Nothing makes me sit up and pay attention the way I do when a film critic I admire and respect publishes a review in stark disagreement with my own feelings about a particular film. A couple of weeks ago, I posted my admiration for The Lives of Others<\/em>.<\/p>\n This week, J. Robert Parks really, really<\/em> disagrees<\/a>. And it\u2019s the kind of review that stirs things up. It\u2019s the kind of review that makes me want to go back, see it again, and wonder if I was completely duped. (Of course, I\u2019m even more arrested by the review because Parks is a friend of mine, and how I wish we could go out for a pint to discuss this matter\u2026.)<\/p>\n Most of the hubbub over Mike Binder\u2019s new film Reign Over Me <\/em>concerns Adam Sandler\u2019s surprising dramatic role. But Sandler\u2019s turn is really no surprise to those of us who saw and love Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s Punch-drunk Love<\/em>, in which Sandler showed remarkable range and subtlety. The guy has a very specific personality, and most of his comedies only pay attention to his clowning. Stronger, more discerning directors have caught his capacity to communicate loneliness, sadness, insecurity, explosive rage, and sensitivity.<\/p>\n Frankly, I\u2019m surprised there hasn\u2019t been more hubbub about this film over another issue entirely \u2026 its rather startling similarity to Terry Gilliam\u2019s The Fisher King<\/em>.<\/p>\n I fully expected to find Richard LaGravenese\u2019s name in the credits. LaGravenese wrote The Fisher King<\/em>, and Reign Over Me<\/em>, which was written by Binder himself, seems to have been modeled after that fantastic, madcap masterpiece.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s think this through:<\/p>\n Man who seems to have it all, and who has women throwing themselves at him, is played by distinguished actor.<\/span> (Check. Only this time it\u2019s Don Cheadle playing a well-to-do dentist \u2014 Alan Johnson \u2014 instead of Jeff Bridges as a famous DJ.)<\/p>\n That man is deeply, truly loved by a good woman\u2026 but he fails to appreciate it.<\/span> (Jada Pinkett Smith this time, instead of Mercedes Ruehl.)<\/p>\n The unappreciative dope stumbles into the life of an endearingly deranged man whose perceptions of reality have been thrown out of whack by a serious trauma.<\/span> (Check. This time, the trauma is 9\/11, not murder by shotgun. And this time, the man \u2014 Charlie Fineman \u2014 falls into a state of nostalgia and childish irresponsibility, caught in a case of arrested development, whereas The Fisher King<\/em>\u2018s Perry became convinced he was an Arthurian knight.)<\/p>\n That man is played by a talented comedian who is showing some powerful capacity for emotional, dramatic scenes.<\/span> (Check. Only this time it\u2019s Adam Sandler getting teary-eyed and pulling off the big emotional scenes, not Robin Williams.)<\/p>\n This damaged character runs about New York, generally discomforting, annoying, and surprising people with impetuous outbursts and childlike questions.<\/span> (Check. Only this time he\u2019s on a scooter.)<\/p>\n To give us a clear metaphor of his psychological struggle, the character faces off with an imagined monster.<\/span> <\/span>(Check. This time, the character regularly takes on a monster called \u201cthe Collossus\u201d in a video game, rather than \u201cThe Red Knight\u201d in his imagination.)<\/p>\n The damaged character lives in a messy apartment representative of his mental state.<\/span> <\/span>(Check.)<\/p>\n And the two men learn a great deal about each other, especially in a picturesque Chinese restaurant.<\/span> (Check.)<\/p>\n The tramatized, lonely man takes a liking to a similarly damaged female lunatic.<\/span> (Check. Saffron Burrows this time, not Amanda Plummer.)<\/p>\n Smitten, he hides and peers at her from around corners while she walks.<\/span> (<\/span>Check.)<\/p>\n And the film moves toward the possibility of a romance between them.<\/span> (Check, although in The Fisher King <\/em>it was a thrilling romance, whereas here it is cause for alarm.)<\/p>\n I could go on and on, but that really wouldn\u2019t be fair to Reign Over Me<\/em>. Whether Binder\u2019s deliberately paying tribute to Gilliam\u2019s film or not, he means well, and the result is a thoughtful, awkward, ultimately unsatisfying film.<\/p>\n The film\u2019s chief virtues are its lead actors: Adam Sandler creates a gives a surprisingly three-dimepowerful dramatic performance, and Don Cheadle in a dignifed turn (even if his character does make a lot of implausible and even outrageous decisions along the way.)<\/p>\n As Alan and Charlie get to know each other, they have some amusing conversations, but nothing has the energy or zip that made Gilliam\u2019s film such a hoot and a holler. When Charlie finally finds the courage to acknowledge what has happened to him, Sandler gives the scene unexpected power\u2026 and he does this by showing admirable restraint. I had tears in my eyes.<\/p>\n But too many confounding turns and changes in tone keep us off balance, so that it fails to cohere gracefully into a meaningful whole. A courtroom scene near the end is awkward and even ridiculous, and the romance budding near the conclusion shows very poor judgment on the part of the therapist played by Liv Tyler (who is, as usual, charming).<\/p>\n The movie\u2019s a mess, but not a mess without merit. It\u2019s worth seeing for Sandler, and for the moments when the characters come to life with heart, detail, and emotion. Further, it\u2019s surprisingly unsentimental in exploring the ravaged emotional territory of a trauma victim.<\/p>\n \u201cReign Over Me<\/em> hits on poignant, profound themes that make you think,\u201d says Todd Hertz<\/a> (CT Movies). This movie will lead to great discussions. Christians will see several ideas and thoughts reflected from the Bible. And Charlie\u2019s attitudes, emotional traps and side effects of grief may remind any audience of hurting loved ones \u2014 or themselves. After the film, you may think of hurting friends you need to call. I did. You may feel the need to talk to your spouse about what you want for them if you pass on first. I did. There are just so many provocative truths.\u201d<\/p>\n And he goes on to point out many of them.<\/p>\n Jenn Wright (Past the Popcorn<\/a>) testifies, \u201c[Y]ou could hear a pin drop in the standing-room-only downtown Seattle theater. Mike Binder \u2026 held the audience completely captive with both an astounding story and outstanding performances on all counts.\u201d<\/p>\n She continues, \u201cWhile there have been several films in recent years with either major plots or subplots based on the 9\/11 tragedies, Binder opts for a more subtle yet more deeply moving approach, using the attacks a \u201cThe suddenness and scope of Charlie\u2019s loss give Reign Over Me<\/em> its deep sense of sorrow,\u201d says Christian Hamaker<\/a> (Crosswalk), \u201cbut the family and professional struggles of the film\u2019s other protagonist, Alan, tap into a larger sense of human disconnectedness. \u2026 The characters in Reign Over Me<\/em> do not look heavenward for help, but the movie\u2019s joy is in its story of old friends reunited \u2013 in what that friendship means for one man\u2019s ability to face reality, and for the other\u2019s realization of the blessings he\u2019s already been given.\u201d<\/p>\n Bob Hoose<\/a> of Focus on the Family says, \u201c[T]he film talks of the rewards of committed friendship and the precious value of family and marriage. It\u2019s a good message. But it\u2019s sandblasted by a different sort of grit altogether that does nothing to clean, preserve, expose character or even provoke thought: totally unnecessary foul language and crude sexual innuendo.\u201d<\/p>\n But Harry Forbes<\/a> at the Catholic News Service calls it \u201ca singularly offbeat, albeit poignantly etched, buddy film\u2026. [Binder] orchestrates too languid a pace, and the result is not as persuasive, despite obvious good intentions. But Sandler pulls off a difficult part with distinction, Cheadle is likable and the above-average supporting cast \u2026 are all good in their brief roles.\u201d<\/p>\n Anthony Lane<\/a> (New Yorker) sums up the film\u2019s observation like this: \u201cWithout the will to remember, the movie suggests, there can be no will to live.\u201d<\/p>\n J.R. Jones<\/a> (Chicago Reader<\/em>) says, \u201cBinder \u2026 is unusually skilled at modulating between the comic and the tragic, and though the pain of this 9\/11 story doesn\u2019t pierce as deeply as it should, the laughs are consistently humane. \u2026 The story begins to creak badly in the last act, but both Cheadle and Sandler are funny and poignant throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds, \u201cThat is an unusually gloomy proposition not just for a studio movie but for a society that, despite the acts and sites of official commemoration, must find good cause to forge ahead from catastrophe. Reign Over Me<\/em> closes with, at best, a cautious hope, leaving us more anxious than when we went in, and throughout the film there is a stunned and bewildered air hanging over the city, like a heavy smog.\u201d<\/p>\n But Stephanie Zacharek<\/a> (Salon) doesn\u2019t give the film that much credit. \u201cIn Reign Over Me<\/em>, 9\/11 victimhood is for everyone: You can feel the exhilaration of recovery without going to the trouble of suffering the pain that necessitates it in the first place. \u2026 [It\u2019s] a very gentle picture, intended to soothe us, not to jolt or shock us. But it\u2019s so gentle that it lacks any discernible energy\u201d<\/p>\n The Rotten Tomatoes<\/a> rating is hovering at about 65% positive.<\/p>\n Terrence Howard and Bernie Mac star in Pride<\/em>, this week\u2019s inspirational sports movie. Howard plays Jim Ellis, who\u2026 well, almost any review you look up will give you the basics, along with an assessment as to whether this film rises above its formulaic structure, flounders, or drowns within it.<\/p>\n \u201cPride<\/em> is a silk ascot wrapped around an ear of corn,\u201d says Matt Zoller Seitz<\/a> (New York Times<\/em>). \u201cStock elements include a saintly, tough-love coach; an outwardly cynical lieutenant \u2026 who is a closet idealist; and a naysayer \u2026 who is converted by the hero\u2019s sexy decency. \u2026 The movie serves up the expected ratio of setbacks to triumphs and closes with video footage of the real Jim Ellis. But when sinewy young idealists glide through water to the tune of \u2018I\u2019ll Take You There,\u2019 the heart still leaps.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPride<\/em> has its heart in the right place,\u201d says Peter T. Chattaway<\/a> (CT Movies), \u201cbut it is so eager to conform to the demands of its genre that it misses the opportunity to explore the more unique aspects of swimming, and to follow the metaphorical potential of swimming wherever it might have led.\u201d<\/p>\n Jenn Wright<\/a> (Past the Popcorn) writes, \u201cPride<\/em> fails miserably in both direction and plot, which is rather unfortunate considering that the real-life story behind it is probably at least somewhat interesting (a trait the movie fails to express).\u201d<\/p>\n Bob Hoose<\/a> (Plugged In) says, \u201cSure, it\u2019s formulaic to a fault, with a coach who faces impossible odds, falls on his kisser in embarrassment, then somehow raises a phoenix from the ashes and tries to win the big one. But this story also has something we haven\u2019t seen a lot of lately \u2014 adults who want to hold young people accountable and teach them of respect and hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n But he adds, \u201cThat\u2019s not to say Pride <\/em>doesn\u2019t also flail around in the deep end of the pool.\u201d<\/p>\n Frank Lovece<\/a> (CNS) says, \u201cOnce you get past the generic title, Pride<\/em> proves an engagingly inspirational, true-life tale\u2026. The emotion-tugging efficiency applied by Zimbabwe-born director Sunu Gonera, a veteran of Coca-Cola and Nike commercials, serves this period piece well.\u201d<\/p>\n Probably the most interesting piece I\u2019ve read on Shooter<\/em>, the new action-thriller from Antoine Fuqua, comes from Peter Chattaway<\/a> at his blog, where he finds Mark Wahlberg pondering what he would do if he found himself in the same situation as the movie\u2019s main character. Do Wahlberg\u2019s Catholicism and the character\u2019s vengeful, violent ethics align?<\/p>\n Lisa Rice<\/a> at Crosswalk says, \u201cFuqua does a masterful job of making audiences feel that uncomfortable combination of jittery, anxious, exhausted, and angry \u2013 while simultaneously making us care deeply for a young patriot. \u2026 The theme of the movie is conspiracy, and though the protagonist is clearly patriotic, the unnerving message is that it\u2019s all a grand conspiracy, and no one in high places is to be trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026 Fuqua takes things to extremes,\u201d reports Focus on the Family\u2019s Bob Smithouser<\/a>. \u201cThat includes violence, language \u2026 and an extreme need for audiences to suspend disbelief. Indeed, Shooter<\/em> is one of the most testosterous movies of the year so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Testosterous? Smithouser explains that it\u2019s his word for \u201caction flicks that are both preposterous and teeming with testosterone.\u201d<\/p>\n He conc<\/p>\n ludes, \u201c[I]t\u2019s hard to say which felt more unsettling upon reflection, that violence or the movie\u2019s validation of vengeance, wholesale disrespect for government and endorsement of vigilante justice.\u201d<\/p>\n Frank Lovece<\/a> at CNS says, \u201cFuqua \u2026 keeps the grimly photographed action brisk, and the plot twists mostly convincing. If you think about it too hard, the core conspiracy doesn\u2019t make much sense and so it\u2019s to the filmmaker\u2019s credit that one is focused on the political intrigue and \u2018MacGyver\u2019-like improvisations on the way to the big blowout.\u201d<\/p>\n Do you still care about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Did you ever?<\/p>\n YES!! said moviegoers this week, making TMNT the new box office champion.<\/p>\n But that doesn\u2019t mean the film is a good one\u2026 even by Ninja Turtle standards\u2026 according to film critics who sat through it.<\/p>\n The one and only Josh Hurst<\/a> (CT Movies) says, \u201c\u2026 [N]ot many viewers are likely to care; the uninitiated will be bored because, frankly, it\u2019s not that great of a story, while long-time TMNT fans will quickly become distracted by the fact that the movie makes minimal effort to recapture the tone and humor of the series.\u201d<\/p>\n Lindy Keffer<\/a> at Focus on the Family\u2019s Plugged In says she\u2019s impressed by the new-fangled animation. \u201cNot much else has changed, though. Not the spiritual undertones. And especially not the omnipresent martial-arts violence that can\u2014and often does\u2014lead to imitation by young human ninja wannabes. The turtles say, \u2018I hate it when brothers fight \u2026 Unless it\u2019s together!\u2019 Parents are liable to respond, \u2018Does together make it better?'\u201d<\/p>\n But John P. McCarthy<\/a> (CNS) seems excited about it: \u201cWith exciting computer-generated animation, the terrapin crime-fighters\u2019 fourth movie successfully balances action and humor while enforcing positive values. \u2026 Lessons concerning teamwork and appreciating an individual\u2019s strengths and weaknesses are conveyed in a relatively substantive manner. There\u2019s also a message about the importance of forgiveness and atoning for one\u2019s past behavior.\u201d<\/p>\n Producer Robert Shaye has returned to the director\u2019s chair for the family-fare fantasy film The Last Mimzy. And the chair doesn\u2019t fit him, according to critics.<\/p>\n \u201cIf The Last Mimzy <\/em>proves nothing else, it is that Robert Shaye should stick to his day job,\u201d says Peter T. Chattaway<\/a> (CT Movies). \u2026 [J]ust because Shaye has the power of life and death over films made by other people, it doesn\u2019t necessarily follow that he would be a good filmmaker himself. \u2026. [This film is] an exceedingly loopy children\u2019s sci-fi story that evokes memories of E.T.<\/em>, 2001: A Space Odyssey<\/em>, and A.I. Artificial Intelligence<\/em>, but is probably closer in spirit to the half-baked techno-mysticism of What the Bleep Do We Know?<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Greg Wright (Past the Popcorn<\/a>) writes that the film is \u201cset up, explained, and evangelized through a prism of Tibetan spirituality. \u2026 I\u2019m not overemphasizing this aspect of the film, by the way. No, Shaye manages to do that well enough on his own, making Mimzy <\/em>as much an evangelistic exercise as, say, Facing the Giants<\/em>. Fair warning. And the film is so strident in its spiritual fervor, advocating a single-minded obedience to one\u2019s dreams, that it almost frightened me.\u201d<\/p>\n Christa Banister<\/a> at Crosswalk says, \u201cWhile a movie with a stuffed bunny as a central character may seem innocuous enough, the masterminds behind The Last Mimzy<\/em> showcase a Hollywood brand of spirituality that\u2019s not particularly subtle as everything from Buddhism<\/a> to astrology to new age philosophies get major screen time. \u2026 Of course, none of these beliefs are embraced exclusively, as they\u2019re all woven throughout the course of the film. But they\u2019re all presented in a matter meant to be enticing to children, whether they\u2019re talking about magical crystals, palm reading, levitation or the universe speaking to you.\u201d<\/p>\n Lindy Keffer (Plugged In<\/a>) considers the different fantasy elements that might become dangerous if children take them too seriously. \u201cBoth Eastern mysticism \u2026 and atheistic naturalism \u2026 are dangerous philosophies. They\u2019re both concepts too big for most children to fully grasp, but ones that permeate our pluralistic society. So the challenge is to find age-appropriate ways to instill truth and weed out error. \u2026 Does The Last Mimzy <\/em>do that? No. Certainly not by itself.\u201d<\/p>\n In spite of these responses, The Catholic News Service applauds the movie. Harry Forbes<\/a> (CNS) says \u201cShaye \u2026 proves a capable director. The children, especially Wryn, are adorable. Though the narrative is an odd blend of New Age mysticism and Eastern mumbo jumbo \u2014 albeit with an admirable pro-environment message \u2014 The Last Mimzy<\/em> should hold the interest of most kids and even their parents.\u201d<\/p>\n So\u2026 that\u2019s the response from religious-press film critis. But some mainstream critics<\/a> are finding themselves pleased, even enthusiastic about Mimzy<\/em>.<\/p>\n Ed Gonzalez<\/a> (Slant) raves, \u201c\u2026 [A]s the film builds to its nail-biting conclusion, the children will have connected with the War on Terror and foreign philosophical belief systems in the interest of mankind\u2019s salvation. In the process, messages both big and small are pushed (about familial love and keeping hope alive in times of crisis), none more heartening than its belief that children are more than our futures, there are keys to it.\u201d<\/p>\n Steven Isaac<\/a> (Plugged In) says, \u201cWe concluded our review of The Hills Have Eyes <\/em>with, \u2018The film\u2019s tagline is \u2018The lucky ones died first.\u2019 It would better read, \u2018The smart ones never bought tickets.\u201d Since the tagline for The Hills Have Eyes II<\/em> only changed slightly to \u2018The lucky ones died fast,\u2019 I\u2019ll only slightly change our conclusion for this sloppy, futile exercise in gruesome butchery: \u2018The smart ones learned their lesson the first time.'\u201d<\/p>\n The USCCB<\/a> calls it \u201can equally repellant sequel. \u2026 Director Martin Weisz does a decent job of incorporating the landscape into the bloody game of survival, but it\u2019s impossible to make the gratuitous gore palatable and audience members can shut their eyes or wave a white flag of surrender at the projectionist.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/imagecache2.allposters.com\/images\/pic\/HPO\/reignonme_b~Reign-Over-Me-Posters.jpg\")
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\nReign Over Me<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
\ns
\na way to explore how people grieve, how they handle tragedy, and how they try to help each other when nothing can take away the pain.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/imagecache2.allposters.com\/images\/pic\/CIN\/pride~Pride-Posters.jpg\")
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\nPride<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bp2.blogger.com\/_NvoWyvj4g6k\/RgmUsC0TOgI\/AAAAAAAAADU\/8qTHadnE1eQ\/s200\/shooter.jpg\")
<\/a>
\nShooter<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/movies\/reviews\/2007\/images\/tmnt-poster.jpg\")
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\nTMNT<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/movies\/reviews\/2007\/images\/lastmimzy-poster.jpg\")
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\nThe Last Mimzy<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n
\nor the Time of the Return<\/span><\/em>
\nand
\nMake Way for Tomorrow<\/span><\/em><\/div>\n