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 | Must-See Filmmaking In the early 70s, Frank Lucas rose to prominence as a major player in the Harlem drug trade. Eventually arrested and sentenced to 70 years in prison, Lucas cooperated with state and federal prosecutors in exchange for a reduced sentence (he served 15 years). After coming across a profile of Lucas written by Marc Jacobson seven years ago in [b]New York[/b] magazine, screenwriter Steven Zaillian optioned Jacobson’s article and developed a screenplay. Two false starts later, Ridley Scott stepped in to direct Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. The end result is an often compelling, visually impressive, if unnecessarily long, crime drama.More |  | Sporadically Entertaining and Not Very Real In less than five years, Steve Carell has effortlessly eased from a featured spot on "The Daily Show" to his own award-winning television series, "The Office" and, unsurprisingly, a move to big screen roles, first in supporting roles (e.g. [b]Bewitched[/b], [b]Bruce Almighty[/b]), then in a star-making turn in [b]The 40-Year Old Virgin[/b]) and, just last year, an acclaimed turn in the ensemble comedy/drama [b]Little Miss Sunshine[/b]. In a bid for broader appeal, Carell starred in [b]Evan Almighty[/b]. Carell’s lead role in [b]Dan in Real Life[/b] does little to dispel the suggestion that Carell is losing his edge.More |  | Unpretentious Biopic Scores (Well Mostly) You may not be familiar with Richard Pimentel, but if [b]Music Within[/b] is to be believed (it’s “based on a true story”), Pimentel was instrumental in getting the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 passed. A gifted public speaker, Vietnam War veteran, and tireless advocate for social and legal change involving the disabled, Pimentel overcame a series of hardships, beginning, unsurprisingly enough, with a dysfunctional upbringing and multiple setbacks.More |  | A Worthwhile Filmmaking Debut by Ben Affleck For his feature film debut as a director, actor/screenwriter Ben Affleck decided to adapt Dennis Lahane’s ([b]Mystic River[/b]) bestselling crime novel, [b]Gone Baby Gone[/b]. After winning an Academy Award with longtime friend Matt Damon for [b]Good Will Hunting[/b], Affleck went on to give a series of uninspired, erratic performances. urning to directing seemed like a smart move for Affleck. It was, as [b]Gone Baby Gone[/b] is an often riveting, provocative crime drama.More |  | A Didactic, Compromised Misfire Directed by Gavin Hood ([b]Tsotsi[/b]) and written by Kelley Sane ([b]Franchesca Page[/b]), [b]Rendition[/b] dramatizes one of the fundamental issues facing America in a post-9/11 world: should civil and constitutional liberties give way to so-called national security concerns when faced with the threat of terrorism?More |  | A Road Worth Traveling for the Performances Alone Directed and co-written by Terry George ([b]Hotel Rwanda[/b]) and based on a novel by John Burnham Schwartz (who also co-wrote the screenplay), [b]Reservation Road[/b] explores the unintended emotional and personal consequences of a hit-and-run on two families. As a psychological drama, [b]Reservation Road[/b] won't win any awards for originality, but if it does win any, it'll be for its strong ensemble cast and, in particular, riveting performances by two of the best actors of their respective generations, Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Ruffalo.More |  | A Rewarding, Stimulating Documentary Directed by Amir Bar-Lev, [b]My Kid Could Paint That[/b] scrutinizes the controversy surrounding Marla Olmstead, a (then) four-year old girl whose abstract paintings were briefly considered the work of an artistic prodigy on par with modern masters. Not all was what it seemed, however, as a severely critical segment on "Sixty Minutes" led to serious doubts as to whether Marla, or her father Mark, a night manager at a Frito-Lay factory and amateur painter, was, in fact, the author of the paintings marketed and sold under Marla's name.More |  | Crime Drama Stumbles [b]We Own the Night[/b], a 70s-style urban crime drama written and directed by James Gray, reunites Gray with actors Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg, the co-leads in Gray’s last film, [b]The Yards[/b]. Apparently strong believers in his talents as a filmmaker, Phoenix and Wahlberg also stepped in to co-produce [b]We Own the Night[/b]. While the two actors give note perfect performances as estranged brothers, they’re let down by Gray’s overly familiar, formulaic screenplay.More |  | Another Compelling Turn by George Clooney Longtime screenwriter Tony Gilroy’s (the [b]Bourne[/b] trilogy, [b]Proof of Life[/b], [b]Armageddon[/b]) first feature-length film as a director, [b]Michael Clayton[/b], is both a smart, tautly paced thriller that works on most every level and George Clooney’s latest star turn.More |  | Near Flawless Filmmaking In 1990, Christopher McCandless, the son of a successful aerospace designer, gave away his life savings of $24,000 and, over the next two years, hitchhiked across America; he planned on getting to Alaska, where he hoped to live in the wilderness. McCandless' aim was to discover himself by discovering the country. Four years later, Jon Krakauer ([b]Under the Banner of Heaven[/b], [b]Into Thin Air[/b]) wrote a 9,000-word article (later expanded into non-fiction bestseller [b]Into the Wild[/b]) for [b]Outside[/b] magazine on this undertaking.More |
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