“The Passenger” | ***
A disaffected journalist travels to North Africa to make a documentary about civil unrest. There he meets another world traveler whose own occupation remains opaque. Both men are named David. Both hail from Great Britain. An unexpected tragedy leads David Locke (Jack Nicholson) to shed his media credentials and adopt the other’s identity. Booking passage with a new persona becomes increasingly more confounding than liberating. And, really, how long can the subterfuge last?
Director/co-writer Michelangelo Antonioni’s masterful use of silence, negative space, architecture and landscape makes “The Passenger” a beguiling must for cinephiles, especially ’70s film freaks. For the rest of you, there’s Nicholson: Locke’s meditative journey provides yet another commanding example of his moody ’70s work. PG-13
The restored prints of undervisited classics that land at the Starz FilmCenter are always a fine investment. “The Passenger” (also starring Maria Schneider) may be emotionally arid, but desert vistas and scouring winds, Antoni Gaudi’s odd edifices in Barcelona, and the hush of a small Spanish town make Antonioni’s cut a profound example of the philosophical and aesthetic ambitions of ’70s art cinema. 2 hours, 6 minutes.
(Lisa Kennedy)
“Undertaking Betty” | ***
Set in a small Welsh city, this comic tale follows the lives of a handful of young people who marry the wrong people, only to try to set things right 17 years later. Brenda Blethyn as Betty finds herself playing dead in a plot with her undertaker boyfriend, providing some of the comedy and the title. The cast also includes Albert Molina, Naomi Watts and Christopher Walken.
This is an an adult comedy with some sexual high jinks as a married man has an affair with his secretary, and an unhappy wife takes up with an undertaker. R for some sexual content.
This film maintains its silliness pretty well, but not totally, which may be why it sat on the shelf at Miramax for three years. You won’t regret it if you wait for the DVD. 1 hour, 34 minutes.
(Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times)
“Just Friends” | *
Chris (Ryan Reynolds) is a fat nerd in high school, in love with Jamie (Amy Smart), who likes him, but only as a friend. He moves to L.A., drops 150 pounds, becomes rich and handsome, and returns to town on Christmas Eve accompanied by a sexy pop idol (Anna Faris). Surprise, Jamie still likes him only as a friend.
No one comes immediately to mind, but it’s possible that people who like formulaic, lame comedies will find this mildly amusing. PG-13 for sexual content, including some dialogue.
Cleary it is not. There is not a spark of chemistry between Chris and Jamie, although the plot clearly requires them to fall in love. To call this movie lame is to suggest it has mobility. 1 hour, 34 minutes.
“Kamikaze Girls” | ***
The film traces the friendship between Momoko, a devotee of the Lolita look, and Ichiko, a snarling Goth chick, in a town outside of Tokyo. It says with infectious exuberance that in a world in which “I shop, therefore I am,” it’s so much nicer to go with a friend. The girls of the film’s title mostly just want to have fun (as does the director, Tetsuya Nakashima), which doesn’t mean their pretty little heads are empty.
The film is a primer on Japanese pop culture, but there’s more here than eye candy. It’s also a coming-of-age film for adolescent girls – with some anime thrown in. Not rated.
If you love fashion, all things Japanese, and want a break from the holiday Hollywood fare, you could do worse. 1 hour, 42 minutes.
(Manohla Dargis, N.Y. Times)
“Yours, Mine and Ours” | * 1/2
Dennis Quaid is a Coast Guard admiral with eight children; Rene Russo is a fashion designer with 10. They were in love in high school, and when they meet many years later, she a widow, he widowed, it’s love at second sight. The kids, of course, hate each other, in a plot that hurries from one predictable moment to another with unseemly haste, as if trying to set a cliche speed record.
It was directed by Raja Gosnell so maybe fans of the two “Scooby-Doo” movies will find this amusing. Small thanks can be given for the fact that the movie does not spend a lot of time on an idiot plot device to bring them together. PG for some mild crude humor
This definitely is in the matinee price category. But if you want to show your kids a cute family movie, go dig up the 1968 Henry Fonda/Lucille Ball original, which was done with some sweetness and charm. 1 hour 30 minutes
“In the Mix”
When hot club DJ Darrell (Usher) saves a mob boss’ life (Chazz Palminteri), he is rewarded with the job of watching over the Don’s beautiful daughter (Emmanuelle Chriqui). The sparks soon begin to fly, much to dad’s displeasure. But he has other problems, including potential war with an archrival.
No review available. PG-13 for sexual content, violence and language.
No review available.
