“I was born under unusual circumstances.” And so begins “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” adapted from the 1920s story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born in his eighties and ages backwards: a man, like any of us, who is unable to stop time. We follow his story, set in New Orleans from the end of World War I in 1918, into the 21st century, following his journey that is as unusual as any man’s life can be. (2 hrs. 47 min.)
Set in London, this romantic comedy stars Dustin Hoffman as Harvey Shine, a divorced and haggard jingle-writer quickly aging out of his career and workaholic ways. With a warning from his boss (Richard Schiff) to not bother rushing back, Harvey goes to London, begrudgingly, for his daughter’s wedding, fielding that work calls the whole time he’s there. When Harvey greets his estranged daughter, Susie (Liane Balaban), it becomes clear just how far away he’s grown from his family. The film never spells out in exactly what ways Harvey was a bad father, but it is clear he missed the boat when Susie asks her stepfather (James Brolin) to give her away. As Harvey leaves his heartbreak at the ceremony for an emergency work call, he misses his flight and gets fired. While nursing a whiskey at the airport bar, Harvey bumps into Kate (Emma Thompson), an airport employee escaping her own bad day with a glass of wine and a book. Suddenly taken by Kate’s British charm, a tipsy Harvey bombards her with tales of his trouble. This unlikely trading of sob stories leads to lunch, a walk around London, and a day of unexpected romance.
Thompson is charming as Kate, a lonely middle-age woman struggling to deal with her mother’s constant prying into her life. Despite not having had the best of luck in romance, Kate is an optimist at heart, and it’s this spark for life that attracts Harvey and ultimately helps repair his image in his daughter’s eyes. Never showy or too ambitious, Joel Hopkins’s slow-paced romance twists old clichés to suit a more adult audience. While not groundbreaking in its plot, LAST CHANCE HARVEY is saved by great performances from the always-solid Hoffman and the incredibly charming Thompson, who makes an otherwise familiar story feel fresh. (1 hr. 39 min.)
F.W. Murnau’s German silent classic is the original and some say scariest DRACULA adaptation, taking Bram Stoker’s novel and turning it into a haunting, shadowy dream full of dread. Count Orlok, the rodentlike vampire frighteningly portrayed by Max Schreck, is perhaps the most animalistic screen portrayal of a vampire ever filmed. The design was copied by Werner Herzog in his 1979 remake and by Tobe Hooper for his telefilm of Stephen King’s SALEM’S LOT that same year. Names had to be changed from the novel when Stoker’s wife charged his novel was being filmed without proper permission. Running times vary depending upon versions of the film. NOSFERATU is an eerie, menacing film that should not be missed. (1 hr. 34 min.)
A young recruit aspires to become the top fighter pilot in the prestigious naval training school he attends. (1 hr. 50 min.)
From the production team that brought you HAPPY GILMORE and BILLY MADISON comes this amiable, foul-mouthed “nature” comedy. Steve Zahn–sporting his best burned-out surfer dude drawl–leads a ragtag crew of wasted nature documentarians deep into the Ecuadorian forest on a quest for the legendary Bigfoot. Constantly being rousted for their drunken ineptitude and ill-informed voiceover narrations, the boys need a break to boost their ratings and Bigfoot might be it; all they have to do is remember to load the camera and not get eaten (especially by a certain turkey). Allen Covert, SUPERBAD’s Jonah Hill, Justin Long, and Kevin Heffernan are the crew. Harry Hamlin is a rival bigfoot tracker. Ashley Scott (INTO THE BLUE) provides the ubiquitous foxy babe interest. Ernest Borgnine, Robert Patrick, and Joe Don Baker show up in bit parts. A sort of low-rent LIFE AQUATIC, WILDERNESS is such a fall-down farce that viewers might forget they’re not cracking jokes while watching ANIMAL PLANET with their cronies instead of seeing a real movie, but maybe that’s a good thing. Former SNL scribe Fred Wolf (JOE DIRT) directs, keeping it as ramshackle and rough around the edges as the law will allow. STRANGE WILDERNESS may not be pretty, but it earns a load of laughs through its sheer mullet-headed recklessness. (1 hr. 25 min.)
Mel Gibson directs and stars in this Academy Award-winning epic based on the life of legendary thirteenth century Scottish hero William Wallace. Returning to his homeland following the death of an heirless king, Wallace (Mel Gibson) finds the political landscape precarious. Edward the Longshanks, King of England (Patrick McGoohan), has captured Scotland’s throne and threatens the freedom of all Scottish people, as tyrannical policies instituted by the English plague the Scots. Initially, Wallace is content to stand by the wayside, yearning for the simple life of building a home and raising a family. However, when the woman he loves (Catherine McCormack) suffers a cruel fate at the hands of English soldiers, Wallace takes a stand against the new rule. With his fierce patriotism and determination, he gathers an amateur but passionately rebellious army. Although this makeshift force may be outnumbered by the English troops, their desperation and love for their land surpass any military maneuvers, as evidenced in the film’s breathtaking battle sequences. (2 hrs. 59 min.)
The ‘Highlander’ saga continues, with Mario Van Peebles joining the action as a villain. Christopher Lambert reprises his role as Connor MacLeod, the ancient Scotsman. Van Peebles is Kane, an ancient fighter who seeks revenge for being imprisoned for 400 years. (1 hr. 39 min.)
Based on the bestselling series of children’s fantasy novels of the same name by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES follows the adventures of the Grace family, newly transplanted from New York City to an inherited home in the remote New England woods. Angry with his mother (Mary-Louise Parker) about the move, the sulky Jared (Freddie Highmore) begin to explore the strange old house, and discovers a magical tome written by his great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn). Soon Jared and his twin brother, Simon (also played by Highmore with the aid of seamless special effects), are drawn into a realm of goblins, boggarts, and ogres–a reality that coexists with the human world. By the time the boys’ older sister, Mallory (Sarah Bolger), is in on their secret, the siblings are steeped in a conflict with the evil shape-shifting ogre Mulgarath (Nick Nolte), who will stop at nothing to get Spiderwick’s book.
Directed by Mark Waters (THE HOUSE OF YES, MEAN GIRLS) and scripted in part by lauded filmmaker John Sayles (THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH), SPIDERWICK succeeds as an engaging kid-oriented movie that also offers up genuine thrills and chills for adults. Highmore and Bolger impressively mask their British and Irish accents, respectively, and display a convincing brother/sister bond, while Martin Short and Seth Rogen provide comic relief as the voices of unlikely CGI allies. Intentionally smaller in scope than other like-minded literary adaptations such as THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and THE GOLDEN COMPASS, SPIDERWICK is rooted in a beautifully earthy, antique aesthetic that provides the perfect setting for its likable protagonists and bizarre-yet-naturalistic creatures. (1 hr. 37 min.)
In a small Wisconsin town, a meteor crashes to the ground, releasing thousands of spiders. As bodies begin to pile up, and the townsfolk attempt to come to terms with what is happening, it’s discovered that the meteor is the site of a link to another universe from which a giant spider is controlling its minions on Earth! This low-budget cult favorite, stars Alan Hale, Jr. (GILLIGAN’S ISLAND) and Barbara Hale (PERRY MASON). (1 hr. 16 min.)
A regular ladies man (McConaughey) bets his friends (Goldberg, Lennon) that he can stay in a relationship for more than 10 days. Unluckily for him, however, the girl (Hudson) that he picks just happens to try to get rid of him almost immediately. (1 hr. 56 min.)