The Last Samurai
R
3 stars
Directed By Edward Zwick
The Last Samurai
R
3 stars
Directed By Edward Zwick
Starring Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe
A war hero troubled by the injustices he perpetrated on the plains of the American West, Nathan Aubrey takes a job consulting the Japanese emperor in the modernization of his army, only to become enamored of the samurai culture he’s been hired to help eradicate.
You might ask why a story involving the ancient way of the Samurai needs to revolve around a white man, but you’d be missing the entire point of any historical examination of Meiji-era Japan. You’d also be missing one of the greatest historical battle dramas since Braveheart, minus the tacked on love story.
Timeline
PG-13
2 stars
Directed by Richard Donner
Starring Paul Walker, Billy Connolly
Edward Johnson is a professor of archeology leading an expedition of students in the excavation of a 14th century French castle. Two days after he goes missing from a meeting with the excavation’s investors, a note is discovered written in his hand, dated 1357. The investors admit to having built a time machine and send the students to rescue him.
Underproduced, blandly acted and poorly scripted, Timeline’s only redeeming moments come in its medieval battle re-enactments, making it a must for fans of Renaissance Faires and a future rental for everyone else who wisely spent their moviegoing dollars seeing ‘The Last Samurai’ instead.
The Missing
R
3 stars
Directed By Ron Howard
Starring Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones
Maggie is a “healer” who’s struggling to raise her two daughters on the hardscrabble range of 1880’s New Mexico. When outlaws abduct her oldest daughter, Maggie begrudgingly reunites with her estranged father to track them.
The Missing is a departure for the famously sentimental Howard, and employs a variety of disturbing imagery to convey the harshness of life in the Old West. It wisely avoids assigning morality to its characters based upon race; Caucasians and Native Americans are equally likely to be good or evil. Overall, The Missing combines the elements of a good crime story with a sweeping western.
The Haunted Mansion
PG
1 star
Directed by Rob Minkoff
Starring Eddie Murphy, Terrence Stamp
When realtor Jim Evers receives a late-night call from a man who wishes to sell his 19th century Louisiana mansion, he senses the sale of a lifetime and takes his wife and kids to check the property out. A rainstorm traps his family there for the night, where they discover countless ghosts, eerie goings on and a personal link to the mansion’s past.
In this latest film spin-off of a Disney ride, director Minkoff attempts to alternate between scary and funny, but mostly ends up with a boring muddle. Is it too late for Murphy to fire his agent?
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
PG-13
3 stars
Directed By Peter Weir
Starring Russell Crowe
While Napoleon wreaks havoc throughout Europe, Captain “Lucky” Jack Aubrey and the crew of the H.M.S. Surprise are sent to chase the Archeron, a privateer flying under French colors. The Surprise is itself surprised by the Archeron and takes heavy damage from the privateer, which is faster, heavier and better armed. Lucky Jack vows revenge, chasing the Archeron across two oceans.
Like most historically themed dramas, Master commits the sin of being overlong, a sin that can be forgiven in light of its sweeping cinematography, outstanding sound editing and heart-pounding battle scenes. See this one on the big screen.
Elf
PG
3 stars
Directed By Jon Favreau
Starring Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zooey Deschanel
As an orphaned baby, Buddy crawls into Santa’s sack and is unwittingly transported to the North Pole, where he is raised as one of Santa’s elves. Thirty years later, Buddy discovers his parentage and treks to New York City to meet his real father and bring Christmas spirit back to the Big Apple.
“Elf” is a fun, albeit early, entry into this year’s Christmas movies. It will be most appreciated by those who appreciate Ferrell’s particular brand of overenthusiastic slapstick. Kids will howl over the non-stop goofball chaos and parents will be pleasantly surprised by the lack of potty humor.
