Gil Mansergh’s Cinema Toast
New Releases 2/23/07

COMING FEBRUARY 23RD EXCLUSIVELY TO THE RIALTO IN SANTA ROSA FOR ONE WEEK ONLY
2006 Academy Award Nominated Live Action Short Films
See the choices for this year’s Academy Awards in in the category of Animated Short Film

2006 Academy Award Nominated Animated Short Films
See the choices for this year’s Academy Awards in in the category of Animated Short Film

2006 Academy Award Nominated Documentary Short Films
See the choices for this year’s Academy Awards in in the category of Documentary Short Film

READ MORE ABOUT THE SPECIFIC FILMS ON THE MY POSTED BLOG ENTRY “OSCAR SHORTS ‘06″

The Astronaut Farmer (PG)
Billy Bob Thornton Virginia Madsen, Bruce Willis
Directed by: Michael Polish
When NASA fires an astronaut, he does what everyone would do (dons diapers and drives 900 miles to confront a rival lover?) No. He decides to build a rocket ship in a barn out of discarded equipment. Not surprisingly, his activities attract the attention of the CIA, FBI, Homeland Security and the bank which tries to foreclose on the farm (no, the banker doesn’t wear a “pencil-thin-mustache”, he’s actually a good guy). Thornton is kooky but endearing and his family loves him and supports him through all the chaos (especially good performances by Virginia Madsen and local teen actor, Max Thieriot). Downside is that the Polish brothers turned the last few minutes of the film into an “inspirational message” which just doesn’t fit.
3 pieces of kooky at first, inspiring at the end toast

The Number 23 (R)
Jim Carrey Virginia Madsen
Directed by: Joel Schumacher
Virginia Madsen says that she’s not sure if she was able to pull off the “hatefully evil ” wife she plays to Jim Carrey’s obsessed-with-the-number-23 husband in this misguided attempt to let the rubber-faced funnyman “really act.” She was right to be concerned. Nothing gels in this mess.
1 piece of skip it toast

Reno 911!: Miami (R)
Thomas Lennon, Cedric Yarbrough,
Directed by: Robert Ben Garant
The “cops in shorts” team from Comedy Central’s RENO: 911! stretch their talents when summoned to stop terrorists determined to stop the decadent Spring Break” from happening this year in Miami.
Not available for preview

Amazing Grace (PG)
Ioan Gruffudd, Romala Garrai, Albert Finney
Directed by: Michael Apted
The name William Willberforce, should be quite prominent during February, the month dedicated to Black History. For it is this British politician who fought and won the erradication of slave trading in all of the British Empire exactly 200 years ago. Truly interesting, truly historic, truly worthwhile storytelling, and what other movie can you think of that has a famous hymn (written by Wilberforce’s spiritual mentor, and reformed slaveship owner, John Newton), as its theme song? (at the Roxy in Santa Rosa)
3 pieces of important historically important toast

NEW VIDEO/DVD

Babel (R)
Cate Blanchett, Brad Pitt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Rinko Kikuchi
Directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu
Box Office: $33,218,792
I know this multi continent based film is a probable Oscar winner for best picture, Every time that this movie’s four stories begin to combine like a beautiful patchwork quilt, the film makers cut things up seemingly just because they can.(Storyline: two boys accidentally shoot a tourist in Morocco, her husband tries franticly to summon aid, the couple’s children are taken from LA to Mexico by their baby sitter and a deaf Japanese girl rebels after the death of her mother). This hodgepodge technique worked better with Innaritu’s movie “21 Grams” than now. It just made me wonder if the four stories would be better told with a beginning, middle and end (or even with those spit-screens that were popular in some “hip” 60’s movies like the original “Thomas Crown Affair”).
2 and 1/2 pieces of too many scissors used on this toast

The Prestige (PG-13)
Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Box Office: $53,002,677
The same director who loves to tell stories backwards and forwards (”Memento,” and “Batman Begins“), warns us “watch carefully” as the action begins. Set in the time when the rivalry of stage magicians was front page news, former partners try to best each other with increasingly difficult tricks (made deadly by the revenge-seeking magicians sabotaging each others props).
3 pieces of trick-filled toast

Flushed Away (PG)
Voices of: Hugh Jackman, Shane Richie, Andy Serkis, Bill Nighy, Ian McKellen, Kate Winslet
Directed by: David Bowers, Sam Fell
Box Office: $64,272,721
What does happen to all those hapless pets that are flushed down the commode? The “Wallace and Gromit” Wizards at Aardman Animation have transformed their plasticine critters into CG critters (but retained an occasional fingerprint or two) and combined British humor with American Whiz Bang. The result is a film worth several viewings so that you can catch all the sight gags in the background and the sotto-voiced side commentaries. Fun for all ages, it will make you want to see the original stop-motion Aardman films (i.e. “Chicken Run“) again.
3 and 1/2 pieces of Aardman toast

Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing (R)
Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, Emily Robison, Simon Renshaw
Directed by: Barbara Kopple Cecilia Peck
Box Office: $1,072,805
The Dixie Chicks were at the peak of their popularity as the top-selling female recording artists of all time until the group’s lead singer Natalie Maines made an on-stage comment criticizing President Bush while performing in England, in 2003. Filmmakers Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck follow the lives and careers of the three singers for the next three years, while their CDs and tapes are publicly burned, death threats are received, and their record sales and concert receipts tank. But will Natalie apologize? Or should she?
3 and 1/2 pieces of Dixie Chick toast