Australia
– Overlong and self-indulgent, Baz Luhrmann’s homage to epic
adventure films feels like a slog through the outback itself. And
yet it can be a visually wondrous journey, one with striking
visuals that will take your breath away again and again. No one
ever doubted the director’s capabilities as an
inventive aesthetic stylist – this is the man, after all, who
dared to set the balcony scene in a swimming pool in his
revisionist of
”
Romeo + Juliet,
”
who turned
”
Moulin Rouge!
”
into a dizzying dance of light and color, complete with Elton
John and Nirvana songs.
Here, he focuses his considerable talents on a more traditional
genre: the big, old-fashioned, wartime romance. The result is
grandiose and dazzling, repetitive and predictable. Set in
pre-World War II,
”
Australia
”
stars Nicole Kidman as the British aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley,
who travels to the Northern Territory ranch of Faraway Downs to
confront the absent husband she suspects of philandering. She
immediately clashes with the roguishly charming Drover (Hugh
Jackman in full-on Sexiest-Man-Alive mode), who works on the ranch,
and Luhrmann is clearly aiming to replicate the kind of chemistry
Bogart and Hepburn enjoyed in
”
The African Queen
”
with their antagonistically flirty banter. Once Lady Ashley
discovers her husband is dead, it’s no big shocker that she finds
herself falling in love with the place, and with the Drover (and
really, how could she resist?). It also comes as no surprise that,
after expressing zero fondness for children, she experiences
maternal instincts for the impish Aboriginal boy Nullah (Brandon
Walters), who’s adorable but also an unfortunate racial stereotype.
Drama, PG-13.
Hitting the theaters
Opening this week
By the Associated Press
Australia – Overlong and self-indulgent, Baz Luhrmann’s homage to epic adventure films feels like a slog through the outback itself. And yet it can be a visually wondrous journey, one with striking visuals that will take your breath away again and again. No one ever doubted the director’s capabilities as an inventive aesthetic stylist – this is the man, after all, who dared to set the balcony scene in a swimming pool in his revisionist of “Romeo + Juliet,” who turned “Moulin Rouge!” into a dizzying dance of light and color, complete with Elton John and Nirvana songs.
Here, he focuses his considerable talents on a more traditional genre: the big, old-fashioned, wartime romance. The result is grandiose and dazzling, repetitive and predictable. Set in pre-World War II, “Australia” stars Nicole Kidman as the British aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley, who travels to the Northern Territory ranch of Faraway Downs to confront the absent husband she suspects of philandering. She immediately clashes with the roguishly charming Drover (Hugh Jackman in full-on Sexiest-Man-Alive mode), who works on the ranch, and Luhrmann is clearly aiming to replicate the kind of chemistry Bogart and Hepburn enjoyed in “The African Queen” with their antagonistically flirty banter. Once Lady Ashley discovers her husband is dead, it’s no big shocker that she finds herself falling in love with the place, and with the Drover (and really, how could she resist?). It also comes as no surprise that, after expressing zero fondness for children, she experiences maternal instincts for the impish Aboriginal boy Nullah (Brandon Walters), who’s adorable but also an unfortunate racial stereotype. Drama, PG-13.
Four Christmases – The size difference between Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon isn’t the only thing keeping them apart. His signature rat-a-tat overconfidence and her pleasing girl-next-door perkiness turn out to be an awkward mix. Individually likable, Vaughn and Witherspoon never mesh as a couple. And that’s a problem, since we’re meant to root for them to stick together through the myriad obstacles thrown their way during one massively contrived Christmas. It doesn’t help their cause that they’re saddled with hackneyed holiday gags: wacky relatives making inappropriate remarks, decorations that cause severe bodily harm, uncomfortable gift exchanges. And “Four Christmases” began with some promise, too.
Vaughn’s Brad and Witherspoon’s Kate are a happily unmarried couple. They keep things lively by role-playing at bars, as they do in the film’s amusingly naughty opening, and they lie to their families about doing charity work to avoid seeing them during the holidays. Then, when they’re caught on the news getting stuck at the airport on the way to Fiji, they get roped into seeing both sets of parents – who are divorced – hence, they must celebrate four Christmases. The visiting begins in painfully broad fashion with Brad’s family, all white-trash stereotypes led by Robert Duvall. Vaughn makes the movie tolerable here and there with his easy delivery of some brash lines, but this kind of slapsticky physical comedy doesn’t suit Witherspoon, and director Seth Gordon fails to make best use of the qualities that make this bright actress shine. Comedy, PG-13.
Milk – Gus Van Sant has spent the past few years making dreamy, amorphous meditations on life and death that seemingly were intended for his hardcore fans, himself, and no one else. “Gerry,” “Elephant,” “Last Days,” “Paranoid Park” – all beautifully, defiantly languid works of art that most audiences would dismiss for their pretensions. Here, he boldly returns to mainstream filmmaking with a story that, on its surface, could have been shamelessly mawkish. Instead, he presents the last eight years in the life of Harvey Milk, the slain San Francisco politician and gay rights activist, with a mix of vivid details and nuanced heart.
He’s also drawn from Sean Penn one of the most glorious performances ever in the actor’s long and varied career. Van Sant and Penn could have deified this man, who did so much for so many and worked so tirelessly for so long, and paid the ultimate price. And yes, we see all that – the sacrifice and the struggle and the infinite wellspring of hope in the face of failure. But we also see Milk’s all-consuming drive, often at the expense of his personal life. We see the way he could manipulate and cajole, even if it was for the greater good. Penn depicts Milk as a man defined by a charming persistence. He had a way with words and a love of the spotlight and an infinite sense of inclusiveness. He was, in short, a jumble of contradictions, all of which Penn captures gracefully and effortlessly – there’s nothing mannered about his performance, just a deeply engaging immersion. The strong supporting cast includes James Franco, Emile Hirsch and Josh Brolin. Drama, R.
Playing in theaters Nov. 26 – Dec. 4
Beverly Hills Chihuahua – Warning: This film contains talking animals – and their not animated. In the film from Raja Gosnell, a shi-shi Beverly Hills Chihuahua gets parted from her owner while on vacation from Mexico. Voiced by Drew Barrymore, Chloe runs into a motley crew of Mexican dogs as she tries to find her way back home across the border. Comedy, PG.
Bolt – Harmless as a puppy, “Bolt” comes bounding into theaters, stumbling over its big, goofy paws, wagging its fluffy tail and begging to play ball. It’s sweet and eager to please but, sadly, nothing terribly special: Girl finds dog, girl loses dog, girl gets dog back.
You’ve seen this sort of thing countless times before, namely in any movie with the word “Lassie” in the title. But if you happen to be a girl who loves dogs, you may find yourself wiping away a tear or two. This animated 3-D adventure follows a scrappy, white shelter mutt named Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) who isn’t a superhero, but he plays one on TV. Trouble is, he has no idea he’s an actor in a role. He thinks he’s really saving plucky, young Penny (Miley Cyrus) – his “person,” as he’s so proud to call her – from bad guys and explosions over and over again. When Bolt accidentally gets shipped across the country from Hollywood to New York City, in totally contrived fashion, he must make that tried-and-true, intrepid trek back home. Along the way he befriends the street-wise, wisecracking alley cat, Mittens (Susie Essman in a slightly less vulgar mode than you’d find her on “Curb Your Enthusiasm”), and the overeager, overfed hamster Rhino (the scene-stealing Mark Walton), who’s obsessed with television and is totally psyched about the prospect of being Bolt’s crime-fighting sidekick. A sort of small, furry Louie Anderson look-alike, the delusional hamster is an undeniable hoot but “Bolt” goes to him a few times too many for the reliable laugh; a little of Rhino goes a long way. Animated, PG.
The Changeling – Directed by Clint Eastwood, the movie tells the true story of Christine Collins, a woman whose son goes missing in 1920s Los Angeles. A boy is soon returned to her, but she begins to suspect it is not her son. Starring Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich and Michael Kelly. Drama, R.
The Duchess – Ralph Fiennes and Keira Knightley star in this movie about 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire, and her husband the Duke of Devonshire. In the true-life story, Georgiana is trapped in a loveless marriage to the Duke whose mistress also resides in their home. When she falls for a young politician, the affair causes conflict and threatens to erupt in scandal.
The Haunting of Molly Hartley – Molly Hartley (Haley Bennett) moves to a new school for a fresh start, but her haunted past continues to follow her. Also starring Jacke Weber, Chace Crawford and Shannon Marie Woodward. Thriller, PG-13.
High School Musical 3 – It’s senior year for the Wildcats, and Troy (Zac Efron) and Gabriella (Vanessa Hudgens) need to get used to the idea of being separated for college while spending time with their friends. Also starring Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu and KayCee Stroh. Musical comedy, G.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa – The pampered zoo animals of the 2005 animated hit this time are dropped off on the African mainland for what amounts to more of the same in this shrill, unamusing sequel. Key voice stars Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith return, along with Sacha Baron Cohen and Cedric the Entertainer. Operating on the principle that the bigger the menagerie, the merrier the movie, the filmmakers tack on fresh characters to the point of distraction, including the late Bernie Mac, Alec Baldwin and singer will.i.am. With so many characters to cram in and not much for many of them to do, the sequel ends up a choppy, episodic affair.
Whether or not they’ve seen or remember the original flick, young kids will eat up this manic mess, a nonstop rush of slapstick and jabbering dialogue. The noise and mayhem will annoy, or at least bore, most parents, who can take some solace in the movie’s brisk running. Animation, PG.
Role Models – The premise is completely formulaic and potentially cheesy: A couple of buddies get arrested and, for their community service assignment, must serve as big brothers to a pair of misfit kids. You know from the beginning that many necessary life lessons will be learned and that all parties ultimately will be better off for the unlikely friendships they’ve formed. But it’s the wildly, hilariously crude way that director David Wain and Co. approach this concept that makes “Role Models” so disarming. The rampant wrongness would have been amusing enough on the page, but the delivery from co-stars Seann William Scott, Paul Rudd and the supporting cast of both comedy veterans and up-and-comers makes the material consistently laugh-out-loud funny.
Wheeler (Scott) and Danny (Rudd) spend their days giving just-say-no talks at Los Angeles schools and peddling the energy drink Minotaur, a job that requires Wheeler to dress up in a furry costume and guzzle gallons of green gunk. Danny, fed up with his life and frustrated that his longtime girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) has just rejected his marriage proposal, snaps one day and gets himself and Wheeler in trouble with the law. Rather than going to jail, the two end up working with the Sturdy Wings mentoring group, led by the damaged but overly earnest Gayle (Jane Lynch, stealing every scene she’s in, as usual). While Wheeler gets paired up with the freakishly foul-mouthed Ronnie (Bobb’e J. Thompson, radiating a scary amount of confidence for a 12-year-old), Danny gets dweeby teen Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse of “Superbad”), who’s obsessed with his live-action fantasy role-playing game. Comedy, R.
Saw V – The Jigsaw murder spree continues in Saw V with Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) and Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) following the leads. Also starring Betsy Russell, Tobin Bell and Julie Benz. Horror, R.
Transporter 3 – Jason Statham in another quick action movie where he is a gun for hire who needs to transport goods – usually humans. In this latest installment Frank Martin (Statham) must to deliver the daughter of a Ukranian government official from Marseilles to Odessa. Action, PG-13.
Twilight – Teenage girls will surely squeal with delight throughout this feverishly awaited adaptation of the hugely selling vampire novel. Just the very sight of the word “Twilight” on screen inspired piercing screeches of glee at a recent screening. And the arrival of our tormented monster-hero Edward Cullen is certain to send another wave of shivers, and that’s before he ever sinks his teeth into anything – or anyone.
Director Catherine Hardwicke was also clearly taken by the character, and by the actor playing him, Robert Pattinson: She shoots him as if he were the featured model in an Abercrombie & Fitch ad, adoringly highlighting his angular cheekbones, his amber eyes (with the help of color contacts), those pouty red lips and that lanky frame. He might be too pretty – and perhaps that’s a crucial key to the character’s popularity among girls and young women. He’s a non-threatening, almost asexual vampire. But much of what made the relationship between Edward and the smitten Bella Swan work in Stephenie Meyer’s breezy book is stripped away on screen. The lively banter – the way in which Edward and Bella teased and toyed with one another about their respective immortality and humanity _ is pretty much completely gone, and all that’s left is one-note, adolescent angst. It doesn’t help that, as Bella, Kristen Stewart looks singularly sullen the entire time. She’s supposed to be enraptured by the thrills of her first love. Instead, she merely appears to be in the throes of pain. Bella’s story, for the uninitiated: The quiet, awkward girl moves from Phoenix to rainy Forks, Wash., to live with her police-chief dad (Billy Burke in a bad cop mustache) and quickly finds herself entranced by her mysterious, ethereal classmate Edward. At first, Edward fights his all-consuming attraction to Bella but eventually finds he can’t stay away. Good thing, too, because she’ll need him to protect her from even greater dangers than the one he potentially presents – and that’s where “Twilight” really collapses in a heap of cheesy visual effects. Drama, PG-13.
Zack and Miri Make a Porno – The extreme opposites within Kevin Smith’s filmmaking personality co-exist here, to hit-and-miss effect. Yes, there is a ton of sex in “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” as the title would suggest, including one scene that is so incredibly wrong, words don’t even begin to describe it. A proliferation of raw, raunchy dialogue has always been one of the writer-director’s preferred tactics, dating back to his pioneering 1994 debut, “Clerks,” and that’s certainly true this time, as well – actually, it’s more relevant than usual.
But “Zack and Miri” also reflects the sweetness that has crept intermittently into Smith’s movies in recent years as he’s settled into his real-life roles as husband and father. (See: “Jersey Girl.”) A guy and a girl, longtime best friends and roommates, realize they’re secretly in love with each other – it’s one of the most hackneyed romantic comedy premises of all time. Through Smith’s skewed prism, though, Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) achieve this epiphany while having on-camera sex during an amateur adult movie, something they do out of desperation to pay the bills during a miserable Pittsburgh winter. Rogen and Banks make an extremely likable comic pair, despite the fact that they’re an unlikely romantic match (or perhaps because of it).
Both are clearly comfortable in such naughty but highly verbal territory as alumni of Judd Apatow movies – and, as in Apatow’s “Knocked Up,” this is yet another wish-fulfillment comedy in which the tubby, schlubby Rogen lands an impossibly beautiful woman who would never give him the time of day in real life. Comedy, R.
Quantum of Solace – “Casino Royale” came along just as the James Bond franchise was sinking into a lazy rehash of all that had gone before. It jump-started 007 with its seamless mix of action and emotion, and now “Quantum of Solace” keeps it humming along – in a familiar, but forgettable, gear. The car metaphor is appropriate. “Quantum of Solace” starts out with a thrilling chase through northern Italy that’s one of the film’s few highlights.
But this is a very slight Bond movie, and it feels especially so compared to “Casino Royale,” easily one of the best of the long-running series. And it’s unusual in that it’s a sequel – that’s never happened before. Director Marc Forster’s film picks up right where “Casino Royale” left off, with Daniel Craig’s Bond trying to avenge the death of the only woman he ever loved, Eva Green’s Vesper Lynd. He’s also trying to pin down the mastermind behind a plot to control the water supply of Bolivia, and maybe, someday, the world! (Mathieu Amalric plays the role with a calm creepiness.) In theory, it could have had a relevant ecological message. Instead, the water angle feels like an afterthought in the surprisingly thin plot from writers Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who also wrote “Casino Royale.”
Along the way, Bond hooks up with the mysterious and dangerous Camille (Ukrainian model Olga Kurylenko), who’s on her own revenge mission. Craig is, of course, sexy and masculine and formidable as always, and he plays beautifully off of Judi Dench as M, the head of the British secret service. They share scenes that are both teasing and meaty, and their exchanges provide the movie with some much-needed substance. Action, PG-13.
Slumdog Millionaire – Despite the exotic nature of its foreign locale – the teeming, cramped, impoverished streets of Mumbai, India – this is every inch a Danny Boyle film. The hope within the squalor, the humor within the violence, they’re all thematic trademarks of the British director of the druggie drama “Trainspotting” and the zombie saga “28 Days Later.” Only this time, Boyle takes his wildly high-energy visual aesthetic and applies it to a story that, at its core, is really rather sweet and traditionally crowd-pleasing. The unassuming Dev Patel stars as our slumdog underdog, Jamal, an 18-year-old who comes from nothing but is on the verge of winning more money than anyone’s ever won before on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” The game show’s host (an ideally smarmy and egotistical Anil Kapoor) grows unshakably suspicious as Jamal prepares to face one last question for the top prize of 20 million rupees and has him hauled in for police questioning (by the ever-imposing Irrfan Khan).
Simon Beaufoy’s complex script, based loosely on the Vikas Swarup novel “Q & A,” glides effortlessly between Jamal’s interrogation, his unlikely success in the television hot seat and his rough-and-tumble upbringing, which provided the life lessons that serve him so miraculously well now. Jamal reflects upon the desperate times he shared with his older brother, Salim (Madhur Mittal), after their mother was killed in a savage anti-Muslim attack. He remembers the cruelty of the Fagin-like figure who forced them and other orphans into slavery. And he recalls fondly the time he spent with Latika (stunning former model Freida Pinto), his first love who, as a scared child, became the brothers’ third Musketeer. The cinematography from Anthony Dod Mantle gives even the most depressing images an unexpected beauty, with Chris Dickens’ expert editing keeping the action moving fluidly. Drama, R.
Hitting the couch
Movies out on DVD and Blu-Ray Dec. 2
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – The sequel to “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Though the Pevensie siblings have only left Narnia, many years have passed when they once again travel to the magical land of Narnia through the wardrobe. An evil king rules and they are asked to return the heir, Prince Caspian, to the throne.
Wanted – Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is an average Joe, kind of a nobody until he meets Fox (Angelina Jolie). When his estranged father is murder, Fox shows up to teach him how to avenge his father’s death. Also starring Morgan Freeman and Terence Stamp. Action, R.
Step Brothers – When Nancy (Mary Steenburgen) and Robert (Richard Jenkins) marry, their sons are not happy to have a new family member and plenty of sibling rivalry ensues. But these boys, Brennan (Will Ferrell) and Dale (John C. Reilly), are not children but grown men who have never moved out of the house. Comedy, R.
The X-Files: I want to Believe – Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) paired up for a reunion in this look at the FBI agents who explore extraordinary phenomena. A must-see for fans of the series.
Television shows out on DVD Dec. 2
Perry Mason Season Three
Law and Order the Sixth year
