"Memoirs of a Geisha," "The Sentinel"

I saw two mediocre movies over the past couple weeks, so without further ado, here are my thoughts:

• "Memoirs of a Geisha"--Probably the prettiest movie I've seen in a long time. The movie displayed its budget in every sparkly, glossy shot, and definitely deserved the Oscar love it got for costumes, cinematography, and art direction. I also have a soft spot for John Williams, whose emotional score was another of this films delights. That said, the acting, script, and direction just didn't live up to the pretty surroundings. The life of a geisha is clearly an interesting one, but this film's main character, Chiyo (played by the beautiful but Englishly-challenged Ziyi Zhang, from "Crouching Tiger..."), was difficult to feel for. I think the biggest mistake was asking actors who aren't proficient in English to try and emote using words that they clearly didn't understand--we watched half the movie in subtitles just to tell what was being said! In the end, we felt relatively little for poor Chiyo, and for an epic like this, you need a strong character to care about. Not bad, but definitely not as good as it is pretty. (** out of four)
• "The Sentinel"--You'd think that pairing Michael Douglas and Jack Ba--I mean Kiefer Sutherland--together would have paid off in an entertaining battle for the loudest line-readings. Unfortunately, they're trapped in a surprisingly muddled and plot-hole ridden thriller, which wastes a lot of good talent. It makes me wonder a bit what Sutherland and his costars (Eva Longoria, Kim Basinger) were thinking when they read the script, since none of them has much to do other than stand around and wonder what Michael Douglas' character is up to. The pacing is inconsistent, the plot is incoherent, and the conclusion is ridiculous. With the exception of a few good chases and a cast that does its best, this was a real letdown. Watch "24" if you want to see an engaging political thriller. (** out of four)