1 Star                                   

Pacino Stars As Shrink On Run From Sadistic Serial Killer

About ten years ago, Dr. Jack Gramm (Al Pacino) was the key prosecution expert witness whose testimony helped send rapist/serial killer Jon Forster (Neal McDonough) to Death Row. As the notorious “Seattle Slayer” was being led out of the courtroom, he looked the FBI forensic psychiatrist responsible for his conviction straight in the eye and whispered, “Tick-tock, Doc,” a veiled threat that it was just a matter of time before he would exact his revenge.

Fast forward to the present and we find Forster behind bars and all out of appeals. His impending execution is likely to provide a measure of closure to Janie Cates (Tammy Hui), the twin sister of one of his victims (Vicky Huang), plus some comfort to Gramm, now teaching med school, boozing it up and chasing anything in a skirt.

But then, on the eve of Forster’s scheduled execution by lethal injection, the tweedy, tipsy professor finds himself suddenly shaken after receiving a chilling call on his cell phone repeating the familiar “Tick-tock, Doc” refrain. In addition, the electronically-altered voice informs Gramm that he only has 88 minutes to live.

Thereupon, the sinister stalker immediately embarks on a frenetic crime spree, slicing and dicing folks close to the womanizing Dr. Jack in order to implicate him in a series of copycat murders. The enterprising sicko proceeds to wreak additional havoc across the city, eluding a conspicuously-absent police force while blowing up cars, setting fires and running over pedestrians with a motorcycle. Oh, and he also keeps Gramm on speed dial to be able to gloat periodically.

Patently preposterous at every turn, 88 Minutes is more action-packed than the average Bugs Bunny-Road Runner hour, and features cartoon physics which is about as credible. Al Pacino, with the help of a bouncy, blowing, world-class bouffant hairdo, still has the charisma to turn a turkey into a flick that’s almost watchable, if only for the laughs.

Regrettably, a splendid supporting cast topped by Leelee Sobieski, Amy Brenneman. William Forsythe and Alicia Witt finds itself frequently abandoned by a silly script laced with implausible dialogue, lots of illogical plot developments and more smelly red herrings than the Fulton Fish market. I mean, really, how can virtually every character be a prime suspect, including the potential victim himself?

A comical crime thriller where you’re likely to find yourself more amused by the unintentionally funny goings-on than trying to solve the underlying whodunit. 

Rated: R for profanity, disturbing violence and brief nudity. 

Running time: 108 minutes

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Constantine's Sword

4 stars

Ex-Jesuit Priest Takes Critical Look At Violence Committed In The Name Of Christianity

There was a precedent to Vice President Cheney’s remark made to Tim Russert on “Meet the Press” five days after September 11 that he would happily accept the head of Osama bin Laden on a platter. For over the course of several centuries, starting in about 1095, legions of Catholics had ventured from Europe to the Middle East with the intention of conquering the Holy Land in the name of Christianity, and all with the blessing of the reigning pope.

It was not unusual for soldiers participating in the Crusades to consider themselves virtuous for returning home with the head of a Muslim or a Jew on the end of a stick. Given that fanatical religious legacy, one can understand why someone might be inclined to examine America’s involvement in the region in a new light.

And just such an inquiry is the focus of Constantine's Sword, an informative look at the violent side of Christianity. The picture is narrated by James Carroll, a former Catholic cleric who abandoned the priesthood when he found himself plagued by nagging doubts about the historical links of his Church to papal-sanctioned ethnic cleansing.

He asks, “How did the Cross become a rallying symbol for persecution?” “How does one man who loves the Church confront its history of crusade and conquest?” “Why are intolerance, violence and war so deeply ingrained in religion?” It seems that he didn’t feel comfortable continuing to serve as a recruiter for a faith with so much blood on its hands.

Carroll, now married with two children, tackles these thorny issues by honestly reviewing the behavior of evangelical Christians from the time of Constantine all the way up to the present. He finds that proselytizing was popular not only in the Middle Ages but is still flourishing today in the U.S. Air Force Academy where pressure is being routinely applied to cadets to swear allegiance to both the United States and to Jesus.

With God as your co-pilot, especially “The right God,” it’s probably a  lot easier to rationalize bombing godless heathen civilians back to the Stone Age without a second thought. A powerful documentary which makes the case that the faith-based fanaticism that has destabilize the planet has been fueled as much by the West as by radical Islam.

Unrated 

Running time: 96 minutes

Studio: First Run Features

Flawless

3 ½ stars

Michael Caine And Demi Moore Team For Multi-Layered Whodunit

Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) is the first female executive at the London Diamond Corporation, England’s leading importer of precious gems. Despite being one of the firm’s most deserving employees, the ambitious, 38 year-old American has repeatedly been passed over for a promotion to managing director in favor of lesser-qualified male colleagues.

This slight has not been lost on Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine), the close to retiring janitor at the company’s headquarters. Because she reminds him of his dearly-departed wife, the elderly widower approaches Laura with felonious intentions, hoping she’s disgruntled enough about hitting the glass ceiling to help him hatch a heist of the vault in the business’ basement.

Although she initially threatens to report the old codger, she cools down sufficiently to entertain the idea. The seemingly foolproof plan sounds simple enough. All she has to do is first find the out the combination, and Hobbs will crack the safe during his overnight shift. And he promises to purloin only a tiny pouchful of priceless stones, so no one will even notice the theft.

But the best laid plans often go awry, especially in as complex a crime caper as Flawless. Directed by Oscar-nominee Michael Radford (Il Postino), this multi-layered whodunit is masterfully-constructed to keep you confounded and guessing about the next bizarre twist from start to finish.

Set in 1960, the film pairs the gracefully-aging Demi Moore in her best role in recent memory opposite the ever-reliable Michael Caine in an intriguing a cat-and-mouse thriller reminiscent of Sleuth, the 1972 battle-of-wits for which he earned an Academy Award nomination. Here, Quinn hands over the combination to the lock, only to have second thoughts because of a recently installed surveillance system. However, Hobbs says he has already figured out how to defeat it, and ignores her pleas to back out of the conspiracy, determined to proceed regardless.

The plot thickens the morning after the robbery, when it is discovered that the vault has been cleaned out, and the company announces losses in the hundreds of millions. Why did Hobbs change his mind and steal more than agreed upon amount of stones? Did greed get the better of him or did he have a massive robbery in mind all along?

And with the case having all the earmarks of an inside job, how long will he and Laura keep from arousing the suspicion of the investigating detectives? These are just a few of the questions raised en route to the surprising resolution of as intriguing a psychological mindbender as you could hope to wrap your head around.

Rated: PG-13 for brief profanity.

Running time: 110 minutes

Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Run, Fatboy, Run

3 ½ stars

Groom with Cold Feet Seeks Second Chance in British Sitcom

On what was supposed to have been their wedding day, Dennis (Simon Pegg) bolted from the church at the last minute, leaving his pregnant fiancée, Libby (Thandie Newton), standing at the altar. It seems that the reluctant groom had developed cold feet because he didn’t think he deserved a girl that gorgeous, given that he’s an overweight, chain-smoking slacker.

But now, five years later, he wants a second chance because he’s still in love with Libby and realizes the error of his ways. However, that will be easier said than done, since she’s presently involved with Whit (Hank Azaria), a filthy rich hedge fund manager who wants to marry her, too.

What’s worse, the debonair American has plans to whisk his ex away from London to Chicago which means Dennis won’t get to see much of their four year-old son, Jake (Matthew Fenton). Furthermore, there are signs that the boy has already begun to bond with his father’s competitor who has a more easygoing nature.

 So, in his mind, Dennis feels that he has to prove himself Whit’s equal both to win Libby’s heart and the admiration of his child. Trouble is, he can’t begin compete in terms of money and career, since he’s a lowly-paid security guard at a lowly clothing store and is behind on paying the rent on his modest basement apartment.

Then, when he learns at Libby’s birthday party that Whit will be running in the upcoming London Marathon, Dennis impulsively announces that he’ll be entering the race as well. Woefully out of shape, he knows he’ll have to adopt a rigorous training regimen just to finish, let alone prevail.

Will Dennis beat Whit in the Nike River Run along the Thames River? And if so, will that feat be enough to impress Libby and little Jake? Those are the questions posed by the premise of Run, Fatboy, Run, a romantic comedy which marks the impressive directorial debut of David Schwimmer, best known as Ross from the long-running NBC series “Friends.”

His hard to pigeonhole picture pairs the delightful Thandie Newton with cult favorite Simon Pegg, star of such offbeat adventures as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Most of the jokes come at the expense of Pegg’s character via a combination of the comedian’s trademark slapstick, sight gags and self-effacing humor. But like the best of British sitcoms, ala Notting Hill and Four Weddings and a Funeral, the film also features inspired performances by members of the ensemble’s talented supporting cast, most notably, Dylan Moran as Dennis’ loyal buddy, Gordon, and Harish Patel as his meddlesome landlord, Mr. Ghoshdashtidar.

Dividing its attention equally between the love triangle and overcoming-the-odds theme, Run, Fatboy, Run is well enough crafted to keep you in stitches while on the edge of your seat for the duration, even if this laff-a-minute escape is more mindless than cerebral. Does Dennis get Libby and his son in the end? That would be unfair to divulge, given the completely unpredictable resolutions of some of Mr. Pegg’s prior productions. 

Rated: PG-13 for crude humor, profanity, sexuality, nudity and smoking. 

Running time: 97 minutes

Studio: Picturehouse

The Souls Of Black Girls

4 stars

Provocative Documentary Examines Image of Black Females Propagated by the Media

Why have African-American women become so maligned by popular culture that we have a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Karen Hunter, writing a best seller seriously posing the question, “Are black women necessary?” And how has this shocking state of affairs affected the psyches of the sisters of the Hip-Hop Generation shaped during the dominance of gangsta’ rap, an age marked by misogyny and an embracing of a European standard of beauty?

These are the questions posed by The Souls of Black Girls, a provocative documentary which suggests that African-American females are suffering from a form of self-image disorder. Produced and directed by Daphne Valerius, this provocative examination of a timely subject features sage contributions from such icons as actresses Regina King, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Juanita Jennings and Amelia Marshall, PBS news anchor Gwen Ifill, Public Enemy’s Chuck D, BET producer Darlise Blount, Essence Magazine fashion editor Pamela Edwards, historian Dr. Lez Edmond and cultural critic Michaela Angela Davis.

These famous faces share screen time with several representatives of the demographic being discussed, articulate teens who weigh-in with their heartfelt feelings on hot-button issues ranging from their dating desirability to skin color preferences to hair straightening to absentee fathers to promiscuity to their weights and shapes. The overall point being driven home is that they are generally frustrated by their inability to measure up to an unachievable ideal which places thin white females with hour-glass figures up on a pedestal.

Apparently, out of a sense of desperation to be seen as attractive, some girls compromise their values by engaging in binge dieting and unprotected sex in an attempt to mimic the lewd behavior of the scantily-clad dancers they see cavorting seductively in rap videos. Unfortunately, in those exploitative, masturbatory male fantasies, as Dr. Edmond points out, “Black women are very rarely presented as something to be respected.”

The film also asks, “Have black men abandoned black women?” with one expert suggesting that slavery might be responsible for that fragmented relationship. Others, however, see the phenomenon as a relatively-recent development, an outgrowth of a BET-led trend toward a sexualizing and debasing of the African-American female.

Ms. King bemoans that we have “a whole generation of lost women who don’t that it’s okay to be you.” Meanwhile, Jada reflects upon having herself gone “through a period of shame.” Fortunately, the participants are ultimately optimistic and offer positive solutions, such as Ms. Ifill who proudly asserts “My beauty has value” and finds satisfaction when greeted by young aspiring journalists who see her as a role model.

An overdue debate about who gets to define what is beautiful.  

Unrated

Running time: 52 minutes

Distributor: Femme Noire Productions

Street Kings

1 star

Crooked Cops Terrorize L.A. In High-Impact Splatter Flick

It’s never a good sign when a movie makes you laugh out loud at dialogue intended to be taken seriously. But this is exactly the reaction periodically elicited by the unintentionally funny Street Kings, a grisly shoot ‘em up loosely based on a crime yarn by James Ellroy.

The story is set in Los Angeles, and revolves around the goings-on inside a trigger-happy police department so crooked that cops don’t think twice before shooting a perp or even a fellow officer about to break the blue wall of silence. For, they can always count on Captain Biggs (Hugh Laurie), the head of Internal Affairs, to look the other way.

Such is the case with Detective Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves), an alcoholic widower working on the vice squad who considers himself above the law. Drinking since his wife’s murder, he has no qualms about unleashing a torrent of expletives and racial epithets in the direction of suspects before blowing them away and planting weapons on their bodies with the help of his boss, Captain Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker).

And why is Wander so eager to cover-up rather than discipline his reckless cowboy? Well, while he freely admits to having designs on a promotion to police chief, he might have another hidden agenda.  

Everything comes to a head the day that Ludlow bumps into his estranged former partner, Terrence Washington (Terry Crews), at a convenience store just as a couple of machine gun-toting thugs (Common and Cle Shaheed Sloan) are about to rob the place. When the smoke clears, the gangstas have escaped and Washington and the cashier lay dead.

Although the surveillance camera seems to implicate Ludlow in the killings, Biggs and Wander, curiously, are still willing to clean up the crime scene. So, they reassign the shaken detective to a desk job in the Civilian Complaint Department till the controversy blows over. However, the fidgety cop can’t sit still and so he secretly sets out on his own to find the creeps who committed the crime. And that quest for the truth uncovers a pattern of police corruption all the way to the top calling for a pile of corpses to rid the department of the foul stench.  

Street Kings is a disaster for several simple reasons: a preposterous premise, less credible plot twists, too much gratuitous violence, too many ethnic slurs, an absence of likable characters plus another wooden performance from Keanu Reeves, an actor ill-suited for roles calling for him to exhibit a range of emotions. Forest Whitaker proves to be the most noteworthy of a supporting cast which includes Cedric the Entertainer, Jay Mohr, Naomie Harris and hip-hop stars Common and The Game.

But when you have trouble reading a hero’s motivations at every turn, the result is a comical headscratcher like this unmitigated mess.

Rated: R for graphic violence, ethnic slurs and pervasive profanity.

Running time: 109 minutes

Studio: Fox Searchlight

Angela Bassett

The Meet Ihe Browns Interview

with Kam Williams

Angela Gets Her Groove Back

Born in New York City, but raised by her single-mom, Betty, along with her sister, D’nette, in St. Petersburg, Florida, Angela Evelyn Bassett studied acting at Yale University, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in African-American Studies and a Master’s in Theater. She began her professional career on stage, performing both on and off-Broadway in productions of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Colored People’s Time, Henry IV, Part I, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, Antigone, Pericles and Black Girl.

Angela later landed what might be described as her breakout role as Reva Devereaux in John Singleton’s Boyz N The Hood, and she received additional critical acclaim for her moving performance as matriarch Katherine Jackson in the ABC mini-series “The Jacksons:  An American Family.” Nominated for an Oscar in 1994 for her unforgettable portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got To Do With It, Angela is also a thirteen -time NAACP Image Award-nominee, winning for that picture along with The Rosa Parks Story, Sunshine State, The Score, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Music Of The Heart, Waiting To Exhale, Ruby’s Bucket Of Blood And Malcolm X.

The embodiment of dignity, pride and grace, she invariably electrifies audiences via her emotionally-charged characterizations. Away from the set, with her husband, actor Courtney B. Vance, she co-wrote Friends: A Love Story, a best-seller published on Valentine’s Day last year. The inspirational autobiography chronicles the real-life love story of Bassett and Vance, who were friends for many years before marrying.

In 2006, the couple became parents, celebrated the arrival of twins, daughter Bronwyn Golden and son Slater Josiah. Here, Angela talks about life, career and her new movie, Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns, where she stars opposite former NBA star Rick Fox.

KW: Hi Angela, this is an honor. Thanks for the time.

AB: Sure.

KW: How was it being directed by Tyler Perry?

AB: It was great, even though there were some long, hot days in Atlanta. [Chuckles] But, they weren’t long enough.

KW: How about working with Rick Fox?

AB: It was absolutely delightful. He was a joy to work with.

KW: Even though you’re such an accomplished actress, and he didn’t have nearly the same amount of experience?

AB: That’s true enough, but he has life experience, and he certainly brought all of himself to the moment. He wasn’t afraid of hard work, and he was open and emotionally available. So, he won me over as a co-star.  

KW: Where did you channel your character from? Have you ever known a single-mom at the end of her rope like Brenda?

AB: Oh, absolutely! My mom raised my sister and me single-handedly in Florida. So, day-to-day, I saw the struggles of doing it on your own without help, and how tired that makes you, and the dreams and aspirations you have for your children.

I know that she pushed us in regard to getting our education, finding advocates in our principals and teachers at school.

KW: And she was quite successful, given your graduating from Yale.

AB: Yeah, it was a wonderful victory and accomplishment for her, especially since she wasn’t able to go to college herself. Education was something stressed almost to my chagrin growing up, at times. Since we were toddlers, she stressed, “You’re going to college! You’re going to college! You’re going to college!” So, it was a happy moment for her.  

KW: I can remember how my mother always made me finish my homework before I was allowed to go out to play.

AB: Yeah, all that extra-curricular stuff came to a screeching halt, if your grades weren’t up to par. And par was at least Bs or better. If you wanted to keep your good thing going, then you took care of your job, and that was getting those grades together.   

KW: What sort of message do you want people to get from Meet the Browns?

AB: To persevere and keep on moving forward. Just put one foot in front of the other, whatever the obstacles may be. Hold out for hope, because you will turn a corner and find a situation that’s a whole lot better.

KW: Is there any question that no one has ever asked that you wished someone would ask you?

AB: Oh no, no question’s been off-limits. [Laughs] I can’t say I’ve ever thought to myself, “Oh, I wished they’d ask me this or that.”

KW: The Columbus Short question: Are you happy?

AB: Ecstatic!

KW: “Are you ever afraid?” I got that question from Tasha Smith.

AB: Oh really? Am I ever afraid? Oh, yeah, absolutely. I’m human, so...

KW: Who are you supporting for president?

AB: Barack Obama.

KW: Jimmy Bayan, “Realtor to the Stars,” wants to know where in L.A. you live. 

AB: Hancock Park.

KW: Congrats on your many NAACP Image Awards. You might not know that I’m on the nominating committee.

AB: Oh, are you? I wondered who voted. Where are you based?

KW: I’m in Princeton, New Jersey. You have quite an impressive body of work. Which of your roles has been the most satisfying?

AB: I love all my “children” but I would have to say What’s Love, because it was the most challenging and the most fulfilling, because it resonated with so many people, and because it has stood the test of viewing again and again. It was the role that pushed me and pulled me more than any other.

KW: You’ve been everyone from Tina to Katherine Jackson to Betty Shabazz to Rosa Parks in bio-pics. Do you enjoy playing real-life icons?

AB: Yeah, I absolutely do, and I’m always humbled and I’m grateful for each opportunity. 

KW: Have you ever gotten any feedback from a person you’ve portrayed?

AB: Yes, Tina was very, very pleased. I got very positive feedback from her.

KW: How about Rosa Parks?

AB: I was able to meet her, but she was elderly at the time, and had other priorities in her life. I also got positive feedback from Katherine and her children, and from Betty Shabazz and her family.

KW: Do you have any plans to work with your husband soon?

AB: We did a play a couple of years ago, His Girl Friday. And we’re always holding that out as a possibility.

KW: I hope to be able to catch you and Courtney again up on the screen. Well, thanks for the time, Angela, and good luck with Meet the Browns.  

AB: Thank you so very much.