Reel Critics

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Reel Critics column features movie critiques written

by community members serving on our panel. Take family to see ‘My Dog

Skip’

If as a child you had a dog that you shared all your secrets, desires

and adventures with, then you will love the new movie “My Dog Skip.”

Set in the small town of Yazoo, Miss., this film is based on author

and editor of Harper’s magazine William Morris’ memoir.

It centers on young Willie (Frankie Muniz), an only child with few

friends, no athletic ability and a penchant for the unmanly hobby of

reading. As Willie turns 9 his mother (Diane Lane) decides he needs a

friend and no greater friend is there than a dog.

His father (Kevin Bacon) disagrees. He feels Willie is too young and

vulnerable to take care of a dog. Mom gets her way, though, and a scruffy

furball named Skip enters the household. Skip provides Willie the

companionship he craves, and soon the two are known throughout the town.

With Skip as his pal, Willie grows from a lonely, frightened young boy to

a confident college-bound young man.

While watching this movie I couldn’t help but think of my own

childhood dog, Ben. He did no tricks, we had no adventures, he wasn’t

good-looking or very smart, but when it came to telling him secrets he

was the best. Always available, always loyal, he always looked like he

understood everything I was saying. I wouldn’t have traded him for the

world.

Having that in my background, I enjoyed this movie. Sure, it’s overly

sentimental and predictable, but it’s also one that you can take the

whole family to.

If you are ready for a simple story with a simple message,see “My Dog

Skip.”

HEIDI BRESSLER, 35, is a hairstylist and Costa Mesa resident.

Full of cliches, ‘Gate’ should stay shut

Devil movies.

Some films of this genre have scared the bejesus out of me.

Straight-up satanic flicks like “The Exorcist” or “The Omen” left me

supremely creeped out. Heck, even “Rosemary’s Baby,” Roman Polanski’s

first foray into Old Scratch’s sulfuric world, was spooky.

But the pacing of “The Ninth Gate,” Polanski’s newest trip down

Beelzebub Boulevard, made runnin’ with the devil an extremely blase

experience and not very scary.

Based on the literary thriller “El Club Dumas” by Spanish writer

Arturo Perez-Reverte, “The Ninth Gate” stars Johnny Depp as Dean Corse,

an unscrupulous but accomplished book dealer with a talent for tracking

down and finding very old and rare books.

The gist of the story is that Corse is hired by Boris Balkin (Frank

Langella), a wealthy and well-known book collector, to find two of only

three copies of an antiquated book called “The Nine Gates of the Kingdom

of the Shadows.”

Reputedly penned by Lucifer himself, the book was translated in 1666

by Aristede Torchia, who was subsequently burned at the stake as a

heretic. Under dubious circumstances, Balkan has acquired a copy of the

books and believes that two of the three are fakes. He also believes that

the authentic book will give the owner the power to raise Satan himself.

Corse’s investigations take him to Europe, where he meets Liana Telfer

(Lena Olin), the wife of the former owner of the book now belonging to

Balkin, and she desperately wants to reclaim it. She also heads a secret

society devoted to Torchia’s memory and satanic worship.

Corse then meets both owners of the other two books, who suddenly die

violently. Finally, he keeps crossing paths with a beautiful (of course),

mysterious young woman, who comes to his rescue on several occasions and

is one-hell-of-a-guardian angel (if you get my point).

Not a total loss, the movie is visually appealing and well-crafted,

the books and sets are regal and elegant, there are a few humorous

moments in the film, and the overall feel is ominous and somewhat

dramatic.

But at two hours and 13 minutes, “The Ninth Gate” had about eight

gates too many, and the ending left me totally frustrated.

Rated R for some violence and sexuality, on the Brunette scale of “pay

full price,” “bargain matinee,” “video rental,” “wait for cable’ or “I’d

rather suffer the fires of eternal damnation than watch this film again,”

I’d choose for Old Nick to fire up the coals ‘cause I’m on the highway to

hell (I should have known any movie with a rhyming catch phrase ad as

stupid as “Leave the Unknown Alone” would be lame).

RICHARD BRUNETTE, 36, is a recreation supervisor with the city of Costa

Mesa and a Costa Mesa resident.