'Fracture' just can't be healed

** out of ****

Fracture plays it straight, among a realm of thrillers with twists that don’t make much sense (Premonition, The Reaping, Perfect Stranger). Though, playing it straight all the way through may not be a good idea either.

Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson, The Notebook) plays Willy Beachum, a young hot shot assistant D.A. on the fast lane, who takes the case of Ted Crawford (Anthony Hopkins). Crawford, a construction engineer, attempted to kill his wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz) sending her into a coma, after finding out that she was having an affair. With a signed confession the case seems like an easy win for Willy, who has an outstanding 97% conviction rate.

When Ted reveals, during trail, that his arresting officer, Rob Nunally (Billy Burke), was the man having an affair with his wife the case goes into a dramatic tailspin. The confession can’t be used and the gun that Ted used against his wife can’t be found, therefore he walks off a man free.

Beachum and Nunally know that Crawford killed his wife and they won’t stop until he is behind bars. Providing for a soul searching balance of truth or justice.

Although the audience knows what is happening every step of the way, the thrill is supposed to be how Beachum will find evidence to convict Crawford or how Crawford will get away with it. The thrill however gets old lessening the suspense and the final impact of the film. If Fracture were a 60-minute TV show it would be a nail bitter, but one thrill and no twists aren’t enough to carry a 112 minute movie.

Gosling does a great job verbally sparring with Anthony Hopkins, but Hopkins steals the show. Playing Crawford with the same intense charisma and wit as Hopkins own, Hannibal Lecter, every scene he is in is enticing.

Director Gregory Hoblit does a pleasant job, but doesn’t do anything that makes Fracture notable. Writers Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers make a wonderful screenplay that is both witty and clever with snappy dialogue.

Fracture has a good premise but has nothing that makes it stand out among must-see films.
Starting off good Fracture gets worse and the “cast” can’t heal it either.

'Perfect Stranger' is far from perfection

** out of ****

According to Perfect Stranger, actions have consequences, if that is true then everybody involved in this film should never be able to step foot on a movie set again. Halle Berry, still recovering from 2004s ultra-flop Catwoman, and Bruce Willis star in one of 2007s many disappointing suspense-thrillers, ranking in the with Premonition and The Reaping.

Perfect Stranger is centered on Rowena (Halle Berry), a strong-headed investigative journalist for a New York newspaper. Waiting for a subway she runs into her childhood friend Grace (Nicki Aycox). Grace is a woman scorned, out to find the married rich top ad executive, Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis). Grace claims to have met him online, having an affair with her. Grace hasn’t heard from Harrison for days, leaving messages, and is out to tell his wife about the whole thing.

Soon after their encounter Grace shows up dead, Rowena thinking Harrison did it. Isn’t that a pretty big conclusion?

Rowena goes undercover at Hill’s ad agency, with help from her computer savvy co-journalist Miles (Giovanni Ribisi), to find the truth about Grace’s murder. As the movie progresses, Hill, known for his interoffice flings, seems to become more and more likely to have committed the crime and his wife more suspicious about his whereabouts.

Perfect Stranger is pretty much a game of cat-and-mouse. Full of red herrings and plot twists Perfect should be a nail-bitter. The thing is, you aren’t even clenching on the armrest. The tension is nowhere to be found, mainly because it is hard to have plot twists when there isn’t really a plot to twist.

Every character in Perfect Stranger has dark secrets. Though they are so dark you really don’t care about the characters, whether if they are guilty or innocent, live or die.

The ending is completely implausible, no matter what way you look at it and the more it is being explained the worse it sounds.

Willis gives a half-decent performance and Ribisi gives one of his best. Berry did a decent job, but due to poor editing, which also hurt the story, it seems as if she is having a mood-swing in almost every scene.

The end contradicting the movies message about “actions have consequences”; Perfect Stranger is a notch above Berry’s Catwoman and Willis’ The Whole Ten Yards, but that doesn’t say much either.

'Thirteen' is a lucky number for 'Ocean's'

***1/2 out of ****

A-List gang is back for comedy heist flick, Ocean’s Thirteen, the third installment in the Ocean’s franchise. Minus Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones but adding Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, and Eddie Izzard the cast doesn’t miss a beat.

The thirteen that make up the Ocean’s gang are led by Danny Ocean (George Clooney): one of the master minders behind the heists along with, Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt), the rookie, Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon), the machinery expert, Basher Tarr (Don Cheadle), a casino dealer, Frank Catton (Bernie Mac), Danny’s rich mentor, Reuben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould), con-artist, Saul Bloom (Carl Reiner), brothers that have knowledge in all fields, Virgil Malloy (Casey Affleck) and Turk Malloy (Scott Caan), expert in technology, Livingston Del (Eddie Jemison), acrobatic master, Yen (Shaobo Qin), the rich casino-owner that the gang robbed in the first two Ocean’s films, Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia), and another connoisseur in technology, Roman Nagel (Eddie Izzard). These thirteen make up a tidal wave of action.

Returning back to Las Vegas, Thirteen isn’t about getting the, money, but revenge. The victim? Willy Bank (Pacino), famous for his hotels winning the ‘Five Diamond’ award. Willy cheated Reuben out of his money and ownership in his new ultra-luxury hotel/casino in Vegas appropriately named, ‘The Bank’. The stress caused old man Rueben to have a heart attack.
The plan for revenge? To rig everything, from the blackjack tables to the slot machines by opening night so all of the gambling patrons will win, setting Willy back half a billion dollars, bankrupting him in the process.

Ocean’s Thirteen is back to its original glossy form, a slight notch below Ocean’s Eleven, but a vast improvement from the utterly disastrous Ocean’s Twelve whose heist was ripping off us American movie-goers $125 million.

The acting is first-rate like the first two, with the cast pulling in the audience having an extremely fun time. Ellen Barkin is great as the icy Abigail Sponder, Willy’s right-hand man. Pacino’s acting job as Willy Bank could be a dub for the Donald, but is too light in some scenes for a villainous character.

Directed again by Steven Soderbergh, Thirteen has a lickety-split pace, but never seems rushed. Soderbergh manages to give each of the cast members their own scene, a rare directing quality that keeps you involved throughout the film, though the presence of Pitt, Clooney, Damon, Barkin, and Pacino command most scenes.

New writers, Brian Koppelman and David Levein do a fine job, with an easy to follow enjoyable script, being taken along as if part of the heist. But in some scenes the lingo gets to technical to the point where you just say “Huh?”

So far out of this summer’s disappointing threequels, Ocean’s Thirteen beats the odds and comes up a winner.

'Mr. Brooks' is a killer thriller

*** out of ****

'The Hunger Has Returned to Mr. Brooks' Brain. It never really left'. These chilling words start off the creepy dramatic thriller that is Mr. Brooks.

Kevin Costner stars in the title role as Mr. Earl Brooks. Earl leads two lives. On one side he is a husband to Emma (Marg Helgenberger) and father to his high-school daughter Jane (Danielle Panabaker). He is also named ‘Man of the Year’ in his community and well off, owning a successful box company. However, the other side of Mr. Earl Brooks is much darker and sinister than anyone can imagine, he is an elusive serial killer, nicknamed by the media, ‘The Thumbprint Killer’. Though he doesn’t like to murder strangers he is urged by his imaginary counterpart, Marshall (William Hurt) to do so.

Holding off temptation of killing from his alter ego for two years he breaks down and murders a couple (Megan Brown and Ross Francis) in their bedroom.

The next day Earl discovers someone caught him in the act and has pictures to prove it. He is Mr. Smith (Dane Cook), who lives in the apartment complex next door to the couple. However, Mr. Smith doesn’t blackmail Earl or threaten him that he is going to the cops, but rather wants to go on the next murder with him. Without a choice Earl accepts.

At the same time, Detective Tracy Atwood (Demi Moore), who is going through a bitter divorce, is on Earl’s trail. Devoting herself to this long-running case she thinks she is closer than ever before. However, as a side plot, escaped serial killer, Thorton Meeks (Matt Schulze), put away by Tracy, and his girlfriend, Sunday (Yasmine Delawari), are out to kill the Detective for vengeance.

Mr. Brooks is wildly original with many unexpected plot twists that actually make sense and lead up to a shocking revelation. However, Brooks never takes itself very seriously with laughs strewn about.

Good guy Costner is terrific as the sinister Brooks, a role that audiences are not familiar with him playing. Hurt playing Costner’s alter ego is marvelous and Moore adds direction throughout. Though the most surprising performance comes from funnyman Dane Cook, in his first dramatic role, stands his ground with the award winning trio.

Director and writer Bruce A. Evans gives the film style and terrifically manages to build up tension and releases it in short action filled bursts of time.

A great movie to see: Mr. Brooks is a killer of a thriller.

'Shrek the Third' isn't a king

** out of ****

Shrek the Third proves that, the third time isn’t always a charm. Back with Shrek (Mike Meyers), Fiona (Cameron Diaz), Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) and the rest of the old gang, Shrek the Third, an animated fractured fairytale, looses much of its charm, appeal, and originality.

Shrek the Third is different from the first two films of the trilogy by having multiple story lines, trying to appeal to each demographic, even at a brisk 92 minutes. Opening up with the first storyline, Fiona’s father, King Harold (John Cleese) is on his deathbed and tells Fiona and Shrek that they are next in line to rule the Kingdom of Far Far Away Land. Shrek, unsure of his King-like abilities, sets off to Worchestershire (a medieval high school) with Puss and Donkey to find another rightful ruler, Arthur “Artie” (Justin Timberlake), the class whipping boy. But just before they set off on their adventure Fiona reveals that she is pregnant and like in any sitcom, Shrek is unsure of his father-like abilities too.

Storyline two is probably the weakest because it should have ended with Shrek 2; it starts with Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) who now is reduced to working at a dinner theater. Charming soon devises up a sinister plan to take over Far Far Away Land and murder Shrek in the process, in cahoots with other fairy-tale villains.

The final story line and the most compelling and funny is with Fiona, her mother, Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews), and the princesses, Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph), Snow White (Amy Poehler), Cinderella (Amy Sedaris), and Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri). All together to celebrate Fiona’s baby shower, they morph into Charlie’s Angels in an attempt to thwart Charming’s plans when he invades the kingdom.

Like Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third’s problems are too many stories crammed into one movie, one of the underlying problems are the new directing and writing team. Many of the jokes fall flat and not one makes you keel over in laughter. Justin Timberlake gives a mediocre voice performance and Shrek is less of an ogre but more like a cuddly Winnie the Pooh type character.
I tried to like Shrek the Third, after the excellent Shrek, and the fantastic Shrek 2, but a smile became excoriating while watching, a film below mediocrity. The only plus is its improved stunning animation.

However, with its satisfying ending this would be a nice place to leave off. But, for this DreamWorks/Paramount cash-cow you won’t see the end anytime soon. With a holiday special on ABC this December, Shrek the Halls, a Shrek 4, in the works along with the spin-off, Puss in Boots (both set for 2010) and a Broadway musical adaptation in the process, Shrek’s last note hopefully doesn’t have to be of mediocrity.

Waitress serves up fresh

***1/2 out of ****

In a summer of big-budget action flicks, sequels, and remakes Waitress is a fresh tart comedy with a strong plot, heart, and plenty of laughs.

Keri Russell (Mission: Impossible III) plays the extremely lovable small-town waitress Jenna, who has a knack at making pies suited for every mood. Jenna works in Joe’s Pie Diner, with her fellow waitresses; the saucy Becky (Cheryl Hines) and the shy Dawn (Adrienne Shelly)
Jenna is unhappily pregnant with her husband’s, Earl’s (Jeremy Sisto), baby. Earl is an over-controlling, rude, sleaze ball that is sucking the life out of Jenna. Wanting to leave him, Jenna doesn’t know what to do if she does.

Jenna soon develops a relationship with her new, married, gynecologist, Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) who is infatuated with Jenna. They soon begin to have an affair, finding happiness with each other.

The plot is simple. Everyone is trying to find happiness for themselves and for someone to love back.

Andy Griffith (Matlock, The Andy Griffith Show), gives a side-splitting performance as Joe. Joe is a grumpy old man who owns the diner and most of the town, giving advice to Jenna.
Waitress is hilarious, sad, dramatic, and heartwarming. The cast is terrific, Keri Russell showing her star-power. Cheryl Hines, Andy Griffith and Adrienne Shelly give funny performances. Jeremy Sisto does a tremendous job as Earl making you hate him even after the movie is over.
Waitress was also fantastically written and directed by the late Adrienne Shelly. Shelly was sadly murdered at the age of 40, November 2006. The Indie film actor was just beginning her directing and writing career. Waitress though is a fabulous film to end on, showcasing her magnificent acting, writing, and directing skills.

Nothing fancy or extravagant, Waitress is a realistic film with a terrific cast and crew. When the film is over, you aren’t asking this Waitress for a refund.

'Reign Over Me' reigns

*** out of ****

Adam Sandler playing a straight-forward character seems like a preposterous idea, though he proves us wrong and will certainly be in the running for awards for Reign Over Me (after The Who song, Reign O’er Me, the original title of the film). Reign is a soul searching tear-jerker about what’s important in Life.

Reign starts off with Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle), seemingly in a perfect family, a well-off dentist, owning a cosmetic dental firm, married with two daughters. Alan talks to a psychiatrist in his office building, Angela Oakhurst (Liv Tyler) on his uneasy-marriage to Janeane (Jada Pinket Smith), attributed to having no “guy” friends. While driving home Alan runs into his old dental college roommate Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) who looks like a Bob Dylan impersonator. To Alan’s surprise Charlie doesn’t remember him. Alan hasn’t seen Charlie since he lost his wife and three young daughters in the plane crash during 9/11, causing Charlie to shutdown. Charlie gives up on a responsible life, acts like a child ready to snap at any remembrances of the tragedy wearing headphones to tune out the world.

Alan tries to help the mentally unstable Charlie get over the grief that he doesn’t want to think about. While helping Charlie, Alan’s own unhappiness is addressed; together their friendship helps them forge ahead for the better.

A big subplot in Reign is of Alan’s patient, Donna Remar (Saffron Burrows), being sexually attracted to him in an indiscreet way. We later learn that this was just a way of acting out, in a similar grief of a broken heart like Charlie’s.

By no means is this movie like United 93 or World Trade Center; Reign Over Me only uses 9/11 to show how others continue to be effected by their losses.

Don Cheadle proves again his terrific acting ability like those in Crash and Hotel Rwanda. Liv Tyler and Jada Pinket Smith in supporting roles are also a great addition to the cast. Comedian Adam Sandler, turns the table and becomes a dramatic star of the film with an amazing portrayal of Charlie Fineman. He acts flawlessly and brings depth to the character.

Reign has a terrific 70s rock soundtrack with Bruce Springsteen, The Who and The Pretenders along with newer bands, The Fray and The Killers.

Directed and written by Mike Binder (The Upside of Anger); Binder showcases his talent and has a small acting role as Charlie’s Financial adviser, Bryan Sugarman. His directing style caused some unanswered transitions.

Reign is a retrospect on life, mental health, and friendships, ending with an opening for happiness, which leaves a teary eye for everyone.