10 ITEMS OR LESS DVD TALK REVIEW

After narrowly surviving the franchise non-starter "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," I'm sure director Brad Silberling was primed to tackle a production that didn't require a year's worth of blood, sweat, and tears.

The Actor (Morgan Freeman), with a penchant for co-starring in Ashley Judd thrillers, is hoping to conduct some character research at a desolate and unpleasant grocery store in the outskirts of Los Angeles. There he meets Scarlet (Paz Vega), a bored, Spanish cashier who has lost her patience with customers and her personal life. Finding himself overwhelmed with curiosity, The Actor puts his gifts to work making over Scarlet's world, encouraging her to reach higher in life, while also finding his performing inspiration, returning to him to a place he feared was long lost.

In the general scheme of filmdom, "10 Items or Less" is the littlest slice of a movie that can be made. Essentially, Silberling has written a one-act play, pitting two complete opposites on a journey to self-confidence and inspiration, capturing this dynamic with a miniature budget, everyday locations, and a host of called-in acting favors.

"10 Items" doesn't establish itself on a grand scale; it snuggles up to the viewer and draws you into this unusual coupling. Silberling has a history of romanticizing everything he touches ("City of Angels," "Moonlight Mile"), but he stands back for this picture, taking a more observational stance with these actors, only nudging the spirit of the film along with some cutesy music montages and effective, but indulgent, euphoric reaction shots from Freeman. Running just a scant 70 minutes, the picture doesn't have time to excavate personal demons, but the fluffy air of friendship and growth is gracious enough to provide a fulfilling sit.

It's Morgan Freeman's performance that glues "10 Items" together. Poking fun at himself (the running gag about Ashley Judd is a pretty observant one) while also pouncing on the chance to play comedy, Freeman feels alive here for the first time in a very long time. You can see the merriment in his eyes playing this role, embracing the character's curiosity with the working-class crowd after years in his actorly ivory tower. Exploring the low prices of Target, the limited menu imagination of Arby's, and the lasting power of his craft by way of "The Yearling," The Actor may not be Freeman's most challenging piece of work to date, but it surely gives the performer a chance to smile. For Freeman, this is almost revelatory.

Burdened a smidge by her thick Spanish accent, Paz Vega holds up her side of the relationship just as well as Freeman. Vega is an expressive performer, and while she isn't given the lighter role, the actress conveys Scarlet's frustrations extremely well, while aptly providing Freeman an excuse to delight in her presence.

"10 Items or Less" doesn't insist much more than the average indie exercise, but it's nicely made by Silberling, and if you've lost faith in Morgan Freeman, this is the film to restore it.

TURISTAS DVD TALK REVIEW

Regardless of your expectations of it, I don't see how "Turistas" can fail to disappoint you. You're in the mood for some torture porn, a la "Saw" or "Hostel"? Surprise! There isn't any! You get one scene -- ONE SCENE! -- of someone being hacked up, and even then, the victim is under anesthesia and the hacking is done antiseptically, even medically.

So maybe instead you're hoping for a taut psychological thriller, comparable to "Deliverance," where the actual violence is minimal but the tension is high? Surprise! It fails there, too. The characters are (as they almost always are in these films) one-dimensional stereotypes whose only motivations are to have sex and to avoid being killed. And wouldn't you know it, most of them fail at that, too.

The film is set in Brazil and was shot on location by director John Stockwell, whose "Blue Crush" and "Into the Blue" also made use of beautiful locations and actors who refuse to wear anything but bathing suits. "Turistas" is infused with Brazilian sights and sounds -- the beaches, the music, the friendly people -- and actually made me want to go there. Apart from all the killing and the general message of "Never trust a foreigner," it would make a good travel brochure.

Our heroes are six young people -- three Americans, two Brits and an Australian -- who have come to Brazil in search of drinking, recreation, and indiscriminate sexual encounters. An American girl (Olivia Wilde) is chaperoned by her worry-wart brother (Josh Duhamel) and accompanied by her trashy best friend (Beau Garrett); the Australian (Melissa George) is a world traveler who speaks fluent Portuguese; the Brits (Max Brown and Desmond Askew) are randy fellows who just want to meet girls.

A bus accident leaves the six stranded, but they join forces and wander onto a hidden beach that evidently isn't all that hidden after all, since it has a fully stocked bar and raging nightly parties. Then somehow they eventually wind up in a crazy house where crazy people want to do crazy things to them.

I'm skipping a lot, but believe me, you'll wish the movie had skipped a lot, too. The film's very first images are a flash-forward to much later, when a female victim is strapped down and apparently about to be eviscerated. It is 60 minutes before the movie actually arrives at that point in the narrative, giving us a full hour to endure the tourists partying, talking, flirting with each other, passing out, arguing, walking, being lost, and taking their shirts off. It's a 95-minute movie in which 50 minutes are padding.

The screenplay (by previously uncredited writer Michael Ross) further errs by including scenes with the villains as they plot to abduct the tourists. By giving the audience information that the main characters aren't privy to, much of the mystery and suspense is lost. It would be better if we had no idea what was in store, rather than being teased with it. This is especially true since what we're teased with -- rampant bloody mayhem and terror -- never actually materializes.

The movie is what it is. The question is, is it good at being what it is? And the answer is no. I never thought I'd complain that a movie wasn't violent and awful enough, but when a film sets out to be violent and awful, it really ought to follow through.

THE NATIVITY STORY DVD TALK REVIEW

You can see why "The Nativity Story" got the blessing of the Vatican and had its world premiere there. It's a safe, conventional fictionalization of the events leading up to the birth of Christ, with heavy emphasis on Mary as an iconic (read: personality-free) figure. It's a "nice" movie, good for Christian families who want to attend a nativity pageant without having to stand outside in the cold.

It was written by nice screenwriter Mike Rich, who also wrote the nice "Finding Forrester," "The Rookie" and "Radio." You will note that "nice" doesn't necessarily mean "good." It means pleasant and unassuming. You will not have to think very hard about anything while watching a "nice" movie, nor will your preconceived notions be challenged. There is nothing wrong with most "nice" movies -- nor, in many cases, is there anything right with them.

"The Nativity Story" is bland in that way, though it has details that give it some honest respectability. The director, Catherine Hardwicke, has made far edgier films in the past ("Thirteen" and "Lords of Dogtown"), and you can see her wanting to inject realism into this project, too. Little details, like two young boys' amusing reaction to witnessing a circumcision, or the pain in Elizabeth's face when she gives birth to John the Baptist, remind you that Hardwicke is accustomed to stories grounded in modern realities rather than glossy religious traditions.

Rich's screenplay takes what little we know from the New Testament and expands to give Mary, Joseph, and the others backstories. Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) is a young, carefree girl whose parents are cheesemakers. (And as we know from Monty Python's "The Life of Brian," blessed are the cheesemakers.) With no input on the decision whatsoever, she is betrothed to Joseph (Oscar Isaac), a decent young man from her village with whom she has had little prior contact. Now they are semi-married, called spouses but forbidden from doing "that which leads to families," as Mary's dad puts it, until the marriage is finalized.

This restriction makes things a bit awkward, as you know, when Mary finds herself pregnant. The biblical account is retained (including the dialogue, when possible), with angels visiting Mary and Joseph to explain their roles in God's plan. Mary goes to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who is miraculously pregnant, too, having conceived despite being old and infertile.

Meanwhile, we get a rather goofy account of the Magi, three Eastern astrologers who see the signs in the sky and follow the star to Bethlehem. They're portrayed as normal, down-to-earth fellas who kid one another and act like buddies. This is probably accurate enough, but it's a jarringly different tone from the seriousness of the rest of the movie. Mary acts like a religious icon; these guys act like average joes.

Yes, there's something about Mary: she's boring. Keisha Castle-Hughes, just 15 when the film was shot, has trouble hiding her Australian accent (everyone else uses a generic "Middle East" inflection) and renders every line flat and emotionless. Joseph and Elizabeth feel like fully realized characters, but Mary appears just as she does in paintings: two-dimensional, kind of pretty, and entirely without substance.

I think the film serves its purpose well enough, if that purpose is to be a modest, mildly uplifting Christmas story. Considering most Christmas movies have nothing to do with Jesus whatsoever, "The Nativity Story" should be a welcome surprise for Christian families. Which doesn't mean it's very good as an expression of art, only that it's ... you know ... "nice."