http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/ Magnolia, 2008, Rated R Five years after the original, martial-arts whiz Tony Jaa returned to the world that made him famous, co-directing a follow-up with Ong Bak scripter Panna Rittikrai. Though touted as a prequel, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning holds zero ties to its progenitor — other than being a first-class martial-arts showcase.]]> Sony, 2009, Rated PG Jane Campion’s love letter to the brief but passionate romance between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his neighbor Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) does its best to combat the inherent limitations of the biopic genre, breathing life into characters whose unfortunate fates are known from the get-go.]]> Magnolia, 2009, Rated R Charles Bronson is Britain’s most dangerous prisoner. No, not the badass American actor of Death Wish fame. Charles Bronson is the nickname of Michael Peterson, a criminal incarcerated in the British penal system for the past 34 years — 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement.]]> A discerning list of 2009’s best DVD releases Year-end “best-of” lists give me the jitters. Yes, I know: poor Phil. It’s true, though. Ranking 12 months’ worth of DVD releases is an overwhelming task. Worse still is the mad rush to watch as many as possible as the year fades in an effort to catch an overlooked title. The stacks of unwatched screeners that skyscraper over my desk only compound the nerves.]]> Magnolia, 2009, Rated R Australia immediately stirs the imagination. Outback regions populated by Aborigines and exotic animals. Free spirits devoted to surf and sand. Apocalyptic, anti-authoritarian warriors tearing up the landscape with hellcars.]]> Shout Factory, 1986-1990, Not Rated There are many reasons why you might not have heard of this fine sitcom. It initially ran on Showtime, before pay cable was a hip destination for original programming. A broadcast outlet picked it up, but FOX was only two years into its existence and audiences were still finding out about the “fourth network.”]]> Paramount, 1981-82, Not Rated Every now and then, some entertainment publication tries to come up with a list of the funniest sitcom episodes of all time. There are a lot of great choices to be sure. “Soup Nazi” (Seinfeld), “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” (Friends) “Turkey’s Away” (WKRP in Cincinnati), the list really could go on and on...]]> Magnolia, 2008, Rated R Five years after the original, martial-arts whiz Tony Jaa returned to the world that made him famous, co-directing a follow-up with Ong Bak scripter Panna Rittikrai. Though touted as a prequel, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning holds zero ties to its progenitor — other than being a first-class martial-arts showcase.]]> Next year's Academy Awards won't have 10 Best Picture nominees Here's an early prediction on the Best Pictures nominees for next year's Academy Awards: There will only be five. The great experiment in "widening the playing field" — expanding the number of nominees to 10 this year — turned out to be a complete dud. Anyone interested in the Oscars knew there were only five legitimate nominees: the Final Five, the ones that had also been nominated for Best Director.]]> Jay Baruchel blooms in break-through role Jay Baruchel refuses to rely on the now standard Michael Cera nerd tics (the ubiquitous stuttering and the quiet-sensitive intelligence posing). Instead, he finds ways to live inside the skin and life of a good guy who has unfortunately listened a bit too carefully to the jokingly disparaging remarks of those around him for too long. Grade: B.]]> Tim Burton's adaptation a big disappointment It's expected that a 2009 adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Victorian-era 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass' would engage in some major contemporary revisionism, and the biggest change in Tim Burton's new 3-D movie version is to make Alice the kind of defiantly strong-willed, proto-feminist, no-nonsense action-hero suitable for a PG-rated action-fantasy seeking to do 'Lord of the Rings'-level box-office business. It's a mistake. Grade: C.]]> Polanski returns with flawed but entertaining thriller Co-written by Roman Polanski with political journalist Robert Harris, upon whose novel the film is based, 'The Ghost Writer' is full of plot holes yet still entices. Ewan McGregor plays an unnamed English writer who takes up a surprisingly dangerous job as a ghostwriter/autobiographer for Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), a former British prime minister accused of war crimes. Grade: B-.]]> Buddy cop comedy a bad bust Kevin Smith teams up with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan to do a stand-up riff on buddy pictures in the action-crime genre, and the guys are game jokesters all. Smith has plugged into the pre-release h]]> Strong leads can't save pointless Romero remake Star presence can sweep audiences up and carry them on a X-Games-styled thrill-ride that otherwise would barely generate a disturbance in a kiddie wave pool. And the charismatic leads don’t have]]> Star-studded gem shows Antoine Fuqua's training days are over All of the 'Six Degrees of Separation'/Kevin Bacon mental gamesmanship generated by a star-studded ensemble cast could detract from the simple, propulsive narrative drive of a film like 'Brooklyn's Finest,' but director Antoine Fuqua ('Training Day') boldly dares audiences to play the game anyway. And, for the most part, his gambit pays off. It's a fine example of a filmmaker abiding by the law of the streets. Grade: B-plus.]]> Is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to blame for current Senate gridlock? Why doesn’t an incensed American public demand the Senate reform or eliminate filibuster use? It is not mandated by the Constitution. I blame the movies. Specifically, I blame Frank Capra, Hollywood’s great populist director who won three Academy Awards for helming 1934’s It Happened One Night, 1936’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and 1938’s You Can’t Take It With You.]]> Magnolia, 2008, Rated R Five years after the original, martial-arts whiz Tony Jaa returned to the world that made him famous, co-directing a follow-up with Ong Bak scripter Panna Rittikrai. Though touted as a prequel, Ong Bak 2: The Beginning holds zero ties to its progenitor — other than being a first-class martial-arts showcase.]]> Sony, 2009, Rated PG Jane Campion’s love letter to the brief but passionate romance between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his neighbor Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) does its best to combat the inherent limitations of the biopic genre, breathing life into characters whose unfortunate fates are known from the get-go.]]> Magnolia, 2009, Rated R Charles Bronson is Britain’s most dangerous prisoner. No, not the badass American actor of Death Wish fame. Charles Bronson is the nickname of Michael Peterson, a criminal incarcerated in the British penal system for the past 34 years — 30 of which have been spent in solitary confinement.]]> A discerning list of 2009’s best DVD releases Year-end “best-of” lists give me the jitters. Yes, I know: poor Phil. It’s true, though. Ranking 12 months’ worth of DVD releases is an overwhelming task. Worse still is the mad rush to watch as many as possible as the year fades in an effort to catch an overlooked title. The stacks of unwatched screeners that skyscraper over my desk only compound the nerves.]]> Magnolia, 2009, Rated R Australia immediately stirs the imagination. Outback regions populated by Aborigines and exotic animals. Free spirits devoted to surf and sand. Apocalyptic, anti-authoritarian warriors tearing up the landscape with hellcars.]]> Shout Factory, 1986-1990, Not Rated There are many reasons why you might not have heard of this fine sitcom. It initially ran on Showtime, before pay cable was a hip destination for original programming. A broadcast outlet picked it up, but FOX was only two years into its existence and audiences were still finding out about the “fourth network.”]]> Paramount, 1981-82, Not Rated Every now and then, some entertainment publication tries to come up with a list of the funniest sitcom episodes of all time. There are a lot of great choices to be sure. “Soup Nazi” (Seinfeld), “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” (Friends) “Turkey’s Away” (WKRP in Cincinnati), the list really could go on and on...]]> Sony, 2009, Rated R James Toback’s documentary should be subtitled Mike on Mike: It’s 90 minutes of a recently interviewed Tyson speaking directly to the camera — a single-minded perspective that proves both frustrating and fascinatingly intimate. Rambling, emotional and often surprisingly articulate, Tyson ruminates on everything from his troubled childhood and meteoric rise as a boxer.]]> Next year's Academy Awards won't have 10 Best Picture nominees Here's an early prediction on the Best Pictures nominees for next year's Academy Awards: There will only be five. The great experiment in "widening the playing field" — expanding the number of nominees to 10 this year — turned out to be a complete dud. Anyone interested in the Oscars knew there were only five legitimate nominees: the Final Five, the ones that had also been nominated for Best Director.]]> Star-studded gem shows Antoine Fuqua's training days are over All of the 'Six Degrees of Separation'/Kevin Bacon mental gamesmanship generated by a star-studded ensemble cast could detract from the simple, propulsive narrative drive of a film like 'Brooklyn's Finest,' but director Antoine Fuqua ('Training Day') boldly dares audiences to play the game anyway. And, for the most part, his gambit pays off. It's a fine example of a filmmaker abiding by the law of the streets. Grade: B-plus.]]> Apocalyptic story more interested in shooting guns than character development Falling on the heels of 'The Road,' here is a similarly themed vision of a post-apocalyptic dystopia where cannibals and criminals make up what's left of the human species. Survivalist extraordinaire Eli (Denzel Washington) is a loner badass with a Bible, and if that isn't good enough for an audience to empathize with, then the exit doors are located at the front and rear of the cinema. Grade: C.]]> Lame sequel picks up where the first installment left off This sequel to the update of the singing cartoon chipsters picks up right where the first installment left off — with Alvin and the boys smart-alecking their way through the new millennium (and apparently into school) until they meet their match: the Beyonce-inspired Chipettes. David Cross returns as the shady manager, while Jason Lee mostly sits out, which allows him to squeak by with a modicum of dignity. Grade: D.]]> Story about pre-Nazi Germany is oddly oblique Winner of the Palme d'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, German filmmaker Michael Haneke's latest is yet another look at the evil that men (and women and children) do. Set in a small, pre-World War I German-Protestant village, the ominous, chilly tone is accentuated by the use of vivid black-and-white cinematography and classically framed compositions. Grade: B.]]> Jay Baruchel blooms in break-through role Jay Baruchel refuses to rely on the now standard Michael Cera nerd tics (the ubiquitous stuttering and the quiet-sensitive intelligence posing). Instead, he finds ways to live inside the skin and life of a good guy who has unfortunately listened a bit too carefully to the jokingly disparaging remarks of those around him for too long. Grade: B.]]> Jackie Chan can't save this 'Spy Kids' knockoff Jackie Chan has been scaling back his headlong rush into the action-oriented abyss, mixing his slap-sticky martial arts mania with misdirection based on his bumbling and mangling of the English language. His pairings with various comic performers (Chris Tucker and Owen Wilson) have rendered him a box-office draw of some note, but now he's preparing to go it alone in the family friendly market. Grade: D.]]> Blood is a commodity in latest vampire flick Sibling Australian filmmakers Michael and Peter Spierig flip Hollywood's teen-friendly vampire trend on its head with 'Daybreakers,' a gory sci-fi world run by a majority population of bloodsuckers. Its greatest achievement could be that it keeps Generation X poster-boy Ethan Hawke in an action setting where his modulated style gets more traction than two Nicolas Cages put together. Grade: B-.]]> Gibson a bit rusty is his return to the big screen Acting in his first film since 2003, Mel Gibson is a bit rusty as retiring Boston homicide detective Thomas Craven in a part corporate thriller, part old-school revenge fantasy that feels dated from the start. Despite its formulaic storyline, insincere subplots and a wobbly performance from Gibson, quick pacing works to the film's advantage. Grade: C-.]]> Polanski returns with flawed but entertaining thriller Co-written by Roman Polanski with political journalist Robert Harris, upon whose novel the film is based, 'The Ghost Writer' is full of plot holes yet still entices. Ewan McGregor plays an unnamed English writer who takes up a surprisingly dangerous job as a ghostwriter/autobiographer for Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), a former British prime minister accused of war crimes. Grade: B-.]]> True-life sports story aided by light touch The true story of Baltimore Ravens rookie Michael Oher (played by newcomer Quinton Aaron) gets the big-screen treatment from writer/director John Lee Hancock ('The Rookie'), who at this stage appears to be the only filmmaker in Hollywood who understands that in real-life dramas about athletics sometimes there is no big game moment that changes lives forever. Grade: B.]]> Diary of a sad black woman is a powerful, gritty urban fairy tale Do you need to know Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe) or an inner city girl (read: a young black teenager) like her? Does it matter how "real" she is, both as a character and an embodiment of a socio-cultural dynamic that we haven't been able to overcome? No, this film allows Precious to speak for herself, and we would be wise to simply try our best to listen to her tale. Grade: A.]]> Sweet story pays homage to past sci-fi icons Many of the comparisons that will be made about this animated tale will focus primarily on the space-age science-fiction variety because it's packed to the gills with references to everything from 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' to 'Wall-E' and 'Star Wars.' But at its rather sweet core, 'Planet 51,' despite all of the who's-an-alien jokes being bandied about, the most appropriate and loving homage in the movie is toward the 'Back to the Future' series. Grade: C plus.]]> Latest in emo-laden vampire series is cheesy and incoherent The unexpected box-office success of Catherine Hardwicke’s first installment led to the quick green light of the second of Stephanie Meyer’s source novels, New Moon. Ironically, the latest movie flips the formula of the first: Its elaborate special effects, seamlessly guided by new director Chris Weitz, trump its inert, often incoherent story. Grade: C.]]> Disney's latest is a brisk, entertaining tale Disney seeks to right a social wrong by adding an African-American princess to its hallowed galley of snow white maidens. Anika Noni Rose gives voice to Tiana, a New Orleans girl with dreams of openin]]> Medical drama too predictable for its own good Director Tom Vaughan ('What Happens in Vegas') grinds his way through a script that does nothing but occupy 105 minutes of your life and leave you feeling vaguely more uplifted afterwards. Turn on the Oxygen or Lifetime cable channels any weeknight evening and you can achieve the same result without leaving your couch. Grade: D-plus.]]> Scorsese and DiCaprio score again with complex and engrossing mystery Martin Scorsese's latest is a gorgeously stylized psychological thriller full of darkly lush horror that torments its obsessed protagonist. As a former World War II veteran and U.S. Marshal, Leonardo DiCaprio hits every psychological mark that Scorsese dynamically orchestrates against a vast metaphorical natural and unnatural setting. Grade: A-. ]]> Is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington to blame for current Senate gridlock? Why doesn’t an incensed American public demand the Senate reform or eliminate filibuster use? It is not mandated by the Constitution. I blame the movies. Specifically, I blame Frank Capra, Hollywood’s great populist director who won three Academy Awards for helming 1934’s It Happened One Night, 1936’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town and 1938’s You Can’t Take It With You.]]> Multiple subplots can't keep the plates of passion spinning Longtime Hollywood director Garry Marshall's latest is yet another date movie that's less than the sum of its parts. The sheer number of A-list actors involved spells trouble. With half as many subplots, the filmmakers might have been able to keep the plates of passion spinning atop their spindly knees. Grade: C.]]> A peek at the sincerity beneath absurdity in Manhattan's art world Adam Goldberg embodies Adrian Jacobs, a pretentious avant-garde composer and leader of an experimental musical trio called New Sound Ensemble, in Jonathan Parker's send up of Manhattan's art world. In showing the sincerity beneath the absurdity of the experimental art world, Parker gives a window of empathy for the brittle characters on display. Grade: B.]]> Tim Burton's adaptation a big disappointment It's expected that a 2009 adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Victorian-era 'Alice in Wonderland' and 'Through the Looking Glass' would engage in some major contemporary revisionism, and the biggest change in Tim Burton's new 3-D movie version is to make Alice the kind of defiantly strong-willed, proto-feminist, no-nonsense action-hero suitable for a PG-rated action-fantasy seeking to do 'Lord of the Rings'-level box-office business. It's a mistake. Grade: C.]]> Roland Emmerich's latest diaster flick is a diaster What has technology unleashed on us now? At one time, filmmakers were content to tease audiences with catastrophic events like the sinking of an ocean liner or a blazing high-rise. Now Roland Emmerich, the doomsayer to end all doomsayers, gives us the end of the world, using the Mayan calendar as his compass. Grade: F.]]> Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson takes a step back in lightweight kid-friendly flick Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson continues to mine the kid-friendly project pool with this lightweight pitch about an arrogant aging hockey star, busted into the ranks of the tooth fairies (since Santa's been abused, it would seem the Easter Bunny might be next). Grade: D-.]]> John Travolta and Robin Williams wallow in the mud It could be argued, I suppose, that the dog reference in the title of John Travolta's latest mindless mainstream movie stands in higher regard than the pigs in 'Wild Hogs,' yet another abysmally bad broad comedy the dancing fool attached himself to recently. But even old dogs would have known to stay away from this piece of crap. Grade: F.]]> Clooney and co. shine in Jason Reitman's entertaining drama Don't over-think this one, folks. As awards season kicks into high gear, commentators of all stripes are going to talk about 'Up in the Air' in terms of its zeitgeist relevance, its timely attention to economic instability and the corporations that feast on the carrion of the down-sized and dispossessed. And in so doing, they will overlook how simply satisfying it is as a piece of filmmaking. Grade: A-.]]> Alec Baldwin charms in Nancy Meyers' latest romantic comedy One could spend much time on the shortcomings of It’s Complicated, writer/director Nancy Meyers’ (Something’s Gotta Give) latest romantic comedy about the love lives of the middle-aged and wealthy. (This time the setting is Santa Barbara.) Its tone is out of synch with our recessionary times. Grade: B]]> Well-crafted period romance features a disarming Emily Blunt The secret to any period romance drama lies in making it seem effortless. Without emitting so much as a sigh, Emily Blunt owns the role of Britain’s young Queen Victoria. Looking suspiciously like Orlando Bloom’s evil (and more compelling) twin, Rupert Friend eventually hits his stride in the supporting part as Prince Albert, the love of Victoria’s life. Grade: B]]> Colin Firth anchors Tom Ford's impressive filmmaking debut Tom Ford arrives on the filmmaking scene fully formed, no doubt the product of a man who has been cultivating and manipulating images for nearly two decades as a bigwig fashion designer. His adaptation of Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel benefits from strong performances, evocative, detail-rich production design and an effectively melancholy mood that only occasionally drifts into slick stylization. Grade: A-.]]> Vince Vaughn can't save this directionless comedy If ever there was need for an example of the whole not adding up to the sum of its parts, then let 'Couples Retreat' hereby stand as Exhibit A. The movie assembles four couples in relationships in various stages of duress and quickly trots them off to an island paradise where all of their problems will be solved — not before they go out of their ways to make things much worse, of course. Grade: D.]]> Amazing to look at but painful to listen to As Michael Bay has proved over and over again, writing bigger and bigger checks doesn't automatically make a director a better judge of a script. The story that matters — the only story that should matter — is what's on the screen. James Cameron puts a hell of a lot on the screen in 'Avatar,' but he still has to contend with something he can't finance his way out of: his own limitations as a writer. Grade: C plus. ]]> Strong leads can't save pointless Romero remake Star presence can sweep audiences up and carry them on a X-Games-styled thrill-ride that otherwise would barely generate a disturbance in a kiddie wave pool. And the charismatic leads don’t have]]> Jeff Bridges' portrayal of broken-down Country singer a tour de force Jeff Bridges has been steadily rolling on screen for so long that it's easy to overlook him or simply forget the numerous stops along the way. But he's back again, and his portrayal of Country singer-songwriter Bad Blake in rookie director Scott Cooper's 'Crazy Heart' is poised to be his destination of distinction. Grade: B-plus.]]> Buddy cop comedy a bad bust Kevin Smith teams up with Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan to do a stand-up riff on buddy pictures in the action-crime genre, and the guys are game jokesters all. Smith has plugged into the pre-release h]]> Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law try on a historical bromance Bromance is alive and well in Guy Ritchie's rather popular adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's beloved detective Sherlock Holmes. Robert Downey Jr. trades quips and quibbles with an astute and reliable Jude Law as Dr. Watson, so there are levels of intrigue beyond the shiny surface. Grade: B-.]]> Unintentionally campy genre flick lacks bite Joe Johnston’s remake of the Lon Cheney-led 1941 original finds Benicio Del Toro front and center in a juiceless excuse of a genre movie. Grade: D]]> Post-apocalyptic action thriller has nothing substantive to say The angel Michael (Paul Bettany) defies an order from God and comes to the defense of humanity as the rest of the angels prepare to make Earth a vacation getaway. Following a bit too closely on the heels of 'The Book of Eli,' this potential franchise smacks of 'The Prophecy' in that it has nothing substantive to say about faith, hope or humanity (or the trendy fascination with the post-apocalyptic landscape). Grade: D.]]> Romantic comedy is inept and mundane The severity of this grade is by no means an attempt to leave a searing scarlet brand marking it as the worst film ever made, but it does signify that the filmmakers committed the unforgivable sin of taking a premise that could be magical and rendering it in the most inept and mundane fashion. Grade: F.]]> Stellar cast can't overcome flawed narrative Writer/director Michael Hoffman's film adaptation of Jay Parini's novel doesn't effectively rally the strength of its accomplished actors. Whenever the action abandons Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer)and wife Sofya (Helen Mirren), it's as if the film regresses into a teen love story. Grade: C-plus.]]> Well-paced kids action movie flirts with Greek mythology to create otherworldly spectacle Aside from some non-PG-rated emphasis on an abusive home life and a lot of underwhelming CGI, 'Percy Jackson' is a well-paced kids' action picture that flirts with Greek mythology to create its otherworldly spectacle. Unfortunately, director Chris Columbus takes a literal approach to spectacle that denies the magnificent use of weirdness and scale that famed stop-action animator Ray Harryhausen brought to such myth-inspired classics as 'Jason and the Argonauts' (1963). Grade: B-.]]> Romantic melodrama piles on the schmaltz Lasse Hallstrom's adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel 'Dear John' places his usual relationship melodrama against the topical backdrop of wartime service. Sparks' stories are known for sentimental and soap-lite scripting, but Hallstrom's marks the first time that, as a critic, I came to understand the pejorative meaning of "chick flick." Grade: D-. ]]>