by CHRIS BARRY and MATTHEW HAYS

James' Journey to Jerusalem

This Israeli film, which had its Montreal premiere at the Jewish Film Festival last month, is a pretty astonishing achievement by director Ra'anan Alexandrowicz. Here, our hero is an African Christian who longs to go to the promised land, Israel, where he intends to become a pastor.

But James (brought to life exquisitely by Siyabonga Melongisi Shibe) soon finds his dreams of the promised land are dashed, and badly. Stopped at the airport, James isn't welcomed but rather questioned about his intentions and tossed into the slammer by officials with several other illegal immigrants. He's covertly bailed out by a local businessman, who does so so he can own a posse of cheap labour to farm out for a serious profit. The film becomes far less about Israel - this could take place in any developed country - and more about what the struggle for a fast buck does to human behaviour. James is a good worker and finds he's in demand, playing a number of employers off of each other. People soon begin to hit him up for money, including the local pastor who James assumed must be well meaning as he is a man of God. Full of rich, realistic performances and a captivating climax, James' Journey to Jerusalem is a fantastic low-budget discovery, evoking the memory of El Norte, the landmark feature about Latino South Americans struggle to get into the U.S. (MH)

Around the World in 80 Days

Yikes, does this film stink. Jackie Chan continues his streak of dud roles in dud films in this very loose re-telling of the classic Jules Verne story. And while the original 1956 Oscar-winning film of the same name perhaps leaves something to be desired, compared to this $110-million turd version it's nothing short of brilliant. At least in the original version principals David Niven and Mexican mega-star Cantinflas shared some chemistry. Yet Chan is no Cantinflas - as painful as that must be for any actor to accept. Forget the weak script, the awkward pacing, the singularly horrible acting talents of female co-star Cécile De France, at this stage of the game Chan's all-too-familiar shtick of humble yet dangerous lovable goofball is simply tiresome, if not downright annoying, and possibly the defining element that makes this film borderline unwatchable.

Nevertheless, just in case you're not already familiar with the famous plot of Around the World in 80 Days, it's the story of an eccentric 19th-century Brit inventor (Steve Coogan) who bets a rival that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days. Along the way Coogan picks up Chan and De France and off they all go on a series of wacky adventures. But the adventures aren't exciting, the humour lame, and the characters thoroughly obnoxious.

Yes, a few undiscerning children under 12 might like this movie, as will adults with a similar level of sophistication, but all others are well advised to stay clear of this loser. (CB)

The Agronomist

Oscar-winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme has long been an advocate for international human rights. With his feature documentary The Agronomist, he manages to focus on an absorbing story about a human rights crusader and media guru, a story that feels even more timely given recent developments in Haiti. In 1968, journalist Jean Dominique bought Radio Haïti-Inter and did what was a radical thing: he began using Creole on the airwaves, which was the language of the majority but rarely, if ever, used by the nation's media élite who instead favoured French. This set precedent - for once, a clear majority of the Haitian population could get the news via radio. Not surprisingly, Dominique and his wife and fellow activist Michèle Montas suffered repeatedly at the hands of the Duvalier regime. At one point, Dominique left the microphone on while the police rushed into the radio station so listeners could hear the sounds of machine guns firing. Forced into exile twice, Dominique was assassinated outside his radio station in 2000 during a tumultuous election campaign. This film stands as vital testimony to the crucial work Dominique did - a beautiful and eloquent documentary. (MH)

James' Journey to Jerusalem, Around the World in 80 Days and The Agronomist open this Friday, June 18

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