Up to 75 words now.
Now Playing: The Sunday Night Review
All right, so the 50-word thing didn't work out so well. I sometimes have a lot to say about a movie, and trying to convey it in fifty words is lying trying to squeeze me into a pair of jeans with a 32-inch waistline- just about impossible. So I've raised the maximum to 75 words, which is more like a 36 waistline- tight, but doable. Or at least I'm hoping that's how it'll be.

PALINDROMES (2004, Todd Solondz)- A missed opportunity, since a truly brave abortion-issue satire would make characters on one side of an issue reasonable to like-minded audience members and crazy to those who disagree. Here the satire feels forced and too easy. Central gimmick- how much of our reaction to a character depends on the performer?- would distinguish a worthier film, as would Barkin’s performance, the only thing that really feels grounded in reality. P.S.: Enough with the pedophilia, Todd. Rating: *1/2.

THE ANIMATION SHOW 2005 (Various artists)- Judge and Hertzfeldt return bearing animated goodies, and while this installment lacks its predecessor’s audience-pleasing segments, it’s also heavier on experimental stuff, most memorably the mixed-media short PAN WITH US. Other highlights: HELLO (a charming boom-box love story); WARD 13 (twisted Kafkaesque claymation); the darkly comedic FALLEN ART; and Hertzfeldt’s latest, the surprisingly cerebral MEANING OF LIFE. Can’t wait to see what the next installment will bring. No rating.

THE LONGEST YARD (2005, Peter Segal)- Amiable but pointless remake lacks the original’s anti-authority bent, largely because prison life in this one doesn’t seem all that terrible. Sandler, aside from being unconvincing as a disgraced ex-NFL quarterback, who’s in charmless slacker-in-search-of-a-cause mode here, gives a lazy performance. Reynolds turns up again and charms the pants off the audience, but I despair that Chris Rock will never be as funny within the confines of a narrative movie as he is doing standup. Rating: *1/2.

LORDS OF DOGTOWN (2005, Catherine Hardwicke)- fun, but lacks the headlong charge of doc DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS, directed by Stacy Peralta, who wrote this. Emile Hirsch is a force of nature as Jay Adams, who as in Z-BOYS is depicted as the greatest talent of the bunch, albeit the most troubled. Victor Rasuk is also good as hotshot Tony Alva, ELEPHANT John Robinson is opaque as bland pretty-boy Peralta, and Heath Ledger channels Val Kilmer’s Jim Morrison as the team’s father-figure. Rating: **.

THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSE (2005, Rebecca Miller)- Starts off awesome, with Day-Lewis (great, naturally) and Camilla Belle conveying the emotional conflicts inherent in an isolated father/daughter lifestyle. Once other characters are introduced, so is conflict, to mixed results- I would have rather Catherine Keener (as Day-Lewis’ mainland girlfriend) had simply brought son Rodney (Ryan MacDonald, dryly funny) to the island, leaving behind more antagonistic Thaddius (Paul Dano). Final reel goes overboard with tragedy- and what’s with the coda?- but still worth seeing. Rating: **1/2.

LAYER CAKE (2004, Matthew Vaughn)- Vaughn tones down the laddish irony typical of most contemporary British crime films to good effect- rather than piling on style, this film focuses on storytelling and characters. The plot has a Chandleresque feel, as the unnamed protagonist, who thinks he knows all the angles, finds himself repeatedly in over his head. Craig proves his talent and versatility here, and he’s ably supported by a rogue’s gallery of Brit character actors (Gambon, Meaney, George Harris). Rating: **1/2.

Links to long reviews written since the last update:

Madagascar (2005, Darnell/McGrath)- Rating: **1/2.

Jurassic Park (1993, Steven Spielberg)- rating: ***.