Published: Friday, November 20, 2009
DVD releases / Nov. 24
“Angels & Demons”
Praying for another $750 million absolution at the global box office, the fairly unholy trinity of Tom Hanks, director Ron Howard and “The Da Vinci Code” author Dan Brown reteam on Brown’s earlier novel and manage to be more obscure than a Latin Mass.
As renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, Hanks is recruited by a mysterious emissary of a mysterious biotech firm to help explain the mysterious death of a mysterious scientist whose chest was branded by his killer with the word “Illuminati,” an ancient league of science-minded elites.
What the killer was after was antimatter, which the killer promises will be used to level St. Peter’s Basilica. As he embarks on a mission to save Roman Catholicism, Langdon encounters a young papal assistant (Ewan McGregor), a churlish Vatican policeman (Stellan Skarsgard) and an imperious cardinal (Armin Mueller-Stahl).
The filmmakers may have faith, but they also know that God helps those who help themselves.
Rated: PG-13 for violence and gore
“Four Christmases”
There’s a good movie buried here, underneath the layers of baloney and ham, but we never get much of a taste.
Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play San Francisco lovebirds who avoid Christmas with their divorced parents by planning vacations disguised as volunteer expeditions.
But this year, a thick fog grounds all the flights. Before Christmas Day is out, the pair has to make four stops, one for each divorced parent.
Vaughn and Witherspoon, both peppy and likable, have before them four scenarios in which to preen, riff and yuk it up. And get a load of their parents: Robert Duvall, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek and Jon Voight — all Oscar winners.
Unfortunately, the actors are window dressing in this movie, which rushes from scene to scene before bad gags have time to land their bad punch lines.
Rated: PG-13 for sexual humor and language
Also
“Funny People,” “Imagine That,” “Shorts,” “The Golden Age of Television,” “Gomorrah: Criterion Collection,” “Hogan’s Heroes: The Komplete Series, Kommandant’s Kollection,” “The Jerry Lewis Show Collection,” “Life on Mars: Series 2” and “Santa Buddies.”
The Washington Post
Praying for another $750 million absolution at the global box office, the fairly unholy trinity of Tom Hanks, director Ron Howard and “The Da Vinci Code” author Dan Brown reteam on Brown’s earlier novel and manage to be more obscure than a Latin Mass.
As renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon, Hanks is recruited by a mysterious emissary of a mysterious biotech firm to help explain the mysterious death of a mysterious scientist whose chest was branded by his killer with the word “Illuminati,” an ancient league of science-minded elites.
What the killer was after was antimatter, which the killer promises will be used to level St. Peter’s Basilica. As he embarks on a mission to save Roman Catholicism, Langdon encounters a young papal assistant (Ewan McGregor), a churlish Vatican policeman (Stellan Skarsgard) and an imperious cardinal (Armin Mueller-Stahl).
The filmmakers may have faith, but they also know that God helps those who help themselves.
Rated: PG-13 for violence and gore
“Four Christmases”
There’s a good movie buried here, underneath the layers of baloney and ham, but we never get much of a taste.
Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn play San Francisco lovebirds who avoid Christmas with their divorced parents by planning vacations disguised as volunteer expeditions.
But this year, a thick fog grounds all the flights. Before Christmas Day is out, the pair has to make four stops, one for each divorced parent.
Vaughn and Witherspoon, both peppy and likable, have before them four scenarios in which to preen, riff and yuk it up. And get a load of their parents: Robert Duvall, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek and Jon Voight — all Oscar winners.
Unfortunately, the actors are window dressing in this movie, which rushes from scene to scene before bad gags have time to land their bad punch lines.
Rated: PG-13 for sexual humor and language
Also
“Funny People,” “Imagine That,” “Shorts,” “The Golden Age of Television,” “Gomorrah: Criterion Collection,” “Hogan’s Heroes: The Komplete Series, Kommandant’s Kollection,” “The Jerry Lewis Show Collection,” “Life on Mars: Series 2” and “Santa Buddies.”
The Washington Post
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