Music From The Movies,
Saturday, January 30th at 7pm
 IT'S COMPLICATED...when Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin reconnect after divorce (music by Hans Zimmer and Heitor Pereira). Also new on the soundtrack shelf: Extraordinary Measures (Andrea Guerra), Creation (Christopher Young), and The Book of Eli (Atticus Ross). In new reviews, Regina reports on Mel Gibson's comeback in Edge of Darkness, and Jared sees Europe with When in Rome. Plus the baby-boomer TV shows keep coming with The Paper Chase and The Patty Duke Show on DVD.****NEW IN THEATERS (by Regina with Jared Counts)****  EDGE OF DARKNESS. (Warner Bros. 1 hour, 56 minutes. Rated R. for strong bloody violence and language. Directed by Martin Campbell.) Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic, Jay O. Sanders, Denis O'Hare. Music by Howard Shore. Mel's back in his first leading-man role since 2002's Signs. The one-time box-office champ has been tabloid fodder in recent years, so a lot's riding on this one, and Mel comes through in this revenge tale. He plays a Boston cop whose daughter is killed in the doorway of his home. It's assumed Mel was the intended target, but he's not so sure. A conspiracy theory (hey, didn't Mel star in a movie with that title?) spins out, with some surprises and a real sense of tension as the star returns to his action roots. Good supporting cast, with Winstone and Huston (son of the late director John) as standouts. Critics rarely give Mel his due as an actor, but if you look at his body of work over 30 years, there are few duds. I hope I'm not speaking too soon: his next project is a black comedy called The Beaver (directed by his Maverick pal Jodie Foster); Steve Carell and Jim Carrey both turned it down. Mel's starred in romances, comedies, historical dramas, Westerns, even science-fiction, but The Beaver, about a man who talks to a hand-puppet as if it were alive, might be his first foray into the truly weird. —Regina  WHEN IN ROME. (Touchstone Pictures. 1 hour, 31 minutes. Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content. Directed by Mark Steven Johnson.) Kristen Bell (Beth), Josh Duhamel (Nick), Anjelica Huston (Celeste), Will Arnett (Antonio), Jon Heder (Lance), Dax Shepard (Gale). Music by Christopher Young. Beth (Bell), a young, love-lorn New Yorker, steals some coins from a magic fountain during a whirlwind trip to Rome, causing the coins' owners to fall in love with her. On her return to New York, she's frantically pursued by a band of suitors, all the while trying to win the heart of Nick (Duhamel). What follows is a slapdash and lackluster entry into an already crowded arena.Romantic comedies are not my first choice because they typically combine genres while mastering neither, and When in Rome won't do much to change that opinion. The comedy is too reliant on slapstick and pratfalls and the romance is jerky and often interrupted, to the detriment of any chemistry the two leads might try to build. It's unfortunate, since Bell and Duhamel work pretty well together when given the chance. The plot is silly, wholly predictable and full of holes (how did these 5 guys track her back to New York from Rome? Magical GPS?). The mixed bag of suitors begins as a funny idea, but wears out its welcome shortly. The high points include a bit involving a particularly tough vase, a pitch-black restaurant and a surprise reunion (Jon Heder and his Napoleon Dynamite costar Efren Ramirez), but they can only go so far. You know what they say: "When in Rome, wait for the rental." —Jared  THE BOOK OF ELI. (Warner Brothers. 1 hour, 58 minutes. Rated R for some brutal violence and language. Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes.) Denzel Washington (Eli), Gary Oldman (Carnegie), Mila Kunis (Solara), Ray Stevenson (Redridge), Jennifer Beals (Claudia). Music by Atticus Ross. Eli (Washington) is a lone traveler in a nuclear wasteland, charged with transporting a very powerful book to someplace in the west. Carnegie (Oldman), the ruthless ruler of a small town, has been searching for the book Eli carries, and will do anything to possess it. An intense and atmospheric voyage through a post-war dystopia.One thing the Hughes Brothers nail in this film is the mood and atmosphere of the world that Eli traverses. From the beautifully creepy snowfall (ashfall?) in the opening sequence to the charred and dessicated remains of the landscape, the setting feels both familiar and incredibly foreign at the same time. Much is left to the imagination, which I think works in the film's favor. Washington is great as a lone wanderer in a world where water (and trust) are in dangerously short supply, Oldman is slimy and effective and Kunis is charming. The action sequences are tight and deftly presented, showcasing a surprisingly spry Washington. The early battle in the underpass between Eli and the marauders is very cool. I felt a tinge of disappointment when the book's identity is revealed, but the implications of its existence, especially when measured against the motivations of Eli and Carnegie, leads to some very intriguing ends. The twist at the end (by the way, there's a twist at the end) seems almost impossible, but also makes Eli that much more awesome. Well worth the time. —Jared  CRAZY HEART. (Fox Searchlight. 1 hour, 51 minutes. Rated R for language and brief sexuality. Directed by Scott Cooper.) Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, James Keane, Ryan Bingham, Paul Herman. Original music by Stephen Bruton and T Bone Burnett. Bridges' powerhouse performance is at the center of this touching drama, aided by a good soundtrack. He's Bad Blake, once on top of the country music world. Now he's hit bottom after too many years on the road, too many marriages, and too many drinks. Problem is, there's still talent underneath all the baggage. One person who sees it is a journalist (Gyllenhaal), who in spite of all her instincts comes to regard Blake as more than an interview subject. The talented, undersung Bridges, now 60, started as a child actor (along with his older brother Beau) on his dad Lloyd Bridges' popular '60s TV show Sea Hunt. Jeff has been nominated for the Best Actor Oscar four times since 1971 and has never won; he's a sentimental favorite to earn his fifth nomination this year. And if he goes all the way, I wouldn't mind it at all. —Regina***WHAT'S NEW ON DVD!***  THE PAPER CHASE (Season One). (Shout! Factory. 1978-79. 6 discs. 1,080 minutes. 22 episodes. Various directors.) John Houseman, James Stephens, Tom Fitzsimmons, Robert Ginty, James Keane, Francine Tacker. Theme song ("The First Years") by Gimbel and Fox. "You teach yourselves the law. I train your minds. You come in here with a skull full of mush, and if you survive, you'll leave thinking like a lawyer." So intones Professor Charles Kingsfield (Houseman) directly to the camera at the beginning of each episode of The Paper Chase. This intelligent, entertaining TV series lasted one season on CBS (too smart for commercial TV, I'd wager) and after reruns on PBS was picked up by then then-fledgling Showtime cable channel for three more, seeing the students through graduation. The earnest, hardworking scholarship student James Hart (Stephens) is technically the center of the series, but tough-as-nails Kingsfield, his Contracts professor at law school, dominates every scene he's in. Houseman's the only holdover from the 1973 movie (with Timothy Bottoms as Hart) which inspired this series. He won the Golden Globe and the Academy Award, and after a lifetime in the theater, Houseman found himself a new career in the movies at age 71! (A young Houseman is portrayed by Eddie Marsan in the current feature Me and Orson Welles.)The series takes a look at the trials and tribulations of first-year law students, centering on Hart's study group. Only occasionally slipping into melodrama, most episodes hold up well even today, and then there's always Kingsfield, compelling-while-frightening in his classroom scenes, but capable of showing his human side as he interacts with the naïve Hart. The movie took place at Harvard Law School; the series only refers to an "Ivy League law school" (reportedly Harvard had had enough of publicity after Love Story, and most of this series was filmed in Toronto). Stephens later became a regular on The Father Dowling Mysteries. I was the same age as these students when the series first ran, so I'm enjoying revisiting that period, although being a graduate student in music was a bit easier than a lawyer-in-training. Try to ignore cheesy end-credits song, sung by Seals and Crofts. Season Two is also available. Class is back in session. —Regina  THE PATTY DUKE SHOW (Season One). (Shout! Factory. 1963-64. 6 discs. 900 minutes. B&W. Not rated. Various directors.) Patty Duke, William Schallert, Jean Byron, Paul O'Keefe, Eddie Applegate. Straight out of Brooklyn Heights are typical American teen Patty Lane and her identical cousin from Scotland, the cultured Cathy (both played by Duke). Along for the twin hi-jinks are Mom (Byron), Dad (Schallert), younger brother (O'Keefe), and Patty's dullish boyfriend (Applegate). There was a warmth and openness to the 16-year-old Duke which was the show's main appeal (along with that crazy-yet-catchy theme song, which I can still sing today). Series enjoyed a popular revival on Nick at Nite; there was a reunion show with the original cast in 1999. Season One guest stars included Margaret Hamilton, Paul Lynde, and teen idol Frankie Avalon. Look fast for a young John Spencer (The West Wing) in a couple of episodes. Box set includes a fun new featurette with Duke (now 63), Schallert (87), O'Keefe (58), and Applegate (74) reminiscing about the show (Byron died a few years ago at 80). Created by future-best-selling-novelist Sidney Sheldon, whose other big '60s series was I Dream of Jeannie; he wrote most of the episodes for both. Season Two of Patty Duke is due February 9. "You can lose your mind." —Regina> view printer-friendly version > return to previous page |