New Releases
A SCANNER DARKLY Once again employing the rotoscoping process that he used in 2001's Waking Life (basically, filming in live-action and then tracing over the images), writer-director Richard Linklater this time unleashes the technique on Philip K. Dick's 1977 novel -- a match made in hallucinatory heaven. Seven years from now, 20 percent of the population will be comprised of junkies, and the US government, with the aid of an organization whose motives might not be squeaky-clean, is trying its best to break the nation of its habit. It sends an agent known only as Fred (Keanu Reeves) into the field to track down the suppliers of a deadly drug called Substance D. Posing as a slacker named Bob Arctor, he forges relationships with several dopers (Winona Ryder, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson and Rory Cochrane), but as his own use of Substance D continues to fry his brain, he finds it increasingly difficult to ascertain what's real and what's imagined. Even with its animated overlay, A Scanner Darkly is far more restrained in its storytelling methods than other notable "drug flicks" (Requiem for a Dream, Naked Lunch), though the uniqueness of its visual style (that "scramble suit" is a wow!) nevertheless insures that there's always something eye-catching on view. ***
Current Releases
CARS Ever since Pixar Animation Studios began its incredible run with Toy Story back in 1995, haven't most observers been wondering when the company would hit a critical and/or commercial roadblock and watch its latest effort crash and burn? Newsflash: It hasn't happened yet, and it ain't happening with Cars. The storyline seems a little hoary: A big-city slicker learns to slow down and smell the flowers -- or, in this case, the diesel -- in a small town in the middle of nowhere. But the picture's six scripters expand the parameters of this plot description to make an entertaining and even poignant tale about the lure of the open road and the passing of a quaint chapter in modern American history. That race car Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) will find redemption in the small town of Radiator Springs (populated by vehicles played by, among others, Paul Newman and Bonnie Hunt) is never in doubt, but like the best storytellers, John Lasseter and his co-writers make the journey to self-discovery as interesting as possible. So for all its high-gloss NASCAR trappings, Cars is ultimately a paean to Route 66. ***1/2
CLICK Venturing into the "Beyond" section of Bed, Bath & Beyond, harried Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) stumbles upon an eccentric employee (Christopher Walken) who gives him a universal remote with the power to control his life: He can mute the dog's barking, fast-forward through foreplay and even listen to audio commentary (provided by James Earl Jones) on past events in his life. For the first hour, this clever concept leads to some genuine laughs but more often gets buried under the sort of adolescent humor that long ago became the actor's calling card (how many times do we have to watch the family dog hump a stuffed animal?). Then the movie morphs into an update of It's a Wonderful Life, with Michael learning valuable lessons as his life turns tragic. The comedy isn't as pointed as desired and the drama isn't as maudlin as expected, yielding decidedly mixed results. Still, it will make an acceptable DVD rental in about six months; if they can get James Earl Jones for the audio commentary, so much the better. **1/2
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA Meryl Streep deserves all the accolades she can stomach for her poison-dipped performance in this satisfying screen version of Lauren Weisberger's best-selling novel. As Miranda Priestley, the ice-cold and rock-hard editor of the fashion magazine Runway, Streep delivers a terrific comic performance, as rich as the ones she gave in Postcards from the Edge and the otherwise unwatchable She-Devil. But let's not undervalue the contribution of Anne Hathaway, who's just fine as Andy Sachs, a college grad whose cluelessness about the fashion industry proves to be a drawback in her stint as Miranda's worked-to-the-bone assistant. (Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt, as Andy's cynical coworkers, likewise deserve kudos.) The film's peeks into the fashion world are amusing, and the script makes some salient points about the lengths to which a person will allow themselves to be humiliated simply to hold onto a job. Once the focus turns to Andy's crisis of conscience, the picture loses some of its bite. But not Meryl, whose ferocious work continues to take a sizable chunk out of the couture culture. ***
AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH The cacophonous naysaying has already begun (largely by those who haven't seen the movie, natch), but this absorbing documentary about global warming gently pushes a message that all Americans of sound mind and good conscience can embrace: Let's work together to make the world a better place. It's a tall order, but the beauty of the film is that it inspires audience members to actually believe they can be a part of something important -- as Gore notes, all the resources are already available for combating global warming, and the only thing that's missing is "political will." Personal anecdotes, charts, slide shows and even cartoons are employed to allow the information to be easily digested by almost anyone. As for Gore, he's far more personable and animated than he ever was on the campaign trail -- what remains unchanged is his blazing intelligence, a far cry from the monosyllabic chimp presently sitting in the White House. As has been the case with Jimmy Carter, getting ousted from office might end up being the best way for Gore to serve his country. ***1/2
THE LAKE HOUSE Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reunite for the first time in 12 years, but the end result clearly isn't up to Speed. Two strangers who become pen pals come to the startling realization that they're actually corresponding over the years -- she's writing and receiving his letters in 2006, he's doing likewise in 2004 -- and that the mailbox at the title property serves as the magic portal through which they're able to communicate. The Lake House certainly has its heart in the right place, but the end result doesn't even begin to inspire the requisite level of swoony romance on our parts. Director Alejandro Agresti is more interested in the film's look than its substance, while David Auburn's script is arid and uninvolving. As for the leads, Reeves acquits himself well enough -- he's learned how to take advantage of his scruffy appeal -- but Bullock once again plays against her natural charisma by offering a dour, dull characterization. After about 20 minutes, you just wish somebody would tickle her. *1/2
NACHO LIBRE The premise held promise -- a lowly cook (Jack Black) at a Mexican monastery moonlights as a masked wrestler -- but Nacho Libre instead turns out to be a surprisingly mild affair, one of those films where the creative juices dried up at some point between conception and execution. Writer-director Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and co-scripter Mike White (The School of Rock) serve up a few potent gags (love that corn in the eye), but they're spread mighty thin throughout the picture's running time. The remainder of the film is split between the sort of scatological humor we can find anywhere else -- See Jack Black break wind! See Jack Black sit on the toilet! See Jack Black handle animal excrement! -- and lazy south-of-the-border caricatures that aren't funny, offensive or offensively funny. After a while, this disappointing film just lays there, like a wrestler body-slammed one time too many. **
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST Those expecting amazing feats of derring-do won't be disappointed by this sequel to the 2003 smash. The effects-driven action scenes are clearly the picture's highlights, and they alone make this worth the price of admission. But while the first Pirates felt like both a self-contained movie and the theme park attraction on which it was based, this one just feels like a roller coaster ride, full of momentary thrills but leaving little in its wake except a sudden desire to rest for a minute. It isn't breathless as much as it grows tiresome, and it's especially depressing to see how little the characters have been allowed to evolve. The central thrust finds Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) tangling with the ghostly Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) in an effort to save his own soul from eternal damnation; it's possible that his scheme will require sacrificing his friends (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley), but that's a compromise the self-serving Jack can accept. The best fantasy tales are often the ones in which the special effects are subservient to the characters, not the other way around; still, this moves quick enough to keep most customers satisfied. **1/2
A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION Robert Altman's best film since the one-two punch of The Player and Short Cuts might at first glance seem like a minor work, an ambling, congenial picture constructed as little more than an opportunity to corral several major talents (Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Lily Tomlin, etc.) and give them a chance to sing songs and tell jokes in a relaxed setting. That the film is inspired by Garrison Keillor's long-running radio show adds to that impression, since the on-air Keillor is the epitome of laid-back, down-home hospitality. Yet for all its levity, the central theme focuses on the specter of Death -- how it hovers around us, how it haunts us, and how it can inform our every move. But the mood isn't depressing; it's bittersweet. And that's only part of the time: When the radio performers are front and center, this is nothing less than a joyous celebration of both Americana and the arts. The final sequence -- a masterpiece of ambiguity -- is simply exquisite, a somber, rueful moment inexorably illustrating that, in death as in life, the show must go on. ****
SUPERMAN RETURNS A viewer would have to go back 28 years to find the motion picture that still ranks as the finest superhero movie ever made. The 1978 version of Superman still holds up beautifully, with dazzling special effects, plenty of heart and spunk, and career performances by Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder as Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Director Bryan Singer (X-Men and X2) has a great affinity for that film, and he pays his respects with a new picture that's neither a remake nor a direct repudiation; instead, he imagines Superman Returns as a continuation of the original saga, a chance to advance the story without radically altering it. Like Christopher Nolan with Batman Begins, Singer has elected to add dramatic heft to a deceptively simple comic-book framework, by spending as much screen time on the characters' mental battles as on the gee-whiz theatrics of Superman's crime-fighting prowess. The script's mixture of melodrama and mirth seems just right, and newcomer Brandon Routh is effective as the Man of Steel and his bumbling alter ego. ***1/2
WORDPLAY An entertaining and enlightening documentary on, of all things, crossword puzzles, this lovely piece showcases the power of the American language and the pure, untainted joy that puzzle aficionados feel as they interlock their answers in the grids found within the pages of the New York Times. The film's central figure is the Times' crossword editor Will Shortz, though celebrity puzzle fans (Bill Clinton, Ken Burns and Jon Stewart among them) also have their say. As in many recent docs, the movie wraps up with a major competition, in this case the 28th Annual American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. This finale will inevitably be compared to the nail-biting contest at the end of Spellbound (a great film that's already established itself as the gold standard in this sub-genre), and in that respect, it does fall short of generating the same level of excitement. But because we're watching a documentary about intellectual excellence, we're not really expecting to find our hearts racing anyway. Wordplay functions as a playful celebration of brain power, and in that respect, it gets its point Across. And Down. ***1/2
X-MEN: THE LAST STAND The 2000 hit X-Men, which introduced Marvel's band of mutant outsiders to a wider audience and helped spearhead the current boom in superhero flicks, appealed to fans of the comic book but also offered comfort to anyone who could tap into its obvious symbolic gestures (most equating the fantasy world ostracism of mutants with the real world shunning of homosexuals). Director Bryan Singer returned for 2003's X2, and, bucking the trend, managed to make a follow-up that nearly matched its predecessor. Alas, Singer has fled the series to helm Superman Returns, and Brett Ratner (the Rush Hour duo) and his scripters prove to be shaky replacements. Yet it's a testament to the durability of the original comic created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby that the movie survives this hostile takeover. There are plenty of boneheaded decisions plaguing this action-packed chapter -- too many players, stagnant characterizations -- yet there's also enough of merit to earn it a passing grade. **1/2
OPENS FRIDAY, JULY 14:
LITTLE MAN: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans.
A SCANNER DARKLY: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder.
YOU, ME & DUPREE: Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson.