Movie Morsels - March 2009

by Mary K. Morgan - member of the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association.

            Confessions of a Shopaholic (PG) Even if you buy into the neo-Epicurean philosophy that insists that irresponsible consumerism is the twenty-first Century’s answer to “eat, drink and be merry,” the current economic climate still casts a dark shadow on the basic premise of this movie. Becky Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) could well symbolize a microcosm of the attitude toward credit that has precipitated the downward spiral of our nation’s balance sheet.

            Ironically, the irresponsible Becky writes a successful consumer advice column for a prestigious financial magazine. (Perhaps many of our countrymen got their advice from just such a source.) Shallow as it may seem, Becky continues down a lighthearted path of racking up frivolous debts and dodging collection agents and bankers as if it were a game created for her amusement. The idea that creditors are entitled to be paid never seems to cross her mind. 

            Based on the books, Confessions of a Shopaholic and Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Sophie Kinsella, this film will no doubt appeal to the financially challenged among us who carry large credit card debt and pay unusually high interest rates. If your idea of rollicking fun is to be over your head in debt and oblivious to the ramifications, go for it!  Rating:  2

            The International (R) Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Naomi Watts) team up to bust an international conspiracy that is being  perpetrated by one of the world’s most powerful banking institutions, the IBBC (most likely based on the BCCI, Bank of Credit & Commerce International that was involved in a large-scale banking scandal in the ’80s). The crime is international in scope, so Salinger and Whitman must trace banking transactions across the globe, from Berlin to Milan to New York and to Istanbul.

            The banking angle is a bit convoluted, but the crux of the matter is that the evil bankers finance revolutions in under-developed nations and provide monetary resources to terrorists. Ruthless and concerned only with their bottom line, the world of corrupt high finance rolls on without a conscience. Sound familiar?

            German director Tim Tyker (Run Lola Run) makes a radical move about mid-film when the banking movie morphs into a full-blown action flick. When it does, watch out.

            The screen explodes with one of the most striking, prolonged gun battles I’ve seen lately. The fact that most of the shooting takes place inside the architecturally perfect Guggenheim Museum doesn’t hurt the interest level a bit. So believable is the destruction that it is difficult to believe the Museum isn’t actually being riddled with bullet holes. Action, good. Banking, bad. Rating: 3

            Taken (PG-13) If you happen to be abducted by Albanian mobsters, it certainly helps if your devoted dad is an ex-CIA operative. Director Pierre Morel manages to work up an excess of adrenalin in his audience with this fast-action, no-holds-barred thriller starring Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills, a man living 96 hours of his life in a fast-forward, search-and-rescue mission that spares no deadly moves.

            The thin plot takes a back seat to the real guts of the film, Bryan’s skilled and calculated application of his operative skills on the very personal mission of saving his 18-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) from a terrible fate at the hands of ruthless villains who trade in human flesh. Abducted soon after she and her friend arrive in Paris, young Kim manages to call her father and hand off a few vital clues via cell phone just as she is being taken. A stern warning from Bryan to the bad guys goes unheeded, the perp on the phone wishes him good luck and the battle is on.

            Pulling out all of the stops and calling in favors from past undercover acquaintances, Bryan springs into his operative mode and takes no prisoners as he unravels the mystery of his daughter’s disappearance. As to the ending, telling any details would be a spoiler. Perhaps it’s best to relish the good times in the film as Liam Neeson plays the cool, capable, secret-agent dad in pursuit of his daughter and her abductors. Rating: 3

Movie Morsels

by Mary K. Morgan - member of the St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association.

Quantum of Solace (PG-13) Time passes and nothing remains the same, not even the cool, dry-wit of James Bond. The action in Quantum picks up after the ending of Daniel Craig’s last Bond adventure, Casino Royale. No longer bearing the aloof playboy persona of past Bonds, this 007, betrayed by the woman he loved, is a rather solemn figure. Revenge might be the motive for Bond’s zeal to continue working on the case, and he must convince M (Judi Dench) of his detached professionalism. However, there is no doubt that James is a changed man after the events of Casino Royale, much darker and noticeably less flamboyant. No longer does he care if his martini is “shaken, not stirred”—he has more important matters on his mind.

The film’s action revolves around the nefarious plot of a worldwide criminal organization known as Quantum and its ruthless leader, Dominic Greene, and a plan to gain control of the main water supply of South America. Bond’s ports of call are Haiti, Austria, Italy and Bolivia, all of which host exciting chases and action scenes reminiscent of past Bond films. 

Changeling (R)  The year is 1928 and on a Saturday morning, single mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) leaves her nine-year-old son, Walter, at home and goes off to her job as a phone operator at a busy Los Angeles switchboard. When she returns home in the evening, Walter is gone. An emergency call to the Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.) yields no help.

Three months later amid a media blitz, the L.A.P.D. announces that they have recovered the missing Collins child. Badly in need of some positive press, the corrupt, inept police officials take advantage of the situation with photo-ops, press and radio coverage of their investigative triumph. Problem—Christine immediately realizes that the returned child is not her son. Unwilling to let go of the fanfare surrounding the case, the police leaders insist that the child is the Collins child, in spite of the mother’s rebuttal. They proceed to discredit her and cast doubt on her sanity, all in an effort to cover up the truth. Left to her own devices, Christine must fight the authorities and prove her case in an effort to redirect the search back to her still-missing son. 

Directed by Clint Eastwood, Changeling is somewhat reminiscent of his earlier Oscar winner, Mystic River, also about a missing child. One major difference is that rather than being adapted from a novel, Changeling has its basis on an actual event, a fact that makes the frustrating truth-seeking process extremely agonizing to watch. Angelina Jolie gives an outstanding performance as the distraught mother desperately trying to fight city hall. Watch for a nod at the Academy Awards. John Malkovich plays Collins’ staunch ally, political activist, Reverend Briegleb.

Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa (PG) It’s always a plus when a movie that is highly anticipated by the kids turns out to be a good time for the adults as well. Such is the case with this latest animated feature from DreamWorks. When zoo buddies Alex, Marty, Melman, King Julian, Gloria, and all of the assorted penguins and chimps escape from their Central Park Zoo home, they never expect to wind up marooned on the remote island shores of Madagascar. Leave it to the ingenious penguins to save the day by engineering an escape plan that gets the crew not to New York, but over the water to the wild plains of Africa. For the first time, the zoo gang gets to meet some wilder members of their species. It remains to be seen if Africa can ever replace their Central Park home.

The adventures are exciting, but not too scary. The humor occasionally leans to the crude side, but only mildly so. As far as comparison to the original film, DreamWorks pulls off quite a feat. The sequel is every bit as entertaining as Madagascar. Those mouthy little penguins still tend to steal the show—especially memorable is the scene where they negotiate a deal with the monkey union. Probably the most outstanding feature, other than the animation, is the fast pace of the dialogue and the non-stop humor. The voice over talent is loaded with top-notch comedic talent, including Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, Cedric the Entertainer and Sasha Baron Cohen talking for the leads. Bernie Mac fans will recognize, and perhaps shed a tear when they hear his familiar voice spoken by the lovable Zuba.