Alice in Wonderland / *** (PG)

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:04:00

"Alice in Wonderland" (PG, 108 minutes). Tim Burton's brilliant re-visualization of Lewis Carroll's fantasy, with Alice (Mia Wasikowska) now grown up, and the mordant denizens of Wonderland still basking in peculiarity. Beautifully drawn and told, except for the third-act surrender to formula action. The 3-D adds nothing, drains color, is a distraction. Three stars.

A Prophet / **** (R)

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:55:00

"A Prophet" (R, 154 minutes). An unformed young man is imprisoned, and behind bars he terrifyingly comes of age. A remorseless consideration of the birth of a killer. With Tahar Rahim as the clueless young prisoner and Niels Arestrup as the powerful boss of the gang controlling the prison. Swept the 2010 Cesar awards ("the French Oscars"), won the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes 2009, a 2010 Oscar nominee for best foreign film. Directed by Jacques Audiard. Four stars

Brooklyn's Finest / *** (R)

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:11:00

"Brooklyn's Finest" (R, 140 minutes). Three cops, three journeys to what looks like doom. They aren't bad guys, precisely, but they occupy a world of such unremitting violence that they're willing to do what it takes to survive. Well-crafted, good performances, but a screenplay that pulls strings little too obviously. Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes. Three stars.

The Good Guy / *** (R)

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:05:00

"The Good Guy" (R, 90 minutes). A team at a Wall Street firm are power are Masters of Trading and party animals, as quiet Daniel (Bryan Greenberg), who'd rather spend his evenings with a good book, is promoted top their level. The team leader (Scott Porter) takes him out to teach him how to party, and to meet his girl (Alexis Bledel). Still waters run deep. Smart, knows about trading, a little formulaic; we don't often see men at work. Three stars.

Terribly Happy / *** (No MPAA rating)

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:56:00

"Terribly Happy" (Unrated, 100 minute). There's a new marshal in town, but this town isn't ready to be tamed. A cop from Copenhagen is sent to the sticks as punishment, and walks into am eerie situation. People disappear--some say into the bog outside town. The locals aren't impressed by a cop. The town beauty has a sinister husband. A strange film noir from Denmark. Three stars

Movie Answer Man: Perception and reality
in 'Shutter Island'

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:01:00

Q. In "Shutter Island"  I noticed something odd. About mid-way through the movie, the Leo DiCaprio character is interviewing a female patient. His partner Chuck gives her a glass of water. At first she only pantomimes drinking the water, then in the next shot you see her putting down an empty glass. When at last she leaves the table, the glass is shown half full. I assume that Scorsese did this intentionally and that it isn't a blooper, but my movie/symbolism vocabulary is not such that I could interpret the meaning. (Mike) A. It may mean that all perceived reality is deceptive. On the other hand, I think it's more likely it's a continuity error.

Commentary: 'Precious' wins as many
Indie Spirits as it possibly can

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 14:46:00

LOS ANGELES -- I wonder what this might mean. "Precious" did about as well as it possibly could have Friday might at the Independent Spirit Awards. It won for best picture, best actress (Gabourey Sidibe), best supporting actress (Mo'Nique), best director (Lee Daniels) and best first screenplay (Geoffrey Fletcher). Supporting actor Lenny Kravitz was in the house, but couldn't win because he wasn't nominated.