Weekly movie reviews
‘The Golden Compass’
Director: Chris Weitz
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Eva Green, Daniel Craig
Genre: Action/Fantasy/Adventure
A 12-year-old girl ventures through a fantasy world filled with magical creatures. She is fighting to protect a special compass and save her best friend from a mysterious force called the Magisterium.
It’s a quality film, with great visuals and subject matter, but it’s hard to follow. It doesn’t fully explain all the details of the story, and its overly serious tone could use a dose of sunshine.
‘Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead’
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Aleksa Palladino
Genre: Crime/Drama
Two brothers with money troubles hatch a plan to rob their parents’ jewelry store. When the plan spirals out of control, lots of other things do also.
Critics love the director, industry vet Lumet, whose style meshes very well with screenwriter Kelly Masterson’s. The acting is superb. The cast, which is full of rotten characters, contains underlying philosophical statements that might take a while to register.
‘Love in the Time of Cholera’
Director: Mike Newell
Starring: Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Benjamin Bratt, Catalina Sandino Moreno, John Leguizamo
Genre: Drama/Romance/Adaptation
In Cartagena, Colombia, a lovestruck man (Bardem), pines for his estranged crush (Mezzogiorno), for more than 50 years.
The film doesn’t translate well from book to screen. Much of the appeal of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel is lost in translation as relevant details are mismanaged and the timeline stumbles. Some critics express suspicions that the movie just a cheesy stab at cashing in on the Latin market.
‘Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium’
Director: Zach Helm
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman, Jason Bateman, Zachary Mills, Ted Ludzik
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy
When a young pianist (Portman) inherits a magical toy store from her eccentric boss (Hoffman), she doubts she’s fit to take over, as the store throws a tantrum. She soon learns, however, to tap into the magic within herself.
For a film about a magical toy store, the film produces very little magic. The Willy Wonka-esque story line tries to step into big shoes, but the result is a misfire. Critics wonder what the director was looking for exactly.
‘Fred Claus’
Director: David Dobkin
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, John Michael Higgins, Elizabeth Banks
Genre: Comedy/Holiday
When Santa’s no-good older brother runs into financial problems, St. Nick agrees to invite him to the North Pole to earn the money he needs by working in Santa’s toy shop.
High-caliber characters seem overstuffed into lightweight roles. The idea behind the film isn’t terrible, but the Christmas flick schtick has been done and redone. So has Vaughn’s as a loveable slacker. Other details, such as the method used to turn actors like rapper Ludacris into elves, further drag down the film.
‘American Gangster’
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington, Josh Brolin, Common, Ted Levine
Genre: Crime/Thriller/Drama
Based on the true story of Harlem drug dealer Frank Lucas (Washington) and police officer Richie Roberts (Crow), who helped to finally bring him to justice. Lucas built a hugely successful drug empire, and at one time shipped heroin from Asia to the U.S. in the coffins of soldiers killed in Vietnam.
All form and no substance, “Gangster” is smart, well paced and well photographed, but it’s detached, lengthy and fails to elicit a real emotional response. Crowe and Washington don’t share a scene until very late in the movie. In an effort to paint Lucas as a heroic character, some of the negative details of his personality are avoided, which costs the film additional depth.
‘Bee Movie’
Director: Stephen Hickner, Simon J. Smith
Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Chris Rock, Ray Liotta, Mark Moseley
Genre: Comedy/Animation
A bee (Seinfeld) makes his way to the city and falls in love with a New York florist named Vanessa (Zellweger). He soon discovers that people collect and sell honey for profit and decides to sue the human race for stealing it.
Critics are abuzz over the film. Seinfeld’s influence is all over it. Great pacing and cute visual and verbal humor are some of the positives. The look of the film has been described as a visual version of Seinfeld’s comedy style.
And some another interesting movies from last week collection: Believers, Angel, Trailer Park Boys: The Movie, Outsourced, Another Perfect Stranger, Vacancy - cool thriller, Ratatouille - funny family animation, Who’s Your Caddy?, Christmas in South Park - Merry Cristmas 
, A Dennis the Menace Christmas, The Nanny Diaries, Air Buddies - 2006 year, Aquamarine - a fish-out-of-water comedy, Asterix and the Vikings - Asterix and Abelix new adventure, Bridge to Terabithia