"Alex Cross" _ James Patterson titled his 12th Alex Cross crime novel simply "Cross." The filmmakers who adapted it expanded the title to "Alex Cross." They might as well have gone for broke and called it "Tyler Perry's Madea's Stab at Expanding Her-His Hollywood Marketability as James Patterson's Alex Cross." Perry's name will draw his fans in. Patterson's name will draw his fans in. There's no trace of Madea in director Rob Cohen's adaptation, yet the spirit of the sassy grandma inevitably hangs over the project for viewers curious to see Perry playing it straight and dramatic. Alex Cross the man and "Alex Cross" the movie wind up suffering for it. It's perfectly reasonable for Perry to try to broaden his enormous popularity beyond the Madea lineage in his own raucous portraits of family life. It's also perfectly reasonable to say that casting Perry as Cross was a bad idea, though it's not necessarily the worst in a movie built on bad ideas. Perry looks the part of Patterson's big, athletic hero, but he's low-key-bordering-on-sleepwalker dull, and the standard-issue cop-vs.-serial-killer story presents Cross as more of a dopey psycho-babbler than a guy whose incisive mind cuts right to the heart of the case. With Edward Burns, Matthew Fox and Cicely Tyson. PG-13 for violence including disturbing images, sexual content, language, drug references and nudity. 102 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
"Argo" _ A movie about the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis probably doesn't sound like it would be a laugh riot _ or should be _ but that's just one of the many ways in which this is a glorious, gripping surprise. Directing his third feature, Ben Affleck has come up with a seamless blend of detailed international drama and breathtaking suspense, with just the right amount of dry humor to provide context and levity. He shows a deft handling of tone, especially in making difficult transitions between scenes in Tehran, Washington and Hollywood, but also gives one of his strongest performances yet in front of the camera as the film's star. It's exciting to see the confidence with which Affleck expands his ambition and scope as a filmmaker. "Argo" reveals his further mastery of pacing and storytelling, even as he juggles complicated set pieces, various locations and a cast featuring 120 speaking parts. And the story he's telling sounds impossible, but it's absolutely true (with a few third-act tweaks to magnify the drama). When protestors stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 people hostage, six employees sneaked out a back door and sought refuge at the home of Canadian Ambassador Ken Taylor (Victor Garber). Longtime CIA operative Tony Mendez (Affleck) comes up with a crazy scheme to rescue them: He'll fly to Tehran, pretend that they all entered the country together to scout locations for a schlocky sci-fi movie called "Argo," then walk right out the front door with them and fly home. Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Alan Arkin are among the excellent supporting cast. R for language and some violent images. 120 minutes. Four stars out of four.
Critics weren't exactly clamoring to walk down the aisle with "The Five-Year Engagement." The latest Judd Apatow production is receiving merely average reviews in its opening weekend.
Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
"Arthur" _ Another inferior, unnecessary remake, Russell Brand's comedy at least is benign fluff that should please younger audiences unfamiliar with the 1981 comedy, even if purists who adore the original may hate this version. The movie is respectful of and faithful to Dudley Moore's original _ maybe too much so. The filmmakers tweak things to modernize the story and fit the persona of drunken, debauched, billionaire man-child onto Brand (not surprisingly, it's no stretch for the British comic with the party-boy past). Yet the alterations are mostly cosmetic, including the big one, changing the sex of Arthur's stern but loving guardian Hobson from a man (John Gielgud as Moore's butler in the original) to a woman (Helen Mirren as Brand's nanny). First-time director Jason Winer (TV's "Modern Family") stuffs this version with too many cute, cloying moments as Brand's Arthur grows up while finding true love with a penniless tour guide (Greta Gerwig) and avoiding an arranged marriage with a corporate-climbing executive (Jennifer Garner). Considering the crudeness of many remakes, this could have turned out much worse. PG-13 for alcohol use throughout, sexual content, language and some drug references. 110 minutes. Two stars out of four.
Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
