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EASTERN PROMISES: David Cronenberg has given us a 21st Century Godfather movie, only in this film the setting is London and the mobsters are Russian. Violent, grim and beautifully photographed, Eastern Promises has the most spectacular fight scene we have ever seen. It was intense, brutal and disturbingly real. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones impressed. In his review of the film, Roger Ebert said, At a time when movie "fight scenes" are as routine as the dances in musicals, Nikolai engages in a fight in this film that sets the same kind of standard that The French Connection set for chases. Years from now, it will be referred to as a benchmark. Cronenberg has said that he is not interested in the mechanics of the mob, but the people who live in a "state of perpetual transgression." Cronenberg shows us that these mobsters have family parties and complicated father/son relationships. As with the Corleone family, the women exist only on the periphery. Viggo Mortensen so completely disappears into his role as Nikolai, a Russian mobster-in-training, that you will hardly recognize him at first. He is outstanding! Armin Mueller-Stahl is the head of the crime family. Since we first saw him in 1990’s Avalon, we have come to expect a brilliant performance from him and he doesn’t disappoint here. Naomi Watts is Anna, a midwife working at a London Hospital. When a young Russian girl dies in childbirth, Anna’s efforts to find relatives to take the baby bring her into contact with the mobsters. Steven Knight (Dirty Pretty Things, Amazing Grace) deserves credit for writing a story that is never predictable, even though we have seen many previous Mafia movies. The story is gripping, but it is not for the faint-hearted. Although the Russian accents may be difficult for some, they do heighten the moody atmosphere. GRADE A-.

EIGHT BELOW: This Disney movie is good family entertainment: no sex, no bad words, no explosions. What it does have is some wonderful sled dogs. They’re very brave and pretty good actors, too. When a research team in the Antarctic is forced to evacuate their outpost because of a major storm, there isn’t room in the helicopter for the sled dogs. Their handler, Paul Walker, vows to return in a few days, but the weather makes that impossible and the dogs must survive on their own for several months. Bruce Greenwood plays a scientist searching for the remnants of a meteorite from Mercury. Jason Biggs provides some humor as the team’s cartographer and Moon Bloodgood is the helicopter pilot. Her relationship with Paul Walker is a subplot. All the actors are appealing, but the dogs are the real stars. Director Frank Marshall, has more producer credits than directing credits, but he did direct Arachnophobia in 1990 and Alive in 1993. GRADE B

ELEPHANT: Barbara asked me to write the review for Elephant since I seem to have stronger feelings about it than she does. The film is loosely based on the tragic events at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. I also wrote the review of an earlier film about Columbine: Michael Moores Bowling for Columbine. I liked that film and said it was funny, informative, thought provoking, and poignant. I hated Elephant. I think it was a strange combination of pretentious, and boring. I am, frankly, puzzled why it was given awards at Cannes Film Festival and was adored by some critics. At least 40% of the film is taken up with seemingly endless shots of students walking. The shots are almost always taken from the rear which I assume cuts down considerably on retakes. Then we cut to shots of the gathering clouds in the sky. Gee, do I detect esoteric symbolism? I went to this film because Ebert and Roeper loved it..I didn't. GRADE D-(Note from Barb: The critics seem to think that Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, Finding Forester) was brave to shoot a film with no plot and no point of view. He simply lets the camera follow students spending a normal day in High School until the violence erupts. I agree with Jami Bernard of the New York Daily News who said: The problem, though, isn't with the movie's politics . . . but with its empty, experimental form. I didn't hate it as much as Gary did, but I wouldn't grade it any higher than C-.)

ELF: I suppose there may be some Grinch critics out there who will pan this movie, but they just don't have that Christmas spirit--the spirit that gives power to Santa's sleigh. Elf definitely gave us the Christmas spirit: It's a funny and warm comedy starring Will Ferrel as Buddy, an oversized elf from Santa's workshop. Actually, he's a human, not a real elf, but as a foundling baby, he crawled into Santa's bag one Christmas night and wound up at the North Pole. Papa Elf (Bob Newhart in an inspired bit of casting) adopted Buddy and raised him to work as one of Santa's toymakers. By the way, Ed Asner is Santa--another bit of inspired casting! Finally realizing that he is really a human, Buddy sets off to New York to find his biological father, Walter. Would you believe James Caan? Although Walter believes Buddy has been "chemically altered," he takes him home to his wife, Mary Steenburgen, and son, Michael. Michael and Buddy actually bond over a snowball fight. Buddy even finds a girlfriend, the charming Zooey Deschanel. I know--it sounds impossibly corny, but it is really quite entertaining. We saw it with a theater full of kids and they seemed to enjoy it. Grandson Nathan laughed often and so did Gary and I. Jon Favreau (director) and David Berenbaum (writer) have combined to create an appealing Christmas comedy. The NY Times critic referred to the script as witty, and the Washington Post called Elf a sweetly engaging comedy. If your holiday spirit is lacking this year, see ELF. It will surely raise your Christmas cheer quotient. Gary and I give it a solid B and Nathan says B+. GRADE: B/B+

Roger Ebert: This is one of those rare Christmas comedies that has a heart, a brain and a wicked sense of humor, and it charms the socks right off the mantelpiece.

ELIZABETHTOWN: We loved Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous, but this film, as Gary whispered to me about a half an hour into it, "is no Almost Famous." Jason Lee and Kate Hudson probably could have improved the movie, but I think the real problem is in the writing. Crowe appears to be going for "whimsical," but all we get is "cute." That’s hard to sustain for an entire movie. I guess it’s unfair to compare the two films, but I can’t resist. For example, Crowe seems enamored of phone conversations and had several in this movie—one that was interminable—but none could match the wonderful phone conversation between Jason Lee and Francis McDormand in Almost Famous. The basic setup of Elizabethtown is this: Drew (Orlando Bloom) is a shoe designer whose latest effort has been, not merely a failure, but a monumental fiasco. He’s ready to commit suicide when he learns that his father, while visiting relatives in Kentucky, has died of a heart attack. He must put his suicide on hold to go to Elizabethtown and bring his father back home to his mother (Susan Sarandon). On the way he meets Claire (Kirsten Dunst). It’s supposed to be a "meet-cute," but in their first scene together I thought Claire was irritating. Actually, Crowe doesn’t give Dunst much to work with. Any actress who spends an entire movie trying to be cute is bound to fail. I was steadfastly uncharmed by the love story. Once in Elizabethtown, Drew meets an assortment of his father’s peculiar relatives and friends. With the exception of the Food Channel’s Paula Dean, they also failed in the charming department. Gary and I agree that it is only the presence of Susan Sarandon, and her tribute at her husband’s memorial service, that raised our grade to C-. GRADE C-

ELLING: (Norwegian--subtitled) This Norwegian film was nominated for an Academy Award last year, and with good reason. It is a lovely film--both funny and poignant--and it is beautifully written and acted. Elling is a 40-year-old man who has never lived apart from his mother. When she dies, Elling is taken to an institution because he cannot function on his own. After two years, he and his roommate, Kjell Bjarne, are released into an Oslo apartment under the watchful eye of a social worker. As these two challenged people try deal with everyday activities, we were both amused and touched. Elling is articulate but nearly immobilized by anxiety. Kjell Bjarne is a big man who sometimes erupts in rage when he is frustrated. He is almost incapable of carrying on a conversation with anyone. But the two men are friends and care for each other. The movie script was adapted from a novel, and I completely agree with Roger Ebert who wrote, "It's the kind of story that in the wrong hands would be cloying and cornball, but director Petter Naess has the right hands. He gives the movie edge and darkness, is unsentimental about mental illness, makes his heroes into men instead of pets, and still manages to find a happy ending." This movie is a gem and we hope that you are able to find it at a theater near you. If not, be sure to put it on your rental wish list. GRADE A.THE EMPEROR'S CLUB: Over thirty years of teaching will, no doubt, prevent me from being totally objective in my evaluation of this film. I rate it a bit higher than Barbara, who also liked it. I was absorbed in the story and emotionally touched at times when the writer and director wanted me to be. I was again reminded of what a splendid actor Kevin Kline is and delighted to see that he was surrounded by an excellent supporting cast. Kline plays William Hundert, an impassioned classics professor at an exclusive East Coast prep school. He loves history, especially Greek and Roman history, and he loves his role as a teacher. The story swirls around Sedgwick Bell (Emile Hirsch), the son of a West Virginia senator. The boy is lazy and insolent, but is also charismatic. As so often happens, the most disruptive students win the hearts of their peers. The story is based on a short story by Ethan Canin, The Palace Thief. Rob Morrow plays James Ellerby, a colleague of Hundert's and Edward Herrman is the Headmaster. I give this film a B+, but must point out that it received mixed reviews from the critics. GRADE B+

THE EMPEROR'S CLUB: Over thirty years of teaching will, no doubt, prevent me from being totally objective in my evaluation of this film. I rate it a bit higher than Barbara, who also liked it. I was absorbed in the story and emotionally touched at times when the writer and director wanted me to be. I was again reminded of what a splendid actor Kevin Kline is and delighted to see that he was surrounded by an excellent supporting cast. Kline plays William Hundert, an impassioned classics professor at an exclusive East Coast prep school. He loves history, especially Greek and Roman history, and he loves his role as a teacher. The story swirls around Sedgwick Bell (Emile Hirsch), the son of a West Virginia senator. The boy is lazy and insolent, but is also charismatic. As so often happens, the most disruptive students win the hearts of their peers. The story is based on a short story by Ethan Canin, The Palace Thief. Rob Morrow plays James Ellerby, a colleague of Hundert's and Edward Herrman is the Headmaster. I give this film a B+, but must point out that it received mixed reviews from the critics. GRADE B+

ENCHANTED: If you are a 10 or 11-year-old girl, you’ll love this movie. If you know any 10 or 11-year-olds, take them to see it and you’ll all enjoy it. But, don’t take your husband. Gary couldn’t find much to like about this blend of animated fairy-tale and reality, although I found several things to like. The story begins with typical Disney animation and a typical Disney love story about a beautiful girl, a handsome Prince and a wicked Stepmother, and some poison apples. When Queen Narissas (Susan Sarandon) pushes the animated Giselle (Amy Adams) down a well, she winds up in New York. And believe me, it doesn’t look at all the fairytale land of Andelusia. What’s more, Giselle has come to lovely real life and wanders around Times Square looking for her Prince. Did I mention she’s wearing a wedding dress? Prince Edward (James Marsden) does eventually arrive in New York but not until after Giselle meets Patrick Dempsey and his young daughter. You can probably figure it out from there. Adams is adorable as Giselle, Marsden is in fine swashbuckling form as the handsome but dim-witted Prince, and Sarandon looks fabulous as Edward’s wicked stepmother. I wasn’t crazy about the scene where rats and cockroaches help Giselle do some housekeeping, but the other musical numbers were charming. And the ending, with it’s homage to King Kong, was just frightening enough, although I would have been happy to see the story end with the ballroom scene. The lesson? A fairy-tale view of romance can’t survive in the real world, but real-life romance can be pretty good. Especially if you happen to meet Patrick (McDreamy) Dempsey. For a Disney movie I’d have to give this a B. I won’t even ask Gary to grade it. GRADE B

THE END OF THE AFFAIR:This is an exceedingly gloomy story set in England during and just after W.W.II. It rains in almost every scene and these people were always going out for walks! Ralph Finnes is Maurice, a writer, Stephen Rea is Henry, and Julianne Moore is Henry's wife, Sarah. All three characters are relentlessly serious--don't expect any laughs in this one. There are some hot lovemaking scenes but most of the film proceeds at a slow, measured pace. At first, I thought I might, like Sue Keenan, doze through this one, but it did manage to capture my attention. I grade it just a + more than Gary. Aside from the excellent acting, the best thing in the film is the literate dialogue. Since it is adapted from a Graham Greene novel I guess that's no surprise. My favorite line is this: "It is easy to write about pain. In pain, all people are drably unique. What can you say about happiness?" GRADE: C+/C

ENEMY AT THE GATES: The opening battle scene, depicting the Germans and Russian battling over Stalingrad, rivals the opening scene in Saving Private Ryan. It is horrific: Soldiers being sent to certain death and a city that is totally bombed out. The scenes of the beleaguered city are a chilling reminder of the destruction suffered by many European cities during World War II. The color palette is that of mud and blood. The screenplay is original, although it is inspired by true events. I expect the love story was put in the movie to help it appeal to women viewers, but all it does is add hokey melodrama to an otherwise realistic war picture. Jude Law is the Russian soldier, Vassili, and Ed Harris is a German marksman named Konig. Both actors are excellent. Vassili has become a hero of the Russian People because of his amazing marksmanship and Konig has been sent from Germany to kill him. The two snipers play and cat and mouse game in the rubble that once was Stanlingrad. Rachel Weisz provides the love interest, Joseph Fiennes is Danilov, a Russian communications officer who publicizes Vassili's exploits and Bob Hoskins appears as Khrushchev. GRADE B-

ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM: If you have a tendency toward low blood pressure, I think this film could move you toward normal. It gives the inside story of how a few top executives in America’s 7^th largest company were able to walk away with over a billion dollars while investors and employees lost everything. I have a son-in-law who believes former Enron CEO Kenneth Lay should be publicly executed and after seeing this film, I have a better understanding of his ire. There was a time that I was willing to believe that Enron was a good company gone bad. But this film effectively presents evidence that it was a con game from the very beginning, The documentary is based on the best-selling book of the same title, co-written by Fortune magazine's Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind. It is narrated by Peter Coyote and assembled out of a wealth of documentary and video footage, including testimony at congressional hearings and interviews with such figures as disillusioned Enron exec Mike Muckleroy and whistle-blower Sherron Watkins. Grade A- (From Barb: For me, it’s only a B movie.) GRADE A-/B

ERIN BROKOVICH: We think Roger Ebert is a superior movie reviewer and we often agree with him, but on this movie, we couldnt be farther apart. We were thoroughly entertained, engaged, and occasionally moved by Erin Brokovich. Ebert wrote in his review, The costume design sinks this movie. Roberts is a sensational-looking woman, and dressed so provocatively in every single scene, she upstages the material. It sounds like Ebert couldnt keep his eyes off Roberts cleavage. Grow up, Roger! Sure the costumes are provocative, but that was the way Brokovich dressed. After seeing the movie, her boss, Ed Masry, said, The only difference between Julia and Erin that that Erin wore her skirts shorter. We thought Roberts was terrific in both her funny and her serious moments. We could believe her clothes and the words coming out of her mouth. This is a whistle-blower plot similar to Silkwood, and A Civil Action, but this one is more personal, focusing on Brokovich and the victims. Watching Roberts and Albert Finney stick it to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company was very satisfying. Roger, you missed the boat. GRADE: A-

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND: You have to admire the bizarre imagination of Charlie Kaufman. He wrote Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and he's currently working on a project with Spike Lee. We were intrigued by the concept of the fim: A man chooses to have all memory of his recent girlfriend erased from his mind. Jim Carrey is Joel Barish, a quiet, shy man who fell in love with Clementine (Kate Winslet). They spent a year together and then Clementine got bored and, on a whim, had Joel erased from her memory. In retaliation, Joel visits Lacuna, Inc. to have all memories of her erased. Most of the film shows us the erasure process--a scientific procedure that can obliterate painful memories. It's done over night by a couple of technicians, and as they isolate each memory Joel relives them in his sleep. But he does so in a strange mixed-up way. We like Jim Carrey when he isn't mugging and he is fine here. Kate Winslet is quite wonderful. Tom Wilkinson is Dr. Mierzwiak, the head of Lacuna, Inc., Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood are two of Lacuna's technicians and Kirsten Dunst is the nurse/receptionist. Somehow, though, this very creative idea didn't quite work for us. At first, we were fascinated with the erasure process, but then it went on a bit too long, and we began to weary of it. Talking afterwards, we decided we would have liked to see some humor in Joel and Clementine's relationship. It was so deadly serious. The humor provided by the erasure technicians wasn't enough, and it wasn't very funny, either. I wouldn't hesitate to see another Kaufman movie though. His movies are different from any other movie, and that's a good thing. GRADE C+

How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd.
-- Alexander Pope, "Eloisa to Abelard"

EVOLUTION: As movies about gooey slimy aliens go, this one is reasonably entertaining. Orlando Jones is a funny man, and David Duchovny has the requisite mixture of calm scientific know-how and wry sense of humor. Both men are teachers at the Glen Canyon Community College in northern Arizona and are the first scientists at the crash landing site of a meteor. They soon discover that the ooze coming from the strange rock is a living substance, and that it is evolving at a fantastic rate: millions of years of evolution are being condensed into a few hours. The military is soon involved and naturally they are at odds with the local scientists. (Ira Kane (Duchovny) used to work for the Pentagon and was fired for just cause five years earlier.) Harry Block (Orlando Jones) has most of the funny lines, the funniest of which is, "There's always time for lubricant." (That line will make more sense when you see the movie--or the trailer.) Julianne Moore, as a klutzy Government scientist provides some love interest for Duchovny, and the alien life forms are wildly creative. The whole thing is carried off with the tongue-in-cheek style you would expect from Ivan Reitman who also directed Ghostbusters. Dan Ackroyd, who was in that earlier movie, appears here as the governor of Arizona. We find it hard to put a high grade on a science fiction creepy alien picture. This one has some problems: Almost all the funny lines are in the trailer, and some of the scenes seem out-of-sync. Also, the energy of the actors and the pacing are a bit slow. We decided on a C+ for this one. It's not as good as Men In Black, which got a B+ from both of us. GRADE C+