In Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's 21 Grams, tragedy is finally given its due, and the respect it deserves. The story is told in a series of fragments. Flashing forward and back, the audience is given glimpses of its three main characters; Paul (Sean Penn) is on the cusp of death, waiting for his heart condition to finally claim him. Cristina (Naomi Watts) is a suburban wife with two children and a doting husband--who is soon to be scarred by an accident of epic proportions. Jack (Benicio del Toro) is an ex-jailbird turned fundamentalist Christian who can't escape the tragedies of his past which, like the repeated scenes of this film, keep returning as his future. (Wm. Steven Humphrey)
All the Vermeers in New York (1990)
Visiting director Jon Jost presents his film about a Wall Street broker who gets entangled with a French actress.
* Bad Santa
Despite his crippling, perpetual drunkenness, Willy (Billy Bob Thornton) possesses a strange gift: he can crack a mean safe. Every Christmas he and his fiery dwarf friend (Tony Cox, hilarious) team up as a Santa/elf team to work in some generic department store, case the joint for a few days, then sneak in after hours and rob it. (Justin Wescoat Sanders)
* Baraka
Time-lapse photography is the focus of this beautiful array of scenery from 24 countries which includes Iguacu Falls in Argentina, Ayers Rock in Australia, and that old tourist standby, the Grand Canyon.
* The Barbarian Invasions
A Canadian dramedy about a man dying of cancer who reconnects with his son, ex-wife, and old lovers before he kicks the bucket.
* Big Fish
Switching back and forth between reality and tall tales, Burton weaves a truly poignant story about the complicated ties between fathers and sons, and how severing those ties can eventually strengthen them. (Wm. Steven Humphrey)
The Cat in the Hat
Mike Myers STINKS! (Wm. Steven Humphrey)
* Cheaper by the Dozen
A remake of the 1950 film, starring Steve Martin as a dad with 12 kids who moves from a small town to Chicago.
Cold Mountain
Nicole Kidman and Jude Law are freakishly beautiful, with chilling blue eyes that slice through the tragedies surrounding them. Despite gritty, tough performances from both in this civil war epic about a soldier trying to get home to his lover, they are ultimately miscast, as their beauty objectifies them, and as a result, distances them. (Justin Sanders)
The Cooler
The coitus in The Cooler is refreshing, fun, and the tangling of bodies helps elevate the entire endeavor above its somewhat middling quality. (Bradley Steinbacher)
Elephant
Elephant shows us a couple days in the life of two grumpy teens who go all Vice City on their Portland high school. Neither is likeable, neither evokes sympathy. Their fellow high school students, however, are worse. (Katie Shimer)
* Elf
Can Will Ferrell carry a feature-length film, and can he do it wearing tights in every scene? The answer is yes, because Ferrell, for all his goofiness, has the uncanny ability to take himself utterly seriously. (Justin Sanders)
The House of Sand and Fog
When a recovering addict/slacker (Jennifer Connolly) temporarily loses her family's house on a technicality, a disgraced Iranian officer (Ben Kingsley) dives through the loophole and refuses to budge, resulting in mounting levels of righteous obsession for all concerned. (Andrew Wright)
I Vitelloni (1953)
Fellini's character study of five young men trapped in a small town on the Adriatic. They're bored and restless, and they wind up participating in some sketchy activities.
In America
Claimed to be his most personal film yet, In America is based roughly on the time director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father) spent in New York City in the early '80s. For the sake of authenticity, it was co-written by his daughter, who was a girl during this time.
* JaCques and Julia Cooking at Home
Pix Patisserie presents episodes of the popular cooking show as part of their FREE Tuesday night screening series.
The Last Samurai
The year is 1876, and Tom Cruise plays Civil War hero Nathan Algren, who has been reduced to a drunken, carnival sideshow attraction. To make a quick buck, he accepts a post overseas training Japanese soldiers to battle samurai insurgents, and bring the country's military machine into the modern age. Unfortunately, his trainees are forced into battle far too early, and Algren is taken captive by the enemy.
* Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
After greeting the first two films with slack-jawed reverence, I found myself viewing the third with a kind of grumpy anticipation. What I soon discovered, however, was that the begrudging-ness of my affection for the film was no match for Peter Jackson's swashbuckling craft. If this is just a fantasy, Jackson seems to say, it's going to deliver on every level available. And it does. (Sean Nelson)
* Love Actually
Yes, it's frequently saccharine, and it's a Christmas movie, but it has an incredible cast. Several of its many love-themed story threads are genuinely moving, and several of its scenes are surprisingly hilarious. (Justin Sanders)
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
The year is 1805 and Napoleon is running roughshod over Europe. The only thing stopping France from infecting the whole of the continent is the tiny island of England, which may be lacking in ground forces, but kicks ass on the high seas. Master and Commander may not be sexy, but it's extremely realistic, filling its ship with lashings, maggot-filled food, dirty stinking sailors, and the occasional goat. (Wm. Steven Humphrey)
Paycheck
Instead of manifesting as a visionary, futuristic feature about a man's search for the missing pieces of his memory, director John Woo's Paycheck (based on a Philip K. Dick story of the same name) is an action flick impersonating a sci-fi film--a case of mistaken identity.
* Peter Pan
This Peter Pan is a slooooooow starter. Though it takes a good 45 minutes to get going, Pan is still visually pleasing enough to maintain interest. Besides, the slow sections give you plenty of time to fill in the psychological/sexual subtext. (Wm. Steven Humphrey)
* Pieces of April
Starring Katie Holmes, Patricia Clarkson, and Oliver Platt, Pieces of April has a look and feel that I hesitate to label "documentary-like." Gritty due to its transfer of digital to celluloid and mainly handheld, there is a certain spontaneity in the film, almost an improvised feel, that is enhanced by the sharp cast. Clarkson is particularly good, becoming the heart of the film that the rest of the group rotates around. (Bradley Steinbacher)
The River (Finland)
The stories of six people in a small Finnish town intersect as a jet booms overhead. One character attempts suicide and murder, another falls in love, another solves a dispute, while still another thinks about bungee jumping and having gay sex with his neighbor. See review this issue.
Something's Gotta Give
Here is a movie so filled with unappealing, uninteresting people, inane, pandering dialogue, and contemptuous pop psychologizing that it is humiliating to watch. And do you really want to see Nicholson's bare ass? (Emily Hall)
Stuck on You
Stuck On You, the Farrelly Brothers latest film, stars Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear as conjoined twins. What happens? In a word: wackiness.
* The Triplets of Belleville
An animated French film that speaks nary an intelligible word throughout its entire 80-minute running time, Les Triplettes de Belleville's jaw-dropping artwork alone could have kept me riveted for hours. Physically exaggerated characterizations and dark, dank urban landscapes give the film a particularly strong noir sensibility, and in the void of spoken word, layered sound effects add to the feeling of ambience. (Justin Sanders)
