Show 2002 16 EM Continued from p 6 Jude Law is tmty creepy as a photographer who shoots dead people R for violence end language 119min ' —The Associated Press August Friday “Men In Black IT Rated PG-1-3 Sonnenfeld and company come back lor a second shot at saving the earth from the scum of the universe but with less stellar results The script puffers from shallow characters who tel to situations and holdover jokes from the first flm Lara Flynn Boyle is terrible but the rest of the cast is able to etevste the film beyond her medtocra talents Smith and Jones are especially worth it as is Frank the pug so let go of yourself and go in looking for a little diversion in the daik you'! leave with a smile Enjoy but save a few bucks and hit the matinee or wait for the discount house PG-1- 3 for sci--fi action violence and some provocative humor 88 minutes — Michael Flood For The Herald Journal Cacfie Herald The 8 Page “Mr Deeds” Rated PG-1- 3 A film that should never have been remade Frank Capra made it perfectly the first time and there is no way for these "filmmakerer to improve upon or even match his accomplishment They have taken a film that speaks volumes of the human condition and reduced it to an indictment of charm kindness and innocence The cast is bady choeen horribly directed by Stoiren Bril as they Handy recite Urn HerHiS horrid script A thorough waste of time were it not for John Turturro's delightful comic performance that belies the rest of the ridiculous film PG-1- 3 for language including some sexual references and some rear nudty 97 min — Michael Flood for The Herald Journal - “Uto & Stitch” Rated PG Disney's latest animated adventure is a sweet energetic reasonably funny little confection that's aWndusive when it comes to family appeal Girts wil like Liio the young spark plug heroine boys wil enjoy the goofy alen Stitch and his swath of mayhem parents wH welcome the sunny message of familial faith and resilience and a depiction of economic arid domestic strife thafs unusualy substantive for a cartoon Liio is a young Hawaiian ’ girl in the care of her frazzled older sister after the deaths of their parents As they struggle to stay together a destructive sttoulctems “anger is sent from above in the form of an escaped alen mutant that doles out mischief as he gradually learns the value of family PG for mid sci-- fi action 85 min Gnyneth Paltrou turns 30 — The Associated Press “The Bourne Identity" Rated PG-1-3 Between Matt Damon and the Tony Gilroy-- Blake Herron’s screenplay this film fals far short of what it could have been Director Doug Liman and costars Chris Cooper and Franka Potente try- their best to save R from dsaster but their talent drown in the seas of misguided talent both before and behind the camera Catch it on video for what little I does have to offer PG-1- 3 for violence and some language 113 min — Michaei Flood For The Herald Journal Award-winni- “The Sum of Alt Fears” Rated PG-1-3 This the latest foray into the world of Tom Clancy is a strong entry into the spywar flick arena delivers the goods Phi Akten Robinson's direction works perfectly with Ben Affleck Morgan Freeman James Cromwel and Liev Schrefoer’s performances in overcoming the weak sometimes boorish script A fun time in the movie house that is wel worth the matinee price PG-1- 3 for violence disaster images and brief strong language 118 min — Mfchael Flood For The Herald Journal hungry ? ? AS Byatt's elegant puzzle of a novel first tantalized readers in ' 1 990 before winning Britain's most prestigious literary prize the Booker Now comes a dumbed-dow- n film version with best-actre- a tony pedigree proving that ss ter” Paltrow's Maud Bailey a skeptical academic teams with an aspiring scholar (Aaron Eckhart) to uncover a love affair between two Victorian poets Along the way they fall in love too — but not before lots of posturing ve and “She is not immediately huggable in the movie” says'LaBute And to her credit “Gwyneth never said ‘Hey I got to have that moment where my public knows it's safe to hand-wrihgi- ' ng like me’” Romantically linked over the years to Brad Pitt Ben Affleck and Luke Wilson Paltrow says she drew upon no single affair for her lat-e- st performance but the cumulative experience of “living and loving” “When I was 17 or 22 it’s a much different t' £ y - 1 Paltrow will soon star in ‘Possession’' a film version AS Byatfs award-winnin-g novel of story in terms of how I would approach something” says Paltrow who soon starts work on a film about Sylvia Plath and her marriage to poet Ted Hughes She also approached romance differently Back then like many young people die could immerse herself in passion as if she were dous- ing herself in kerosene and lighting a match “And then you learn not to do that I think” she says with a little laugh “Fortunately or actor” “There would be the ability there — and as I would imagine even the temptation — to skate by sometimes To go: ‘You know what? I’ve done this English dialect I know what I’m doing here I can waltz into this thing without much preparation and hit a home run’” (This film marks the fourth time she’s sounded veddy British The others were 1996’s “Emma” and 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love” — for which she won her Oscar — and “Sliding Doors”) “And yet” LaBute goes on “I found somebody who came into rehearsal who had done her homework was ready to listen ready to create the character — and not an easy charac- - “Possession” Rated PG-1-3 TT ng Prize-winni- ng Playing elsewhere sometimes the most high-mined material is best left atone Gwyneth Paltrow again sports a British accent as Maud Bailey the pent-u- p English academic who succumbs to the rugged charms of Roland Michel (Aaron Eckhart) her American colleague in scholarly pursuit A parallel story of grander passion is uneasily enacted by Jeremy Northern as a (fictional) poet ' and Jennifer Ehto resembling Meryl Streep more than ever as his sad-eye- d muse Where the book grew more dense the film becomes increasingly banal PG-1- 3 for sexuality and some ' thematic elements 102 min One and a half stars out of four — The Associated Press TT ith the approach of her 30th birthday Gwyneth Paltrow knows at least two things are different from her younger days: She’s more discriminating about what movies to make and she now can play an emotionally cautious person based on personal experience -“In my 20s I tried everything” says the actress whose past Academy decade of work has run die gamut from the silly to the sublime She even signed on for films “because I liked an actress who was doing it” or “because friends woe making it” “Ami some dungs turned out better than others obviously” Just look at last year’s “Shallow Hal” and “The Royal Tenenbaums” “At this point — you know that I'm turning 30 in September and I’ve spent my 20s working incessantly — what I’ve learned from all that work is that I really respond to director! who really have a point of view and who really have something to say and are very specific about how they say it” Paltrow says “Whether it’s Paul (Thomas) Anderson or Wes Anderson or Neil LaBute David Fincher That's when I feel most fulfilled and most like an integral part of the process I would like to as much as possible work with directors who really excite me and really make me feel fired up about getting up in the morning and being on set and doing my job” 'LaBute who directed her in the new “Possession” a film adaptation of the 1990 novel says he was Booker thrilled and charmed to find Paltrow is “still a - unfortunately” In “Possession” the Victorian couple comes across as much more straight-ahea- d about their romantic urges than their modem counterparts are They’re held back only by the conventions of 19th century society “We have none of those conventions so I think we impose on ourselves a way that we have to hold back — which is by overanalyzing everything and making everything a study in psychology " Paltrow says A paparazzi pet and tabloid target Paltrow can barely make a move without it making the papers “Every time she purchases a belt she’s scru- tinized” LaBute notes He thinks that’s because she’s “iconic” like Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly “Luckily for me I made a decision about 3 12 years ago to stop reading equity journalism and those kinds of newspapers and magazines” says Paltrow who says she only read die Financial Times when she was in London recendy doing the play “Proof” “So I don’t really know much of what goes ' on Unless it’s really inflammatory And then someone will say ‘Is it true ?’ And I say ‘NO! Where on earth did you hear dud?’” —The Associated Press |