Movies : January 2005

17 January 2005

Hotel Rwanda

Don Cheadle embodies the real-life Paul Rusesabagina, the house manager at the Hotel Milles Collines in Kigali, Rwanda in 1994. As an outpost of Belgian travel company Sabena, the hotel is well-regarded and a favorite with foreign whites, including the Canadian colonel (Nick Nolte) in charge of a peace-keeping force. With a practiced hand, Paul shops for foodstuffs, keeps the staff in line, and plies the clientele with expensive liquors and Cuban cigars, but he can’t help noticing that the radio is spewing hate, the grocery vendor is also stocking machetes, and his van driver is fearful of the marchers in the street. While Paul’s identity paper is prominently stamped HUTU his wedlock with Tatiana (Sophie Okenodo) makes them potential victims of the government forces at work in the night. When they do arrive, Paul is able to use his previous relationship with the men in charge (and an apparent knowledge of the combination to the safe at another hotel) to save some of his family. With the hotel manager having fled leaving Paul in charge, though, there is no end to those seeking refuge as the pace of the massacres picks up. Somewhat didactic, naturally, and restrained for a PG-13 rating, but what an opportunity for Cheadle.

121 minutes.

09 January 2005

The Aviator

Two decades in the life of an extremely wealthy individual who, as a young man, set out to make movies and meet women. Who wouldn’t want to make a biographical film of Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio)? With Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn and Kate Beckinsale as Ava Gardner and a number of men, of varying degrees of repute, among the cast. Efficiently sets out the basic details of Hughes’ early inheritance from the proceeds of a patented drill bit and his fascination with flight and hits the highlights of his life in public with movie premieres, government contracts, Senate committee hearings, and piloting exploits but treats his descent into hermitage and mental disturbance to a greater extent than I expected. An impeccably polished production with no embarrassing performances but starting high and ending low doesn’t help it.

170 minutes.

02 January 2005

Spanglish

Cristina (Shelbie Bruce) narrates the story of how her mother Flor (Paz Vega), deserted by her husband in Mexico, emigrated to the United States with her young daughter and found a home among the Hispanic communities of Los Angeles until the day she sought employment as a maid to an Anglo family. The Claskys were in a bit of turmoil with chef John (Adam Sandler) on the verge of being noticed in a big way by the local newspaper, his mother-in-law Evelyn (Cloris Leachman) the former pop star ekeing out the days with liquor, and his daughter Bernice (Sarah Steele) struggling with school work, but wife Deborah (Téa Leoni) was already around the bend: recently unemployed and making up for it with a strenuous fitness regimen and routine hectoring of Sarah about her weight. I’ve had bad luck with Sandler before but he is completely decent here and by no means detracts from the movie, although the will-they-or-won’t-they be romantic interlude he shares with Vega can’t shake the sensation of two pretty people in a performance. Biggest highlight has to be the argument between John and Flor translated bidirectionally with mannerisms intact by Cristina, and oddest moment has to be the vigorous sex between Deb and John (complete with loud orgasm from Deb) in a scene which, in a PG-13 movie, doesn’t allow them to take off their clothes. If Leoni felt her career was incomplete without a chance at a full-bore crying jag, who am I to complain?

132 minutes.

Entries subject to editing at any time. Last edited on: 08-Nov-2007