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‘Push’ – Fanning doesn’t act her age

cftoto — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:46:42 +0000

The next few years will be crucial to talented teen actress Dakota Fanning.

Will she become the next Ron Howard – or Jodie Foster? Or will she be lumped in with the great majority of child actors who couldn’t transition to adult screen roles?

Her latest, “Push,” tries to get a jump start on the next phase of her career.

She plays a girl with psychic powers – she can see the future and make a pretty good sketch from it. She teams up with “Fantastic Four’s” Chris Evans, who can move objects with his mind, to escape the clutches of “The Division.”

That group, led by a bored Djimon Hounsou, is trying to capture them in order to bolster for the government’s defense department.

Or something like that.

Fannings’ character sports a miniskirt and some seriously tall boots, and midway through the film she embraces her first drunk scene.

Kids grow up fast, don’t they?

She’s a good enough actress not to embarrass herself, but she should be ashamed for tackling such a mess of a movie.

“Push” is so frenetic, so packed with noble ideas that simple storytelling is shoved aside (did you really expect me to type ‘pushed?’). Some of those concepts might work in a more coherent film.

It helps that Evans and Fanning make a charming duo, and the fight sequences are momentarily thrilling. “Push” also delivers a level of grit that sets it apart from other mutant films like the “X-Men” franchise.

“Push” is this year’s “Jumper,” an incomprehensible action flick with a few good ideas and a whole lotta lousy execution.

(Photo: Dakota Fanning plays a girl with psychic powers in “Push.” Photo credit: Courtesy of Summit Entertainment)

Reboot exhaustion

cftoto — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:09:16 +0000

The Suits over at Warner Bros. are currently plotting ways to reboot the “Superman” franchise. Didn’t we learn anything from “The Incredible Hulk?”

Some superhero franchises don’t need to be redone. They should be gently retired, at least for one generation.

The Hulk’s lack of complexity likely killed its chances for a lengthy franchise. Hulk smash, Hulk tired … not too many variations on that theme.

One could argue Superman is a far more complex figure, but “Superman Returns” took a noble stab at resurrecting him and couldn’t excite the masses. I actually liked Brandon Routh’s take on Superman, and thought the film had some grand moments. But it all felt too reverential to the Christopher Reeve films.

The comic book world teems with superheroes worthy of their close up. Let’s start milling through old stacks of comics and find the next “Iron Man” or “Dark Knight.” “Superman” had his day on the big screen.

(Photo: Brandon Routh did his best to channel the late Christopher Reeve in “Superman Returns.”)

WWTW Rewind: ‘Zelig’ (1983)

cftoto — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:07:30 +0000

Woody Allen was on some kind of a roll in the 1980s. He had already won a Best Picture Oscar for “Annie Hall” (1977), but his string of uniquely comic ’80s stories would rival any director’s of any era.

“Zelig,” a faux documentary I rewatched recently for the first time in a decade, remains one of his best, most mercurial productions. Allen stars as Leonard Zelig, a lonely man living in the 1920s who had the ability to change his appearance to fit in with his surroundings.

If he’s stuck in an Irish bar, his hair turns red and he develops a brogue. He could become black, Asian, American Indian … even overweight if he finds himself surrounded by beefy pals.

“To the KKK he was a triple threat,” intones the perfectly unctuous narrator.

I figured the film’s technological trickery would age badly. Modern F/X wizards could easily insert Allen into archival footage. But the effects on display look utterly convincing. it’s a triumph of artistic immersion, a testament to Allen’s ability to conjure up a new version of the past combined with a crackerjack special effects squad.

“Zelig” offers some big laughs along with healthy jabs at our culture, past and present. It’s one of the unsung films in his still growing canon.

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Open up and say … ewwww!

cftoto — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:07:25 +0000

I’d rather get root canal by Laurence Olivier than suffer through the indie thriller “Teeth” again.

The new film, now out on DVD, involves a young woman whose most intimate of areas is crowned by a set of jagged teeth.

Still with me?

Now, “Teeth” could have been a satire of our uptight sexual culture, and it is for fleeting moments. Or, it might have examined sexual empowerment – which it does oh, so briefly.

Instead, it’s a clunker that tries to do too many things and fails on every level.

And boy, is it graphic. I’ve sat through the grisliest torture porn swill, but this film’s bloodletting made me queasy.

Maybe it’s a guy thing. Audiences can just imagine what kind of damage our heroine does to those who cross her path.

The real shame is that actress Jess Weixler is terrific in the lead role. She’s lovely, conflicted and horrified, all in convincing shades. Too bad her character is as much of a mess as the rest of the film.

If you must, watch “Teeth” on an empty stomach.

(Photo: Jess Weixler stars as a woman with an extra set of choppers in “Teeth”)