Hollywood Waking Up -Three Big Openings

Hollywood is quietly revving its engine this weekend, sending some high profile movies out to theaters. All the press has been about Julia Roberts so called “comeback” in Duplicity, a double crossing corporate caper movie where Clive Owen (The International) plays her partner in crime and love interest. This film looks silly but it has been surprisingly well received by critics, and it was made by the guy who wrote Michael Clayton, so, pretty good pedigree. Also features Paul Giamatti (John Adams) and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton and also John Adams, only he played Ben Franklin). Also hitting theaters is I Love You Man, a bromance movie about a guy (Paul Rudd) who is getting married and doesn’t have any best man candidates. So he sets out to find a new best friend. Depending on who you talk to, this is very funny, a romantic comedy turned inside out, or a routine buddy flick with lots of poop jokes. In fairness, most of the reviews have leaned towards funny. Finally, we have the latest Nicholas Cage outing, Knowing, where he plays a teacher who discovers that an elementary school time capsule may be predicting the future. Spooky. Actually, this one seems really silly (and critics have pretty much panned it; Roger Ebert being the notable exception, he thought it was great), but like a lot of Nicholas Cage pictures, it is scoring big at the box office, so, looks like a hit. All three of these pictures are playing in a whole lot of theaters so you should be able to find one near you.

"Knowing" Too Much

Quite possibly the wackiest movie I have ever seen. It opens in a grade school classroom in 1959, where eager students are drawing pictures that are destined to be sealed up in a time capsule – except one little girl, Lucinda, isn’t drawing pictures at all: she is frantically covering her page with neat rows of numbers. Flash forward fifty years, the time capsule is opened and a boy named Caleb (Chandler Canterbury) takes home Lucinda’s strange writings. This turns out to be a good thing, because Caleb’s dad is John Koestler (Nicolas Cage), an astrophysicist who spends nights pacing his living room, drinking scotch, and mourning the tragic death of his wife; during one of these reveries he takes a look at the mysterious page Caleb brought home, and notices a series of numbers that seem to predict 9/11. Sensing significance, Koestler frantically tries to follow Lucinda’s strange trail, suspecting it warns of some kind of global catastrophe.

From here the film careens down a completely implausible course, with John Koestler roaring around trying to solve the numbers riddle while Caleb stares soulfully about, apparently unperturbed by his father’s growing terror. They find Lucinda’s daughter and granddaughter (this is where Rose Byrne comes in) , providing a kind of love interest thing for both father and son; they encounter strange glowing men who whisper, and there are these shiny black rocks everywhere that seem to have no meaning at all. But in spite of the silliness I enjoyed this movie. It’s fast paced and unpredictable, and not at all serious, and if you accept the premise that a little girl’s crazed scribbling might harbinger the future, the rest of the story makes a kind of nutty sense, except the ending, where it seemed like the writer lost his train of thought and started working on another film. Playing everywhere and making lots of money, as Nic Cage pictures tend to do.

Fun at Work: Sunshine Cleaning

Sunshine Cleaning is a goofy movie but it’s fun to watch. Amy Adams plays a former high school hot shot who finds herself in a dead end job with a dead end romance, trying to raise a troubled child on a shoestring budget. Humiliated by her situation – especially when she runs into better off high school cronies – she decides to reinvent herself and comes up with the idea of crime scene cleanups. With little real knowledge of what her new career entails, she jumps in, dragging her deadbeat little sister (Emily Blunt) along to help her.

There are many interesting directions this plot line could take and Sunshine Cleaning pretty much misses all of them. What’s left is not always that interesting; in fact some of the big developments of the story are pretty silly. But Emily Blunt and Any Adams are so engaging it doesn’t matter. This is lighthearted entertainment with a little bit of an edge, a welcome shift from the dark themes of a lot of recent releases (Watchmen, anyone?). Wonderful supporting performances from Mary Lynn Rajskub (“Chloe” if you’re a 24 fan) and Clifton Collins, best known as the killer Truman Capote fancied in Capote. The kid (Jason Spevack) is good too, toeing a fine line between brattiness and innocence. Nominated for the Grand Jury prize at Sundance. Rated R for a handful of stomach turning moments connected to the whole crime scene cleanup thing (there is no real gore in this picture) and some sex and drugs. Currently in very limited release, opening a little wider on March 20.

Dark Side: The Watchmen

The Watchmen is a film noir comic book gore fest, with sex. Set in the 1980’s, it imagines a world where the United States and the Soviet Union are on the verge of a nuclear showdown, and humankind is terrified. But, reassuringly, America has a convincing deterrent: a big blue guy named Dr. Manhattan, the only true superhero among The Watchmen; he experienced some kind of a nuclear accident that made him godlike. And he’s on our side! Or is he? Can a big blue guy who exists in a quantum universe outside of time really be invested in the people of planet Earth?

The rest of the Watchmen gang are superheroes in the Batman mode: regular people who are in really good shape. The best of them is Jackie Earle Hayley, and whenever he is on screen the energy, action, everything picks up. He plays Rorschach, the guy with the weird face mask that looks like a big sock with morphing patches of ink spreading across his features. I liked him better, though, when he took the mask off. Not an imposing presence, he’s a little guy wired up like a ticking bomb, and no matter how many linebacker sized thugs he faces down, his expression is slightly impatient, slightly amused, never afraid.

The Watchmen has a paper thin plot with a twist at the end that is only surprising if you’ve never seen a movie like this before. It’s not as visually arresting as 300 or Sin City, and it’s not as much fun as Iron Man or Dark Knight. And it is very, very gory; lots of disturbing images that don’t add up to much, plot wise. But if you have a strong stomach, and you’re looking for some late winter escapist action, this movie will do. Playing all over the place, won the box office on its opening weekend but lost the second round to Race to Witch Mountain. Huh.

On a Dramatic Note: Two Lovers

Small, intimate drama with a performance by Joaquin Phoenix that is so fresh and intriguing I found myself hoping, early on, that this isn’t really his last film. Phoenix plays Leonard, a youngish man with a broken heart who survives a suicide attempt, and then moves in with his parents to recuperate. They introduce him to Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the daughter of a business partner, a young woman who sees Leonard’s pain and wants to save him from it. Leonard, meanwhile, is falling for his neighbor, Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow) an unpredictable, childlike woman who is only looking for a friend.

While this is the story of a love triangle it is not the kind Hollywood usually spins; this isn’t Sabrina, for example, where the heroine finally learns that glitz and glamour are not substitutes for love. Two Lovers is more like a coming of age story for people in their thirties. These characters are confronted by their lives and they have to decide what to do about it. It’s refreshing, and honest, but also kind of grim and claustrophobic; it’s hard to see any real happiness on the characters’ collective horizons. Nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, which is a pretty big deal, and it has been generally well reviewed. Performances are terrific, including Isabella Rossellini popping up as Leonard’s mother. (Have you seen Blue Velvet, people? Who ever thought Dorothy Vallens could morph into a Jewish mother from the Bronx?) Currently in limited release around the country, mostly big cities.

Oscar Frenzy

Are there films opening this weekend? A couple, yes, but they are well hidden behind the Oscar hype. This is what’s out there: Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail, and Fired Up. Madea Goes to Jail is Perry’s latest installment in his very successful Madea series; the films are not screened for critics (or anyone else, apparently) so it’s hard to get a heads up on this one. Fired Up has been reviewed, though, and it is not a well liked film. The best thing about it, according to a lot of critics, is that it borrows heavily from Wedding Crashers – but they all recommend that you see that instead. Meanwhile, there is lots of Oscar intrigue, like, who is not going to be allowed to walk the red carpet, because they are surprise presenters? (Are you all on the edge of your seats on this one?) Or, is it appropriate, in these economic times, for someone like, say, Beyonce, to wear a 200 carat diamond necklace to the show? (For the record, the jewelers and designers who dress these women think that the high ticket elegance is good for us regular folks; we are transported, they believe, by the spectacle of famous people in fancy clothes. Makes us forget all about our 401ks.)

Meanwhile, Slumdog is trying to grab the box office gold by ramping up its theater counts – the little movie that could is on almost as many screens as The International this weekend. Otherwise, if you haven’t see Milk yet, that’s a good one, and it could pull an upset on Sunday. A couple of DVD releases are interesting: Changeling -- Angelina Jolie plays a mother in 1928 Los Angeles whose son vanishes; the LAPD, desperate to solve the case, pick up another boy and try to convince her that they’ve found her son. Notorious true bit of Los Angeles crime history. Jolie is nominated for Best Actress for this part. Also Religulous, Bill Maher’s traveling documentary about religion and the religious; entertaining, generally interesting film. If you have preteens, High School Musical 3 is out on DVD this week, but then, if you have preteens, you already know that. See you on the Red Carpet! (Actually, I won’t be there, I just watch the Oscars at home on TV.)

Not so thrilling: The International

Clive Owen plays Louis Salinger, an Interpol agent who suspects The International Bank of involvement in a string of murders. Naomi Watts is Eleanor Whitman, a New York City Assistant DA who has the same suspicions; why the Manhattan DA’s office is interested in the activities, legal or otherwise, of a bank that is headquartered in Luxembourg isn’t exactly clear. But, if you decide to spend your Friday evening with an escapist thriller, logic shouldn’t be high on your list of priorities.

As capers go, this one is pretty entertaining. There are some good action sequences (including an elaborate shoot out at the Guggenheim) and Clive Owen brings great intensity and earnestness to his role. There are times when he seems nearly unhinged in his determination to get the bad guys. There are plot twists and shifting alliances and surprise developments and some Jack Bauer style disregard for the law. There is also a lot of stuff that doesn’t make any sense; you won’t have trouble coming up with plot holes on the ride home. The International is getting middling reviews from critics, which is pretty good for this particular bunch of February releases – most everyone, in other words, thinks it’s better than Shopaholic and Friday the 13th. Faint praise. Currently playing just about everywhere.

Valentine Weekend - maybe skip the movie, just do dinner

It’s Friday the 13th and Hollywood can’t help it, they just had to reanimate Jason and let loose with another installment of the Friday the 13th movies. This one’s a remake (as opposed to a sequel or prequel or some other excuse to use an old premise to make a new movie) and apparently does little to advance or improve the franchise. But if you’re looking for a horror film to see on Valentine’s Day, this is probably your best bet. Salon calls it “glossy, good-looking garbage.” For the chick flick set, there’s Confessions of a Shopaholic; critics are loving the irony about a movie focused on shopping at a time when people are afraid to spend money, but this looks to be a kind of lighthearted screwball comedy that could work. Pretty much loved and hated by an equal number of reviewers, although the folks who hate it really hate it, and the ones who like it are lukewarm. Holdover He’s Just Not That Into You did well last weekend and it’s a pretty entertaining, but in spite of the film’s earnest efforts, it never amounts to more than fluff. Still, not bad for a February release. If you’re looking for action, The International is a thriller about evil banks – more economic crisis irony. Stars Clive Owen (Children of Men, other Brit films) and Naomi Watts, so how bad can it be? Well, pretty bad according to The Wall Street Journal, but what else are they gonna say? It’s an evil banker movie. If you feel like staying in, there are a couple of new DVD releases: Frozen River and Vicki Cristina Barcelona are available and feature Oscar nominees.

He's Just Not That Into You

Reasonably entertaining romantic comedy if you’re pretty sure you are going to walk out of the theater and not think about it again. If you do think about it, you might consider that the women in the film are either stalkers or control monsters or just deluded; the men, meanwhile, are bewildered by the apparently universal female desire to get married, which no man ever wants to do because then he can’t have sex with Scarlett Johansson, unless you’re Ben Affleck, in which case you don’t want to.

OK, I’m generalizing a little: there is one guy who wants to marry Scarlett Johansson.

Based on one line in one scene of an old episode of Sex and the City, this movie tries to bring some male perspective to the standard “chick flick” fare, and maybe that’s why the female characters are so single faceted. There’s the naïve lapdog type, and the seductress type, and the hard assed manager and the worn out caregiver and the earth mother who has a lot of gay friends. If all these types could just be combined into one perfect woman, a guy like Bradley Cooper might not be tempted to sleep around. Meanwhile the male characters are inscrutable in their motivations: we never learn why Ben Affleck doesn’t want to get married, or why Bradley Cooper can’t stay married, or why the Mac guy (the Mac guy!) is such a chick magnet that he has to come up with elaborate systems of rejection in order to keep his groupies under control.

The film is populated by celebrity or near celebrity actors who agreeably play the parts we’ve come to expect from them, which is helpful since they mostly get little screen time. The exception is Ginnifer Goodwin, who brings great energy and sincerity to her crucial central role, remarkably without a hint of Margene, the young polygamist she plays in Big Love. Her scenes are good, and there are some laugh out loud moments and genuinely romantic moments throughout the film, so , all in all, not a bad way to spend an evening. Took the box office crown in its opening weekend but lost first place to “Friday the 13th” over Valentine’s Day. Go figure.

Oscar! again

Just when you think you know which way the Oscar wind blows, SAG comes along and changes the weather. Up until last weekend, the shoo ins for Oscar’s Best Actress and Actor were Kate Winslet and Mickey Rourke, but then the Screen Actors Guild chose Meryl Streep and Sean Penn, and handed Winslet the Best Supporting prize for The Reader. So now, depending on who you talk to (and, really, I don’t talk to anyone, I hang out on my computer) Mickey Rourke and Sean Penn are neck and neck for Best Actor, or Rourke is just out of the running. The latter assumes that Oscar voters are turned off by the gritty intensity of The Wrestler, but they like the whole Yes We Can thing that goes on in Milk.

At scene-stealers.com they are keeping a running total of all the critics and guild awards that people get at the end of the year; whoever gets the most of those, they figure, will probably win Oscar. By that system Penn is ahead of Rourke by one award, Heath Ledger has no competition for Best Supporting Actor, and Sally Hawkins will win for Best Actress. Interesting, since she wasn’t nominated. Say, there’s an organization called “Film Critics of Central Ohio” that selected Melissa Leo for Best Actress. How many film critics do you think there are in Central Ohio? If I lived in Central Ohio, I would join that group, and I would vote for Melissa Leo.

Slumdog remains the front runner for Best Pic, some observers think because it is a “feel good’ movie, and to those people I say, “Did you see Slumdog?” There’s brutality and tragedy and poverty and some really trite gangster scenes. They do dance, Bollywood style, on the train platform in the end. That's pretty upbeat stuff.

So, to wrap up: Slumdog for Best Pic, followed by Ben Button and Milk. Penn and Rourke tops for Best Actor. Winslet for Best Actress, except for Streep and, making a late run, Anne Hathaway (possible beneficiary of a split between the first two). Supporting Actor, Heath Ledger, Supporting Actress – look out, could be a surprise on this one. Maybe Viola Davis, for twelve minutes of screen time in Doubt.

Ballots due in February 17.

Tortured suburbia: Revolutionary Road

Well made, thought provoking film. I’ve heard it called screechy, but that isn’t quite fair; a lot of arguing goes on but there are light hearted and quiet moments. Set in 1955, it’s the story of April and Frank Wheeler (played by Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio), a young couple at a tipping point. They live on Revolutionary Road, ironically named since the only thing that rebels in this quiet New York suburb is the recalcitrant grass at the end of April’s driveway. (The local real estate agent helpfully brings her some nice ground cover to fill in that stubborn spot.) April longs for something more than her predictable existence; Frank is also restless, but he seems to enjoy his Don Draper lifestyle: dapper New York businessman by day (with those astonishing martini soaked lunches), steadfast suburban husband by night. Winslet is ferocious in the big dramatic scenes, but her most memorable moments are the subtle ones, when she deliberately wipes her hands on her apron, or leans seductively against a door jamb and waves carelessly at her besotted neighbor. Towards the end of the film she calmly asks DiCaprio if he would like his eggs scrambled, or fried, and you feel a chill up your spine. DiCaprio gives a great performance; so does Kathy Bates as the busybody realtor. And Oscar nominated Michael Shannon is terrific as John Givings, a mentally unstable young man who sees the truth: You want to play house you got to have a job. You want to play nice house, very sweet house, you got to have a job you don't like.

People you would never meet in your regular life: The Wrestler

This is all about Mickey Rourke’s formidable performance. He plays Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a washed up professional wrestler with little going for him except past glories. Randy has a small, devoted bunch of fans, but he’s broke most of the time, works at a grocery store, hangs out at a strip club, leads a sleazy underbelly kind of life. But you root for this guy anyway; Rourke finds his way into the humanity of the character without pulling heart strings or asking for pity. Co-stars Evan Rachel Wood, who does fine work as Randy’s estranged daughter, and Marisa Tomei, excellent as his stripper friend who is trying to find her way to a “normal” life for herself and her kid. See this one for the performances: the film itself is a tough sell, unless you are a wrestling fan: some of the bouts are brutal, a few people walked out of the show I saw. Fortunately those moments are short lived, and mostly this is a satisfying, if sad, story of struggle and redemption.

Oscar!

I love the Oscars, but then I also collect snow globes; I like American kitsch. However, even though I got up at the crack of dawn to watch the nominations in real time (5:30 AM on the west coast) I don’t actually think that the films and actors and actresses and screenplays and what not that got nominated are necessarily the best, or the most interesting, but it’s kind of fun to see who made the cut. The cool thing about watching the nominations live is you get to hear the gasps. Like, when Michael Shannon was nominated for Revolutionary Road. Big gasp.

So let’s talk about Oscar.

I learned today that while Meryl Streep has the most nominations of anybody (15) she has only won twice, which doesn’t seem fair. On the other hand she is Meryl Streep. I would like to see Melissa Leo win Best Actress, because Frozen River was such a complex, intense little film and she comes at it without reserve – I completely believed that she was a broke single mom longing to move up to a double wide. However Kate Winslet will very likely take home the award, and she deserves it – for Revolutionary Road, not The Reader, but that is the strange power of Harvey Weinstein. (Weinstein is the powerhouse Hollywood producer famous for propelling his films into Oscar contention; this time around he is pushing The Reader.) For Best Actor, I just love it that Richard Jenkins got a nod but while his performance in The Visitor was understated and moving, it didn’t require the kind of risk and full throttle commitment that Mickey Rourke brought to The Wrestler. I’m going with Rourke on this one. I’m a big Mickey Rourke fan – if you’re not sure what I mean, Netflix Diner. Or Year of the Dragon. Or Barfly. Skip Wild Orchid, that one is just weird.

Best Picture –well, I can’t get real excited about any of these films. It would have been fun to root for Dark Knight; it seems to me that Hollywood should give a nod to blockbusters now and then. I know people who have a real soft spot for Benjamin Button, but, much as I admire David Fincher I thought the film could have done with some editing. I really enjoyed Slumdog but I am getting tired of all the hype, and that leaves Frost/Nixon, Milk and The Reader; of the three I would probably go with Milk but, if the early odds makers are right (and it is early) Slumdog is the favorite. Damn Brits.

Never mind – the most fun about the Oscars is the nominations, and then the actual show. Especially the pre-game. That can be hilarious. And with Hugh Jackman as host, well, he won’t be funny but he’ll be fun to watch.

You don't have to remember Watergate (Frost/Nixon)

This film is less about the Frost/Nixon interviews than about the complicated maneuvers that were required to make them happen. In 1977 David Frost was fast on his way to becoming a has-been, looking desperately for a way back into the limelight. Nixon, three years past Watergate and his humiliating resignation of the Presidency, wanted some kind of public redemption. As the two men plan their television encounter, it becomes evident that they are less business partners than adversaries, about to engage in a contest that one of them has to win. It’s kind of a thriller, without car chases and explosions, there are a lot of edge of your seat moments, mostly because David Frost seems woefully unprepared to handle an opponent as formidable as our most infamous President. Frank Langella is remarkable as Nixon; after a while you entirely forget you’re watching an actor play a part. Michael Sheen plays Frost with great humanity and vulnerability, so that you root for him even as you’re aware his cavalier attitude may well doom his most significant project. Great supporting contributions from Oliver Platt, Kevin Bacon, and Sam Rockwell, all playing real people. I saw this film with a bunch of teens, and they liked it, seeing parallels to current events….so don’t hesitate to bring the kids.

Yes, you do want to see a movie about nuns (Doubt)

Engaging, challenging, provocative, terrific film. I went with a group of eight people, all kinds of home-for-the-holidays ages, and everyone enjoyed it, in no small part because filmmaker/playwright John Patrick Shanley respects his audience; he assumes we know how to think. Doubt is played out on such an intimate level that it is sometimes uncomfortable (or “really intense” as our teen viewers observed); you feel as though you have inadvertently walked in on a very private conversation. But it is worth it. Meryl Streep is astounding as the nun who believes the priest in her parish (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is abusing children – she is by turns terrifying, heart breaking, and then, abruptly, a practical and practiced school administrator. Astonishing. Philip Seymour Hoffman is terrific, and Amy Adams pulls off yet another surprising and wonderful performance: at age 35 she has played a fairy princess, a knocked up teenager, and a nun. Who gets to do that? Final kudos to Viola Davis, as the mother of the possibly abused boy – she has a very short scene, but it’s with Meryl Streep, and she more than holds her own.

The Curious Case of the Missing Storyline (Benjamin Button)

I know two rational middle aged men who were moved and touched by this film. I wasn’t, but I liked it well enough, it’s beautifully made, and very detailed, as Fincher films tend to be. What troubles me about Benjamin Button is that it doesn’t have a smooth storyline; it is really a bunch of vignettes strung together, and oddly, this nearly makes the film’s intriguing premise – a man born old and growing younger - irrelevant. In the title role, Brad Pitt is understated to the point of blandness; Cate Blanchett is lovely but she has little to work with. Without question the highlights of the film are the scenes in the dingy Russian hotel with Tilda Swinton, and the ones with Jared Harris, the salty sea captain. Taraji P. Hensen, playing Bejamin's loving foster mother, is also terrific: when she takes in this monstrous, ugly baby, saying simply "He is still a child of God," you believe her.

Too many movies, too little time

Since the great pursuit of Oscar makes the studios release all their serious films at the end of the year, a lot of big buzz movies hit multiplexes in December. This makes things complicated: how do you choose between Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet and Anne Hathaway? (Wait, Anne Hathaway?) And do you go with Rob Howard’s Best Film Ever or Clint Eastwood’s latest gritty outing or maybe you really want to know how the guy who made Se7en handles a movie about a dude who is born old and keeps getting younger?

The Reelfan has a goal – see everything. It’s an almost impossible task but as Sean Penn says in Milk:”God knows we keep on trying.”

Happy New Year Reelfan fans!

The Way We Were (in the 1970s): Milk

This is one heck of a movie. It tells Harvey Milk’s story in a personal, almost intimate way; you feel invited in, like a bunch of old friends asked you over so they could tell you what really happened. Sean Penn is terrific – he portrays Milk as a man on a mission, a tough political fighter, but he shows his heart as well. You really like the guy. Also good are James Franco (most recently seen as a pothead in Pineapple Express) as Scott Smith, Milk’s lover and partner; and prolific Josh Brolin (this is his fourth Hollywood release in a year) playing Dan White, the San Francisco Supervisor who assassinated both Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Milk is shot with unpretentious grittiness, nearly like you’re watching a home movie, and director Gus Van Sant blends in actual 1970s footage, including interviews (and orange juice ads!) with the infuriating Anita Bryant, as well as evening news clips featuring youthful versions of Walter Cronkite and Tom Brokaw. A heroic effort was made to give the film a sense of authenticity. This is a remarkable story, extremely well told. Currently showing in about 20 cities around the country, set to expand this weekend. Critics love it, early (very limited) box office excellent.

Holiday Box Office

What takes out a vampire? Wooden stakes, bright sunlight, and Reese Witherspoon. Twilight’s brief reign at the box office looks to end this weekend, victim of Four Christmases and Disney’s Bolt, which is offering fierce competition for second place as families head to the multiplex. Newcomers Australia and Transporter 3 are just okay in ticket sales; apparently romantic epics and recycled action pictures aren't what America needs this Thanksgiving. Older films like Quantum of Solace are performing better. In terms of high quality drama, well, you’re still waiting in most of the country, but the heavy hitters are on their way: Milk is out in limited release, and early December brings Frost/Nixon to theaters.

Love in the Outback. With bombs.

Baz Luhrman is a romantic goofball. As co-writer and director of Australia, he has created a comedy, and a drama, and an adventure and a cowboy movie and a World War II picture. It’s not so much that he can’t decide which direction to go, but that he likes all the directions so he figures he might as well go everywhere. Nicole Kidman plays Sarah Ashley, an uptight English noblewoman whose husband has settled down on a remote cattle ranch in the Australian Outback. She boldly travels there to retrieve him, but when she arrives she learns that he has been murdered and she has become the reluctant owner of a cattle spread that directly threatens the empire of nefarious rancher King Carney (Bryan Brown). Her only reliable ally in the outback is a hunky Australian cowboy played by Hugh Jackman (they call him “The Drover” – apparently he’s too cool for a regular name); they hate each other on sight, so of course they fall in love after about half an hour. What follows is a glorious, dusty widescreen cattle drive framed by elaborate Australian vistas, then a lot of romance in the rain, and then the Japanese come and bomb everything. The best part of the movie is a little boy named Nullah, offspring of a white father and Aborigine mother; played by Brandon Walters, he steals Lady Ashley’s heart and pretty much every scene. This isn’t serious filmmaking, although at times it seems like it would like to be, but it is an entertaining film, particularly if you’re in a sweeping epic kind of mood. Playing in a whole lot of theaters all over the place. Not raking it in; stumbling badly against Four Christmases, Bolt and Twilight. Critical reviews dead average.