Verity definitely isn't the problem with the uncompromisingly bleak Ian Curtis biopic Control (Weinstein) on the contrary, it's just the task of making a biopic about Curtis at all that turns out to be the film's eventual undoing, since the second half is little but a dreary parade of lowlights. Not that getting there isn't exhilarating on occasion: Director Anton Corbijn, who made his name on high-profile music videos like Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box," does exceptional work with the performance footage and actor Sam Riley has a nuanced sense of Curtis' tortured character…
Will Ferrell's string of hit sports comedies came to an end with Semi-Pro (New Line), an intermittently funny but fairly tired laugher about a desperate, Ferrell-owned-and-managed ABA team's attempts to make it into the NBA in the mid-70s. Gosh, we liked this movie better when it was called Blades Of Glory.And Talledega Nights. And Anchorman. And Kicking And Screaming…
Ever wonder what might happen if a world-class filmmaker tasked himself with making the most of straight-to-DVD thriller material? Well, wonder no more, because Olivier Assayas' gorgeously rendered yet resoundingly silly Boarding Gate (Magnolia) finds the gifted director working well below his station, peddling an espionage plot for which even he can't muster much enthusiasm. But he gets superb performances out of Asia Argento and Michael Madsen, two smoldering actors who aren't known for their consistency…
A good horror movie can find terror in everyday events and objects. A bad one can make the creepiest supernatural events seem mundane and boring. The Eye (Lionsgate) thuds clumsily into the latter camp, remaking a stylish Hong Kong thriller by stretching out tense moments until they become dull, and relying heavily on lunge-at-the-camera shocks to keep the audience awake. When Jessica Alba in a tight sweater is the sum total of what a movie has to offer, there's a clear problem…
Demi Moore, Michael Caine, class resentment, institutionalized sexism, and hilariously unconvincing old-age make-up figure prominently in Flawless (Magnolia), a labored heist film set in a not-so-swinging '60s London about an oft-overlooked female executive (Moore) and a wily janitor (Caine) who team up to rob the London diamond company from inside. The results are eminently forgettable, but the final scene and labored framing story—where wizened old Moore tells her story to a plucky young contemporary reporter—garner some big, unintentional laughs…