (Sharrieff Pugh) to a former-suitor-turned-stalker (Kevin Bacon) – but realizing that there’s a serial killer on the lose, hiding in one murky doorway or another, really turns her on. Miraculously, Meg Ryan manages to look downright dowdy. Since she physically strips to the buff on numerous occasions, she seems to envelop herself in an unflattering mousy brown wig. Dispensing with any trademark perkiness, her portrayal is raw, honest and fearless, if not convincing. (Nicole Kidman’s credited as producer and it’s a shame she didn’t play the part.) In the same vein, Mark Ruffalo valiantly tries to look dangerously hunky – to no avail. Both their characters are so two-dimensional and so seriously underwritten as to lack credibility. Director Jane Campion’s symbolic and atmospheric visuality is, as always, effective – with credit to “Chicago” cinematographer Dion Beebe and production designer David Brisbin – but her slow pacing and lack of steamy suspense are frustrating and self-defeating. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “In the Cut” is a kinky, sordid 3, bordering on simply ludicrous.

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S.W.A.T

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “S.W.A.T” (Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Loosely adapted from the short-lived ’70s TV series about the L.A.P.D.’s Special Weapons and Tactics Force, this action picture opens with a North Hollywood bank robbery sequence in which a hostage is wounded. That’s blamed on S.W.A.T. partners Jim Street (Colin Farrell) and his hot-tempered partner Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) who intentionally wounded a civilian to get a better shot at a perp. Street’s told by his smug, paper-pushing Capt. (Larry Poindexter) that by fingering Gamble he can get a second chance. He does – and finds himself working for Dan “Hondo” Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) and training with an elite, new S.W.A.T unit, along with Deke (James Todd Smith a.k.a. LL Cool J) and Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez) . Their mission is to deliver a rich killer (Olivier Martinez) to a federal penitentiary; the catch is the sinister Frenchman has offered $100 million to anyone who can free him. The clichŽ-filled plot eventually attempts to shift gears with totally predictable betrayals. The finale, however, is memorable, involving a small Learjet landing on a four-lane bridge in the middle of a city. What this police thriller has in its favor is gadgetry and realism. The S.W.A.T. team uses an impressive array of surveillance equipment and its professional training is as imaginative as it is rigorous. Written by David Ayer and David McKenna, based on a story by Ron Mita and Jim McClain, and directed by Clark Johnson, the film eventually disintegrates into mindless explosive mayhem, and the firepower sound effects boom so loud you feel like you’re trapped in the midst of a war zone. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “S.W.A.T” is gritty, deafening, ferocious 5. To me, it’s a macho, melodramatic misfire.

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Open Range

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

If you’re a Western genre fan, lasso a couple of tickets for this nostalgic oater. Charlie Waite (Kevin Costner) and Boss Spearman (Robert Duvall) have been saddle partners for a decade, herding cattle on the open prairie. But it’s 1882, and ornery ranchers object to old-fashioned “freegrazers” like them and their two loyal cowhands, Button (Diego Luna of “Y Tu Mama Tambien) and Mose (Abraham Benrubi of “E.R.”). A bad guy (Michael Gambon) who controls the town of Harmonville is determined not only to drive them off the land but to have his thugs kill them. “Freegrazers,” he says, “are worse than the Indians.” A confrontation is inevitable. Oscar-winning director Kevin Costner (“Dances With Wolves”) made “Silverado,” his first Western, back in 1985. While it also explored the ethic of scruffy, hard-bitten loners banding together to battle corruption and evil (the antagonist was also named Baxter), it did not have the depth and character development of Craig Storper’s screenplay, based on “The Open Range Men” by Lauran Paine. This time, both Spearman and Waite would rather bury their respective pasts than reveal them. It’s all about justice coming to terms with the brutality and violence of frontier life. And the fact that the pivotal woman (Annette Bening) is mature, not a bare-midriff twentysomething bopping a guy old enough to be her father, is a refreshing change and admirably realistic for the love interest in this revisionist Western. On the other hand, Costner’s pace is plodding, making one grow weary as the story slowly unfolds, despite James Munro’s stunning cinematography. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Open Range” is a simplistic, understated 8, evoking memories of “Shane,” “High Noon” and “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.”

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Camp

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Camp” (IFC Films)

If you enjoyed “Fame,” consider Todd Graff’s semi-autobiographical comedy about the myriad of gifted, teenage wannabes who are eager to carve a place in musical comedy. The location is a fictional Camp Ovation, but it’s based on and filmed at the real Stagedoor Manor, a performing arts camp in Loch Sheldrake in the Catskills of upstate New York. Graff was a camper there for three years in the ’70s and spent two more as a counselor. The story revolves around several theater geeks, particularly Vlad (Daniel Letterle), who’s a rarity among them: namely, a great-looking, straight guy. His ambitious admirers include a sweet ingenue (Joanna Chilcoat), drag queen (Robin De Jesus), fag hag (Sasha Allen), bitchy blonde (Alana Allen) and her ambitious understudy (Anna Kendrick). Most impressive is the fat girl (Tiffany Taylor) whose parents have wired her mouth shut. These struggling actors are the real deal: unknowns, eager for the limelight. They’ve got voices, heart and talent – and they’re touring as a troupe this summer, appearing at various promotional events, festivals and dance camps. “Camp” should also appeal to “American Idol” viewers, although the songs are in Sondheim territory. In fact, composer Stephen Sondheim does a cameo as a sponsor who underwrites the annual end-of-the-summer benefit. Nevertheless, this taps into the mythology that every kid who can belt a ballad can be a Broadway star. And, in fact, former Stagedoor Manor campers include Robert Downey Jr., Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mandy Moore and Mary Stuart Masterson. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Camp” is a funny, poignant 6. It’s an enthusiastic, alternative comedy for teens who are taking chances and discovering new music.

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Freddy vs. Jason

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Freddy vs. Jason” (New Line Cinema)

It’s been almost 10 years since one of the scariest horror characters of all time, Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) of the “Nightmare on Elm Street”series struck. But now he’s ba-a-a-ck and he’s after the hockey-masked Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger) from the “Friday the 13th” franchise. As the story begins, long-dormant Freddy wants to insinuate himself into the dreams of future victims but no one’s scared of him anymore. “Being dead was OK,” he explains, “but being forgotten was a bitch.” Then Freddy meets Jason. Jason, it seems, can take human form in the real world. So Freddy takes on the persona of Jason’s mother and orders Jason to materialize at 1428 Elm Street in suburban Springwood to resume his killing spree. This revives the fear of Freddy Kruger which enables him to prey on more teenagers. Problem is: Jason’s now in the way. Based on the macabre characters created by Sean S. Cunningham, Wes Craven and Victor Miller, screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift and director Ronny Yu continue the formulaic slice ‘n’ dice slaughter of unsuspecting adolescents, complete with grisly decapitations and gratuitous female nudity. The carnage spans Freddy’s dream world and Jason’s traditional Camp Crystal Lake haunt. Perhaps the most imaginative encounter involves a stoner having animated hallucinations of a hookah-smoking caterpillar, a concept lifted directly from “Alice in Wonderland.” But, for the most part, it’s simply an incoherent, inconsequential killing spree. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Freddy vs. Jason” is a lumbering, sinister, exploitive 3. So who wins this titans-of-terror gorefest? I’ll never tell. And, besides, who cares? Indestructible demons always seem to come back when there’s a booming box-office.

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The Medallion

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Medallion” (Columbia Tri-Star)

So here’s the premise: once every thousand years, a small boy will join the two halves of a mystical medallion and acquire not only its infinite strength but the power of giving immortality. Hong Kong police inspector Eddie Yang (Jackie Chan) is given the task of retrieving this Chosen Child (Alexander Bao) who has been kidnapped from a Buddhist temple by Snakehead (Julian Sand), a villainous smuggler who’s determined to dominate the world. As part of Yang’s daring rescue, both he and the boy are trapped in a shipping container at the bottom of Hong Kong Harbor. While saving the boy, Yang drowns – only to be brought back to life, thanks to the talisman. And the reincarnated Eddie Yang possesses new strength and speed, illustrated by the kind of special effects that are usually saved for not-so-skilled wannabe martial artists a la “The Matrix.” I know Jackie Chan’s pushing 50, but his fans are bound to be disappointed by the obvious digital enhancement of the stunts. It’s a mockery of what Chan’s fans expect from him. Writers Bennett Joshua Davlin, Alfred Cheung, Gordon Chan and Paul Wheeler should have recalled that the curiously similar concept of “The Golden Child” was Eddie Murphy’s first flop. But this is a Hong Kong production by director Gordon Chan (no relation to Jackie) with action sequences staged by Sammo Hung. Actually, this film made headlines in Hong Kong as the first movie in which Jackie Chan kisses the leading lady – Claire Forlani – but that’s one of its most insipid sequences, topped only by Lee Evans and John Rhys-Davies as clichŽ Interpol agents. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Medallion” is an acrobatic, escapist 4, destined for a quick trip to video.

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My Boss’s Daughter

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “My Boss’s Daughter” (Miramax Films)

If you’re left with lemons, make lemonade. And if you have a “hot gossip” young star, release his wretched movie while he’s wallowing in his 15 minutes of fame. That had to be the reasoning behind Miramax’s marketing plan for this dud that’s sat on the shelf for a couple of years. Ashton Kutcher is Demi Moore’s newest boy-toy, so that’s bound to create curiosity, if not actual interest. Ashton plays Tom Stansfield, an ambitious researcher at a Chicago publishing house. His boss (Terence Stamp) is a mean megalomaniac with a penchant for firing employees so – to curry favor with his daughter Lisa (Tara Reid) – Tom inadvertently finds himself house-sitting with their depressed owl named O.J. – as in O.J. Simpson – in their spotless, antique-filled mansion. His orders are: no shoes, no guests and no damage – or no job. Predictably, uninvited guests arrive to trash the place – like Lisa’s drug-dealing brother Red (Andy Richter) and a psychopathic killer (Michael Madsen) who’s after him. Plus there’s a disgruntled former secretary (Molly Shannon) and her friends (Tyler Labine, David Koechner and Carmen Electra in a wet T-shirt). Much of this frantic idiocy is tasteless and nothing, even the slapstick, makes much sense. Director David Zucker (“Airplane,” “Naked Gun”) and writer David Dorfman (“Anger Management”) flounder with this forced fluff. It’s somewhat telling that Ashton and Tara have zero on-screen chemistry, even though – according to the tabloids – they were supposedly embroiled in an off-screen romance at the time of filming. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “My Boss’s Daughter” is a witless 1, lasting an agonizing 85 minutes. Certainly there was a reason this stupidity was never screened in advance for critics. Ashton, you’ve been “Punk’d.”

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The Secret Lives of Dentists

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Secret Lives of Dentists” (Manhattan Pictures Int’l.)

Dentistry is a metaphor here – and it’s an effective one for Alan Rudolph’s musings on marriage and human relationships. Dr. Dave Hurst (Campbell Scott) not only practices dentistry with Dr. Dana (Hope Davis) but, as husband-and-wife, they’ve built a seemingly perfect life, complete with three beautiful daughters and a weekend home in the country. But, as people, they’re quite different. Aside from his professional lament, “Your best work never sees the light of day,” Dave’s dull but content. Dana’s not. An amateur soprano, she’s passionately involved in a local production of a Verdi opera, and Dave suspects she’s having an affair. Rather than confront Dana with the root of his distrust, Dave hallucinates. His emotional repression triggers fantasized conversations with his most cantankerous patient (Denis Leary), an irate trumpet-player with a toothache. And, in the midst of this emotional angst, the entire family is felled by stomach flu. Idiosyncratic writer/director Alan Rudolph (“Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle”), known for his fortuitous casting, concentrates on observing the complexities and paradoxes of domestic drama, particularly the symptoms of stagnation and marital despair. Less effective is Craig Lucas’s structured screenplay, adapted from Jane Smiley’s novella, “The Age of Grief.” Credit the actors for rising above decay like “Life is what destroys a tooth”…and a marriage. Campbell Scott (son of George C.) delivers a superbly nuanced performance, good enough to rival last year’s “Roger Dodger,” and soulful Hope Davis radiates a dreamy desperation. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Secret Lives of Dentists” is a sensitive, compassionate 7. Like a visit to the dentist, it’s ultimately beneficial, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to endure.

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