This week at the movies, we’ve got twin turmoil (Jack and Jill, starring Adam Sandler and Katie Holmes), mythical mayhem (Immortals, starring Henry Cavill and Mickey Rourke), and a multifaceted fed (J. Edgar, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Armie Hammer). What do the critics have to say?
Adam Sandler’s got a winning formula — lowbrow yuks plus sentimentality equals box office gold — but critics say Jack and Jill may test the patience of even the most loyal of Sandman acolytes, as its jokes are even more juvenile than usual. Sandler stars as Jack, a successful ad executive whose obnoxious twin sister Jill (also played by Sandler) moves to town; hilarity ensues. The pundits say Jack and Jill‘s gags are remarkably crass, and its relentless mocking of Jill is surprisingly mean-spirited, though Al Pacino scores some big laughs parodying himself. (Check out this week’s Total Recall, in which we present a list of actors playing opposite themselves.)
Director Tarsem Singh certainly has a knack for eye-popping images, but critics say the problem with Immortals is that its attention to blood-soaked visual detail always trumps character development and storytelling. Henry Cavill stars as Theseus, a humble stonemason who vows revenge against the tyrannical King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) after the death of his mother, and soon our hero rounds up a posse to stop the tyrant and restore peace to the land. The pundits say Immortals looks great, but its silly dialogue and narrative shortcomings keep it from being an immersive sword and sandal thrill ride. (Check out co-star Freida Pinto’s Five Favorite Films.)
J. Edgar purports to explore the professional and personal life of influential (many would say too influential) FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, but critics say Clint Eastwood‘s admittedly handsome biopic is ultimately too vague a portrait of its controversial subject, despite a committed performance from Leonardo DiCaprio. J. Edgar chronicles Hoover’s tenure at the bureau, as well as his oft-rumored but never substantiated love affair with Associate FBI Director Clyde Tolson. The pundits say the trouble with J. Edgar is that it’s a bit too cautious — it ticks off the events of Hoover’s life without exploring his motives and feelings, though DiCaprio is typically strong.
Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, a drama about a battalion battling drug gangs and corruption in one of Rio’s toughest neighborhoods, is at 100 percent.
Werner Herzog‘s Into The Abyss, a documentary about a pair of murderers on death row for a triple homicide, is at 92 percent.
The Conquest, a fictional account of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s rise to power, is at 92 percent.
Lars von Trier‘s Melancholia, starring Kirsten Dunst as a psychologically damaged woman who’s also dealing with the earth’s potential annihilation, is Certified Fresh at 80 percent.
London Boulevard, starring Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell in a thriller about an ex-con who gets a job at the mansion of a reclusive actress, is at 30 percent.
The Greening Of Whitney Brown, starring Sammi Hanratty and Aidan Quinn in a family-friendly drama about a popular middle schooler whose family is forced to move to a rural farm, is at 14 percent.
