Whatever Works Moon Rudo y Cursi

WHATEVER WORKS dir. woody allen sony pictures classic two stars Neurotic New York Jews everywhere have dreamed of the day when comedy kings Larry David and Woody Allen would combine forces on film. Well, that day has arrived, and, apparently, too many cynics spoil the broth. In Whatever Works, David plays Boris Yellnikoff, a retired college professor who "filches" what little joy he can from the world by terrorizing his tween chess students, eating knishes and occasionally throwing himself out of windows. Boris' nihilistic routine is turned upside down when Melodie St. Ann Celestine (Evan Rachel Wood), a former Mississippi pageant queen who has run away to start anew in the Big Apple (cringe), becomes his 17-year-old bride. Matters are further complicated when Melodie's equally blonde and sheltered mother (Patricia Clarkson) comes searching for her and thanks to Boris, whimsically discovers her overlooked and miraculous gift for photography. To top off this incredulous lower east side odyssey, the insufferable southern belles manage to indoctrinate Boris' inflexible approach to life with the notion of love, turning everyone's favorite TV curmudgeon into just another victim of a fairytale ending. Made evident from his work on Seinfeld and Curb your Enthusiasm, David is at his best in the kind of comedy where he can pin his pessimism against the little things in life such as soup and the lack of parking spots. Here, Boris tackles the broader dilemma of life and the meaning of it, drowning the usual charm of David's hostility in cliche characters and one outlandish plot twist after another. Allen can't seem to adapt David's comedic talents to Boris' character-perhaps because the script, penned in the 1970s, was originally written for comedian Zero Mostel. At the beginning of the film Boris informs us that "this is not going to be the feel good movie of the year." He is absolutely right. Whatever used to work for Woody Allen-the auteur who made OCD and horn-rimmed glasses irresistible in award winning classics such as Annie Hall and Manhattan-has finally gone sour. - Emily Ackerman

MOON dir. duncan jones liberty films uk four stars Though the villainy of large-scale corporate farms and virtue of local food are old news by now, it hasn't prevented activists from promoting their cause. But after Upton Sinclair and post-Fast Food Nation, do we really need another exercise in food industry muckraking? According to Robert Kenner, "Yes." In his documentary Food, Inc., the director throws the audience into the stomach-churning world of American farming, and delivers a film that, while not packed with new insights, remains fresh and engaging. Rightly so, the doc does demonstrate a keen awareness of its predecessors, most likely due to Eric Schlosser's presence as a co-producer and a narrator of sorts. Free of gimmicks