Minute Movie Reviews

by: Steven Snyder

“Catch That Kid”
(Rated PG for some language, thematic elements and rude humor, 92 minutes)
Grade:

Another kid superhero film, where children upstage the adults in an elaborate bank robbery a la “Ocean’s Eleven.” Thankfully, “Kid” has the guts to add twists to the formula, from go-cart getaways to surprising sexual tension between the film’s three core friends.

“ Girl With A Pearl Earring”
(Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, 95 minutes)
Grade:

Director Peter Webber’s hypothetical story surrounding the famous painting by Johannes Vermeer seeks to expose the truth behind the strange woman on the canvas, concocting a patient, subtle and mesmerizing web of forbidden emotions between painter and subject.

“Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”
(Rated PG-13 for intense epic battle sequences and frightening images, 200 minutes)
Grade:

The final and best piece of this breathtaking trilogy, “Return of the King” brings closure to this story of world domination, employing a greater focus on characters and the same bold, epic strokes of grandeur and mysticism that has made “Rings” among the greatest filmmaking efforts in history.

“Monster”
(Rated R for strong violence and sexual content, and for pervasive language, 111 minutes)
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Peering beneath the term “serial killer” to better understand the first woman sentenced to death, “Monster’s” real story is that of Charlize Theron, who plays the abused, damaged and hopeless killer at the film’s center. It is Theron’s triumph that elicits our empathy.

“The Triplets of Belleville”
(Rated PG-13 for images involving sensuality, violence and crude humor, 91 minutes)
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Bizarre times ten, the near-wordless, animated “Triplets” is a bewildering delight. About a grandmother, grandson, bike races and abductions, “Triplets” is part-adventure, part-metaphor, always brimming with a cynicism and sense of humor that elevates it to a memorable plateau.

“The Company”
(Rated PG-13 for brief strong language, some nudity and sexual content, 112 minuets)
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Partly a behind-the-scenes look at the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and partly a raw documenting of the art of dance, Robert Altman’s mostly story-less film requires us to look past the surface glitz to see how the struggles of these dancers goes hand-in-hand with their rare moments of transcendence.

“Against The Ropes”
(Starts Friday, Rated PG-13 for crude language, violence, brief sensuality and some drug material, 106 minutes)
Grade:

Jackie (Meg Ryan) is a woman in a man’s world, looked down upon and disrespected in the boxing community until she quits as an assistant to manage her own boxer. Too bad the film is more concerned with shallow, exaggerated “message moments” than in creating a cohesive narrative.

“ City of God”
(Rated R for strong brutal violence, sexuality, drug content and language, 135 minutes, In Portuguese with English Subtitles)
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Given a new life following four Academy Awards nominations, “City of God” made my top-ten list as a heart-wrenching, adrenaline-churning portrayal of gang warfare in Rio de Janeiro, and the wave of children who must either indoctrinate themselves into this society or find themselves without friends, food, allies or hope.

“Mystic River”
(Rated R for language and violence, 137 minutes)
Grade:

This near-perfect Clint Eastwood film about childhood friends who are scarred forever by an abduction and then reunited years later by the death of a child works with themes of loyalty, betrayal, revenge and fate in building to an ending that attempts to be a little too much.

“ 21 Grams”
(Rated R for language, sexuality, some violence and drug use, 125 minutes)
Grade:

Told with a disjointed timeline, Alejandro Inarritu’s story of three people’s lives which intersect due to a tragedy, causing one to give up hope, another to shut out the world and a third to seek revenge, is a ravishing collaboration of acting from Oscar nominees Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro.

“ Modern Times”
(1936, NR, 87 minutes, showing Friday – Monday at the Times Cinema)
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Showing Friday through Monday at the Times Cinema, Charlie Chaplin’s silent “Modern Times” is easily one of the best movies of all time. It is both funny and substantive, its title at one point being “The Masses,” about the lives of workers, the rise of technology, and the loss of individuality and identity in a world concerned only with profit and industry.

“The Fog of War”
(106 minutes, No MPAA Rating)

A hypnotizing documentary about former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, his involvement in the controversial decisions that shaped America last century, and the very nature of war itself.

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“ Starsky and Hutch”
(101 minutes, Rated PG-13 for drug content, sexual situations, partial nudity, language and some violence, Now showing everywhere)

One of the better adaptations of a ‘70’s TV series, fueled by an impressive supporting cast (notably Snoop Dogg) and the lively chemistry of leads Stiller and Wilson.

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“Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London”
(97 minutes, Rated PG for action violence and some crude humor, opens Friday everywhere)

MGM, desperate for box office success, has released a dry, stale, bloated sequel to a superhero kid’s film that never hit its stride the first time around.

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Best Viewed at 800 X 600 or greater
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