In most romantic comedies, there is one simple issue to be resolved: Will they or won’t they get together, and can the lovebirds overcome the fairly predictable obstacles to their climactic clinch? James L. Brooks’ How Do You Know is impressive first of all because there are so many other questions that enrich the romantic conundrum. The story begins when Lisa (Reese Witherspoon), who has devoted her whole life to sports, is cut from the …
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Telluride—Two years ago Danny Boyle held the first public screening of “Slumdog Millionaire” at the Telluride Film Festival. The rest, as they say, is history. Boyle was determined to complete his new film, “127 Hours,” in time for this year’s festival, and it premiered to loud ovations—and a few squeals of terror—over the weekend. Boyle knew he had a narrow window of opportunity to take advantage of the worldwide success of “Slumdog,” and he decided …
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Bottom Line: Lugubrious study of the perils of genetic engineering.
TELLURIDE — Mark Romanek’s “Never Let Me Go” is definitely an art object, but is it a work of art? Expertly acted, impeccably photographed, intelligently written, even intermittently touching, the film is also too parched and ponderous to connect with a large audience. Fox Searchlight is hoping for awards consideration for the adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s acclaimed novel, but this will depend on the reviews, which …
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Bottom Line: Strong cast and solid script are undermined by hyperactive direction.
By now there have been so many classic heist movies that it’s hard to imagine a fresh variation on the theme, but the genre never quite loses its appeal to filmmakers or audiences. Although “Takers” pales alongside “Rififi”or “The Killing,” it’s a serviceable B-movie that will do decent business during the dog days of August.
A gang of five high-living bank robbers (Paul Walker, Idris …
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Bottom Line: Fresh slant on a typically French romantic triangle.
TAORMINA, Sicily — A few memorable films, including Carol Reed’s “The Fallen Idol” and Joseph Losey’s “The Go-Between,” have observed complex adult relationships through the eyes of a naive child. Renaud Bertrand’s “Nous Trois” can be added to this short but distinguished list. With attractive stars Emmanuelle Beart and Stefano Accorsi in the leading roles, the picture should appeal to an enterprising distributor. But it will …
