By Matt Brunson

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
*1/2
DIRECTED BY Robert Zemeckis
STARS Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman

Officially, the title is Disney’s A Christmas Carol, which is acceptable since it sure as hell isn’t Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. While it might be true that this animated version retains more of the literary classic than might reasonably be expected, it’s also accurate to state that a key ingredient of the novel — namely, its humanist spirit — is largely missing from this chilly interpretation.

Director Robert Zemeckis, who used to make fun movies in which the spectacular special effects served the story and not the other way around (Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump), has become obsessed with the motion capture process (this is his third consecutive picture utilizing this technique, following The Polar Express and Beowulf), and one gets the sense that he chose the Dickens chestnut not because of a desire to revive its moral tale for a new generation but because it seemed like a suitable vehicle for his new techno-toys. But Zemeckis can’t keep still, and rather than remain within the parameters of the meaty story, he follows in the footsteps of the recent Where the Wild Things Are adaptation by fleshing out a story that didn’t exactly cry out for extraneous material. But while Wild Things‘ additions at least made thematic sense, Zemeckis pads the material with such nonsense as Scrooge (Jim Carrey) being blasted into the stratosphere or dashing through the cobbled streets of London (a chase scene? Really?) while simultaneously turning into the incredible shrinking man.

Carrey gives the role of the miserly Scrooge his all (he also voices a half-dozen other characters), and the 3-D effects (offered in select theaters) are expertly realized. But you don’t need glasses — 3-D or otherwise — to see that this holiday release is too diluted for adults, too frightening for children, and too tiresome for just about everybody.

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By Matt Brunson

THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
***
DIRECTED BY Grant Heslov
STARS George Clooney, Jeff Bridges

Loopy enough to stand out from the homogenized pack but not bold enough to truly go the distance, this eccentric satire (inspired by Jon Ronson’s nonfiction book of the same name) proves to be a modestly pleasing piffle in which journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor, sincere but straightjacketed by an undemanding role) searches for a great story on the outskirts of the Iraq War and finds one in Lyn Cassady (George Clooney).

Cassady claims to be a former super-soldier, a military man who had been trained in the ways of the paranormal in order to use psychic abilities to combat the enemy. Cassady and his fellow recruits flourished under the tutelage of Vietnam War vet Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), but once a devious soldier named Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) entered the picture, everything went to hell. Now many years later, Cassady insists to Wilton that he’s on a covert mission, and he drags the inquisitive yet uncomprehending reporter along with him.

Clooney and Bridges are both adept at giving off-kilter performances (let’s not forget that they’ve both headlined quirky Coen comedies), and they achieve the proper buzz in a picture that, until a protracted finale, gets high off the fumes of its own freewheeling inclinations.

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By Matt Brunson

COCO BEFORE CHANEL
**1/2
DIRECTED BY Anne Fontaine
STARS Audrey Tautou, Benoit Poelvoorde

Like Young Mr. Lincoln, Butch and Sundance: The Early Years and the Che Guevara yarn The Motorcycle Diaries, Coco Before Chanel is one of those films that promises audiences a peek at the formative years of a historical figure, in that underreported stretch of life before fame (or, in some cases, infamy) came calling.

Audrey Tautou plays Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who went on to become one of the most influential fashion designers of the 20th century. For now, Coco is spotted as a struggling showgirl who makes the acquaintance of the rich Etienne Balsan (Benoit Poelvoorde) and soon becomes the in-house mistress at his large country estate.

Writer-director Anne Fontaine (co-scripting with Camille Fontaine) initially downplays Coco’s sartorial impulses to such a large degree that the film never makes a strong connection between the opportunistic waif presented here and the international icon that would later rock the couture culture. Tautou’s Coco thus never emerges completely from the shadows, while two key characters, her actress friend (Emmanuelle Devos) and her one true love (Alessandro Nivola), never break out of their sketchily drawn biopic stances. That leaves the complex Balsan — equal parts sensitive gentleman and drunken boor — as the most interesting person on display, and Poelvoorde delivers a strong performance in the role. Ultimately, he’s the one who holds this knotty yarn in place.

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The Men Who Stare at Goats

The Box – Cameron Diaz, James Marsden

Coco Before Chanel – Audrey Tautou, Emmanuelle Devos

Disney’s A Christmas Carol – Animated; Jim Carrey, Gary Oldman

The Men Who Stare at Goats – George Clooney, Jeff Bridges

The Fourth Kind – Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas

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Following is a list of some major DVD releases debuting today. For a complete list, go to www.amazon.com.

The Dead – Anjelica Huston, Donal McCann

Food, Inc. – Documentary

North By Northwest (50th Anniversary Edition) – Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 – Denzel Washington, John Travolta

Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro – The Complete First Season – Guy Williams, Gene Sheldon

Walt Disney Treasures: Zorro – The Complete Second Season – Guy Williams, Gene Sheldon

Wings of Desire – Bruno Ganz, Peter Falk

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The Main Library’s fall film series, “The Master of Suspense: Alfred Hitchcock Classics,” continues Monday, Nov. 2, with a screening of the legendary director’s best picture. For better or worse, 1960’s Psycho is considered in many circles to be the granddaddy of the modern slasher flick. But whereas the contemporary crop revels in death and dismemberment, Hitchcock’s audacious masterpiece preferred to explore the recesses of the mind rather than the excesses of the flesh, and in doing so gave us one of the screen’s all-time great characters. That would of course be Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), the shy hotel manager and part-time taxidermist who explains to the aptly named Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) that “Mother’s not herself today.” Hitchcock broke so many established rules back in 1960 that it’s no wonder the film itself became a cause celebre. As for Bernard Herrmann’s nerve-jangling score, it’s easily one of the best soundtracks to ever accompany a motion picture.

Psycho will be screened at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, at ImaginOn, 300 E. 7th St. Admission is free. For more info, call 704-416-0252.

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By Matt Brunson

THIS IS IT
***1/2
DIRECTED BY Kenny Ortega
STARS Michael Jackson

A sadness permeates the opening moments in the behind-the-scenes piece This Is It, but it has nothing to do with Michael Jackson’s death. Instead, the sequence — filmed, like the rest of the movie, while Jackson was very much alive — centers on the talented young dancers and singers who auditioned to be a part of the King of Pop’s planned series of London concerts. As each person describes the thrill of being included in the Jackson legacy — many of them tearing up as they speak — they comment on how much this opportunity means to them, with one or two even stating that this concert gave them a newfound purpose in their unfocused lives. It’s a heartbreaking sequence, considering that Jackson’s death meant that none would be able to live the dream that seemed within their collective grasp.

It’s a smart way to open the film, filling audience members with emotion before the man himself takes the stage to prepare for his mammoth undertaking. After all, many folks (myself included) turned away from Jackson once he made the complete transformation to tabloid freak, and, to be sure, certain audience members are sure to experience an initial wave of nausea as this physical grotesquerie with a dubious history gets ready for his close-up. But then an amazing thing happens. It starts with the music, those generation-spanning hits that have the power to produce instant bouts of affectionate nostalgia. Then there come the dance steps, not as fast and furious as before, but still deft enough to catch the eye. And finally, there’s the sheer spectacle, the showmanship that was arguably as responsible for keeping MJ in the light as any other aspect of his carefully constructed career. Combined, these elements make resistance futile, and for two shimmering hours, all the ghosts of scandals past melt away, leaving in their wake an entertainer whose only desire is to dazzle. And dazzle he does.

With all of the footage coming from the rehearsals that took place from April through June of this year, This Is It provides backstage access to all the prepping for what promised to be one hell of a concert. With the special effects work completed for many of the show’s rear-screen spectacles, the movie is able to hint at the larger-than-life dimensions that even at their most bombastic never threaten to obscure the human dynamo working front and center. Ever the perfectionist, Jackson comes across as prickly on occasion but generally displays patience and warmth toward those around him — albeit always at an emotional distance. Yet when he gets into his zone as a performer, he invites everyone to the party, grooving as one with his backups and even allowing others to occasionally snag the spotlight. He tackles most of the major hits, including “The Man in the Mirror,” “Beat It” and, of course, “Thriller.” The Jackson 5 sequence, complete with vintage footage, is unexpectedly moving, as is an elaborate production number set to the lovely “Earth Song.”

Ultimately, This Is It doesn’t quite feel like a documentary, nor does it seem like a concert film. It’s clearly a love letter to the fans, but, perhaps more importantly, it’s an olive branch to the latter-day critics, cynics and naysayers, all of whom have probably shown up to bury Jackson, not praise him. But the joke’s on us. Wisely remaining within the parameters of the rehearsal arena, the movie keeps sensationalism and sordidness at bay. And by doing so, it allows us one final look at the Man in the Mirror, an unblemished view that reflects nothing but a desire to let the music play.

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By Matt Brunson

CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT
**1/2
DIRECTED BY Chris Weitz
STARS John C. Reilly, Chris Massoglia

Based on a series of books for kids, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant would seem to be aimed at either those young viewers with an affinity for the Twilight franchise or perhaps at those young viewers seeking an alternative to the adventures of Bella and Edward. Either way, this PG-13 confection would seem to be geared primarily at the teen crowd, with adult attendance a passing afterthought. But older moviegoers who can recall the spate of like-minded horror flicks from the 1980s will find much to appreciate as well.

Those ‘80s efforts like Fright Night, Vamp and The Lost Boys placed teen protagonists in horrific situations and armed them with plenty of humor to go along with those wooden stakes. Like its predecessors, this film similarly mixes comedy with fantasy, and I’d be surprised if writer-director Chris Weitz and co-scripter Brian Helgeland hadn’t studied those pictures before embarking on this project (on the other hand, similarities to 1932’s classic Freaks and 1972’s forgotten Vampire Circus were probably coincidental).

Here, the school-age hero is 14-year-old Darren (Chris Massoglia, who even looks like ‘80s mainstay Ralph Macchio in certain shots), who, at the urging of his rebellious best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson), sneaks out to catch a one-night-only presentation by a traveling freak show. The lineup includes a snake boy (Almost Famous’ Patrick Fugit) and a psychic who can sprout a beard at will (Salma Hayek), but it’s spider-wrangler Larten Crepsley (John C. Reilly) who catches the boys’ attention. Crepsley turns out to be a “good” vampire — he dazes rather than kills humans, taking just enough blood for sustenance — and while Steve gets rejected for having “bad” blood, Darren soon becomes the vampire’s protégée and finds himself having to steer clear of the soul-sucking Mr. Tiny (Michael Cerveris) and an army of “bad” vampires.

Reilly hardly conjures up images of suave bloodsuckers like Christopher Lee or Frank Langella, but his casting proves to be a real boon to the film, providing it with a central vampire whose wit is as sharp as his teeth. Beyond him, there’s plenty to enjoy here — too much, since the picture ultimately collapses under the weight of its busy storyline and fails to adequately utilize its strong supporting cast (Hayek and Willem Dafoe as a dapper vampire especially could have used more screen time). Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant ends with all signs pointing to a sequel, but given its bloodless box office, it’s safe to surmise that a stake has been driven through that particular course of action.

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By Matt Brunson

AMELIA
**
DIRECTED BY Mira Nair
STARS Hilary Swank, Richard Gere

In its effort to be one of the first Oscar-bait titles out of the gate, the stately but sterile Amelia ends up stumbling over its own feet. A handsome production that fusses over every detail in order to provide the proper look, this biopic forgets to include any sort of spark necessary to get its motor running.

As aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, Hilary Swank adroitly mixes tomboy charm with feminist strength, but she’s let down by a script (by Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan) that doesn’t allow her to burrow even an inch under her character’s skin. Her Amelia is painted in broad strokes, and as such, the dramatizations of her aerial achievements don’t carry the power that should automatically go with lofty historical territory of this caliber.

Where the movie most succeeds in its exploration of Amelia’s relationships with two distinct men. Publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere) was the person who discovered Amelia and guided her career; they eventually married, but the film posits that she embarked on an affair with fellow flight expert Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor) before returning to her loving husband. Swank and Gere don’t exude magnetism in their scenes together, but it’s not that kind of relationship: Theirs is a partnership forged from mutual respect and common ground, and it’s a credit to both performers that the union feels authentic and enviable. As for Amelia’s dalliance with Vidal, it’s the only time the movie allows its heroine to be recognizably human rather than merely an untouchable icon.

The final portion of the picture naturally centers on the ill-fated 1937 flight that led to the disappearance of Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan (Christopher Eccleston) over the Pacific Ocean. Despite our knowing the outcome, this segment is fairly tense, although some feeble fabrications surrounding the tragedy prove to be as daft as the cinematic theory that the Titanic sank because the watchmen were too busy watching DiCaprio and Winslet smooch to notice the iceberg right in front of them.

We’ve seen it before: An acclaimed independent director gets seduced by mainstream Hollywood and ends up taming his or her wild side in order to toe the studio line. Here, the unfortunate one is Mira Nair, whose Monsoon Wedding and Mississippi Masala were vibrant, colorful achievements that brought life and vigor to the big screen. Conversely, her take on Amelia Earhart seems earmarked for a day at the museum.

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Arriving on the scene just in time for Halloween is The William Castle Film Collection, a boxed set that contains the eight pictures the legendary filmmaker directed and produced for Columbia Pictures within a six-year span. True, such memorable works as 1959’s House on Haunted Hill and 1965’s I Saw What You Did are missing (they were made for other studios), but this contains the bulk of Castle’s most popular pictures, along with some oddities that, while not exactly ripe for rediscovery, are worth a peek for their novelty value.

Perhaps Castle’s most outrageous film, The Tingler (1959) also stands as one of his best. Vincent Price stars as a scientist who discovers that fear manifests itself as a physical creature that attaches itself to the frightened person’s spinal cord, and that the only way to get rid of it is through screaming. Credit this picture for originality, but also give it props for smartly playing around with the conventions of cinema itself, as witnessed via one segment in which the blood in this otherwise black-and-white feature is presented in color, or in the climactic sequence in which “The Tingler” terrorizes a packed movie theater.

13 Ghosts (1960) is slender but fun, as mild-mannered museum guide Cyrus Zorba (Donald Woods), wife Hilda (Rosemary DeCamp), teenage daughter Medea (Jo Morrow) and young Buck (Charles Herbert) inherit a strange mansion bequeathed to them by Cyrus’ late uncle, Plato Zorba (are these great character names or what?). It turns out that not only is the house haunted, it also contains a large fortune stashed away by the deceased, demented relative. Margaret Hamilton, The Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West, appears as the estate’s mysterious housekeeper; this is also the rare film to prominently feature a Ouija board.

Castle clearly was influenced by (and often mimicked) Alfred Hitchcock, and Homicidal (1961) is such a blatant rip-off of 1960’s Psycho that a lawsuit probably wouldn’t have been without merit. Yet while traveling along similar lines, Castle and scripter Robb White manage to include enough originality that the shock ending still has the power to catch many viewers off guard. Unlike Psycho, this film’s central blonde (played by Joan Marshall) is villain rather than victim, yet there’s still a squeaky-clean heroine, her dullard boyfriend, a crotchety old woman in a wheelchair, and a soft-spoken young man. To reveal more would be criminal.

The period tale Mr. Sardonicus (1961) relates how an Eastern European peasant (Guy Rolfe) is forced to dig up his late father’s grave in order to retrieve a winning lottery ticket. The gruesome endeavor leads to fortune but also brings on a curse that leaves the man’s face frozen in a permanent, grotesque grin. Now a baron, Sardonicus summons his wife’s (Audrey Dalton) former lover, a renowned London doctor (Ronald Lewis), to cure him of his affliction … or else. This handsome but occasionally meandering drama admittedly makes creative use of several nasty leeches.

Castle begins a drastic freefall with Zotz! (1962), a supernatural comedy in which a college professor (Tom Poston) discovers that an ancient coin in his possession gives him various powers (none too exciting). There’s an uproarious scene involving an attempt by a rival instructor (a pre-Gilligan’s Island Jim Backus, easily stealing the show) to deliver a speech, but other comic situations are frightfully anemic.

13 Frightened Girls (1963) actually reveals 14 girls in some group shots and 15 in others, but such sloppiness quickly becomes the norm in this daft espionage yarn that emerges as the worst film in the collection. A couple of decent actors (All About Eve’s Hugh Marlowe and Jaws‘ Murray Hamilton) find themselves surrounded by rank amateurs in this story of a diplomat’s perky teenage daughter (the dreadful Kathy Dunn) who uses her position of privilege to steal Cold War secrets in order to aid the U.S. This was originally set to be called The Candy Web (the heroine’s name is Candy, you see), but it’s a turkey under any moniker.

The Old Dark House (1963) was Castle’s ill-fated attempt to remake the 1932 classic of the same name. Instead of the original’s Boris Karloff and Charles Laughton, we now get Zotz!’s Tom Poston, hardly a fair trade-off. Poston plays an American car salesman who journeys to a remote English estate to meet its eccentric inhabitants. Upon arrival, he learns that a family fortune is at stake, and, not coincidentally, the members of the household start dropping like flies. As the most pompous of the clan, Robert Morley provides the only spice in this clumsy comedy-thriller.

Strait-Jacket (1964) finds Castle regaining much of his former luster by helming this hit about a woman (Joan Crawford) who hacks up her husband (yes, that’s an unbilled Lee Majors) and his girlfriend with an axe in front of her young child. Twenty years later, Mom is released from the insane asylum and goes to live with her now-grown daughter (Diane Baker), but has she really been cured of her violent impulses? The twist ending is one of the most obvious ever put on film (the script is by Robert Bloch, who wrote the novel on which Psycho was based), but Crawford’s campy histrionics and some neat stylistic flourishes make this worthy entertainment.

William Castle (right) with Vincent Price (center)

Ever the consummate showman, Castle was known as much for his promotional gimmicks as for the movies themselves. For The Tingler, he had select theater seats wired to provide viewers with an electric jolt at crucial moments in the film, while the viewing of 13 Ghosts required special glasses for a process he termed “Illusion-O.” These innovations and others are discussed in the documentary that’s included in the set (Spine Tingler!: The William Castle Story) as well as in various retrospective featurettes. Other DVD extras include two episodes from the short-lived TV series Ghost Story (on which he served as executive producer); alternate sequences; and theatrical trailers.

The Tingler: ***
13 Ghosts: ***
Homicidal: ***
Mr. Sardonicus: **1/2
Zotz!: *1/2
13 Frightened Girls: *
The Old Dark House: *1/2
Strait-Jacket: **1/2
Extras: ***

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