“Day of Defense”
NuWorlds Distribution
Rated PG

The Mormon New Wave returns with another groundbreaking cinematic work…or another lesson-filled drama.

“Good Boy!”
M-G-M Pictures
Rated PG
(Not reviewed)

It seems that just last week you were saying, “Gee, it’s sure been a long time since ‘Cats and Dogs’ and I’m jonesin’ for a talking-pet film. Maybe Delta Burke could do a voice.” Well, now your wishes have come true. Cute kid Liam Aiken plays a boy who wakes up to find that he can understand what his dog is saying. Kevin Nealon and Molly Shannon of “Saturday Night Live” fame play the parents and Matthew Broderick plays the dog—his voice, that is. Other vocal talents include Cheech Marin, Vanessa Redgrave, Carl Reiner, Brittany Murphy and Burke. That’s another one to see on top of the Coen and Tarantino films.

“House of the Dead”
Artisan Entertainment
Rated R
(Not reviewed)

How could you go wrong with a horror film “based on the hit video game?” How? And how could a trip by a group of teens to an island rave go wrong? How? Oh. Zombies took over the island. I get it.

“Intolerable Cruelty”
3 reels (out of four)
See review

“Kill Bill”
3.5 reels (out of four)
See review

“Manna From Heaven”
R.S. Entertainment / Five Sister Productions
Rated PG
Opening at Madstone
(Not reviewed)

Gabrielle and Maria Burton directed one of those low-budget, hoping-to-break-through comedies, “Manna From Heaven.” Set in Buffalo, the film looks at a group of apparently less-than-brilliant people who think that when $20 bills fall from the sky, it’s a gift from their deity. Then the girl who convinces everyone to keep the money (Ursula Burton) grows up to be a nun and decides they need to pay back the loan. Most everyone else doesn’t agree.

“Masked and Anonymous”
Sony Pictures Classics
Rated PG-13
Opening at the Broadway

(out of four)

Bob Dylan’s genius is more apparent through the amount of people willing to be seen in a film with him than for anything on screen in “Masked and Anonymous.” Jeff Bridges, Penélope Cruz, John Goodman, Jessica Lange , Luke Wilson, Angela Bassett, Steven Bauer, Bruce Dern, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer, Cheech Marin, Chris Penn, Giovanni Ribisi, Mickey Rourke and Christian Slater are but a few of the many actors who pay tribute to Dylan by appearing in his movie while he sits around, occasionally saying a sentence.

Dylan plays Jack Fate, a legendary folk singer who’s released from prison for a fund-raising concert that’s really part of a scheme by Uncle Sweetheart (John Goodman). What happens from there is anyone’s guess. The film is a confusing collection of scenes that don’t add up to anything. It’s rare that one can figure out what’s supposed to be happening.

It’s hard to determine whether Larry Charles’ clunky direction is responsible or if Dylan’s screenplay never possessed the poetry of his music—which is the only thing good in the film.

“The Sea is Watching”
Sony Pictures
Rated R
(Not reviewed)
Opening at the Broadway

Master Japanese director, legend and answer to one of last week’s questions in the City Weekly crossword puzzle, Akira Kurosawa wrote “The Sea is Watching” from Shugoro Yamamoto’s novel prior to his death in 1998. Kei Kumai, who has directed films since the late 1960s, made the film.

“Out of Time”
M-G-M Pictures
Rated PG-13
Actually opened last weekend, during our hiatus.

(out of four)

“Out of Time” puts a spin on the traditional innocent-man-accused plot by making its character innocent of murder but guilty of many other crimes. Denzel Washington plays a small-town Florida sheriff who succumbs to temptations under the influence of a woman, only to find that it was all a setup.

The film creates tension as the hero tries to solve the mystery while keeping the homicide detective, who happens to be his estranged wife (Eva Mendes), off his tail. The character isn’t challenging enough for Washington’s talents, but the film offers an interesting, if implausible, turn on its genre.
jeremy@red-mag.com