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Thursday, March 11, 2010




	Confidence
	James Foley Rachel Weisz, Morris Chestnut, Luis Guzman, Dustin Hoffman, Andy Garcia, Paul Giamatti, Ed Burns, Donal Logue, Brian Van Holt, Franky G 2003	As an addition to the exalted heist-movie genre, "Confidence" is a game well worth playing. Like "The Sting," it's a tightly plotted, roguishly comic ride through the shady territory of con artists as they work their wiles. "Confidence" comes by its verve honestly, with a script as slippery and loquacious as its cunning characters, a company of actors who take to their roles with undisguised glee, and cagey director James Foley to put them through their paces. The film eavesdrops on the schemes of ace grifter Jake and his crew, as they try to pay off a massive debt to the King, a loose-cannon L.A. crime boss, after inadvertently fleecing him during an earlier scam. Jake (Ed Burns), a slick guy with resourceful comrades (Paul Giamatti, Brian Van Holt), knows the risk of messing with the King (Dustin Hoffman, full of wit and menace). So, adding a gorgeous pickpocket (Rachel Wiesz) to his team, Jake plans a multi-million-dollar swindle to settle the score. But an FBI agent (Andy Garcia) with a grudge and two cops (Donal Logue, Luis Guzman) on the take may undo the whole deal. "Confidence" is as much fun and games as an audience should legally be allowed to experience.



	Swept Away
	Guy Ritchie Bruce Greenwood, Madonna, Adriano Giannini, Jeanne Tripplehorn 2002	The only thing swept away by this shrill, pointless remake of Lina Wertmuller's provocative 1974 romantic comedy/political satire is the credibility of promising British director Guy Ritchie ("Snatch"). As for Ritchie's career, it may be more like "Pissed Away." The biggest problem here, other than the idea of shooting a new version of a perfectly good film, is the amateurish presence of Ritchie's desperate-for-movie-success wife, pop star Madonna ("Evita," "The Next Best Thing"), in the lead. Type-cast as a rich, controlling bitch on a pleasure cruise, Madonna again proves to be a terrible actress. Her abusive character is shipwrecked on a desert island with a put-upon deckhand (Adriano Giannini, in the same role his father Giancarlo played in the original). The animosity between mistress and servant turns to passion; he becomes the master and she becomes the slave. Thanks to Madonna's dramatic ineptitude, you never believe a moment. Speaking of slavery, this had to be Madonna's idea. Now we know who calls the shots in the Ritchie family.



	Welcome To Collinwood
	Anthony, Joe Russo Jennifer Esposito, Luis Guzman, Andrew Davoli, Michael Jeter, Patricia Clarkson, Isaiah Washington, William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, Gabrielle Union, George Clooney 2002	Beating the odds, co-directing brothers Anthony and Joe Russo remade the beloved 1955 Italian caper comedy "Big Deal on Madonna Street" as "Welcome to Collinwood" — and didn't embarrass themselves. Instead, they paid homage to the original with an amusing, American trash-culture slant on the story. If you haven't seen "Big Deal..." or even if you have, "Welcome to Collinwood" is a stand-out ensemble enterprise with a choice selection of actors — Luis Guzman, Michael Jeter, Patricia Clarkson, Andrew Davoli, Isaiah Washington, William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell and co-producer(!) George Clooney — as a rag-tag bunch from a run-down Cleveland neighborhood. These low-lifers are all looking for a big score. Lo and behold, one of them who's doing time hears a fellow prisoner talk about a hidden cache of valuables. A scheme is concocted to acquire the loot, but too many inept, double-dealing thieves could undermine the best-laid plan. With Gabrielle Union and Jennifer Esposito adding their femininity to the proceedings as working-class objets d'amour.



	The Ring
	Gore Verbinski Brian Cox, Daveigh Chase, Jane Alexander, Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, David Dorfman, Lindsay Frost, Amber Tamblyn, Rachael Bella 2002	The phenomenally popular Japanese horror thriller "The Ring" inspired this English-language version, which sticks to the urban-legend hook of the original: Anyone who watches a certain cursed video is doomed to die exactly seven days later. Journalist and mother Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts of "Mulholland Drive") sees the video. It's a disturbing, surreal short that seems, suspiciously, like an end-of-term art school project. Faster than you can say "Hello, Dali!," Rachel's trying to prevent her imminent death while keeping the couch potatoes in her life away from the remote control. To the credit of director Gore Verbinski ("The Mexican"), "The Ring" is snazzy-looking, moves at a nice clip and keeps you guessing. It's not very frightening. It suffers from muddy logic that needs to be dispelled before the ending is acceptable. But it's profundity compared to "feardotcom," the dire quasi-shocker that beat it to market with a plot that appears "inspired," in toto, from "The Ring." Esteemed actors Brian Cox and Jane Alexander bring some élan to the cast.



	Windtalkers
	John Woo Christian Slater, Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Roger Willie 2002 Widescreen; full screen; closed caption.	It's a cut above the usual grunts-at-war movie because of a fresh context and director John Woo's mastery of cinematic action. Inspired by the Navajo code-talkers who helped the Allies communicate and vanquish the Japanese during World War II, "Windtalkers" follows the members of a U.S. Marine division into the Battle of Saipan. Each Native American, enlisted to carry and utilize a secret military code based on the Navajo language, is teamed with a soldier, whose orders are to keep the flow of information going and, by any means necessary, keep code and talker from getting into the hands of the enemy. Marine Joe Enders, played by Nicolas Cage with an emphasis on inner turmoil, is recovering from shellshock incurred during a bloody skirmish that left him partially deaf. But he insists on returning to the front after being assigned to protect code-talker Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach). Their relationship under fire and the brutal battle scenes orchestrated by Woo give "Windtalkers" merit.



	Insomnia
	Christopher Nolan Maura Tierney, Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Martin Donovan, Paul Dooley 2002 Widescreen; closed caption; English, French audio tracks; Spanish, French, English subtitles; audio commentary by director Christopher Nolan; audio commentary by actor Hilary Swank, production designer Nathan Crowley, editor Dody Dorn, cinematographer Wally Pfister, and screenwriter Hillary Seitz; "180 Degrees: Christopher Nolan Interviews Al Pacino" on-camera interview; "Day for Night," the making of "Insomnia"; "In the Fog," an exploration of cinematography with director of photography Wally Pfister; "Eyes Wide Open," a featurette on the sleeping disorder insomnia; "From the Evidence Room," a gallery of theatrical posters, stills and production designs; additional scene with optional director's commentary; theatrical trailer.	Director Christopher Nolan's absorbing remake of 1997's "Insomnia," a fine psychological thriller from Norway, is powered by persuasive business from three Oscar-winning actors: Al Pacino's quietly modulated work as Will Dormer, an L.A. super-cop under pressure, pursuing a killer in an Alaskan town; Robin Williams' discomforting change of pace as a duplicitous mystery author and suspect; and Hilary Swank's subtle job as the local detective assigned to help Dormer and his partner (Martin Donovan) crack the case. Key to the new version's dynamism is Nolan's skill at unfurling an esoteric plot in an unlikely circumstance. His previous film, "Memento," featured a man who has short-term amnesia and is trying to apprehend his wife's killer. "Memento" is more unconventional than "Insomnia," but each movie's anti-hero is hampered by cognitive dysfunction. Dormer must solve a homicide while suffering from sleep deprivation under the midnight sun. Worse, the murderer knows Dormer's dark secrets.

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	Sunday, May 16, 2004





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