We Own the Night

Directed by: James Gray
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendes, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Duvall, Alex Veadov
Running Time: 1h 57min

We Own the Night is a rather traditional cop/crook drama, with a nice family twist to it all. Phoenix plays one of Duvall's sons, the prodigal one that got into the fast life of party scenes, drugs and nightclubs. He feels equally at home with the scene's elder statesmen and is as much a part of their family than he is his own. Wahlberg plays his brother, who follows their father's footsteps in the police department, making Phoenix's lifestyle seem like a blight on the family.

When the squeeze comes down on the nightclub revelers, it puts all family members in a compromisable position. Loyalties are questioned, tested and betrayed and well played by the cast. Phoenix and Wahlberg can play explosive with ease, but their ability to play tenderness as well makes this film rise above its obviousness. Mendes also gets to play more than eye candy, but is better at conveying deliciousness than seriousness. Duvall is his usual good self.

Another factor that puts this film above the regular cop fare is how the director plays with sound and perspective during the action scenes. The usual shootouts have stylistic flavour, opting for a realistic POV of one character over the typical gunfire. By blocking out sound or forcing the camera to take a disoriented perspective, it makes the action seem more real, which really ups the consequences and ramifications the violence has on the family at the centre of the action. Without this interesting directorial take and the solid acting, We Own the Night would be very run of the mill, a Goodfellas wannabe. However, it makes a place for itself in the cop genre and is worth a rental.

Grade: B-

No Reservations

Directed by: Scott Hicks
Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson
Running Time: 1h 44min

A cute, culinary romance with two decent lead actors that have good chemistry. Zeta-Jones' uptight OCD chef has to learn to loosen up when an accident places her neice (Breslin) in her care and causes her boss (Clarkson) to hire a Sous-Chef (Eckhart) with a zest for life.

Like the entire romantic comedy genre, No Reservations is utterly predictable. However, Zeta-Jones is spicy enough to allow us to savour the taste of a familiar dish, and Eckhart continues to prove that he can take the most bland roles and put a twist on them that's equally enjoyable and believable. He is comfortable playing a supporting role to a complex woman, as he did exceptionally well in Erin Brockovich. It's a shame he isn't starring in more interesting films, not directed by Neil LaBute.

Like the summer of 2007's other culinary centred treat, Ratatouille, this film doesn't forget to feature the food, and does a good job presenting the kitchen as a combat zone, where time and technique can be the difference between success and disaster. It also reminds us that sometimes what fills us up is more delightful than what others may think looks good to us. Even though all the ingredients to a romantic comedy remain the same in this film, there's something about the way they're mixed that makes it go down easy.

Grade: C+

Across the Universe

Directed by: Julie Taymor
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther, Joe Cocker, Bono, Eddie Izzard, Salma Hayek
Running Time: 2h 11min

Faith had me holding out that this would turn into something more than a mix mash of Beatles music videos, slowed down to excruciating speed and bled of all warmth and harmony. Instead, the story continues to unravel into splintering ideas and concepts, destroying any hope for any unifying story, while butchering one Lennon-McCartney classic after another.

Granted, there are some interesting visuals, and some nice takes on the Fab Four's catalogue, yet none of the revisions come close to the originals, ruining any effect the interesting set design and production could have brought to the source material. It would have been better if the original recordings could have been used, so not to distract from Taymor's attempt to visualize some of pop's most beloved compositions. Still, the tunes are so great, you'd expect that you couldn't go wrong, yet Taymor and company continue to prove that they can and will destroy such treasures.

Even Bono, probably as big as the Beatles in this day and age, manages to screw up his rendition of "I Am the Walrus", inviting comparisons of Across the Universe to the equally horrible Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film staring various rockers from the seventies. The only saving grace for Across the Universe is Taymor's set pieces that harken back to her theatrical stage production days, when the film tries less to be a dramatic narrative/faux documentary and embraces a more musical design in spirit, visual choreography, and outlandish lighting and costumes. In these moments, the film reaches for high art, but it all comes crashing down like the final chord of "A Day in the Life", once the actors try singing like they are reading a script, and the tempo is slowed to a crawl. There are too many misses than hits to recommend this to anyone, Beatles fan or someone new to the material.

Grade: D+