Joaquin Phoenix plays Jack Morrison, a firefighter in ‘Ladder 49.’
Ladder 49 3 stars
As firefighter Jack Morrison (Phoenix) waits for his buddies to evacuate him from a collapsing warehouse, he relives his 10 years with the department. The clunky flashback storytelling doesn't detract much from the believable vignettes of fire fighting, rescues, and sudden death, as well as the job's pressures on home life. It may keep you asking why men and women choose this lifestyle. It will make you grateful they do.
[PG-13] Director: Jay Russell. Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, John Travolta, Morris Chestnut.
Shark Tale 2 stars
Animated feature about a little fish who poses as a macho underwater dude after a shark's accidental death makes him look like a hero, pleasing the late shark's vegetarian brother but irking his "godfather"- like dad. The screenplay isn't remotely as funny as it tries to be, and the visual style is equally unexciting.
[PG] Directors: Vicky Jenson, Rob Letterman, Eric Bergeron. Starring voices of Will Smith, Renée Zellweger, Robert De Niro, Angelina Jolie.
Cellular 2 stars
When Kim Basinger is kidnapped, she rigs a broken telephone - MacGyver style - so that she randomly dials a cellphone belonging to Ryan (Evans). Fortunately he heeds her call for help and uses his wits to thwart the villains. The story (think "Speed" meets "Phone Booth") may be hokum but it's undeniably fun.
[PG-13] Director: David R. Ellis. Starring Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, William H. Macy.
First Daughter 3 stars
Freshman Samantha Mackenzie (Holmes), the president's daughter, just wants to be accepted at college. But she keeps ending up in the tabloids, vexing mom and dad during an election year. This storybook tale shares a similar plot to last winter's "Chasing Liberty," but it's more believable and the father-daughter scenes are sometimes touching, with Keaton strict, but surprisingly laid-back, as president. See it with your own daughters.
[PG] Director: Forest Whitaker. Starring: Katie Holmes, Michael Keaton, Marc Blucas, Margaret Colin.
The Forgotten 2 stars
Telly Paretta (Moore) is a smart and independent freelance editor whose life seems to have no other purpose than to devotedly remember Sam, her 8-year-old son, who passed away a little over a year ago. Grief, however, is quickly replaced by angry despair as she learns that even those closest to her deny her child ever existed. Telly's unrelenting search for the truth, although depressingly predictable at times, does deliver a few good jumps and allows Julianne Moore to display her acting prowess once again. By Gabino Villanueva
[PG-13] Director: Joseph Ruben. Starring: Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinise, Alfre Woodard.
The Motorcycle Diaries 4 stars
Fictionalized version of the freewheeling travels around Latin America that gave young Ernesto "Che" Guevara, still a middle-class medical student, a glimpse of his future calling as a revolutionary fighter. Some will find this movie a whitewash, given the violent activities Guevara became famous for in Cuba and elsewhere, but from a psychological angle it's a fascinating study of an energetic personality hunting for a route to a meaningful life. Superbly acted. In Spanish with subtitles.
[R] Director: Walter Salles. Starring: Gael Garc'a Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, M'a Maestro, Mercedes Morán.
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