April 2006
From Class to Trash
May's movies are a mixed bunch
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK ***
Freshly knighted, with a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in
Syriana, actor and director George Clooney isn’t afraid to go out on a limb to explore those things in the American past and present that deserve investigation and reflection. Clooney’s 2002 directorial debut,
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, was based on the memoirs of game-show producer and CIA operative Chuck Barris. In his second directorial effort, he tackles the story of another real-life person.
Good Night, and Good Luck explores broadcast journalism in the 1950s and its courageous hero Edward R. Murrow (brilliantly played by David Strathairn), who stands up to Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy and his witch hunt for communists lurking within American society. Together with his friend and producer, Fred W. Friendly (Clooney), Murrow risks his reputation and career to expose the exploitation of fear and paranoia that McCarthy uses in his quest to “purify” America. Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Screenplay, this is an intellectual film that pleases on many levels. Clooney’s direction is crisp and clean—he gives it to the viewer as straight as Murrow’s on-air speeches to McCarthy. He is also one of only a handful of directors who can get a studio to finance a film shot in black and white—others include Steven Spielberg and Steven Soderbergh. In addition to Strathairn’s stellar embodiment of Murrow, the film features strong supporting performances by Clooney, Robert Downey, Jr., and Jeff Daniels. In a time when journalism is plagued by the apparent necessity to entertain and play by the rules of political correctness, it’s refreshing to see that once upon a time it was seen as brave and heroic for a man to challenge the system.
German Release Date (subject to change) April 6,
US rated PG
http://wip.warnerbros.com/goodnightgoodluck
BIG MOMMA’S HOUSE 2 *1/2
And the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay goes to… well, it isn’t
Big Momma’s House 2, that’s for sure. Everything about this film feels recycled and familiar, from the concept of a man pretending to be an overweight nanny (Robin Williams in
Mrs. Doubtfire) to the plot of an FBI field agent who downshifts his career into the PR department only secretly to re-enlist when the case becomes personal (Sandra Bullock in
Miss Congeniality 2). Comparisons can also be drawn with another African American comedian in an obscenely overweight body, namely Eddie Murphy in
The Nutty Professor. In fact, the only completely original thing in the movie is the youngest of the Fuller children under Big Momma’s care and his propensity to propel himself off the top platform of his bunk bed and other heights. The poor excuse for a plot follows undercover FBI agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence) as he transforms himself into a 70-year-old nanny to infiltrate a suspect’s home to save the world from a deadly computer virus. Along the way, of course, he becomes close to the children and teaches them about the struggles of surviving childhood and how it’s important to believe in yourself. With a screenplay by Don Rhymer, who also wrote the original
Big Momma, and directed by John Whitesell (
Malibu’s Most Wanted), the whole film feels a bit like an extended television soap opera. Even the talented Martin Lawrence (
Bad Boys) seems bored with the dull dialogue and cardboard cutouts that represent supporting characters. If you don’t mind paying € 2 per laugh, or wasting 90 minutes of your life, or if you’re under 12, this might pass as mild entertainment.
German Release Date (subject to change) April 13,
US rated PG-13
www.bigmommashouse2.com
New release on DVD
LORDS OF DOGTOWN **1/2
The Munich International Film Festival screened a documentary called
Dogtown and Z-Boys in 2001, written and directed by skateboarder Stacy Peralta. Four years later this inspired its narrative cousin,
Lords of Dogtown. The feature film, also written by Peralta, deals with the birth of the skateboard and its accompanying cultural phenomenon. The Z-Boys go from being hoodlums knocking over trash cans to world-class sport icons. At the center of the story is the friendship and rivalry of three of those boys: Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk), Stacy Peralta (John Robinson) and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch). Encouraged by their mentor, Skip (Heath Ledger), the boys travel through adolescence on urethane wheels. The film is directed by 50-year-old Catherine Hardwicke, who showed promise with her 2003 directorial debut
thirteen, but who is trying too hard to be cool this time around. Light on story and character development and heavy on shots of skaters doing what they do best, the film may be suited for the “skate or die” set, but not many others.
German Release Date (subject to change) April 4,
US rated PG-13
www.sonypictures.com/movies/lordsofdogtown
