Film

By PHIL VILLARREAL
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Marx Brothers movies make little sense and have no class. They're cruel, snide and surly.

Bless 'em.

Who knows how depressing the Great Depression would have been had the Marx Brothers not brought their vaudeville-inspired schtick to the big screen.

Their raw yet strangely sophisticated and precise humor entertained and inspired the masses.

"Horse Feathers," an insane parody of college life, is an example of the Marx Brothers just getting rolling.

By BETSY PICKLE
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
"Death of a President" was declared dead on arrival at U.S. and Canadian theaters last weekend. Despite a slew of publicity _ admittedly, most of it negative _ the film earned only $281,778 on 143 screens, according to www.boxofficemojo.com.

"Death" earned an average of $1,970 per screen last Friday-Sunday.

By BETSY PICKLE
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
For many around the world, time temporarily stopped on Aug. 31, 1997 _ the day Diana, Princess of Wales, died. It was the end of the end of the innocence, a stunning postscript to the finale of a fairy tale gone sadly awry.

For Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, at least as portrayed in "The Queen," Diana's death was not an occasion for grief but an inconvenience and a relief, and the unprecedented public mourning that resulted was a mystery that threatened the existence of the British monarchy.

"The Queen" begins with the May 1997 landslide victory of Labour Party leader Tony Blair (Michael Sheen), who despite his liberal bent is somewhat in awe of the royals.

By PHIL VILLARREAL
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
It may have been Ari Gold on HBO's "Entourage" who coined the phrase "hug it out," but it's Indian guru Amma who lives it.

Amma, an open-faced, saintly middle-aged woman whose real name is Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, spreads a message of peace and charity that she drives home in hugs, her trademark method of darshan _ holy contact from a guru.

In "Darshan: The Embrace," Dutch director Jan Kounen documents Amma's loving embrace of her followers with detached wonder and overwhelming revelry.

It's simple to see what drew Kounen to the story.

By PHIL VILLARREAL
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Rats! Usually, that term is used for disappointment, but in the case of "Flushed Away," it's a joyous expression of gratitude for a rare success in a year of disappointing animated comedies.

"Flushed Away" matches the dry British wit of last year's best-animated-film Oscar winner, "Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit," making life in the London sewers seem like a jolly good time.

By BETSY PICKLE
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
It's not clear who will benefit from the "cultural learnings" of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

The real nation of Kazakhstan has panicked over the backward image of the country in British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's mockumentary.

By PHIL VILLARREAL
Sunday, November 12, 2006
When people in the movies find out they've got three months to live, they automatically turn into nice people. They empty out their savings accounts to go on the vacation of a lifetime, revisit all their former lovers to apologize for their shortcomings and also make a series of tear-jerking videos for their unborn children.

"Time to Leave" takes a well-worn concept and adds a twist _ the guy that's dying is a jerk, and he stays a jerk, and you shouldn't really feel bad for him.

Writer/director Francois Ozon shows his audience a self-absorbed bastard, lets you find out along with him that he's got terminal cancer, then dares you to feel for the character as he grows even more cruel and bitter.

By ROBERT DENERSTEIN
Friday, November 10, 2006
ALL THE KING'S MEN (C-) A mostly stagnant attempt to breathe new life into Robert Penn Warren's classic 1947 novel, already made into an Oscar-winning movie in 1949.

By MIKE PEARSON
Thursday, November 09, 2006
("Mission Impossible 3." Paramount. DVD-Blu-Ray. 125 min. Rated PG-13. $24.99/$29.99. Grade: B)

Ethan Hunt should be called the $60 million man.

He goes through at least that much hardware in "Mission Impossible 3," which finds IMF agent Hunt (Tom Cruise) traipsing the globe to stop an evildoer from profiting.

As "MI3" begins, Ethan is retired from field work and teaching.

By BARBARA VANCHERI
Thursday, November 09, 2006
With "The Queen" just opening, the Best Actress Oscar race continues to fall into place. It's been (another) thin year for women, but here are some of the names that could be read Jan.