Roger Ebert Movie Review

Weekend Box Office: February 1-3, 2008

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour tops the box office with $31.1 million

Daily Box Office: Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour tops Wednesday's box office with $2.8 million

"In Bruges" (R, 107 minutes) Two Dublin hit men (Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell) are ordered to hide out in Bruges, Belgium, after a hit goes very wrong. Along the way, there are times of great sadness and poignancy, times of abandon, times of violence, times of goofiness, and that kind of humor that is (ital) really funny (unital) because it grows out of character and close observation. Colin Farrell in particular hasn't been this good in a few films, perhaps because this time he's allowed to relax and be Irish. As for Brendan Gleeson, if you remember him in "The General" you know that nobody can play a more sympathetic bad guy. Written and directed by Martin MDonagh. Rating: Four stars.

4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days / **** (No rating)

“4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days” (Unrated, 113 minutes). The story of two young women seeking an abortion for one of them in Ceausescu's Romania, circa 1988. Their experience is a nightmare, not least because of a merciless abortionist, but also because of the pregnant character's persistent self-absorption and cluelessness. Told in an effective understated style by writer-director Cristian Mungiu. The 2007 Palme d'Or winner at Cannes. Rating: Four stars.

Taxi to the Dark Side / **** (R)

"Taxi to the Dark Side" (R, 106 minutes). A paid American informant fingers an innocent Afghan taxi driver for a rocket attack. It's later revealed the informant himself was actually the terrorist. The cabbie dies after five days of torture. That's the entry point of Alex Gibneys documentary about American torture activities, illustrated with previously-unseen images, and including interviews with some of the torturers themselves, and disenchanted administration officials. A horrifying indictment of administration policy. Rating: Four stars.

Over Her Dead Body / ** (PG-13)

"Over Her Dead Body" (PG-13, 95 minutes). Eva Longoria dies on her wedding day with Paul Rudd. Eventually he consults a psychic (Lake Bell), and they begin to fall in love, but the dead fiancee's ghost appears and tries to sabotage the romance. Standard ghostcom, not very funny, and it's strange how none of the characters seems in awe of the sudden appearance of a ghost, which they treat as a plot decide. Rating: Two stars

Movie Answer Man: Great ‘Grisbi’ & ideal cast

Q. I just watched "Cloverfield" and found the shaky-cam ruined the movie for me! I know it was supposed to give the feeling of being there, but I felt the director took it WAY too far. As you noted in your review, Hud "couldn't hold it steady or frame a shot if his life depended on it." Not only did it make me ill, but it ruined the whole movie for me. The technique can be effective. The opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan" comes to mind, and in the camp during "Children of Men." But I am worried that Hollywood, which jumps on anything successful and tries to duplicate it, will start spawning multiple shaky-cam movies. Sean Tuck, Colorado Springs, Colo. A. Feature-length films with that technique have a limited future, which already may have been sufficiently explored. It also has been pointed out that there's a logical error in the "Cloverfield" use of the technique. Why does Hud so consistently focus on his friends rather than the monster? Doesn't he know that Eyewitness News pays the big bucks for the money shot, not the reaction shot?