This weekend, there are a lot of new releases and each one seems to underwhelm in its own particular way.
I saw “The Men Who Stare at Goats,” which may be the least offensive of the bunch, in that its just silly and unfocused and doesn’t amount to much. At least it has George Clooney and Jeff Bridges to make it enjoyable in parts.
Contributor Phil Fava saw “Disney’s A Christmas Carol,” with Jim Carrey voicing Scrooge and Robert Zemeckis employing motion-capture animation again, is a perfect example of an adaptation that loses track of what made the original such a classic.
Phil also saw “The Fourth Kind,” a mixed-up attempt at melding “actual” footage (much of which feels staged) and Hollywood actors into a suspense movie. Maybe its filmmakers should have watched the terrific and underrated “American Splendor” for tips on how to do that better.
