Roger Ebert Movie Review

Weekend Box Office: February 8-10, 2008

Fool's Gold tops the box office with $21.6 million

Daily Box Office: Thursday, February 14, 2008

Jumper tops Thursday's box office with $6.6 million

Paramount and Nickelodeon presents a film directed by Mark Waters and written by Karey Kirkpatrick, David Barenbaum and John Sayles, based on the books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. Photographed by Caleb Deschanel. Running time: 96 minutes. Classified PG (for scary creature action and violence, peril and some thematic elements).

Diary of the Dead / *** (R)

By Jim Emerson When young filmmakers gather to shoot cinema-verite video documentaries, watch out: Something really bad is going to happen. In “The Blair Witch Project,” it was ... well, we don’t really know what it was, but it sure freaked out Heather.

Le Doulos / ***1/2 (Not rated)

"Le Doulos" (Unrated, 108 minutes). Great-looking 1963 Parisian film noir by a French master of the genre, Jean-Pierre Melville. Stars Jean- Paul Belmondo, Michel Piccoli and others in a twisted plot of criminal double-crossing, revenge, and mistaken revenge. The title translates as "the finger man," and also refers to the hats the characters wear, in a film rich with atmosphere. Rating: Three and a half stars

Jumper / *1/2 (PG-13)

"Jumper" -- Hayden Christensen can "jump" anywhere anytime. Samuel L. Jackson wants to kill him. In Giza and New York and London and Paris and Rome and Tokyo and Ann Arbor. There are no rules. There is no plot. A series of random events occur. Sometimes they're so silly they make you laugh. Most of the time you'd rather be anywhere else. Rated PG-14, 88 minutes. 1.5 stars

In Bruges / **** (R)

"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.

Movie Answer Man: What's shakin' with
these videocam movies?

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? [Editor's note: George A. Romero's "Diary of the Dead," which also employs this consumer-video shaky-cam approach, opens Friday, Feb. 15 in limited release.]

People: Roy Scheider, 1932-2008

BY JILL ZEMAN, Associated Press LITTLE ROCK, Ark.---- Roy Scheider, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for his role as a police chief in the blockbuster movie ''Jaws,'' has died. He was 75. Scheider died Sunday at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital in Little Rock, hospital spokesman David Robinson said. The hospital did not release a cause of death.