Film reviews opening Sept. 30

The Greatest Game Ever Played
I have been a big fan of Shia LaBeouf’s ever since the Project Greenlight season where he filmed “The Battle of Shaker Heights.” Before that, LaBeouf starred in the Disney Channel’s “Even Stevens.” LaBeouf plays likeable characters and he uses this skill to his advantage in the period sports drama, “The Greatest Game Ever Played.”

LaBeouf plays Francis Ouimet who grows up caddying at the golf course across the street, but is considered of too low a class to actually play the game. Ouimet defies the class structure that is set on keeping him in his place and goes on to become the first amateur player to win the U.S. Open.

There is some beautiful cinematography in this movie and LaBeouf’s performance is only a slight hint of better things to come. I was concerned that the special effects used to draw the audience into the game of golf would be too distracting and seem out of place in a period drama, but director Bill Paxton, who last directed the spiritual, supernatural mystery, “Frailty,” uses the effects sparingly.

A History of Violence
OK, I admit it, ever since the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy I will go see anything with Viggo Mortenson. In “A History of Violence,” Mortenson, as Tom Stall battles bad guys with his fists and whatever else he can get his hands on. Trouble is, he’s supposed to be a quiet husband and father of two in a small Kansas town. The ever-reliable and interesting Maria Bello plays his wife, Edie, who discovers the man she married may not be who she thinks he is. Ed Harris and William Hurt in a very uncharacteristic role as Tom’s brother, round out the cast.

As its title suggests, there is violence in this film and director David Cronenberg also chooses to make the sex just as violent as the beatings that Tom dishes out to some Philly mobsters who have come to get their revenge. The sexuality is not violent as in “Girls Don’t Cry,” but more animalistic and passionate. I’m sure Cronenberg is going for some parallels between sex and violence, but I’ll let the intellectuals figure that out.

Oliver Twist
Roman Polanski follows up his Oscar-winning “The Pianist” with his cinematic interpretation of Charles Dickens’ classic rags to riches tale, “Oliver Twist.” The films stars a bunch of British actors that are largely unrecognizable to American audiences. Perhaps the only name that may be familiar is Ben Kingsley, but he is barely visible beneath all of the prosthetic makeup. Polanski showed he knows how to film filth, grime and poverty in “The Pianist” and his take on “Oliver Twist” definitely has its bleak moments. Newcomer Barney Clark plays the title role and he does it with such a sweetness and innocence that you can’t help but root for him even if you know how the story is going to end. Polanski has managed to breathe new life into “Oliver Twist” and film in such a way where it feels fresh. I won’t be surprised if Jamie Foreman, who plays the sinister Bill Sykes, is considered for Best Supporting Actor.

Serenity
No, you do not need to have been a fan of “Firefly’ in order to enjoy this movie. It’s funny, entertaining, and has flesh-eating humans called Reavers. What more could you want in a sci-fi western from Joss Whedon, the man who resurrected “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” from being just another bad teen comedy. [See articles below].