The Judge, directed by David Dobkin
(R, 141 minutes)
This hotly anticipated but rather disappointing courtroom drama, which pokes along at a glacial pace through a predictable plot, is boosted by fine performances. No wonder, with a cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton and Vera Farmiga, and a director who’s behind such popularity contest comedy winners as Wedding Crashers, Fred Claus and Shanghai Knights.
The Judge might be considered a comedy, but then it might not. The film concerns Hank Palmer (Downey, channeling his trademark character Tony Stark), an arrogant, pretentious and pricey Chicago defense attorney, who returns home to idyllic Carlinville, Ind., when he finds out his dad, ethical and fair-minded Judge Joseph Palmer (Duvall), is being charged with vehicular homicide. Despite their generational and personal differences, what can Hank do but come to his dad’s defense?
Farmiga is scrappy as Hank’s former small-town girlfriend, and Thornton is well suited as a scheming prosecutor with more than a few secrets of his own. But their realistic performances can’t make amends for a film that’s trying too hard to be more than the story of yet another dysfunctional family.
The Remaining (PG-13, 87 minutes) An explicit faithbased melodrama/horror story in which a group of friends, gathered for a wedding, finds their celebration turns disastrous by Rapture-like apocalyptic events that cause them to re-examine life, love and belief. With Alexa Vega, Shaun Sipos, Johnny Pacar, Italia Ricci, Bryan Dechart; directed by Casey La Scala. Bonus features include a deleted scene and a making-of featurette focusing on stunt work, scary scenes and special effects.
My Old Lady (PG-13, 107 minutes) Wry, tragic-comedic and a bit too theatrical, My Old Lady benefits from a stellar cast. Among them is Kevin Kline as heavy-drinking New Yorker Mathias Gold, who’s been down on his luck until he inherits an apartment in Paris upon the death of his father. But the apartment is part of a uniquely French real-estate system with complicated rules for resale that stops Mathias from selling it to a developer and forces him to pay a monthly fee to the former owner (Maggie Smith) until she dies — which could be a very long time. With Kristin Scott Thomas; directed by Israel Horovitz.
Before I Go to Sleep (R, 92 minutes) Tense and suspenseful, with a plot that can’t stand up to scrutiny, this well-performed thriller concerns Christine (Nicole Kidman), who, after a traumatic accident, wakes up each morning with no memory of who she is or any details of her past. Through daily notes in her journal, she begins to put pieces of her life together, only to realize that those closest to her may be preventing her from learning the truth about her past. With Colin Firth, Mark Strong; directed by Rowan Joffe.
Big Driver (unrated, 120 minutes) A simple, powerful fantasy involving mystery writer Tess Thorne (Maria Bellow) who, while on a book tour, takes a shortcut on a small-town road, blows out a tire, and gets help from the driver of a big rig, who turns out not to be the good Samaritan she envisioned him to be. Following her horrific ordeal, revenge is in order. With Joan Jett, Ann Dowd, Olympia Dukakis; directed by Mikael Salomon.
Days and Nights (unrated, 92 minutes) Too ambitious, too stagy, too pretentious, and too choppy to hold the audience’s attention, this well-cast New England country-house comedy-drama is a retelling of Chekhov’s The Seagull. AIDS-afflicted Herb (William Hurt), already bothered with dealing with his doctor, groundskeeper and daughter, is further challenged when his actress sister and her family come to visit. With Katie Holmes, Ben Whishaw, Allison Janney, Jean Reno, Russell Means, Cherry Jones; directed by Christian Carmargo.
Open Windows (unrated, 100 minutes) In this jittery, too-complicated cyber-thriller, Nick Chambers (Elijah Wood) wins a dinner date with his idol, actress Jill Goddard (Sasha Grey). When the outing results in her refusing to go on a follow-up date with him, he recklessly finds a way to follow her every move via an undetected webcam. Problems result. With Ivan Gonzalez; directed by Nacho Vigalondo.
Miss Meadows (PG-13, 88 minutes) An unsuccessful, eccentric character study, this black comedy (with a better cast than it deserves) keeps company with Miss Meadows (Katie Holmes), a prissy substitute teacher who loves tap dancing and poetry and believes in justice, the rights of citizens to be unafraid, and the benefits of vigilantism. Think she has a dark past and a penchant for taking the law into her own hands? With James Badge Dale, Mary Kay Place, Jean Smart; directed by Karen Leigh Hopkins.