Hollywood saves its best films for the very end of the year ... when the Daily Cardinal is, tragically, not in production. But don't worry'Cardinal Arts writers do not, contary to popular misconception, sleep in coffins when the paper is not being made. We still see everything. Here, we present to you an update of what graced the silver screen over winter break.
'Brokeback Mountain'
In what has been dubbed this year's 'gay cowboy movie,' performance is everything. 'Brokeback Mountain' is ugly and barren'destitute to the eye in ways so harsh that the average moviegoer might leave with nothing but an awkward feeling in their gut and anger toward the crazy critic that suggested they see it in the first place.
But this is a great movie. Even if just based on performance alone, 'Brokeback Mountain' is easily the best film of the year. Heath Ledger is so good it's terrifying. Jake Gyllenhaal has established himself as a worthy A-lister, and there is a thick presence of Oscar buzz in the air.
'Tarah Scalzo
'The Family Stone'
'The Family Stone' is an offbeat holiday surprise that plays on extremes of humor and pain to emulate a Christmas celebration in the life of a uniquely strange family. The Stones' Christmas celebration takes a turn for the worse when Everett (Dermot Mulroney), brings home his uptight girlfriend (Sarah Jessica Parker) to celebrate the holiday season.
A series of mishaps and a depressing secret turn the holiday into one the family will never forget. While the main plotline is predictable, the side plots of each complex character make 'The Family Stone' more than a typical romantic comedy. The true gem of this film is Rachel McAdams, who outdoes many veterans in the all-star cast.
'Laura Kalinowski
'Fun with Dick and Jane'
'Fun with Dick and Jane,' a remake of the 1977 film starring Jane Fonda and George Segal, delivers on its promise of fun but leaves much to be desired.
The film follows Dick and Jane Harper, played by Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni, an upscale suburban couple who must turn to a life of crime to maintain their affluent lifestyle when Dick's company is involved in an Enron-like scandal. Carrey and Leoni are very strong as the leads, but the material and direction are not good enough to save the film.
In truth, the film probably could have been much better if it was a satire dealing with the new realities of corrupt businesses in America. Instead, writers Judd Apatow ('The 40-Year-Old Virgin') and Nicholas Stoller let Carrey resort to his slapstick comedy roots, which are still strong but cannot carry a whole movie.
If you appreciate Jim Carrey's antics, you will enjoy 'Fun with Dick and Jane.' If you don't, the 'fun' in the title may seem like an overstatement.
'Brad Boron
'King Kong'
Following an Oscar for Best Picture, Peter Jackson has returned to his roots with a remake of 'King Kong,' the 1930s epic that motivated him to get behind a camera. Using computer animation and a versatile cast, including a convincing Jack Black, Jackson has re-engineered the original's passion for a new audience.
Unfortunately, 'King Kong' is a victim of its own length, as 'The Lord of the Rings' seems to have convinced Jackson all his movies should be three hours. Most of the interaction between Kong and his blonde love, Naomi Watts, could be cut in half with no loss, and the time without Kong is just slow buildup to scaling the Empire State Building.
'King Kong' has all of Jackson's best characteristics: beauty, expansiveness and emotional power. But it is frustratingly clear Jackson is too much in love with the myth of Kong to give it the editing it needs.
'Les Chappell
'Memoirs of a Geisha'
Arthur Golden's bestselling novel 'Memoirs of a Geisha' has finally been brought to the big screen. The film chronicles the life of Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo) as she is swept from her village and brought into a world where geishas reign supreme. Under the tutelage of the great Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), young Chiyo grows up to be Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang), one of the most renowned geishas of her time.
Director Rob Marshall paints a lovely display of sights, sounds and movements of a carefree Japanese society transformed on the brink of World War II. Though vivid and colorful, the movie is more of a scenic presentation of narrated events rather than a continuous story. 'Memoirs of a Geisha' lacks dynamic characters, touching on certain personal traits but never developing them fully. Likewise, the film fails to bring out the full essence of what a geisha is, only hinting at a few ambiguous aspects.
'Eunice Abraham
'Munich'
Inspired by true events, 'Munich' tells the story of the Israeli response to the Palestinian slaughter of 11 Israeli athletes during Munich's Olympic Games. In the film, this attack leads Israel to create a covert squad which seeks to assassinate those who planned the event.
What makes 'Munich' unique is Steven Spielberg's visceral depictions of the assassinations. Some are messy, some are easily accomplished'but they all leave a lasting impact on the main characters. The Israeli assassinations are always met with equal brutality, which causes the main characters to question if they can accomplish anything.
The movie asks these tough questions early on in the film but does not go on to give the viewer any answers'??reflecting the fact that in the real world, easy answers to these problems are hard to come by. As a result, the narrative becomes overly long. Screenwriters Eric Roth and Tony Kushner meander their way to an ending that feels disjointed and unsatisfying. With several false endings, it feels like Spielberg and company did not know how to end the film. Although this lack of focus could very well keep Spielberg from collecting a third Best Director Oscar, 'Munich' can claim a strong spot in Spielberg's impressive filmography.
'Kevin Nelson
'The Producers'
As with the original 1968 film version and the Broadway musical, Mel Brooks' 'The Producers' gets off to a slow start. Thankfully, the film is not entirely without merit. The majority of the actors in this production were taken from the original Broadway cast, including Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and the talented ensemble makes the experience worthwhile.
But the fatal flaw of the film lies in the transition from stage to screen. By forcing the actors to conform their stage-ready acting styles to the expected subtlety of film acting, the film loses the spark that made the musical such a huge success; the film version lacks the stage version's sense of immediacy and fun.
A pleasant surprise can be found in the performance of Uma Thurman, playing a role she seems built for: Ulla, a Swedish actress/singer/dancer. Thurman manages to hold her own opposite veterans Broderick and Lane.
Despite the best efforts of its talented cast, this movie is regrettably destined to be regarded as a lukewarm adaptation instead of a 'Chicago'-style award-winning film.
'Jayme Zwerling
'The Ringer'
Faced with a friend's large medical bill as well as his uncle's gambling debts, non-mentally disabled Steve Barker (Johnny Knoxville) reluctantly enters the Special Olympics, on which his uncle plans to bet yet another hefty amount to make up for his losses (and then some). There he joins a group of new friends who decide to support him in an effort to beat the arrogant annual winner Jimmy, even after discovering that Steve is faking it.
It is nearly impossible to tell which of the actors are 'faking it' and which are actually mentally disabled. Either way, this is a credit to both sides. What is refreshing about the film is the movie does not degrade the mentally challenged, so the audience never feels bad about laughing during the movie. In fact, the opposite is true'they come across as talented, clever and quite funny.
'Mike Peters
'Rumor Has It'
Jennifer Aniston makes the leap from 'Friends'' ditzy and self-centered Rachel Greene to 'Rumor Has It's' ditzy and self-centered Sarah Huttinger. 'Based on a true rumor,' as the film states in the opening credits, 'Rumor Has It' is rooted in the 1967 classic 'The Graduate,' suggesting that it was based on Sarah's Pasadena family. She seeks out Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), the man who has been seduced by both her grandmother and her mother, for answers and, in turn, falls under his enticing spell.
With an outstanding performance by Shirley MacLaine as Aniston's grandmother, the film produces some moments of humor, though they are few and far between. The plot is clever and well-paced, but any real chemistry between Costner and Aniston fails to exist, which prevents the film from being a true success.
'Kiera Wiatrak
