A  Cineman Syndicate feature

DVD MOVIE GUIDE FOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2006

Mini Reviews of select DVD tiles debuting this week

NEW RELEASES -

CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER WOMEN

What at first seems like a gimmicky, split-screen rondo between former lovers turns into a vivid look at how we recall and attempt to revive past romances. Two wedding guests, the never-better Helena Bonham Carter and Aaron Eckhart, start flirting and it becomes apparent they have a history, snippets of which are shown in flashback. The technique helps render their ensuing night together sexy and romantic in the most mature and meaningful senses. In excavating this complicated relationship, the filmmakers have the decency not to be too invasive. The movie is richer for their good taste, and talent. (R) GOOD ROMANCE Dir-Hans Canosa Lead-Helena Bonham Carter RT-84 mins.

CRANK

This superficially exciting flick is ultimately numbing and, like any local anesthetic, wears off too quickly. Its compulsive impulsivity isn't totally dispiriting however thanks to technical proficiency and grotesque good humor. Jason Statham plays a hit man who wakes up to discover he's been poisoned. His only hope is to keep the adrenaline pumping. Not a problem, as he embarks on a violent rampage through L.A. that involves severed limbs, oodles of drugs and profanity, plus very public sex with his clueless girlfriend (Amy Smart). While it's hard to imagine getting hooked on such derivative entertainment, no addict ever thinks they'll become dependent. (R) FAIR ACTION Dir-Neveldine/Taylor Lead-Jason Statham RT-83 mins.

THE ILLUSIONIST

Despite a transparent outcome, this elegant period yarn has much to recommend it--including occult mystery, palpable romance, fine acting and a Philip Glass score. Set in fin-de-siecle Vienna, it's about a magician (Edward Norton) in love with a countess (Jessica Biel) engaged to the crown prince (Rufus Sewell). The always-impressive Paul Giamatti portrays the police inspector charged with debunking the conjurer and his relatable character takes over the film. The plot, from a short story by Steven Millhauser, gains political currency by pitting two talented proletariats against a vainglorious aristocrat. Not all its promise materializes, but there's plenty to intrigue. (PG-13) GOOD DRAMA Dir-Neil Burger Lead-Edward Norton RT-109 mins.

THE NIGHT LISTENER

This account of authorial deception certainly benefits from its parallels to the recent outing of JT Leroy as a fraud, but what the sluggish thriller could use more of is rational suspense. A talk radio host (Robin Williams) strikes up a telephone friendship with the teenage author of an autobiographical book about abuse, only to slowly suspect that the kid might not exist at all. While designed to be a chilling exploration of identity and how the boundary between fiction and reality is blurred, what it becomes is a tale full of plot developments either excessively convenient or exceptionally absurd. (R) FAIR DRAMA Dir-Patrick Stettner Lead-Robin Williams RT-82 mins.

QUINCEANERA

L.A.'s Echo Park neighborhood is the setting for an equally tender and pointed essay about innocence and transgression, tradition and displacement in the Mexican-American community. After falling out with their parents, cousins Magdalena and Carlos (Jesse Garcia) move in with their elderly great uncle. Fourteen-year-old Magdalena anticipates her fast-approaching coming-out ceremony, while Carols befriends a gay couple that represents gentrification, plus sexual and racial exploitation. Brimming with quiet ironies, this resonant story uses coming-of-age and intergenerational tension to reflect on the challenge of keeping your cultural bearings in a shifting society. In Spanish and English, with English subtitles. (R) GREAT DRAMA Dirs-Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland Lead-Emily Rios RT-90 mins.

TOP DVD RENTALS -

JACKASS: NUMBER TWO

This second compilation of disgusting masochistic stunts perpetrated by Johnny Knoxville and company is not for the squeamish or anyone with remotely delicate sensibilities. Then again, neither were the Three Stooges. Letting an entertainment take you to the very edge of slapstick and make-believe pain is one thing, jumping into the abyss and wallowing in the hurt and various unmentionable substances is quite another. Sadomasochism in the name of comedy, or comedy in the name of sadomasochism, has a long history and, for better and worse, will survive. Let's hope viewers who try recreating anything they've seen here do also. (R) FAIR COMEDY Dir-Jeff Tremaine Lead-Johnny Knoxville RT-92 mins.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA

An aspiring journalist becomes a slave to fashion in this enjoyable, ready-to-wear adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's novel. Anne Hathaway plays the size 6 ingénue toiling in Manhattan's media trenches and Meryl Streep will be in the running for her third Oscar (and 14th nomination) as her demanding editrix at Runway magazine. We're overdue for an energetic workplace comedy and despite its see-through plot, repetitive montages of bustling Gotham, and extended length--it takes too long to sell her soul and earn it back--substance wins out over style thanks to the glam performances. With Stanley Tucci and Adrian Grenier. (PG-13) GOOD COMEDY Dir-David Frankel Lead-Anne Hathaway RT-106 mins.

THE DESCENT

This bloody nightmare populated only by women and set in a deep, dark, narrow passageway-lined cave doesn't lack for allegorical interpretations. Unfortunately, the tale of underground adventuring-gone-awry--in which adrenaline junkies find themselves in horrific trouble while exploring a giant cavern--isn't sturdy enough to support even superficial readings as a gory tract about feminism or post-traumatic catharsis. Still, despite its general thinness and some ham-fisted shots that foreshadow early doom, director Marshall expertly delivers the scary goods once all subterranean hell breaks loose and his nondescript female protagonists (Natalie Mendoza, Alex Reid, and Saskia Mulder) are beset by carnivorous mutants. (R) FAIR HORROR Dir-Neil Marshall Lead-Shauna Macdonald RT-99 mins.

INVINCIBLE

"Rocky", "Rudy" and "Cinderella Man" all rolled into one, this effective if rather melancholy sports drama chronicles the gridiron exploits of Vince Papale, a South Philly native who walked on to the struggling Eagles in 1976 and became the soul of the team aided by first-year coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear). While the economic funk of the period seems exaggerated, the community's fanaticism isn't. Wahlberg is relatively subdued and undersized, but the only thing that might incense diehards is Vince's affection for a NY Giants booster (Elizabeth Banks). In all other respects, the familiar playbook does justice to Philadelphia's scrappy fans. (PG) GOOD SPORTS DRAMA Dir-Ericson Core Lead-Mark Wahlberg RT-108 mins.

TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY

A subversive quality renders this Will Ferrell comedy more than an elongated skit. Mind you, it's still rooted in unabashed idiocy but it has a sharper satiric edge than "Kicking and Screaming" or "Anchorman". As a NASCAR racer who goes from the pits to the winner's circle and back down, Ferrell gets hilarious support from John C. Reilly and Sacha Baron Cohen. Resisting any hint of schmaltziness also helps. The first-rate production pokes fun at heartland homophobia (and homosexuals), Red State religiosity, the commercialization of sports, and one type of ugly American--the moronic male driver. (PG-13) GOOD COMEDY Dir-Adam McKay Lead-Will Ferrell RT-105 mins.

DVD TOP TITLES

Compiled by Video Business Magazine for week ending December 31, 2006

(Reprinted with permission.)

TOP RENTALS - Last Week

1. JACKASS: NUMBER TWO (PAR) - New

2. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (FOX) - 2

3. THE DESCENT (LG) - New

4. INVINCIBLE (BV) - 4

5. TALLADEGA NIGHTS: BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY (SONY) - 1

6. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (FOX) - 5

7. LADY IN THE WATER (WB) - 3

8. MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND (FOX) - 6

9. PIRATES OF THE CARIBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST (BV) - 7

10. STEP UP (BV) - 8

 

Copyright 2006 by  Cineman Syndicate, LLC all rights reserved