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This week's reviews: 'Solaris,' Matchbox Twenty, more
(PEOPLE) -- This week, PEOPLE.COM looks at the film "Solaris," Matchbox Twenty's third album "More Than You Think You Are" and CBS's made-for-TV movie "The Locket." Movie review: 'Solaris'
Think of this sci-fi romantic drama as director-writer Steven Soderbergh's version of "Ghost." "Solaris" may be leaner and less sappy than the Demi Moore-Patrick Swayze tearjerker, but the Big Question it poses is identical: Does love transcend death? Setting the film in space is a pretext for exploring the unknowable. Dr. Chris Kelvin (George Clooney), a psychologist, is still grieving for his troubled wife, Rheya (Natascha McElhone, who's neurotically appealing), two years after her suicide. When he is sent to investigate mysterious goings-on at a space station near the oceanic planet of Solaris, Rheya shows up in his dreams. Come morning, she's still there stroking his chest. Solaris, it seems, makes one's greatest desire manifest; if Rheya is real, Kelvin has a second chance at love. "Solaris" is easier to admire than embrace. There's something excessively austere about the film, as if Soderbergh made it with the ghost of Stanley Kubrick sitting on his shoulder. ("Solaris" is based on a 1961 novel by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem and was filmed previously by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972.) Soderbergh's leap into the metaphysical may be thoughtful, but it lacks the propulsive snap, crackle and pop of the director's recent trio of winners, "Erin Brockovich," "Traffic" and "Ocean's Eleven." That it works as well as it does is largely due to the soulful performance of Clooney, who keeps getting better with every movie. And what of his derriere, which he notoriously bares twice? Let's just say: lookin' good. Bottom line: Gets a little lost in space -- Reviewed by Leah Rozen Music review: 'More Than You Think You Are'Matchbox Twenty (Melisma/Atlantic) Matchbox Twenty is the Rodney Dangerfield of pop-rock bands. Neither as hard as Creed nor as cool as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the quintet gets no respect for being a VH1 group that even your mother would like. But on Matchbox Twenty's third album, front man Rob Thomas and company prove that they are more than you think they are. From the post-grunge guitar crunch of "Feel" to the acoustic country accents of "Unwell," this is music that is rich in melody and hooks. The first single, "Disease," cowritten by Thomas and Mick Jagger, recalls the rhythmic swagger of "Smooth," Thomas's 1999 smash with Santana, and it has an edge missing from some of Matchbox's previous work. "You left a stain on every one of my good days,"Thomas sneers in his agitated voice. Although Matchbox could have done without the cheesy gospel choir on "Downfall," that minor misstep can't bring this disc down. Bottom line: Matchbox catches fire -- Reviewed by Chuck Arnold TV review: 'The Locket'
CBS (Sunday, December 8, 9 p.m. ET) Take heed, viewers. There are lessons to be learned from this Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of Richard Paul Evans's novel: 1. "Trust your feelings." 2. "Deciding to forgive is the first step toward healing." 3. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. The first two are quotes from Esther (Vanessa Redgrave), a wise but withdrawn nursing-home resident who counsels care-giver Michael (Chad Willett) on his personal relationships. (The title refers to her cherished keepsake from a long-lost love.) The third is a proverb that comes to mind when this lugubrious soap opera unexpectedly turns into a courtroom drama. Esther suggests that Michael not break up with girlfriend Faye (Marguerite Moreau) despite hostile interference from Faye's father. The elderly lady also urges Michael to reach out to his own dad (Terry O'Quinn), a surly alcoholic. But before Michael can act on Esther's good advice, he suddenly faces a more urgent problem: Coworker Alice (Lori Heuring), miffed that Michael spurned her sexual advances, frames him for the killing of a patient. When the prosecution offers a plea bargain, you wish Michael would accept it just to simplify his life. Redgrave is able to find depth even in the tritest lines, but no actor could redeem this soggy affair. Bottom line: Lock it away -- Reviewed by Terry Kelleher
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