These are the Capsule reviews of films opening this week.
December 28, 2006 (Press Release) --
"Children of Men" Director Alfonso Cuaron spins a heavy but provocative tale of a world mourning its never-born after a plague of infertility leaves humanity childless and hopeless. Taking place in 2027, the film is set so closely to our times and is so recognizably an extension of our world that it offers an intriguing chance for reflection on how we treat one another and what we take for granted. Clive Owen stars as an apathetic Brit drawn by an old flame (Julianne Moore) into a terrorist group's efforts to protect a young woman (Clare-Hope Ashitey) who may hold the key to humanity's salvation. Adapting the story from P.D. James' novel, Cuaron presents a film of ideas disguised as a thriller, examining such issues as racism, distrust of immigrants and economic inequities that are so relevant today. Michael Caine co-stars. R for strong violence, language, some drug use and brief nudity. 109 min. Three and a half stars out of four.
_ David Germain, AP Movie Writer
"The Dead Girl" The holidays are coming to an end and it's time to start feeling bad again. Karen Moncrieff's film helps you do that. The writer-director weaves five well-acted stories about disparate figures who have some sort of connection to a murdered junkie prostitute, whose bloodied body is discovered baking in the desert sun at the start. Each new tale is bleaker than the last, from the shy woman who finds her (Toni Collette) to the forensic investigator who thinks the victim is her missing sister (Rose Byrne) to the unhappy housewife who suspects her husband may be the killer (Mary Beth Hurt) to the victim's prim, shell-shocked mother (Marcia Gay Harden) and finally to the dead girl herself (a raw, volatile Brittany Murphy). Even though there's a glimmer of hope in all these stories, you know that everyone involved is probably doomed either you're up for watching that or you're not. After all that, the ending is a little abrupt and unsatisfying. Until then, though! , strong performances make this to ugh, matter-of-fact material watchable, especially from Harden, Murphy and Kerry Washington as the dead girl's only real friend, a fellow hooker with whom she shared a sleazy motel room. R for language, grisly images and sexuality/nudity. 93 min. Three stars out of four.
_ Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
"Miss Potter" This is a more successful pairing of Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor than the kitschy `60s spoof "Down With Love." Then again, anything would have been. The story of how children's author Beatrix Potter got her start certainly has its charms it's a lovely, sweet, harmless tale suitable for the entire family. (And it allows Zellweger to brandish her flawless British accent; unmarried at 32 and bucking societal pressures, Beatrix Potter could have been Bridget Jones 100 years earlier.) But it also feels more lightweight than it should and simultaneously not magical enou
_ David Germain, AP Movie Writer
"The Dead Girl" The holidays are coming to an end and it's time to start feeling bad again. Karen Moncrieff's film helps you do that. The writer-director weaves five well-acted stories about disparate figures who have some sort of connection to a murdered junkie prostitute, whose bloodied body is discovered baking in the desert sun at the start. Each new tale is bleaker than the last, from the shy woman who finds her (Toni Collette) to the forensic investigator who thinks the victim is her missing sister (Rose Byrne) to the unhappy housewife who suspects her husband may be the killer (Mary Beth Hurt) to the victim's prim, shell-shocked mother (Marcia Gay Harden) and finally to the dead girl herself (a raw, volatile Brittany Murphy). Even though there's a glimmer of hope in all these stories, you know that everyone involved is probably doomed either you're up for watching that or you're not. After all that, the ending is a little abrupt and unsatisfying. Until then, though! , strong performances make this to ugh, matter-of-fact material watchable, especially from Harden, Murphy and Kerry Washington as the dead girl's only real friend, a fellow hooker with whom she shared a sleazy motel room. R for language, grisly images and sexuality/nudity. 93 min. Three stars out of four.
_ Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
"Miss Potter" This is a more successful pairing of Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor than the kitschy `60s spoof "Down With Love." Then again, anything would have been. The story of how children's author Beatrix Potter got her start certainly has its charms it's a lovely, sweet, harmless tale suitable for the entire family. (And it allows Zellweger to brandish her flawless British accent; unmarried at 32 and bucking societal pressures, Beatrix Potter could have been Bridget Jones 100 years earlier.) But it also feels more lightweight than it should and simultaneously not magical enou
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