Ali
Director Michael Mann has created a rich tapestry of history, but unfortunately the performance of Will Smith as Muhammad Ali never rises above imitation. Same applies to Jon Voight’s rubber performance of Howard Cosell, the sportscaster who helps guide Ali’s career from champion to draft dodger to champion again. All of the pieces seem to be in place to tell the story, including exquisite period detail and a talented cast of supporting players, but Mann never allows Smith to become anything more than a caricature of the man.
Smith has the bravado to play “The Greatest,” just not the life experience. The women in Ali’s life fare much better, including Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael Michele and Nona Gaye as his various wives and lovers. (Columbia-TriStar)
CRUEL AND UNUSUAL (R)
Occasionally engaging thriller about a small Oregon town gripped in the fear of a serial killer. Tom Berenger stars as a supposed English Professor whose in town to write his first novel. Befriended by a brother and sister overcoming the death of their father, the writer seems like a decent guy. When the bodies start piling up, the siblings begin to suspect that the stranger they let into their lives is as dangerous as he is mysterious. (Columbia-TriStar)
EARTH VERSUS THE SPIDER (R)
Fans of B-movies will most appreciate this remake of the 1958 Drive-In classic. The remake, part of Stan Winston’s Creature Features series on Showtime, features Devon Gummersall as a comic book freak who also works at a secret genetics laboratory with his best friend. When his best friend is killed during a break in, Quentin (Gummersall) is so distraught that he decides to take a cue from his favorite comic book “Spider-Man” and injects himself with the serum of a genetically designed spider. At first Quentin uses his new found powers for good, but then those nasty spider cravings set in. Dan Aykroyd stars as a detective hot on the trail of the deadly human arachnid. Goofy fun not to be taken seriously. (Columbia-TriStar)
IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES (PG-13)
Edward James Olmos (Stand & Deliver) stars as General Rafael Trujillo, El Jefe to his enemies, who ruled over the Dominican Republic from 1930-1961. “In The Time of Butterflies” is based on a true story, but plays loose with the facts in order to satiate the films’ dramatic core. Salma Hayek stars as Minerva Mirabal, one of three sisters who vow to get even with El Jefe after he kills their father. The thought of an opposition led by a woman doesn’t bother Trujillo, until Mirabal begins to pick up support from a depressed people. With the help of a rebel leader (Marc Anthony) and her husband, Mirabal sets out to save her people from Trujillo’s tyranny. Olmos is rather bland as the bad guy, never rising to the same level of passion as those who oppose him. Hayek fares much better, lending a strong, gut level determination to her character. The film may be tough to take (it deals with brutality on a realistic level), but it does earn its keep for those looking for something offbeat. (MGM)
NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE (R)
Hilarious referential comedy skewers twenty years of teen comedies, going all the way back to John Hughes’ glory days of the early 1980s to mine jokes. No genre cliché is left unturned, with director Joel Gallen hitting most of the intended targets. Chyler Leigh stars as Janey Briggs, the smart, mousy, artistic type who lives at home with her horny brother and perpetually drunk father (Randy Quaid, very crude and funny). In true “She’s All That” fashion, the hunky football star makes a bet to turn Janey into a fox in time for the prom. Anyone who has seen any of these films will laugh out loud, and even those who are only familiar with the genre will still appreciate the over-the-top comedy. What can you say about a film that features an attractive, nude foreign exchange student whose only job is to please the high school geeks? Good cast, lots of laughs and a wild sense of humor. (Columbia-TriStar)
OCEAN’S ELEVEN (PG-13)
The remake of “Ocean’s Eleven” proves that Hollywood can still make them like they used to, as long as stars and filmmakers are willing to put aside their egos and hefty paychecks. As light and buoyant as an anorexic skydiver, “Ocean’s Eleven” is both smart and funny, a rare combination these days. “Ocean’s Eleven” is a wonderfully engaging caper film, that unlike the recent rash of heist films (Ronin, The Score, Heist), never takes itself too seriously. The emphasis is on having a good time, and that’s exactly what director Steven Soderbergh, working from a snappy script by Ted Griffin, provides. Please click on title for complete review. (Warner Bros.)
WAKING LIFE (R)
Writer-director Richard Linklater’s ponderous animated tale of a young man lying in a coma state, never really sure if the thoughts and people who wander through his mind are real are just figments of his imagination. Linklater thinks his animation process, formerly known as rotoscoping, is unique enough to make this talk-fest more than it is. It’s not. Ralph Bakshi beat Linklater to the punch with his version of “Lord of the Rings.” Once the novelty of the process wears off, all that is left is a series of monotonous conversations about life, love and existence that seems to go on forever. Linklater has lined up some famous people to play the flesh and blood prototypes, who were filmed on digital video, which was edited on a computer and then painted by graphic artists. The animation is supposed to create a dream-like effect, but instead it looks cheap and amateurish. I’m all for innovation, but this isn’t it. Without the animation, no one would give this film a second look. (Fox)
