Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith, Sam Jaeger, Fiona Shaw, Juliette Lewis. Romantic Comedy/Drama. Written and Directed by Susannah Grant.
FILM SYNOPSIS: After the sudden death of her fiancé, Gray Wheeler (Jennifer Garner) finds comfort in the company of his friends: lighthearted and comic Sam (Kevin Smith), hyper-responsible Dennis (Sam Jaeger), and, oddly enough, his old childhood buddy Fritz (Timothy Olyphant), an irresponsible playboy whom she’d previously pegged as one of the least reliable people in the world. As secrets about her supposedly perfect fiancé emerge, Gray comes to see new sides of the man she thought she knew, and at the same time finds herself drawn to the last man she ever expected to fall for. PREVIEW REVIEW: It’s The Big Chill- lite. There are some good things, including nice performances, especially from Juliette Lewis, as well as beautiful locations, the mountains and valleys of Colorado looking like they popped out of a Hemingway novel, and a compelling concept that is both humorous and at times touching. But it’s not quite the grownup movie it wants to be. Indeed, some of the funniest moments seemed more geared to the eight-year-old sitting behind me. I expected a touch more depth from writer-director Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich). But what truly deserves attention is the film’s shallow attitude concerning morality and premarital sex. Here sex seems to be used as therapy. People feel bad over the loss of a friend or fiancé, so they jump in the sack. In one case, a couple (complete strangers) has sex in a bathroom, with the lead in a “comical” situation as she has hid out in this very bathroom. Having taken refuge in the sanctuary of the curtain-covered bathtub, she overhears the copulating couple. This isn’t meant to be judgmental, but our society in general looks upon sexuality as merely a bodily function. That’s true for animals, but there is something bonding about the act between two people that causes it to rise above the functions of eating or relieving oneself. It has been blessed by God between husband and wife. It is the most intimate moment a person can have with another, so intercourse deserves a certain homage. It is not to be taken lightly. Yet, it is here. The people portrayed in this film are those who attend church services when they marry and when they bury. That’s about it. So questions of morality for them are made only from a human perspective. God’s input is never considered.
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Ben Affleck, Andy Garcia, Alicia Keys, Ray Liotta, Jeremy Piven, Ryan Reynolds, Peter Berg, Taraji Henson, Chris Pine, Martin Henderson, Jason Bateman. Comedy/action/crime adventure. Written by Joe Carnahan. Directed by Joe Carnahan.
FILM SYNOPSIS: This is a dark action comedy from Joe Carnahan, the acclaimed director of Narc, about the interlocking tales of high stakes and low-lifes such as Mob boss Primo Sparazza, who has taken out a hefty contract on Buddy "Aces" Israel (Piven)—a sleazy magician who has agreed to turn state’s evidence against the Vegas mob. The FBI, sensing a chance to use this small-time con to bring down big-target Sparazza, places Aces into protective custody-under the supervision of two agents (Reynolds and Liotta) dispatched to Aces' Lake Tahoe hideout. When word of the price on Aces’ head spreads into the community of ex-cons and cons-to-be, it entices bounty hunters, thugs-for-hire, and double-crossing mobsters to join in the hunt. PREVIEW REVIEW: In the early ‘80s, a title such as Smokin’ Aces would have indicated a good-ol’-boy car chase movie starring Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson. Such is not the case here. This is a movie about several hit men (and women) on various steps of the evolution chain bent on killing an informer in order to earn a million bucks. It starts out interestingly enough, with a moving narrative you have to pay attention to, fast pacing, and editing that gives the production a manic energy. But suddenly elements of bizarreness and gruesomeness found in Tarantino’s Kill Bill and Gibson’s Mad Max begin to pour forth. The gore fest quickly gets underway. Examples: an FBI agent in a gun battle with a demonic killer inside, get this, an elevator; a Three Stooges-like hit crew straight out of a horror show, who use chainsaws to cut up people for the fun of it; two attractive hit-women with a vocabulary made up mostly of the f-word; there’s even a nutcase kid with a serious – make that demented – attitude and a penchant for martial arts. There’s lots of dark-as-night humor and the action is endless (much like the running time), but like every action film these days, it does its best to outdo the others – not with style or story, but with endless variations on how to humiliate or devastate the human body. Okay, it’s not to be taken seriously, but there are so many of these movies containing macabre humor and debauched behavior, as well as excessive bloodbaths. Each time we attend, we find ourselves getting pummeled rather than entertained. What’s more, this one seems to have no moral point. It’s got established actors and some amusing dialogue, but it’s just about maiming and killing people. If there is a point, it gets drowned in a sea of blood. There was a film in the early 1970s called The Wild Bunch, directed by Sam Peckinpah. That rogue filmmaker began the use of stark brutality in order to further a storyline. Indeed, violence became a character in that particular film. Some defended his use of graphic violence, while others were appalled. Though there are subplots exposing corruption and double-cross in Smokin’ Aces, I wonder what Peckinpah would think if he saw how his “true-to-life” bloodshed has become a tradition, one to be out-blasted by each successive effort.
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FILM SYNOPSIS: China, Later Tang Dynasty, 10th Century. On the eve of the Chong Yang Festival, golden flowers fill the Imperial Palace. The Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) returns unexpectedly with his second son, Prince Jai (Jay Chou). His pretext is to celebrate the holiday with his family, but given the chilled relations between the Emperor and the ailing Empress (Gong Li), this seems disingenuous. For many years, the Empress and Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), her stepson, have had an illicit liaison. Feeling trapped, Prince Wan dreams of escaping the palace with his secret love Chan (Li Man), the Imperial Doctor's daughter. Meanwhile, Prince Jai, the faithful son, grows worried over the Empress's health and her obsession with golden chrysanthemums. Could she be headed down an ominous path? The Emperor harbors equally clandestine plans; the Imperial Doctor (Ni Dahong) is the only one privy to his machinations. When the Emperor senses a looming threat, he relocates the doctor's family from the palace to a remote area. While they are en route, mysterious assassins attack them. Chan and her mother, Jiang Shi (Chen Jin) are forced back to the palace. Their return sets off a tumultuous sequence of dark surprises. Amid the glamour and grandeur of the festival, ugly secrets are revealed. As the Imperial family continues its elaborate charade in a palatial setting, thousands of golden armored warriors charge the palace. Who is behind this brutal rebellion? Where do Prince Jai's loyalties lie? Between love and desire, is there a final winner? Against a moonlit night, thousands of chrysanthemum blossoms are trampled as blood spills across the Imperial Palace. PREVIEW REVIEW: Curse of the Golden Flower could easily have been titled The House of Borgia-san, for this sick group shares much in common with the heirs of that back-stabbing, murdering Italian Renaissance family. What begins as a stylized and colorful visceral experience eventually sinks into the familiar martial arts debacle, this one just a bit more perverse, and a lot more violent. Those who enjoy the action adventure found in fantastical Asian martial arts films may become bored with the slow-paced intrigue, while those who demand integral storyline may feel assaulted by debauchery and the stylized violence. Shakespeare proved that most any theme could be addressed, or masked, with eloquent language. He did more than one play concerning dastardly dealings among family members. And he did it in such a spellbinding manner that audiences kept coming back. I’m not sure the makers of Curse of the Golden Flower will find such devotion. This film has a scintillating look, and its action sequences move along at an energetic pace, but the computer-generated overdoing coupled with themes of incest and loveless/vengeful relationships become vile and demoralizing. Shakespeare dealt with hidden human desires in similar family calamities, but this production avoids the human condition almost completely, preferring to bombard with chop-socky silliness. My Video Alternative: Crouching Tiger; Hidden Dragon. Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat), a weary martial arts warrior anxious to hang up his 400-year-old sword, must first dissuade a young woman from seeking a life of adventure by following his old nemesis Jade Fox (Cheng Pei Pei). With the aid of Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), a female warrior Li Mu Bai has loved in silence, he soon discovers that the young beauty is nearly as proficient with a sword and the art of battle as is he. When the ancient sword is stolen, the stage is set for the honorable warriors to battle Jade Fox, who is determined to destroy Li Mu Bai. Bruce Lee made physicality the central element to the success of Chinese action films. Jackie Chan added humor and precision to the genre. Now, director Ang Lee brings astonishing visual effects to martial arts. He adds magic to the mystique of Asian kicksuey. His warriors don’t merely jump higher than physically possible, they literally fly. Indeed, much of the film has its heroes chasing their adversaries over rooftops and, in one instance, through forests, stopping to sword fight atop towering trees. The film is action-packed, equally splitting time between romance and confounding fight sequences. It is, to say the least, a very visual film. Although it has a woman praying to a shrine, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is not about promoting Eastern religious beliefs. Nor does the exuberant choreography suggest legitimate sorcery. Nothing in it, except for the themes of love and honor, is to be taken seriously. It is fantasy. The fly in the dim sum, however, is the film’s one sexual encounter between an unwed couple that seems to imply the unimportance of marriage. But it is a short scene with no nudity, and it is clear that they truly love each other. The violence, while continuous, is artful and nearly bloodless. While I suggest caution concerning the brief sexuality, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s positive message is that good will conquer evil if we continue to battle it. It is rated PG-13 and contains one sexual situation between an unmarried couple, but it is not graphic, nor does it exhibit nudity. It receives its rating for the many fight scenes.
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FILM SYNOPSIS: This remake tracks the terrifying trajectory of Grace Andrews (Sophia Bush) and Jim Halsey (Zachary Knighton), a collegiate couple who are tormented by the mysterious hitchhiker John Ryder, a.k.a. The Hitcher (Sean Bean). The young couple hit the road in a 1970 Oldsmobile 442, en route to spring break, but their pleasure trip soon turns into a waking nightmare. The initial encounters with Ryder are increasingly off-putting for Grace and Jim, and they bravely fight back when he ambushes them. But they are truly blindsided when he implicates them in a horrific slaying and continues to shadow them. The open road becomes a battleground of blood and metal as they elude not only Ryder but also New Mexico State Police Lieutenant Esteridge’s (Neal McDonough) officers. PREVIEW REVIEW: When I was a kid and in my early teens, I used to watch a Friday Night Fright flick every weekend. Back then you could watch them on TV, hosted by some ghoulish guy or gal, and they usually starred Karloff or Lugosi because television in those days had what was quaintly known as standards. These horror tales were in reality morality plays – good vs. evil, with evil being defeated by film’s end. What’s more, because these films had been made a generation or more before I was born, a time of true innocence in terms of what Americans were willing to allow picture makers to make, there was generally a theme that acknowledged God, or even reverenced Him. Well, the world and spooky movies have changed since I was called an adolescent. This genre is no longer populated by the likes of Karloff or Lugosi, themes of good vs. evil are now colorized with shades of grey, and our senses are pummeled with sadistic and often gory demises made possible by the magic of computer-generated special effects departments. I’m sure the studio would prefer us to call it a thriller, but The Hitcher is essentially a horror flick, for the antagonist is a true monster if ever there was one. The pacing, the energy, and the jolts are impressive. It’s a real nail-biter, but it’s also riddled with offensive language, exploitive sexuality and a high quotient of gory imagery, including a scene where a man gets his throat slit, blood gushing from the wound. It’s rated R, so technically the kids aren’t supposed to be able to see it, unless accompanied by an adult, but here’s the really scary aspect associated with youngsters attending fright flicks – Moms and Dads help their offspring enter these movies. After all, they’re only movies, right? We went to see them and we turned out alright, right? So, we are bombarded by improper language, sadism, and sexual misconduct (casual sex, unprotected sex, sex without consequences) as a standard in this era’s presentation of films of this genre. Seemingly, we can handle this aggressive impact, right? But is that what God had in mind for us? No matter what the society considers acceptable, followers of Christ are to live by a different rule book. (We actually have a rule book.) And considering the fact that it has been authored by the Holy Spirit, it sure would be nice if the kids brought up in Christian homes actually read it. Look up Philippians 4:8. If today’s horror films – or any film, for that matter – don’t run afoul of that verse, then go ahead, send the kids. If today’s fright flicks don’t meet with biblical standards in your view, well, just say no. You’re the parent. It’s an R-rated movie. You’re the boss. Now, while I’m setting you straight on child-rearing, let’s discuss teens and cell phones…
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FILM SYNOPSIS: According to the press notes, the French were aided by over 130,000 North Africans fending off the Germans during WWII. Directed and co-written by Rachid Bouchareb, the story showcases the bravery of the North African Muslims and reveals the bigotry and mistreatment they received under French leadership. PREVIEW REVIEW: It’s interesting that two war films out right now either focus on understanding the enemy (Letters from Iwo Jima) or making sure Westerners get to know Muslim warriors. Indeed, in Days of Glory there are several scenes depicting the followers of Islam as decent and devout, whereas the Christians are hypocrites. It doesn’t, however, go into much depth as to the core beliefs of either religion. It’s a blatant attempt to put a happy face on Islam. This is a well-made film, but like Clint Eastwood’s Letters From Iwo Jima, it has an agenda. Making nice with folks you don’t know seems a noble cause and certainly we Christians are to be peacemakers, but Matthew 10:16 also warns, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore, be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” That verse should always be applied when being subjected to a filmmaker’s viewpoint. We learn from history that blind villainy befell many nations for a season, including, the Roman Empire, Spain, Germany and Japan. Evil can overtake any nation and must be guarded against. The same holds true for any religion.
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