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Review: ATL (2006)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on March 30, 2006.

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'ATL' intriguing yet vacant

Just when you thought the world had run out of rap stars to put in movies, here comes ATL, starring Southern black rapper T.I. Yet unlike recent films starring musicians, which have only really served as propaganda for their stars' music, ATL takes a more profound look at the issues affecting black urban teens.

Set in South Atlanta, the film follows Rashad (T.I.), an African-American teen struggling to keep up with his responsibilities. He looks after his brother, Ant (Evan Ross), has a job as a janitor and spends most of his free time hanging out with friends at the local roller skating rink. But when love enters his life in the form of New-New (Lauren London), he falls into a web of lies and distrust in which everyone around him has something to hide.

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonMarch 30, 2006ATL, Lauren London, Mykelti Williamson, T.I., Tip HarrisComment

Review: American Dreamz (2006)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on March 17, 2006.

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'American Dreamz' more dream than reality

Just when you thought Hollywood had run out of originality, behold: a film involving a Broadway-obsessed terrorist who randomly bursts into song. Now there's something you don't see every day. But it's a key element of Universal's American Dreamz, which takes a satirical look at American politics and culture and isn't your typical comedy.

The plot is indeed as dream-like as they come -- the recently re-elected President (Dennis Quaid) wakes up one morning and decides to read the newspaper, only to discover that he's completely out of touch with what's happening in the world. So he holes up for a few weeks reading every newspaper and book he can get his hands on and then becomes a guest host on the reality show American Dreamz to boost his approval ratings. Hosted by Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant), the show has a variety of individuals, each competing to be the country's hottest new star. Among the favored to win are Sally (Mandy Moore), a crafty blonde bombshell who will do anything to win, and Omer, an Arab straight out of terrorist school assigned to assassinate the president during the show's finale. Need I say more?

Review: Running Scared (2006)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on February 24, 2006.

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'Running' at an explosive pace

Paul Walker seems intent on making a name for himself. Last week he gave us Eight Below, and this week he stars in the action flick Running Scared. But if the latter is any indication, movie-goers can look forward to finally getting out of the cinema "dry season" -- January and February -- which typically delivers little worth watching. This film is surprisingly good, believe it or not.

Walker stars as mobster Joey Gazelle who, instead of dispensing guns after a mob hits, hides them in his basement. When his son's best friend uses one of these guns to shoot his abusive stepfather, it's a race against time to find the weapon before the cops and the kingpins. Walker delivers his best performance yet, shedding his Keanu-esque woodenness for some genuine emotion.

The film's greatest flaw is it settles for hit-and-miss in regards to its story. Many characters are flat and caricatured, while others become, at best, two-dimensional. The plot has a variety of twists, some of which feel tacked on and contrived, but others add a surprising amount of emotion to an otherwise purely testosterone-driven film. For example, the movie's shining moment involves an emotional and thematic punch that left the audience literally cheering for more.

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonFebruary 24, 2006Paul Walker, Running Scared, Vera Farmiga, Wayne Kramer Comment

Review: Eight Below (2006)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on February 17, 2006.

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Eight cool dogs, one mediocre film

The first rule of studio filmmaking: If it made money once, it's worth doing again and again. It hasn't even been a month since Disney released Glory Road, but that doesn't faze the production company, which seems intent on capitalizing on every "inspirational true life event."

Disney's Eight Below claims to be "the most amazing story of [insert feel-good word here] ever told." Strange, I thought the last half dozen movies were supposed to be that too.

Poor marketing aside, Eight Below has the strongest plot concept of this type of film in years. Rather than focusing on people overcoming incredible obstacles, it revolves around a team of eight sled dogs that are left to fend for themselves in Antarctica during the winter. Their owner, Gerry Shepherd (Paul Walker), does everything in his power to get back to Antarctica to save them, but will he make it in time?

What do you think?

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonFebruary 17, 2006Eight Below, Jason Biggs, Paul Walker, sled dogsComment

Review: Nanny McPhee (2006)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on January 26, 2006.

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Kids will like this 'Nanny'

Nanny McPhee is not a movie for the average college student; however, in terms of kids' flicks, it's a fairly good film that most adults should at least find tolerable, if not entertaining.

It has been 10 years since Emma Thompson's last venture into feature film writing (Sense and Sensibility), but if this adaptation of the Nurse Matilda book series is any indication, she still has a knack for it. Thompson stars as a snaggletoothed nanny who uses magic to teach a family of seven children how to behave. It's Mary Poppins for the Harry Potter generation, but luckily this film manages to distance itself enough from its predecessor to emerge as a unique movie that kids are sure to enjoy.

This film has "fairy tale" written all over it. From a house with neon walls, to a dancing donkey, magic spells and Raleigh-esque weather, there are a variety of fantasy elements that serve to transport the viewer into a world that looks as if it came directly from the mind of a child. Thompson doesn't bother to explain the details of why certain things are how they are, and this will probably annoy the more mature viewers. But these vague intricacies won't be noticed by the film's intended audience -- children between the ages of five and ten.

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonJanuary 26, 2006Colin Firth, Emma Thompson, Kelly Macdonald, Kirk Jones, Nanny McPheeComment

Review: Glory Road (2006)

Note: This article was originally published in Technician on January 13, 2006.

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'Glory Road' - well traveled

Struggling underdog team? Check. New coach? Check. Intense sports showdowns? Check. Racial discrimination? Check. Budding romance? Check.

Are you feeling inspired yet?

In its latest flick, Glory Road, Disney uses all those cliches and more in its quest to make yet another true-story sports movie about a team triumphing over obstacles that will make you feel warm and fuzzy enough to spend your money on it.

The film follows Texas Western coach Don Haskins in 1966 as he takes the first all-black starting lineup to the NCAA championship. Think Remember the Titans, but with college basketball, and not as good.

Indeed, the film seems content to steal situations and characters from every other sports movie in recent memory, as if combining them together will somehow make the story even more dramatic. There are unresolved subplots lifted from everything from Coach Carter to Finding Forrester. As a result, the characters are flat and the plot feels old and tired. And you know what? It is. When was the last time you saw a sports movie that wasn't about a team that "changed everything" in one way or another?

ReviewsAndrew JohnsonJanuary 13, 2006Disney, Don Haskins, Glory Road, Josh Lucas, basketballComment

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