The Brothers Grimm
Four Brothers
Tarps
The Brothers Grimm
Terry Gilliam is master of creating incredible worlds where reality and fantasy are ingeniously mixed. His latest feature "The Brothers Grimm" is an agreeable and, at least partly, entertaining fairytale with mesmerizing production design. The visual effects are enthralling, and it's a shame that the CGI can't keep up and consequently stands out like a sore thumb. Despite the star-cast and some delightful gags, this feature lacks the precision and wild enthusiasm usually characterizing Gilliam's work. Somehow the project didn't have all his love, or too much studio interference prevented him from fulfilling his vision. The script is awfully messy and screams for another draft that it never got. All in all, not a bad film, in fact, it's frequently enjoyable. As a Terry Gilliam-movie, however, it's a disappointment.
1/2 ( Julie Vinten )
Will (Matt Damon) and Jacob (Heath Ledger) are the legendary brothers Grimm, who make their living by going around French-occupied Germany in the early 19th century and terrifying superstitious country folk with fake ghosts and ghouls and then performing elaborately staged exorcisms for a nice big bag of cash. But then, needless to say, they come across a genuinely cursed village. This is far from director Terry Gilliam at his inventive and manic best. There is something quaintly and enjoyably old fashioned about "The Brothers Grimm," and there are some nice touches of Pythonesque humor here and there, but there is an all-too-apparent hollowness beneath every character, idea and creaky stage prop. The film lacks any real sense of direction and wavers awkwardly between Hollywood formulism and off-beat fantasy.
( Tim Ochser )
Four Brothers
Finally John Singleton pulls off a good movie. This bad-neighborhood western is a straightforward revenge-based drama, lightened with humor and wit. The plot is truly simple; not terribly deep, but compelling nevertheless. It's an old-school action movie with a definite '70s - early '80s vibe to it. Though action and violence are constantly present, they come second to character interaction. There is a real chemistry between the four actors playing the adopted siblings, which makes you believe and understand their relationships. Good flow and intensity characterize the movie, but it isn't perfect. Some awkwardly cheesy scenes have snuck themselves into the feature, and you might feel a tad let down by the third act where things sort of fall apart. Nonetheless, this simple movie is definitely entertaining.
1/2 ( Julie Vinten )
Not to be confused with the brothers Karamazov, the Mercer brothers are a fearsome foursome straight out of Detroit. As orphaned kids they were considered so hopeless that no one would touch them, until a kindly white-haired old woman adopted them and gave them some sort of moral fibre. But when she is brutally shot years later in what appears like a random robbery, the brothers go gunning for answers, led by Bobby (Mark Wahlberg) and his formidable biceps. "Four Brothers" is an extremely enjoyable revenge thriller that manages to be gritty, witty and even a little wise. I knew I'd like it from the moment that Marvin Gaye's "Trouble Man" set the mood in the opening credits. And Victor Sweet (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is the best screen villain I've seen for a long time.
( Tim Ochser )
Tarps
This Latvian documentary made me unspeakably sick to my stomach. Inese (41) and Karlis (62) are immensely poor. They don't fit into society and only have each other. Inese is pregnant. Technically, the doc is uninspired, but it's well told. It's a look at Latvian society today, where those poor souls are left on their own. However, the vital aspect of the doc is this: should a documentary-maker, whatever the circumstances, remain the objective observer of reality? Considering the unbelievably gruesome fate the baby suffers because of the parents' obvious and terrible neglect, I believe the director, as a human being, was obligated to interfere. He got his movie, but at what cost? Where is the ethical line drawn? Those are the pressing questions this documentary raises.
( Julie Vinten )
It's a rare thing to walk out of a theater, down the street, into a cafe, back out and home again, while your mind still lingers on a film. It's rarer still that, after all of this, you're not quite sure what to think or feel about it. All I was sure of is that "Tarps" (Worm) left a stain. A documentary by Andis Miziss, "Tarps" follows Karlis (62) and Inese (41) as they struggle to survive in near subsistence conditions selling worms to local fishermen, collecting plastic bottles, and growing runt-sized vegetables. A difficult, although at times heart-warming, glimpse into this couple's life while they await their first-born, the documentary reminds us of a reality many would like to forget in EU Latvia.
( Tim Ochser )
