Jurassic Park III (Universal) : The Jurassic Park threequel is just plain weak. Well, what did you expect? I mean, how much can you milk a dinosaur? Udesky, (played by openly gay actor Michael Jeter) is a pilot for hire who is killed 45 minutes into the movie…lucky for him. Sam Neill reprises his role as “dinosaur man” Dr. Alan Grant, and is led to an island near Costa Rica…which is inhabited by dinosaurs…under false pretenses by Paul (William H. Macy) and Amanda (Tea Leaoni) Kirby. It turns out the divorced couple is searching for their son who was lost over the island in a para-sailing accident. The son, as it turns out, is alive, and so are some vicious and voracious dinosaurs, who chase the humans on land, on water and in the air. I’m beginning to lose respect for Steven Spielberg, who executive produced this movie, as well as the unpleasant Evolution (earlier this summer). As for director Joe Johnston, what more can you expect from the man who gave us Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, Jumanji, and The Pagemaster. On a scale of 1 to 10: 4
Lost And Delirious (Lions Gate) : Canadian girls-boarding-school movie alert! Heavy handed symbolism involving birds of prey, broken mirrors, blood bonds, bravery, boys, breasts, birth mothers, breakdowns, betrayal, the Bard, and butch and femme abound, making this a true B-movie. Piper Perabo, as fragile tough girl Paulie, devours scenery as fast as her perky lips allow. Her love interest Victoria (Jessica Paré) cries on cue and new kid in the dorm Mary a.k.a. Mouse (Mischa Barton who was so wonderful in Lawn Dogs) looks like she’s always on the verge of tears, as well. Jackie Burroughs (Mother Mucca, from More and Further Tales Of The City) achieves a level of Maggie Smith/Miss Jean Brodie in her role as devoted headmistress Miss Vaughn and Graham (Dances With Wolves) Greene’s gardener is a bright spot. Did I mention that the movie’s soundtrack predictably includes songs by Ani DiFranco and Me’Shell Ndegeocello? Director Lea Pool needs to spend some time in detention for this fractured fairy tale. On a scale of 1 to 10: 4
Our Song (IFC Films) : The “song” in the movie’s title is the soul classic “Oooh Child,” and it is appropriate to this story about three friends Lanisha (Kerry Washington in a scene-stealing performance), Maria (Melissa Martinez) and Joycelyn (Anna Simpson) who find themselves at the end of their childhood faced with very adult situations. The high school that they attend in Brooklyn is being closed for asbestos abatement and they must make choices for their academic futures. As if that isn’t enough of a strain on their friendships, Maria becomes pregnant and Joycelyn makes some new female friends. Interwoven throughout this gratifying film are scenes involving the Jackie Robinson Steppers Marching Band…a musical and social group in which all three girls are involved…which functions as a mini-documentary within the movie. The cast is all very watchable, and even the performances by the actors portraying the girls’ parents are worth noting. The movie raises a lot of questions, some of which it answers. Like life and the unknown future, the movie also leaves many questions unanswered. On a scale of 1 to 10: 7.5