THE CONDEMNED [R]
Set around a faux reality show in which ten death row inmates are placed in a high-caliber battle royal broadcast live over the Internet, this action vehicle for former WWE titan “Stone Cold” Steve Austin does an admirable job of creating a disturbing yet believable backdrop in the vein of The Running Man. There are plenty of cringe-worthy moments as bones are broken, throats are slit, and pain is served up in king-size portions, with big-screen newcomer Austin doing an adequate job as the movie’s good guy hero. He never kills unless necessary and stoically absorbs innumerable kicks and punches, though he does little to break from his badass WWE image. The movie plays exactly as it is billed and follows the genre pattern with deference; it should have decided, though, whether it truly wanted to impart a cautionary message rather than awkwardly inserting non-characters to question the morality of mankind’s addiction to violence. For viewers who crave action, however, grab a bucket of popcorn and your beverage of choice and strap yourself in. –Gregory Johnson

FRACTURE [R]
The cat-and-mouse game that follows the confession of a cunning Rich White Guy (Anthony Hopkins) to the attempted murder of his Adulterous Wife (Embeth Davidtz) would be more satisfying if it were not so simple. When an Upwardly Mobile Assistant D.A., played by Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson), gets involved, the stakes are raised, the heat is on and the clichés pile. Hopkins, in full Lecter mode, is so damn likeable that one almost wants him to get away with his misdeed, and Gosling, as charismatic as he is, cannot fully sway sympathy toward himself. His motivation, other than to do his job, is unclear, and his fling with his Sexy New Boss at the High Powered Law Firm serves little purpose. Some back-story on either lead would have been helpful in making the film more compelling than a just-average episode of “Law & Order,” something that made director Gregory Hoblit’s sci-fi treat Frequency (2000) so engaging. Here, though, the interconnectedness of people and events is just happenstance, and it gives the whole thing a bland and formulaic feel. –Robert Newton

VACANCY [R]
Amy and David Fox (Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson) are a combative couple returning home from a long night out. Along the way, their car breaks down, forcing them to check into at a motel run by weirdo night manager Mason (Frank Whaley). Bored and tired, David plays a videotape he finds on the TV, a tape appearing to contain a snuff film…filmed in the very room they occupy. As the night wears on, two men in masks chase down the frightened couple, intent on making them the next bit of in-room entertainment. Hungarian director Nimrod Antal (Kontroll) makes a sincere attempt to create his own thoroughly modern version of Psycho, and succeeds beyond just homage. Kudos to Picture Mill for devising the coolest title crawl and end credits sequence since Se7en, both of which are even further reminiscent of Hitchcock. The blood is minimal as Antal smartly builds suspense from the first scene. His film is briskly and evenly paced and at just 80 minutes, makes for a quick piece of skin-crawling fun. –Richard Caron

IN THE LAND OF WOMEN [PG-13]
As far as first efforts go, this estrogen-charged dramatic comedy from Hollywood legacy Jonathan Kasdan is a pretty decent one. It is the story of a twenty-something named Carter (Adam Brody of “The O.C.”) who flies to Wisconsin to care for his sick grandmother, the crotchety biddy Phyllis (Olympia Dukakis). Carter is fresh off a break-up with famous actress Sofia (Elena Anaya), and is growing dissatisfied with his life as the writer of soft-core porn scripts. While Kasdan’s affinity for The Catcher In The Rye may be a little too evident here, he gives all his characters rich emotional lives and manages to stay just this side of soap opera. Meg Ryan, as the long-suffering, cancer-stricken neighbor with whom Carter strikes up a friendship, is vibrant and looks incredible, and Kasdan gives up-and-coming cutie Kristen Stewart (The Messengers) a chance to show off. Kasdan also captures Carter’s transitional twenties very well, despite the 27-year-old son of veteran Lawrence Kasdan not yet having the benefit of hindsight. –Robert Newton

YEAR OF THE DOG [PG-13]
Anyone who only knows Mike White from his work with Jack Black in Orange County, School Of Rock and Nacho Libre, only knows the side of the writer who writes the occasional commercial script so that personal projects like this sweet dramatic comedy can get made. It is the story of Peggy (Molly Shannon), a very mild-mannered, dog-loving office administrator whose loss of her special fur-baby sparks a whole new obsession, this time with animal rights. Viewers expecting wackiness like Shannon’s hyperkinetic, armpit-sniffing Catholic schoolgirl Mary Catherine Gallagher will be disappointed, though those waiting for her to step up to the realm of “serious actor” will be pleased. Her portrayal is both believable and likeable, despite her extremism. Actually, it is actually this confrontational tone that is part of the film’s appeal. White has never been one to play it safe, and by populating his world with regular folks obsessing over the mundane, he makes Peggy easier to understand and support. The supporting cast — especially Laura Dern as a gung-ho mom and John C. Reilly as an oafish neighbor — backs her up nicely, with White nearly as focused as he was on the Jennifer Aniston movie, The Good Girl. [Insert terribly clever dog-related closing pun here.] –Robert Newton

Mike White really knows how to write. Whether he is skeeving us out with ick flicks like Chuck & Buck, making us think with dramatic, memorable fare like The Good Girl or just cracking us up with School Of Rock, he has a solid command of effective writing techniques. With the dramatic comedy Year Of The Dog (opening tomorrow), the writer, producer and sometimes star does it again, and this time adds another hat to his collection — that of director.

The film is about a dog lover named Peggy (Molly Shannon) whose obsessive love of animals takes over her life. White, who is a Vegan vegetarian, used the opportunity to not to preach about the benefits of his lifestyle, but to instead explore the nature of obsession. (more…)