Your guide to the movies playing in Aiken this weekend 10/9/2008 12:31 AM Body of Lies NEW!
"Rendition." ''The Kingdom." ''Lions for Lambs." They're all movies about the war on terror that nobody has wanted to see, either because the topic is too daunting or too much of a downer, or it's simply too soon after 9/11. Soon, you'll be able to add "Body of Lies" to that list, even though it's probably the most worthwhile and least preachy of the bunch. The pieces would all seem to be in place for a compelling take on this complex topic: strong work from acting heavyweights Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio; an intricate script from William Monahan, an Academy Award winner for "The Departed." Based on the novel of the same name by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, whose knowledge of the subject matter would seem to be unimpeachable, "Body of Lies" follows undercover CIA operative Roger Ferris (DiCaprio), who's trying to ferret out the mastermind behind a series of anonymous bombings around the world. At the same time, Ferris' boss, Ed Hoffman (Crowe), is running surveillance and plotting strategy from home with the help of his ever-present cell phone headset and laptop. But despite their shared goals and mutual dependence, Ferris and Hoffman often end up miscommunicating and undermining each other. This becomes especially true when Ferris tries to chat up the smooth Jordanian intelligence chief (Mark Strong, who nearly steals the whole movie).
Rated R for strong violence, including some torture, and for language throughout. 128 minutes.
2 ¬½ stars out of 4 -- Christy Lemire, Associated Press
The Express NEW!
Ernie Davis didn't carry a placard or attend sit-ins or register black voters in Alabama. He became a figure in the civil rights movement simply by running the football better than anyone else in college. "The Express" follows Davis from childhood to his early death from leukemia only a year after becoming the first African-American to win the coveted Heisman Trophy. A blend of elements from "Brian's Song" and "Remember the Titans," Gary Fleder's film is less about football than about mortality and race. "The Express" begins in 1959 when Davis, a star of the Syracuse squad, is playing in Austin against a Texas team whose members can hardly draw a full breath for the racial invective they're spewing across the line of scrimmage. Before you know it, a teenage Davis (Rob Brown) is attending Syracuse University. Football coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid) wants Davis so much that he strong-arms recent grad and football legend Jim Brown (Darrin Dewitt Henson) into visiting the Davis home and clinching the deal for the Orangemen. First there's the football career of Davis - a sweet, quiet guy miles away from today's showboating players. The second track is his relationship with Schwartzwalder. Quaid is almost pitch-perfect as the gruff, old-school mentor who becomes Davis' surrogate father. Davis is portrayed here as a tireless athlete who realizes that his triumphs on the field translate to pride for millions African-Americans. Because it's got more on its mind than the usual sports movie cliches - and because we know it's a true story - "The Express" packs an emotional punch. It will make you care even if you don't like sports.
Rated PG for thematic content, violence and language involving racism, and for brief sensuality. 2 hours and 9 minutes.
3 stars -- Robert W. Butler, McClatchy-Tribune
Quarantine NEW!
Television reporter Angela Vidal (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman (Steve Harris) are assigned to spend the night shift with a Los Angeles fire station. After a routine 911 call takes them to a small apartment building, they find police officers already on the scene in response to blood-curdling screams coming from one of the apartment units. They soon learn that a woman living in the building has been infected by something unknown. After a few of the residents are viciously attacked, they try to escape with the news crew in tow, only to find that the CDC has quarantined the building. Phones, Internet, televisions and cell phone access have been cut off, and officials are not relaying information to those locked inside. When the quarantine is finally lifted, the only evidence of what took place is the news crew's videotape.
Rated R for bloody violent and disturbing content, terror and language. 89 minutes.
Nor screened for critics.
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
"Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist" follows a couple of teenagers through a sleepless night of wine, women and a lot of songs. This is all played out against a musical soundtrack that becomes the biggest connection for the pair. "Arrested Development" grad Michael Cera plays Nick. He's a rather shy, geeky young man who has bad luck with romance. Kat Dennings performance as Norah is the latest in what is rapidly becoming one of the best resumes among young actors. Dennings comes across as natural and comfortable on screen. It's more like a screwball comedy than a look at a couple of real people. It's also missing the contrasting voices provided by the authors in the book. Sollett shoots the city as if it is some mythical land where everyone is young and life is just one great club stop after another. You won't go screaming from the theater, but it's doubtful too many moviegoers will treat this movie "With Arms Wide Open."
Rated PG-13 for language, teen drinking and crude humor. 1 hour, 36 minutes.
Grade: C-minus -- Rick Bentley, McClatchy-Tribune
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Only the meanest of grouches can resist a talking-animal movie. The titular heroine is Chloe (Drew Barrymore), a pooch pampered by her owner Viv (Jamie Lee Curtis). When Viv has to travel out of the country on business, she entrusts the dog to the care of her niece, Rachel (Piper Perabo), who isn't quite as enamored of the pint-size princess. When her friends seduce her into a weekend excursion to Mexico, Rachel takes Chloe along. With her diamond-studded collar and designer booties, Chloe quickly catches the attention of a ring of dog fighters, who plot to hold the mutt for ransom. Although "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" keeps track of what the human characters are doing, the bulk of the film is set in the animals' universe, where Chloe befriends a gallant German shepherd (an excellent Andy Garcia) who protects her from Mexico's mean streets. Other canines figuring into the plot include Papi (George Lopez), a love-struck Chihuahua who will do anything to win Chloe's paw, and El Diablo (Edward James Olmos), a dangerous Doberman working for the bad guys. The sequence is funny, unexpected and imaginative. The rest of "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" is merely cute.
Rated PG for some mildly scary moments of dogs in peril. 85 minutes.
2 stars -- Rene Rodriguez, McClatchy-Tribune
Fireproof
"Fireproof" is the latest film from that cinematic congregation of Sherwood Baptist Church of Albany, Ga., the folks (preacher-director Alex Kendrick and Co.) who gave us the Christian football drama "Facing the Giants." The new film has a bigger-name cast, headed by former "Growing Pains" star and Christian film mainstay Kirk Cameron. The movie sports a tad more polish and Hollywood sophistication. It's still preachy, overwrought emotionally and dully scripted. Cameron plays Caleb Holt, the Albany fire chief, a can-do guy in a righteous profession. His wife, Catherine (Erin Bethea), has gone back to work and isn't doing all the housework any more. And the marriage is in trouble. It's burning down. What can they do to make it "fireproof?"
Rated PG for thematic material involving teen drug and alcohol use, and for some disturbing images. 2 hours, 17 minutes.
2 stars out of 5 -- By Roger Moore, McClatchy-Tribune
Eagle Eye
An omnipotent computer, ARIEL, can tap into any machine whatsoever, which is how it forces two innocents, the slacker Jerry (Shia LaBeouf) and single mom Rachel (Michelle Monaghan), into suspicious behavior that sends the FBI on their trail. Jerry and Rachel do as ARIEL commands, while an FBI hotshot (Billy Bob Thornton) and an Air Force investigator (Rosario Dawson) try to stop them. The car chases are so chaotic, they make the Humvee chase from "The Rock" look like a driver's ed safety film. During the occasional slow moments, Jerry and Rachel argue and bicker and, you know, fall in love. But at least LaBeouf makes for a likable hero.
Rated PG-13 for vulgar language, violence and gore. 115 minutes.
2 stars -- Rene Rodriguez, Associated Press
Nights in Rodanthe
Richard Gere and Diane Lane's latest pairing, "Nights in Rodanthe," finds them falling for each other under contrived circumstances. Gere plays a stoic surgeon on a mission to right a wrong; Lane plays an earthy mother of two who has separated from her cheating husband. Gere is the only guest at a remote coastal North Carolina inn; Lane just happens to be overseeing the place the weekend Gere is staying there. And wouldn't you know it? There's a hurricane on the way. Surely you see where this is going, and because "Nights in Rodanthe" is based on the novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks, you know it can't end happily.
Rated PG-13 for some sensuality. 96 minutes.
2 stars out of 4 -- Christy Lemire, Associated Press
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