This week at the movies, magicians get their Spinal Tap; Halle Berry’s career continues to nosedive; and Nicole Kidman stars in a creepy psychological drama.
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
It’s a marvel that it’s taken this long for a send up of magicians to hit the big screen. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone stars Steve Carell as the title character, a burned out has-been magician who’s been kicked to the curb for leaner, meaner stunt magicians, like Steve Gray, played by Jim Carrey in the mold of David Blaine and Criss Angel, whose stunts are about bodily fluids and endurance, rather than magic per se. With Steve Buscemi as Carell’s partner in magic, and Alan Arkin as his magician hero, Wonderstone has an admirable all-star cast.
Perfect For: If you liked spoofs of weird, insular universes, like Best In Show, Spinal Tap and Blades of Glory and are a fan of the greatest comic actors of our generation, Steve Carell and Jim Carey, Wonderstone is a good choice.
What the Critics Say: The reviews are few—and most are mixed to negative: The AP writes: “And after it's over, poof! You'll forget you ever watched it in the first place.” But Variety is kinder: “Carell is at the top of his form as the self-absorbed Burt struggles to maintain his haughty sangfroid while trying to convince himself, and everyone else, that’s he’s still a superstar.”
Our Take: I’d watch it just to see Carey, Carell and Buscemi work their magic.
The Call
Halle Barry stars as an emergency call operator who is haunted by her inability to catch a serial killer when several of his victims call her during the attacks. As she tries to talk to the victims and coach them to fight back, and continues to fail, she decides to take matters into her own hands and go to the scene of the crime in person.
Perfect For: Fans of suspense thrillers and revenge fantasies.
What the Critics Say: Thus far, only two major critics have weighed in, Variety and the Hollywood Reporter. Not surprisingly, they are diametrically opposed. Variety thinks it’s banal: “There’s little to differentiate this high-pitched screamer from a particularly feverish Law and Order rerun.” The Hollywood Reporter: “For the most part… a tense, extreme-jeopardy thriller that delivers the intended goods.”
Our Take: Wait til the video comes out.
Stoker
No one’s trustworthy in this psychological horror flick by Park Chan-wook that stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska, and Matthew Good. The set up—a weird teenage girl (Wasikowska) loses her father in mysterious circumstances, when another mysterious stranger, an “uncle” Charlie, shows up with unknown motives.
Perfect For: Probably not a family flick, and too dark for most teens. But if you are into Hitchcockian suspense and top-notch actors, this is a good place to start.
What the Critics Say: Some admire the director’s visual flair, but think the story is empty. To sum it up: “Tries too hard.” Writes Entertainment Weekly: “There is no mystery in Stoker, only ''style,'' and a stultifying sense that the world's been rigged with evil.” Writes NPR: “Stoker's ultimate wispiness makes Park's achievement all the more impressive: He's the magician pulling a deft sleight of hand, waiting until the very last moment to reveal that all is illusion. For her part, Wasikowska makes a deft assistant, his partner in bewitching obfuscation.”
Our Take: Even if it fails, at least it’ll be an interesting experience in failure. I’d see it.
