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All Reviews by Jason
Aaron
The
Village
They can't all be gems.
Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan had a great run going, with The
Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and even his
little-known early feature Wide Awake. They’re all
excellent films, with stunning visuals, clever storylines and, of
course, Shyamalan's trademark — a surprising twist at the end.
After all those great films in a row Shyamalan was due for a letdown.
The Village is that letdown. Yet actually for about the
first forty minutes or so, things go great, but unfortunately by then
most viewers will figure out the film’s disappointing twist,
draining away any sense of tension. Still, Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron
Howard's daughter) gives a breakout performance as the blind woman
at the heart of the drama affecting an isolated country town with
a mysterious secret. The supporting cast boasts Oscar winners Adrien
Brody and William Hurt, plus acting heavyweights Joaquin Phoenix and
Sigourney Weaver.
If only Shyamalan hadn't tried to milk the whole twist-ending theme
for one more film. Hopefully now, he'll move on and realize that he
can still make great movies, even if they’re twist-free.
Even more disappointing than The Village is The Buried
Secret of M. Night Shyamalan, a new Sci Fi Channel mocumentary
billed as an inside look at Shyamalan's secret world. While The
Village is still entertaining at times, this one-joke farce (which
was initially advertised as a real documentary) is a complete waste.
(PG-13) Rating: 2
Anchorman:
The Legend of Ron Burgundy
During his stint on Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell was
like a throwback to the show’s golden age, that grand bygone
era when it was actually funny. Since then, Ferrell has parlayed his
TV experience into enjoyable film hits like Elf and Old
School.
Paired with Adam McKay, the former head writer on SNL, Ferrell
co-scripted his latest vehicle, the story of flamboyant 1970's newsman
Ron Burgundy. The few scattered laughs the film does provide come
almost exclusively courtesy of Ferrell, even though he has a capable
supporting cast, including Kansas City native Paul Rudd and the hilarious
Fred Willard, who usually steals the show.
Right now, Ferrell is in the phase that most SNL breakout
stars go through, where they can seemingly be hilarious simply by
walking around (Ferrell's next film with McKay, Talladega Nights,
was pitched to studio executives with the simple set-up, “Six
Words: Will Ferrell as a NASCAR driver”). Sooner or later, that
phase always wears off, and those comics either branch out and prove
they’re good actors (like Bill Murray or Adam Sandler) or they
don't (see Chevy Chase and Eddie Murphy). Let's hope Ferrell makes
his move sometime soon. (PG-13) Rating: 2
King
Arthur
Take the producer of Pearl Harbor, the director of Training
Day and the writer of Gladiator, put them all together
on a film and what have you got: a bombastic, mildly entertaining
action flick that plays like a poor imitation of Braveheart.
This latest retelling of Arthurian legend is supposedly based on
newly discovered archaeological evidence that places the real Arthur
in 4th century Britain as a servant of Rome. Merlin is recast as the
mysterious leader of the Woads, barbaric British natives who oppose
the Romans. The ranks of the Woads also includes Guinevere, who's
no longer simply a damsel in distress but now wields a bow alongside
the Knights of the Round Table.
Gifted actors Clive Owen (as Arthur) and Stellan Skarsgard (as Arthur’s
nemesis, the leader of the viscous Saxons) lend credence to the whole
mess with their serious acting chops. But still King Arthur
never does much of anything to lift itself out of Braveheart's
shadow. There's even that same scene, the one that has become a must-have
for historical war epics these days, where in the last moments before
the great battle the brave leader rides up and down past his assembled
soldiers, urging them on to victory with an inspiring speech.
Unfortunately for King Arthur, the action scenes that follow
the speech are equally uninspiring, even in the grittier unrated Version.
(PG-13) Rating: 2
Sky Captain
and the World of Tomorrow
Far too often films that represent great technological advancements
prove to be sorely lacking when it comes to plain old entertainment
value. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow suffers from
a touch of that syndrome, but not enough to make it a complete bore.
Jude Law plays the title hero, a daredevil pilot and two-fisted adventurer
like something straight out of a 1940’s movie serial. Actually,
the whole film is like something from the 1940s, as it's heavily influenced
by everything from Buck Rogers comic strips and Blackhawk comic books
to the original King Kong and the classic Fleischer Brothers
Superman cartoons. The great technological advancement here
is the film's look, which seamlessly melds live actors with computer-generated
environments for simply gorgeous results.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow genuinely looks like
a Buck Rogers adventure come to life, but unfortunately director Kerry
Conran didn't add enough of his own ideas to make the film truly memorable.
Law is a dashing stand-in for Errol Flynn and Gwyneth Paltrow does
a great job as a spunky Lois Lane type. There's even a cameo by long-dead
Laurence Olivier. But ultimately, Sky Captain simply pales
in comparison to that other homage to the 1940s, Raiders of the
Lost Ark. (PG) Rating: 3
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