RSSShort takes
Amelia (PG) (111 min.; dir. Mira Nair; Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Mia Wasikowska, Aaron Abrams, Joe Anderson, Christopher Eccleston, Cherry Jones) historical drama: Nair's biopic, "Amelia," about the world's most famous aviatrix, is right line with the era of bread lines and radio dramas in which it is set. For the most part, that's a bad thing. Amelia Earthart (Swank) and George Putnam (Gere) make an impressive power couple, but their acting is so melodramatic, it's hard to care if their marriage survives. The aerial photography, though, is exhilarating. Ron Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan's script smartly begins after Earhart becomes a hot commodity and ends with her famous death. Everything about the movie feels too safe. Conflicts are ironed out quickly, and Earhart's sexuality is played down. Her descent into the Pacific does offer a bit of excitement. Swank's tears are hard to bear, and the scene stacks up with the actress' best work. Too bad it lasts only a few minutes. The most amazing thing about the film is that Nair and company made a fascinating life look so incredibly dull.
Gentleman Broncos (PG-13) (90 min.; dir. Jared Hess; Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Jennifer Coolidge, Sam Rockwell, Mike White, Hector Jimenez, Johnny Hoops) comedy: Jared Hess' third film, "Gentleman Broncos," is so bad that Fox Searchlight axed its release in several major cities. The tale of a young man (Angarano) who gets his novel ripped off by a famous sc-fi writer (Clement) has potential, but all the projectile vomiting, snake diarrhea and flat jokes drive the movie into the ground. A parallel story involving Sam Rockwell as some sort of warrior inside the stolen novel contains the sort of cheesiness that can only be enjoyed under the influence of powerful hallucinogens. And then there's the awful for the sake of being awful style. The faux '80s costumes that helped make Hess' "Napoleon Dynamite" a hit feel forced when combined with a lifeless script. The only bright spot is Clement, whose rich English accent makes every line he speaks funnier than it actually is. The scenes in which Clement appears are watchable; the rest of the film is not.