James Rocchi At The Movies

Rocchi's Picks & Pans

Film Critic James Rocchi's Fall Movie Reviews

As the fall awards season approaches, theater screens are getting crowded with edgy documentaries, tough dramas and big-buzz art films. Here's a brief guide to some of the choices out there.


Catch a Fire (3 out of 4 Stars)

Director Phillip Noyce has always moved between Hollywood entertainment (Clear and Present Danger, Dead Calm) and political dramas (Rabbit-Proof Fence, The Quiet American); with Catch a Fire, he combines the two. Based on a true story, Catch a Fire follows Patrick Chamusso (Derek Luke), a man falsely accused of being part of a South African rebel group by a driven cop, (played by Tim Robbins). After torture, interrogation and imprisonment, Chamusso comes to a radical-yet-reasonable decision … and becomes a rebel. Catch a Fire is strongly written, and Luke and Robbins are easy to watch in their roles; if you're looking for simple good-versus-evil storytelling, though, you won't find it here.


Deliver Us from Evil (4 out of 4 Stars)

Director Amy Berg used to be a news producer—but Deliver Us from Evil isn't just a long-form piece of journalism; it's a wrenchingly human documentary, and one of the best documentaries of the year. Berg's film focuses on Father Oliver O'Grady, a Catholic priest who served for decades throughout Northern California—and took advantage of his position to molest children. When complaints were made, the L.A. Archdiocese sprung into action—and moved O'Grady to a new parish, where he would start all over again. Berg somehow got O'Grady to speak about his life and crimes on camera, and he's a chilling presence. The agony of the survivors of his abuse, as they deal with the church's ongoing cover-up, is shattering.


The Bridge (3 out of 4 Stars)

One of the most controversial documentaries of the year is a carefully-made look at the Golden Gate Bridge and those who choose to end their lives by leaping from it. The filmmakers focused cameras on the Bridge and captured several suicides, which you seen on-screen. We hear from interviewees who witnessed the lives and deaths of these suicides, and while it's an incredibly involving film- how can you look away?- I also wished that the filmmakers had been a bit less detached, and more interested in sharing information as opposed to just showing tragedy. Still, if you can take it, it's a must-see for anyone living in the Bay Area.


Death of a President (1 out of 4 Stars)

This controversial British 'mockumentary' opened at the Toronto Film Festival to considerable headlines—but, to quote Public Enemy, don't believe the hype. Depicting a fictional 2007 assassination of George W. Bush, Death of a President mixes newsreel footage and special-effects sequences to create a fictional event. It then descends into dull, CSI-style melodrama as it looks into the mystery of who really killed the President, becoming less of a 'whodunnit' than a 'whocaresaboutit?' Death of a President is no more political than an episode of Murder, She Wrote—and a great example of how, much like Snakes on a Plane, a catchy title and simple premise aren't always the elements of good moviemaking.


Yours,

James Rocchi

Film Critic, CBS-5 KPIX San Francisco (www.cbs5.com/rocchi) Editor-in-Chief, www.Cinematical.com