'Snowmen' could have been something bigger
<b>Reel Life mini-review: 'Snowmen'</b>
Here's a cleverly constructed, smart family movie unfortunately given the ABC "Afterschool Special" treatment by writer/director Robert Kirbyson, who would have been wise to have given his promising screenplay to a director with some flair for comic timing and a spiritual sense of mystery.
In painful voice-over narration, 10-year-old Billy (a too-self-aware Bobby Coleman) tells us this is the year he dies. "But don't worry," he tells us, "it's still a good story."
With his new friend Howard from Jamaica (Bobb'e J. Thompson) and his scaredy-cat sidekick Luke (Christian Martyn), Billy decides that before he succumbs to cancer, he wants to make his mark on the world. He rallies his classmates to construct the largest number of snowmen in a day for the Guinness Book of Records.
"Snowmen" throws us several curve snowballs in the plot. One frozen lake scene approaches heart-stopping awe. Then there are the special moments that sing with near-religious notes:
a boy contemplating his last moments on earth
a Jamaican kid who can't ice-skate, suddenly pushed along as if lifted up by a invisible hand to answer an emergency
a bully with hatred in his heart who inexplicably uses his powers to help those he has oppressed
In the hands of a Spielberg, "Snowmen" could have been magic.
In Kirbyson's hands, it's closer to a magic trick.
"Snowmen" opens exclusively at the AMC South Barrington. Rated PG. 86 minutes. ★ ★ ½
<b>Reel Life mini-review: 'The Reunion'</b>
In the preposterously silly WWE-produced action film "The Reunion," three estranged brothers and their sister come together for the reading of their father's will, which bequeaths each $3 million if he/she can work together on a family-run business for two years.
Hey, why not form a family-run "invade a foreign country and kill its citizens while attempting to rescue a kidnapped sleazebag American tycoon for a $5 million reward" sort of company? That sounds good.
WWE star John Cena plays Sam, a tree trunk masquerading as a suspended cop who constantly reminds us of his profession.
"I'm a cop!" he thunders. "That's what I do!"
"I'll do my job!" he belts. "I'm not a baby sitter!"
"I'm a cop!" he shrieks. "I only stop at homicide!"
His brother Leo (Ethan Embry, squandering the last of his goodwill from "That Thing You Do!") is a bail bondsman who resembles a young Bob Newhart. He complains a lot when he gets down to Mexico in a hotel room.
"I've slipped on bathroom floors bigger than this room!" he shouts.
Their brother Douglas (Boyd Holbrook) is apparently a master thief, but the film never explains why he receives an all-prison standing ovation as he's sprung from the joint at the beginning.
Amy Smart plays their sister, Nina, smart enough not to accompany her brothers into Mexico.
"The Reunion" has been directed with flairless consistency by sophomore filmmaker Michael Pavone, who appears to be content to spur the arch dialogue and genre clichés along until the end, which is only a payoff for the characters on screen.
"The Reunion" opens at the Chatham 14 in Chicago. Rated PG-13 for language, sexual situations, violence. 96 minutes. ★
<b>Chicago's best kid fest </b>
The 28th annual Chicago International Children's Film Festival slams into action this weekend through Sunday, Oct. 30, with 237 motion pictures representing 42 nations at Facets Multi-Media, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago, and seven other locations.
You want highlights? OK!
A tribute to French animation, featuring the Chicago premiere of "A Cat in Paris"
A special series of movies created by kid filmmakers
Workshops in acting and animation (including stop-motion, computer imagery and hand-drawn)
Visits by more than 100 filmmakers from around the world
Short films for really young viewers (ages 2 to 5) in the "My First Movies" series.
And let's not forget the 237 movies, pared down from more than 1,000 submissions.
Admission is a bargain: $9 for adults, $6 for kids. Call (773) 281-9075, ext. 3011, or go to facets.org/kids.
<b>After Hours' 'Project' </b>
The After Hours Film Society presents its ninth annual Student Short Film and Video Festival at 5 p.m. Monday at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. At 7:30 p.m. the Society presents James Marsh's celebrated science documentary "Project Nim."
General admission costs $9. Go to after hoursfilmsociety.com or call (630) 534-4528.
<i>Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire's column runs Fridays in Time out!</i>