'American Dreamz,' 'The Sentinel,' 'Friends with Money,' and 'Silent Hill'
8:57 a.m. Friday, April 21, 2006
It's hard to think of a pop-culture phenomenon more deserving a dose of parody than "American Idol;" and that's exactly what "American Dreamz" provides - and then some.
Hugh Grant stars as a Simon Cowell wannabe and Mandy Moore as the ambitious rural frontrunner in the nation's most popular singing competition. Rather than just provide a predictable story of egos and backstabbing, "Dreamz" takes the tale to the next level with a plot that introduces a contestant who is part of a Middle Eastern terrorist cell and a dimwitted U.S. president (played by Texan Dennis
Quaid) who becomes a guest judge on the show.
Writer-director Paul Weitz - who previously teamed with Grant in "About a Boy" - sometimes gets a bit heavy-handed with the political satire, but the film is never dull and often very funny.
Also opening in Topeka this week is "The Sentinel," a thriller with a rather different spin on the presidency. Michael Douglas stars as a veteran Secret Service agent framed for a murder and blackmailed over his affair with the First Lady.
Jennifer Aniston, Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack and Catherine Keener play four disconnected L.A. women in "Friends with Money," a drama about the compromises one makes to find happiness. Ironically, Aniston plays the poor one in the group.
And finally, Radha Mitchell stars in the horror thriller "Silent Hill," about a mother's search for her lost daughter in a forlorn town where the remaining human inhabitants are fighting a losing battle against the forces of darkness. Surprisingly, the movie was filmed in Ontario, not Wichita.
Post a comment
(Requires free registration.)