Sam I am not

Brothers

Crit

Funny what feelings films inspire. This one gave me a thought I don't remember having before: that it is really a good thing that I have only one child, because I am a born comparer, a born weigher, and if I'd had two children, how would I have avoided making one feel second-best?

Yes, the original was an amazing film, but this one stands up quite nicely, thank you, with moving, convincing performances across the board, the most surprising by 10-year-old Bailee Madison. The one performance that isn't quite what it might be is the location: in the original, dark, cold Denmark is a character in its own right, making the sads sadder and the scaries scarier. Here the locale is Minnesota, inexplicably played by New Mexico, which sometimes feels a bit like a stunt double.

Trailers

• Season of the Witch--Huh--who'da thunk: Nic Cage in a schlockfest!
• Crazy Heart--Lotsa Oscar buzz for Jeff Bridges, but the trailer looks pretty déjà vu.
• Greenberg--Noah Baumbach directs his own script (w/ a story contribution by Jennifer Jason Leigh) about a 40ish slacker (Ben Stiller). In other words, hell, yeah!
• From Paris with Love--Is it just me, or does Travolta's skinhead look so huge that you think he must have a full head of hair under a cap? Anyway, brainless-looking action pic, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers as the in-over-his-head sidekick.