Dave Evans’ MINI – MOVIE REVIEWS

Charlotte’s Web

Little Dakota Fanning is wheeled out once again to play America’s child-sweetheart in this adaptation of the classic children’s novel. She’s as irritating as ever and is accompanied by the voices of stars from Julia Roberts and John Cleese to Robert Redford and Oprah Winfrey playing the parts of pigs, rats, cows and horses. While this is pointless and exploitative, at least it’s not a full-blown CGI fest.

Eragon

As J.K. Rowling works away on the final Harry Potter book, publishers are clamouring for the next children’s fantasy series. Christopher Paolini’s trilogy just might be exactly what he is looking for. This first film adaptation is enjoyably camp action adventure. Newcomer Edward Speleers is the title character, a boy who must use his power to control dragons against a wicked king (John Malkovich).

The Pursuit of Happyness

First off, the title is correct and refers to a child’s spelling error. Secondly, this is cloying “if you build it, they will come”-style trash. If you’ve not been put off yet, Will Smith stars as a single father, trying to keep his son and himself afloat while working as an intern at a stock-brokers. Ugh.

Blood Diamond

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a South African mercenary in search of a diamond against the backdrop of a post-colonial but still tyrannical Sierra Leone. Director Ed Zwick bounces back here from the pretty but pointless The Last Samurai. At times it can seem contrived but this is interesting action fare with a strong turn from Djimon Hounsou as a desperate fisherman.

Apocalypto

Mel Gibson is undoubtedly an anti-semitic, drunk lunatic but the problem posed with this, as with The Passion is that he isn’t a bad director. His work is overblown of course but his telling of the fall of the Aztecs is visually and narratively compelling. It will be interesting to see if the public are willing to forgive him his outbursts and give the film a chance.

The Holiday

Director and writer Nancy Meyers continues to plough the same dull, shallow field she covered in What Women Want and the execrable Something’s Gotta Give. Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet star as two women who swap homes and countries in the hope of improving their respective romantic lots. Saccharine tripe.

Unaccompanied Minors

Paul Feig has a strong background in directing for television (The Office, Arrested Development) but this tale of a bunch of kids trapped in an airport over the holidays is weak at best. The wonderful Jessica Walter is wasted on this. Wilder Valderrama is in his element. Enough said.

National Lampoon’s Van Wilder: The Rise of Taj

It remains a mystery why National Lampoon continues in the film business. It is more mysterious yet why they have seen fit to issue a sequel to the ghastly 2002 original. This time the film follows Wilder’s assistant Taj (Kal Penn) to Oxford where he brings the American college lifestyle to a load of stuffy Brits. There’s simply no excuse for this kind of film.

The Nativity Story

The story of the birth of Jesus Christ is given a lush live-action treatment here by Catherine Hardwicke, more famous as both a production designer and the director of harsh teen-film Thirteen. Predictably perhaps, the settings are out of this world and Keisha Castle-Hughes (of Whale Rider fame) is an endearing Mary but the whole thing feels mysteriously limp and lacking in narrative tension.

Turistas

Jumping onto the gore bandwagon so successfully ridden by the Saw franchise and last year’s Hostel, comes this tale of backpackers adrift in the Brazilian jungle. Unsurprisingly they are not alone and a terrible fate begins to pick them off one by one. If you’re looking for a blood-splattered antidote to saccharine Christmas entertainments, this might just do the job.

Bobby

Emilio Estevez takes the helm for this star-studded biopic of Robert F. Kennedy. Like so many actors-turned-directors (see Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood), Estevez has a well-intentioned but heavy hand that makes the whole thing feel like an over-cooked school project. That said, the star spotting alone makes for an entertaining two hours.

Déjà Vu

After the flop that was Domino, it’s good to see Tony Scott back in fighting form with this futuristic action-adventure which sees an agent travel back in time to save a woman from murder, and falling in love in the process. The atmosphere is impeccably sleek and metallic while Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer provide sturdy leads.

Deck the Halls

Danny De Vito and Matthew Broderick star as neighbors at war when each tries to outdo the other with Christmas decorations. Given the rank confections that studios spew out during the festive season, this is pretty inoffensive and at times very entertaining. Arrested Development’s excellent Alia Shawkat provides great support..