Movie/TV Reviews

Our Town

Susan Granger’s review of “Our Town” (Showtime TV)

If you missed the sold-out Westport Country Playhouse’s production of “Our Town,” now is your chance to see what made it so incredibly special. Showtime and PBS’ Exxon Mobil Masterpiece Theater filmed Paul Newman’s first appearance on Broadway in 38 years – and you can tune in Saturday night, May 24, at 8 PM on SHOWTIME TV for a front-row seat. Set at the turn of the 20th century, Thornton Wilder’s insightful play reveals the ordinary lives of the citizens of a small New Hampshire town called Grover’s Corners. Soft-spoken, bespectacled and avuncular, Paul Newman embodies the low-key, omniscient Stage Manager and narrator. At the center of the story are Emily Webb and George Gibbs, young lovers who grow up, get married and start a family. When Emily dies during childbirth, she joins the other townspeople who have passed on and now observe from the grave the lives of those left behind. Given the chance to re-live one day, Emily chooses her 12th birthday and is crushed when she realizes how unable we – the living – are to appreciate the blissful simplicity of our existences, placing “a value above all price for the smallest events in our daily life.” Directed with illuminating clarity by James Naughton, Paul Newman eloquently conveys the plaintive wisdom, along with the superb ensemble cast: (in alphabetical order) Jayne Atkinson, John Braden, Frank Converse, Jane Curtin, Jeffrey DeMunn, Mia Dillon, Ben Fox, Maggie Lacey, Jake Robards and Stephen Spinella. On the Granger Made-for-TV Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Our Town” is an ingenious, indelible 10. Shot over five days with four cameras at Broadway’s Booth Theater, it’s classic Americana and exhilarating family entertainment.

Our Town Read More »

The In-Laws

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The In-Laws” (Warner Bros.)

The production notes claim this isn’t really a remake of the 1979 comedy starring Peter Falk and Alan Arkin but the set-up’s certainly the same. Michael Douglas plays the CIA agent with Albert Brooks as a neurotic, nebbishy doctor. They have nothing in common except that their offspring are about to get married. Kinda like “Meet the Parents” with a different twist. Disguised as a Xerox salesman, Steve Tobias is an unpredictable, adrenaline-addicted, undercover operative with a tough, ambitious partner (Robin Tunney), a caustic ex-wife (Candice Bergen) and emotionally estranged son (Ryan Reynolds). He’s so obsessed with a 20 year-old Russian runaway named Olga that plans for his son’s upcoming wedding slip his mind. On the other hand, podiatrist Jerry Peyser can think of little else, micro-managing every detail of his daughter’s (Lindsay Sloane) upcoming nuptials. “Let’s escape,” pleads the bride. “There is no escape,” sighs the groom. But before anyone can say “I do,” Steve has kidnapped Jerry, forcing him – kicking and screaming – into a high-flying James Bond-like adventure involving espionage and a bizarre hot-tub encounter with a predatory, gay arms dealer (David Suchet). Screenwriters Nat Mauldin and Ed Solomon do a contemporary tweak on Andrew Bergman’s original concept of psychological warfare and intimidation, while director Andrew Fleming keeps the action fast-paced and funny. The soundtrack’s decidedly retro with an appearance by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The In-Laws” is an engaging if uneven 6. If you like genial, if predictable, marital comedies, you’ll find it amusing and diverting, but if you’re looking for originality, it’s not to be found here.

The In-Laws Read More »

Soldier’s Girl

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Soldier’s Girl” (Showtime TV)

After receiving a standing ovation at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, this bizarre, controversial drama about homosexuality in the military premieres on Showtime TV on Saturday night, May 31, at 9 PM. It’s the true story of 21 year-old Pfc. Barry Winchell (Troy Garity) who was beaten to death with a baseball bat as he slept at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in 1999. Ostensibly straight, Winchell, nevertheless, fell in love with Calpernia Adams (Lee Pace), a transsexual Nashville nightclub performer. To say that the learning-disabled Winchell was naive at first is an understatement, but he quickly realized that this sexy drag queen is a pre-operative transsexual. While his airborne infantry buddies found the gay bar both enticing and repugnant, Winchell decided to date the vulnerable, perceptive Adams, who revealed he/she had previously been a Navy combat medic during the Gulf War. Winchell’s steadfast determination to pursue this romantic relationship tipped his mentally unstable roommate (Shawn Hatosy) over the edge of sanity, inciting a homophobic barracks redneck (Philip Eddolls) to violence. Screenwriter Ron Nyswaner and director Frank Pierson rise above the conventional story structure to explore transgender intimacy issues and to evoke righteous indignation about the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” policy, but comparisons with “Boys Don’t Cry” and “The Crying Game” are inevitable. Troy Garity (Jane Fonda’s son) captures Winchell’s simple stoicism, while Lee Pace delivers a remarkably compelling, convincing performance, utilizing prosthetics to enhance the illusion. On the Granger TV-Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Soldier’s Girl” is a sensual, sensitive, disquieting 6. “Welcome to the other side of the looking glass.”

Soldier’s Girl Read More »

Gods and Generals

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Gods and Generals” (Warner Bros.)

Running close to four hours, including intermission, this landmark epic of the Civil War is, basically, a television mini-series released as a feature film. Adapted from Jeff Shaara’s best-selling novel and prequel to “Gettysburg,” it covers early 1861 through 1863, detailing with precision how the early battles between the citizen-soldiers unfolded. While the story begins with General Robert E. Lee (Robert Duvall) being forced to choose between allegiance to his country and loyalty to his home state of Virginia, the narrative revolves around Lee’s devoutly religious Confederate colleague, General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson (Stephen Lang), who was wounded by his own men at Chancellorsville and died of pneumonia. On the Union side, there’s Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (Jeff Daniels), a professor at Bowdoin College in Maine. Admittedly, this is historical fiction but the realities of combat are vividly shown. Writer/director Ronald Maxwell steers his actors into abandoning the 20th century naturalistic method to which we’re accustomed and returning to an earlier technique of declaiming their lines. As a result, the military leaders often sound as if they’re delivering a formal oration, rather than conversing. Mia Dillon is notable as Jane Beale whose family is caught in the Battle of Fredericksburg, while Kali Rocha is Jackson’s wife and Mira Sorvino is less convincing as Chamberlain’s wife. Tycoon Ted Turner does a cameo as a jovial officer at a Confederate camp show – and credit goes to more than 7,500 enthusiastic Civil War “re-enactors” who lend authenticity. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Gods and Generals” is a robust yet exhausting 6. Wait for its television debut – and watch history come to life.

Gods and Generals Read More »

Counterstrike

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Counterstrike” (TBS made-for-TV movie: Sunday, March 2)

“Global zero is a dangerous lie. The only way to protect ourselves from China’s nuclear threat is to destroy that threat,” declares a Taiwan “freedom fighter” who hijacks the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth II in the midst of a pivotal world summit between the United States and China. That’s the crux of this political thriller, adapted by J.B. White from Richard Henrick’s novel “Attack on the Queen.” Two estranged brothers from a competitive military family battle the dissidents, along with their own inner demons, during this international crisis. Joe Estes (“Providence”) is Thomas Kellogg, an adventurous, adrenaline-addicted ATF agent, while Joe Lando (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”) is Vince Kellogg, a by-the-books Secret Service agent assigned to protect the President of the United States (Carmen Duncan, who plays Iris Wheeler on the daytime drama “Another World”). At their side as the QE II’s head-of-security is Rachel Blakely (“The Lost World”), whose character does most of the hand-to-hand martial arts fighting with the terrorist leader (Marie Matiko of “Xena: Warrior Princess”). Although it’s directed with formulaic predictability by Jerry London, “Counterstrike” offers an intriguingly provocative premise during this time of high-security precautions – and it’s daring in terms of having three strong, independent female characters. On the Granger Made-for-TV Movie Gauge, “Counterstrike” is a fast-paced, action-packed, suspenseful 6. It premieres on TBS Superstation on Sunday, March 2, at 8 p.m. with encores scheduled on March 7, 8, 9, 12 and 14.

Counterstrike Read More »

The Life of David Gale

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “The Life of David Gale” (Universal Pictures)

How strongly you feel – pro or con – about the death penalty could determine whether or not you choose to see director/producer Alan Parker’s thriller based on this inflammatory issue. As the story opens, you meet David Gale (Kevin Spacey), a philosophy professor and political agitator who is on Death Row in Austin, Texas. Ironically, before his arrest for killing Constance Harraway (Laura Linney), a colleague with whom he was working to abolish the death penalty, they were both activists and protesters. Enter Elizabeth “Bitsey” Bloom (Kate Winslet), a hot-shot investigative reporter from New York who wants to know who, what, when and why – which is what the subsequent flashbacks reveal. After that, it becomes a quest for the truth about Constance’s murder and a rather predictable race to beat the deadline for Gale’s execution. Unlike “Dead Man Walking” about the redemption of the soul of a guilty prisoner facing the death penalty, first-time screenwriter Charles Randolph uses the death penalty as a device to raise the stakes on this somewhat confusing crime-and-punishment saga, adding a ticking clock to build tension. And if you haven’t figured it out beforehand, picking up the myriad of clues, there’s a stunning revelation at the conclusion. Unfortunately, crusading Alan Parker (“Angela’s Ashes,” “Evita,” “Mississippi Burning”) permits this to become self-important and his sons’ (composers Alex and Jake Parker) music is increasingly overwrought. Credit droll Kevin Spacey (“K-PAX”) and determined Kate Winslet, but it’s Laura Linney who delivers the most memorable performance. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Life of David Gale” is a suspenseful 7, a controversial story built on an intriguing, if unconvincing, premise.

The Life of David Gale Read More »

Spider

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Spider” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Director David Cronenberg, whose previous films include “The Fly,” “Dead Ringers,” “Videodrome” and “EeXistenZ,” takes a different turn with this ponderous, existential examination of mental illness. Ralph Fiennes plays Dennis Cleg, a schizophrenic who, after spending 20 years in a mental institution, is released to a halfway house in London under the stern supervision of Mrs. Wilkinson (Lynn Redgrave). Nicknamed Spider because he constructs real and metaphorical webs, he’s a muttering paranoid who wears four shirts in layers and scribbles illegibly in a notebook that he carefully hides under the carpet in his room. Venturing out each day, he furtively explores the drab East End neighborhood where he grew up and, as jumbled memories flood back, he becomes increasingly more confused and disoriented. Writer Patrick McGrath has concocted a clever but contrived concept steeped in the complex Freudian mother/whore conundrum as the delusional Spider becomes an observer of the stark scenes and traumas that tormented his childhood, particularly the interaction between his parents (Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne). What’s real and what isn’t? That’s Spider’s shadowy dilemma as well as the audience’s as various perceptions are confronted. This is essentially a weird, somber acting exercise for Ralph Fiennes (“The English Patient”) who delivers an impressive performance, delivered primarily in facial pantomime since his speech is garbled. Despite Peter Suschitzky’s impressive camera work and Howard Shore’s score, tedium prevails, amplified by the methodical pacing and heavy-handed symbolism. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Spider” is an enigmatic, bizarre yet boring 4. While admirable, this is not a film I would recommend.

Spider Read More »

Cradle 2 the Grave

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

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

Dreadful might be a kind way to describe this action-thriller which makes little or no sense. As the screenplay by John O’Brien (“Starsky & Hutch”) and Channing Gibson (“Lethal Weapon IV”) unfolds, Hong Kong martial artist Jet Li (“Kiss of the Dragon”) and tough hip-hop rapper DMX (“Exit Wounds”) team up to find a missing cache of valuable black diamonds which are mysteriously linked to weapons of mass destruction. Actually, in the opening scene, a gang of jewel thieves, led by DMX, steals the stones from the L.A. diamond exchange but can’t seem to hold onto them. Instead, they wind up in the hands of a crime lord (Chi McBride) who runs his syndicate from inside a prison cell. DMX teams up with Jet Li, playing an enigmatic Taiwanese government agent who has tracked the gems from Asia and is pursuing his sadistic former partner-turned-gangster (Mark Dacasos) who has kidnapped DMX’s eight year-old daughter (Paige Hurd) and is holding her for ransom in exchange for the diamonds. His accomplice is black-belt-bad-girl Kelly Hu (“The Scorpion King”) whom the media’s dubbed a “karate hottie.” What seems to be important to Polish director Andrzej Bartkowiak (“Romeo Must Die,” “Exit Wounds”) are the stunt sequences. To that end, stoic Jet Li brutally vanquishes foe-after-foe with DMX, who roars around Los Angeles in an amazing high-octane, indoor/outdoor all-terrain vehicle. Tom Arnold briefly scores comic relief as DMX’s fence, a small-arms dealer – and the finale features fighting inside a ring of eight-foot flames. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Cradle 2 the Grave” is a frenetic, formulaic 2. Spending your entertainment dollar on this hip-hop kung-fu fiasco could be a grave mistake.

Cradle 2 the Grave Read More »

Bringing Down the House

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Bringing Down the House” (Touchstone Pictures)

Wild ‘n’ crazy Steve Martin teams with Oscar-nominated Queen Latifah (“Chicago”) in this ribald, politically-incorrect culture-clash comedy. Martin plays Los Angeles tax attorney Peter Sanderson, a workaholic whose wife (Jean Smart) has left him. Lonely, he looks for a woman with similar interests in an Internet chat room, finds “lawyer girl” and invites her to his suburban home for drinks. However, instead of the svelte blonde he expects, a voluptuous African-American convicted felon named Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah) appears, imploring him to help her clear her name. She won’t take “no” for an answer, befriending his kids (Kimberly J. Brown, Angus T. Jones) and jeopardizing his relationship with a billionaire prospective client (Joan Plowright) who dotes on an English bulldog named William Shakespeare. Steve Martin hasn’t done this kind of broad, hammy physical comedy since “Three Amigos,” and he effectively plays off Queen Latifah’s bold ‘n’ brassy foil. Eugene Levy (“American Pie”) scores as an attorney pal besotted by the “Congo goddess,” as does Missi Pyle as Martin’s wickedly hateful sister-in-law and Betty White as a nosy, nasty neighbor. Writer Jason Filardi is fortunate that his mediocre screenplay, sadly lacking in originality, is elevated by the performances. Director Adam Shankman (“The Wedding Planner”) allows the free-wheeling actors, including Ms. Plowright, to run with the abundant humor inherent in a parody of prejudice and racial stereotyping that’s juiced up by the hip-hop and soul numbers in Lalo Schifrin’s retro score. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Bringing Down the House” is a goofy, outrageous 6. Credit the stars for the sassy dazzle in this light-hearted, if flimsy farce.

Bringing Down the House Read More »

Tears of the Sun

Movie/TV Reviews / Susan

Susan Granger’s review of “Tears of the Sun” (Columbia Pictures)

Given the current geo-political tensions, the timing’s right for this heroic military action thriller in which Bruce Willis, as Lieut. A.K. Waters, leads a team of Navy SEALS on a compassionate mission-of-mercy through the Nigerian jungle when the democratic government collapses and the country is taken over by rebel forces of a ruthless military dictator. His orders are to evacuate Dr. Lena Kendricks (Monica Belluci) of Doctors Without Borders, along with a priest and two nuns, who are trapped at a remote Catholic mission. She refuses to go unless Waters will agree to escort their sick, stranded villagers on a perilous trek to political asylum in Cameroon, away from the graphic suffering and atrocities of ethnic cleansing. But Waters’ captain (Tom Skerritt) has ordered him to stay disengaged from the conflict and, unbeknownst to him, one of the refugees is the sole survivor of the previous President’s family. That’s why a determined band of guerillas is in murderous pursuit. Written by Patrick Cirillo and Alex Lasker, the story struggles with the moral question of America’s role as the world’s police force, a dilemma made abundantly clear when a black SEAL (Eamonn Walker) declares, “those Africans are my people, too.” Despite an abundance of platitudes, director Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”) keeps the tension taut although he devotes a disconcerting number of shots to Ms. Belluci’s unbuttoned cleavage. And the propaganda concept is eerily reminiscent of John Wayne’s “The Green Berets,” released at the time of the unpopular Vietnam conflict. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Tears of the Sun” is a soggy, brutal 5, ending with Edmund Burke’s quote: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

Tears of the Sun Read More »