|
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
BEDAZZLED. A remake of the Dudley Moore/Peter Cook classic (yes, Dudley Moore actually made a comedy classic), Bedazzled is the story of a nerdy, love-sick man offered seven wishes by the devil. While the original's script was only occasionally hilarious, and the story dragged at times, what made it run was Cook's dead-on performance as Satan. He was stylishly, nonchalantly evil as a heart surgeon in an Armani suit. With the screenplay as its weakest element, and the acting as its strongest, there seems no reason to remake Bedazzled, and it's puzzling that Harold Ramis, usually one of the smarter American comedy directors, would choose to do so. Since Cook's evil wit was unavailable, Ramis substituted Elizabeth Hurley in a variety of fetish outfits. While certainly a charming concept, it hardly makes a movie. Brendan Fraser, who has given a fine series of performances, is nonetheless hopelessly miscast in the Dudley Moore role. It's hard to believe someone as big and handsome as Fraser is having so little luck in his love life that he'd sell his soul for a date with a woman he barely knows. And, of course, the hopeless ending and metaphysical sophistication of the original are tossed out in favor of a sappy, upbeat finale and your basic New Age/capitalist feel-good stuff. Still, Bedazzled manages to be relatively diverting due to its visual sophistication, which comes off like a cross between Koyaannisqatsi and The Matrix. --DiGiovanna
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
BILLY ELLIOT. Another Oscar contender is born in this truly delightful British drama about a driven 11-year-old boy who defies his father and the social norms by becoming a refined ballet dancer instead of a boxing rogue. In a charismatic acting debut, Jamie Bell stars as the little Gene Kelly who livens up the screen with every enthusiastic bend and bound. In addition to Bell's prodigal performance, first-time writer Lee Hall presents an emotional story that intertwines a politically charged revolution with family values and gender reversals to create an unforgettable film. --Hernon
BRING IT ON. My friend Amy, whose favorite thing in the world is watching the national cheerleading championships on TV, thought that this was a nearly perfect film. As far as I could tell, the audience of adolescents agreed with her. In fact, Bring It On is witty enough to withstand adult viewing, and self-conscious enough to announce that "cheerleaders are dancers who've gone retarded," though the faults in that line are pretty much the faults of the movie. It's got the standard teen film stock characters (the rebel girl, the catty girls, the evil jocks, the cute gay boy) and never becomes so self-aware as to defeat its main goal, making money off 13- to 17-year-olds. But so what. I mean, succeeding at hitting the side of a barn with a shotgun is still success. Plus, Bring It On features some excellent, well-photographed choreography. It's kind of like Busby Berkeley for really, really, really horny teenagers. --DiGiovanna
CHARLIE'S ANGELS. Like crack cocaine for the soul, Charlie's Angels delivers shameful, addictive, and no doubt tremendously harmful fun. This movie has more explosions, more butt shots and more explosions that feature butt shots than any film since Triumph of the Will. In case you missed the 1970s, Charlie's Angels is based on the TV series that gave the world the terms "jiggle" and "T&A." Three hot young women prance about in low-cut, skintight outfights fighting crime and making what the French call "love." Still, you may ask, is this a good movie? Well, if "good" means "not evil," then, no, this is not a good movie. Rather, it's bad, in exactly the same way that cheap sex, cigarettes and chocolate ice cream are bad. I think you know what I'm talking about.--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, passionately 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. The accusations intensify, an intriguing Chappaquidick-like subplot is intertwined, and the all-star cast shines, all 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 strong and 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 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 she won Best Actress at this year's Cannes Film Festival for this role. --Hernon
HOLLOW MAN. Director Paul Verhoeven gives the horror film genre the T.S. Eliot treatment in this poetic picture of death's other kingdom. A sort of Heart of Darkness told from Mr. Kurtz's perspective, Hollow Man follows self-centered researcher Sebastian Caine (the inimitable, and well-hung, Kevin Bacon) into the darkest regions of his stuffed soul--i.e., he turns invisible. Once invisible, of course, he indulges himself in the sort of thing that any 14-year-old boy would do, like stealing Twinkies and looking at breasts. This doesn't sit well with his colleagues, and some gory violence and nudity naturally ensue. In the hands of another director, this would be just an exploitation film. Verhoeven, however, presents an exploitation film that is also a sly commentary on movies and their treatment of heroes and villains. And like the best exploitation films, Hollow Man never whimpers when it can bang. --DiGiovanna
THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE. Director Robert Redford remains at the top of his game with this film about persuasion, destiny, redemption and magic. Matt Damon stars as Runnulph Junah, an acclaimed golfer from Georgia who loses his swing and becomes a reclusive drunk after enduring heartache and war. Yet misfortunes are reversed when a mystical sage (Will Smith) suddenly appears to help the wayward soul drive out his demons with a nine-iron in a 72-hole marathon. Charlize Theron plays the defiant debutante with golden locks who organizes the promotional golf tournament by inviting Junah, her ex-lover, to challenge two extreme golf pros: Bobby Jones, a straight-laced golden boy, and Walter Hagen, an egotistical trash talker. Though these supporting characters seem underdeveloped and the chemistry between Theron and Damon lacks sparks, Smith's profound performance, the Field of Dreams-like wonderment and the philosophical poignancy make this inspirational film a hole in one. --Hernon
LITTLE NICKY. It's Adam Sandler to the rescue to save devilish dad from two bad brothers and their wicked plot to extinguish New York City and rule the Underworld. The Saturday Night Live star plays the greasy-haired spawn of Satan with an annoying speech impediment and a repulsive taste for fried chicken. He comes to Earth with a pug-nosed promiscuous pooch to preserve the balance of good and evil by sending his siblings back to Hell in an enchanted flask. However, this task is impeded by an assorted supporting cast--a blind street preacher (Quentin Tarantino), a possessed police chief (Michael McKean) and a homely Martha Stewart-like girlfriend (Patricia Arquette). Regardless of this colorful cast, Little Nicky boils down to a dimwitted, dirty-mouthed film that is more torturous to watch than the raunchy Beelzebub pineapple punishment. --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
MEN OF HONOR. Cuba Gooding Jr. stars in this true story of Carl Brashear, the first African-American Master Chief Naval Diver. He literally takes a 12-step program to achieve ultimate honor and dignity despite a mean-spirited naval officer (Robert DeNiro), extreme racial discrimination, a seventh-grade education and an amputated leg. Gooding portrays a tenacious soul who is a true inspiration in a riveting performance that might garner him another Oscar. --Hernon
NURSE BETTY. Director Neil Labute made a name for himself by helming two of the most disturbing films of the last 10 years, In The Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors. With Nurse Betty he does a U-turn and directs a (relatively) light comedy. There's a bumbling sheriff, a case of amnesia, a father-and-son team of assassins, and a goofy soap opera star. You know, the usual. What sets Nurse Betty apart is -- well, maybe nothing. It's funny and entertaining, and it has a couple of dark moments dropped in, but it's pretty standard fare. Everyone who went with me to see it loved it, and there is some actual depth in its story about a woman who falls in love with a fictional doctor, meets the actor who plays him and continues to think that he's his character. But the movie only really excels in the end, when the cruelty starts. Labute is at his best showing people at their worst, and it's a waste of his talents to dabble in zaniness and goofball humor. Plus, Pruitt Taylor Vince, who's an amazing actor, is horribly misused here. He's cast as the incompetent fat guy. Yes, he's fat, but that hardly qualifies him for ridicule and slapstick. Also starring the fetching Renée Zellweger, the strident Chris Rock, the dermatosis papulosa nigra-afflicted Morgan Freeman, and the high-kicking Crispin Glover.--DiGiovanna
PAY IT FORWARD. The realm of possibilities is explored by an Oscar-bound film, cast, and crew in Mimi Leder's latest project. Kevin Spacey 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 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
THE PERFECT STORM. It's like all the digital forces colliding in this dizzying disaster movie sucked more or less all of the chemistry out of the human element, but in a way that's a relief. Synapses can only fire so many times in the span of 129 minutes, and the white-knuckled, jaw-clenching anxiety of this unbeatable battle with hurricane Grace in the North Atlantic makes life seem far more precious than that tired, salty love story between Mark Wahlberg and Diane Lane, anyway. George Clooney pilots this adaptation of the true tale of six Gloucester fisherman who set out in the fall of 1991 and find themselves caught in the storm of the century. For those with recurring nightmares about the sea, The Perfect Storm has a little of Jaws and The Poseidon Adventure brought by Industrial Light and Magic into the 21st century. Not much to recommend the screenwriting, but plenty of tension and technical mastery. Also starring Mary Elizabeth Mastratonio and John C. Reilly (Magnolia's gun-losing boy in blue). --Wadsworth
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
RUGRATS IN PARIS: THE MOVIE. Several slobbering, troublemaking toddlers wreak havoc in Paris in another reckless Rugrats animated adventure. Chuckie is a joyless juvenile whose single dad is sent to repair his robotic raptor invention in the City of Lights, where he meets the cunning Coco, a theme park manager in designer clothing who feigns love only for a piddling promotion. The scraggly-haired tykes aren't fooled, however, and fight to stop the heartless shrew and find the saddened son the perfect mom. All this between toilet humor and constant snacking. Debbie Reynolds, John Lithgow and Susan Sarandon supply some of the characters' voices in this surprisingly enjoyable and fast-paced film with an energetic soundtrack and entertaining parodies of several classic films. --Hernon
TIME FOR DRUNKEN HORSES. I'd always promised myself that I'd never use the words "poignant" and "powerful" in the same review. Sadly, Time For Drunken Horses is both poignant and powerful, so what can I do? It's a beautifully photographed tale of Kurdish children trying to survive without parents by working the smuggling routes between Iran and Iraq. The child actors are uncanny, delivering performances that are extremely affecting and perfectly naturalistic, and the snowy, mountainous landscapes and sparse but warm interiors of Kurdistan are shot with a slow subtlety that's occasionally mesmerizing. Oddly, as excellent as Time for Drunken Horses is, it's not a particularly exceptional Iranian film; Iranian cinema of the last 10 years has been almost impossibly good. Movie fans should see this film in the theater, and then check out such contemporary Iranian classics as Children of Heaven, The White Balloon and The Jar, which are available at local video stores. (Well, last I checked you could get them at Casa. I doubt you'll find them at your neighborhood Lackluster Video.) --DiGiovanna
|
 |
