Posted on: Saturday, January 5, 2008
Four-star flicks
Advertiser Staff
The Christmas cookies are eaten, the champagne has lost its fizz.
Finally there's time to catch up with all the meaningful movies — tales of redemption, good vs. evil, adventure, plain reality, all that good stuff — that you've missed at your friendly neighborhood multiplex.
Such as these four-star movies, assessed by critic Roger Ebert :
"Atonement": Keira Knightley and James McAvoy star in a drama about a love foiled by misunderstandings. Rated R.
"The Golden Compass": A fantasy adventure that has a girl who's crucial in the battle against evil. Rated PG-13.
"The Great Debaters": Denzel Washington stars in and directs a drama about an underdog debating team that shoots for a national championship. Rated PG-13.
"The Kite Runner": Based on the best-selling novel and set in Afghanistan, with themes of friendship, betrayal and redemption. "A magnificent film," Ebert raved. Rated PG-13.
"No Country for Old Men": Those Coen brothers are back with a bloody tale of crime and evil, and a cast that includes the great Tommy Lee Jones. Rated R.
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street": Johnny Depp is the vengeful barber of musical-theater fame. Directed by the reliably wacky Tim Burton. Rated R.
"Juno": Smart and funny, with edgy realism. Ellen Page stars as a pregnant teenager. PG-13.