“Gangs of New York” Starring Leonardo
DiCaprio, Daniel-Day Lewis Directed by Martin Scorsese 3
Stars “Gangs of New York” is a three-hour
collection of meticulous, aggressive attention to historical
detail. It’s a wonderfully chaotic world, and it’s too
bad the characters aren’t big enough to fill it up. Leonardo
DiCaprio is poorly cast as the film’s Hamlet, which demands
the determined passion of the young Al Pacino. Cameron Diaz is too
sunny to play the woman with a dark past. Only Daniel Day Lewis, in
a movie-stealing role as Bill the Butcher, is immersed enough in
his character to make you forget he’s acting. He’s also
the only one flamboyant enough in style to match the atmosphere
Scorsese creates. This film is most interested in the sights of
early New York City: tattered tenements, casually naked whores, a
Chinese opera house, hundreds of coffins lined up like computer
transistors, and, yes, violence galore. It is a ride through a
place and time you never read about in your high school history
class. This may not be the career-crowning masterpiece Scorsese
fans were expecting, but it doesn’t fail to astonish.
–Howard Ho
“Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” Starring
Sam Rockwell Directed by George Clooney 3.5 Stars Whether
or not TV game show producer Chuck Barris actually moonlighted as a
CIA assassin in the 1970s, the truth is George Clooney has taken
his story and made a compelling film. Based on Barris’
infamous autobiography and penned by current celebrity screenwriter
Charlie Kaufman, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”
proves that Clooney has a knack for finding an honest point of view
even in a story famous for its possible hyperbole. The film depicts
Barris without glamour. It unabashedly exposes the awkward sexual
encounters, paranoid behavior, and gory nightmares of a man who
claims to see little contradiction in his desire both to entertain
people and to pump bullets into human flesh. As Barris, Sam
Rockwell turns in a star-making performance. Rockwell does a better
job of making the unlikely story believable than Barris himself
does in his book, by bringing humanity and truthfulness to the
character. The film is not without its flaws, as Clooney makes a
few freshman mistakes by creating several scenes that are so
stylized they end up unclear. And we can only hope that audiences
will never again be forced to watch Julia Roberts lick a
man’s face. Still Clooney proves himself to be a capable
director, weaving a tale of moral ambiguity, fear and fame with the
confidence of a veteran filmmaker. –Sommer Mathis
“Chicago” Starring Renee Zellweger,
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere Directed by Rob Marshall 4.5
Stars John Kander and Fred Ebb’s beloved musical
finally gets its shot at the big screen, and its aim is dead-on.
Using flashy, rhythmic editing, scores of sequin costumes and tons
of light bulbs, director Rob Marshall enlivens the story of the
merry murderesses of the Cook County Jail, paying homage to its
original choreographer Bob Fosse while asserting its own brand of
electrifying showmanship. Catherine Zeta-Jones’ Velma
dominates with her voluptuous figure, husky voice, and dancing
strong enough to contend with the Broadway-trained beauties who
also perform in the musical number, “Cell Block Tango.”
Richard Gere’s squinty eyes and nasal voice are pitch-perfect
for the slimy lawyer Billy Flynn, his best role in years. However,
the name on everybody’s lips should be Roxie, played by
Zellweger, whose vocal and dancing ability adds to her stellar turn
as blonde ambition in overdrive. Yet again, she delivers one of the
best female performances of the year. The supporting performances
are not nearly as strong. Queen Latifah’s turn as Matron
“Mama” Morton is a bit flat, save for her sultry
performance in “When You’re Good to Mama.” And
although John C. Reilly’s “Mr. Cellophane” number
will still tug at the heartstrings, his acting is too genuinely
self-loathing to be the “Funny Honey” that the material
requires. Minor quibbles aside, “Chicago” will be the
most fun you’ve had at the movies all year, with jaw-dropping
production values, a strong script from Oscar winner Bill Condon,
and of course, the singing and dancing that has been missing from
the cinema for way too long. –Paul Mendoza
“Talk to Her” Starring Javier Camara, Dario
Grandinetti Directed by Pedro Almodovar 3.5 Stars After
making a stateside splash with his Oscar-winning “All About
My Mother,” cinema conquistador Pedro Almodovar poses another
intriguing question: can you have a meaningful relationship with
someone unconscious? “Talk To Her,” or When a Man Loves
a Vegetable, follows two men, Benigno (Javier Camara) and Marco
(Dario Grandinetti), and their two comatose companions, ballerina
Alicia (Leonor Watling) and bullfighter Lydia (Rosario Flores). It
observes their lives both before and after the women’s’
demise. Although it lacks the raw emotional punch that makes
“Mother” so powerful, “Talk to Her” is a
beautiful meditation on love. Camara is an award-worthy stand-out
as the wise and lonely Benigno, and his imaginary silent-film-scene
alone is worth the price of admission. However, the absence of
strong ensemble acting and the wandering storyline prevent
“Talk to Her” from being included among
Almodovar’s greater works. –Paul Mendoza