Capote * * * *

Like William H. Macy in Fargo, Philip Seymore Hoffman has come into his own. Over the past decade, Hoffman has made a name with small but memorable performances. He has played everything from unlikable frat boys to cross dressing piano teachers. In Capote, it's impossible to see anyone else in the title role. Hoffman disappears so thoroughly into character; we completely forget he is there.

Capote takes the novel, In Cold Blood, and turns it 180 degrees showing the man behind the masterpiece. A character who is possibly too brilliant and talented for his own good. The inner conflict between literary ambition and personal attachment to his subjects ultimately undoes him. After their execution provides the books necessary conclusion, Capote sets about on his own path of self-destruction.

The film captures the skeletal Kansas landscape with a suitably dour sepia look to it. Otherwise, there is nothing remarkable about the photography. The cameras focus stays mainly on Hoffman as it should, but when it does stray, we see a fine supporting cast. Most notably is the underrated Clifton Collins Jr. who gives an excellent performance as the needy killer Perry Smith.

While Capote may not bring the biopic back to the big screen en masse, it shows they don't have to remain shoddy made-for-TV affairs.

Haute tension * *

This is a frustrating movie, because it's entirely too good to be ruined in the last ten minutes. Even twist endings have to remain true to the stories logic and unfortunately, High Tension doesn't. This is no Sixth Sense or The Others where you can connect the dots as the credits role. High Tension has more than just vague inconsistencies, several events could not possibly have occurred given the "surprise". The sad fact is that a kick-ass slasher film like this didn't need to resort to such a clunky gimmick.

Playing like an homage to 70's horror, High Tension has so much going for it. Dare I say there is a certain brilliance at work behind the camera. Aja and co. have a perfect understanding of how to lead the audience without being conspicuous. The special effects for the most part are very realistic. The film has just the right ratio of tension to gore, so it never degenerates into a laughable splatterfest. This is a solid movie right up until the ending drops out of the sky.

The story itself is threadbare, two beautiful college girls study for an exam at a lonely farmhouse. We overhear just enough conversation in the car ride to flesh out their relationship. Alexia is popular with the boys on campus, whereas Marie seems a little jealous. This breadcrumb trail of information begins to lead you towards the movies twist, but that abruptly ends when the killer knocks on the door.

The characters French name La Tueur translates to "The Killer", and there is little else we know about him. He is a "shape", as John Carpenter would say, that swigs whiskey and has an attraction to dark haired women - seemingly the only reason for his appearance at alexia's family home. After the killing starts, the film evolves to an effective cat and mouse game between Marie and La Tueur...right up until, yeah, you get the idea.

For a first outing in the genre, Director Alexandre Aja shows a great deal of skill. High Tension aggravates me because I absolutely love ninety-five percent of it. I'm really looking forward to his upcoming remake of The Hills Have Eyes and a ghost story called The Waiting. In the mean time, if you're willing to overlook the surprise ending, give High Tension a shot, just don't say I didn't warn you.

Unleashed * * *

Unleashed (aka Danny the Dog) is a film behaviorist B.F. Skinner might have enjoyed. It's about a Chinese boy named Danny, raised to be a human attack dog. Skinner, if you're unfamiliar, is the psychologist that urban legends claim raised his own daughter in a box (untrue). This may well be where Luc Besson got the idea from, I don't know. What ever the case, Unleashed is a better than average martial arts movie and probably Jet Li's best English speaking performance.

The film opens with Hoskins and Li making the rounds on the financially irresponsible. Hoskin's character Bart explains that he expects to be paid and paid on time, otherwise the collar comes off. Lucky for us these deadbeats don't understand the beating their in for regardless of how many goons they employ. Jet Li is arguably one of the finest martial arts performers working in film today. The initial fight comes off looking the most natural and Li is nearly growling like a human pit-bull.

Further into it the action starts to get more contrived and while you may never see the wires, you get the sense that they're there. The unrated DVD includes extended fight scenes but they really don't improve the film in my opinion. It changes the pacing and looks even more artificially choreographed.

Danny, as you may know, gets away from Bart and ends up staying with a blind piano tuner. There is a real sincerity in Li's performance which elevates the film above mindless action. Morgan Freeman does a nice job here as a blind man used to taking care of other people. Although it seems a little unrealistic that your average person would take in a stranger with no social skills, the movie pulls it off.

Unleashed has its moments of cheesy silliness, as in the underground fight club scenes. Fortunately, there is enough heft in the performances to lift it out of Van Damme territory. Besson didn't surpass Leon (aka The Professional) but at least he made amends for The Transporter.

Thumbsucker * * *

This is the type of movie that I almost never catch first run in a theater. Maybe because it's a little movie, and doesn't lose much in the transition to DVD. Maybe because it won't be shown outside of the aging, uncomfortable art houses downtown. And maybe because I'm lazy and have a narrow criteria for what I'll traipse out to see in a theater. This time, however, all those reasons didn't stop me...because I got free movie passes.

In your typical Hollywood coming of age story, the main character needs to lose his virginity to become a man. In Thumbsucker, High School Student Justin Cobb needs to understand why he still sucks his thumb. Thumb sucking is long considered a replacement for the mother's nipple, and Justin feels the pressure to outgrow the habit. In fact he becomes so desperate that he allows his Orthodontist to use hypnotherapy. The cure unfortunately opens a floodgate of teenage angst. So much so that his emotional outbursts drive family and school officials to discuss treatment options.

Justin's parents are somewhat self-absorbed. His Father wants to be called Mike, because Dad makes him feel old. Mike is far too guarded with his feelings and doesn't know how to connect with Justin. His Mother Audrey wants to win a contest to meet a well-known Television actor. She goes on shopping trips to find outfits for their eventual date. She says she wants a diversion, but what she really needs is validation.

For an indie flick, Thumbsucker has a fairly weighty cast. Both Tilda Swinton and Vincent D'Onofrio are excellent here. D'Onofrio is well known for his intense psychotic characters, but is just good playing it subdued. Keanu Reeves, surprisingly, gives an effective performance as Justin's new-age Orthodontist. He is both a catalyst for Justin's journey and also his adult echo. It must be a welcome change for Reeves to do something other than sullen super heroes. Vince Vaughn, likewise, steps away from his usual type casting to play a self-conscious debate coach.

The movie asks questions about who we are, and why should we be so driven to change ourselves. It's a solid film that won't get a lot of press and it'll be in and out of the theater before you can finish reading this review. When it comes out on DVD I would highly recommend picking it up.

The Amityville Horror (2005) *

It's okay to scream...when another iconic horror movie has been slaughtered by a tremendously bad remake. The original, while not necessarily great filmmaking, was far superior to its modern retelling.

The premise, if you're not already familiar, is about the Lutz family who move into a house where a gruesome multiple homicide occurred. As supernatural things begin to happen, the household falls into increasing dysfunction.

The performances are at about the level you'd expect for a B-movie horror flick. Ryan Reynolds portrayal of George Lutz is the only really remarkable one. He has a good deranged intensity during the scenes where George mistreats his stepchildren. So much so, that I could see him playing an abusive father in a Lifetime Channel movie. Beyond that, I think he's much better suited to comedy.

Overall, the film has a synthetic feel which never allows you to step over the threshold of believability. The thing that seems most lacking in modern horror films is the understanding of what scares us. The things we cannot see, the sense of dread and anticipation of what might occur are the most effective tools in the horror film masters arsenal. While the original 1979 version may have been less technically sophisticated, but it had a much better understanding of how to create atmosphere.

My opinion is, unless your completely bored, skip this movie...

Save the Green Planet * * *

Byeong-gu is either a freedom fighter trying to save the planet from alien destruction, or a serial killer whose lost touch with reality. From the outset we’re not too sure of his sanity and for good reason; he kidnaps a local CEO (Kang Man-shik) dressed in a homemade anti-telepathy costume and nearly bungles it. You see Byeong-gu, and to some degree his girl friend Su-ni, believe that Kang is going to be in contact with the Prince of Andromeda during the next lunar eclipse. What transpires at that meeting could well determine the fate of the planet Earth, thus requiring Kangs interrogation.

Korean Writer-Director Jun-hwan Jeong freely mixes black comedy, heartfelt drama, serial killers, and morality tales of global violence. While threaded neatly down the center is Byeong-gu’s life story, which effectively works our sympathy even as we increasingly believe he is insane. Conversely we’re not given much information about Kang, and this where the movie falters a bit. I would have cared more if Kang had attempted to appeal to his captor’s sense of compassion or shown a little humanity. From beginning to end, he remains the angry two-dimensional head honcho you see chewing out the heroes in other films. You’d think Kang would bring up his wife and kids, or the sad yearning to end his estrangement with his older brother, something, anything, even if it’s made up.

Save the Green Planet is an odd film that’s some how able to be funny, horrifying and sad all at the same time and pull it off. If your not afraid of subtitles and in the mood for something strange this might be for you...