What, the Oscars are just two days away and the studios are still releasing more movies into the market? Doesn’t that seem counter-intuitive to anyone else? Aren’t we all supposed to be staying home or watching “Avatar” for the third time? Sheesh. Anyway, let’s break it down:
“Alice in Wonderland“: Tim Burton’s take on the Lewis Carroll classic is a movie that only Tim Burton could have made. That is not, in itself, a compliment..
“At Home By Myself … with You“: Kris Booth’s comedy about a Toronto shut-in is a little on the wobbly side, tone-wise, but a terrific performance from Kristin Booth (no relation, apparently) as the shut-in in question will keep you watching.
“Brooklyn’s Finest“: Antoine Fuqua goes all retro with this brooding cop drama. Until he gets restless, and decides what the movie really needs is a whole lot of gunfire. Don Cheadle’s pretty good, though, and it’s briefly fun to see Ethan Hawke as the worst-case-scenario version of his “Training Day” character.
“The Ghost Writer“: Roman Polanski reminds us of his considerable talent with this polished — if not entirely convincing — adaptation of the Robert Harris novel about a ghost writer (Ewan McGregor) hired to finish the autobiography of a disgraced British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan). Is it heresy to suggest you wait for the unrated DVD, which will presumably feature the undubbed audio?
“Helen”: Ashley Judd fights depression in the new film from Sandra Nettelbeck, who seems a world away from her endearing “Mostly Martha”. Susan liked it, but apparently she’s in the minority.
“A Prophet“: Jacques Audiard’s tremendous study of a young man (Tahar Rahim) staring down a six-year stretch in a French prison is so much more than a jailhouse movie — but you really don’t want to know any more than that. Just go see it, whether or not it wins the foreign-language prize on Sunday night.
“Zooey and Adam”: Sean Garity’s drama casts Daria Puttaert and Tom Keenan as a couple trying to cope with the aftermath of an assault and an unexpected pregnancy. Susan thought it worked really well; Kieran, not so much. I’ll wait for the DVD, thanks.
And thus begins a day that has me zipping around town doing all sorts of things, including a stop at CTV News Channel for the requisite Oscar chat. If you’re near a television set around 1pm, flip it to Rogers Cable 62 to see what I look like without makeup. It’s not for the squeamish.
And don’t forget about tomorrow morning’s appearance on CBC Radio One — “Go!” gets going at 10:30am EST. I may not have time to put a post together before heading down to the studio, so set your alarms now.