Capsule reviews of films opening this week:
"Asylum" - This tale of forbidden love at a psychiatric hospital can be appreciated only with endless concessions from the audience. The plot takes strange turns that are hard to swallow. The characters make unfathomable choices. Viewers are asked to believe the blind desire at the core of the film is an eternal passion on the order of "Wuthering Heights," when the only real attraction between the lovers seems to be lots of good, hard sex. And the tone is even drearier than that of director David Mackenzie's previous tale of infidelity, "Young Adam." Natasha Richardson plays the bored wife of a new shrink at a 1950s British insane asylum, where she takes up with a handsome sculptor (Marton Csokas) incarcerated for killing and mutilating his wife. R for strong sexuality, some violence and brief language. 98 min. Two stars out of four.
- David Germain, AP Movie Writer
---
"Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo" - Trashing this sequel to "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo" seems pointless, even a bit cliched. Then again, "European Gigolo" itself is pointless, and more than a bit cliched. It is a nearly rote remake of the original movie, with the gross-out adventures taking place in Amsterdam instead of Malibu. And though it sounds impossible, it's even cruder and less coherent than the first. As hapless, clueless aquarium cleaner Deuce Bigalow, Rob Schneider again must reluctantly squire a series of circus-freak caliber women to get out of a jam. This time, he's trying to help prove that his old friend and pimp, T.J. Hicks (Eddie Griffin in blue-beaded cornrows), did not murder a series of famous European gigolos, or "man-whores." R for pervasive strong, crude and sexual humor, language, nudity and drug content. 77 min. One star out of four.
- Christy Lemire, AP Movie Critic
---
"Four Brothers" - Director John Singleton aims to blend his commercial and artistic sensibilities, with fitful success at weaving a full-bodied character study within a blood-soaked tale of murder and vengeance. Singleton is at his best in the movie's first half, crafting an engaging dynamic among Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund as adopted siblings reunited in grief and anger after their mother is slain. After a nice setup as a modern cousin to John Wayne's Western revenge tale "The Sons of Katie Elder," "Four Brothers" builds on the action but loses dramatic momentum, the story straining credibility amid farfetched plot twists. The movie's heart is the brothers' relationship, particularly the interplay between Wahlberg and Singleton regular Gibson. R for strong violence, pervasive language and some sexual content. 110 min. Two and a half stars out of four.
- David Germain, AP Movie Writer
---
"The Great Raid" - Director John Dahl presents an engaging World War II tale spotlighting a forgotten engagement in the Pacific campaign. A hybrid of "The Great Escape" and "Saving Private Ryan," though it's a cinematic skirmish compared to those masterpieces of war, the film presents a stirring story that puts a human face on the despair of POWs simply hoping to survive the few more days or weeks until their liberators arrive. Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Joseph Fiennes, Marton Csokas and Connie Nielsen lead the cast in the tale based on a true story of a daring mission behind enemy lines to rescue 511 U.S. prisoners marked for death by their Japanese captors in the Philippines. R for strong war violence and brief language. 132 min. Three stars out of four.
- David Germain, AP Movie Writer
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012 Morris Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.