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Reindeer Games
Ehren Kruger,
who wrote Arlington Road, definitely has a
flair for twist-filled narratives, because
this ingenious suspense thriller about an
ex-con who wants to go clean has a knockout
of a surprise ending even neater than the
one in The Sixth Sense. Unlike Arlington Road,
Kruger's new caper is played lightheartedly,
which is a good thing, considering that the
wild plotting doesn't really hold up to serious
scrutiny. Director John Frankenheimer keeps
the picture racing along, and Ben Affleck
and Charlie Therzon make appealing partners
in crime.
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The Closer You Get
Fox Searchlight
hopes that this wry Irish comedy will follow in the
tradition of its earlier hits, Waking Ned Devine and
the English blockbuster The Full Monty. But the well
is beginning to run dry. There are a number of charming
moments in this tale of romantic misadventures in
a small seaside village, but it's a tad too derivative,
and even at 90 minutes it seems slight and padded.
Ian Hart does a good job in the role of the ringleader
of the town's lonely bachelors, and newcomer Sean
McDonagh is easy on the eyes.
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The Last September
The
Last September
is yet another Irish pastoral-a historical
drama set in 1920, during the last days of
British rule. The movie is too lethargically
paced to seize our interest, but it does benefit
from the splendid performances of three actresses
representing three generations - Maggie Smith
as the lady of the manor, Fiona Shaw as a
fiery intruder from England, and Keeley Hawes
as the spirited ingenue drawn to the Irish
rebels.
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Cotton Mary
Cotton Mary, directed
by Ismail Merchant, takes a different look at the
waning days of British colonialism. It's set in
India during the 1950s and centers on the members
of an English family living in a country they no
longer control. Greta Scacchi and James Wilby (veterans
of earlier Merchant-Ivory movies) give solid performances
as the British couple, but the fascinating character
is their Indian nanny, brilliantly played by Madhur
Jaffrey, who quickly steps out of her subservient
role and, in the spirit of her newly independent
nation, begins lording it over everyone she encounters.
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