While watching "Unbroken," the World War II survival film directed by star-of-the-moment Angelina Jolie, one question stood out among the rest: How can such an extravagant, provocative personality turn in such a normal, even traditional film? Here is a woman who built her career on shock value. Where are the shocking moments in "Unbroken"? This isn't entirely a bad thing, as the classical, stately approach creates a

Young Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, 4, may soon be taking her first […]

Angelina Jolie, star extraordinaire, deserves an A for effort in directing In the Land of Blood and Honey. Not only does she care about the war-torn ex-Yugoslavia she shows but she throws herself fully into the making of the film. Red carpet photo-op and possible awards don’t seem part of the equation. This is a serious story told in as professional and honest a manner as possible. But the end result? A “C plus”--maybe . It may not be Jolie’s fault, pro-

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On the train that takes her to Venice on an assignment with said BF, acting on his instruction to find someone vaguely looking like him so as to throw the cops off his scent, she picks Wisconsin math teacher Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp). Problems start from the moment they set foot in Venice as they are chased by assorted heavies and secret service agents. The plot, silly enough, affords the viewer not the slightest frisson (but a tour of Venetian splendor, lovingly photographed by John Seale) until the utterly predictable ending of the couple on a vaporetto taking them out to the open sea.

Here we go again. This summer has been so bad […]

With its overwrought emotions and black-and-white morality, melodrama is a […]