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The Promise: Unconvincing fantasy-opera.
Elizabethtown: Melodramatically sweet.
Waiting: Medium rare.

After a few crowd pleasers (War of the Worlds, The Terminal), Spielberg is back on his unconventional track. This movie is definitely strange and special in every sense. Trying to bring this forgotten story to the silver screen, he uses a unique way of directing and editing, following a surprising story outline. In there lies the good and the bad thing about this movie. Obviously, you’ll get a story driven plot with some deep soul searching for the main character (played by Eric Bana, the most underrated (awards-wise) actor of this decade)). The bad thing is that it’s a bit slow. Not only that, with so many factions around, of which most you have no idea who or what it’s about, it’s hard to live into those different angles. Many onscreen discussion are lost this way.
So, if you’re not up to the challenge, and you don’t want to risk this, you can always rent Collateral instead (only slighly similar, but more Hollywood style).7.

As the war between werewolves and vampires continues during the night, Underworld: Evolution earns $27.6 million, enough for the top spot this week. Sequel of Underworld, from three years ago, pairs up director Len Wiseman with actress Kate Beckinsale again, except this time they’re married.
Hoodwinked sticks at the runner up spot with $11.1 million. Last week’s topper Glory Road falls to number 3 with $9.1 while the fourth spot is for Last Holiday, also with $9.1 million.
That leaves this week’s best shiner the awards laden Brokeback Mountain, earning a solid $7.8 million in its seventh weekend. While it may seem a low number, it played in significant less theaters than the rest.

The idea may be right, but usually it will result in a somewhat contrived outcome. And that’s exactly what happens, leaving a simmering soft drama ending up being a bit unrealistic. Everything in between wasn’t really exciting either. But at least it had Scarlett Johansson in it. As for the rest, I’ll be a bit more cautious when I come across the next written/directed movie by Woody Allen, ’cause that man is definitely weird.6½.

A very unconventional war movie, definitely not the usual full force explosion type. It’s a bit on the tame side, probably because it’s based on a book, based on real life experiences. This means the drama probably has a creative license here and there, but it’s not a full story where they can go deep into the characters. It’s not really heading to a message either, it’s just a view of a particular deployment in Kuweit during Desert Shield & Storm. But at least the acting is of high standard, and there are some unusual visual styles (a la American Beauty Sam Mendes).6½.

Slow week at the box office, so Glory Road ends up at the top with just $13.5 million. This Jerry Bruckheimer produced college basketball drama movie is based on a real story.
Close behind are Queen Latifah starrer Last Holiday, with $13.0 million, and the first animated movie of the newly formed The Weinstein Company Hoodwinked with $12.2 million.
Narnia is finally buckling under the strain of the new movie releases, taking in only $10.1 million at number four. Last week’s number one, Hostel drops all the way to nr 5 with $9.6 million. The 50+ % drop is probably due to people finding out it’s actually a Tarantino introduced (and produced) movie, and not a Tarantino directed movie.

Typical small budget murder mystery with comedy twists. That means, it relies more on story (though leaning a bit too much to the usual coincidents and happenstances side) and wacky dialogue than on action scenes. With the narrative style and how the story untwists, it plays out more like a surreal fantasy than a regular movie, but at least it’s something new. Being special though, doesn’t necessary mean it’s definitely good.7-.

Horror flicks still have the ability to enter at the top spot this year (continuing the streak which began some 2 years ago), and combined with the faith in Quentin Tarantino’s exec producing abilities, lands Hostel at number one with $20.1 million (already more than four times the budget).
That leaves the big ones trailing at number 2 and 3, Narnia takes in $15.4 million while King Kong swings in $12.5 million.
The rest leaves the top 5 with a faint smile, Fun with Dick & Jane takes in $12.2 million and Cheaper By the Dozen 2 $8.3 million.

Serenity: Tiresome.
Edison: Bullocks.
Nine Lives: Pointless.

You know, rumor has it that this movie was pretty boring. Turns out it’s more fact than rumor. It’s too bad really, Rob Reiner built up a career by carefully selecting a whole variety of well crafted movies. Who didn’t feel along with Stand By Me ? Who didn’t laugh his guts out with The Princess Bride. Who didn’t jolt back a few steps back when Nicholson shouted we couldn’t handle it in A Few Good Men ? Who didn’t bite his fingers off watching Misery ?
Sadly, the next question is, who didn’t yawn along while watching Rumor Has it… ? To keep the enumeration theme going on, I’ll close with: If you wanna see Jennifer Aniston, you’d better pick a Friends episode (preferably something from season 3 till 6). If you wanna see Kevin Costner, you’re better off with The Upside of Anger. If you wanna see Mark Ruffalo, re-watch Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. And if you wanna see Shirley MacLaine, whaaaat has gotten in to you ? Actually, _then_ you deserve to be bored out of your skull.4½.

After two weeks, the reigning King Kong has to relinquish his role at the top to, not a new entry, but a previous combatant. The family oriented Christmas weekend made kiddy movie Narnia move back to the top with $32.8 million. Close behind was the ape with $31.6 million. At three, Jim Carrey held steady with Fun with Dick & Jane with $21 million.
Rounding out the top five are also steady-goers Cheaper by the Dozen 2 with $19.3 million and Rumor Has It … with $11.6 million.

You have those movies, that are pushed back somehow, or shoved into the back room. Or maybe I didn’t have time to get around to it till it got on DVD, or maybe it was released directly to DVD. Usually there’s a reason for that, so I won’t spend the usual 1000 words on it, instead opting for just one word. This way, you won’t think I didn’t see all the movies that are out there. So here goes (what I’ve in the past mandatory vacation week off):

Seven Swords: Mediocre.
The Longest Yard: Medium.
Saw: Sharp.
Saw II: Sharptoo.
Wolf Creek: Riiihiiiiight.
The Aristocrats: Hmmm…
Into the Blue: Shallow. (Got to see Jessica Alba’s right nipple exposed though, or rather, her body double, as the producers wants us to believe)
Tom yum goong: Haha. (And that’s not meant in a good way)

Wow, these one-word reviews are harder than I thought it would be, keeping it to just one word and all.

King Kong still roars at the top of the box office, but the roar isn’t that loud. With $31.4 million, it’s only a fraction more than the number 2, as Narnia takes in $30.1 million.
New openers at 3 and 4, Jim Carrey starrer Fun with Dick & Jane with $23.5 million and Steve Martin starrer (with the rest of the original cast) Cheaper by the Dozen 2 with $14.8 million. The Family Stone rounds out the top five with $10.9 million in its second week.

Stealth it was indeed, but in a whole other way. Having bombed everywhere in the world, some countries didn’t even dare release it, and put it on DVD straight away. Why watch it then ?
Well, even though the critics were unified in bashing this movie, I’d have to disagree with this one. Sure, the script is simple. It’s pretentious and predicatable. Some might call it stupendous. And I’ll have to agree with the generic hero/villain characters too. But with $130 million for a direct-to-DVD, you DO get one hell of a deal. And that’s what this movie is all about, brainless entertainment. And I’ve bashed other movies for this very same thing, but this one somehow manages to keep the fun alive without irritating you at all.
Credit for that goes to Rob Cohen, even though he delivered good movies a decade ago, his career change to the brainless side was obvious a few years ago (The Fast and the Furious (one of those movies I bashed), xXx etc). But the upside of it all is that he can truly grasp all of the technical aspects of today’s way of filming. The use of special and visual effects, combined with the budget, really delivers top notch onscreen spectacle. Combined with good actors, even if the scripts is lousy, makes up for the rest. This one is really a “just eat the popcorn and keep your mouth shut” movie. Or wait, that’s not physically possible. But you know what I mean.7-.

Solid drama from the (late) Miramax line, very much in line with Lasse Hallstrom’s previous dealings with the Weinstein Brothers (Chocolat and The Cider House Rules). While it’s not a spectacular script, at it’s core it’s what you expect from it, and who doesn’t like a feel-good drama now and then.
Acting is strong as usual, with Robert Redford taking lead, and the always trustworthy sidekick role comes from Morgan Freeman. Then we have Jennifer Lopez (who actually did pretty good on screen before the singing gig started rising to her head), and it seems Hallstrom has things under control (or a lot of time to do re-takes), as even that is pretty good (then again, maybe it’s because the shots were all upper body shots).7½.