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latest reviews by rob hedelt

September 28, 2006 12:50 am

An oddly unaffecting script and the horrible miscasting of Brit Jude Law as a Louisiana native undoes an amazing performance by Sean Penn in this film of the Robert Penn Warren novel that's based loosely on the life of Louisiana Gov. Huey Long.

When Penn is onscreen, which doesn't happen nearly enough, the film is electric. Though he flirts with overdoing the Southern drawl and hick lingo, the actor makes rising politician Willie Stark one of the most impressive characters to hit the big screen in years.

As the journalist who discovers Stark and then goes to work for him, Law doesn't embarrass himself.

The problem goes deeper than that, as Law seems such an unlikely Southerner that it loses any momentum Penn creates.

A romantic side plot that wastes the talents of Kate Winslet is a distraction that takes away from the main thrust of the film, even if it does factor into an ending that doesn't feel very well developed.

Anthony Hopkins is interesting in a small role as a judge, though his talents are wasted, as are those of James Gandolfini as a sleazy politico.

Rated PG-13 for an intense sequence of violence, sexual content and partial nudity. [RF]

HH flyboys (PG-13)

This tale of Americans who volunteer to join the fledgling French biplane air force during World War I is fun to watch, but it doesn't have the actors or dramatic weight to make it much more than a curiosity.

That's largely because of the film's lead, James Franco, who flees trouble on the ranch at home to find adventure and fulfillment as one of the world's first pilots.

Though World War I is ravaging the countryside and pilots are going down at a ferocious rate, this tale has a jaunty, "Cool! They're flying!" feel to it that undercuts any real attempt at making a serious statement about the war.

Jean Reno does his normal solid duty as the officer who oversees a group of American flyboys, but the action they take part in feels more like something on the Disney Channel than real warfare.

Rated PG-13 for war-action violence and some sexual content. [RF, RA, M]

HH jackass: number two (R)

If there were ever a movie to divide generations, this is it.

Yes, there are funny moments buried between the gross and hurtful bits that are difficult to watch.

But I don't really think it's funny to see a guy jab a huge fishhook through his cheek and then get used as bait for sharks.

Or get branded on the butt or abused during a stunt with a beer bong.

I could have hung with this if Johnny Knoxville and company did the stunts that got them famous on television, flying through the air on rocket-powered bikes or running from bulls in a suburban street.

But on the big screen, and faced by the need to be absurd, dangerous or strange enough to be really out there, there are scenes with snakes, horses and more that push this film beyond what I was comfortable with.

Even if I did get a handful of chuckles from the stunts you wouldn't figure anyone would try.

Rated R for extremely crude and dangerous stunts throughout, sexual content, nudity and language. [RF, RA, M]

HH jet li's fearless (PG-13)

Those who love martial arts or are fascinated with the way they all came to be, this subtitled story of a great fighting master might really do it for you.

For the rest of us, this tale that seems oh-so-very familiar gets old after the first few skirmishes.

Yes, Li has a presence onscreen and manages to make you believe that he can bend the laws of gravity to fight in this ancient way.

But the quest to unite all the various types of martial arts to help promote his country's future takes a back seat to a tale that becomes as tedious as it is expected.

Rated PG-13 for violence and martial-arts action throughout. [RF, M]