TONY PORCO’S MOVIE REVIEW NEWSLETTER (EARLY 2005 EDITION)

Hey, folks! Some big news: I recently got a new computer and a new internet service provider, which means that the old Earthlink page will be taken down any day now. This means that the back issues will temporarily be offline while I figure out where I’m going to put them. In the meantime, for those who simply can’t go a day without reading a Tony Porco review, many of the old ones (especially those from 2000 on) can be found on our friend Chris Malinowski’s web site, which is www.yourpalchrismal.com–to see them, click on the link near the top that says “Movie Reviews.” There are a few reviews of Jill’s there which haven’t appeared in the newsletter, along with reviews by many other people, of course (and Chris writes great reviews himself). As soon as I post the back issues somewhere else, I’ll let everybody know where they are in the next newsletter. Also, I want to note that this issue includes Jill’s review of a movie I covered in a previous issue (The Station Agent); Jill catches some nuances of the movie that I missed the first time around.

ON SCREEN:

HOTEL RWANDA: Before the horrible genocide in the east African country of Rwanda in 1994, Paul Rusesabagina was a quiet, hardworking man who managed a Belgian-owned luxury downtown hotel in the capital. He was a member of the majority ethnic group, the Hutu, and he could have easily escaped the plunder and slaughter that other Hutus perpetrated on their ethnic

rivals, the Tutsis. Instead, he used his hotel, his connections to the wealthy and powerful, and every

trick in the book--bribery, persuasion, and just plain bluff--to save the lives of several hundred Tutsis and moderate Hutus. He and his hotel thus became an island of hope and decency in a time of ruthless and senseless murder, and he earned the right to be called the Schindler of Rwanda, with one important difference–unlike Schindler, Rusesabagina’s own life was put directly in danger because of his efforts to help others. "Powerful" and "moving" seem like inadequate words to describe the movie that tells his story; this is a movie that grips you and never lets you go, nor does it let you forget what happened. Outstanding acting makes all this possible. Sophie Okonedo is amazing as Rusesabagina's Tutsi wife, as is Nick Nolte as a UN commander who saw too clearly what was coming and how the world would handle it. The real heart and soul of the film, however, is Don Cheadle, who has the role of a lifetime as Rusesabagina. This is a movie that needs the widest possible audience, partly because part of its earnings will be donated for Rwandan refugee aid. That said, if you do see it, be prepared for unsettling and occasionally graphic scenes of brutality and destruction, including some that are very tough for parents like ourselves to watch. That isn’t to say that these scenes are unwarranted; in fact, they are far more warranted than much of the violence in most modern movies. RATING: 10.

FAT ALBERT: Here's the first question that Fat Albert raises: Is there some kind of law on the books that says that every last old cartoon and lousy 60's sitcom absolutely, positively MUST become a live-action movie? Is Hollywood really this stumped for ideas? Oh, wait a minute, I already know the answer to that question. Now that all of that is off my chest, I actually think that while it is symptomatic of everything that I'm pontificating about here, Fat Albert isn't actually THAT bad a movie. Granted, the plot is just a rehash of the old Woody Allen movie The Purple Rose of Cairo--this time, instead of an action hero jumping out of the movie screen to meet a fan who needs him in her life, Fat Albert and his buddies jump out of the TV screen to meet a fan who needs THEM in her life. Still, Keenan Thompson seems to be having a really good time in the title role, capturing his character’s likability, and the script gets more clever as it goes on (the real-life/cartoon interplay is entertaining, and I loved the ending). Furthermore, the gorgeous Kyla Pratt and the really gorgeous Daria Ramirez (who looks like Jennifer Lopez's little sister) do a pretty good job as the two real-life folks who host the fish-out-of-water Cosby kids in the modern world. If the rating seems low, it's because I didn't find the movie all that funny, not because it was offensive or took itself too seriously or anything like that, but because I just didn’t laugh that much. Of course, I was never a huge fan of the old TV show, even though I love most of the other things Bill Cosby has done--I was more of a Bugs Bunny fan, myself. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. RATING: 6.

ON TAPE:

THE STATION AGENT (JKP): I loved this movie! Run, do not walk, to see this movie now that it has come out on video and DVD. This is an indy movie that did very well in the theaters last year. Peter Dinklage (Finbar McBride) turns in an understated, yet brilliant, performance as a person who loves trains and who happens to be a dwarf. McBride inherits a train station from his best friend when he dies. He, despite his intense desire to remain alone, is the catalyst around which the movie turns. Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) and Joe (Bobby Cannavale) are the two people whom Fin befriends, almost by happenstance. Fin and Olivia play off each other well in their efforts to learn how to trust again after life has turned against them. Joe, as the third friend, serves as much-needed, wonderful, comic relief in the movie, but isn't bad for all that. Unlike so many Hollywood movies, this gem of an indy ends on a note that feels very much like real life--the characters' lives, while improved, aren't perfect. One gets the sense that these three people will remain friends for a long time. Incidentally, the state of New Jersey never looked more beautiful than it does in this movie, all joking aside. (The only thing I would add to Jill’s excellent review is that you should see the deleted scenes if you get the DVD; they provide a good introduction and coda to the rest of the film.--Ed.) RATING: 9.

SOMEONE LIKE YOU: I didn't like Someone Like You for the first hour or so, but perseverance paid off, and I found myself actually being entertained near the end. Why the bad first impression? An opening five minutes that have to be among the most annoying in film history, narration so sanctimonious it makes you want to scream, and a clear status as a vehicle for the cute-but-not-very-talented Ashley Judd. The plot doesn't help much in the beginning, either. Judd goes through the usual romantic-comedy rituals with the Hunky New Guy at the Office (Greg Kinnear) and pretends to philosophize about it with the Worldly Best Friend (Marisa Tomei) and the Hunky-But-Obnoxious Womanizer (Hugh Jackman, who is the best actor in the group). Then, she begins to write a column explaining the Truth About Men and Women while pretending to be some sort of European feminist/psychologist. Fortunately, it doesn't stay this predictable, and the ending actually makes a good point, but I'm not sure it's worth sitting through the rest of the movie to get there. The ending saves this from a well-below-average rating. (As a side note, I should mention that Ellen Barkin does a good job as Judd's jaded boss, and it's nice to see that she's still working. Also, the soundtrack makes good use of "It Must Be Love" by Madness, one of the more innocent love songs of the 80's.) RATING: 5.

LOST IN TRANSLATION: A has-been action movie star (Bill Murray, brilliantly cast) hangs out in a luxury hotel in Tokyo while waiting to shoot a whiskey commercial. A young wife (the lovely Scarlett Johanssen) hangs out in the same joint, leaving to see the occasional tourist site and being neglected by her jet-setting husband. They are bored, and as my mother always used to say, bored people are boring. Fortunately, we don’t wait too long before they meet each other and strike up a friendship; even more fortunately, they have real chemistry, humor, and a curiosity about each other and (eventually) the place where they temporarily find themselves. Sofia Coppola’s movie captures well the isolation of being in a huge, strange city, and the feeling of not having much to do. This gets old after a while, but the relationship between the Murray and Johanssen characters redeems it. As with other movies I’ve reviewed (Finding Forrester, Strawberry and Chocolate), the movie’s slow pace makes a hard-to-believe relationship more plausible, although this one pushes the envelope a lot more than the other ones did. It helps that Murray is still quite funny; one gets the sense that his character’s deadpan humor is keeping him sane throughout the whole experience. The scene where Murray films the commercial and tries to keep up with his interpreter and an eccentric Japanese director is absolutely hysterical, especially for anyone who has worked as an interpreter! The plot holds together reasonably well, except for one thing that bothers me enough to mention it: the two leads go out soon after they meet with some of her Japanese friends to sing Karaoke. It’s another funny scene, bringing to mind Murray’s old lounge-singer act on Saturday Night Live (you haven’t lived until you’ve heard Murray singing the Roxy Music song “More Than This,” or Johanssen sing “Brass in Pocket”), but I have to wonder why Johannsen’s character was lounging around at the hotel if she had these friends to hang out with all along! Overall, however, I enjoyed the movie once it got going, and I hope that Murray’s recent career renaissance continues. (By the way, I was amazed to find out that the annoying Japanese talk show host Matthew, who appears in the film to interview Murray, is an actual TV personality. Coppola’s cinematographer gave me a pretty good idea what downtown Tokyo looks like, although the film is far less “touristy” than a lot of other movies I’ve seen that were shot in non-US locations--this movie is much more of a character study than a time-and-place film. Lastly, if you rent or buy the DVD, watch the deleted scenes. One of them is funny enough to make me wonder why they cut it.) RATING: 8.

Until next time...

TONY