Movie/TV Reviews

Swimming Pool

Susan Granger’s review of “Swimming Pool” (Focus Features)

French filmmaker Francois Ozon’s first predominantly English film sizzles with intrigue. The seductive story begins as a British publisher (Charles Dance) offers a discontented, best-selling mystery writer, Sarah Morton (Charlotte Rampling), his house in idyllic Provence in the off-season. Weary of caring for her elderly father, Sarah’s grateful to get away from London and relax in the south of France for a few weeks, hoping to get her creative juices flowing again. But as soon as she gets settled with her laptop in the refreshing sunshine, her serenity is shattered when her publisher’s free-spirited teenage daughter Julie (Ludivine Sagnier) unexpectedly arrives and settles into the spare bedroom. Lusty and uninhibited, Julie parades around nude and brings a different man back to the house each night. Friction erupts between the prim, repressed spinster and the naughty nymphet. For awhile, it seems as if the two women are headed for a Sapphic duet. But that’s just a tease before Ozon and his writing partner, Emanuele Bernheim, twist the tale into a suspense thriller. Suddenly, there are blots of blood on the deck of the swimming pool and a handsome waiter has disappeared. And the final fillip may have you reeling with confusion. What is reality and what has occurred in Sarah Morton’s fertile imagination? Blessed with a mobile, expressive face atop a superb body, Charlotte Rampling continues her penchant for shocking, full-frontal nudity, recalling when she coupled on broken glass with Dirk Bogarde in “The Night Porter” (1974), while Ludivine Sagnier is totally convincing as the confused hedonist. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Swimming Pool” is a tantalizing, off-beat, ambiguous 8 – but don’t expect any easy answers to the inevitable questions that remain.

Swimming Pool Read More »

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review: “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life” (Paramount Pictures)

(Disclosure: My son, Donald Granger, co-owns Mutual Films which co-financed this film.) Angelina Jolie is back again as the intrepid British archeologist Lara Croft in this female-propelled version of Indiana Jones-meets-James Bond. The globe-trotting adventure fantasy begins on the Greek island of Santorini, where a volcanic eruption allows Croft access to a long-lost orb buried in the subterranean Luna Temple of Alexander the Great. The orb is a map to the fabled Pandora’s Box which – according to a villainous bioterrorist (Ciaran Hinds) – contains world-wide destructive powers. Problem is: Chinese mercenaries are also after the artifact. So it’s a race to discover where it’s buried. Instead of working alone, Lara Croft springs a former flame (Gerard Butler) from a Kazakhstan prison and, together, they’re off to China – then Hong Kong – then Kenya, where she’s met by an old friend (Djimon Hounsou) who serves as her translator. Director Jon De Bont (“Speed,” “Twister”) propels the high-speed motion with some of the summer’s most spectacular stunts, particularly an acrobatic rooftop leap onto a barge, dazzlingly photographed by David Tattersall. While stunning Angelina Jolie has the convincing physicality, it’s too bad screenwriter Dean Georgaris and his cohorts didn’t come up with more of the caustic humor that lightens both Indiana Jones and James Bond. Whereas both of these macho men enjoy curvy distractions, grizzled, gnarly Gerard Butler with his thick Scottish brogue is a curious choice to charm Lady Croft. And the CGI creatures guarding The Cradle of Life are little more than silly spooks. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life” is an action-packed 7, continuing the video game-inspired, popcorn-picture fun.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life Read More »

Seabiscuit

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Seabiscuit” (Universal Pictures/DreamWorks)

“Seabiscuit” is one of the great American legends – and now there’s a movie that does it justice. Narrated by historian David McCullough, it shows how – back in the 1930s in the depths of the Depression – a runty racehorse captured the country’s imagination. Based on a book by Laura Hillenbrand and adapted into a screenplay by director Gary Ross, the story follows three damaged men who were rescued and restored by their faith in a down-trodden horse. First came owner Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges), a self-made San Francisco auto magnate whose son was killed an a truck accident. Then there was taciturn trainer Tom Smith (Chris Cooper), perhaps the original horse whisperer. Feisty, Shakespeare-quoting jockey “Red” Pollard (Tobey Maguire) completed the trio. Finally, there was Seabiscuit, a troublesome thoroughbred with fire in his eye. On one thing they all agreed: “You don’t throw a whole life away just ’cause it’s banged up a little.” William H. Macy offers comic relief as a radio commentator. Jonathan Schwartzmann’s cinematography gives you a thrilling jockey’s-eye-view of the racetrack with real-life Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens lending authenticity as Pollard’s buddy George Woolf. “The Story of Seabiscuit” was filmed once before, back in 1949, with Shirley Temple and Lon McCallister. The only thing that version had in its favor was vintage newsreel clips of Seabiscuit racing War Admiral at Pimlico and then winning at Santa Anita. On the other hand, this “Seabiscuit” captures your heart. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Seabiscuit” races off with a thrilling, triumphant 10. Saddle up Oscar nominations for Bridges, Cooper, Maguire, supporting actor Macy and writer/director Ross. This is a crowd-pleasing winner!

Seabiscuit Read More »

Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey” (Imax)

What goes bang-bong, clink-clang, whee-wooosh, ding-dong? It’s PULSE this summer’s most surprising IMAX movie. Neither a travelogue nor natural history chronicle, it’s an energetic, imaginative celebration of the pulsating global beat, exploring mystically connective drum and vocal rhythms on different continents around the globe. It’s like listening to the unifying heartbeat of the planet Earth. From the clever creators of the experimental musical STOMP, the story begins as a single percussionist open the window of his New York apartment and begins to tap. The camera pulls slowly back, revealing his neighbors eagerly joining in. Then its chant encompasses the human neighborhood. There are the bead-shaking South African Moremogolo Tswana Traditional Dancers, frenzied Kodo drummers of Japan, Winchester Cathedral bell-ringers in England, a clicking Flamenco dancer on a rooftop in Spain, Hindi natives going through decorated elephant religious rituals in India, American Indian Dance Theater in Colorado’s Red Rock Canyon, even underwater workers making music beneath the waters of the English Channel. And don’t forget the 200 Bayeza Cultural Dancers, wearing hard-hats, overalls and Wellington boots in the slums Johannesburg. Closer to home, there are two, quite different uniformed drum corps – the traditional Jersey Surf Drum and Bugle Corps and the funky Jackie Robinson Steppers – stage a musical “duel” as they pass each other, going in opposite directions on the Brooklyn Bridge. Guiding us wordlessly through this global excursion is Keith “Wild Child” Middleton, a facially expressive hip-hopper who starred in STOMP on Broadway. That musical’s creators, Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas, designed an urban collective that utilizes ordinary objects, like trash cans, brooms, boxes, basketballs and soda bottles, to capture the rhythms of the city – and the country – even on bicycles, tooting horns and clanking bells on an open country road. But this is not a giant screen version of STOMP; it’s a creation unto itself. Miraculously, it’s rhythmic but not noisy. Utilizing the photography of Christophe Lanzenberg and James Neiulhouse, the large-format IMAX screen is ideally suited to capture the images and allow you to feel the beat right down to your toe-tapping feet. Even the opening titles, consisting of a parade of fantastical vehicles, a promotional plug for Honda’s sponsorship, are fanciful and, therefore, memorable. If there’s any quibble, it’s with the formulaic (panning left-to-right) camera work which, at times, seems to undercut the naturalistic choreography. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey” is an exuberant, joyous 9, keeping you on the edge of your seat until Middleton signals the conclusion with the only spoken word in the entire film: an gentle “Shhhh….”

Pulse: A STOMP Odyssey Read More »

Gigli

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

So exactly how bad is this pretentious, ultra-hyped exploitation of the off-screen romance of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck? Think Madonna and Sean Penn in “Shanghai Surprise.” Ben Affleck plays the title character, Larry Gigli, a dimwitted thug assigned to kidnap a mentally-challenged youngster (Justin Bartha), the kid brother of a federal prosecutor who’s causing trouble for a New York mobster. Assisting him is Ricki – that’s Jennifer Lopez – who tells him “You’re not my type.” What she means is: she’s a proud, domineering lesbian – until Affleck comes along. (In 1997, he pulled a similar bedding-a-lesbian stunt in “Chasing Amy.”) Written and directed by Martin Brest (“Meet Joe Black”), the dysfunctional narrative includes an abundance of sexual slurs, vulgarity, gratuitous violence and unnecessarily explicit dialogue. J.Lo’s “Gobble, gobble” scene sinks embarrassing comedy to a new low. In cameos, Al Pacino pays his debt to Martin Brest for directing “Scent of a Woman,” and Christopher Walken astutely observes: “You don’t know nuthin’. I can tell just by lookin’ at ya.” There’s been publicity about how the studio airbrushed the poster, making J.Lo’s breasts look bigger and her butt look smaller but – like – who cares? Thirty years ago, movies and TV routinely depicted homosexuals as suicidal or psychopathic. Now, gay-themed stories are gaining a wider audience. So why go back to the hackneyed, insulting, “She says she’s a lesbian but that means she’s never met the right man” concept? On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Gigli” is an onerous 1. Although Ben Affleck tells us “Gigli” rhymes with “really,” it signifies “silly.” And Lopez herself sums it up with, “It’s turkey time.”

Gigli Read More »

American Wedding

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

Is this third helping of the zany, ribald “American Pie” really any better than its predecessors – or does it just seem that way after enduring “Gigli”? Honestly, I’m not quite sure. The story begins as Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) have graduated from college. Even before the titles, there’s a humiliating sequences as he pops the question in an elegant restaurant – and his clueless dad (Eugene Levy) shows up at a most inopportune moment. After that, plans for the traditional nuptials begin, which reunites Jim’s buddies – genial Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), brainy Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and trouble-making, over-sexed Stifler (Seann William Scott), who is determined to throw a wild bachelor party and bed Michelle’s gorgeous kid sister (January Jones). Stifler’s disco dance-off in a gay bar is one of the highlights. And, of course, there are the inevitable family problems. “As the future protector of my first-born, you have a long way to go,” Michelle’s ultra-conservative father (Fred Willard) warns Jim, who is continually mortified by the irrepressible Stifmeister’s antics. Screenwriter Aaron Herz knows that the original “American Pie” audience has grown up, if not matured, so director Jesse Dylan (Bob’s son) keeps the pace fast and funny, taking full advantage of the crude, raunchy moments. Accidentally decorating the wedding cake with pubic shavings is bad enough but Stifler’s eating a doggy-doo truffle is over-the-top disgusting. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “American Wedding” is a crude, gross-out 5. We’re told that this is the series finale. “All the characters have gone from A-to-B,” says Herz, its creator. “There is no more journey for them to take.” No “American Baby”? “American Divorce”?

American Wedding Read More »

Red Water

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Red Water” (TBS Superstation – premiere on Sat., Aug. 17)

“Jaws” told the tale of a great white shark terrorizing a New England shore community. In this thriller, it’s a bull shark that’s ventured into a murky river in the Bayous of Louisiana. Lou Diamond Phillips (“Wolf Lake”) plays a disillusioned oil driller-turned-fisherman, who’s recruited by his ex-wife, Kristy Swanson (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), to help search for natural gas in a wildlife refuge. Problem is: as they realize that their oil rig may explode, they’re hijacked by a trio of drug dealers (rapper Coolio, Jaimz Woolvett, Langley Kirkwood) who are looking for stolen cash in the same cove – and then there’s a nasty bull shark who’s just hungry for lunch. The bull shark is the only shark known to be able to live and thrive in salt water and fresh water; in fact, bull sharks have been found 1,750 miles up the Mississippi River. Over the years, bull sharks have been responsible for several fatal attacks on humans that were originally blamed on great whites and nurse sharks, both of whom rarely cause human fatalities. The shark used by director Charles Robert Carner is a free-swimming mechanical device controlled by robotics, and the cast did some of their own scuba diving. While screenwriters J.D. Feigelson and Chris Mack set this scare story in Louisiana, the filming actually took place on a private, family-owned site outside of Cape Town in South Africa. On the Granger Made-for-TV Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Red Water” is an intense, lurid 5. This monster movie with a message – and some catchy Cajun music by Louis Febre and Dominic Messinger – premieres on TBS Superstation on Sunday, Aug. 17, at 8 p.m. with encores scheduled at varying times on Aug. 20, 21, 23 and 24.

Red Water Read More »

The Magdalene Sisters

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Magdalene Sisters” (Miramax Films)

Why has Scottish writer/director/actor Peter Mullan’s hard-hitting depiction of brutality within Ireland’s Catholic Magdalene convent schools has drawn the ire of the Vatican? Because it vividly depicts the jail-like conditions and psychological violence that some 30,000 young Irish women allegedly suffered in the strict Magdalene Asylums that have now been abolished. Until the mid-1990s, the Sisters of the Magdalene Order operated a very profitable laundry business, utilizing outcast or “wayward” girls as their unpaid labor force. This tale, set in 1964, reveals the grim stories of three of those unfortunates who arrive at the convent on the same day. There’s Margaret (Anne-Marie Duff), who was raped by a drunken cousin during a wedding celebration and is incarcerated as a “sinner.” Rose (Dorothy Duffy) has given birth to an illegitimate child; when a manipulative priest talks her into giving up her son for adoption, her parents send her off in disgrace. And Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone) is an unruly orphan whose beauty attracts too much attention from the young boys; branded as a temptress, she’s dispatched to be disciplined. Stripped naked to exercise each morning, they’re sadistically bullied and beaten by the nuns, particularly Sister Bridget (Geraldine McEwan). Most pathetic is feeble-minded Crispina (Eileen Walsh) who tries to communicate with her son through a St. Christopher medal. Mullan’s compelling concept came from a TV documentary, “Sex in a Cold Climate.” But in the intensity of his anger, Mullan indicts all of the nuns; if even one nun was misguided, guilty and repentant, the film would be even better. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Magdalene Sisters” is a powerful 9. Certainly, it’s the most controversial film so far this year.

The Magdalene Sisters Read More »

I Capture the Castle

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “I Capture the Castle” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

Cassandra (Romola Garai) and Rose (Rose Byrne) Mortmain are hardly fairy-tale princesses but they are imprisoned a decrepit, dilapidated rural castle in Suffolk, England, in this adaptation of the 1948 novel by British writer Dodie Smith, who later went on to write “101 Dalmatians.” The narrated diary of 17 year-old Cassandra reveals the story of her eccentric, impoverished family, back in the 1930s. Her father James (Bill Nighy) is a frustrated, reclusive writer, once a literary phenomenon, who moved into the crumbling castle vowing to “write masterpieces.” His first wife died awhile ago and he is now married to free-spirited Topaz (Tara Fitzgerald). But he’s two years in arrears on rent. That leaves Cassandra, her beautiful, scheming, ambitious older sister Rose, younger brother and unpaid orphan servant in genteel poverty when their wealthy new American landlords, the Cottons, move into nearby Scoatney Hall: an American academic (Henry Thomas of “E.T.”), his fun-loving brother (Marc Blucas) and mother (Sinead Cusack). Screenwriter Heidi Thomas and director Tim Fywell focus the coming-of-age plot around which sister will become romantically involved with which brother. The two actresses are lovely; Romola Garai stars in the upcoming “Havana Nights,” the highly anticipated sequel to “Dirty Dancing,” while Rose Byrne is currently filming the epic “Troy,” opposite Brad Pitt. The two American actors are less impressive, seemingly quite uncomfortable with the Jane Austen-like cadence of the language. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “I Capture the Castle” is a charming 7, appealing more to teenage girls than boys, and enhanced by the recommendation of “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling, who has called “I Capture the Castle” her favorite book.

I Capture the Castle Read More »

Le Divorce

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Le Divorce” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Cultural differences are always amusing. Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Henry James and Ben Franklin dwelled on them. So no wonder there’s confusion when Isabel (Kate Hudson) arrives in Paris from Santa Barbara, California, to help her pregnant sister Roxy (Naomi Watts) whose philandering French husband Charles-Henri (Melvil Poupaud) has just abandoned her. Amidst “community property” negotiations and the complicated authentication of a valuable painting, Isabel becomes involved with Charles-Henri’s married uncle (Thierry Lhermitte), a charming cad who customarily gives his new mistress a $18,000 Hermes handbag, nicknamed the “Kelly” for Grace Kelly who used to tote one, a gesture noted by another expatriate American (Glenn Close). Inspired by Diane Johnson’s deft novel, writer/director James Ivory and his longtime writing collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, delve into the American habit of direct, blunt communication as opposed to the French penchant for subtle indirection and amusement with the entanglements of infidelity. “Everything is worse when the French are involved,” observes Stephen Fry as a British art appraiser. But there are too many subplots and too many extraneous characters – both of which dilute this glossy, genteel, if clumsy, comedy of manners. While Sam Waterston and Stockard Channing embody the girls’ provincial parents with Leslie Caron (“An American in Paris”) as the calm, aristocratic Gallic matriarch, Matthew Modine is inexplicably deranged as the distraught, gun-toting American husband of Charles-Henri’s current infatuation. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Le Divorce” is a serenely smart, sophisticated 7. Breaking up is hard to do in any language, even if you can afford to pay $900 for a family luncheon.

Le Divorce Read More »