Reviews

This taut, splendidly acted and directed thriller knows how to play its audience. You can't help but want Sonia, a chambermaid whose life exhibits some bad karma, to pick lost-soul Guido out of the crowd at speed dating. Finally, something positive seems to go their way. But if so, why am I jumping at the least provocation, and what is making me feel so uneasy? Of course, it's a good kind of uneasy.

It's first-rate suspense. Every little detail seems to count, coming back later in the form of an I- get-it-now moment.

I don't know who their competitors were, but Filippo Timi and Kseniya Rappoport earned their best acting awards at the Venice Film Festival, as did the director Giuseppe Capotondi. Did they miss the deadline for submission into other film competitions? Did they forget to sign the forms? I can't understand why it didn't enter and win more accolades. It could have been an Oscar contender for foreign language film, it is that good.

A hilarious movie written for Paul Rudd: what more could we want?

Rudd plays Ned, a stoner who has frizzled his neurons to the point that he has lost any ability to detect or dish out B.S. The poster child for what it means to be ingenuous, Ned is a trusting, playful, adorable stray puppy who isn't quite housebroken. So you-know-what hits the fan when his three sisters serially take him in after his release from jail. He's nothing but tsuris. It's no wonder that his most enduring relationship is with his dog, Willie Nelson.

Thanks to Rudd's everyman persona and the genial obliviousness he brings to Ned, you can't help but feel empathy. As with a suspense film where the audience knows what's going to happen but the characters are still in the dark, you want to yell out to warn Ned before he screws up again. His perfect comic timing and the made-to-order script make sure you get the most laughs from his predicament. Luckily, there's more to him than just bad luck. He's also an endearing white angel on the shoulders of his sisters, helping them fight their devils as he becomes an unwitting catalyst for change.

The movie's impressively talented and good-looking cast includes Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, and Elizabeth Banks (looking a lot like Parker Posey) as sisters. What's more, Rashinda Jones and Hugh Dancy add to the already high eye-candy quotient. Steve Coogan plays Ned's deliciously distasteful brother-in-law in his inimitable unpleasant-guy way.

The film is smartly directed by Jesse Peretz from a story he developed with his sister, Evgenia Peretz. I saw this at the Sundance screening in Brookline, Massachusetts, where director Peretz said they wrote it for Rudd, whom he clearly enjoys working with, and who wouldn't? Even though they stuck to the script, Rudd improvised at least two of the movie's funniest bits.

A fun ride throughout, the film only has a couple of weak spots. One scene has Ned comfortably telling a white lie, something so out of character it was jolting to the point of distraction. The ending could use some reshaping, and perhaps it might get some before general release. But even as is, this movie is about as charming and hilarious as Rudd can be, which is quite sizable.

Mark Wahlburg and director David O'Russell bring the amusement park that is the Ward/Eklund family to life with a brutal honesty that could have alienated their subjects and landed the two of them in court, if it weren't for the love they put into it. I live in the Boston area, and these are the truest characters I've ever seen in film, not just for the accents but also for the body language and all-around attitude. And you've gotta love 'em.

Christian Bale channels Dicky, whom Bale described in an interview as "Tigger." Don't be misled into thinking the title role is Micky, played with admirable restraint by Wahlburg. It is Dicky's film through and through. Bale's tragic/comic persona is a surprise and delight, and he forms the linchpin of this heroic tale.

If you don't like fights in the ring, that's fine, you'll like this movie anyway. There are plenty of other fights to enjoy. Melissa Leo slays everyone as the UberMom, and the catty sisters let it all rip. Amy Adams as Charlene claws to keep her man. In short, nobody pulls any punches, and if there was ever an Oscar-ready film, this is it.

This is a terrific film, a testament to the brilliance of actor/producer Andy Garcia. It's got it all -- quirky but lovable characters and a great plot with twists reminiscent of the comedies of Oscar Wilde (very clearly updated, of course). As far-fetched as it might seem, it rings true from start to finish. Can't wait for more from writer/director Raymond De Felitta. It's smart, touching, hysterical, and trumps just about everything I've seen in months. Like everyone else, I don't know why this is running under the radar. Andy Garcia plays his role like a fine violin -- and he's totally captivating. All the actors deliver, and every moment is a treat. I don't know when or if it will get a wide release, but if you get the chance, see it while you can.

Three loyal executives get axed in a corporate downsizing frenzy that upends their lives. They each cope differently as they slip through the cascading stages of anger, humiliation, anxiety, introspection and so on, until they find their own resolve.

I saw this at the Sundance Film Festival premiere in Brookline, MA, prepared to be gripped by the powerhouse cast and the up-and-coming writer/director, John Wells. However, plot twists appear to have been on backorder, and the situations add up to little more than a sidelined subplot of Up In the Air. This is a situation drama, sort of like a situation comedy without the comedy (although it does have some humor).

Fortunately, the cast is a treat. Ben Affleck is convincing as the shot-down hotshot, Bobby Walker. And who can resist Tommy Lee Jones and Chris Cooper as the older casualties? But they act more like boys than men, exhibiting the angst of spoiled teens. This is not to say that job loss and financial ruin are to be taken lightly. It's just that the men could have used some deeper dimension and pithier dialog like that in Glengarry Glen Ross, which much more powerfully conveys similar kinds of employee desperation and employer evil.

Rosemarie DeWitt as Maggie Walker admirably plays Bobby's (Affleck's) adult supervision. (Of interest, she is married in real life to Ron Livingston, the hero of Office Space, a cult favorite with a comedic take on similar themes.) Kevin Costner tries something different as a brash building contractor who helps Walker. However, his over-the-top Boston accent works against him, as does his apparent ignorance of how to do a proper renovation (plywood, really?).

There are a couple of odd distractions. For instance, Tommy Lee Jones's character says his CEO pal (played by Craig T. Nelson) was his college roommate, when we all know Jones roomed with Al Gore.

In short, Wells as a writer/director is not (at least yet) a David Mamet or a Ben Affleck (Gone Baby Gone was a triumph). But if you downsize your expectations, you may enjoy this anyway.

I envy you if you haven't seen this yet. Waste no more time -- step away from that Dane Cook disaster immediately, and pick up this gem. It's a memorable romp, delivered with all the exhilaration you could expect from Frank Oz (Bowfinger); the spot-on classy humor you'd want from the master, Michael Caine; and the manic brilliance of Steve Martin. Once you have fallen under their con-artist spell, you will find you quote a grandmother's words of wisdom at the oddest times. You will often think back fondly of dear Lady Fanny of Omaha. And there will be the cringing at the suggesting of the genital cuff. Ah, and just because they made it into a musical, don't think anyone could ever improve on this. It's the gold standard of comedy, and don't be fooled by cheap imitations.

Two legendary actors and two young talents represent four generations in a quirky story worthy of their performances. This movie must have been misplaced or mispromoted, because it seems to have come out of nowhere. It has humor, grace and heart, with smart dialog and extraordinary acting, particularly by Christopher Walken and (of course) Michael Caine. And it's got some great laughs, especially when Glenne Headly's around.

Probably the only thing wrong with this movie is its highly forgettable name. It deserves something more compelling to sum up its story.

If you like this, see "Last Orders," also with Michael Caine, which has a related premise.

This "thriller lite" tells of innocence and victimization, and relies as much on its structural twists as on Audrey Tautou's saucer eyes and Samuel Le Bihan's hunkiness. You might even call it a black comedy, with lots of freshness and style. The best way to view this is to go in cold, relax, and let it grab you by the arm and gently drag you in.

That said, it is not really a romance, although people who like romances will find enough roses and hand-drawn artwork here to please. If you are one of those who generally refuses to see movies with "love" in the title, consider that "love" isn't in the original French title, so rest assured you can watch this without reservation.

A repressed mystery writer retreats to the French countryside to write her brilliant breakthrough novel, only to have to deal with the antics of a young tart in various stages of undress. It starts promisingly enough, when we want to jump the next flight to Provence before the fruit stand closes. But the plot doesn't hold water, and the characters' convoluted behavior often makes no sense, no matter how you choose to interpret what's going on. The script goes in way over its head and at some points comes up just plain stupid. For one thing, you'd expect a so-called crime novelist to invent some more clever ways to handle, shall we say, difficult situations. And there's a gratuitous dwarf whose main role seems to be to keep us awake. Now, there is ample nudity that could also do the same thing, and some might argue that it supplies all the thrills needed. But for anybody expecting believable characters and reasonable editing, this goes straight to the bottom.

This satisfying romantic bonbon is a more substantial comedy than you might think. Luke Wilson plays novelist Alex who hires stenographer Emma (Kate Hudson) so he can make his deadline (emphasis on the "dead"), and along the way shows life imitating art imitating life imitating art...you get the idea.

But even if you know where the movie is going, you'll enjoy the journey. Droll Luke and vivacious Kate make great banter and ham it up with style. And you want to invite Rob Reiner over for dinner after the movie, as usual.

Now, they say you should write about what you know, which is why so many movie leads are anguished writers. In this case, the way Alex writes both reveals and mocks the creative process and authors in general. For instance, the title of Alex's earlier novel makes an allusion to a much more famous romance novel (and movie) set in Cambridge, Massachusetts. So there's some wit in the screenplay that makes the movie more than just a cheap chick-flick.

A fast-talker rolls through postwar Sicily selling the dream of movie stardom, and in the process uncovers the desires and desperation of the townspeople. Like a patent medicine salesman, he seduces them with the magic of cinema, more potent than anything from a bottle.

Be prepared for the movie to seduce you, too, with its gorgeously chiseled Sicilian landscapes and faces viewed through the soul-baring lens. It gives a good view of the toughness of Sicily, and every frame has a visual richness typical of Italy itself. If you listen hard, you can make out the Sicilian accent -- even if you don't speak Italian. You'll be able to predict some of what happens, but not all, and the characters and their profiles will linger with you longer than you might expect.

Stockard Channing balances toughness and vulnerability in this intimate glimpse of how deception digs its hooks into a hard-driving corporate executive who meets a cool bohemian (Julia Stiles) with a plan and decides to go along for the ride.

There's an uneasy and unconvincing bonding between the two - not the buddy kind of Thelma and Louise - that puts this story on edge. Channing brings as much life to her character as possible, yet the path she follows doesn't ring true. While she has reached a pinnacle in her career that leads to the inevitable, "What now?" question, her falling in with the Stiles character doesn't make a good enough answer.

It could be the basic incongruity of this camaraderie, though, that makes it a viable thriller. I wanted to yell, "No, don't do it!" to each of the main characters at various times. And I felt that sense of dread when things started the inevitable downward spiral from bad to worse.

These bad-to-worse actions of the two main characters can elicit a squirmy discomfort on the part of the viewer. Sometimes the movie's just too hard to watch. Yes, there's tension and excitement. But there's also a little too much mean-spirited violent behavior (not necessarily raw violence) that makes for difficult viewing.

The movie feels like a stage play, demanding that the dialog carry the story. Unfortunately, it lacks wit and compassion, and the thin plot and weak resolution don't help out any. The best part is Channing. 6 stars.