Dan's Papers - July 13, 2007 - Mike Vilensky's Mini-Movie Reviews

Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix
The previous Potter films, save arguably The Prisoner of Azkaban, turned Rowling's brilliance into Harry Potter theme park sets and managed to somewhat adapt either the tone or the correct plots of the books, but never both. But darker director David Yates might work magic with what is hands-down my favorite Potter book of the series. Either way, this is sure to be an overwhelmingly successful reminder of why readers love Harry, right before it's time to say goodbye (and then watch the sorry final film adaptations as they keep coming).

Captivity
A fashion icon gets kidnapped and tortured. The explicit ads were banned in Los Angeles and New York. Part movie, part sadistic softcore pornography. Again? Yawn.

Interview
Quirky actor Steve Buscemi directs this captivating re-make about a smart and snarky political journalist forced to write a story on a seemingly inane celebrity soap star. Of course, nothing is quite as it seems when people are so narrowly defined, and this film leaves you thinking about the nature of assumptions and morality. If only Larry King's Paris Hilton interview had been this expository.

Transformers
What once was written off as a blockbuster without substance has, with a titillating trailer depicting the crash of 2003's Beagle 2 Mars Rover, transformed itself into one of summer's most anticipated events. This Independence Day, the story of two warring alien robot races fighting on Earth for a hidden mystical entity may be director Michael Bay's best since Independence Day.

Introducing the Dwights
A young man falls in love and his mother has trouble letting go in this coming-of-age-at-any-age comedy. Skip License to Wed and head for this funnier and more honest film with the stellar performance of a searing but sentimental momzilla.

Joshua
Born to a prominent Manhattan family, Joshua, an unbelievably creepy little boy with tastes refined far beyond his years, takes a turn for the worse upon the arrival of a newborn baby sister. At only nine-years-old, Josh's upper-class ennui kicks in and he's compelled to take a murderous streak - they just get jaded younger and younger these days! Prepare to be unsettled.

License to Wed
A reverend played by Robin Williams takes two fiances through a grueling marriage prep course in exchange for marrying them in his church, but nothing the couple goes through is quite as grueling as sitting through this unoriginal cash-grab. I give Williams license to use his talents on a better, funnier film.

Rescue Dawn
Werner Herzog, the real-life version of "Entourage's" artist-rebel director Billy Walsh, is back with a vengeance in this Christian Bale docudrama set during the Vietnam War. This may be the film we need to shed some light on the current war, and with Herzog behind the lens you can expect the unexpected, downright bizarre, and ultimately inspiring.