Gil Mansergh’s Cinema Toast

New Releases 8/01/08

Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (PG-13)
Starring: Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Michelle Yeoh
Directed by: Rob Cohen
Brendan Fraser makes this work as mummy-hunter Rick O’Connell travels to China with his wife, and teen-age son (any similarity between the latest Indiana Jones adventure is purely coincidental). They must stop the dastardly plans of an Asian mummy-the Dragon Emperor and his 10,000 terra-cotta warriors. Don’t take this movie too seriously, and you will have as much fun as young audiences did while watching movie serials like 1942’s “Perils of Nyoka.”
3 pieces of guilty pleasure toast

Swing Vote (PG-13)
Starring: Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane
Directed by: Joshua Michael Stern
It is impossible to write about this film without using the word “Cliché.” Unsure if it is a satire, parody or farce (and the three are mutually exclusive) the moviemakers present a story about a hayseed picked by fate (and a broken electoral system) to cast the single, deciding vote in a presidential election. What could have been a biting satire chooses “safe” and “innocuous” instead.
2 pieces of harmless enough toast

Brideshead Revisited (NR)
Starring: Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Ben Whishaw, Matthew Goode, Hayley Atwell
Director: Julian Jarrold
Compared to 11-hour BBC miniseries, this is the “Classics Illustrated“version of the Evelyn Waugh novel, but it is drawn by masters. Beautifully made, with first class performances and plenty of sex, intrigue, religion, and upperclass snobbishness, the filmmakers have managed to cram an amazing amount of material into this production. Emma Thompson revels in her chance to play the domineering mother, Lady Marchmain.
3 and 1/2 pieces of British toast

The Last Mistress (NR)
Starring: Asia Argento, Fu’ad Ait Aattou, Roxane Mesquida, Claude Sarraute, Yolande Moreau
Director: Catherine Breillat
It’s Paris in 1835, and an aristocrat decides to dump his 35-year-old mistress to marry a rich, young virgin. But the mistress is the daughter of a matador, and she has other ideas. This controversial director delights in presenting sexuality as intellectually intriguing, and highly choreographed artifice.
3 pieces of arty toast

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (R)
Starring: Gary Hart, George McGovern, Jann Wenner, Jimmy Buffett, Jimmy Carter
Director: Alex Gibney
Opening with Johnny Depp reading from the essay Thompson wrote after the 9/11 attacks, this entertaining documentary uses home-movies, interviews and snippets of ephemera to chronicle the amazing life of the Gonzo journalist. The same director who brought us “Enron-The Smartest Guys In the Room,” has managed to capture the essence of the man who provided the most accurate and least factual coverage of anybody.” Fueled by psychedelic drugs, sex and lots of booze, this larger than life madman, created a body of work unlike anything seen before and this fascinating film actually makes you want to read Hunter S. Thompson’s books.
3 and 1/2 pieces of Gonzo journalism toast

New on Video/DVD

Shine a Light (PG)
Starring: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ron Wood, Christina Aguilera
Director: Martin Scorsese
Craggy-faced, but undeniably entertaining musicians, The Rolling Stones are lovingly portrayed in a concert performance that shows some of the behind-the-scenes collaboration between the great director and the iconic pop stars. It doesn’t break any new ground but is still incredibly enjoyable.
3 and 1/2 pieces of Stones concert toast