Mini Reviews (November 2005)

The I Inside (November 4/05)

The I Inside casts Ryan Phillippe as Simon Cable, the victim of some kind of freak accident that has left him with absolutely no memory of the last two years of his life. As such, he is unable to recognize his wife (Piper Perabo) or his mistress (Sarah Polley) - although, thanks to a newfound ability to move through time, that's the least of his problems. Based on a play by co-screenwriter Michael Cooney, The I Inside is a talky, hopelessly convoluted would-be thriller that isn't even a little bit involving. The film's refusal to clear things up until the third act makes it impossible to connect with Simon's plight, despite Phillippe's relatively effective performance (the actor spends much of the running time freaking out, though he admittedly does it well). Director Roland Suso Richter attempts to liven things up with sporadically intriguing instances of style, complete with visual nods to Hitchcock and Kubrick, but the bottom line is that The I Inside is just unable to overcome its seriously confusing premise (the resolution is particularly disappointing, and doesn't even remotely justify everything that came before it).

out of

Zathura (November 11/05)

If Zathura's premise sounds an awful lot like that of Jumanji's, that's because both films are based on books by the same author (Chris Van Allsburg, whose original novel is a direct sequel to Jumanji). The story revolves around a pair of bickering brothers (played by Jonah Bobo and Josh Hutcherson) who - after uncovering a space-themed board game called Zathura - find themselves literally thrust into orbit and forced to contend with various sinister forces (including a race of man-eating aliens known as Zorgons). Despite an overwhelmingly action-packed third act, Zathura is generally a fast-paced and energetic family film that's sure to appeal to both children and adults. Director Jon Favreau imbues the movie with a light and playful vibe, while stars Bobo and Hutcherson are effective as the squabbling siblings. And though Zathura isn't quite as thoroughly engaging as Jumanji, the movie's rarely dull and there are enough individual moments here to warrant a recommendation (a chase sequence involving a small boy and a huge robot is certainly a highlight).

out of