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'Mrs. Henderson Presents'

By Lexi Feinberg

Mrs. Henderson (Judi Dench), a wealthy woman living in London circa 1937, doesn't roll over and die when her husband passes away. While she is saddened by the loss of her longtime love, she isn't about to bury herself with him. "I'm bored with widowhood!" she announces to her friend Lady Conway (Thelma Barlow). And instead of taking up embroidery or making a daily routine out of sipping tea and eating crumpets at noon, a different plan of action is taken: she buys a theater and features female performers wearing nothing but a smile.

"Mrs. Henderson Presents" is the story of a courageous lady who takes an unconventional route after personal tragedy. After buying London's Windmill theater on a whim, she meets with a manager named Vivian Van Damm (Bob Hoskins), hoping he will run the business. Immediately, they engage in bickering love-hate banter, each taking turns offending the other. Although they seemingly can't stand each other, there is a lingering sexual tension, and they agree to do business together (strictly professionally, of course).

Van Damm comes up with a revolutionary idea for the theater called Revuedeville," a series of musical vaudevilles performed nonstop throughout the day. While he insists on full artistic control, Mrs. Henderson meets his demand with inadvertent reluctance. She just can't help from offering her two cents, ranging from "what a frivolous bore" to "how delicious!" Soon after, he bans her from the theater, but she sneaks inside wearing a variety of costumes, including a foolish tap-dancing bear suit at an audition. There are no limits to Mrs. Henderson's stubborn eccentricities, or Van Damm's strong desire to run the company without her interference.

When "Revuedeville" becomes so popular that other local theaters copy it - bringing the Windmill to near bankruptcy - Mrs. Henderson steps in with the lucrative idea of getting girls naked on stage. But first, she must convince Lord Cromer (a surprisingly uptight Christopher Guest) to grant them permission within country guidelines. He finally agrees, unable to turn down this powerful woman, with the understanding that the girls must stand still resembling nude statues in a museum. There will be no jiggling, frolicking or the like. And the theater group is off to recruit a group of young, beautiful women, including Maureen (Kelly Reilly), to stand in the background and display what nature gave them, while the real singers and actors perform the show.

"Mrs. Henderson Presents" is a ton of fun with the flashy, energetic musical numbers and silly offbeat humor. Writer Martin Sherman ("Indian Summer") provides a generally light, entertaining romp at the theater, and director Stephen Frears ("Dirty Pretty Things") continues his winning streak. The dynamic between Van Damm and Mrs. Henderson, played to perfection by Dench and Hoskins, is a throwback to 1940s screwball comedies in the vein of "His Girl Friday." They both wear their flaws like badges of honor and it's a hoot to watch them engage in verbal duels.

Where the movie falls short is when it injects drama into an otherwise pleasant, easygoing story. The blitzkrieg hits, bombs start striking London (World War II), and a twinge of forced drama explodes with them. In these brief spots, the movie struggles to find its footing.

The story is inspired by true events, and it's easy to distinguish which scenes are real and which are written in for dramatic effect. Thankfully, most of the film's run is a rip-roaring, crowd-pleasing, grand ole time. It's tough to make a movie that includes screwball comedy humor, musical numbers, and a backdrop of war-stricken London. "Mrs. Henderson Presents" rises to the occasion and generally shines, earning a well-deserved round of applause. CV

'Something New'

By Lexi Feinberg

Kenya (Sanaa Lathan) is a hard-working businesswoman with an impressive income, a brand new house and a great group of friends. What she doesn't have, though, is a man by her side, due in part to overly high standards and a busy work schedule. But unlike many films that would portray Kenya as a gorgeous woman who somehow can't get a date, in this case, it is clearly her own choice to be single. Like 42.4 percent of black women who aren't married, she just hasn't found that IBM - ideal black man - to settle down with yet.

When her friends set her up on a blind date, she is shocked to see that it's a white guy, Brian (Simon Baker) smiling and introducing himself. Overcome with discomfort about dating out of her race, Kenya leaves skid marks as she races out of the coffee shop. But it won't be long before they are reacquainted at a party. Brian is a landscaper, she discovers, and, shockingly, her bushes need tending to. And after seeing how great Brian is with his hands, that he loves dogs, enjoys adventure, and looks perfect with his shaggy hair and finely sculpted biceps, Kenya can't help but to sample some vanilla.

"Something New," the directorial feature debut by Sanaa Hamri, breaks no new ground with its familiar plot devices, but does offer flashes of intelligence and truth beneath the surface, while touching on the very touchy issue of race. And if you can look past the predictable formula, and the fact that this story itself is far from being something new, it's at least a pleasant way to spend a couple of hours. CV

'When a Stranger Calls'

By Joshua Tyler

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" helmer Simon West steps into the PG-13 horror genre director's chair to deliver one of its weakest entries yet. "When a Stranger Calls" is the story of a teenage babysitter named Jill (Camilla Bell) tasked with hanging out at a lavish house in an isolated location and watching kids until their parents get back. She's not there long before she's frightened by a cat, and the creepy music starts there and never lets up. But there's nothing to justify all the scary background sounds, as Jill wanders aimlessly through her employers' well-appointed house doing nothing.

Eventually, the phone rings and on the other end is a lot of heavy breathing. Jill hangs up, but it keeps ringing and so she keeps answering. Who is this creep on the other end of the phone? Is it her boyfriend? Her spazzo, party-whore girlfriend? Hold on, she's got to take a break to get scared by an icemaker.

If you've seen any of the trailers, then it's not a spoiler to tell you that the strange caller is actually in her house. But the movie takes its time getting there, and to make up for it, it tries to find scares in the completely mundane existence of lavishly wealthy rural living. This type of in-house scaring has been done better, even recently, in movies like "The Glass House" and last year's "Hostage." "When a Stranger Calls" brings nothing new to the table, and screws up a lot of the good stuff that's already been done before.

Perhaps it seems old hat because this is a remake of a 1979 pseudo-thriller of the same name. The difference? That movie was at least rated R, allowing the possibility, however slim, of actually being scared by something. However, the new "When a Stranger Calls" is a minimum-effort horror movie. It does just enough to scare easily unnerved 13-year-old girls, and not much else. Luckily for Sony Screen Gems (but perhaps not so lucky for those of us who wish they'd stop making this sort of movie), there are plenty of underage would-be babysitters willing to pile into theaters and pay for overpriced tickets.CV

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