Music From The Movies,
Saturday, November 7th at 7pm
 NATIVE NEW YORKER...Oscar-winning composer Elliot Goldenthal is one of the greats! He studied under Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, but now makes his own kind of music. Regina talked with the man himself recently about his latest score, Public Enemies. Also, music from Cobb, Across the Universe, Frida, Final Fantasy: the Spirits Within, and listener favorite Interview with the Vampire. In reviews, Jared gives the word on The Fourth Kind and The Box. Regina rocks to Michael Jackson's This is It.****NEW IN THEATERS (by Regina with Jared Counts)****  THE BOX. (Radar Pictures. 1 hour, 55 minutes. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some violence and disturbing images. Directed by Richard Kelly.) Cameron Diaz (Norma Lewis), James Marsden (Arthur Lewis), Frank Langella (Arlington Steward). Music by Win Butler, Régine Chassagne and Owen Pallett. Norma and Arthur (Diaz and Marsden), a young couple that has hit a financial rough patch, are approached by a mysterious, deformed stranger (Langella) who offers them a button and a choice: press the button and receive $1,000,000, but someone they don't know will die; or don't, and receive nothing. Based on Richard Matheson's short story "Button, Button," The Box is a great premise that gets stretched past the breaking point. Set in 1976 near NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia, Kelly (best known for his cult hit Donnie Darko) ably captures a slice of life from a seemingly normal suburban family. The film's strength lies in the "would you or wouldn't you?" discussions in the beginning, but things begin to unwind around the movie's midpoint. Once the couple has dealt with the button, they decide to research it and its deliverer. While this search does bring up some very interesting questions regarding the nature of morality, much of this gets lost in an increasingly muddy, supernatural conspiracy story. Even so, I enjoyed the lingering feeling of dread throughout, supported by Kelly's visual acuity, a glacial pace and a wonderfully atmospheric soundtrack by members of indie rock band The Arcade Fire. Langella is smooth and charming and Marsden is affable enough, but Diaz is a bit wooden and really needs to work on her accent. Diehard Darko fans will have plenty of fun teasing out the film's mysteries, but it's definitely not for everyone. —Jared  THE FOURTH KIND. (Universal Pictures. 1 hour, 38 minutes. Rated PG-13 for violent/disturbing images, some terror, thematic elements and brief sexuality. Directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi.) Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Will Patton, Corey Johnson, Hakeem Kae-Kazim, Daphne Alexander, Enzo Cilenti, Alisha Seaton. Music by Atli Örvarsson. A "fact-based" documentary that offers a few shocks but little else. When psychologist Abigail Tyler takes over her late husband's sleep study, she begins to notice strange occurrences and patterns that suggest otherworldly interventions. As she investigates further, she discovers that she herself may also be a victim. The primary conceit of The Fourth Kind is that actual footage of the events in Nome, Alaska is interspersed with dramatizations of said events in order to give the proceedings more impact. Unfortunately, some borderline-hammy acting and a snail-like pace bog down the film. Koteas is dull, Patton chews up the scenery, while Jovovich flails, lacking the chops to realize her character. The "actual footage" scenes are by far more successful, supplying some creepy moments as the video is blurred and distorted by the aliens' presence. The director's interview with Dr. Tyler, which frames the movie, is a bit off-putting, as I can't imagine anyone being that deliberately deadpan about alien abductions. The movie begins and ends with a disclaimer about the content of the film, saying you should "believe what you want." It's sad that the dramatizations weigh down the movie so badly, as I really wanted to believe. —Jared  MICHAEL JACKSON'S THIS IS IT. (Columbia Pictures. 1 hour, 51 minutes. Rated PG for some suggestive choreography and scary images. Directed by Kenny Ortega.) Well-crafted, entertaining, fascinating tribute to the King of Pop. Consisting primarily of rehearsal footage while Jackson prepared for a series of 50 (!) concerts in London, This Is It should serve to remind those who see it that he was a tremendously talented musician. A crawl at the beginning of the movie tells us the footage was shot both for Jackson's personal library and for possible use as a video element for the concerts. The footage is high-quality, not the grainy, shaky-camera "rehearsal" stuff you might expect. Jackson, Ortega and crew were clearly working on what would have been a spectacular show, with large set pieces, 3D film, and of course top-level musicians and singers backing the star. It's remarkable to see Jackson, at age 50, still nimble as he takes command of the stage, even in rehearsal. Understandably, most of the time he's not singing in full voice, which is a bit frustrating for the viewer. We don't get the fabulous stage costumes either (although even Jackson's rehearsal clothes merit some interest).He still had the babyish speaking voice, and probably weighed less than anyone else on stage, but don't doubt that Jackson was in charge during the creative process. Working on the opening number, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin,'" a single from 1982's Thriller, Jackson tells the band they have to make it more "funky." "It's just not there," he says quietly, and correctly. We also see him working on a film montage for "Smooth Criminal" which inserts him into scenes from noir classics Gilda and In A Lonely Place. The songs, mostly written by Jackson and mostly great, keep coming: we hear parts or all of "Speechless," "They Don't Care About Us," "Human Nature," "The Way You Make Me Feel" and more, culminating with "Billie Jean," "Beat It" and "Man in the Mirror." Since I'm old enough to remember the Jackson 5 years, I was treated to a brief medley from that period ("I Want You Back," "The Love You Save," "I'll Be There") which Jackson struggled with a bit (it turned out to be a monitor problem; as he says a number of times when there's a snafu, "Well, that's why we rehearse"). It's my hope that the "Wacko Jacko" years don't overshadow what he was really about: music and showmanship. This Is It is a must for Jackson fans, and worthwhile for any pop music fan. —Regina  AMELIA. (Fox Searchlight Pictures. 1 hour, 51 minutes. Rated PG for some sensuality, language, thematic elements and smoking. Directed by Mira Nair.) Hilary Swank (Amelia Earhart), Richard Gere (George Putnam), Ewan MacGregor (Gene Vidal), Christopher Eccleston (Fred Noonan), Cherry Jones (Eleanor Roosevelt), William Cuddy (Gore Vidal). Music by Gabriel Yared. A blown chance to be a revealing, detailed biography of the famed aviatrix (1897-1937). The fault is in the screenplay, which isn't much more than fanciful, pretty fluff, bent on turning Earhart into a swoony romantic figure (I had more fun with Amy Adams' plucky, ready-to-party Earhart in the otherwise-forgettable Night at the Museum sequel earlier this year). But even the romances aren't very convincing.Swank looks the part as Earhart (although all those closeups don't flatter her with those large teeth and lips), and Gere as husband Putnam offers adequate support. Much is made of Earhart's supposed affair with aviation entrepreneur Gene Vidal (played stiffly by MacGregor), father of famed author Gore. Plot structure takes us along on Earhart's final flight across the Pacific with navigator Noonan, intercut with flashbacks telling of Earhart's marriage, relationship with Vidal and son, and career as "Lady Lindy." Missing (besides Lindbergh himself) is, well, a lot: anything about her background, growing-up years in Kansas and Iowa with her younger sister, or her many other careers (did you know she was at various times a stenographer, truck driver, photographer, teacher, social worker, and even a nurse's aide during the 1918 flu pandemic?). How about some details on why and how she started flying? Amelia looks pretty; there's just not much behind the façade than air. —Regina  THE DAMNED UNITED. (Sony Pictures Classics. 1 hour, 38 minutes. Rated R for language. Directed by Tom Hooper.) Michael Sheen (Brian Clough), Jim Broadbent (Sam Longson), Timothy Spall (Peter Taylor), Colm Meaney (Don Revie), Peter McDonald (Johnny Giles), Brian McCardie (Dave Mackay). Music by Rob Lane. Sheen's the show in this entertaining look at Brian Clough, the British football manager (we say soccer here) and his rise and fall in the early 1970s, pretty much of his own doing. You don't really have to know anything about soccer (I don't) to follow the story, as the match scenes are few. It's a character study of a dynamic, ambitious young man who took over at Leeds United in 1974 (when they were the reigning champions), and who was ousted after a mere 44 days. The story doesn't make Clough all hero or all villain: he's a complicated man with a lot of talent and too much mouth. Integral to his success, as everyone but Clough seems to realize, is his right-hand man, Peter Taylor (Spall, a busy character actor best known to American audiences as Wormtail in the Harry Potter franchise). Their relationship, with its own ups and downs, is at the heart of the movie. Screenwriter Peter Morgan also penned Sheen's two previous triumphs, The Queen and Frost/Nixon; finally the star, Sheen proves he can carry the ball. —Regina CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE'S ASSISTANT. (Universal Pictures. 1 hour, 48 minutes. Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense supernatural violence and action, disturbing images, thematic elements and some language. Directed by Paul Weitz.) John C. Reilly (Larten Crepsley), Josh Hutcherson (Steve), Chris Massoglia (Darren Shan), Jessica Carlson (Rebecca), Michael Cerveris (Mr. Tiny), Ray Stevenson (Murlaugh), Ken Watanabe (Mr. Tall), Salma Hayek (Madame Truska), Willem Defoe (Gavner Purl). Music by Stephen Trask. After attending a performance by a traveling freak show, Darren (Massoglia) and his friend Steve (Hutcherson) are dragged into a conflict between vampires and the vampeneze. In order to save his friend's life from a deadly spider bite, Darren becomes a half-vampire and indentures himself to a 200-year-old vampire named Crepsley (Reilly). A disappointing movie that never adds up to the sum of its parts.The Vampire's Assistant couldn't have picked a better time to come out, what with the success of True Blood and Twilight (the next installment of which is coincidentally being directed by Paul Weitz's brother Chris). However, tonal inconsistencies, poor plotting and some lackluster performances dog the film. It tries to be too many things at once, veering from comedy to drama to coming-of-age tale without succeeding in any. Making matters worse, the plot lopes from point to point haphazardly before culminating in a messy climax that resolves nothing. Ask an easily distracted 12-year-old to summarize the first three books in the Cirque du Freak series, and you'll get a feel for the movie. The cast performs well enough, and it's nice to see Reilly in a role that doesn't involve gratuitous flatulence, but Massoglia doesn't have the chops to carry the lead role. In light of all the freakiness, his character is bland and flat, making him seem disconnected. Hutcherson doesn't fare much better, coming off as a bully and an unconvincing "best friend" to Massoglia. Just another case of squandered potential. —Jared  A SERIOUS MAN. (Focus Features. 1 hour, 45 minutes. Rated R for language, drug use, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence. Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.) Michael Stuhlbarg (Larry Gopnik), Richard Kind (Uncle Arthur), Fred Melamed (Sy Ableman), Sari Lennick (Judith Gopnik), Alan Mandell (Rabbi Marshak), Simon Helberg (Rabbi Scott), George Wyner (Rabbi Nachtner), Amy Landecker (Mrs. Samsky), Fyvush Finkel (Dybbuk). Music by Carter Burwell. "Why does God make us feel the questions, if he's not going to give us any answers?" Thus pleads Larry, the protagonist (and only reasonably-likable person) to one of a series of rabbis in the latest sort-of comedy from the Coen Brothers. There is a prologue set in long-ago Poland, where the wife of a poor Jewish farmer questions whether an old traveler visiting them is actually a dybbuk (the soul of a dead man sent back from Hell). This scene is entirely in Yiddish. OK.Then we're in 1967 Minneapolis, where the aforementioned Larry is a family man and physics professor. His wife Judith unexpectedly asks for a divorce, as she has taken up with the blustery Sy ("We're gonna be fine," he says as he hugs Larry), his daughter wants a nose job, his son is a pothead and slacking off from his Hebrew studies, and Larry's unemployed brother Arthur is forever draining the large cyst on his shoulder while working on his probability map of the universe. Wait, I'm not done: Larry's upcoming tenure is threatened by an anonymous letter-writer, and his comely neighbor insists on sunbathing in the nude. Oh yeah, one of Larry's students is trying to bribe him for a better grade. Ready to rush to the theater yet? There are some mildly funny scenes (the bar mitzvah scene is good), but if there is some great existential point being made here, I missed it. The Coens are undeniably talented (see Blood Simple or Raising Arizona for proof), but with Burn After Reading and this, I'm wondering if they need to take a sabbatical. —Regina ***WHAT'S NEW ON DVD!***  ADORATION (BLU-RAY EDITION). (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2008/2009. 1 hour, 40 minutes. 1 disc. Rated R for language. Directed by Atom Egoyan.) Scott Speedman (Tom), Rachel Blanchard (Rachel), Devon Bostick (Simon), Noam Jenkins (Sami), Arsinée Khanjian (Sabine). Music by Mychael Danna. When asked to translate a story in his French class about a terrorist plot, Simon, an orphaned teen, decides to insert himself and his family into the story. At the request of his teacher, Simon presents the story as truth, a move that sets his classmates and various internet chatrooms ablaze. As the story takes on a life of its own, Simon begins to question the foundations of his family. Director Egoyan (Academy Award-winner for 1997's The Sweet Hereafter) deftly weaves a fractured narrative that questions the ideas of love, trust, the subjectivity of truth, familial bonds and loss. The plot shifts through time frequently, which can be a little confusing even if it does greatly benefit the patchwork nature of the story. The characters are similarly never clear-cut, and they feel more real for it, acting and reacting in convincing ways. There are no easy answers or glib reductions here. Special features include deleted scenes, an interview with the director and various "making-of" featurettes. An intriguing mediation on the ties that bind us. —Jared UP (Blu-ray Combo Pack). (Disney. 4 discs. 1 hour, 29 minutes. Rated PG for some peril and action. Directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson.) Voices of Ed Asner (Carl Fredericksen), Jordan Nagai (Russell), Christopher Plummer (Charles Muntz), John Ratzerberger (Tom), Delroy Lindo (Beta), Bob Peterson (Dug/Alpha). Music by Michael Giacchino. Cuddly entry from Disney/Pixar earned close to $300 million at the domestic box office. It must be my advancing age, but I'm identifying more with curmudgeons. Carl (perfectly voiced by Asner) is a retired balloon salesman, lonely and grouchy after his wife has died. To avoid being shipped off to a retirement home, he attaches about a thousand balloons to his house and flies to South America to realize a lifelong dream. He doesn't realize that he has a stowaway: a persistent, annoying 8-year-old named Russell. You'll also meet Dug, the goofy golden retriever who just wants a master; Kevin, the 13-foot-tall bird with a penchant for chocolate; and Muntz, a (human) explorer who once inspired Carl in his youth. Endearing characters help keep this sentimental story aloft. UP doesn't surpass my top three Pixars (Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles), but it's enjoyable. Comes in a four-disc Combo Pack which includes Blu-ray + bonus features (including 8 featurettes), DVD, and digital copies. The theatrical short, Partly Cloudy, is pretty good; the bonus short, Dug's Special Mission, plays like an UP outtake. Also available in two-disc DVD. —Regina  THE MAIDEN HEIST. (Sony. 1 hour, 29 minutes. Rated PG-13 for strong language, nudity and brief fantasy violence. Directed by Peter Hewitt.) Morgan Freeman, Christopher Walken, William H. Macy, Marcia Gay Harden. Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams. Straight-to-video caper-comedy-for-the-elderly is a mildly amusing addition to the genre. Freeman (72), Walken (66), and Macy (59) are longtime security guards at a Boston art museum. They cook up a plot to steal their favorite works of art, rather than lose them to a foreign museum. Harden is Walken's blowsy hairdresser wife, saving tips for a Florida vacation. Caper films are (or should be) mostly about the setup, and despite a few funny moments, the movie's plot points here are too predictable to hold much interest. Bill Macy takes his clothes off again (he started doing that a few movies back, like in Wild Hogs) and for 59 years old, he's got a nice butt. Movie had a tentative theatrical release date back in May, but its distributor, Yari Film Group, is in Chapter 11. DVD extras include a director, writer and producer commentary; a making-of featurette; deleted scenes; and a blooper reel. Bill, keep that personal trainer on speed dial. —Regina REGINA'S DVD SHORT TAKES. BOY A. (2007, The Miriam Collection). Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Siobhan Finneran. Directed by John Crowley. Gripping, well-done study of a young man who attempts to reenter society after having served time for a crime he committed as a kid. British-made drama raises questions about juvenile punishment and rehabilitation. Good performance by Garfield as the man who tries to start over. THE CLASS. (2008, Sony.) François Bégaudeau, Agame Malembo-Emene. Directed by Laurent Cantet. A year in the life of a French schoolteacher in a tough multi-cultural Paris neighborhood. Based on the autobiographical novel by Bégaudeau, who plays himself opposite real students. This movie was Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Film, and won a bunch of other awards, but I found it only mildly interesting. MANNIX: THE THIRD SEASON. (1970-71, CBS/Paramount.) Mike Connors, Gail Fisher, Robert Reed. My favorite TV private eye is back, looking slick in that Plymouth Barracuda convertible. Fisher won an Emmy for her work this season as Mannix's secretary and confidante. Look for the episode where Mannix loses his sight.  THE POSSESSION OF JOEL DELANEY. (1972, Legend Films.) Shirley MacLaine, Perry King. Directed by Waris Hussein. Upper-crust divorcee becomes concerned when her brother returns from Tangiers, acting strangely and with a sudden ability to speak Spanish. Possession idea predates The Exorcist by a year. King, in his debut film role, is suitably creepy; exorcism scene is pretty silly. OK for MacLaine fans. WHATEVER WORKS. (2009, Sony Pictures Classics.) Larry David, Evan Rachel Wood. Directed by Woody Allen. After his four-movie European sojourn, The Woodman's back in New York, with this very funny look at a curmudgeon (David, in his element), who puts up with, then becomes attached to, a homeless young Southern girl (Wood, charming). Meanwhile he kvetches amusingly throughout, no matter what happens to or around him ("This is not the feel-good movie of the year," David warns us early on). Patricia Clarkson and particularly Ed Begley Jr. provide good support as Wood's parents, who leave the deep South for their own slice of the Big Apple. Plays like vintage Allen, which is what it is (the screenplay was originally written in the 1970s for Zero Mostel).> view printer-friendly version > return to previous page |