respect must be paid

cadillac records--
first off, i consider jeffrey wright one of the great actors of this generation. here he's joined by a stellar ensemble, including adrien brody, mos def, eamonn walker (hbo's oz), and rising stud columbus short (stomp the yard). international mega-star beyonce knowles brings cache of another sort as well, introducing to a wide-reaching crop of entertainment biz fans everywhere these vital chapters of music history. writer/director darnell martin deserves praise for tackling such an ambitious tribute. script clicks with energy, thanks primarily to rockin' soundtrack, overflowing with early rhythm & blues classics.
tribute: 3 stars

the reader--
indisputably packaged, positioned, and presented as Important oscar pic. felt more like three separate films to me, however, the latter two draining life from bold, fun, sensual central flashback storyline. crafty conceit thus bogged down in its own earnestness. kate winslet delivers as expected (no more, no less), ralph fiennes is sufficiently dour, while newcomer david kross truly leads. core strength in Look: legendary cinematographer roger deakins reveals luminous beauty; costume designer ann roth does wonders.
expected: 3 stars

archetypes

the duchess--
everything you expect from a high-brow period costume drama: lush production design, lavish costumes, extravagant sets & seemingly unreal locations, big name actors playing characters stifled by societal convention.... oh yes, and little to no excitement. an impressive film in many ways--even a compelling "true" story--yet i can not recommend it. the action is simply not engaging. keira knightley will get some awards-season play; ralph fiennes, in top form here, even more.
not engaging: 2 stars

rachel getting married--
jonathan demme directs this festival piece (nominated for golden lion at venice) that could be a primer for indy filmmakers. handheld cameras, improvised dialogue, mainstream ingenue playing against type, lazy-bad directorial choices--you know the drill. anne hathaway is remarkable (check her last five roles and tell me she's not outstanding) as the messed-up sister of the titular betrothed (impressive rosemarie dewitt). all moves along nicely until an inexplicable 10+min wedding music montage brings the denouement to a screeching halt. remove that useless, obtrusive segment of crap, and it's tight. hathaway makes it right.
primer: 3 stars

* the fall (BONUS dvd review)--
released early this year on a meager 111 screens nationwide, it's unlikely you caught this visual masterwork in theater (heck, even i missed it). writer/director tarsem (the cell) is widely heralded for his vision, oft criticized for his scripting. he nails them both here, crafting an intimate, charming, adventurous/playful, bittersweet fantasy. watch it on blu-ray, and the colors pop like you won't believe. and i'm not exaggerating when i tell you that every single frame of this magical film is a breath-taking stand-alone photograph.
masterwork: 5 stars

blah movie season underway

no no, don't feel like you have to rush out and see them all straightaway. mediocre movies will be available to you all year long. and of course their dvd counterparts do boast seemingly inexhaustible shelf life. yet this is the time of year when the floodgates open, releasing some real doozies into multiplex and art house alike.
ah, i remember the curdled cream of 2007's rotten crop (of those i was "bold" enough to endure)--spider-man 3 and walk hard: the dewey cox story. in a word, awful. now i've seen the first big stinker of this campaign:

in bruges--
starring colin farrell, brendan gleeson, and ralph fiennes, it certainly has enough star power to draw an audience. but writer/director martin mcdonagh (who wrote staggeringly brilliant stage play The Pillowman) simply gets it all wrong. the scenes feel incongruous, the humor consistently misses the mark, the shot selection appears amateurish, even the allegedly picturesque city gets lost in the directorial mess (might as well have filmed on a soundstage). honestly, why beat this dead horse? (i don't like writing reviews so scathing, esp. when such talent is involved; we're all artists. sorry.) i can't give it zero stars, cuz lord knows i've seen (and been in) much worse.
all wrong: 1 star