Visnjic, Goran Movie Reviews

Just as A Bug's Life was a computer-animated comedy inspired by Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai, the funny and often enthralling Ice Age is a digital re-imagining of the Western Three Godfathers. The heroes of this unofficial remake (set 20,000 years ago, during the titular Paleolithic era) are a taciturn mastodon named Manfred (voiced by Ray Romano), an annoying sloth named Sid (John Leguizamo), and a duplicitous saber-toothed tiger, Diego (Denis Leary). The unlikely team encounters a dying, human mother who relinquishes her chirpy toddler to the care of these critters. Hoping, against all odds, to return the little guy to his migrating tribe, Manfred and his associates need to establish trust among themselves, not an easy thing in a harsh world of predators, prey, and pushy glaciers. Audiences that have become accustomed to the rounded, polished, storybook look of Pixar's house brand of computer animation (Monsters, Inc.) will find the blunt edges and chilly brilliance of Ice Age--evoking the harsh, dangerous environment of a frozen world--a wholly different, and equally pleasing, trip. Recommended for ages 4 and up. --Tom Keogh

Vintage film noir gets a confidently stylish upgrade in this subtle domestic thriller, intensified by Tilda Swinton's acclaimed performance as a mother who risks everything to protect her family. Adapted from Elisabeth Sanxay Holding's story The Blank Wall (previously filmed as 1949's The Reckless Moment), the film's gripping plot commences with Margaret (Swinton), a naval officer's wife and mother of three, disposing of the body of a sleazy club owner, who died in an accident after a confrontation with Margaret's closeted gay son. Maternal instinct shifts into high gear when a blackmailer (Goran Visnjic) demands $50,000 to withhold incriminating evidence, and his unspoken feelings provoke an unexpectedly compassionate alliance. Compelling plot twists aside, The Deep End gains much of its impact from the quiet desperation of a family defined by its secrets and rescued by the mysterious motivations of the human heart. --Jeff Shannon

Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, Bowfinger) stars as Joline, a New York club owner who takes her word very, very seriously. When she marries photographer Carl (Luke Wilson of Bottle Rocket) for better or for worse, she means it. So when he leaves her and goes to Texas to find himself, she decides to follow him--after she puts the daisies he left for her in a blender and turns them into a puree. She tracks him down through a mixture of luck and magic, and starts to integrate herself into Carl's life without him knowing it. She encourages his editor to give Carl better assignments, she becomes friends with a woman he's dating, she protects him from that woman's jealous ex-lover. And all this while, as she sits in her parked car staring intently at Carl's trailer, one of his neighbors attempts to befriend and woo her. Committed is a mixture of quirky characters and off-kilter humor that didn't go over well in theaters, even though it was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival. But though its story meanders, it explores love relationships from many sides, with a gentle but clear-eyed freshness. Joline could be viewed as an obsessive stalker, but Graham invests her character with faith and charm that grows more and more engaging as the movie goes on--plus, she wears a number of tight-fitting hipster outfits and looks fabulous. The supporting cast--including Casey Affleck (Desert Blue) and Dylan Baker (Happiness)--is excellent. Committed may seem a little unfocused, but it's also genuinely unpredictable and comes together in surprising ways. A sweet, subtle movie. --Bret Fetzer

Actor Griffin Dunne improves a bit on his first film as a director, Addicted to Love, with this drama-comedy about a family of witches. Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock play spell-casting sisters of different temperaments: the former is a high-living, free-spirited sort, while Bullock's character is a homebody who can't get around a family curse that kills the men in their lives. A widowed single mom, Bullock gets into a jam with an abusive Bulgarian (Goran Visnjic) and is helped out by her sibling, but the result brings a good-looking, warm, inquisitive cop (Aidan Quinn) into their lives. The film has a variety of tonal changes--cute, scary, glum--that Dunne can't always effectively juggle. But the female-centric, celebratory nature of the film (the fantasies, the sharing, the witchy bonds) is infectious, and supporting roles by Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing as Kidman and Bullock's magical aunts are a lot of fun. --Tom Keogh