Atonement
Starring: Keira Knightley, James McAvoy
Directed by: Joe Wright
Rated: R
4 stars

One lie can change anything. Such is the premise of Atonement, the movie adaptation of the popular Ian McEwan novel. Set in Britain from the years around World War II to the present day, the film is the story of Briony, an aspiring writer, who falsely accuses Robbie, her sister Cecilia’s lover, of a terrible crime:

Keira Knightley and James McAvoy are superb as the ill-fated pair, and Saoirse Ronan gives a solid performance as the 13-year-old Briony. Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave’s portrayals of the same character at later ages are still polished but not as powerful.

Although the film could have benefited from a longer running time, Atonement ultimately triumphs in its storytelling. Most effective are scenes of the devastations of war; a view of the beach at Dunkirk is one of the most striking moments in recent cinematic history, done in a single shot. The score, costumes and cinematography are all breathtaking.

Although Atonement is a beautiful film and likely destined for some Oscar successes, it fails in its shift from the past to the present. Skimping on any kind of transition, the movie abruptly cuts from a scene of 18-year-old Briony to her as an old woman. The effect is jarring, to say the least.

It is a shame that Atonement has not lived up to its full potential, but it still resonates as one of the best pictures of the year.

- Lauren Kemp

Revolver
Starring: Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Andre Benjamin
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
Rated: R
.5 stars

Two years ago at the Toronto Film Festival, Guy Ritchie premiered his new film Revolver. Everyone hated it, and it never opened in the United States. Fast-forward two years, and some brilliant studio executive has decided to release the movie at the same time as all the Oscar contenders:

It really is inconceivable just how bad the film is. When one sees the stream of bad reviews, one expects perhaps a lesser version of Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch, Ritchie’s two previous crime flicks that are among the best films of the past 10 years. Instead, the movie is an exercise in pseudo philosophy undoubtedly inspired by Ritchie’s dabbling in Kabala (he used to be married to Madonna).

The plot follows a gangster, Jake Green (Statham), who becomes beholden to loan sharks – one of whom is played by Andre Benjamin (aka Andre3000 of Outkast) – because he has only a few days to live. Somehow they can cure him of his otherwise incurable disease. The film goes downhill from there. People start dying, characters appear out of nowhere, and by the end of the film, the plot has lost all direction whatsoever.

The only reason Revolver received even a half star is for its outstanding camerawork. While the story is beyond terrible, if one were to go into the theater with earplugs, the film might be enjoyable to watch solely for the interesting visuals. Several scenes use a heavily tinted light scheme where the picture appears in mostly shades of green or red for example. Unfortunately, nothing can save this movie when all of the dialogue consists of phrases like, “You’ve become very ambitious in your maturing.”

- Kevin Koplan

If you successfully purchased a Wii this holiday season, I recommend you hide it from the ravenous crowds. Like hordes of zombies in search of brains, Christmas shoppers are on the prowl for Nintendo’s console. It seems Nintendo miscalculated demand (or did they?), and now Wii-shortages have shoppers around the world shaking their non-Wiimote-holding fists in the air. It’s gotten so bad that Nintendo has started pulling some of its Wii advertising, since taunting consumers with images of the coveted console would just be cruel and unusual. Looks like Santa will be getting plenty of hate mail from lots of little gamer girls and boys who had the Wii at the top of their lists this year.

Those of you who missed out on the Wii might want to consider getting a Falcon instead. The Falcon is a force feedback controller for computer games. In other words, it’s a controller that actually lets you feel objects in the game. I could try to explain it, but you can just see how it works by watching this video. It looks quite cool, and it makes the rumble capabilities in console controllers seem like child’s play.

But if you’re still bitter about the Wii shortage, why not get a Vii shipped from China instead? Apparently there’s nothing in the world like it (note: the console is real, the commercial’s subtitles are not):

-Phil Malaczewski

Nostalgia is a powerful thing. It’s the reason I go to my happy place when I watch Full House (admit it, so do you), and why a room full of supposedly mature college students can burst into a rendition of “A Whole New World” without a hint of embarrassment. In fact, as I write this, I am watching part 2 of the Harry Potter movie marathon on ABC Family, which my TiVo was thoughtful enough to record for me. The only reason I can tolerate watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, aside from the fact that I get a huge kick out of hearing all the actors’ voices crack, is the nostalgia factor. In 2002, I didn’t care about the fact that none of the kids could act, or that there were gaping holes in the continuity of the plot. All that mattered was that Harry Potter was being played out on the big screen, and I was happy. It’s harder to get that kind of pure enjoyment now.

Enter Enchanted:

It looked mildly entertaining at best (and mind-numbingly stupid at worst), but against all expectation, the film was a tour-de-force in the nostalgia movement. Enchanted’s earnestness took me back to the days when I used to sit with my nose practically touching the television screen, watching and rewatching The Little Mermaid until my mom finally forced me to go to bed. But the movie’s grand feat was not that it took me back to my childhood, but that it made it possible to laugh at those things we took so seriously as kids without demeaning them. Enchanted points out how ridiculous all the stuff we used to love is, but at the same time, maintains the deepest respect for everything we once held dear. And that is the true beauty of nostalgia. Because now that we’ve switched from VHS to DVD and from cartoons to CGI, it’s impossible to think that Danny Tanner is funny, or that real-life fairy tales can exist. But it’s nice to remember a time when we did.

- Jessica Spiegelman

Walking into the roundtable interview with Todd Haynes, having just seen the director’s highly artistic I’m Not There, I expected to meet a distant and pompous man — the stereotypical artist. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Haynes enthusiastically greeted everyone in the room, and before anyone even had a chance to get in a question, he excitedly told a story about a concert promoting the film the night before. 30 bands featured on the soundtrack performed, concluding with the Roots’ performance of “Masters of War” in what Haynes calls, “An entire theatrical expression of 20th century American popular art in the form of a protest song in one performance. It was unbelievable.”

Continuing on the subject of the film’s soundtrack, he says, “All the song choices in the film were in the script, and there were a few more minor or background songs that were decided later. The way the stories were written were based on what songs we used, which basically meant what 500 songs to exclude.” There were 19 songs recorded for the film that did not make the final cut, “so it’s really like a standalone piece of work reinterpreting Dylan for today from both young and older artists.” Since I’m Not There is a unique film in that it doesn’t really tell a chronological tale of Dylan, like other music biopics, Haynes said that the story came from “wherever the music and his life mirrored each other.”

When asked if Dylan’s endorsement of the film surprised him, he replied, “Yeah! Shocked… I still am. I literally have a piece of paper that says Todd Haynes has Bob Dylan’s life and music rights in perpetuity throughout the universe.” Not surprisingly, he seemed a little amused by the legal work behind the film. He described how Bob Dylan had no active role in the film, but, “Jeff Rosen, his manager, was close to the film the entire way through. Amazing guy… he showed real interest in it. He was sort of there to allow Dylan to continue to do what he does.”

Haynes also appeared very confident with the way the film turned out, saying he was ready for however critics might receive the film. “You feel like you’ve done it. You know what it is, and if it takes people a long time to find their way to the movie, or even if they never, do there’s nothing you can do about it.” The film has already won multiple prizes at the Venice Film Festival, proving that the five years Haynes spent making the film have certainly paid off.

-Kevin Koplan

Here’s the trailer:

Microsoft will be releasing a string of updates for the 360’s Xbox Live service on Tuesday. For those of you who can figure out how to connect to the online service using AirPennNet: Congratulations (and please help me). You have even more reason to stay inside, mesmerized by the comforting glow of your TV screen.

Seriously though, Xbox Live is a force to be reckoned with (at the very least, it puts the Wii and PS3’s online services to shame). If Live’s appeal could somehow spread beyond video gamers, Microsoft would probably rule the world… even more, that is. With Xbox Live’s increasing library of HD movies and TV shows, the 360 is, of all the current generation consoles, the closest to being an all-out media center. Now if only Microsoft would get rid of its cryptic currency system for purchasing all that downloadable content – users buy points which are then used to buy downloads ($19.99 gets you 1600 points. Go figure). If Microsoft wants to siphon money out of our pockets, they could at least be courteous and let us know how much they’re taking.

Due to the standard Xbox 360’s paltry 20 GB hard drive, movies downloaded from Xbox Live are only for rental, meaning movies disappear from the 360’s hard drive 24 hours after the first viewing. But I’m proud to say that my 360 is magical. I rented the movie The Descent (one of the better horror movies I’ve seen recently, by the way) off of Xbox Live last May. It’s been viewed several times, and still my 360 informs me that I have 20 hours left on my rental. If I ever figure this phenomenon out, I will be sure to post more information. Be afraid, Microsoft.

- Phil Malaczewski

In the first few weeks of its existence, foodies and scenesters converged on Tinto, hungry for more of Jose Garces’s modern Spanish cuisine. But rather than Amada part deux, this time he switched focus to the pinxtos (small plates) of the Basque region. Having forgiven Tinto a few stumbles as it took its baby steps, a recent visit showed that this restaurant is still going through puberty.

Like Amada, Tinto has dishes that pander to foodies and dishes that pander to scenesters. As one might expect, the former are invariably more successful. The cheese selection was both diverse and delicious – Epoisses, La Peral and Monte Enebro (perennial favorites of mine) were served at optimal ripeness. With the exception of a farcically over-garliced Chorizo de Pamplona, the cured meats were inoffensive. Classics like Hongos (wild mushrooms) a la Plantxa, and Higos con Jamon (serrano ham-wrapped figs, drizzled with a viscous balsamic and fruity olive oil) were well-executed and eminently munchable – as pintxos should be. Vetri’s house-cured Chorizo remains the best ‘Spanish’ charcuterie in town.

Garces’s own creations are a little hit-or miss. The amuse bouche was quite impressive – a crisp tuile of baked Mahon cheese (a trick usually practiced with Parmeggiano Reggiano), with a smoked tomato aioli that was intense but not overwhelming. Similarly, the bacon wrapped lamb brochettes, neck-high in eggplant puree, would have been a barnstorming success if only the lamb had been a little less cooked and the eggplant a little more flavorful. Tinto should eschew gimmicks like truffle oil and ersatz ‘Kobe’ beef, which have no place in a serious restaurant. More alarming was the inconsistency I observed in one dish, the montadito de pato (a tartine of Serrano ham wrapped duck confit with Black cherry and La Peral), which was the highlight of my first visit. Though the duck confit had previously been tender and succulent, it was now scraggly and emaciated.

For a restaurant whose name means “red wine,” and whose logo is a corkscrew, I was expecting a tad more emphasis on wine. With so many bottles tessellating the restaurant in decoration, Tinto could surely find the space for some reds that aren’t from Rioja or Priorat. That said, the 2003 La Bastida Rioja Crianza, available by the glass, was sleek and charming. Equally apposite was the 2005 the Camin Larredya Jurançon Sec, from the French side of the Pyrenees, which was ripe, powerful and voluptuous.

Overall, Tinto is a useful addition to Philly’s collection of Spanish restaurants, but has not yet done enough to distinguish itself. Amada, its older sibling, is still the reference point for classic and modern Spanish preparations (with a higher ratio of hits to misses). Basque cooking is utterly dependent on the resplendent produce that is sadly not available in this country, and truffle oil is no way around this.

- Adley Zayan