CATCH A FIRE [PG-13]
It is difficult to view any politically charged film today — no matter where and when it takes place — without grafting a modern American political slant onto it, and The Quiet American director Philip Noyce’s latest is no exception. With its themes of intolerance, government-sanctioned fear mongering and terrorism, it is quite easy to look at America’s Iraqi quagmire and see the parallels that Noyce is trying to make to it. The mostly-true story starts in Apartheid-era South Africa, 1980, with family man Patrick Chamusso (Derek Luke) wrongfully pegged as a suspect in the bombing of a prominent local coal processing plant. When he is let go, his sense of justice leads him to unite with a group of freedom fighters set liberating the mostly-black South Africa from its out-of-touch white Dutch puppet masters. As auspicious as Luke’s debut in Denzel Washington’s Antwone Fisher may have been, the young actor has come a long way since, dwarfing Tim Robbins’s (War of the Worlds) role as anti-terrorist agent Nic Vos. The part is underdeveloped, and Noyce is a bit too subtle when putting to us the question, “Are terrorists born or made?” It is still a good show, and should appeal to anyone who took Blood Diamond to heart. And speaking of Washington, he played activist Steve Biko in Richard Attenborough’s Cry Freedom (1987), which, like the similar Apartheid drama A Dry White Season (1989) is also worth seeking out. –Robert Newton
THE MOTEL [R]
Most of the time, when a film runs 75 minutes or under, it is because it is either under-written or over-edited. Either way, it signals trouble. Not so with writer-director Michael Kang’s ultra-efficient film festival favorite. In the vein of Me, You and Everyone We Know and Chuck & Buck, the smooth and restrained Kang dances with obscenity, but leaves us to take the next step into prurient outrage. Kang’s young star, first-time actor Jeffrey Chyau, is fantastic, nailing the part of Ernest, an emotionally neglected son of fleabag motel owners. Kang plays so well the relationship between Ernest and Sam (the handsome and unrelated Sung Kang), a sensitive, deadbeat party boy who becomes a father figure of sorts, when he is not entertaining fast girls in his room. Psychologically smart and poetic in its depiction of Ernest’s inner life, the film is a minor work of art, a portrait painted by an observant street artist unafraid to take quirky to a whole new level. –Robert Newton
LUCKY LOUIE [NR]
Watch one episode of HBO’s first live sitcom, based on the stand-up of gonzo Boston comic Louis C.K., and you will know why it was not renewed after its initial 12 episodes — it makes the Bundys from “Married With Children” cuddly by comparison. That is not to say that there is nothing worth sampling here, as C.K. and company make a good time of all the icky-ness. “Opie & Anthony” regular Jim Norton is a memorable, lovable creep, and “King Of The Hill” staple Pamela Adlon is adorable. Alas, though, there is no kismet here, as this uncensored “All In The Family” is by no means greater than the sum of its parts. HBO’s “One Night Stand,” separately featuring C.K. and Norton, showcases both comics at their best, with the 2001 oddity Pootie Tang featuring C.K. at his weirdest. –Robert Newton
LIES & ALIBIS [R]
Most audiences will know Steve Coogan only casually from recent movies like Marie Antoinette and Night at the Museum, but the gifted comic actor shines so much brighter in films like 24 Hour Party People, Tristram Shandy and this grown-up caper comedy. The cheeky “Alan Partridge Show” star plays a former grifter who goes mostly legit as the proprietor of an agency that meticulously crafts alibis for philanderers and other cheats. He takes on an assistant, played by the crafty Rebecca Romijn (X-Men: The Last Stand), and they both become embroiled in some high-unpleasantness from which they must escape. First-time directors Matt Checkowski and Kurt Mattila make sure the hijinks are tight and believable, buoyed by a strong ensemble, which includes Sam Elliott, James Brolin and Jerry O’Connell. –Robert Newton
TOP 10 DVD RENTALS
[10] INVINCIBLE [10]
[9] THE NIGHT LISTENER [9]
[8] THE COVENANT [8]
[7] LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE [7]
[6] THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA [6]
[5] THE ILLUSIONIST [5]
[4] CRANK [4]
[3] THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: [3]
THE BEGINNING
[2] GRIDIRON GANG [2]
[1] EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH [1]
Source: Video Business