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Review: 'Capote'

By Dan Vinson

The first two scenes of "Capote," the discovery of the murders, then an upscale party at which Truman Capote holds court, perhaps best sum up his quirky life. To profile the celebrated "Breakfast at Tiffany's" author, director Bennett Miller focuses on the years immediately following its success. It all begins in November 1959, when Capote reads about a brutal quadruple homicide in tiny Holcomb, Kan., and decides to report on it for The New Yorker magazine.

With his trusty research assistant and lifelong friend Nelle Harper Lee (yes, that Harper Lee, sternly played by Catherine Keener), Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman) boards the cross-country train from New York City to the heartland. He could do it without her, but Nelle is Capote's way in. Because people usually judge his supremely effeminate mannerisms, she disarms the suspicious townspeople first. Their first stop: the police station to meet Chief Alvin Dewey (Chris Cooper), who is all business, and not at all impressed with this New York "dandy." They interview the murdered daughter's best friend, and others. (In these early scenes, Capote and Nelle appear to be crime solving.) They visit the crime scene, attend press conferences, and begin wining and dining at the Dewey's, where Truman hopes to secure further access. Most nights, Truman talks long-distance to boyfriend Jack (Bruce Greenwood), also a writer, maintaining that he will return soon. But then suddenly, the Las Vegas Police Department calls to say they have the Kansas killers, two drifters. After extradition, Truman visits Perry Smith (Clifton Collins Jr.). Perry says little, but Truman is spellbound.

Eventually Nelle's book, "To Kill a Mockingbird," gets a publisher, so she leaves Kansas, and Truman, who is still visiting/interviewing both men in Leavenworth, takes periodic trips -New York to reassure The New Yorker, Spain to reassure Jack - only to return again and again. But does Truman feel something for him? Or, is he simply using Perry for his masterpiece? (By this point, it's no longer just one article but a series, with a "non-fiction novel" to follow.) Because he usually says whatever will get him his way, it's hard to tell how Capote actually feels. He gives readings in New York but tells Perry he doesn't even have a title: "I haven't written a word." In literature, Capote would be an "unreliable narrator," in the film he's the unreliable subject. The only hint at how he truly feels comes at the gallows, six long years after the murders, and into his defining project.

In a fall of rich biopics, Philip Seymour Hoffman is likely the actor to beat. He doesn't just play Truman Capote; he embodies him, infusing his quirks with a subtle gravity. Clifton Collins Jr. is touching as the increasingly remorseful Perry, and Chris Cooper is always a welcome presence.

From handheld to deep, wide shots, Adam Kimmel's cinematography is focused, yet expansive, mirroring director Miller's documentary background, Dan Futterman's superb screenplay, and "Capote" overall. Those other biopics, "Good Night, and Good Luck," and "Walk the Line" also capture single sections of their subjects' lives, while capturing a single section of American life, the suddenly go-to decade of the 1950s. This postwar decade changed everything for Truman Capote and for America. Capote predicted he would never recover from Perry's death and, awash in alcohol, he never wrote another book. Awash in paranoia, America has never quite recovered either. CV

Review: 'Walk the Line'

By Jon Gaskell

James Mangold's "Walk the Line" retells the first half of Johnny Cash's life - from his tragically unhappy childhood in Arkansas, to his quick rise to country music fame despite a wife who wanted him to be in sales, to his addiction to amphetamines. And unlike last year's "Ray," which left viewers clapping their hands and humming along to looped tunes, "Walk" is a raw, rough ride that should do quite a bit of strolling down the aisle come Oscar night.

Deep down, "Walk" is a love story about two deeply troubled souls - Cash played by Joaquin Phoenix and June Carter played by Reese Witherspoon - but it's no honeymoon. Cash is unhappy in marriage, Carter is divorced, and the long hours of being on the road (along with Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis) create the type of tension that was taboo in the 1950s. Getting there, for this group anyway, is not half the fun, as Cash openly yearns for Carter, his lovesickness spread thickly over his long, black sleeve.

For the viewer, however, "Walk" plays out like a country ballad - lots of ups, lots of downs. Cash needs Carter to save him from himself, following her around like a Tennessee hound dog, while Carter does well to keep him at bay, playing cute and flirting on stage, tempting him when the curtain goes down. And Phoenix and Witherspoon are brilliant in their respective roles. This isn't mere impersonation. These are actors who went places neither has ever been before to find what made these superstars tick. Neither is a spot-on match for their character, and thus "Walk" takes a while to get used to, as does Phoenix's singing, which turns out to be utterly affecting, growing with confidence as one would imagine a boy with a dream-turned-rock star's would, digging deep for that certain something that steered him toward Nashville in the first place.

"Steady as a train and sharp like a razor," Carter says of Cash's voice after first seeing him perform. The same could be said of "Walk the Line." CV

Review: 'Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang'

By Erin Randolph

It's apparent that "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" isn't your typical action movie when the film reel appears to stop, spin backwards and start up again at a different point, with a narrator apologizing for being a poor narrator by missing pieces of the story. Or maybe it's when a dog eats a lopped-off finger or when a corpse is urinated upon. In any event, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" is a witty, intelligent tribute to film noir that feels as much pulp fiction as it does "Pulp Fiction."

Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is a petty thief whose choice in career improves after his after-hours Christmas "shopping" trip goes awry. However, as he runs from the cops, he runs right into a movie audition for a Hollywood detective movie. Touting him as a potential new face in Hollywood, the producer flies him out to Los Angeles for a screen test.

It's at a trendy Hollywood party that Lockhart meets "Gay" Perry (Val Kilmer), a real-life (gay) private investigator who's tapped to help Lockhart prepare for his screen test. It's also at this point that Lockhart is reintroduced to his high school crush, Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), now an aspiring actress who moved to LA at the age of 16, inspired by her hero Jonny Gossamer, a private eye from a series of pulp fiction novels.

All three are thrown into a real-life murder mystery when the suicide of Harmony's sister intersects with an unrelated case that Lockhart and Perry are investigating. As bodies surface and resurface and the bad guys just keep on coming, the three must employ their own detective skills to solve the case.

In recent years, having the name "Val Kilmer" on a movie poster was basically a box office death wish. And Robert Downey Jr.'s career has been plagued by drug- and alcohol-fueled rehab stints. But these two shine in their roles together, providing an unlikely chemistry through their intelligent banter. "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" is a movie hopped up on caffeine. With boundless plot twists, quick-witted and clever language, "Kiss Kiss" doesn't insult the audience's intelligence. It instead gives it the benefit of the doubt, which will undoubtedly mean the dialogue will be over some people's heads. CV

Review: 'Derailed'

By Dan Vinson

On a leafy Chicago street lives Charles Schine, his wife, and his daughter. Charles (Clive Owen) writes high-concept commercials, Deanna (Melissa George) teaches school, both saving all they can to help manage Amy's (Addison Timlin) type-1 diabetes and her future. One day he forgets to hit the ATM before catching the commuter train, and the rest is an odd hybrid of urban crime, cat-and-mouse and family drama.

Saving Charles from expulsion at the next stop is Lucinda (Jennifer Aniston), who's in high finance. She doesn't want to be paid back, but a couple of days later he returns the money. They show each other pictures of their daughters and absently talk about their lives. Soon they have lunch, then dinner, then a drink - then they spring for a hotel room. Still reticent, they eventually find each other's arms, but then there's a man in their room. Laroche (Vincent Cassel) demands money and Lucinda. When Charles wakes up, the worst has happened: their money and IDs are gone, and Lucinda is sitting on the bed in torn clothes. She just wants to get home, and to forgo the police. Their (attempted) affair would be exposed and her husband would take her daughter.

Charles' face heals and they settle back into their routines - until Laroche calls his cell phone and demands $20,000. He threatens his family and Lucinda, and when Charles pays, Laroche wants $100,000 next. That amount Charles can get only if he empties their life savings. But he does this, too, fueling the elaborate con game in which he's now ensconced. (Lucinda - surprise - is not who she seems.) Can Charles get it all back, or has he just ruined his family?

Anyway, that's "Derailed" in a nutshell. Based on James Siegel's book, the fairly standard crime thriller storyline could have been more thrilling in more assured hands. Despite a fun, twisty ending, Swedish director Mikael HŒfstršm's lack of confidence shows in the confusing scene cuts and the considerable plot holes. Sure, crime movies are usually implausible and contain some holes, but this many borders on amateurish. Like, if Laroche were really badass (2005 isn't the 1940s), wouldn't he demand more than $20,000 initially? Couldn't Charles simply change his cell number? Why is Deanna only shown at home or arriving there?

For his part, Clive "shoulda-been-Bond" Owen is as magnetic as always, his hushed intensity making Charles' sudden skill with guns believable in a Harrison Ford-saves-his-family way. As the main villain, French chameleon (and Mr. Monica Bellucci) Cassel is as dynamic as Owen (these two need their own movie), and Wu-Tang Clan's RZA is solid as Charles' mailroom cohort (though fellow rapper XZibit is mediocre and unnecessary). Of course, "Derailed" is probably most notable for the post-Pitt return of Jennifer Aniston, who scores points here for spreading her wings, even if she generally seems anxious appearing in this harsh a movie. Playing a femme fatale is easy; playing a memorable one is not. To many, this reviewer included, Aniston should concentrate on affecting roles like 2002's "The Good Girl."

In the end, a film like "Derailed" either hinges on story, style and/or the chemistry between the leads. Since the screenplay and style both lack flair (the requisite "Office Space" reference), that leaves the chemistry, and since Owen and Aniston seem merely resigned to their attraction, that means you can insert train-disaster metaphors here (hint: the movie's title). CV

Review: 'Where the Truth Lies'

By Jon Gaskell

Fifteen years after the breakup of popular nightclub stars played by Colin Firth and Kevin Bacon (ˆ la Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis), ambitious writer Karen O'Connor (Alison Lohman), who was greatly influenced by the stars as a young child, tries to uncover the real reason for the duo's split. Things had ended badly when, after hosting one of their most famous telethons, they discover a naked and dead room service attendant in their Miami hotel suite. And while both have airtight alibis and neither was ever accused of committing the crime, there is a story there - someone knows something. So Karen plunges into the not-so-funny world of violence, drugs and kinky sex - and there are some steamy scenes that can make grown men shift in their seats - doing anything she can to get at the truth. Anything.

And while extremely interesting to look at, and a raucous, raunchy ride most of the way, getting at the truth in "Where the Truth Lies" is quite difficult to say the least. Atom Agoyan's exquisite work in "The Sweet Hereafter" was a promise of sorts regarding the director's ability to tell a story, and tell it well. But here the plotlines are extremely long-winded, there are constant flashbacks and fast-forwards, and the acting, while solid by Lohman, who seems sinfully young to take on these old masters, seems a bit forced - especially by Bacon, who shows us a few degrees we have not seen before.

Both a '50s Hollywood movie and a noirish erotic thriller, "Where the Truth Lies" has trouble, in the end, deciding what it wants to be. The twists are not all that twisty and the turns are not all that turny and the ending is a lay-up. But if one merely wants to see how far a movie has to go to earn NC-17 status (which this film dropped in favor of no rating), and examine the more lurid side of old-time tasteless extravagance, this is an OK vehicle to cruise in. CV

Review: 'Get Rich or Die Tryin'

By Ben Spierenburg

Closely following the Eminem business formula, rap superstar Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's new biopic "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," dies trying. While 2003's "8 Mile" gave a captivating look into what it takes to succeed in the underground world of rap-battles, 50 Cent's underwhelming film focuses on the well-worn territory of New York City crack dealing. Billed as an inspiring rags-to-riches tale, this poorly paced pic regrettably focuses on the rapper's criminal past, resulting in a confusing "Scarface" wannabe of a movie.

The film's thuggish opening sequence shows Marcus (50 Cent) and friends attempting to rob a Columbian-run money-laundering operation. After the break-in, Marcus is shot nine times and is nearly killed by an assailant outside his home. 50 narrates while we flashback to the Bronx in the early '80s, where 12-year-old Marcus (a believable Marc John Jefferies) struggles to cope with not knowing his father while being raised by drug-dealer mother Katrina (Serena Reeder).

After his mother is brutally murdered, Marcus is forced to live in his grandparents' already over-crowded home, and soon begins selling drugs himself. From there we flash forward to grown-up Marcus, who has become the leader of a three-man, drug-dealing crew under the authority of the "Godfather"-esque Levar (Bill Duke), and his number two, the absurdly vicious Majestic (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje).

Everything proceeds smoothly as Marcus and pals focus on "gettin' paid and gettin' laid." However, the crew eventually gets busted and Marcus goes to prison, where he is saved from being knifed by fellow prisoner Bama (Terrence Howard). Prison helps Marcus realize he can't go back to being a criminal and must instead become a rapper.

And while 50 Cent's life story is slightly stirring, it's hard to be inspired by a character so proud of his ability to sell crack to little kids. That being said, the film's worst sin is the anti-climactic, tacked-on ending, where within the span of 10 minutes Marcus both becomes a beloved rapper and learns the identity of his mother's killer. However, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" does manage to convey the true essence of 50 Cent, which is why the illustrious rapper's film may lose him more fans than it gains. CV

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