The Legend of Zorro
REVIEWED 10/05, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

For ten years, Don Alejandro de la Vega (Antonio Banderas) had fought against injustice as the dashing hero of the people known by all as Zorro, but now his days were numbered. Not because Zorro's quick blade and unmatched bravery weren't needed in this modern civilized year of 1850. The dusty town's church bell still called for him to don the black mask and mount his trusty stallion, and face the cold stare of corruption endangering California's peaceful life. That hadn't changed. And, Alejandro's legendary alter ego wasn't threatened by this burgeoning Western State voting to enter the American Union. This had been a dream of his that would soon become a glorious reality and bring a wealth of new possibilities for his young son Joaquin (Adrian Alonso). No, as de la Vega slumped in his saddle in a drunken haze under the pale desert moon, terrible thoughts that his beloved wife Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones) had left him for that snobby French Count Armand (Rufus Sewell) and his celebrated vineyards tortured and broke Alejandro's spirit beyond repair. They had argued, but they always argued. She had given him an ultimatum, but had always taken him back in the morning. Not this time. The paperwork was clear enough. She had divorced him. Alcohol was now his mistress. His whip and his sword had remained untouched for three months, while he'd watched Elena move closer to marrying that foreign scoundrel who had stolen his family. He was ruined. Destroyed. His life was a gaping, smouldering crater - just like the one left by the sudden mysterious explosion that rocked the night skies and had shaken Alejandro out of his torment. Malevolent schemes were being hatched, and only Zorro can uncover this new threat and stop it before the entire country is thrown into total chaos. That is, if Elena will let him...

It's always fairly strange when an action movie primarily intended to entertain attempts to fuse fiction with recorded history, and this rollicking sequel of 'The Mask of Zorro' (1998) from director Martin Campbell ('GoldenEye' (1995), 'Beyond Borders' (2003)) is no exception. Now ten years after donning the black mask and cape of his mentor to become Zorro, Don Alejandro de la Vega (Antonio Banderas; 'Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles' (1994), 'Shrek 2' (2004)) deals with the sudden divorce from his wife Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones; 'Entrapment' (1999), 'Ocean's Twelve' (2004)) and uncovers the diabolical scheme of a thousand year-old brotherhood called The Knights of Aragon to destroy America circa 1850 on the eve of California entering the Union. Uh, okay. Divorce had existed long before the 19th Century, with England's King Henry VIII (1491-1547) divorcing his first wife - funnily enough, Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536) - in the 1530's, but poor old Alejandro is supposedly extremely God-fearing and would be familiar with Matthew 19:6 from The Bible, where Christ denounces the practice. Zorro sulks. Also, Aragon is a real place, bordering the South of France as one of several autonomous regions in Spain, but it doesn't seem to have ever had anything clearly resembling the Knights Templar myth. At least Roberto Orci's and Alex Kurtzman's story got the year right, and this hundred and thirty-minute whip-cracking romp is definitely a fun time despite its weird creative anachronisms throughout. The fictional character of Zorro, reportedly inspired by the eventually decapitated Mexican outlaw Joaquin Murietta (1809-1853) as fictionalized in Native American writer John Rollin "Yellow Bird" Ridge's (1827-1867) 1854 book The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta: The Celebrated California Bandit - and first appearing as Zorro in prolific author Johnston McCulley's (1883-1958) 1919 novel The Curse of Capistrano - is still probably best remembered due to Hollywood Walk of Famer Douglas Fairbanks, Sr's (1883-1939) hugely stylized starring performance in the Silent Classic 'The Mark of Zorro' (1920). This new adventure comes close to hitting the mark, especially with its oftentimes remarkable stunts and award-worthy sound effects, but it's silly and takes too much for granted. 'The Legend of Zorro' is also like 'Wild Wild West' (1999), where the humour either seems borrowed - as in its drunken horse nod to 'Cat Ballou' (1965) - or fails to be funny. Sure, the fight sequences and sword play during the first half are absolutely amazing to sit through, but it's as though you're supposed to automatically remember and still care about Banderas as Zorro from seven years ago - as opposed to his far more brooding efforts in the 'Desperado' (1995) flicks - and don't really need to be reminded why he's considered the good guy now. It's also tough not to look for political undertones here, with US President George W. Bush look alike Nick Chinlund ('Con Air' (1997), 'The Chronicles of Riddick' (2004)) playing the ghastly righteous trigger-happy hooligan Jake McGivens, employed by evil French Count Armand (Rufus Sewell; 'Dark City' (1998), 'Extreme Ops' (2002)) to kill a whole mess o'people and help blow up stuff real good in the name of maintaining European world domination. Sure, Mexican TV child star Adrian Alonso steals the show as the de la Vegas' precocious young son Joaquin - named in memory of Murietta, I guess - but a paying audience really might as well sit back and switch off above the neck to truly enjoy this rip roaring Western of trite quips, lazy contrivances and wildly affected acting for the most part. I felt like I was watching an over-all great-looking but dumbed down super hero feature that's mostly entertaining, but primarily as a big screen confection for boys and boys at heart.

Check out 'The Legend of Zorro' for it's great break neck action as a mindlessly fun rental, but don't expect much originality from its cast or the script.

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Last Holiday
REVIEWED 01/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Queen Latifah ('Sphere' (1998), 'Taxi' (2004)) stars as meek New Orleans department store cookware clerk and church-going gourmet hobbyist Georgia Byrd - who suddenly quits her dead end job, walks away from a potential romance with equally smitten fellow co-worker Sean Matthews (LL Cool J; 'Charlie's Angels' (2000), 'Mindhunters' (2004)), and jaunts to a European luxury hotel, when Georgia is told that she has a rare terminal brain virus called Lampington's Disease that gives her three weeks to live - in this fairly simplistic popcorn flick remake of the 1950 Alec Guinness comedy.

So much of this hundred and twelve-minute feature seems to cry out from Byrd's prop album of clippings and photos called The Book of Possibilities, but fail to be realized while director Wayne Wang ('Maid in Manhattan' (2002), 'Because of Winn-Dixie' (2005)) navigates his one through a fairly pedantic quagmire of dull contrivances and unfunny physical humour throughout. It's a shame really, because this cast - which also includes the phenomenal Gérard Depardieu ('Cyrano de Bergerac' (1990), 'The Man in the Iron Mask' (1998)), and the perfectly mercurial abilities of Timothy Hutton ('The Falcon and the Snowman' (1985), 'Kinsey' (2004)) - does manage to steal momentary opportunities that rise above co-writers Jeffrey Price's and Peter S. Seaman's aggravatingly lazy screenplay with some truly captivating dramatic scenes here. So much so that these few brief moments of genuinely satisfying performances feel completely out of place. It's as though a mutiny had happened on the set and, instead of a cheap laughs prerequisite food fight or choreographed klutzy slide down the Grandhotel Pupp's banister that would've easily fit, the actors stood up and insisted on being real actors playing more than the patronizingly one-dimensional role presented to them. Most of the scenes featuring Depardieu are an absolute treat, and Latifah does sporadically follows in kind - but then goes snowboarding on a slope full of human pylons or does something just as boring to the funny bone. The whole cat-scan thing is such a lame bit of obvious foreshadowing that it's like water torture waiting for this film's story to finally get around to dropping in that enormously unsurprising twist at the end. Unfortunately, you'll also need to sit through quite a bit of fluffy, tritely sugary filler that relates to most of what's included in the ads. Wang seems completely out of his league, regardless of his otherwise proven capabilities at the helm. I actually want to ignore the majority of this ridiculously vacuous picture and rave about the delightfully nourishing tidbits enough to make the entire screening sound like it's worth the price of admission, but even they aren't quite enough to save this cobbled together updated version of 'Last Holiday'. I couldn't even honestly recommend renting it with your thumb firmly positioned over the fast forward button.

Unless you're a diehard completist fan of Queen Latifah, or absolutely want to see gorgeously displayed cuisine close up on the big screen, wait a couple of weeks 'til one of the TV networks airs it.

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Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
REVIEWED 02/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

The sense that a weirdly cobble together alternative world - one that slightly resembles reality and yet doesn't - tends to overtake this sporadically funny comedy from star/writer/director Albert Brooks ('Lost in America' (1985), 'The In-Laws' (2003)), where unemployed famed American big screen funny man Brooks is indoctrinated by an underfunded bureau of the US State Department to help the George W. Bush administration understand Muslims by sending Brooks to find out first hand what makes them laugh.

Yes, the premise is fairly far fetched and doesn't really make a whole lot of sense as presented here. Brooks spends the majority of his so-called funny fact-finding mission in India, basically tilting his head sideways at various aspects of that Hindu dominant culture, while constantly being further sidetracked at virtually every step. Maybe that's the big joke here - that he never actually interviews anyone who verifies that they're Muslim, as Brooks stumbles around this foreign land searching for foreigners (to him) - but, it's a running gag that quickly runs out of juice. His assistant Maya (Sheetal Sheth; 'American Chai' (2001), 'Indian Cowboy' (2004)) is apparently a resident of New Delhi, but continually needs to have the basics of comedic sarcasm explained to her as though it's an alien concept in South Asia. I guess Brooks never bothered to check out anything about Indian humour before grinding out this ridiculously patronizing screenplay. Sure, this ninety-eight minute slice of self indulgent ignorance does feature a small handful of laugh out loud moments, but there's quite a wait between each one as you realize that 'Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World' is a racist film for the most part. And, that ain't funny. Even if the script had empowered the majority of the predominantly walk-on supporting cast to be consciously humourous at Brooks' expense until his caricature of himself gave his head a shake - instead of the story brainlessly defaulting to a jarring load of anti-Semitism pointed at him - this hugely disappointing cinematic chalk outline of Brooks' otherwise impressive career in show business might have been a worthwhile time at the movies over-all. However, a preference to perpetuating generations old bigotry prevails as humour instead. It's a shame, really.

There's not much that's funny about what Brooks finds, and this testament to that failure is hardly worth the price of admission.

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The Libertine
REVIEWED 03/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Adapted from Brit playwright turned screenwriter Stephen Jeffreys' 1994 stage production, this thoroughly fascinating and fairly unflinching Period picture from debuting director Laurence Dunmore artfully depicts the destructive path towards thunderous obscurity of perniciously self-indulgent London nobleman John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester (1647-1680), ten years after entering the Court of England's King Charles II (1630-1685) as a poet and playwright at eighteen until Wilmot's pitiful and excruciating death from syphilis. 'The Libertine' is definitely not a film for moviegoers who love to escape into a romanticized version of the 17th Century, unless muddy sewage dumps inhabited by rows of decrepit store fronts can somehow be considered romantic. Dunmore seems to take exceptional delight in capturing as many examples of just how distastefully vile life might have been like back then compared to now - to the point of leaving in a scene where a regal dog relieves itself indoors and unnoticed while the King sternly addresses his men. At the same time, and despite the noticeable absence of some much needed historical context for ticket holders who aren't familiar with this particular scandalous celebrity (he wrote the play Sodom, arguably considered to be the world's first consciously published pornography), this hundred and fourteen-minute 2004 cinematic treasure is a venerable mother lode of superior dialogue and phenomenal character acting throughout. Johnny Depp ('Edward Scissorhands' (1990), 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (2005)) is absolutely mesmerizing here as the churlishly rebellious Wilmot, relentlessly sabotaging every possible redeemable quality of this notoriously impertinent letch while playing opposite Samantha Morton's ('Minority Report' (2002), 'Enduring Love' (2004)) fine performance as his ambitious acting pupil and burgeoning theatre headliner Elizabeth Barry (1658-1713), and during several electrifying moments with John Malkovich ('Dangerous Liaisons' (1988), 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' (2005)) - who reportedly played Wilmot in the US version of the UK stage play - as the tenuously patient Charles II who grows increasingly weary of this Earl's flagrant disrespect for respectability.

What's great about 'The Libertine' is that Jeffreys' intellectually clever screenplay primarily focuses on the crumbling character of Wilmot, as opposed to allowing this feature to down spiral into becoming little more than a boring sweaty mess of pithy innuendo and gratuitous soft porn. Shades of 'Stage Beauty' (2004) are slightly evident, but really only because it's set approximately fifteen years afterwards, and much of the story revolves around Wilmot's obsession for the theatre and Barry - much to the chagrin of Wilmot's prim wife Elizabeth Malet (Rosamund Pike; 'Die Another Day' (2002), 'Pride & Prejudice' (2005)). It's also incredible how those two characters change during the course of this flick. This isn't another bright and rollicking romp like 'Amadeus' (1984) or 'Cassanova' (2005), though. It's extremely brittle and morose, and Framestore CFC's stylish digital post-production touches made to cinematographer Alexander Melman's apt camera work add a wonderfully dank gloom to the entire effort. Good stuff. Yes, 'The Libertine' feels somewhat experimental and rough at times. However, I found that those aspects afforded an uncanny sense of immediacy that's seldom seen in this genre. Make no mistake, though. It's an Art House film at its core, intermittently titillating a paying audience with brief bouts of nudity, blunt coarse language and a round of bizarrely perverse antics reminiscent of the naughty Ken Russell farce 'Lisztomania' (1975).

Whether you're a huge fan of Period dramas or not, definitely check out this undeniably worthwhile cinematic showcase of brilliant big screen talent and truly memorable story telling gorgeously presented as a visually intriguing delight that's intended for a mature audience.

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Lucky Number Slevin
REVIEWED 04/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Somewhat cheesy dime store crime novels of at least half a Century ago are apparently the stuff of crude inspiration for this relatively slow paced, contemporary big screen maze of double cross and meticulously planned vengeance from Scots-born director Paul McGuigan ('The Acid House' (1998), 'Wicker Park' (2004)), that stars Josh Hartnett ('The Faculty' (1998), 'Sin City' (2005)) as seemingly innocent victim of mistaken identity Slevin Kelevra, brutally dragged to the fortified New Jersey penthouses of underworld kingpins "The Boss" (Morgan Freeman; 'Driving Miss Daisy' (1989), 'An Unfinished Life' (2005)) and "The Rabbi" (Sir Ben Kingsley; 'Bugsy' (1991), 'Oliver Twist' (2005)) because of huge gambling debts that Slevin's pal Nick (Sam Jaeger) has racked up, soon after a lone sniper kills the son of "The Boss" in broad daylight. I initially figured that this hundred and nine-minute flick was adapted from a stage play, because it takes a while for Hartnett and this rather oddball cast - that also includes Lucy Liu ('Charlie's Angels' (2000), 'Domino' (2005)) as Nick's chatty neighbour Lindsey and Bruce Willis ('Pulp Fiction' (1994), 'Hostage' (2005)) playing shadowy world class hit man Mr. Goodkat - to eventually ease into their roles and cut out a lot of what desperately feels like affected theatrical acting.

Turns out that writer Jason Smilovic's non-sequential screenplay isn't based on a stage play at all, McGuigan merely let his players curiously exude far more perky enthusiasm for their parts here than seems natural for their characters, unfortunately. 'Lucky Number Slevin' is still primarily a fascinating movie, largely due to the way in which it's presented with a wonderfully effective dramatic undertone that something big is going to happen once the whole truth is revealed. Problem is, it tends to take its sweet time getting there, bloating this production with a wealth of unbelievably quirky dialogue that indulges in pop culture references and strangely cobbled metaphor in an obvious attempt to emulate the stylishly hip films of Quentin Tarantino and John Ford. It doesn't quite work on that level. Nor does 'Lucky Number Slevin' consistently manage to pull off a Noir-like patter that's reminiscent of 'The Big Sleep' (1946) and Bogart's 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941), because this picture simply doesn't look or play out like those classics. At the same time, other scenes beautifully hearken back to the memorable irreverence of Jimmy Cagney in 'White Heat' (1949) and Orson Welles in 'The Third Man' (1949). It's a hit and miss pastiche of updated bygone Cinema, while this on-screen crew plays around in front of the camera. Smilovic's script tries to be too clever for its own good, continually becoming unnecessarily experimental and enigmatic and boring for a paying audience following along. Yes, I realize it sounds like I'm panning this one. It's a demanding flick to sit through because of those flaws. I'm still deciding whether or not I liked the fact that Goodkat appears out of no-where, where nobody's apparently able to get through tight security, after Slevin takes forever elaborately manoeuvring his way there. Surprisingly lazy plot holes do exist here. However, it's also definitely a curiously entertaining feature because the story has enough intrigue and undeniable screen presence rattling through it to amuse devout moviegoers 'til the final act tells all. In my books, that makes it worth a rental.

'Lucky Number Slevin' won't be everyone's cuppa joe, but it's a darkly fun ride intended for a decidedly mature audience once you get used to the offbeat rhythm, and after this cast finally settles into their otherwise interesting roles.

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The Lake House
REVIEWED 06/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Shortly after housing developer Alex Wyler (Keanu Reeves; 'Speed' (1994), 'Constantine' (2005)) finds a simple salutation left in the weather beaten mail box of the secluded, glass enclosed stilt house that he's just moved into, he realizes that handwritten note was written by Kate Forster (Sandra Bullock; 'The Net' (1995), 'Crash' (2004)), the next tenant of that lake house, two years in Alex's future 2006, in this wistfully sentimental romantic drama from Argentinean director Alejandro Agresti ('Boda secreta' (1989), 'Valentín' (2002)) that's adapted from the Korean Sci-Fi film 'Siworae' (2000), and Alex and Kate soon begin a quaintly captivating correspondence that evolves into a long distance love affair where it seems impossible for them to ever actually meet in person. Frankly, I didn't really know what to expect from this hundred and five-minute chick flick. To me, the movie poster suggests that Reeves is some sort of ghost, and the ad makes it seem like a paying audience is in for an updated remake of the Christopher Reeve/Jane Seymour tear jerker 'Somewhere in Time' (1980). Turns out that neither notion is right, and that 'The Lake House' is a wonderfully fascinating depiction of these two lonely people falling in love through their written words. It's sort of like 'You Have Mail', without the emails or the overtly quirky bits.

Avid cinephiles will easily see a closer resemblance to the acclaimed '84 Charing Cross Road' (1987), but with a deliciously arcane science fiction twist. It's passionately warm hearted and carefully methodical and seeps into your pores at an unstoppable pace, the more you let yourself be drawn into writer David Auburn's truly beautiful screenplay. Reeves and Bullock effortlessly breath astoundingly perfect life into their individual characters as they come to terms with the strangeness of what's happening and the uneasy level of comfort at which their feelings grow for each other. Awesome. It's also interesting to see how Agresti unenviably tackles the potentially complicated task of having this couple believably converse and emotionally bond across such an impossible expanse without heavily relying on narrative. The results are nothing less than spellbinding. Sure, 'The Lake House' does have its flaws. I'm still not sure how Alex and his dog just so-happen to reappear in those woods near the end, for instance. It's also strange how Kate can appear to come into brief contact with Alex on two separate occasions without her recognizing him from the first time she saw him. There are probably loads of other glaring plot holes, but I don't care. This one was definitely a thoroughly enjoyable guilty pleasure to sit through, from the absolutely gorgeous opening credits to the hugely sappy final scene. I loved it almost as much as Kleenex probably will - not that I needed a Kleenex, but the screening that I attended was certainly underscored by a few muffled sniffles in the dark. What's also notable is how Alejandro Brodersohn and Lynzee Klingman's editing seamlessly weaves the different time periods together without ever creating the remotest feeling of unnerving confusion. The attention to subtleties of nuance is overwhelming here, also thanks in large part to cinematographer Alar Kivilo's deftly patient and insightful lens. Lovely. Yes, 'The Lake House' probably won't be to everyone's liking. It's not nearly as much of a roller coaster of emotional angst as 'The Notebook' (2004) is, but I found it to be just as satisfying and well worth the price of admission.

If you enjoy a slow paced romance that affords you the luxury of easily understanding and rooting for two decidedly intriguing lives that seem meant to connect, absolutely check out this one as a potential new addition to your shelf of favourite movie keepsakes.

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The Lost City
REVIEWED 07/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

The tide of civilian unrest in Batista's Cuba at the end of the 1950's systematically threatens to destroy the otherwise tightly knit Fellove family, in star and debuting feature director Andy Garcia's ('The Untouchables' (1987), 'Ocean's Thirteen' (2007)) visually stunning yet surprisingly disappointing adaptation of writer Guillermo Cabrera Infante's (1929-2005) novel translated from Spanish in 1989 as Three Trapped Tigers, where Havana's El Tropico night club owner and eldest brother Fico (Garcia) witnesses the brutal disintegration of everything he cherishes as his two siblings Ricardo (Enrique Murciano; 'Black Hawk Down' (2001), 'Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous' (2005)) and Luis (Nestor Carbonell; 'Jack the Dog' (2001)) are seduced by revolutionary factions that shatter Fico's faith in humanity and leave his lovely sister-in-law Aurora (Inés Sastre; 'Sabrina' (1995), 'Un amor de Borges' (2000)) a confused widow who slowly falls in love with him during these tumultuous times. I truly wanted to enjoy this small independent effort blessed with so much proven talent, but Garcia's excruciatingly subtle mode of story telling and exasperatingly experimental style of editing with Christopher Cibelli that's predominantly relied upon throughout this dreadfully meandering hundred and forty-three minute drama made my enjoyment of 'The Lost City' a virtually impossible chore. Curiously unexplained histrionics set aside for a moment, a paying audience is relentlessly forced to play a series of needless guessing games throughout this screening in order to follow the simplest of basic details - such as who is who, and what are their names - to the point where those glaring absences overwhelmingly distract from the actual story that drags along as a series of vaguely related character skits highlighted by Bill Murray's ('Caddyshack' (1980), 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou' (2004)) charming muted irreverence as the unnamed comedic sidekick in short pants.

The process of movie making - or rather, the lack of technical capacity - gets in the way of this movie's purposeful attempts to pull you in and make you care about what happens to any of these characters. Sure, Garcia's Fico definitely sustains your attention using little more than sheer will power and natural screen presence as a sort of pale imitation of Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957) in 'Casablanca' (1942), but that's merely due to the fact that the rest of this picture is so outrageously self-indulgent and amateurishly cobbled together, barely able to cohesively hold together long enough during each scene or give this otherwise proven cast much to do while chewing on their rather disjointed lines. Bogart had elbow room to take on what would become one of the greatest roles of his career. Garcia's overly expressive eyeballs betray that his mind is distracted by everything other than what you're watching him do and feel and say. "Come in, stand there, check the lights, say this and do something interesting if you feel like it, then go away and we'll fix it after," seems to be the extent of things on the set throughout. Conversely, I actually liked Jsu Garcia's contentiously alternative depiction of Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928-1967) as a sneering merciless thug - this sure ain't the likable Che of 'The Motorcycle Diaries' (2004) - who's shown as being no better than Juan Fernández preening serpentine-like portrayal as tyrannical President Fulgencio Batista (1901-1973), but not enough time is paid to examine that hugely interesting aspect for it to feel like anything other than a cheap publicity stunt tossed in to attract ticket selling controversy. 'The Lost City' is as much about the collision of impassioned rhetoric as it is about personalized emotional turmoil, and yet this movie fails to carefully dissect and deftly portray either worthwhile dynamic deeply enough for the uninitiated who forgot to bring a handful of psychic pills and some tear sheets from the Encyclopedia Britannica's section on pre-Castro Cuban history. I wanted to see more investment in the background's details to offset this feature's unorthodox structure. The archival clips plopped in don't work. I wanted to see a refreshing new Cuban shake on Rick's Cantina from 'Casablanca' - since comparisons seem intentional, right down to the costuming - but I ended up wanting to see the closing credits and me escaping through the exit door more. That's a shame, because the potential and opportunity for this one to be everything that it aspires to capture and project is painfully obvious, but even cinematographer Emmanuel Kadosh seems ham stringed by an unfortunately tangible amount of disorganized vision. Cameos from Murray - and a brief one from Dustin Hoffman ('The Graduate' (1967), 'Meet the Fockers' (2004)) as Mafia boss Meyer Lansky - and most of the individual performances taken out of context and at face value pretty well stand out as the only memorably notable reasons to consider spending any time with this cinematic sleeping pill. Yes, it's well cast and looks great. There's simply not much of a fleshed out script here, and it noticeably stretching the limitations of director Andy Garcia versus the absolute strengths of leading man Andy Garcia in this nationalistic passion play doesn't really help.

I didn't enjoy the film, and it's gut wrenching having to pan it, but I can't honestly recommend this horrendously vapid and forgettable big screen blip.

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Little Man
REVIEWED 07/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Mere hours after being released from prison, pint-sized hardened criminal Calvin "Babyface" Sims (co-writer Marlon Wayans; 'Senseless' (1998), 'The Ladykillers' (2004)) is on the lam from the police and has to quickly hide the huge diamond that he and his knuckle headed accomplice Percy (Tracy Morgan; 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back' (2001), 'The Longest Yard' (2005)) have just stolen from a Downtown Chicago jewellery store, in this potentially hilarious yet relentlessly mediocre comedy from co-writer/director Keenen Ivory Wayans ('A Low Down Dirty Shame' (1994), 'Scary Movie 2' (2001)) that forces Calvin to disguise himself as an abandoned baby in the hopes of quickly retrieving that priceless rock from its hiding place in the suburban home of childless married couple Vanessa (Kerry Washington; 'Bad Company' (2002), 'Ray' (2004)) and Darryl (co-writer Shawn Wayans; 'Scary Movie' (2000), 'White Chicks' (2004)), before Sims' brutally impatient boss Mr. Walken (Chazz Palminteri; 'Down to Earth' (2001), 'Running Scared' (2006)) comes looking for him.

I'd read that this ninety-five minute soft adult romp of sophomoric humour heavily resembles the 1954 Bugs Bunny animated skit 'Baby Buggy Bunny', and it's easy to recognize that much of the broad physical gags are similar in style to what's seen in that Chuck Jones TV classic. The idea is great. However, 'Little Man' is really only an unpolished idea that's barely taken any further, failing miserably to reach its full potential as an outrageously funny feature full of interesting characters. The main roles are basically made up of a bunch of stock caricatures all pulling dumb faces and amateurishly feigning confusion while overtly affecting their surprisingly pedantic dialogue, all in the hopes of making a paying audience laugh. Sure, it's laughable, but not in the way that it's intended to be. While not a complete turkey, what's laughable about 'Little Man' is that you can see several instances where fresh comedic opportunities are summarily ignored throughout. The screenplay doesn't push the punch lines hard enough. For instance, Calvin's an ex-con tough guy with a volatile temper and a reputation to protect, and yet he hardly fusses about the continually goofy looking pastel-coloured jumpers and cartoon animal prints that this unwitting adoptive couple dress him in. He accepts his disguise too readily, seriously deflating the primary joke that a paying audience is apparently expected to bust a gut over merely because there's nothing else to bust a gut over in most of the scenes. Yes, there are a couple of appropriately hilarious bits here - including one brief cameo where TV's 'In Living Color' alumnus David Alan Grier crazily steals the spotlight - but, they're not enough to keep that obviously required high level of hugely satisfying silliness alive through this entire screening. It needs more of that. Instead, long gaps of waiting for the funny stuff to tangibly materialize are what make up the majority of this one. Another example of how 'Little Man' feels lazily cranked out shows up near the end, in a fairly effective moment between Calvin and Darryl when the truth is revealed, that actually should have happened closer to the middle of this story. I'm not going to ruin anything for you, but I definitely wanted to see how the dynamic between these two characters changes from them being a hopelessly awkward wannabe father with a phony would-be son, to them continuing as odd couple buddies sent on a bizarrely unexpected, riotously campy adventure together during the second half. This movie could have easily accommodated more creativity with the subject matter. It's a shame that nobody bothered. The context for an extra series of jolts fostered by a wider reaching story line is already laid out fairly quickly early on, before what actually plays out ends up boring you by it belabouring the same handful of increasingly lame and soft jokes towards the sweet release of the closing credits.

On all accounts, 'Little Man' feels more like a trial run of as-yet unexplored and truly hilarious shenanigans that will hopefully appear in a sequel to actually be worth sitting through, compared to this bland and miserably unimaginative cinematic waste of otherwise proven comedic talent.

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Lady in the Water
REVIEWED 07/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

An esoteric prophecy only vaguely recalled as an ancient Asian bedtime fable that promises the enlightenment of humanity now begins to unfold for real when shy Philadelphia apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti; 'The Truman Show' (1998), 'Cinderella Man' (2005)) unexpectedly meets Story (Bryce Dallas Howard; 'The Village' (2004), 'Manderlay' (2005)) - a frail female sea nymph, from the Blue World of Narfs that has existed in parallel with our own civilization for Centuries despite being long forgotten - whose task of meeting and inspiring someone unknown to her before returning to her home is threatened by Heep's bumbling attempts to help, and a rogue wolf-like beast that lurks in the darkness waiting to pounce, in this wonderfully captivating and imaginative character drama from writer/director/co-star Manoj Nelliyattu "M. Night" Shyamalan ('The Sixth Sense' (1999), 'The Village' (2004)) that's reportedly adapted from an unpublished family children's story of his own creation. Holy cripes, this is such an astounding masterpiece of escapism for adults.

Admittedly, I've become increasingly disappointed with Shyamalan's movies over the past few years, and initially greeted this latest effort with luke warm skepticism. Thankfully, 'Lady in the Water' is an intriguing cinematic puzzle occupied by a wealth of truly interesting people and circumstances, to the point where a paying audience can't help but be drawn in and thoroughly fascinated by how this story is told. I felt like blasting out of my theatre seat in a somersault of joy, throwing a round of high fives at everyone in the street afterwards, because I can finally quit relentlessly panning this clearly talented writer/director. It's a fantasy that contains elements vaguely resembling those of 'The Chronicles of Narnia' (2005), but you're never taken to a magical land or much further than the pool side courtyard of that sleepy contemporary residential complex, while Heep and his cobbled menagerie of tenants realistically attempt to understand and deal with this unbelievable thing that's happening within the context of their predominantly mundane lives. They all seem to be waiting around for a purpose to act upon, but end up cluelessly struggling for guidance when called upon. That's the true genius of Shyamalan's screenplay, as well as it beautifully returning to the theme of awkward and sometimes hesitant wonderment shaking up familiar reality, enjoyed in his earlier films. It's scary at times, but the thoughtful depiction of disturbing uncertainty is what's most riveting about this hundred and nine-minute mystery.

Sure, the ending does seem to play out a bit over-the-top and curiously feels roughly hurried - due in large part to cinematographer Christopher Doyle's strategically poor camera angles that tend to obscure your view of the action - but the vast majority of this flick methodically clicks out at an impressive pace with incredibly satisfying results over-all. Doyle's lens is bang on, deftly punctuating several earlier key scenes, but definitely becomes unjustifiably bothersome during the climax. I called this feature a character drama, because it heavily focuses on what's brought to the big screen in terms of depth of personality and emotional content by this ensemble cast led by Giamatti, rather than letting the carefully accommodated special effects take over and predominantly stun your senses. Unsurprisingly, Giamatti's lions share of the scenes are perfect throughout, as he effortlessly glides through a wide range of traits that encompass Heep's complex persona as a fragile yet quirky custodian turned neophyte sleuth and leader of this unlikely group. Awesome. Howard doesn't particularly do much with her role as the relentlessly enigmatic Story, but her existence does lend a strongly refreshing, underscored touch as the mystical catalyst for Giamatti and the supporting players to work from. In the end, it's Shyamalan's insightful performance as burgeoning writer Vick Ran that stands out the most in the peripheral spotlight. Other hugely satisfying and clever moments continually pop up, such as when more clues regarding Story's quest are gleaned from an old crossword and a shelf of cereal boxes, and I absolutely love how film critics are wryly lampooned here in the comedically unflattering guise of pompous flick columnist Harry Farber (played by Bob Balaban; '2010' (1984), 'Capote' (2005)). Hilariously biting. If anything can be read into 'Lady in the Water, it's obvious that Shyamalan changing production studios has freed him to explore and create on a far more mature level, towards once again offering moviegoers an expected higher caliber of entertainment that hasn't really been seen from him since the release of 'The Sixth Sense' or perhaps 'Unbreakable' (2000).

Absolutely check out this incredibly original and memorably satisfying tale that capitalizes on freshly fleshed out characters rather than silly plot twists, and masterfully keeps you tuned in until everything eventually snaps into place.

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Little Miss Sunshine
REVIEWED 08/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

The last minute disqualification of the first place winner in the regional Little Miss Chili Pepper Pageant makes seven year-old Olive Hoover (Abigail Breslin; 'Signs' (2002), 'Raising Helen' (2004)) a contender in that upcoming weekend's Little Miss Sunshine Pageant being held in Santa Barbara, California, leaving her frazzled parents Richard (Greg Kinnear; 'As Good as It Gets' (1997), 'The Matador' (2005)) and Sheryl (Toni Collette; 'Muriel's Wedding' (1994), 'In Her Shoes' (2005)) no alternative but to pile the entire family - that also includes Olive's wily Grandpa (Alan Arkin; 'Catch-22' (1970), 'Firewall' (2006)), her silently brooding teenaged brother Dwayne (Paul Dano; 'The Emperor's Club' (2002), 'The Ballad of Jack and Rose' (2005)) and Sheryl's suicide surviving scholarly brother Frank (Steve Carell; 'Bruce Almighty' (2003), 'The 40 Year Old Virgin' (2005)) - into their broken down VW van for the almost seven hundred and fifty mile drive West from Albuquerque, New Mexico, in this refreshingly charming and hilariously odd ball drama from music video and HBO films auteurs turned debuting big screen feature directing duo Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, where pretty well anything and everything that can go wrong inevitably happens to this dysfunctional family on that grueling two day road trip through the desert.

Holy cripes, the professional film critics actually got it right this time out. This one's a treasure. 'Little Miss Sunshine' is such an incredibly satisfying small picture of big emotions and anecdotal mayhem throughout that it's tough not to simply repeat myself in strongly recommending that every moviegoer sees it. It truly is that great a flick, in slightly the same enormously captivating and quirky manner as 'Sideways' (2005) is. If you enjoyed that movie, it's virtually guaranteed you'll find it difficult to avoid falling in love with this one. Why? Writer Michael Arndt's screenplay crackles with wonderful irreverence that's consistently underpinned by an undeniable truth about human behaviour. The dialogue is exceptional from beginning to closing credits. The acting is superb. The story is undeniably enchanting, to the point where you'll leave the theatre afterwards with a huge smile on your face - and a legendary Rick James tune gleefully shimmying in your heart. Each of these primary characters is an eccentric in their own beautifully personable ways - from Richard's intense belief in his rather bullying Nine Step Refuse To Lose motivational program, to Dwayne's Nietzsche inspired vow of absolute silence as a way to prepare him for fighter pilot training - and yet they somehow manage to exist within the larger framework of their inclusively disjointed family without tearing each other apart. The dynamics that spark and rattle amongst them is both funny and fascinating, as well as being eerily familiar is some instances.

This superior ensemble cast deftly depicts these roles tightly, as real people, however fictional, and you feel that develop and transform throughout the course of this hundred and one minute screening. It's amazing to notice how attitudes slightly shift, on the screen and in the seats here. Awesome. On top of that, you're presented with their relentless obstacle course of Murphy's Law moments that serve up a breadth and depth of memorably laugh out loud scenarios for a paying audience to continually have fun with what transpires at almost every turn for this disheveled clan. None but Olive really wants to go, and they're racing against time in a pernicious old vehicle that should have met the scrap heap years earlier. The set up is rife for crisply realize humour, and this movie squarely hits each mark with impressive results. I honestly can't say enough great things about this one, but revealing too many specifics will ruin the worthwhile surprises. This is one that I'll be sure to sit through again soon.

Absolutely do yourself a huge favour and check out 'Little Miss Sunshine' for its delightfully fresh and clever story of hope and irreverence that's intended for a mature audience.

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Lage Raho Munnabhai
REVIEWED 09/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Settled back in his small time hoodlum ways, oafish Mumbaian thug Murli Prasad "Munna" Sharma (Sanjay Dutt; 'Mission Kashmir' (2000), 'Shaadi No. 1' (2005)) schemes up a plan with longtime pal and brutish simpleton Circuit (Arshad Warsi; 'Hulchul' (2004), 'Salaam Namaste' (2005)) to win the heart of World Space Satellite Radio personality Jhanvi (Vidya Balan; 'Parineeta' (2005)) by first cheating on her phone-in Mahatma "Bapu" Gandhi quiz with the help of a few kidnapped professors, and then by Munna showing up at the radio studio as her winning guest posing as a devout University teaching "Gandhi-ist", in this oftentimes humourous Bollywood musical comedy sequel from writer/director Rajkumar Hirani to 'Munnabhai M.B.B.S.' (2003), where Munna's love blind agreement afterwards to lecture Gandhi's pious principles at Jhanvi's father's retirement home not only results in him unwittingly conjuring up Bapu's spirit (Dilip Prabhavalkar; 'Encounter: The Killing' (2002), 'Paheli' (2005)) but inevitably plays well for the sneaky machinations of social climbing gangster Lakhbir "Lucky" Singh (Boman Irani; 'Main Hoon Na' (2004), 'Waqt: The Race Against Time' (2005)) on the eve of a grand wedding ceremony.

Admittedly, I never saw the original, but this hundred and thirty-minute follow up is an uneven fluffy family movie over-all. 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' has a tendency to lose some of its care free momentum whenever Hirani's screenplay focuses on any particular aspect of Gandhi throughout. The unsurprisingly sober handling of that subject matter doesn't quite mix easily with this flick's primary focus on the budding romance between Munna and Jhanvi, except when a few of the peripheral stories playfully apply various forms of peaceful resistance that offer up some funny results. The elderly man who embarrasses a corrupt government clerk by openly paying a bribe with his wallet followed with everything he's wearing happily peeled off a piece at a time is definitely one such favourite scene. Curcuit punching a guard, and then telling him to get up in order to be apologized to is another notably quirky moment. The comedic sequences do work extremely well for this caliber of mainly soft laughs. It's the dramatic parts becoming a lot more serious in depth that don't really fit too well, as though this film isn't quite sure about how much of a dogmatic inspiration it should be to a new generation of moviegoers who will likely simply buy a ticket to be entertained with humour, not periodically preached at as well. Far less flag waving and somber shades of disillusioned national pride seen in 'Rang de Basanti' (2006) are obvious here, particularly when Dutt's character flies into a couple of fairly distracting rants that are bereft of desperately needed wry wit. Sure, both Warsi and Irani effortlessly steal the spotlight with their contagious goofiness. Their reactions while not seeing Bapu's ghost are priceless. By all rights, the relentlessly irreverent hamming of those two supporting talents saves this movie from looking overtly cobbled in the final cut. In comparison, despite Dutt's humourously personable and befuddled performance, the dialogue fails to dampen a simmering edginess to his presence that's never exploited to the full extent of his starring role, making him appear to unnecessarily lumber through this picture. I realize he's supposed to be a blunt goon who's awkwardly softening to two extremes of love, but Munna's arc of development seems forced and ad libbed. Balan is pretty well featured as the stock beauty, hardly being given much more to do than smile brightly for cinematographer C.K. Muraleedharan's disappointingly pedantic camera work. Several of the key visuals appear to rely on post-production editing tricks. Also, most of the musical interludes are rather frivolously cheesy and simplistically choreographed for contemporary tastes, with only one impressively staged bit of tuneful whimsy that feels largely inspired by the highly stylized Hollywood musicals of the 1950's managing to provide this effort with some memorably satisfying imaginative zest. More of that - and a little less dutifully stoic reminders of how great Gandhi was - certainly would have helped pick up the pace.

The promised light heartedness of this romp isn't consistently strong enough, but 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' is still a measurably fun and enjoyably undemanding second or third choice rental.

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The Last Kiss
REVIEWED 09/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Mildly disillusioned over feeling as though the remaining years of his life are completely planned out now, soon-to-be thirty year-old Wisconsin junior architect Michael Zach Braff ('Garden State' (2004), 'Chicken Little' (2005)) faces further anxiety when his girlfriend of three years Jenna (Jacinda Barrett; 'Ladder 49' (2004), 'Poseidon' (2006)) starts becoming more excited about expecting the birth of their first child, in this somewhat predictable yet enjoyable mature drama from actor turned director Tony Goldwyn ('A Walk on the Moon' (1999)) adapted from the acclaimed Italian film 'L'ultimo bacio' (2001), where Michael sees how the various dysfunctional relationships of his childhood friends have badly affected them, and he seriously considers pursuing the lustful interests of young college student Kim (debuting TV's 'The O.C.' co-star Rachel Bilson).

Okay, this one is definitely a Chick Flick, even though it's about a guy. It's a simple story that does contain the obligatory screaming and crying and men begging for forgiveness, but there's an underlying consciousness to writer Paul Haggis' superior screenplay that softly nudges beyond what could easily be brushed aside as superficial, that wonderfully plays out in some of the lives of the peripheral roles here. Most notable would be how the tempestuous marriage of Jenna's parents - beautifully portrayed by Blythe Danner ('To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar' (1995), 'Meet the Fockers' (2004)) and Tom Wilkinson ('The Full Monty' (1997), 'Batman Begins' (2005)) - precariously exists within the context of this hundred and fifteen-minute character study. I keep wanting to mention that more could have been worked into the mix, but then it would have been an entirely different movie that likely wouldn't have remained as captivatingly focused or as interesting in hindsight. Not a whole lot happens that's unexpected. The paths these characters take is laid out and obvious from the start. However, the way in which 'The Last Kiss' is presented feels oddly fresh and appropriate for this narrow fictional world. The characters are unassuming and believable, thanks in large part to Brandt's low key performance setting the tone for the entire cast. What feels truly inspired is that this story is really about consequences - not so much what people do, but how their actions affect them and those around them afterwards. That's how it seems to avoid being tripped up by too many clichés in the process, because this aspect of committing an infidelity hasn't really been touched upon by Hollywood until fairly recently. It's normally been used as a brief precursor to an entirely different plot that becomes the primary story, or vengeance roars in and someone's pet rabbit is boiled alive. Generally speaking, grief was quickly replaced with something more enjoyably distracting for the masses. Here, it's not. These characters are treated like real people who, for the most part, have real feelings that are easily accessible for a paying audience to empathize with. The big moments and the faint nuances that result from questioning exactly what love is are examined more closely. It's a soft sell that tends to get a bit noisy in the middle, but it works. Don't get me wrong, 'The Last Kiss' isn't an extraordinary piece of film making. It's a memorably strong effort, though. It's also funny at times, but not hugely geared towards providing barrels of belly laughs. As an unpretentious and undemanding independent feature that heavily relies on the strong abilities of everyone in front of and behind the camera, it's got a lot going for it that's well worth appreciating.

Rent this over-all surprisingly fresh spin on a tired theme that makes impressive use of an incredible cast and that squarely delivers a thoroughly memorable escape to normalcy for mature moviegoers.

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Little Children
REVIEWED 11/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

While their sleepy suburban community uneasily comes to grips with the return of disturbed loner Ronald James McGorvey (Jackie Earle Haley; 'The Bad News Bears' (1976), 'Nemesis' (1993)) to the home of his doting mother May (Phyllis Somerville; 'Simply Irresistible' (1999), 'Swimfan' (2002)) after two years' imprisonment for exposing himself to a child, bored homemaker Sarah Pierce (Kate Winslet; 'Titanic' (1997), 'All the King's Men' (2006)) and failed Law grad turned disillusioned house father Brad "the Prom King" Adamson (Patrick Wilson; 'The Phantom of the Opera' (2004), 'Hard Candy' (2005)) slowly succumb to the secret temptation of adultery that their blossoming friendship creates, in this incredibly elegant cinematic exploration into the dark corners of human behaviour from writer/director Todd Field ('In the Bedroom' (2001)) adapted from co-writer Tom Perrotta's 2004 novel, in which Sarah's growing obsession over Brad in the wake of her discovering her executive husband Richard's (Gregg Edelman; 'The First Wives Club' (1996), 'Spider-Man 2' (2004)) intense addiction to internet porn threatens to complicate matters for Brad, who is already held squarely in the skeptical eye of his patronizing wife Kathy's (Jennifer Connelly; 'A Beautiful Mind' (2001), 'Dark Water' (2005)) mother.

Holy cripes this is such an fascinating and thoroughly satisfying small picture from beginning to closing credits. Not only does Field's and Perrotta's screenplay feel so precisely representative of contemporary life at its worst, but they somehow manage to make a convicted sex offender personable. Haley is phenomenal here, masterfully exuding a fragile reptilian aura without doing much of anything throughout the first half of this hundred and thirty-six minute picture. Awesome. Of course, most of 'Little Children' revolves around the initially innocent enough relationship that emerges from mutual loneliness felt by Winslet's and Wilson's leading characters. Their performances are nothing short of brilliant. It's as though both of these actors tap into a wealth of emotionally charged knowledge regarding personal disenfranchisement, living their roles on-screen like second skins both figuratively and literally stripped bare. Both Sarah and Brad seem to be stuck in lives that really aren't of their choosing, waiting for each other to bring a sense of belonging - however contemptible. All of the adults depicted here appear to be waiting for something. A kind of infantile limbo, avoiding maturity. Little children. Everything about this feature is astounding, mainly because of the simplicity in how each small moment carefully builds upon the last one. It's insightful, funny at times, rich with an intimate unspoken language, and an honest gem that's well worth seeking out. The dialogue is sharp and believably accurate. Even the brief nudity works within the context of what transpires to such an extent that this movie would undoubtedly suffer without it, which is extremely rare. Cinematographer Antonio Calvache and editor Leo Trombetta work as virtuosos throughout, allowing a paying audience the luxury of drinking in the subtle nuances and explosive rawness. Co-star Noah Emmerich ('Frequency' (2000), 'Cellular' (2004)) also deserves top marks for his depiction of volcanic ex-cop and Brad's touch football team mate Larry Hedges, for almost effortlessly managing to play a dual part that demands Larry vindictively torment Ronald at every opportunity while tearing himself apart over personal demons. A film released focusing on any of these characters alone would be well worth the price of admission as presented here, you get the chance to see them all exist and interact in this superior effort. If there can be anything close to being considered a flaw with this one, it might be the addition of Will Lyman's narrative that overlays a few silent interludes. I worried about that at first - yes, I actually do want to completely love every movie I see - but, Lyman's soothing words merely serve to delicately support what unfolds before your eyes. Awesome.

Absolutely do yourself a huge favour and check out this thoroughly astonishing mature feature for its superior cast of outstanding talent and its crisp literary story brilliantly brought to life.

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Letters from Iwo Jima
REVIEWED 01/07, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Former Ohmiya baker and young expectant father Saigo (Kazunari "Nino" Ninomiya; 'Ao no hono-o' (2003)) seems hopeful that all isn't lost for him and the twenty thousand of his fellow Imperial Army soldiers stationed under the command of newly transferred career General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe; 'The Last Samurai' (2003), 'Batman Begins' (2005)) to defend the remote Island of Iwo Jima, long before its grey volcanic shores are heavily bombed and invaded by the Allied forces' one hundred thousand man sea and air contingent dispatched across the Pacific Ocean to crush Japan in the final months of WWII, in director Clint Eastwood's ('Unforgiven' (1992), 'Million Dollar Baby' (2004)) truly brilliant subtitled cinematic companion to his comparably inferior 'Flags of Our Fathers' (2006), reportedly adapted in part from the posthumously published actual letters of General Kuribayashi (1891-1945) in the book Picture Letters from Commander in Chief, where Saigo's initial suspicions about stoic infantry man Shimizu (Ryo Kase; 'Antena' (2004), 'The Passenger (2005)) slowly turn to hesitant trust as the two survive the gruesome fall of Mount Suribachi and panicked insubordinate convictions among the officers to commit honorable suicide in their caves or by hopelessly charging at the Americans, while Kuribayashi struggles with the tortured realization that Tokyo has turned its back on Iwo Jima.

Holy cripes, this is an incredibly exquisite character study of what the Japanese army at Iwo Jima must have gone through in part or whole on a personal level during that battle. Unlike how the haunted aftermath of the horrors of war is predominantly focused on in 'Flags of Our Fathers', 'Letters from Iwo Jima' almost exclusively keeps a paying audience on that desolate island throughout the course of Japan's attempts to fortify it against the oncoming Allied fleet. It's heart breaking to witness just how disorganized and left completely without the proper means to properly face their enemy they were, pretty well relying on General Kuribayashi's tactical prowess and ability to not under estimate the full blunt force that his barely trained soldiers were up against. Iris Yamashita's and Paul Haggis' version of events wonderfully cuts through the propaganda of the time, revealing that the Japanese essentially had to preserve their woefully unsupported man power by playing possum while the Marines landed and secured the beach, and resorted to positioning immobile tanks left in need of repair as part of their artillery. They were sent there to die, and you can almost taste the psychological toll that harsh realization takes on Saigo's peers when their mission goes from bad to worse. It's both terrifying and almost a source of relief watching some of them accept their fate, pull the pin, and press a grenade to their chests in a final act of what they considered valorous failure. Watanabe's depiction of a career military man at odds with the fierce opposition of his underlings while relentlessly attempting to keep a brave outlook on his doomed situation is sheer genius. However, the lion's share of praise definitely should go to Ninomiya's break through performance for managing to maintain your concern for how every near-death situation his character is thrown into will eventually lead one way or the other. Saigo's arc of transformation from being a whiny homesick draftee who scoffs at military life, into becoming a true war hero in defense of his commander is extraordinarily believable. Favourite moments also include the peripheral story of former 1932 Los Angeles Olympic horse jumping medalist turned devoted cavalry officer Baron Takeichi Nishi (Tsuyoshi Ihara; 'Hong Kong Paradise' (1990), 'Hanochi' (2004)). You're never allowed to forget that these were real people underneath the uniforms. Sure, it's arguable whether or not this screenplay accurately recreates every detail of what really happened behind the Japanese lines of defense. Nobody apparently knows what really became of Kuribayashi, even though you're shown here in no uncertain terms. However, 'Letters from Iwo Jima' is an absolutely incredible movie that stands head and shoulders on its own as a fascinating and entertaining war movie.

Do yourself a huge favour and check out this immensely satisfying hundred and forty-two minute treasure that deftly offers so much more raw humanity than what its acclaimed big screen companion 'Flags of Our Fathers' does.

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The Last King of Scotland
REVIEWED 01/07, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Newly graduated Dr. Nicholas Garrigan's (Glasgow's James McAvoy; 'Rory O'Shea Was Here' (2004), 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe' (2005)) cavalier choice to escape a dull future at his father's Scottish medical practice quickly offers a lot more than he'd bargained for, after arriving in Uganda during the 1971 military coup that put into power the notoriously self-proclaimed His Excellency President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Sea, and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular - and Last King of Scotland - in this oftentimes gritty and enjoyably compelling small picture from director Kevin Macdonald ('One Day in September' (1999), 'Touching the Void' (2003)) adapted from writer Giles Foden's fact-based 1998 fictional novel, where Garrigan's unexpected new job as Amin's (Forest Whitaker; 'The Crying Game' (1992), 'Panic Room' (2002)) personal physician and sometimes favourite closest advisor slowly verifies subtle warnings from the British Embassy's Nigel Stone (Simon McBurney; 'Bright Young Things' (2003), 'Friends with Money' (2006)) of genocide traced back to Uganda's charismatic leader. Admittedly, I barely remember hearing or seeing much of anything about Idi Amin in the news during his tyrannical reign that lasted almost eight years in the Seventies.

What 'The Last King of Scotland' does is attempt to examine aspects of this man's terrifyingly unstable personality as related in Foden's novel. The character of Garrigan is reportedly based on ex-patriot Englander Bob Astles, Amin's close advisor and head of Anti-Corruption, for instance. So, it's tough to decide just how much of what plays out in this hundred and twenty-one minute movie actually happened or not. What definitely is certain is that Whitaker pulls in an incredibly robust and compelling performance as Amin throughout. He fills the screen with his role's uncanny presence, one minute capably mesmerizing anyone with an unnaturally personable charm, and then tilting with whiplash velocity into a stream of sneering vitriol to hatefully crush that same person for no apparent reason. Being bent in the head doesn't even begin to describe what a paying audience witnesses here, but Whitaker's depiction deftly makes you forget that he's really a supporting player in Jeremy Brock's and Peter Morgan's screenplay. It's the perfect antagonist for Garrigan, with McAvoy easily carrying the lion's share of this wonderfully intriguing picture portraying this brash and naive young turk filled with good intentions filtered by deliberate self interest that ends up working against him soon after arriving. His flaws are impeccable - and, oftentimes hilarious - being playfully smug against the English elite in his midst simply because it's in his Scottish blood to do so, and stupidly letting his untempered roving eye eventually land him romantically involved with Amin's third wife Kay (Kerry Washington; 'Ray' (2004), 'Little Man' (2006)). It's a gutsy movie. Another truly enjoyable aspect of this feature is in how it's shot to reflect the times, sometimes feeling as though the location scenes were caught on almost carelessly developed reels of 8mm film, giving you a visceral sense that you're possibly looking back through history while it's happening in real time. The attention to detail is astounding, too. Another enjoyable surprise is Gillian Anderson's ('The X Files' (1998), 'Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story' (2005)) relatively small yet important role, as lonely wife and assistant Sarah Merrit to the lone doctor heading the isolated Ugandan clinic where Nicholas first works early on. Awesome.

Check out 'The Last King of Scotland' for it's wonderfully compelling story telling intended for a mature audience that also appreciates when already proven talent push their craft beyond familiar territory.

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