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Monday, October 3, 2005
Updated: October 28, 3:13 PM ET
Dhani's reel review: 'Flightplan'

Dhani Jones
Special to Page 3

Dhani Jones is a Renaissance man. Off the field, the Philadelphia Eagles linebacker looks more like an artist and intellect than an athlete. His hobbies include his poetry, music, studying Islam, painting and photography. People magazine rated the pro as one of this year's sexiest bachelors.

Dhani Jones
It's not all about sports for Eagles LB Dhani Jones.
And best of all, he's Page 3's resident movie critic, who will review what's currently out on the silver screen.

RATINGS SYSTEM
"Touchdown": As good as it gets.
"Field goal": Comes away with points.
"Sacked": Lost yards. Not good.
"Fumble": Doesn't get any worse.
Ideal date: (1) Girlfriend (2) Cheerleader (3) Teammate (4) The kids (5) Coach

DHANI'S CALL
SACKED.
Fresh from the "Panic Room," Foster miscalculates her "Flightplan."

STAT SHEET
Movie: "Flightplan"
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Director: Robert Schwentke
Stars: Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean
Ideal date: A cheerleader. A simple date movie, with minimal conversation needed.

THE GAME PLAN

"Give me back my daughter!"

How many times have we heard this line in a dark theater? When I watch a movie, I like to compare it to other movies I've seen in the past. If too many familiar titles come to mind, then I know what I'm watching can't be good. Unfortunately, "Flightplan" falls into that category. Last time I saw Jodie Foster on the silver screen, she was fighting home-intruders while trapped in a "Panic Room" with her daughter. This time, she plays Kyle, a mother trying to prove her sanity while searching for her missing daughter on an airplane.

Is Hollywood really running out of creative ideas? My advice to Hollywood is to get a grip and find something new and extraordinary.

Jodi Foster
See Jodi run ... again. Same role, different movies.
The film's opening sequence suggests intrigue, leaving the audience wondering, "Is she crazy or isn't she?" The biggest failure of the film is that we never believe Foster is crazy. We know that the daughter is on the plane and that there is a simple storyline.

For inspiration, the director might want to take some cues by watching M. Night Shyamalan's "The Sixth Sense" again, or even last year's "Forgotten." Both of these films succeed in misleading the audience and having us wonder whether we're the ones who are crazy.

Disappointingly, once the plot gets under way, this movie turns out to be a traditional second-sequel thriller that could just as easily be called "Die Hard 4" or "Speed 3."

THE ROSTER
Franchise Player: We expect more from Jodie Foster than the same "Give me back my daughter!" type of role. Player in a Contract Year: Marlene Lawston gives a surprisingly solid performance as the missing daughter. Given little on-screen time, she conveys a lot of emotion after losing her dad. Benched: Sean Bean as Captain Rich. Something is wrong when the plane's pilot conveys more emotion than the mother of a missing daughter. Why on earth is this guy breathing so hard in every sentence?

GAME BALL
Actress Erika Christensen. How did a good actress in some big movies ("Traffic," "Swimfan") get convinced by her agent to take a pointless role as a clueless stewardess? She didn't have more than five lines in the entire movie, and then gets knocked unconscious by Jodie Foster.

THE DE-CLEATER
The film's climax is shockingly bad. After the passengers are inexplicably allowed to debark, Foster goes one-on-one with the bad guy in a scene right out of "Night of the Living Dead." You know, the type of fight where no matter how many times you hurt the villain, he keeps getting up and fighting back. Shot in the foot. Shot in the head. Whatever the injury, he just won't stop coming at you.