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Here are selected minireviews of films in theaters, listed alphabetically. Ratings range from zero to four stars.
“Akeelah and the Bee”
FAMILY DRAMA|*** 1/2|PG|Yes, it’s another spelling bee movie, and yes, it follows a predictable formula about an underprivileged, under-rated child coming from nowhere to earn unlikely triumphs. But it’s futile to resist, as Keke Palmer is consistently wonderful as young Akeelah, and her genuine smarts and desire overcome a lot of cliches written in by writer-director Doug Atchison. A great family film for your movie nights. (Michael Booth)|
112 minutes
“American Dreamz”
SATIRE|****|PG-13|From Paul Weitz, who brought us the smart comedies “About a Boy” and “In Good Company,” a more political bent: Dennis Quaid plays a president who doesn’t read the newspaper and has ignored years of bad news. His chief of staff, Willem Dafoe, tries to get him back into the populist eye by making him a judge on an “Idol”-style show called “American Dreamz,” hosted by the slippery Hugh Grant. Weitz swings at big targets and hits most of them in a delightful satire that reaches that rare state of being utterly cynical and unabashedly hopeful at the same time. (Booth)|108 minutes
“Brick”
HIGH SCHOOL NOIR|***|R|It’s all here, the cliques, the provisional relationships, the exploitative friendships. Yet high school was never as noir a place as it is in writer-director Rian Johnson’s promising debut “Brick.” Brendan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds the body of former girlfriend Emily. Flash to two days earlier when she left him a note about a rendezvous. He had hoped to be a rescuer, not a detective. “Brick” is not just another teen movie. One listen to the hard-boiled patois proves it. Yet in being so unlike the typical high school flick, “Brick” captures anew the alienation, the ridiculously earnest intensity of feeling, the insularity of experience that make up the blunder years. Also stars Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Matt O’Leary and Emile de Ravin. (Lisa Kennedy)|110 minutes
“Firewall”
THRILLER|** 1/2|PG-13|This is the bank security system that Jack Stanfield built. This is the system that Jack built that cyberrobber Bill Cox (Paul Bettany) plans to steal millions from. This is the wife (Virginia Madsen) and kids Bill will use as leverage to break into the system that Jack built. If “Firewall” feels familiar, its because star Harrison Ford infuses this sometimes tense, more often routine, thriller with his brand of emotion. Security, vulnerability and the American family under siege are themes that might have earned additional thought. But “Firewall,” directed by Richard Loncraine and written by Joe Forte, gives us little reason to bestow deeper meaning on what is basically a pre-owned Ford vehicle. (Kennedy)|105 minutes
“Friends With Money”
COMEDY OF MANNERS|** 1/2|R |Almost any of the great Victorian novels could have been titled “Friends With Money,” so it’s not a bad idea to update the concept of friendly envy to modern-day Southern California. Jennifer Aniston has tried many jobs but ended up as a housecleaner, while her wealthier friends pursue careers, marriages and parenthood. It almost works, but there’s no one here to like and root for. The Victorians knew enough to supply a brave heroine or a nasty villain who made us care about the ending. (Booth)|88 minutes
“Hard Candy”
PSYCHO|** 1/2|R|Destined to play midnight showings at art houses for years to come, this graphic revenge flick is almost too disturbing to be redeeming, yet just redeeming enough to avoid condemnation. Plucky Hayley (Ellen Page) is a 14-year-old nymphet who picks up an older guy on the Internet and seems ready to fall into his sexual trap. Until she gets to his (Patrick Wilson) house and reveals her mission: She wants revenge for a missing girl she believes he photographed, raped and killed. The claustrophobic nature of the house setting makes everyone want to scream in fear and agony. As tough, skilled Hayley, Page is a terrible angel of vengeance to behold. (Booth)|99 minutes
“Ice Age: The Meltdown”
ANIMATED COMEDY|***|PG|The long-awaited sequel to “Ice Age,” which was a box-office hit and mixed an appealing array of animation styles. This time, the ice is going away, but don’t expect too many deep references to global warming. Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo reprise their voice roles, joined by Queen Latifah as a love interest for the big woolly mammoth Manny (Romano). (Booth)|90 minutes
“Inside Man”
CAPER THRILLER|*** 1/2|R|Spike Lee’s “Inside Man” poses, then takes its own delicious time answering, this: How could master thief Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) let his intricate bank heist devolve into a hostage situation in which 50 New Yorkers become like cards in a three-card monte game, divided and shuffled from room to room? Denzel Washington gives a jazz-cool turn as hostage negotiator Keith Frazier. Jodie Foster whets her edge as the well-connected Madeline White, called on to retrieve a valuable object by the bank’s founder Arthur Case (Christopher Plummer). There’s lots of Lee woven into this studio joy. Newcomer Russell Gewirtz’s script is a marvel of snap and drama. (Kennedy)|129 minutes
“Kinky Boots”
LABOR COMEDY IN DRAG|**|PG-13|
Don’t let the title toss you. The accent on this charmer about shoe-factory owner Charlie (Joel Edgerton), who finds a muse of economic recovery in drag queen Lola rests on bootcraft more than kinks. Although inspired by the saga of a century-old factory in England that remade itself by making footwear for a very different clientele, “Kinky Boots” is a fable made for a time workplace angst. The tenderness granted the working stiff and Charlie’s wish to do right by his employees gives the movie hard-to-ignore heart. And Chiwetel Ejiofor as Lola/Simon gives Julian Jarrold’s first feature film backbone and soul. (Kennedy)|106 minutes
“L’Enfant (The Child)”
REALIST DRAMA|***|R|The Belgian Dardennes brothers create combine extreme realism with insightful drama, making this movie a devastating, often depressing, but worthwhile effort. Bruno is a street punk in a wet, cold industrial city, fencing stolen goods. His girlfriend shows him their new baby, and he gallantly offers that they can all three sleep in the homeless shelter together. It gets worse – Bruno sells the baby for cash. No, wait – it gets worse than that, too. But by showing how close young, hopeless people can come to utter carelessness, the Dardennes force us all to care. (Booth)|92 minutes
“Lonesome Jim”
DRAMA|**|R|The 27-year-old protagonist of Steve Buscemi’s deadpan comedy “Lonesome Jim” lives out the worst nightmare of every bushy-tailed go-getter who moves to New York to Be Somebody (in his case, a writer) and fails miserably. After eking out a living as a dog walker, Jim (Casey Affleck) skulks back to his parents’ home in rural Indiana with no idea of what to do next. “Lonesome Jim” would be a stronger movie if Affleck bared more of the passive-aggressive rage inside a character who contemplates the world with a hangdog, poker-faced stare and drones his dialogue in a neutral monotone. (Stephen Holden, The New York Times)
|100 minutes
“Lucky Number Slevin”
NEO-NOIR|***|R|First there’s the cast: Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley, Bruce Willis. And those are just the heavyweight heavies in “Lucky Number Slevin,” directed by Peter McGuigan. Then there’s Jason Smilovic’s agile, dialogue-rich script about a guy who finds himself between two feuding mobsters. A case of mistaken identity (or is it?), has Slevin (Josh Hartnett) set to do some bloodletting just to stay alive. There are so many players in this shell game of a flick a person can get paranoid. That’s the idea. We can only hope that the one thing fatal about Lucy Liu’s likable femme is that she’s a coroner. (Kennedy)|110 minutes
“The Notorious Bettie Page”
BIOPIC|***|R |Director Mary Harron has a taste for the shadowier terrain of pop culture. Now the director of “I Shot Andy Warhol” and “American Psycho” along with co-writer Guinevere Turner bring ’50s pinup girl extraordinaire Bettie Page to life. Almost. Gretchen Mol does a grand disappearing act beneath Page’s dark hair and trademark bangs. Astute – even frisky fun – “The Notorious Bettie Page” never shakes being enamored of the mystery of Page. It’s not what is shown in the film that lingers. It’s what isn’t revealed in Harron’s teasing, pleasing film that leaves us wanting more. (Kennedy)|94 minutes
“The Pink Panther”
COMEDY REMAKE|** 1/2|PG|Steve Martin attempts to revive the classic Blake Edwards-Peter Sellers collaboration about the idiot inspector Clouseau, and his unlikely success in solving international crimes. The humor is shallow, but funny enough in places to entertain 8- to 11-year-olds, and some of their parents. (Booth)|92 minutes
“RV”
FAMILY COMEDY|** 1/2|PG |Proof that a movie about a family driving an RV across country can feel almost as stifling as actually driving an RV across the country. Robin Williams tries to liven up this family comedy, and it has a few laughs, but the loser-dad jokes get old quickly. And we saw enough RV sewage in “Meet the Fockers,” didn’t we? (Michael Booth)|90 minutes
“The Sentinel”
POLITICAL THRILLER|**|PG-13|When President Reagan was shot, Secret Service agent Pete Garrison took a bullet. Now, years later, he protects the first lady, not the worst detail to pull given that she’s played by Kim Basinger. When a plot surfaces to kill the president, Pete has a source. He also has a secret that makes him a suspect. Kiefer Sutherland plays former friend-now nemesis David Breckinridge. Garrison is meant to be a complicated hero, flawed and honorable. Yet Michael Douglas’ talent for finessing that kind of ambiguity is wasted by a by-the-numbers script and Clark Johnson’s overheated directing. (Kennedy)|105 minutes
“Stick It”
GIRL-POWER SPORTS COMEDY|***|PG-13|If star Missy Peregrym and writer-director Jessica Bendinger have their way, John Tesh’s sticky fingers will be pried once and for all from the heart of women’s gymnastics. Ridiculously playful and smart (aleck), “Stick It” reminds us that those pixies on the beam, the bars, the mat and the vault aren’t made of dust but of steely sinew. Peregrym plays rebel Haley Graham who’s forced to attend Vickerman’s Gymnastics Academy. Vanessa Lengies and Nikki Soodoo are agile fun as Haley’s teammates Joanne and Wei Wei. Jeff Bridges plays coach Vickerman. Bendinger has figured out a way to salute female competition and unity with attitude. And time and again, this sisterhood of the spandex leotards nails it.(Kennedy)|95 minutes
“Take the Lead”
DRAMA|** 1/2|PG-13|Running almost completely on the charm of Antonio Banderas, this latest version of urban dancing competitions follows on the success of the documentary “Mad Hot Ballroom.” Teacher comes to beleaguered school, proposes formal dancing as a way to motivate kids; kids scoff, try it, change their lives. A predictable formula, executed in mediocre spirit. (Booth)|108 minutes
“Thank You for Smoking”
SATIRE|** 1/2|R|Christopher Buckley’s hilarious sendup of American contradictions loses some bite in the translation to film. Aaron Eckhart plays Nick Naylor, the world’s smoothest talker, and well he should be, as he’s the chief spokesman for the tobacco industry. The movie promises to explore the mixed morality of doing your job well in defense of the indefensible, but winds up delivering shallower comments on politics and family. The comic pacing and editing are atrocious, damaging otherwise respectable material. (Booth)|92 minutes
“United 93”
DRAMA|***|R|There’s something presumptuous in the arguments that say American need “United 93” so we’ll never forget the events of 9-11. After all, writer-director Paul Greengrass’ well-done, retrained film gets much of its emotional traction from the fact we haven’t forgotten but remember all to well the towers, the Pentagon, the cellphone calls, the story of a flight’s end in a Pennsylvania field. In depicting – often with a real-time veracity – Flight 93’s passengers and crew coming to terms with what was happening that morning the film suggest what we all hope is true: that faced with evil and our own deaths, we will act. (Kennedy)|110 minutes
“V for Vendetta”
GRAPHIC NOVEL FABLE|***|R| Cheesy but true: “V for Vendetta” deserves an E for entertaining. Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving are Evey and masked avenger V, the shades-of-gray heroes in this ka-pow, ka-boom tale of fascism and resistance. Although the movie’s based on a graphic novel created during Margaret Thatcher’s stint as British prime minister, the Wachowski brothers have found plenty of resonant material. And while the movie’s set in London in the near future, the “former colonies” make disturbing cameo turns. And the brothers have a copacetic director in James McTeigue (he worked on their “Matrix” trilogy). “V” takes you on a pleasure ride all the while tossing pop-culture kernels of wisdom at you. The one sticking point: the movie’s R rating. (Kennedy)|132 minutes
GIANT SCREEN
“The Human Body”
IMAX: A look at the everyday functions that keep us alive, through May 25|$8, $6 ages 3-12 and 65-plus|Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., 303-322-7009, dmns.org
“Mystic India: An Incredible Journey of Inspiration”
IMAX: The film begins in 1792 and follows an 11-year-old who left his home to begin a journey of spiritual awakening. It’s the true story of the boy’s seven-
year trip covering 8,000 miles.|$8, $6 ages 3-12 and 65-plus|Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., 303-322-7009, dmns.org
“Wired to Win: Surviving
the Tour de France”
IMAX: The true story of two elite cyclists, Australian Baden Cooke and French teammate Jimmy Casper, as they compete in the legendary race.|$8, $6 ages 3-12 and 65-plus|Denver Museum of Nature & Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd., 303-322-7009, dmns.org
Wildlife Experience
IWERKS: The museum presents “Dolphins,” on its 45-by-60-foot screen through February 2007.|$4.95-$7.95, free 2 and under|10035 S. Peoria St., 720-
488-3300, wildlifeexperience.org|PARKER
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Denver Art Museum Spring 2006 Film Series
TU|The film series offers a collection of American gangster films. This week’s film: “White Heat” (1949). The series continues Tuesdays through May 16. Films begin at 7 p.m., box office opens at 4 p.m. $7-$8 per film|Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Ninth Street and Auraria Parkway, 303-820-3456, denverartmuseum.org
Student Film Festival
W|The Digital Film Production program is presenting a collection of student works as part of the 11th annual Independent Student Film Festival, 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 at the door and proceeds benefit the DFP proram Club Fund|Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Ninth Street and Auraria Parkway, 720-423-6609
