Movie Reviews
Simian sizzler: <I>King Kong</I> apes earlier versions
Published on Dec 15th, 2005
0 comments A simian the size of "King Kong" has a lot of meat on his bones, even if they would seem to have been picked clean by a succession of filmmakers. The 1933 apeflick, one of the most influential films...
Narnia 1: The passion of the lion
Published on Dec 8th, 2005
0 comments In the Queen's English, a wardrobe is a freestanding closet, what we, preferring French to English, would call an armoire. In The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the...
Iceman cometh: Cusack's every guy's idol
Published on Dec 1st, 2005
0 comments John Cusack is the guy most guys want to be– or think they are. It would be interesting to see him play a terrorist or a serial killer because he would probably make them likable, as he did a...
Harry's back: But magic's getting old
Published on Nov 24th, 2005
0 comments In addition to facing the three tasks of the Triwizard Tournament, the revived Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), and a gossipy tabloid reporter (Miranda Richardson) who keeps insisting he's 12, 14-year...
Cashing in: Too much walk, not enough fire
Published on Nov 17th, 2005
0 comments The trailer for Walk the Line emphasizes "Ring of Fire" instead of the title song. (In the movie itself, "Jackson" and "Folsom Prison Blues" are the only songs sung twice.) The film should have done...
Cold blooded: Capote captures its man
Published on Nov 10th, 2005
0 comments What Michael Moore has done for the documentary film, Truman Capote did in the book world with the publication of In Cold Blood, which he called "the first nonfiction novel." The movie Capote isn't...
FILM LISTINGS
Published on Nov 3rd, 2005
0 comments Chicken Little (G, 81 minutes) * 1/2 This embarrassingly bad animated feature indicates the sky is falling on Walt Disney Pictures! A story about the quest for a father's love, it's structured in...
Semper feisty: Jarheads ain't Rambos
Published on Nov 3rd, 2005
0 comments U.S. Marines are proud to be known as "jarheads," a reference to the shape given their skulls by their regulation haircuts. It also implies, according to the protagonist of Jarheads, that their heads...
'North Country': Norma Rae meets Erin B.
Published on Oct 20th, 2005
0 comments What's the world coming to? Next they'll be letting women review movies. Sure, like they're going to appreciate the subtleties of something like North Country. Add New Zealand's Niki Caro (Whale...
Sole sisters: 'In Her Shoes' toes the line
Published on Oct 6th, 2005
0 comments Philadelphia becomes the City of Sisterly Love (not the Sapphic kind) in In Her Shoes, a refreshingly (or irritatingly, depending on your point of view) testosterone-free dramedy directed by Curtis...
Bow no Wow: Some <I>Roll</I> but no bounce
Published on Sep 29th, 2005
0 comments In 1977 Star Wars was released, inspiring generations of filmmakers. Hardly a month goes by without the opening of a film that was somehow influenced by George Lucas' seminal sci-fi epic. Two years...
It adds up: Praise for 'Proof': not boring
Published on Sep 22nd, 2005
0 comments Here comes Gwyneth Paltrow, re-teamed with her Shakespeare in Love director, John Madden, and gunning for another Oscar. She's doing it the hard way in Proof– without an accent. Adapted from...
Great guns: War 'lord' the ultimate antihero
Published on Sep 15th, 2005
0 comments It's not to be confused with any other "Lord of..." movies, but Lord of War runs rings around most of the competition at the multiplex. The movie Lord of War is most likely to be confused with, and...
No rosy ending: Whatever possessed her?
Published on Sep 8th, 2005
0 comments The financial success of The Passion of the Christ has made some Hollywood studios see the light. They're getting religion, even if they don't exactly "get" religion. That explains why the...
Compromised: Gardner less than thrilling
Published on Sep 2nd, 2005
0 comments The problems in Africa are enough to provide fodder for countless films (and musical events). The Constant Gardener rolls too many of the problems into one film– a good one that could have been...
Grimm story: Dark tale not for kids
Published on Aug 25th, 2005
0 comments Fairy tales. We hear them once upon a time as children, and they live happily ever after in our minds. That's where the magic happens: in our minds. We first hear the stories read– probably...
Plane scary: Red Eye, white knuckles
Published on Aug 18th, 2005
0 comments Wes Craven has made some crappy pictures, but he hasn't completely lost his touch. Red Eye is a simple but effective thriller, a B movie elevated to B+ by the performances of its stars, Rachel...
Four fr&egrave;res: Unforgettable but uneven
Published on Aug 11th, 2005
0 comments A mediocre John Wayne western, The Sons of Katie Elder becomes an epic urban drama in the hands of John Singleton, who blends social relevance and commercial elements into an uneven but unforgettable...
Puppy love: Pooch ploy pays off
Published on Jul 28th, 2005
0 comments Chemistry is sometimes overrated. Sure, it did a lot for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, but in Must Love Dogs it's the strength of the individual actors, Diane Lane and John Cusack, that makes you believe...
Going with <I>Flow: </I>Howard's ticket to stardom
Published on Jul 21st, 2005
0 comments Are the people who say Hustle & Flow will make Terrence Howard a star the same ones who "discovered" Halle Berry in Monster's Ball, Charlize Theron in Monster, and Jamie Foxx in Ray? Howard had...
Sweet! Can Willie unseat Dorothy?
Published on Jul 14th, 2005
0 comments Unlike most of the movies that have been remade in the last few years, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was an ideal candidate. It has a cult of fans who originally saw it at an impressionable...
Wells, well: Sure, it's stupid, but...
Published on Jun 30th, 2005
0 comments There are several things we know (or think we know) going in to Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds: * The special effects will be better than in Byron Haskin's 1953 movie, also based on H.G. Wells...
Parrot trap: The birdman of Telegraph Hill
Published on Jun 23rd, 2005
0 comments In what's shaping up as the decade of the documentary, non-narrative films are breaking into subcategories. Fahrenheit 9/11 reached a mass audience through a combination of topicality and publicity....
Dark roots: New Batman leaves fun behind
Published on Jun 16th, 2005
0 comments How do you like your Batman? That's important to consider if you're in doubt about seeing Batman Begins, the new movie that's essentially a prequel to the quartet made between 1989-97. Those...
Wedded blast: Is murder best aphrodisiac?
Published on Jun 9th, 2005
0 comments For Angelina Jolie to act sexy is as senseless a waste of energy as for Chris Rock to act black. It's coals to Newcastle, fuel to the flame. When you are as sexy as Jolie, you don't have to act sexy...
Everlast-ing love: Fighting for the family
Published on Jun 2nd, 2005
0 comments "In the Depression, was I depressed?"– "I'm Still Here" by Stephen Sondheim Ron Howard crafts his movies so well it's easy to overlook their flaws. Cinderella Man immerses us in the Great...
Purple prose: Grande dames save weak scrip
Published on May 25th, 2005
0 comments There's not much to Ladies in Lavender, but not much is required when two of the best actresses on the planet get to strut their stuff for an hour and three-quarters. Dames Judi Dench and Maggie...
No whimpers: Lucas goes out with a bang
Published on May 19th, 2005
0 comments Star Wars is over! Well, except for myriad new DVD configurations, the videogames, TV series, graphic novels and– can you doubt it?– Broadway musical. Never say never, but George Lucas...
Meet the Fonda: They shoot mothers, don't they?
Published on May 12th, 2005
0 comments Published May 12, 2005 in issue 0419 of the Hook BY STEVE WARREN FILM@READTHEHOOK.COM If you've heard anything at all about Monster-in-Law, you know it's essentially a distaff version of Meet the...
Meet the Fonda: They shoot mothers, don't they?
Published on May 11th, 2005
0 comments 252"> The HooK: MOVIE REVIEW- Meet the Fonda: They shoot mothers, don't they? // >> classifieds  >> personals  >> advertise  >> contacts...