tefaruafy fi. 2004 t .
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have thought so, anyway— it’s been rereleased
due to four Oscar nominations.
—Jim Radosta
Albert Finney shines in this
otherwise dismal look at a man
(Billy Crudup) about to become a
father trying to solve the mystery of his
own dying fathers (Finney) tall tales. Too
fantastical for its violence and too violent
for its fantasy, Big Fish is yet another
example of a Tim Burton directing job
gone wild (see: Sleepy Hollow and Planet of
the Apes).
— Lisa Bradshaw
<£> <g>
You can sense the weight of the world in
the weary eyes of former Defense Secretary
Robert McNamara, the subject of this riveting
Oscar-nominated documentary from Errol
Morris (The Thin Blue Line). Having played a
pivotal role in World War II, the Cuban Mis
sile Crisis and Vietnam, the octogenarian has
a wealth of surprisingly progressive insights on
mistakes made and lessons learned.
T he B utterfly E ffect
A college student (Ashton Kutcher)
exploring the blackouts he experienced as a
kid discovers his ability to travel hack in
time to change his troubled past and that of
his 1) crazy father, committed to a mental
institution; 2) single, hardworking, young
mom; 3 ) girlfriend terrorized hy her drunken
pedophile father; 4 ) brutally cruel girlfriends
brother; 5 ) childhood friend driven insane
hy acts of brutally cruel girlfriend’s brother.
Sound like too much? It is.
— LB
<&> <C§> <££& C ity of G od
This series of vignettes from the hoods of
Brazil is too long, beyond violent and over
populated with characters but remains
worth seeing for the young cast’s strong
performances as well as the audacious visual
flair displayed by directors Katia Lund and
Fernando Meirelles. The academy must
<g> T he F og of W ar
— JR
Oy
H ouse of S and
and
F og
An alcoholic divorcée (Jennifer Connelly)
takes revenge on an Iranian
immigrant (Ben Kingsley)
whose family moves into her
foreclosed house after she
neglects to pay the bills.
Although beautifully shot
and well-acted, this tragedy
left my eyes dry because the
central figure draws little
sympathy for her self-
centered actions.
than you bargained for
from this feel-good flick
starring Kurt Russell as
the coach of the 1980
U.S. Olympic hockey
team that (miraculous
ly!) beat the Soviets and
brought home gold during a
turbulent period of recent world
history. But it’s really damn entertaining
and, yes, I got misty. G o team!
W hat's poppid
and w hat's flopped,
in a theater near you.
bottom of the bag
— LB
<C2t>
<3> <£> only
< g i <C§>
<§> T ouching the V oid
you’re really hi
good effort, pass the salt
mmmm, tasty!
This excruciating dcKumentary gives us a
front-row seat to a near-deadly 1985 mountain
climb in Peru. Using re-enactments as well as
intense interviews with survivors Joe Simpson
and Simon Yates, director Kevin Macdonald
(One Day in September) cranks up the drama
<g>
<£> <S> <g> get the big tub o’ com
while effectively conveying the thrill that drives
these people to put their posteriors in peril.
-JR
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-JR
<£><c2><g)> M iracle
Kick-ass documentary
Touching the Void
plays through Feb. 12
at Cinema 21
Saddled with an insipid
title and the Disney moniker,
you don’t get much more
ALL
I’m grading this youthful romantic
comedy on a curve because, well, I’m a
child of the ’ 80 s who appreciates any
directors aspiring to be the next John
Hughes. Robert Luketic (Legally
Blonde) shows promise with a cute con
cept (small-town girl scores night out
on the town with celebrity bad boy try
ing to clean up his act), a formulaic
twist (best bud hides his crush on
her) and memorable characters
(homy friend, unhip dad, shal
low agents).
—JR
R E N T A LS-5 D
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