ADAM
Two thirtyish New Yorkers meet cute in the
laundry room of their building. Routine
stuff except the boy (Dancy) has Asperger's
syndrome and so the girl (Rose Byrne)
acquires a twink savant. Can the handsome
astrophysics whiz with limited social skills
and the kindergarten teacher nursing a
broken heart really make a go of it? Max
Mayer's romance simultaneously emits respect
and pity, hobbled by a music score that's
used like a laugh track. Communication is
difficult for both parties and she doles out
sex the way a mother rewards her child with
candy. A semi-realistic conclusion and
sensitive performances save it from the
exploitation bin. (PG-13) FAIR ROMANCE
Dir-Max Mayer Lead-Hugh Dancy RT-100 mins.
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
Best not to load up on too much popcorn and
candy before seeing this family-oriented
fantasy about the pitfalls of gluttony and
the satisfactions of persistence and
ingenuity. While the mutated food on display
isn't always appetizing, the animation is a
veritable feast for the eyes. Based on the
popular children's book, it depicts the
misadventures of a maligned young inventor
(voiced by "SNL"'s Hader) who devises a
machine that makes comestibles rain down on
his hometown -- an island backwater where
sardines were previously the only thing on
the menu. Packed inside dazzling visuals,
the movie's salubrious message is plenty
entertaining. (PG) GOOD ANIMATED COMEDY Dirs-Chris
Miller & Phil Lord Lead-Bill Hader RT-81
mins.
THE FINAL DESTINATION
There's no plot here, no characters -- the
young, bland cast barely register as human,
never mind as actors performing a story --
merely a series of gleefully depicted
gruesome deaths. Director Ellis wants to
tease and titillate the audience by creating
a would-be orgasmic buildup to each grisly
rending of a human body; and he obviously
hopes we'll get an additional frisson of
pleasure from how clever each fatality is
staged. Not to mention, it's in 3D, so along
with in-your-face product placement you get
bits of bone and flesh and splatters of
blood thrown at you, too. This is death
porn, pure and simple. (R) POOR HORROR
Dir-David R. Ellis Lead-Bobby Campo RT-82
mins.
LORNA'S SILENCE
Belgium's Dardenne Brothers won the
screenwriting award at Cannes for this study
of an Albanian woman living in the city of
Liege. To gain citizenship, Lorna married a
junkie whom her criminal associates want to
murder so she can wed a Russian. Lorna has
second thoughts. The Dardennes' narrative
élan and use of color is transfixing; their
feel for the urban milieu is augmented by a
deep-seated moral sense. They are latter-day
Brothers Grimm and this variation on Little
Red Riding Hood boasts a formidable heroine
who's resourceful, beautiful, and
altruistic. On screen practically the entire
time, she's never less than fascinating.
Subtitled. (R) GREAT DRAMA Dirs-Jean-Pierre
& Luc Dardenne Lead-Arta Dobroshi RT-105
mins.
TOP FIVE DVD RENTALS -
DISTRICT 9
Set in South Africa, this flick is among the
year's best and an instant sci-fi classic.
Combining elements of "Alien" and "City of
God," the apartheid allegory follows an
official from a private security firm who's
put in charge of relocating thousands of
extraterrestrials, dubbed "prawns," from a
Johannesburg refugee camp. The
cat-food-loving creatures have been
quarantined for over twenty years while
their disabled spaceship hovers over the
city. The special effects are terrific and
don't overwhelm the harrowing story, which
is surprisingly emotional. You needn't be a
science-fiction aficionado to find the
experience, produced by Peter "Lord of the
Rings" Jackson, utterly exhilarating. (R)
GREAT SCI-FI ACTION Dir-Neill Blomkamp Lead-Sharlto
Copley RT-111 mins.
THE HANGOVER
A well-constructed comedy can be a beautiful
thing. In this hilariously ribald example
from the director of "Old School," when four
guys head to Vegas for a bachelor party we
don't witness their debauchery but rather
its aftermath. They wake to find a tiger and
a baby in their hotel suite, plus a big
surprise when the parking attendant brings
their car around. Oh, and the groom is
missing. A fantastic blend of raunch and
more cerebral, off-the-wall humor, this
isn't a case of reinventing the wheel but
shaping it so that it rolls pure. Watch the
end credits for glimpses of what transpired
the night before. (R) GREAT COMEDY Dir-Todd
Phillips Lead-Bradley Cooper RT-98 mins.
ALL ABOUT STEVE
Sandra Bullock almost salvages this
hit-and-miss comedy built on a workable
premise but a half-baked script. She plays
an eccentric crossword puzzle creator who
falls head over trashy red boots in love
with a handsome network news cameraman
(Bradley Cooper) whom she meets on a blind
date. The bandages used to hold the plot's
busted set pieces together are all-too
visible. If there's a reason to check the
film out, it's Bullock, who's endearing even
when playing an intentionally obnoxious
character. It speaks to Bullock's
unquestionable versatility and likeability
that her character remains believable, even
as she's saddled with a series of
unbelievable situations. (PG-13) FAIR COMEDY
Dir-Phil Traill Lead-Sandra Bullock RT-109
mins.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Quentin Tarantino's take on World War II
offers satisfactions only pulp cinema can
provide. A Spaghetti Western set behind
enemy lines in Vichy France, it stars Brad
Pitt as a lieutenant commanding a unit of
Jewish soldiers charged with killing Nazis,
a mission they carry out with gory relish.
It's fun to watch Nazis get what they
deserve, particularly Christopher Waltz's
memorably unctuous SS Colonel. Tarantino's
love of film is expressed in a storyline
concerning a Paris movie house, not to
mention through the many framing devices he
employs. The picutre's length will test
those who don't share Tarantino's faith in
his medium's probity however. Subtitled. (R)
GOOD WAR DRAMEDY Dir-Quentin Tarantino
Lead-Brad Pitt RT-152 mins.
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
It's a brave filmmaker who trumpets the fact
he's trying to deconstruct and thus
rejuvenate romantic comedies without being
excessively clever or cute. Whether Marc
Webb succeeds is a matter of opinion. His
morose hero (Gordon-Levitt) believes the new
receptionist (Zooey Deschanel) at the
greeting card company where he works is his
soul mate. The primary conceit of recounting
their relationship non-chronologically and
posting the relevant day on screen in
parentheses grows tiresome. Another conceit
involves gender reversal. He's the lovesick,
clingy one and she's the emotionally-distant
free agent. Beneath these and other devices,
such as referencing classic movies, are two
talented actors. (PG-13) FAIR ROMANTIC
COMEDY Dir-Marc Webb Lead-Joseph Gordon-Levitt
RT-96 mins.
|
