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in the slums of Mumbai and on the
uncomfortable tuture-chic stage of the
Indian TV show “Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire?,’ Slumdog Millionaire,
winner of the Golden Globe for Best
Drama, would be a near perfect adapta
tion of that unwritten classic from
one of literature’s most popular mack
daddies.
STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND
OF CHUN-LI (PG-13) This early
contender for worst movie of the year
wouldn't be vying for the title had
it gone straight to DVD like a well-
behaved bad movie should.
SUNSET BOULEVARD (NR) 1950
Billy Wilder is one of my favorite direc
tors from Hollywood's golden years,
and Sunset BouievarO remains one
of his best. A struggling screenwriter
(William Holden) becomes the kept
man of fading silent film star Norma
Desmond (Gloria Swanson).
TAKEN (PG-13) Recently retired ■pre
venter." Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson).
has given up his dangerous, globetrot
ting profession to be closer to his
teenaged daughter. Kim (Maggie Grace,
“Lost"). Shortly after turning 17, Kim
asks her dad for permission to travel
to Paris for the summer Well aware
otthe dangers lurking in the shadows
of the City of Lights. Bryan reticently
agrees. You can easily imagine how
this vengeful mission goes, but direc
tor Morel makes-the trip feel fresh and
new. It's a quick, tough movie that your
parents might even enjoy thanks to Ihe
toned-down. PG-13 violence.
TWILIGHT (PG-13) Fortunately.
Twilight isn't the unmitigated disaster
I anticipated. Thanks to a writer and
director who took the Romeo and Juliet
courtship of a vampire and a human
seriously, the film rises above giggle-
inducing dialogue, groan-inducing
vampire super-speed and strength, and
a simplistic makeup-and-snarl depic
tion of its central monsters.
TWO LOVERS (R) Director James
Gray’s Brooklyn-set coming-ot-age film
deaisVith the romantic conundrum
laced by Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin
Phoenix), a 30-something bachelor
who lives at home with his parents.
Does he go for Sandra (Vinessa Shaw),
the daughter of his father’s business
associate, or does he try to break out
on his own with his new neighbor
(Gwyneth Paltrow)?
UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE
LYCANS (R) Probably the best entry
in this underwhelming franchise,
Underworld: Rise of the iycans won't
win any new fans but should please
those already in like with the eternal
war between vampire and werewolf.
THE UNINVITED (PG-13) The ghost
of Anna Rydell's (Emily Browning) dead
mother warns her that her father’s new
girlfriend, Rachel (Elizabeth Banks),
isn't what she seems to be. I won’t hold
The Uninviteds being a remake of A
Tale of Two Sisters against it consider
ing the connection is pretty tenuous.
The British Guard brothers (Thomas
and Charles) make their feature direct
ing debut with this PG-13 horror flick.
With David Strathairn and Arielle
Kebbel (The Grudge 2).
UNNATURAL CAUSES (NR) The
2009 Unnatural Causes Film and
Discussion Series will address the
inequities and discrimination that exist
in American healthcare. "In Sickness
and in Wealth’ leads off the series with
a look at the lives of four Louisville. KY
residents.
WALTZ WITH BASHIR (R) A lead
ing contender for Ihe recent Academy
Award for Best Foreign Language
Film (it lost to Departures but won the
Golden Globe, as well as five Israeli
Film Academy Awards). Ari Folmans
animated documentary on Israel's
early-’80s invasion of Lebanon is
certainly the most original war movie
I've ever seen. A shocking, painful,
original experience, the animated Waltz
with Bashir will leave an indelible mark
upon its audience.
WATCHMEN (R) Watchmen is not
the greatest comic book movie of all
time, yet considering the height of its
twin measuring sticks (its own source
material and The Dark Knight), such
expectations may have been too great
to begin with. A vicious hard R-rating
and a deep philosophical cynicism
practically ensure its failure as a box
office juggernaut and award contender.
Watchmen—a perfect capstone for the
present superhero renaissance—has
been brought to beautiful, ambitious,
artistic, flawed and extremely watchable
(again and again) life.
WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE (NR)
2006. In “When the Levees Broke:
A Requiem in Four Acts.’ Spike Lee
takes a long look at the United States
government's role in and response
to Hurricane Katrina. Part of the
2009 African American Film Festival
Sponsored by the Institute for African
American Studies.
WHEN A WOMAN ASCENDS THE
STAIRS (NR) 1960. Keiko Yashiro
(Hideko Takamine) is a geisha known
as Mama. On the wrong side of 30. she
must decide what to do with her life.
Should she get married, become a kept
woman, or borrow money to buy a bar
of her own? Mikio Naruse's beautiful
classic examines this still-thriving
profession with all its promises and
pitfalls. Part of the Japanese Film
Festival at UGA supported by the
Center for Asian Studies and the Japan
Foundation.
THE WRESTLER (R) The Wrestler
leaves 2008's squared circle with the
championship belt held high in the
air as blood streams down its face.
No other film matched its virtuality, its
seeming recreation of a real person.
Drew Wheeler
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