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Film Clips
Reviews by James DiGiovanna, Linsay Hernon, Mari Wadsworth and Zachary Woodruff.
ALMOST FAMOUS. Cameron Crowe (Singles, Jerry Maguire) is an extremely talented filmmaker, and here he displays his prowess in story about a young boy who gets a job writing for Rolling Stone magazine in the early '70s. With the death of rock looming over his head like the sword of some long-haired, pot-addled Damocles, young William (Patrick Fugit) hits the road with heavy metal second-stringers Stillwater. Immersed in their world of rock, sex with under-aged girls, drugs, sex with even younger girls, and blatantly illegal sex, William falls in love with über-groupie Penny Lane (Kate Hudson). In spite of the kinderporn and kinderpot themes, this is an incredibly conservative film about family values. In the magical world of Cameron Crowe, suburban moms have the power to change the values of rock gods, and an innocent young boy can undo the evils of sex and fun. Fine performances by Billy Crudup and Jason Lee as Stillwater's dueling guitarist and vocalist bolster a story that drags a bit (the film is slightly over two hours long), but nothing prevents this from being another Cameron Crowe film. Just as Singles should have been called Couples and Jerry Maguire went full circle from questioning the status quo to reaffirming its wholesomeness, Almost Famous promises rock and roll decadence and delivers a lecture on the power of abstinence and uprightness. --DiGiovanna and Woodruff
BEST IN SHOW. Funnier than watching Strom Thurmond deny his racist past, Best in Show is the long-awaited follow-up to the most hilarious film of the '90s, Waiting For Guffman. The Guffman cast and crew reassemble here to present a mockumentary about a dog show (Best in Show's working title was Dogumentary). Director Christopher Guest, perhaps best known for playing mentally deficient guitarist (or is that redundant?) Nigel Tufnel in Spinal Tap, puts together one of the tightest comedies ever made. Every scene has laughs, and no scene is merely a setup for a later gag. Guest also stars as Harlan Pepper, Southern dog fancier and fishing shop owner. His dead-on performance is matched by Eugene Levy as nerdy suburbanite Gerry Fleck; Catherine O'Hara (the greatest living comedienne) as his wife and erstwhile slattern Cookie Fleck; Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock as a grating yuppie couple; Michael McKean and John Michael Higgins as a gay couple whose love for each other is matched only by their love for Shih Tzus; and scene stealer Fred Willard as the local anchorman who's been horribly misassigned as an announcer at the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show. And hey, sorry about that guitarist gag.--DiGiovanna
THE CELL. Every now and then someone has the audacity to foist an art film on the mainstream moviegoing public, usually to commercially disastrous results. Director Tarsem Singh, wanting to imitate the art-house stylings of Peter Greenaway, the Brothers Quay and Jan Svankmajer, wisely includes just the kind of serial-sex-murderer plot that we Americans love so much. The result is a visually stunning film with a horrifying and often stupid storyline, but parts of it look so good that it may well be worth seeing. Featuring the callipygian Jennifer Lopez and the three Vinces of terror: Vince Vaughn, Vincent D'Onofrio and the inimitable Pruitt Taylor Vince. --DiGiovanna
THE CONTENDER. In the wake of President Clinton's sex scandal, writer/director Rod Lurie re-examines the controversial public vs. private debate in The Contender. Joan Allen earnestly portrays Senator Laine Hanson, whose private past is put under a microscope when she is chosen by President Jackson Evans (Jeff Bridges) to replace the recently deceased Vice President. Congressman Shelly Runyon, played by Gary Oldman, strongly disapproves of the President's choice, and thus guides the inquisition by cold-heartedly dredging up undeniable proof of the candidate's previous promiscuity. Accusations intensify, an intriguing Chappaquidick-like subplot is intertwined, and the all-star cast shines, with the exception of Bridges' lackadaisical leadership; he is more interested in his hazelnut pudding and bowling average than in his occupational duties. Nonetheless, this film makes a poignant argument about how much the public should know about a political leader. --Hernon
DANCER IN THE DARK. The Icelandic pop singer Björk makes her sensational acting debut in Lars von Tier's riveting tearjerker. Björk passionately plays Selma, a Czech immigrant who grapples with her diminishing eyesight as she works countless hours in a basin factory so she can afford the corrective surgery necessary for her son to elude this tragic hereditary disease. Though there is a shaky home movie-like quality, a horrendous and tangential final act, and endless torpid musical numbers, Björk's emotionally rich performance is enticing, making it clear why this role won her Best Actress at this year's Cannes Film Festival. --Hernon
DIGIMON: THE MOVIE. Digimon is 89 minutes of ear-splitting, mind-numbing, chaotic torture that will drive you absolutely Digi-crazy! Bubble-blowing balls of black lint hatch from giant Digimon Easter eggs and later transform into fire-spitting pigmy dinosaurs and iron-clad totem poles, or, as the ultra-savvy Digidestine Club would say, they "digivolve into megaform." But when one Digimon hatches in cyberspace and mutates into a dreaded digivirus that short-circuits all computers, pubescent cybergeeks battle the destructive Y2K bug with the help of their own pleasant pet Digimons. But in three tiring episodes of over-amplified video game-like digivolving, inappropriate Top-40 hits filling the soundtrack, and more characters than even die-hard Digimon fans could keep track of, this TV-based film boils down to a lame marketing ploy for tinkertoys that will be out of fashion by the end of the year. --Hernon
THE EXORCIST. The epitome of modern horror films hits the big screen again after 27 years in a digitally remastered version with an additional 11 minutes of footage and an enhanced soundtrack. Linda Blair's portrayal of Regan MacNeil, the spider-walking, head-spinning, green-vomit-spewing 12-year-old girl who is possessed by the devil, still sends chills down the spine. Ellen Burstyn and Jason Miller also deliver highly intense performances, which helped the film gross, so to speak, $150 million at the box office its first year, plus 10 Oscar nominations. Though the reception might not be so grand at this go-around, it still will be a horrifying and hair-raising time at the movies. --Hernon
GET CARTER. In Stephen Kay's remake of the 1971 British cult film, Jack Carter is revved up with ultra brute force like the Terminator but dressed like Regis Philbin. Sylvester Stallone plays Carter, the wolf in sheep's clothing who quits his mobster days in Sin City to investigate his brother's murder in Seattle, upon which the muscle-bound hothead becomes entangled in a raunchy X-rated stealth loop with cybergeek Alan Cumming and techno thug Mickey Rourke. In between the yawnfest fight scenes and uninventive car chases, Stallone tries to don a puppydog persona and play nice with his brother's family, which disapproves of the estranged gun-toter. A Gothic grimming daughter played by Rachel Leigh Cook is the one exception. This dichotomy falls flat, as does the rest of the film, which is probably why actor Michael Caine and editor Jerry Greenberg were added to the collaboration. But even the original Jack Carter and the flashy visual effects couldn't prevent the film's inevitable downfall. --Hernon
THE LADIES MAN. Another Saturday Night Live skit is stretched into a feature-length film. Tim Meadows stars as Leon Phelps, the cognac-guzzling poster boy for sexual harassment with a retro '70s fashion sense, whose racy mouth gets him and his producer fired from their offensive radio show. Karyn Parsons has left the Fresh Prince in Bel Air to play the susceptible producer who leads the two on a citywide job hunt that ultimately fails, since the gutter-talking DJ cannot tame his tongue. When all hope seems lost, Phelps receives a letter from an anonymous past fling offering financial prosperity, and so he conducts a search of his own for this mysterious magnate. However, a deranged support group, pickled delicacies and a homoerotic wrestling match slow his quest. Recent films like Superstar and Night at the Roxbury have proven that the big screen no longer is a place for SNL skits, but The Ladies Man provides an infectious charm, basic entertainment and an assorted supporting cast. --Hernon
LOST SOULS. An atheist is forced to find faith when he discovers that evil does exist with a capital E in this humdrum horror film. British actor Ben Chaplin dons a shaky American accent to portray the skeptic who is slated, on his 33rd birthday, to become the next vessel for Beelzebub. But Winona Ryder's character, Maya, comes to save the day with her scrawny figure, fried hair and caked-on eye makeup. Oscar Award-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski directed and photographed this hackneyed film, using his expertise to create a visually appealing seedy, green acid-wash look that is conveyed through several unique camera angles and special effects. However, Lost Souls definitely lost its own soul way before Kaminski even went to work. --Hernon
MEET THE PARENTS. In 1773 Oliver Goldsmith published his most famous play, She Stoops to Conquer. In it, a series of misunderstandings leads to an endless run of slapstick jokes and double entendres. Essentially, Goldsmith had invented the basic formula for Three's Company. Now, in the year 2000, to celebrate the 227th anniversary of She Stoops to Conquer's first public performance, Universal/Dreamworks has remade a cult comedy classic from 1992 called Meet The Parents. Creatively re-titling it Meet The Parents and updating it for the new millennium by casting stars Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller in place of the unknowns in the original, Meet The Parents is essentially a drawn-out farce of the sort pioneered by Goldsmith. Only, you know, dumbed down for Americans. If you can pass this quiz, you should pass on the movie: Early in the film, DeNiro notes that a precariously balanced and clearly fragile urn contains the ashes of his precious mother. Does that urn fall over and break later in the film? If you answered "yes," you're probably too sophisticated for this movie. Nonetheless, DeNiro and Stiller turn in great performances and manage to get a few real laughs out of this tired material, so it might still be worth seeing if you need something to do while your methadone is kicking in.--DiGiovanna
PAY IT FORWARD. The realm of possibilities is explored by an Oscar-bound film, cast, and crew in Mimi Leder's Pay It Forward. Kevin Spacey incomparably plays Eugene Simonet, the social studies teacher with sparkling white sneakers, who motivates his seventh grade class to change the wretched world of hookers and hoodlums, violence and vagabonds into a utopia. Trevor, an altruistic 11-year old boy played by child prodigy Haley Joel Osment, has an idea to "pay it forward" by doing three big favors for three other people, including playing matchmaker for his emotionally and physically scarred teacher and his alcoholic trailer-trash mom (Helen Hunt). As the magnanimous movement spreads, it reaches Jay Mohr's character, an intrigued LA journalist who tracks down the originator and sees how people truly can surprise you. Pay It Forward mirrors American Beauty in its somber subtexts; it even shares the same composer and practically the same soundtrack. But just like last year's multiple Oscar-winning film, the poignant message and sheer inspiration make this one a must-see. --Hernon
REMEMBER THE TITANS. The true story of racial integration in Alexandria, Va. during 1971 is taken to the field in Jerry Bruckheimer's latest production. Denzel Washington plays Herman Boone, the defiant black high school football coach called in to replace the white head coach and Hall of Fame qualifier Bill Yoast (Will Patton). The burdens of bigotry ignite; even Yoast's daughter Cheryl, who is played prodigiously by Hayden Panettiere, displays her festering prejudices toward the new recruits. But Washington's drill-sergeant ways and poignant pep talks unite the players, the school, the town. No wonder Washington accepted this role; who wouldn't want to portray a Martin Luther King Jr. and Bill Parcells combination, despite a weak script and stock game footage?--Hernon
URBAN LEGENDS: FINAL CUT. Hasn't Hollywood exhausted the teen-slasher genre yet? Urban Legends director John Ottman apparently figures that we can take this hackneyed premise one more time. Well, think again. Student filmmakers at Alpine University are creating their thesis films for the almighty Hitchcock Award, which somehow guarantees the winner an immediate entry into Hollywood. The lame competition begins whith Amy Mayfield, played by Jennifer Morrison, filming staged killings based on urban legends--only to discover that a masked maniac is simultaneously bringing these very killings to term. Will the quirky security guard, played by Loretta Divine, come to the rescue? Will the now Joseph Lawrence forget about his teeny-bopping days on Blossom and be the hero? Or maybe they are the guilty suspects? Who knows? But more accurately, who cares? --Hernon
URBANIA. Hear any good stories lately? Well, how about this one? A vengeful loner searches for a loathsome homophobe after losing his precious lover in a horrific display of gay bashing. This is the gripping premise behind Jon Shear's adaptation of Daniel Reitz's. It stars Dan Futterman and takes an intense look at the possible truth behind urban legends. The ingenious editing technique, which combines flashes of the past, present and future, gives Urbania a successful film noir look, and it is no wonder why it received high acclaim at this year's Sundance Film Festival and Toronto's International Film Festival. --Hernon
THE WATCHER. James Spader, one of the finest actors of his generation, stars as a burned-out FBI man in this tired rehash of the serial-killer movie. There are some big negatives going into this picture, namely Keanu Reeves and Marisa Tomei. However, director Joe Charbanic makes a good move in giving Keanu very few lines, and in casting Tomei as a psychologist, a role in which she's perfectly convincing as it mostly involves spouting clichés about feelings. Spader is in almost every scene, which helps, but the film can't get away from the fact that it's just another in a long line of movies about men who like to kill women. Ex-wunderkind cinematographer Michael Chapman (known for his work on Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and, sadly, Kindergarten Cop and Ghostbusters II) adds some pointless showiness, using the same grainy, jumpy, arty style for flashbacks, flash-forwards and dream sequences, as though this were the only trick he had left. Nonetheless, in spite of its hackneyed story and the appearance of mood-killer Keanu, The Watcher is reasonably diverting, thanks mostly to the usual first-rate performance by Spader. Now if only he could get some good material while he still has a little hair left, Spader might finally get the public acclaim that Brad Pitt and Joe Lieberman revel in. --DiGiovanna
X-MEN. Purists will undoubtedly find finer points to quibble with, but this comic-book-to-live-action film was the first of its kind to meet all my eye-candy expectations while seeming to remain true to the uncomplicated concept of good versus evil. It also serves as a primer for the X-Men uninitiated, introducing this modern monster fable through a series of vignettes that converge mid-film to reveal the impending war for and against mankind, as waged by rival scientists and their respective armies of genetic mutants. Creator Stan Lee (who makes a cameo appearance as a hot-dog vendor) roots his X-men adventures in the time-honored tradition of free will, creating a dichotomy between superhero and supervillain that adheres faithfully to the concept that the world is what we make of it, for better or worse. Directed by Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects), it stars Patrick Stewart as benevolent genius Professor X; Ian McKellan as nemesis Magnito; and, among others, Anna Paquin, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Stamos and Ray Park (respectively as emphatic Rogue, steel-clawed Wolverine, weather-controlling Storm, laser-eyed Cyclops, telekenetic Dr. Jean Grey, the shape-shifting Mystique and prehensile-tongued Toad). Its franchise might well emerge--in morality tale and special effects spectacle--as the Star Wars trilogy of the double-ought decade. --Wadsworth
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