MOVIE REVIEW
O'Horten (2007)
Hans-Jorgan Osnes/Sony Pictures Classics
After a fling with American indiewood via a big-screen adaptation of Charles Bukowski’s “Factotum,” Norwegian director Bent Hamer has returned to familiar ground in every sense. His latest, “O’Horten,” invites comparisons to “Kitchen Stories,” his breakout hit here in America. Both films are set in Norway and revolve around men in the process of breaking free of their lifelong routines.
MOVIE REVIEW
Terminator Salvation (2009)
Richard Foreman/Warner Bros.
The original “Terminator” was the source of many a heart-stopping nightmare during my childhood, ever since watching a trailer for the film which showed an opening in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s calf and exposed the machinery within. The trailer left such an impression that I have no memory of the main feature it preceded. Then “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” blew my mind again with the melting Robert Patrick. Indeed, James Cameron left footsteps so titanic and impossible to follow that perhaps he just gave it up. The original film was a B picture with a $6.4-million budget, while the latest installment, “Terminator Salvation,” reportedly cost 30 times more yet possesses not one iota of originality in the hands of music-video vet McG.
MOVIE REVIEW
Love the Beast (2009)
Michael Klein/Tribeca Film Festival
Many people chase stardom, but the vast majority don’t make it far beyond auditioning by day and waiting tables by night. Ironically, the relative few who do make it often have other unrealized aspirations. Some actors prefer playing in a rock band, while others would rather be making shoes. Eric Bana wishes he could be a racecar driver. He dedicates his directorial debut, the documentary “Love the Beast,” to his lifelong obsession with a 1974 Ford XB Falcon Coupe. It’s his first car, one that he and his mates have spent endless hours fixing up while hanging out in his parents’ garage. But it’s also because of his unexpected brush with fame, that Mr. Bana has managed to perfect his ride and enter the Targa Tasmania, an imposing five-day rally and race in Australia.
MOVIE REVIEW
State of Play (2009)
Glen Wilson/Universal Studios
Even though a BBC miniseries serves as its basis, “State of Play” has a scrapbook worth of major American news items from the past decade such that it might as well tout itself as inspired by true events. The death of researcher Sonia Baker (Maria Thayer), the first domino to fall in the film, brings to mind the 2001 murder of Chandra Levy. Standing in for Rep. Gary Condit is Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck), a congressman whose extramarital affair with Sonia comes to light as a result of the ensuing investigation. The film has a plethora of these familiar stories about crooked politicians, war-mongering defense contractors and journalists grappling with the quandary of everything from the “fair and balanced” slogan to gossip Web sites like the Drudge Report. When blogging colleague Della Frye (Rachel McAdams) requests some information, our hero journalist Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) responds sarcastically: “I have to read a couple of blogs before I can form an opinion.” Zing.
Continue reading “Off the Record, On the QT and Very Hush-Hush” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Observe and Report (2009)
Peter Sorel/Warner Bros. Pictures
“Observe and Report” could easily have been Binghamton killer, the movie, and it’s really not a stretch. The protagonist of this alleged dark comedy exhibits the same personality traits and psychological profile as Jiverly Wong, who killed 13 people and himself on April 3. A loner constantly enduring taunts for his mental illness, Ronnie Barnhardt (Seth Rogen) has developed an obsession with firearms and a vigilante complex. Although the similarities end there, one can’t help but think that laughing at a dangerously deranged person in the wake of Wong’s mass murder could be in very poor taste.
MOVIE REVIEW
Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009)
Sam Emerson/Disney Enterprises
“Hannah Montana” is much like the Easter bunny. The premise of this lucrative Disney Channel franchise, about an average teen who dabbles in pop superstardom as an extra-curricular activity, is a lie most parents probably deem harmless enough not to burst their kids’ bubble over. This tall tale reaches new heights in “Hannah Montana: The Movie,” which idealizes a simple country life that is just as unattainable as celebrity.
MOVIE REVIEW
Tulpan (2008)
Zeitgeist Films
There are no cross-cultural faux pas involving a clueless newsman who aims to benefit his glorious nation, but the new Kazakh film “Tulpan” is every bit as amusing as “Borat.” Come to think of it, the two films make for a truly fascinating study in contrasts. “Borat,” a faux-Kazakh mockumentary made by Hollywood, was bodacious because of its Candid Camera-esque pranks. “Tulpan,” an authentic import from Kazakhstan, seems miraculous for all the impromptu appearances by Mother Nature herself that constantly upstage an otherwise droll tale about the romantic misadventures of recently discharged Navy serviceman and aspiring herder, Asa (Askhat Kuchinchirekov).
Continue reading “Dispatches From the Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” »
MOVIE REVIEW
The Country Teacher (2008)
Film Movement
Bohdan Sláma’s “The Country Teacher” begins deceptively as a story about a natural science teacher, Petr (Pavel Liška), who has given up his job at a prep school in Prague for a post in the idyllic Czech countryside. His decision makes no sense to a new colleague, although it seems apparent to moviegoers that his affinity for nature has something to do with it. But half an hour in, the film proves that we are just as clueless as his fellow teacher. Petr has been leading a double life, and the past he left behind is gradually catching up to him.
Continue reading “A Simple Country Life Turns Upside Down” »
MOVIE REVIEW
Duplicity (2009)
Andrew Schwartz/Universal Pictures
“Duplicity” crams into its two-hour running time enough outwitting, outplaying and outlasting for a season of “Survivor,” just as many international destinations as a season of “The Amazing Race,” and more corporate intrigue than five years of “The Apprentice.” Of course, writer-director Tony Gilroy’s follow-up to “Michael Clayton” is by no means a response to reality television, but it does make apparent why so many casual viewers have jilted the dramatic form altogether during the past decade. You simply haven’t had this much fun at the multiplex in a long, long time.
MOVIE REVIEW
Inspector Bellamy (2009)
The Film Society of Lincoln Center/Unifrance
Gérard Depardieu looks terrible these days. He’s always packed a few extra pounds, but right now he’s just obese. No doubt, the death of his son Guillaume last October has taken a toll on him, but who knows if that’s a factor in his letting himself go? He has made some lousy choices through the years, as have De Niro, Pacino and other fine, only-last-name-necessary actors of his generation. Even though time really hasn’t been kind to him, Mr. Depardieu can still generate some movie-star wattage and pull off the larger-than-life presence of a leading man. He has done it so expertly in “Inspector Bellamy” – a star vehicle made-to-measure by none other than Claude Chabrol – that one sometimes forgets he is lugging around some 200 extra pounds.
Continue reading “Like a Fine Bordeaux, Getting More Robust With Age” »
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