'The American' disjointed, slow

THE AMERICAN

1 and a half stars

Rated R

This sophisticated low-key drama for mature audiences has all the trappings of a foreign art house film that happens to be primarily in English.

George Clooney (“Up in the Air” and “Syriana”) is the only recognizable face in a cast and crew almost exclusively European. Dutchman Anton Corbijn, best known as a portrait photographer, directs a script written by Englishman Rowan Joffe (son of Oscar-nominated director Roland Joffe) based on the novel “A Very Perfect Gentleman” by the late British author Martin Booth.

Jack (Clooney) is a technical weapons expert who creates and supplies tools for high-level assassinations. He dwells in the shadows and spends most of his time alone.

The movie opens in wintry Sweden with a brief prelude. A bearded Jack has become intimate with a striking blonde (Irina Bjorklund). Things go horribly awry when his identity is compromised and he leaves a blood-soaked mess with unfortunate collateral damage. Jack’s contact Pavel (Belgian Johan Leysen) tells him to lay low in a small medieval town in the Italian countryside and to avoid making friends. His next assignment is a custom fit job in which he doesn’t have to pull the trigger.

Shawnee woman is keeper of wee ones at Irish Fest

In 2004, Shawn Sullivan-Warner of Shawnee was asked to help with children’s activities at Irish Fest, which this year is Sept. 3-5 at Crown Center Sqaure, 2450 Grand Blvd.

"They set a trap," Sullivan-Warner said with a laugh. "My brother, Bob Sullivan, and Danny Regan (festival co-founders), knew I would never say ‘no’ to the children."

Reeling from the torrential rains that marked the 2003 debut of Irish Fest at Berkley Riverfront Park, organizers weren’t sure how many kids to expect at the fest’s new location at Crown Center.

Characters’ challenges help strengthen ‘Marion Bridge’

Kathleen Warfel has clearly been paying attention.

For years, Warfel has made her mark as one of our area’s finest actresses, creating memorable characters on the stages of the Unicorn Theatre, The Kansas City Repertory Theatre and the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, to name but a few.

She’s had the opportunity to work with many gifted directors and has obviously absorbed a lot from them. She brings that experience to bear as director of the latest play from the Kansas City Actors Theatre.

"Marion Bridge" by Canadian playwright Daniel MacIvor is part two of KCAT’s "Sizzling Summer of Siblings," following closely on the heels of their production of Sam Shepherd’s testosterone-soaked "True West."

Do not miss the film 'Farewell'

FAREWELL

3 and a half stars

Not Rated 

This sparkling gem is based on the actual espionage operation with the titular code name that brought an end to the Cold War by destroying the Soviet intelligence network.

Director and co-writer Christian Carion (Oscar-nominated “Joyeux Noel”) has pulled off a major coup by casting in the lead roles acclaimed film directors Guillaume Canet (“Tell No One”) and Emir Kusturica (“The Widow of Saint-Pierre”), who deliver masterful emotional performances.

Senior KGB officer Sergei Grigoriev (Kusturica) wants to change the world. He realizes the current economic system in Russia is no longer working and wants a better future for his fellow Russians, especially his teenage son Igor. He has several clandestine meetings in Moscow beginning in April 1981 with Pierre Froment (Canet), a French engineer living in the Soviet Union. Grigoriev passes on vital information and documents that lay the groundwork for the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989.

Comic drama offers scathing look at race relations

Neil LaBute is an acclaimed filmmaker ("In the Company of Men," "Nurse Betty") and playwright ("Bash: Latter Day Plays") who did his graduate work at the University of Kansas.

Indeed, his best-known play, "The Shape of Things," takes place in a setting that is a virtual stand-in for Lawrence.

The same might be said for "This is How it Goes," a comic drama that’s the current production from the folks at The Living Room.

A scathing and unblinking look at race relations in contemporary Middle America, "This is How it Goes" also is an intriguing work about betrayal, duplicity and the predatory nature of the male of the species.

Don't bother with 'The Switch'

THE SWITCH

2 stars

Rated PG-13

The “dog days” of summer are here and the cupboard is apparently bare.

The third movie of the year about artificial insemination, following “The Back-up Plan” and “The Kids Are All Right,” pairs the stars of two popular television shows, Jennifer Aniston (“Friends”) and Jason Bateman (“Arrested Development”).

The screenplay by Allan Loeb (“21” and the upcoming “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”) is based on the short story “The Baster” (as in turkey baster) by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jeffrey Eugenides (“Middlesex” and “The Virgin Suicides”). The title change is an attempt to soften the tacky premise of a last-minute substitution of sperm.

The dispute between Aniston and conservative political commentator Bill O’Reilly over single motherhood has spiked awareness of this movie.

Kassie (Aniston) is a smart and attractive single woman with a successful career as a network television producer. Wally (Bateman) is an introspective and slightly neurotic equities analyst. He has trouble, like a lot of men, expressing his feelings. They have been platonic buddies since mutually agreeing to put each other in the “friendship zone” six years ago.