Sterritt **** Sad story of a middle-aged Israeli prostitute whose well-meaning teenage daughter wants desperately to get her off the streets and into a legitimate job. Yedaya's prizewinning debut film is acted and directed with uncommon psychological realism. In Hebrew with subtitles.
Director: Ken Kwapis. With Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrara, Alexis Bledel, Blake Lively. (110 min.)
Sterritt *** See review.
Director: Werner Herzog. With Dr. Graham Dorrington, Werner Herzog, Mark Anthony Yhap. (90 min.)
Sterritt **** Herzog's highly personal portrait of a British scientist who's invented a sort of newfangled blimp to explore the canopy of a Guyana rain forest. Like all Herzog's best movies, this more-or-less documentary blurs the boundaries between unpredictable reality and sheer cinematic storytelling. Touching, transfixing, unique.
Director: Christopher Browne. With Pete Weber, Wayne Webb, Steve Miller, Walter Ray Williams Jr. (98 min.)
Sterritt *** Documentary about efforts to turn bowling into a big-time spectator sport. While the movie is strong on the history of its subject, it allows some yawns to enter its own account of a big, heavily hyped tournament. Still, it's very entertaining.
Director: Paul Haggis. With Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Jennifer Esposito, Matt Dillon. (113 min.)
Sterritt *** Interlocking stories of diverse Los Angeles characters, from cops and crooks to folks caught in between. The writer of "Million Dollar Baby" makes his directing debut with a screenplay that often seems rigged and contrived, but comes to life via excellent acting and a philosophical argument that bigotry and benevolence are inextricably intertwined.
