What would Thanksgiving be without turkeys? “Ninja Assassin,” a mindless bloodbath that manages to be boring despite being full of brutal murders, is pretty bad. But it’s no match for “Old Dogs” (review at Cinematical) an atrocity starring John Travolta and Robin Williams as two bachelors who must suddenly take care of a pair of 7-year-olds for two weeks. I didn’t think “All About Steve” would have any serious competition for Worst Movie of 2009, but I guess the holidays are all about miracles.
In better news, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is indeed fantastic, a Wes Anderson film told with hand-crafted models and stop-motion animation. Like “Where the Wild Things Are,” it’s an expansion of a beloved children’s story; unlike that film, I don’t think anything in “Mr. Fox” will terrify or bore kids.
“The Road” (review at Film.com) opens today in limited release. It can’t match the power of Cormac McCarthy’s novel, and the unrelenting bleakness might be too much to take, but it’s a respectable effort.
Finally, also in limited release is “(Untitled)” (review at Film.com), a funny and humane satire of pretentious modern artists.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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