Lost in Translation
2003, 1 hr 40 min., Rated R for some sexual content.�Dir: Sofia Coppola. Cast: Bill Murray (Bob Harris), Scarlett Johansson (Charlotte), Giovanni Ribisi (John).
Bill Murray is, we can now agree on, Brilliant. Not just as a comedic genius, but he blends everything we�ve come to expect, from Meatballs to Rushmore, and could very well earn an Oscar for this performance.
Murray and the young Scarlett Johansson (Ghost World) are two lost souls in the big, strange, wondrous city of Tokyo. All their personal worries and problems are exacerbated by their loneliness, as bright to the viewer as the neon lights covering every inch of building in the city.
There are several hilarious bits of culture shock, not making fun of the Japanese, but highlighting and acknowledging a different way of life, largely incompatible with the comforts of Murray and Johansson, who stick together and grow together, but not sexually and thus it isn't awkward for the viewer as we don�t have to worry about investing in any relationship beyond the close-knit friendship.
It�s a quiet movie, and allows the viewer to linger on shots longer than writer/director Sofia Coppola�s short-attention-span Hollywood colleagues allow nowadays. Bravo, Sofia.
Great movie, and as Dad says, "quirky" at the same time. Worth your time.
The verdict:
Secondhand Lions
In the news biz, one of the keys is for stories to flow together. Secondhand Lions, a.k.a. Grumpy Old Codgers, had trouble with this, and the different bits seemed too stitched together without any relevance from one scene to the next.
The story itself isn't at fault, of the mysterious McCann brothers in a rundown home in rural Texas, guarding their privacy with guns and signs. Entering the long driveway, visitors are (un)welcomed with signs that warn of �rabid dogs� and �radioactive� waste, and if you don�t get the message, any salesmen are fired at with shotguns from Robert Duvall and Michael Caine. Duvall is the hero of the duo, Caine the more sensible nerd.
Haley Joel Osment is dropped off by his deficient, horribly selfish mother to spend the summer with his great uncles, who reappeared after 40 years. Besides Osment�s mother, other relatives also heard the rumors about the McCann�s wealth and its origins, ranging from Al Capone�s loot to bank robbery to Caine�s own tales of adventure in north Africa featuring princesses and sheiks and the French Foreign Legion.
Little by little, Osment pieces together the story, which is also told in colorful flashbacks and, like Lost in Translation, can only be defined as quirky.
Duvall is not exactly sympathetic to Osment as Caine. A spirited sleepwalker (actually, sleepfighter), he would just as assume everyone leave them alone while he devises new hobbies capable of killing him sooner than later.
Caine isn't up to the challenge of having Osment over, either, saying that, �The last thing we need is a sissy boy here all summer.� In fact, everybody in Osment�s life insults him, so the uncles try to turn him from a �jumpy little fella� and �weenie� into a stable young man.
Duvall and Caine are fine, but Osment acts for the situation and doesn�t fit in naturally, overly dramatic throughout.
I just can�t give this a recommendation, and it�s painful to say that. The problem is that I couldn�t figure out how to classify Secondhand Lions. Is it sweet? Slapstick? Dramatic? Coming of age story? End of age story? I don�t know.
The verdict:
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Once upon a time, it was a clear and sunny day. In a dusty old town, a man with mangy hair blows bad guys away and saves the day.
This is an entertaining movie. I never understood the plot or who was with whom, who was good or bad, allegiances and killing just seemed to happen at random, but the action was solid, the humor was almost campy and the characters were worth paying attention to.
Being the third part of a trilogy - I didn�t see El Mariachi and don�t remember Desperado - it�s a good thing Cheech Martin shows up early on to review the facts for us. Simply, cartels run the feared populace, the president is in danger, la de da it�s another a coup de tat. When it�s time to step up, are the good guys MexiCANs or MexiCAN�Ts?
This is Johnny Depp�s movie, make no mistake about it. Antonio Banderas doesn�t have more than two full sentences between the gunplay, and the literally drop dead gorgeous Salma Hayek is seen only in flashbacks, few and far between. The rest of the cast is distinguished but throw aways, including Willem Dafoe, the sexy Eva Mendes, Mickey Rourke and even Enrique Iglesias as one of the �guitar fighters.�
What makes the Mariachis cool is that through the talents, they can supply their own soundtrack via guitar while taking care of important business by killing. Bullets fly in 100 directions, yet our heroes seem to have a Star Trekish invisible defense shield.
Depp delicious as always, smarmy and smart alecky, a rogue CIA agent who doesn�t try to blend in, wearing a CIA t-shirt (Cleavage Inspection Agency) while rigging a bullfight and shooting any cook who cooks perfect pork. He keeps the balance in the country, without that pesky morality of respect for life.
Depp finally received national attention from the common fan in Pirates of the Caribbean, and Once Upon a Time tried to cash in by focusing on him in ads, and for good reason. He provides nearly all the humor, one-liners and reason this film gels at all. Then again, this is no surprise for those of us who see movies out of the mainstream, but it�s nice to see him recognized as one of Hollywood�s best and most likeable talents.
The verdict:
The Rundown
"Retrieval expert" The Rock doesn't want to be physical, of course. He'd much rather listen to cooking shows on the radio to prepare meals for the restaurant he wants to open, so literally, do you smell what The Rock is cooking? If you don't cooperate, however, he won't hesitate to kick your tail, and you'll be what's for dinner.
First, our wrestling stud offers his antagonist an option. A is the easy way, doing what he asks, B is the hard way, in which you'll still do what he wants, but with a bloody nose and broken arm.
As per Hollywood tradition, it's "one last job" for The Rock, and Seann William Scott (American Pie�s Stifler) is his target, the son of his mobster boss, a treasure hunter in South America. Scott is his normal self, a smart aleck sweet talking smartass. You can�t help but like the dude.
We�re off to Brazil, to El Dorado, but disappointingly without John Wayne, Robert Mitchum or James Caan.
For one thing, the 1967 film didn�t have a villain with as much character as Christopher Walken. Walken does what we delight in, talks trash with an honestness and awkwardness, such as when he has to explain the Tooth Fairy to his henchmen for them to understand his tedious metaphor. He's our evil enemy, a mine owner who treats his workers like slaves and runs the town like a dictator. He offers us a "change in the narrative, an unexpected twist," although he remains smarmy to the end.
The designated babe for The Rundown is Rosario Dawson, who is at least more useful and important than Eva Mendes in the above Once Upon a Time in Mexico.. Not to mention, she's equally useful in the eye candy department.
Like one must do to a monkey, the film is all about establishing dominance so that your adversary doesn't hump your leg. Or, that's just for monkeys. For humans, it's about survival.
The Rundown is almost a summer blockbuster, full of oomph, ahh, aww, oh, bizz, bang and wham! There's physical humor, smart alecky humor and the action is full of guns, whips, knives, fists and feet-a-flyin'. There�s a rumble in the jungle, and it�s doubtful Ali or Foreman could survive.
One complaint to the editors of all Hollywood action films: Quick cuts reek. I beg you, linger on a shot for more than three seconds!
That�s not worth skipping The Rundown, however. In the end, I offer you two choices. Option A: You see the movie and enjoy a night at the movies. Option B: See something else, walk away less entertained, and no one's happy.
The verdict:
2003, 1 hr 35 min., Rated PG for thematic material, language and action violence. Dir: Tim McCanlies. Cast: Michael Caine (Garth), Robert Duvall (Hub), Haley Joel Osment (Walter), Kyra Sedgwick (Mae), Josh Lucas (Adult Walter). 
2003, 1 hr 40 min., Rated R for strong violence, and for language. Dir: Robert Rodriguez. Cast:
Antonio Banderas (El Mariachi), Salma Hayek (Carolina), Johnny Depp (Sands), Mickey Rourke (Billy), Eva Mendes (Ajedrez), Danny Trejo (Cucuy), Enrique Iglesias (Lorenzo), Marco Leonardi (Fideo), Cheech Marin (Belini), Rub�n Blades (Jorge FBI), Willem Dafoe (Barillo), Gerardo Vigil (Marquez), Pedro Armend�riz Jr. (El Presidente), Julio Oscar Mechoso (Advisor). 
2003, 1 hr 40 min., Rated PG-13 for adventure violence and some crude dialogue. Dir: Peter Berg. Cast: The Rock (Beck), Seann William Scott (Travis), Rosario Dawson (Mariana), Christopher Walken (Hatcher).