Grind
PG-13
1 star
Directed by Casey LaScala
Starring Mike Vogel, Vince Vieluf, Adam Brody
Fresh out of high school with differing ideas of what to do with
their futures, four teens pursue one last chance at becoming
professionally sponsored skateboarders. They follow a skateboarding
star’s tour in the hopes of getting noticed, but their rowdy
roadtrip gives them a little more than they bargained for.
Grind
PG-13
1 star
Directed by Casey LaScala
Starring Mike Vogel, Vince Vieluf, Adam Brody
Fresh out of high school with differing ideas of what to do with their futures, four teens pursue one last chance at becoming professionally sponsored skateboarders. They follow a skateboarding star’s tour in the hopes of getting noticed, but their rowdy roadtrip gives them a little more than they bargained for.
The cast is not without talent, but they (and the audience) are done a tremendous disservice by the poor script and even poorer direction. Jokes that could have been kind of cute are dulled by an embarrassing amount of dead air on either side of them, and the skate footage is slightly less compelling than a Mountain Dew commercial.
Uptown Girls
PG-13
1 star
Directed by Boaz Yakin
Starring Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning
Molly is the daughter of a late rock star, a party girl who’s the toast of New York City. When her accountant embezzles her inheritance she’s forced to take a job as a nanny to Ray, a precocious 8-year old. Ray teaches Molly how to be more responsible, while Molly tries to get Ray to lighten up a little.
Although you’ll see the heart strings getting pulled a mile away, you’ll never actually feel them. Fluffy, saccharine and obvious, Uptown Girls is a mawkish disaster. Dakota Fanning is a cardboard stereotype, while Brittany Murphy pratfalls, mugs and is generally grating.
Open Range
R
3 stars
Directed By Kevin Costner
Starring Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Benning
When their wandering herd strays into the town of Harmonville, two freegrazing cowboys find a towns terrorized by a corrupt sheriff and a ruthless cattle rancher. The cowboys are forced to defend both the townspeople and their vanishing way of life.
More Unforgiven than Silverado, Open Range should please anyone who loves Westerns, regardless of how they feel about Costner. Even the greatest of Waterworld haters should find something to appreciate in Range’s sweeping scenery, introspective mood and classic showdown. Although not without its indulgences, Open Range is overall an enjoyable film.
Seabiscuit
PG-13
4 stars
Directed By Gary Ross
Starring Tobey Maguir, Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper
Depression-era story about three down-on-their luck guys and the tempremental horse whose combined talents result in a Triple Crown win.
Beautiful to look at, Seabiscuit’s attention to detail is almost overwhelming. The film fires on each cylinder, and has some tongues wagging about another Oscar for Chris Cooper.
S.W.A.T.
PG-13
3 stars
Starring Colin Farrell, Samuel L.Jackson, Michelle
Rodriguez, L.L. Cool J
Directed by Clark Johnson
Due to a split-second decision made during a hostage situation, officer Jim Street is thrown off the S.W.A.T. team. Dan “Hondo” Harrelson gives him a second chance by reassigning him to his own S.W.A.T unit. Back on the job, he has a chance to prove his mettle against a deadly international criminal who has offered $100 million to anyone who can break him out of jail.
In a reversal of the way most retro-TV adaptations go, a really good action film has sprung from a truly mediocre TV show. Although somewhat cliché-ridden, S.W.A.T. has an interesting story which moves at a brisk pace.
Le Divorce
PG-13
2 stars
Starring Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts
Directed by James Ivory
California slacker Isabel travels to Paris to visit her sister Roxeanne, who is pregnant and headed for divorce from her philandering husband, Charles-Henri. Isabel starts an affair with Charles-Henri’s married uncle, and relations between the two families become further complicated when a painting owned by Roxeanne turns out to be worth millions.
Although not without charm, Le Divorce never really packs the dramatic or comedic punch it was certainly capable of. Clever pieces about the differences between French and American culture abound, but mostly, Divorce lumbers along for two without ever letting the audience feel anything about its characters or what happens to them.
Freaky Friday
PG-13
3 stars
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Lindsay Lohan
Directed By Mark Waters
Tess Coleman and her teenaged daughter Anna don’t see eye-to-eye on anything. In addition to the standard stresses facing 15-year-olds, Anna’s problems are compounded by her widowed mother’s upcoming remarriage. During a heated argument, cursed fortune cookies cause Tess and Anna to switch bodies, giving each a chance to see life from the other’s perspective.
Yes, it’s a remake, and yes, this premise has been poorly adapted by entirely too many other films, but somehow, Freaky Friday still feels very fresh. The jokes bend without breaking and Lindsay Lohan does a great job of mimicking the clipped speech of Curtis’ character. All in all, a kid’s movie that adults can heartily enjoy.
American Wedding
Rated R
2 stars
Starring Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Eugene Levy
Directed by Jesse Dylan
Having dated through college Jim and Michelle are ready to take the next step into marriage. The promise of a storybook wedding is compromised when Stifler invites himself to participate as a groomsman and sets his eye on Michelle’s younger sister.
While Pie was a hilariously pleasant surprise, Wedding serves up something a little too familiar. Sappy expositions of love and growing up punctuate a steady stream of Farrely Brothers’ style gross-out jokes. That being said, the movie is not without its moments, mostly with Stifler’s character at the center of them.
