The Week of September 30, 2008 The Incredible... Failure? Marvel learned from the mistakes of director Ang Lee's 2003 film, Hulk and created... an even bigger disappointment. by Chris Neumer	Quotes "I would say Lionel Ritchie is the white Lionel Ritchie." - Deputy Travis Junior always knows what he's talking about in Reno 911. New This Week Finding Amanda THE PLOT: When a down and out writer gambles with the trust of his wife, he ventures to Las Vegas to find her troubled little sister while staying away from the poker table that jeopardized his marriage in the first place. THE SKINNY: + Art house Indie films that are (usually) made for good reason. - This friend v. friend genre is almost as tired as cop or doctor T.V. shoes. + Paulo Morelli (director) has won five awards for directing/editing… - He won none (nor was he even nominated) for this film. - A Benjamin (that’s “street” for $100 Bill) says you’ve never have heard of any of these actors before. + Not necessarily a bad thing. Think Franka Potente in Run Lola Run. YES, IT'S TRUE: For those of you afraid FOX is taking over the world, look away… This film was distributed by Fox Filmes do Brasil. The Love Guru THE PLOT: Mike Myers returns to the big screen, melding his love of hockey into an unorthodox tale of how love and hockey can warrant the production of a major motion picture. THE SKINNY: +No cameos from other members of the “Frat Pack.” - No cameos from… other… members… of the “Frat Pack.” - An Oxymoron for a title? Great. Nice work. - Are we supposed to believe there are this many cinematic mediums through which Owen Wilson can make us roll our eyes and warm our hearts? Really? + Seth Rogen hasn’t missed (as a screenwriter)… yet. - Rogen does not appear in the film, and his comforting presence may have saved this. YES, IT'S TRUE: Alec Baldwin takes a break from 30 Rock to sit in for a cameo. He plays a bodyguard who interview for Drillbit’s job, wearing the same costume her wore in My Bodyguard, a 1980 film in which he played the bodyguard of a student. Made of Honor THE PLOT: When an everyman can’t profess the love he has for his best friend, she makes him Maid of Honor at her ensuing wedding. An awkward tale of romance left unsaid. THE SKINNY: + Tyler Perry’s name is a stock on the rise. - He essentially makes the same (feel good) film every time out. - Why am I only one who’s noticed this trend? + A sterling slew of shots that flatter America’s most photogenic inner city (Chicago). -Angela Bassett finding herself… Wow, what an original premise. YES, IT'S TRUE:All of Tyler Perry’s films (this one included) are adaptations of plays he’d written for the stage. Speed Racer THE PLOT: Daredevil driver Speed Racer joins force with long-time rival Racer X to win the race that claimed the life of his beloved brother. THE SKINNY: + Natalie Portman is the female Edward Norton. She’s never settled for an irrelevant role in a fluff film. - Edward Norton most recently starred in Hulk. with Woody Allen? - Jude Law’s boyfriend character as fidelity issues; Did he feel this would be a stretch, considering his recently tumultuous personal, uh, issues? + There’s something almost discomforting about Norah Jones’s onscreen magnetism; not a bad thing. - The musician-to-actor jump is rarely a successful endeavor. (Nor is going the other way, just ask Scarlett Johansson…) YES, IT'S TRUE:Notoriously ill-behaved recording artist Cat Power (real name Chan Marshall) makes a cameo in the film. Apparently she was able temporarily able to channel her infamous angst into an acting role, which calls to mind whether or not her onstage antics are “a series of acts,” themselves. Hmmmmm… Tortured THE PLOT: An FBI agent goes undercover to take on organized crime only to find the price of law enforcement may push the ethical code too far for his liking. THE SKINNY: + Matthew Fox (LOST), and Forest Whitaker (recent Oscar winner) help ignite a loaded cast. + A slew of multiple camera angles brings the audience intriguingly closer to the action. - Dennis Quaid’s ability to build morph into Jerry Lee Lewis-esque characters is (once again) overlooked, and he's left to play an aging "everyman" with baggage - Another action film the falls in the same cinematic trap: Trying to do too much at once. YES, IT'S TRUE:Though the film was set in Spain, it was filmed entirely in Mexico.
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