RECOMMENDED Marc Forster’s recent movies tend to the likable and stylish: even his second feature, “Monster’s Ball,” is more esthetically driven than one would think at first glance. (The little-seen “Stay” is a trainwreck of a cautionary tale for the aspiring filmmaker who is sleek-of-eye.) “Stranger Than Fiction” beautifully realizes Zach Helm’s script in visual terms, and he’s signed as director of “Bond 22.” For now, we have “The Kite Runner,” the somewhat convoluted, melodramatic adaptation of Khaled Hosseini’s bestseller about several boys trying to grow up in 1970s Afghanistan. Simplistic yet heart-tugging, David Benioff’s adaptation stints on some of the novel’s more intriguing details, and the plot element of boy-rape overwhelms much. The production design of the Taliban-wracked cities is forceful but unconvincing: another reminder of the marvel of imagination that was “Children of Men.” Also: Abbas Kiarostami understands children an awful lot better. Roberto Schaeffer’s camerawork is a consistent eyeful. 128m. Anamorphic 2.40 widescreen. (Ray Pride)
Related Stories
Heart: A Review of Soul The real world is soulful, too, in Pixar's bountiful life of the mind.
Seeing The Elephant: A Review Of Babylon The boisterous, brawling yet melancholy "Babylon," is a variation on film history, but more drawing for drama. It's gaudy and mean, celebratory and sorrowful.
Heart of Darkness: A Review of The Batman The three-hour film noir unfolds briskly, an intensive study in the pervasive interplay of power, money and corruption in what seems like perpetual rainy night.
Fine Line: A Review Of Shortcomings It's a season for the comeuppance of a curmudgeon in Randall Park's smart, biting "Shortcomings," adapted by Adrian Tomine from his graphic novel of the same name.
