November
3rd
Food,
Inc. (Magnolia)
When I left the theatre after watching Robert Kenner’s new documentary
about America’s
food industry, my initial thought was the film lacked that big shock-and-awe
moment. But, quite interestingly enough, I haven’t stopped thinking about what
I learned from Food, Inc. since I saw it. And, now, I am fully prepared
to declare this movie required viewing for every carnivore in this country. There’s
an old saying you’ve heard before that suggests, “You are what you eat.” Robert
Kenner takes his cameras deep into the chicken houses, meat processing plants,
and food factories of America
to show you what you’re eating. And, trust me when I tell you, it’s not always
what you ordered. GRADE: B+
November
3rd
The
Taking of Pelham 123 (Sony)
Director Tony Scott (Enemy of the State, Déjà Vu, Man on Fire) takes
the reins in this remake of the 1974 thriller starring Walter Matthau and the
redux has all of Scott’s trademark touches:
the frenetic pace, the bluish hue, the obnoxiously amplified soundtrack,
Denzel Washington. While I was actually excited about a modernized version of
this story, of a disgruntled New Yorker who hijacks a subway car, this one has
one major flaw. Drum roll, please! Yep! You guessed it. John Travolta! John, a
lesson for you. A character like Ryder, in order to execute a plot to ground
subway traffic in New York City, would have to be not only brilliant, he would
have to be composed and infinitely pragmatic.
It’s as if Travolta felt he wasn’t acting enough so he shifted that
subway car into high gear and started spewing out ridiculous lines like,
“Everyone owes God a death!” Well, congratulations! I’ll tell God you killed
this movie! GRADE: C
November
10th
Up (Disney)
One of the biggest hits of the year and deservedly so. Co-directors Pete
Docter (Monsters Inc.) and Bob Peterson (Finding Nemo) team
up to bring us the moving story of 78-year-old Carl Fredrickson (voiced by Ed
Asner), a widower bound for Paradise Falls. See, that trip was always the dream
for Carl and his wife Ellie. They constantly saved for that vacation, but life
always got in the way. In fact, it’s a
home-video type review of the Fredricksen’s life together that explains this,
as well as how they met, how they loved, how they lived and, ultimately, how
Ellie passed. Nothing prepared me for the emotional impact of the sequence and
it brought me to tears. Unfortunately, Docter and Peterson eventually tie
helium-filled balloons to Carl’s house and float a bit off course. It’s as if
they remembered Up was supposed to be a film for the kids and they started
piling on the convention. But, for a while, this adult was lifted Up by
a truly unique and special animated film.
GRADE: B
November
17th
Star
Trek (Paramount)
I said when I previewed this film that if anyone could reinvent the
worn-out Star Trek franchise it was sci-fi pioneer J.J. Abrams. And I
was right! Star Trek is back with a vengeance. What’s great about
Abrams’ approach is that he reinvents these 40-year-old characters and stories
from scratch! In a way, he’s given these old farts hip-surgery! He’s made them hip again! You can wander into
his Star Trek without ever having seen the original series or knowing
any of the original characters. And, you’ll be treated to great backstory, a cool
new vision, razor-sharp dialogue, scary villains and eye-popping special
effects. My only complaint is that, for all his new tricks, Abrams frequently
resorts to one of his old standbys. The time-travel storyline in Star Trek wreaks
of Lost. GRADE: B
November
24th
Angels
and Demons (Sony)
Tom Hanks is back as world-famous symbologist Robert Langdon and he’s
just in time. The Pope is dead and those
pesky Illuminati are trying to destroy the Catholic church! And nobody is better at solving complex puzzles
and mysteries than Robert! And, he’ll tell you.
And he does. In fact, Robert explains everything to us as if we’re
complete morons. Ladies and gentleman, I hate to break this to you. But Ron
Howard, who directed this mess, thinks you all are idiots. He and Hanks
spoon-feed us information as if we’re toddlers trying to learn why one
shouldn’t touch a hot stove or eat the yellow snow. So, in closing, a message to Ron Howard from
those of us who actually possess evolved powers of comprehension and revel in high-brow
intellectual exchange. Hey, Opie! You can suck it! GRADE: C
