Reviews

Ricky Gervais is obviously a great comedian, and Téa Leoni is a delightful actress. What is surprising is how well the chemistry between the two works on the screen. (The again, Leoni did pull another performance of this type with Ben Kingsley in last year's You Kill Me). There are a few logical gaps in the story, but it's about ghosts, so what do you want? Besides, both main actors, as well as the excellent supporting role by Greg Kinnear easily make you overlook such minutiae. It was nice also to see Aasif Mandvi (from Jon Stewart's The Daily Show) in a more-serious- than-usual role. I hope to see him again on the big screen soon.

Comedian turned social commentator Bill Maher does it well in this investigative documentary. Unlike most of the recent "new atheists" like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, Maher asks simple but penetrating questions about religion, without pretending to know all the answers. Maher is most effective when he confronts religious believers and their "leaders" alike with the most elementary contradictions in what they are saying, and receives a staring blank in return. You can't help but think that at least some of his interviewees must have felt like "oh, you darn infidel, you got me here!" Particularly precious are the bits where Maher interviews a Jesus impersonator at a Christian- inspired amusement park in Florida, and even more when he goes to a London park to shout the tenets of Scientology. As he told recently Jon Stewart (of The Daily Show), it sounds crazy, but it's simply what Tom Cruise believes!

This is by far not the most interesting production by the Cohens, but it is worth watching on a variety of levels. First, there is the pleasure of seeing a bunch of good actors working together with great chemistry, some of them (like Pitt and Clooney) certainly not in their "traditional" roles. Second, the story is actually wacky enough to hold up in terms of internal logic, as strange as it may seem. As usual with the brothers, do expect some unexpected turns, of the violent variety. And yet, somehow, the movie retains the character of a light comedy. Pay particular attention to the very last words spoken in the film, they may be the best summary of the whole thing I've heard so far.

A perfectly enjoyable movie by Woody Allen, arguably one of the most under-appreciated directors in contemporary America. The story of two close friends during a summer vacation in Barcelona continues Allen's recent streak of movies set in Europe. This isn't Manhattan, but the backdrop shots are beautiful nonetheless. The two main characters couldn't be different, though during the movie their reactions to events begin to crossover to some extent, at least for a while. Excellent performance by Penélope Cruz, who I think is a much more convincing actress when she acts in Spanish, I guess not surprisingly. But the movie's major attraction is an understated but superb performance by Rebecca Hall, playing Vicky. Also of note Javier Bardem, playing the Spanish Latin lover. One complaint: the narrator voice should have been Allen's. You can just hear him coming through loud and clear, even though that's not his voice.

The premise of the movie, that two super-size ego men, one young and rich and the other old and famous, go after a young woman, who doesn't know what she is getting into, is interesting. Unfortunately, the woman's feelings for the two seem to develop at a fast food pace that undermines the credibility of the entire story. Some reviewers have argued that the central female character is more complex and nuanced than previous attempts by director Claude Chabrol. If so, I cannot imagine how misogynist his previous movies were. Still worth it, especially for the acting performance by François Berléand. If you want to pay attention to a sexy and attractive woman in the movie, though, forget about the main character, and focus on Capucine, played by Mathilda May.