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That Pathe Unlimited card I have is a gift AND a curse. Responsible for the last category, iss movies like Narnia. I should’ve known. The trailer had capital letters CHILDREN MOVIE, AVOID AT ALL COST plastered all over it. And even the high IMDB grade didn’t fool me (with Catholic madmen keep voting 10’s). So going to see it for “free” must count for _something_ ? Well, no. Not by a long shot.
Talking about long. How long can you drag out a simplistic story with one, pardon me, QUARTER dimensional characters ? Apparently for about 140 minutes, but it’s during the first 20 where you start to wonder if C.S. Lewis’s original was a novel, or a 4-page comic.
So it’s obvious it’s meant for kids. But then, what about the educational value ? It’s tries to be there, but for a preachy Catholic dude, that Lewis guy is actually teaching kids that good and evil is just there, and to be a hero you don’t have to work your ass off.
Off to the technical merits then. With double the budget of a single LotR chapter, it looks like only a tenth was really used. Obvious green screens, undetailed CGI and sloppy tracking. It’s all too obvious. Speaking of LotR, how about copying a few scenes while you’re at it ?
Then the acting. If you think the first Harry Potter was bad (but at least there was a funny story behind it), this one is pretty much unbearable.
So that leaves just the grade, a few points for some unintended funny parts (Biggest brother going on to lead a massive battle after being 2 days in Narnia, asks a guy he just met, in a dead serious tone “Are you with me ?”, to which the guy replies just as serious “To the death”).3½.

_Another_ movie with Scarlett Johansson ? Well, yeah, it’s only the seventh in 2 years. And even if the movie isn’t all that, luckily it’s still no overkill. This tiny movie is set in Italy, and it thrives on the typical suburban gossip machine. You’ve seen it before. Quite predictable, but luckily not all the way till the end. In the end, there’s even some true feelings flying off the screen. Other things balancing out the somewhat slowy pace it Helen Hunt in an unusual role (which are always the best in her case), but that’s where the good things end.6½.

It’s 25 feet tall, growls a lot, climbs the Empire State Building and is on top of the box office. With $50.1 million, it’s far from the Lord of the Rings openings, but with no kids free from school, and a blizzard here and there, the next few weeks will have to prove if Kong is really the King for this year (Currently SWIII, HP4 and WotW).
Second spot is for last week’s topper, Narnia and the way too long title, with $31.2 million, an expected 52% drop. At three we have The Family Stone, the umpteenth movie with Dermot Mulroney as the fiancee, with $12.7 million. Left-overs round out the top five, with Harry Potter taking $5,9 million and Syriana $5.4 million.

Probably one of the most anticipated movie this year, and you can breathe now, as the movie confidently delivers. The key is, obviously, doing it BIG. And there’s no denying in the fact that it works. Big budget leads to big sets, big special effects extravaganza and of course a big King Kong. Just like the whole Lord of the Rings series worked so well, so does this movie. Although with a few minor differences.
The script breaks about after the first half of the movie. Changing it from personal story telling to full speed chase mode (leaving no time for real depth of characters) doesn’t go unnoticed. But then again, what a ride it is. With a running time of almost 3 hours, it not boring at any time.
Another difference is that there’s is no real clear-cut hero/villain type, and without the hero to root for, it might subdue the exciment a bit. But just a bit.
So, what earns it enough points to make it DVD (Special Edition, of course) worthy ? Great acting and great casting. Casting Jack Black in a non-comedy movie got me scared, but luckily, it worked quite well. Casting Naomi Watts is of course a non-brainer. Mixing the less serious and very serious actors/characters gives it a nice contrast.
Then there’s King Kong, sending Andy Serkis to Africa to study gorillas really pays off. The uncanny mannerisms integrated in the motion capture is a joy to watch. Money to make him look life-like does the rest. The finishing touch, money does well for atmosphere, the whole 1933 look and feel it nicely recreated (not spoiling the fact of the majestic landscapes during the second half of the movie).
The conclusion is clear, with so much money well spent (including certain shots paid for by Peter Jackson himself, to finish the 3 hour cut he wanted), I’d recommend you spend money to see it.8½.

Disney can let out a deep breath now, as Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe takes in $67 million, a second best December opening (behind Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). With 6 more C.S. Lewis novels in the bag, the future for Disney might look just as bright as WB’s (home of Harry Potter).
Syriana, teaming Clooney and Damon again, climbs to the second spot in its first week in wide release, with $12 million. At 3, the magic spell is losing power, as Harry takes in $10.3 million (only $5 million ahead of the first chapter’s earnings at the same week). At 4, Walk the Line has long legs, with $5.75 million (and a $70 million cume). Rounding out the top 5 is Yours, Mine and Ours with $5.15 million.

Bill Murray as a one man show had his ups and downs. With Lost in Translations is was all the way up, which was the main reason I went to see The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (slightly disappointed). So Broken Flowers is another indie picture (Focus Features), and it looks like another one of those long stretched silent movies. Most of that time could be filled with story advancement or character development, but instead we get to see a detailed (but not so exciting) solo road trip. Here and there are some funny bits, but mostly it’s just pointless stuff leading to an unfinished story.6½.

The movie title certainly suggests a scary movie. But let’s be honest, after The Excorcist, nothing really scared the pants off me like that again. This movie tries to up the scare factor by being based on true events. Adding a certain sense of realism usually is enough, but in this case, it gets a bit blunt after the first half. While acting is up to par, it’s the unfolding story that’s not too surprising. Besides the obvious devilish growling and contorted body positions, this movie is actually a courtroom drama. And buried underneath that, there’s even a spiritual message to think about. Who’d’ve thought ?7+.

The race for the Tri-Wizard Cup is good for third week at the top of the box office, with Harry Potter earning another $20.5 million. With a total of $229.8 million in week 3, its magic power proves strong than the previous movies (for now).
At number 2, we have Charlize Theron playing a super heroin in Aeon Flux. More of a bomb than a flux, it earns only $13.1 million (on a $60 million budget).
Three left-over round out the top five, respectively Walk the Line with $10 million, Yours, Mine & Ours with $8.4 million and Just Friends with $5.9 million.

Typical indie drama (as most movies distribbed by Focus Features are), with some political thriller plot twisted around it. While the acting part is up to par for this kind of movies, the story can sometimes feel tedious. The director tries his way to keep it as realistic, human, and poetic as possible, and the thrill factor has to suffer because of this. The pace as a result, is a bit on the slow side, then again, a big pie cut of the budget was used for the director’s favorite Discovery Channel like helicopter fly-by scenes. There’s a lot to be said about this style, as it works on some level, but as a whole, this movie doesn’t really stand out (definitely don’t go if you’re feeling a bit tired).7.

Sometimes, with non-descriptive titles (like the last one, Proof), you just go see it and wait for the surprise. This time, the surprise never came (unlike in Proof). Very loosely based on the life of Domino Harvey, we get to see her as a bounty hunter, while another story unfolds in the background. Inconsistently told, on screen it’s all Tony Scott on speed. Super-high-speed cutting with his favorite hand-cranked high-low speed shots are all over the place (while it was still manageable on Man on Fire, it’s getting a bit irritating here). To be honest, even if the story was consistently told, I think it would still have been boring. The screen writer thinks a few lines are enough the describe Domino’s character (which is not), and that makes her pretty one dimensional. Luckily, Kiera gets a few microseconds of full top nudity (totally unnecessary, but probably there so the male fans will buy the DVD for pausing action), otherwise I’d demand my money back (which is impossible, since I technically didn’t pay).5½.

Magic power at works at the top of the box office, as the mediocre Goblet of Fire chapter of Harry Potter takes in another $54.9 million (total at $201.1 million).
Second was Walk the Line, the Johnny Cash biopic cashes in another $19.7 million (total at $54.7 million). Third was new family comedy Yours, Mine & Ours. Starring Dennis Quaid, it’s good for $17.5 million. Chicken Little still shrinking, this week with$12.4 million (total at $118.2 million).
Rounding out the top 5 is Broadway adaptation Rent, woth $10.7 million.

One of the last movies coming from the Weinstein brothers under the Miramax banner, who over the years mixed big budget movies with low budget dramas. This is of course one of the last category, with less than a handful of characters playing out a story. Good narrative style combined with a solid drama script delivers a psychic punch. The acting is up to par (all the way to the suggested Oscar noms. Say hello to ms. Paltrow), even though the startup seemed to cut the dialogue into a high speed speech contest (which later on wasn’t so apparent any more, luckily).7½.

A new year, a new adventure. Question always remains, what kind of adventure ? Well, this year seems a little bit dull. While the story starts off with an avalanche of things happening, nothing _really_ happens. The chaotic pace keeps on going till the end, making you feel quite a bit empty when you walk out of the theatre.
So, how come ? Well, for one, while they’re trying a lot to cram of everything in the 157 minutes, every scene seems to cut off at the last moment, and it never gets picked up again. Very choppy storytelling to say the least. Then with a whole bunch of new characters showing up (nothing to write home about) the recurring characters only get non-meaningful appearances. This leaves the few key scenes worth naming clocking in at a mere 10 minutes. The chase scenes and empty dialogues don’t add to the story, nor is there time for real character development. Acting isn’t really memorable, save for Ralph Fiennes’ performance.
With humor on a low simmer, this doesn’t make it a kiddy movie anymore (the 12+ rating is probably to save the kids an expensive sleep at the theatre). Neither is it a high school ensemble, or an adult drama. With no real mystery going on (or just the very predictable kind), all you get is the standard adventure tale, making it less interesting than the other chapters.
It seems the only magic at work here is how it is possible that this chapter, regarded by many as the best book of the series, became the least meaty one of this movie series.7+.

Magic rules at the box office, as the boy, pardon me, dude wizard already, conjures its biggest opener in the series with $101.4 million. Almost $10 million ahead of the Azkaban chapter, makes this a fourth place of the biggest openers yet (Spidey, SWIII and Shrek 2 make the top 3).
A very distant second, is Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, singing some $22.4 million into the cash register.
Chicken Little drops two places, with this week’s $14.8 the cume stands at $99.2. Derailed and Zathura are neck and neck, rounding off the top 5 with resp. $6.53 million and $5.1 million.

From the very start, though feeling a bit detached, has the intense acting of Jodie Foster plastered all over it, and that already makes up half of the movie. What follows is a thriller focusing on the psychological side of it, while never digging too deep. While the movie evolves naturally and not overly complicated, it’s all set on a pretty big plane, quite the opposite of the cropped up feeling that Red-Eye had. It also had less story turns, as it focuses on the lingering psycho feeling. All in all, two thumbs up, albeit short ones.7½.