The Devil Wears Prada

Directed by David Frankel

Possessing salons nationwide beginning 6/30/2006

What began as a fairly elaborate “screw you” letter to a former boss has morphed into a wish fulfillment fantasy chick flick disguised as a modern morality tale. But even once you finish peeling the layers of The Devil Wears Prada, you have a pretty enjoyable summer entertainment showcasing the work of the greatest film actress of all time as well as a director too silent since his last big screen hit and an ingénue who may turn out to be pretty good now that she has outgrown her princess stage.

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JOE’S MOVIE REVIEW: “THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA”

Meryl Streep delivers a wonderfully wicked performance in “The Devil Wears Prada.” Based on the best selling novel by Lauren Weisberger, the film offers a sharply drawn look behind the designer clothes and stylish tantrums of the fashion world through the eyes of one young journalist discovering the industry while working on her forst New York job.

Streep is Miranda Priestly, the icy, imperial editor in cheif of “Runway” magazine, the top fashion magazine in the U.S and, perhaps, the world. She eats assistants the way most people gobble popcorn, so when Andrea “Andy”

Sachs (Ann Hathaway), fresh from an award winning college journalism career, somehow ends up at Miranda’s desk, seeking a job, things don’t look good. But something about her gets Miranda’s attention and she’s hired.

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Superman Returns

Directed by Bryan Singer

Leaping into theatres everywhere beginning 6/28/2006

Surely the most anticipated of the summer event movies, it is with sadness that I report that Superman Returns provides less than awe-inspiring result for such expectations. Unlike last summer’s release of Batman Begins, the return of the Man of Steel is neither a great film on its own nor a snappy reigniting of a dormant film series. Too derivative and too safe by half, even longtime DC Comics fans will find the whole experience more of a yawn with the movie’s small advantages stemming more from anticipation than from anything seen on screen.

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JOE’S MOVIE REVIEW: “SUPERMAN RETURNS”

Yes, “Superman Returns” this week to your local movie theater, thanks to “X-Men” and “Usual Suspects” director Bryan Singer. Unfortunately, the Man of Steel forgot to bring a fresh or original screenplay with him. What we get are spectacular special effects in service of an overly familiar plot and acting that ranges from good to overripe and, in one case, lackluster.

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MOVIE REVIEW: “WORDPLAY”

One of the more pleasant developments of recent movie summers has been the discovery by movie studios that there is a large and appreciative audience for feature length documentaries. A wide array of non-fiction films ( as several film critics have dubbed them), such as “Mad Hot Ballroom”, “Grizzly Man”, “Spellbound” and “March of the Penguins” have become surprise box office hits and offered moviegoers a quality diversion from big budget dross. Most of the major blockbusters released so far this summer have been rather ho-hum. “Word Play,” the first of the summer season’s documentaries, happily follows the recent trend of engaging, entertaining films.

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