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Friday, Aug 8, 2008
The Movie Page
For independent films covered in Beyond the Multiplex, visit the Beyond the Multiplex directory page.
Babel- Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star in this ambitious, seductive, but ultimately disappointing film.
Baby Boy- John Singleton's urban drama has noble intentions, but it's as lost as its protagonist.
Baby Mama- Tina Fey and Amy Poehler make a dynamite duo, but this spoof of our child-centric culture doesn't go as far as it could.
Bad Boys II- Necrophilia, explosions, destroyed motor vehicles, gratuitous T&A and Martin Lawrence and Will Smith doing their lame Abbott-and-Costello act. What's not to hate?
Bad Company- This cookie-cutter spy thriller depends on the chemistry between Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock. Um, wait, there isn't any.
Bad News Bears- The bad news: No, it's not better than the original. The good news: It's still really, really good.
Bad Santa- With Billy Bob Thornton as an irredeemable scumbag Kris Kringle, this willfully tasteless comedy might just save Christmas.
Baise-Moi- A new wave of bloodily pornographic French art films hits a new low in this ultraviolent tale of two murderous women on the lam.
Bait- Competent and flashy, and Jamie Foxx is hysterical, but this actioner gives you time to think -- and that's not a good thing.
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever- I don't even care that there's no plot in this Antonio Banderas-Lucy Liu faceoff. It's still terrible!
Balls of Fury- This good-natured, slightly raunchy Ping-Pong comedy serves up a few laughs but ultimately falls flat.
Balrogs! Cave trolls! Hobbits!- Critics get to see a 25-minute preview of December's much-anticipated "Lord of the Rings" movie.
Bamboozled- Spike Lee's explosive, near-masterpiece media satire balances between brilliance and incoherence.
Bandits- We wuz robbed! Barry Levinson, Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton mix it up in a misfire of a heist film.
- Band of Outsiders
- Like "Breathless," this lovely and tender early work from Jean-Luc Godard is a reimagined gangster film.
- Baran
- Iranian boy meets Afghan girl in a Middle Eastern film that might make it out of the art house.
Barbershop- Ice Cube and Cedric the Entertainer trade jabs in a cheerfully old-fashioned comedy about a South Side Chicago haircut joint and the community it anchors.
Barbershop 2: Back in Business- Ice Cube, Eve and Cedric the Entertainer are back, but this sequel to their sweet hit doesn't cut it.
Basic- John Travolta's sneaky! Samuel L. Jackson is tough as a boiled owl! But that's all there is to say for this nonsensical military action flick.
Basic Instinct 2- This long-awaited sequel starts with a bang, then goes limp -- but Sharon Stone is as sexy as ever!
Batman Begins- You know you're in trouble when a movie can't even get the Batmobile right.
Batman vs. the lavender genius of crime!- I watched the great 10-hour Japanese antiwar film! Now it's your turn. Plus: Topiary genius, life after the tsunami, and a gay British crime lord.
- Battle in Seattle" rocks Austin
- The street protests that shaped a new century, recalled in a flawed and exciting docudrama.
Beach blanket bimbology- If "The Real Cancun" is a modern version of the beach-party flick, these are troubled times indeed. Here's hoping, for your sake, that you don't enjoy this smutty, shallow "reality movie" nearly as much as I did.
- Beastie Boys Video Anthology
- Porn does it right and so do the Beasties: The best, most obsessive rock video set ever produced also makes great use of the DVD "angle" feature.
Because I Said So- Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore star in this movie about a meddling mom.
Becoming Jane- This misguided movie imagines Jane Austen's life as a genteel, tasteful Harlequin romance.
Be Cool- Thurman, Travolta and the rest of the star-studded cast do indeed look cool. But where's the heat?
Bedtime for "Gonzo" - Alex Gibney talks about his Oscar-winning "Taxi to the Dark Side" and his new look at Hunter S. Thompson, American hero. (Plus: Audio podcast.)
Bee Movie- Heard the buzz? Jerry Seinfeld's back ... as an animated bee. But this low-flying movie has no sting.
Beerfest- This crude comedy about a secret Fight Club-style drinking competition aims to become the ultimate frat-boy cult flick.
Before I Forget- This movie about a former hustler is a devastating portrait of the aging body.
Before Night Falls- Julian Schnabel's tale of a gay Cuban poet smolders with vivid sensuality. Plus: Johnny Depp in drag.
Before Sunset- Nine years after his exquisite "Before Sunrise," director Richard Linklater answers the question: Can the greatest romance of your life last only one night?
Behind Enemy Lines- Sometimes empty stylish flashiness can be fun, but then why bother using a great actor like Gene Hackman?
Being Julia- Annette Bening plays a great actress in Istvan Szabo's resolute charmer -- and proves she is one, too.
Bend It Like Beckham- A smash hit from England jokes about love, soccer, ethnic food and immigrant assimilation. Wait, haven't we seen this movie before?
Beowulf- That old poem you read in school, only with sexy bits -- a digitized Angelina Jolie, naked and dipped in gold -- added.
Best in Show- Christopher Guest follows up "Waiting for Guffman" with another gentle comic miniature.
Better Luck Tomorrow- This cautionary tale about Asian-American suburban teens features predictable stereotypes -- the smooth operator! the jackrabbit sociopath! -- and doesn't tell us anything new.
Better Than Sex- Two lovers make something more out of a one-night stand in this sexy Australian comedy.
Bewitched- With her gimmicky remake, Nora Ephron proves that no mere mortal can stifle Nicole Kidman's magic.
Beyond Borders- Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen make goo-goo eyes from Cambodia to Chechnya, as the world's suffering children become romantic props.
Beyond the Sea- Kevin Spacey's fetishistic Bobby Darin biopic is so over the top, he might have called it "Beyond the Pale."
Big Bad Love- Arliss Howard makes his directing debut -- and Debra Winger returns to the big screen -- with a ragged, affectionate tale of Southern life.
Big Fat Liar- This tepid Hollywood revenge comedy, starring Frankie Muniz of "Malcolm in the Middle," chooses safe, clean fun over true teen anarchy.
Big Fish- Tim Burton's latest whimsical holiday treacle features Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor in a saga of a tall-tale-spinnin' Southerner who won't shut up.
Big Trouble- Go ahead, laugh at this feebleminded Tim Allen comedy. You'll hate yourself for it tomorrow.
Biker Boyz- Badass black bikers, led by an awesome Laurence Fishburne, tear up the L.A. night. But there's not enough fast and even less furious.
Birth- Nicole Kidman stars as a woman entranced by a 10-year-old boy who claims to be her late husband. So just how steamy is that scene where Kidman and the kid take a bath together?
Birthday Girl- Nicole Kidman isn't bad as a Russian bride in this noirish sex comedy, but her feeble costar could use a good tug.
Black America and the Oscars: A one-night stand?- From Internet message boards to barbershops, African-Americans are abuzz with debate over Halle, Denzel and Sidney's history-making moments. Is "Monster's Ball" a racist film or a breakthrough? Do blacks wield any real power in Hollywood? Was the Oscar "blackout" more than a whitewash?
Black and white in color- An arch, acute and haunting documentary about the segregated Mardi Gras traditions of Mobile, Ala., "The Order of Myths" might be the nonfiction film of the year.
- Black humor, frozen land
- A droll, gruesome cop thriller, chilled Icelandic-style. Plus: What's new this week.
Black Knight- Martin Lawrence is back in a painfully obvious, groaningly uplifting medieval comedy.
Black Snake Moan- Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci star in this wild, sweet little picture about sex, redemption and music.
Blade II- Alas, 1998's vampire disco has shut down, but this sequel offers plenty of gore, goo, creepy orifices and video-game-style action.
Blades of Glory- This Will Ferrell comedy skates along the thin line between parody and homophobia.
Blame it on Rio- Brazilian director Jose Padilha talks about "Bus 174," his shocking documentary about the Rio street kid who hijacked a bus -- and forced a nation to confront its epidemic of violence.
- Blazing Saddles
- Mel Brooks remembers working with Richard Pryor, and a time when farting jokes were as offensive as it gets.
Blind Spot: Hitler's Secretary- She was in the bunker with you-know-who and can't forgive herself. In this haunting documentary, 81-year-old Traudl Junge faces the truth.
Blood and asphalt- A new documentary pays tribute to "Signal 30," "Highways of Agony" and the other ghoulish, crudely made yet unforgettable driver-training films of the '60s and '70s.
Blood and Chocolate- A werewolf girl, a human boy, a little blood and, yes, some chocolate combine to make this delicious B-movie confection.
Blood, breasts and beasts- Lloyd Kaufman's splatter movies cost less than Sandra Bullock's hair budget, but his real legacy is Troma -- still fighting "devil-worshiping international conglomerates" after 27 years.
Blood Diamond- This diamond-industry drama starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Connelly aims for clarity but lacks sparkle.
Blood, guts, death, mayhem and nudity- Eli Roth on the atrocious state of horror movies, actresses who won't get naked, his pal David Lynch, and the flesh-eating inspiration of his new film, "Cabin Fever."
- Blood on the beach
- From a dizzying reinvention of the Mafia film to Tony Manero as serial killer to the death of Bobby Sands, it's a violent spring at Cannes.
- Blood on the streets
- "Made in America," an operatic history of the Crips-Bloods feud, generates heat at Sundance. Plus: Palahniuk's "Choke" makes much of Jesus' foreskin.
Blood Work- Clint Eastwood gets a new heart, but never cracks a smile, in his latest competent, hard-boiled detective yarn.
Blow- A cocksure Johnny Depp swaggers through a sleazy, glamorous head trip about the '70s and '80s drug trade.
Blue Crush- Saga of surfer girls in Hawaii is a snooze. On land, that is. On the water, it might be the most intense visual experience you'll find at the movies this year.
Boarding Gate- This hypnotic, angular thriller about sex, murder, betrayal and money takes you on a feverish journey from nowhere to somewhere.
Boat Trip- In a time of war, our troubled nation yearns for fat guys telling fag jokes and black men dancing. Hollywood answers the call.
Bobby- Emilio Estevez clearly had good intentions in making this fictional drama about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
Bollywood confidential- Despite a massive international market and a huge impact on pop culture, the outrageous musical eye candy of Bollywood remains almost invisible in America.
Bollywood's Tarantino and his band of outsiders- Director and producer Ram Gopal Varma (aka "RGV") has revolutionized India's tradition-bound film biz, rejecting classic costume musicals and weepy melodramas for gritty, urban, low-budget realism.
Bones- The hip-hop horror flick you've been waiting for? Nah, just another grotesquely uneven schlockfest.
Bon Voyage- In this winning comic melodrama, Isabelle Adjani gives possibly her finest performace since bursting upon the film world nearly 30 years ago.
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation- Sacha Baron Cohen gives us one of the funniest and most pointed satires in years -- and also one of the most complex.
Born Romantic- This English charmer is actually funny and romantic -- and it won't make men run out of the theater.
Borstal Boy- An adaptation of playwright Brendan Behan's prison memoir captures its compelling setting -- but settles for bland coming-of-age clichés.
- Bound
- How sexpert Susie Bright and the "Matrix" brothers got wet making this lesbian noir.
Box of Stones- Is Oliver Stone a misunderstood cinematic genius or just a deluded, self-absorbed hack? A new 10-DVD box set promises some answers.
- Boys Don't Cry
- Director Kimberly Peirce discusses the hazards of low-budget filmmaking and the intricacies of bringing this heartland tragedy to the screen.
- Boys to men
- "Edge of Seventeen," a film about coming out and of age in the early '80s, trumps the current crop of nice-guy gay films.
Boy wonder- In "A.I." Steven Spielberg gets shown up by a kid. How does Haley Joel Osment understand the movie better than its director does?
- Braveheart
- Mel Gibson's deadly boring film, not to mention his commentary, mangles history and his fellow actors -- all for the sake of a good fight.
Breach- This based-on-a-true-story tale of treason is an unsettling exploration of deception and self-delusion.
Bread and Roses- The problem with Ken Loach's half-Spanish, half-English film isn't the lefty politics, it's that the Brit knows nothing about Los Angeles.
Breaking and Entering- Jude Law and Robin Wright Penn star in this tale of well-heeled Londoners who find themselves facing life's dark side.
Breaking into the movie business- Everyone knows Hollywood sucks, but I stole -- and doctored -- Sony's "Sean Connery Golf Project" script to make it better.
Brideshead Revisited- No expense has been spared in this lavish, streamlined adaptation, but is there such a thing as too much good taste?
Bridget Jones's Diary- A smarted-up, tarted-up take on a book about a girl who unapologetically enjoys sex.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason- Yes, Renee Zellweger looks like a pathetic porker in this sequel to "Bridget Jones's Diary," but it's not her fault.
- Bright Young Things
- Stephen Fry takes a few liberties, but ultimately does Evelyn Waugh justice with this deliciously dazzling adaptation of the gleefully naughty "Vile Bodies."
Brilliant mistake- Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" is a desperately moving ode to romance. Why do the filmmakers undercut its power with a bag of ironic tricks?
Bringing Down the House- Why are white guys who can't dance still funny? In this shameful Steve Martin bomb, they're not.
Brokeback Mountain- Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger play two cowboys in love in this mainstream movie that is not nearly as brave as it might have been.
Broken Flowers- Bill Murray tracks down an eccentric cast of ex-girlfriends in Jim Jarmusch's well-meaning but remote look at an aging Don Juan.
Brotherhood of the Wolf- "Dangerous Liaisons" meets "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" in this profoundly insane French horror movie. Plus: Native American kung fu!
Brown Sugar- Sanaa Lathan and Taye Diggs shine in a hip-hop-fueled romantic comedy that displays the quiet strength of African-American film's new wave.
Bruce Almighty- The hugely talented Jim Carrey gets the power of God from Morgan Freeman. But unless you like boob jokes and Nancy Reagan lectures, this preachy comedy's a snooze.
Buffalo Soldiers- Miramax delayed Gregor Jordan's film about bored U.S. soldiers in mid-'80s Germany because of Sept. 11. Its honest portrait of the military won't seem any more flattering now.
Bug- It's creepy. It's crawly. But it doesn't have much bite.
- Building a road from Bollywood to dullsville
- How can a gorgeous-looking movie about an adulterous interracial affair in 1930s India be so boring? Plus: The amazing Juliet Stevenson, sex symbol at age 51.
Bulletproof Monk- Chow Yun-Fat battles aging Nazis and trains an American disciple in this lightweight but delightful martial-arts romp.
Bully- Larry Clark loves to show us teenagers having sex and getting wasted, but does he have a point?
Bush is the ultimate Alden Pyle- "The Quiet American" director Phillip Noyce compares George W. to the dunderhead hero of Graham Greene's Vietnam novel -- and finds scary parallels between U.S. foreign policy then and now.
- Buzzed on metaphysics
- David Cronenberg's "Existenz" imagines a dangerously exotic video game -- and it looks a lot like life.
DVD Releases
- The Counterfeiters (8/5)
- My Brother Is an Only Child (8/5)
- Smart People (8/12)
- Brand Upon the Brain! (8/12)
- Rent DVDs with Netflix
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Olympic torch song
By Thomas Rogers -
"Elegy" for a topless bombshell
By Andrew O'Hehir -
"Pineapple Express"
By Stephanie Zacharek -
"The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2"
By Stephanie Zacharek -
Turn around, Bright Eyes
By Judy Berman
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