|
Film Clips
Reviews by Gene Armstrong, James DiGiovanna and Linsay Hernon.
BANGER SISTERS. Screenwriter Bob Dolman (Far and Away, Willow) directs his first feature in this tale of two middle-aged women--played with professional skill and endless heart by Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon--and their clumsy but earnest reunion after 20 years apart. The catch is that the two women are ex-groupies from the 1970s, and now they couldn't be more different from each other. Hawn's character is still a rocker who, after losing her bartending job in a L.A. hard-rock nightclub, drives her El Camino to Phoenix to discover that Sarandon's character has become a gated-community soccer mom whose husband and kids are oblivious to her past. Geoffrey Rush bums a ride as an obsessive-compulsive writer traveling to the Valley of the Sun to commit fratricide--really. After some uncomfortable, fish-out-of-water interludes for both women, touching sisterly bonding ensues. Dolman's got a decent outline for a promising movie here, but he neglected to flesh out his character sketches with credible pathos. --Armstrong
BARBERSHOP. Homespun values, respect for community and the sturdiness of habit are emphasized in this new comedy-drama in which rapper-actor Ice Cube plays Calvin, a South Chicago fellow who inherits the titular business from his dad, initially finds it lacking in the hipness department, sells it to a shady street character, and then spends the rest of the movie trying to get the place back. Comedian Cedric the Entertainer (The Original Kings of Comedy) co-stars as the senior tonsorial technician, expounding on every subject under the sun, including those he doesn't know a thing about; his 'do, by the way, is a delightful sailboat of hair. Sean Patrick Thomas (Save the Last Dance) and chart-topping rapper Eve also contribute respectable jobs in this warm-hearted tale of life in the old-school neighborhood. It's sweet and non-threatening; following his stoner comedies and action-film roles, it marks a pleasant change of pace for Cube. --Armstrong
BROWN SUGAR. It begins with potential: quick and clever clips in a documentary round-robin style where hip-hop artists of past and present reminisce about what enticed them into this particular music genre. But this introduction must have taken all of director Rick Famuyiwa's energy since the rest of the film drags its feet from a watered-down analogy of the life of hip hop to the trite relationship between old time friends: an acclaimed music critic (Sanaa Lantham) and a head honcho of a music production company (Taye Diggs). Even though the music man was recently married to a straight-laced prima donna who is ignorant of everything hip hop, he still carries a secret love with his childhood friend who has re-entered his life after several years apart. Cue Yawn and cut to Nod Off. So, in order to stay awake through this insomniac's wet dream, here's a word to the wise: Occupy your mind by trying to figure out why Digg's character married a woman he hardly knows and shares no common interests instead of walking down the isle with his true love. Also, why did he and his secret flame split up in the first place? Actually, better yet, spare yourself the 108 minutes of unanswerable questions and stay home. --Hernon
FOUR FEATHERS. Following at least five earlier films of the titular Victorian novel by A.E.W. Mason, The Four Feathers has the ingredients of a sweeping, old-fashioned epic, including starched-lip British soldiers bonding in richly brocaded English ball scenes and over brutal violence in the Sudan. Directed by Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth), it obsessively explores traditional concepts of honor, bravery and friendship, adding a juicy love triangle for spice. The cast includes attractive young performers such as Heath Ledger, Wes Bentley and Kate Hudson, managing not to embarrass themselves. But, as a result of a perfunctory script, supremely sloppy editing and a lack of overall vision, nothing in the picture seems to hang together. One thing just happens after another, and how we get from there to here seems to be missing. But Aussie heartthrob Ledger, as conflicted hero Harry Feversham, looks very cool and almost Jesus-like in Lawrence of Arabia mode: long hair and beard, dirty face and a turban. --Armstrong
IGBY GOES DOWN. Igby is the odd and unfortunate four-letter word name for an odd and unfortunate kid with a four-letter word vocabulary that colors his every cynical and angered speech throughout this dark comedy. Kieran Culkin stars in a notable and compelling performance as the rebellious teen of privileged upbringing who shows his resentment towards his controlling family by being expelled from countless prep schools and running away to NYC where he befriends an ice cream addicted waif, a strung-out sex pot, and a transvestite artist. But when the father is committed to a mental institution with schizophrenia, the brother puts his Young Republican dreams first, and the mother dies by family-inflicted euthanasia, the family's ironclad grip is released consequentially. Though this act of happenstance quells his initial cause for pain, the confused kid is embittered further by this very act of happenstance. First time writer/director Burr Steers creates witty and original dialogue that skillfully portrays a complex cast of characters with an endearing and intriguing eye. --Hernon
KNOCKAROUND GUYS. Attempting to follow in the footsteps of their respective fathers, four young men -- Barry Pepper, Vin Diesel, Seth Green and Andrew Davoli -- head off to Montana to retrieve some cash for their wise-guy fathers in this hapless comedy adventure. Nothing goes as planned as they tussle with a corrupt sheriff (Tom Noonan). Back at home, Dennis Hopper and John Malkovich go all mobster caricature on us, adding seriously to the depressing nature of this directorial debut by screenwriters Brian Koppelman and David Levien (Rounders). The combination of needless violence, tough-guy posing and lame humor makes for a sorry piece of cinema. Diesel is much better off playing Xander Cage, and Green should best stick with Scott Evil. Better luck next time. --Armstrong
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING. Do you, preppy and traditional English teacher, take this former frumpy but always-quirky waitress to be your lawfully wedded wife? I do. And do you, newly transformed va-va-vavoom travel agent, take this still preppy and traditional English teacher to be your lawfully wedded husband? I do. Then by the powers vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. If only it were that simple. When the bride is from an enormously proud Greek family that lives in a mini replica of the Parthenon complete with Corinthian columns and adorning statues where the father believes Windex is the almighty cure-all, the senile grandmother believes that the Turks are after her, and the food-loving mother believes that a baptism in an inflatable kiddie pool will fix everything, a marriage is a little more complicated. Writer and star, Nia Vardalos, shows these eccentric dilemmas and peculiar problems in this charming comedy that will tickle your heart until death do you part. --Hernon
ONE HOUR PHOTO. A visual stunning movie about visual imagery, One Hour Photo tells the tell of Sy Parrish, who lives only to develop photographs. Sy becomes obsessed with the Yorkins, a young family whose snapshots indicate perfect happiness. When he finds that the reality behind their Kodak moments is not all it's cracked up to be, Sy himself cracks up a bit, and things spiral into super-creepville. Shockingly, Sy is extremely well played by the normally notoriously annoying Robin Williams. Even more shocking, this beautiful, understated film is directed by a guy whose only previous work was a bunch of Madonna and Nine Inch Nails videos. By placing many of the important thematic elements in the style and color of the visual compositions, director Mark Romanek makes the best possible use of cinema. Though there are a few false notes, and the story isn't terribly ambitious, this is an extremely compelling first film, and is, so far, one of the year's best. --DiGiovanna
RED DRAGON. This occasionally gripping thriller boating one of the greatest serial-killer villains in all filmdom -- the truly twisted Francis Dolarhyde, a.k.a the Tooth Fairy. As portrayed by the marvelous Ralph Fiennes, Dolarhyde puts The Silence of the Lambs' Buffalo Bill to shame in the creepy department. Director Brett Ratner and screenwriter Ted Tally have given the character a deep and complex back story. But Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal Lecter has devolved into a burlesque parody of itself, and the filmmakers seem to have sought out the least appropriate actor they could find to play the FBI agent Will Graham -- Edward Norton has done some fine work in the past, but he is too boyish, too innocent, too forlorn to be unconvincing as the grizzled, haunted G-Man. For all its high production values, Red Dragon summons nary an ounce of mood or style. And for better or worse, 1986's Manhunter (based on the same Thomas Harris novel) had style in spades. --Armstrong
THE RING. A horror film with no weapons and very little violence, The Ring nevertheless will creep you out good. A Hollywood-ized English-language version of the 1998 Japanese original, this flick boasts a brilliant premise: Everyone who watches a certain nightmarish black-and-white videotape dies seven days later. Naomi Watts, the talented blonde actress from David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, plays a Seattle newspaper reporter who watches the tape and tries to get to the bottom of the mystery while racing to save herself before her week ends. The explanation is a complicated and richly layered supernatural puzzle. Although the Japanese version is reportedly superior, this movie contains some genuinely frightening moments. Director Gore Verbinski (The Mexican) admirably displays an artsy, moody style, and it doesn't hurt that experienced character actors such as Brian Cox and Jane Alexander appear in supporting roles. --Armstrong
SECRETARY. Find it tough to imagine a warm-hearted romantic-comedy about S&M? You don't have to because it's right here in this brilliant indie by writer-director Steven Shainberg. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Lee, a study in dowdy repression who gets secret release through self-mutilation. Recently released from a mental institution and still living with her parents in her mid-20s, Lee takes a job as a legal secretary. James Spader--no stranger to kinky roles; see sex, lies and videotape and Crash--is her uptight boss, who covers up for his painful shyness by wearing the role of dominance as one might a Halloween costume. Based on a short story by Mary Gaitskill, a writer known for plumbing the depths of the sexual psyche, this is a dark satire that carefully teeters between humor and pathos. It might also be considered in bad taste for viewers who like their films safe, but it will reward those who appreciate a challenge. Gyllenhaal and Spader both give amazing performances. --Armstrong
SIGNS. M. Night Shyamalan delivers a gorgeously filmed family drama with a witty script and a tight, suspenseful plot. How did he do it? He took all the money that Hollywood was throwing at him, and he decided not to spend it on special effects. Instead, he makes the best and most careful use of camera possible, he trained his actors into a weird and mannered style that is both creepy and funny, and he spent some time writing a script that focuses on plot and dialogue instead of explosions and gadgets. It's not a deep film, nor will it challenge your conceptions of faith and self and love. What it is, more than anything, is a well-done version of a 1950s ultra-low-budget sci-fi/horror film. Still, well-done anything beats half-baked and over-priced hands down. --DiGiovanna
STEALING HARVARD. Remember Dog Park, Superstar, or even Dick? Didn't think so. Well, director Bruce McColloch was responsible for those easily forgettable catastrophes as well as for this latest cinematic shortcoming that earns the futile filmmaker yet another failing grade. But at least his track record is still intact, right? Jason Lee stars in a wasted effort as a pitiful worker bee at his father-in-law's medical supply factory and has finally saved enough money to buy his first home with his gift basket-making girlfriend. However, his free-spirited trailer-trash sister with Peg Bundy hair (Megan Mullally) reminds her absentminded sibling of his promise to pay his niece's college tuition, which just so happens to be the same amount as his hard-earned nest egg. Just when the film couldn't get any worse, it does when the unfunny funny-man, Tom Green, steps in as the pathetic landscape architect with an obnoxious sense of humor. He manages to attract lonely widowed judges with kinky sex fetishes and gun-wielding liquor store clerks while trying to swindle a cool 30 grand for his needy friend. With the erudition of Hollywood's fall term underway, it is a mystery as to why dumb summer flicks such as this have graduated to the next grade, and why Freddy Got Fingered's leading man hasn't flunked out yet. --Hernon
SWEET HOME ALABAMA. Should you marry the hopelessly romantic preppy do-gooder of high society who will be the next President of the United States with deep pockets and a poofy pompadour hairdo, or your childhood sweetheart, the downtrodden kick with a 12 o'clock shadow, ripped jeans and a broken past? Melanie Carmichael, New York's up-and-coming fashion diva, who turned her back on her small town roots and delinquent past of feline explosions for a life in the fast-paced big city, must choose between the man of money and materials from the personification of true love and happiness. The cute and bubbly little Meg Ryan, aka Reese Witherspoon, steals every scene as the perplexed woman in this light-hearted, yet overtly cartoonish, all-around feel good fun flick by director Andy Tennant. --Hernon
SWIMFAN. This silly little stalker drama for the teen set finds Erika Christensen (the Julia Stiles look-alike from Traffic) playing Madison, the new girl on a high-school campus who fixes her femme-fatale eyes on the school's top jock, Ben--a swimming champion of all things--played by Jesse Bradford (Clockstoppers, Bring It On). Under the guise of being assertive and independent and modern, Madison gets away with being a bad girl to the extreme. The character shares much in terms of overt sexuality and latent threat with Glenn Close's frizzy-haired witch in Fatal Attraction. But if you can imagine it, Swimfan is even more exploitative than that "classic." Nevertheless, it was the No. 1 movie its first weekend out, which says a lot for the slowness of the fall movie season and the lowest-common-denominator tastes of the audience. Next, please. --Armstrong
TRAPPED. When filmmakers do not show an advanced screening for critics, it is usually because they realize the true Ed Wood quality of their product, as was the case with box office dud Autumn in New York. However, with the recent real-life onslaught of child abductions, Columbia Pictures chose to avoid the pre-release of director Luis Mandoki's film adaptation of Greg Iles' novel entitled 24 Hours, which portrays a fictionalized kidnapping of a young girl, played by Dakota Fanning. With just the right amount of eerie creepiness, Kevin Bacon plays a good bad guy in the role of the wicked snatcher who has a dual motive of deep-seeded revenge and twisted family counselor charging $250,000 per day. But his performance may be the only redeeming quality of the action thriller since Stuart Townsend makes a feeble attempt to make light of the improper casting choice as the upper class anesthesiologist. The shaky hand-held camera work leaves you screaming for Excedrin at the end of the 99 minutes, with Courtney Love's hairdresser all together failing to finish the job. In the end, the high stake finale succumbs to utter absurdity. Whatever the real reason was for a failed pre-screening opportunity, it's a shame that I couldn't warn you off from this film that is trapped in Ed Wood quality. --Hernon
THE TUXEDO. Why, oh why, do American producers insist on tossing Jackie Chan (a martial arts superstar and estimable comedian in his own right) over and over into a series of annoying buddy pictures? It's the money, stupid! With Chris Tucker in Rush Hour and Owen Wilson in Shaghai Noon, Chan has built two formidable franchises in which the impressiveness of the martial arts action (Wow Factor) decreases in direct proportion to the amount of inane situational humor (Groan Factor). The makers of The Tuxedo can't even decide who's supposed to be Chan's instantly marketable buddy. First, it's Jason Isaacs as Chan's boss, a Brit secret agent named Clark Devlin and whose tux contains hidden powers. When Devlin gets knocked out for a few days and Chan dons the monkey suit, it's Jennifer Love Hewitt as a junior-grade spy who thinks Chan is Devlin. They must foil an evil billionaire who wants to--more with the groans--poison the world's water supply. And since when does Chan need invisible wires and camera effects to do his stunts --Armstrong
WHITE OLEANDER. Peter Kosminsky's adaptation of Janet Fitch's best-selling novel doesn't paint a very pretty picture of the foster care system when a susceptible young girl is bounced from one broken home to the next after her single mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) is convicted of first-degree murder. However, this unfortunately realistic issue falls a distant second to the emotionally compelling triumphs our teen-aged heroine makes from these misfortunes that optimists might view as opportunities. After surviving a gunshot wound from a former cocaine-addicted stripper (Robin Wright Penn), witnessing the suicide of an utterly lonely out-of-work actress (Renee Zellweger), unwillingly helping a penny-pinching narcissist root through garbage to sell at flea markets, and overcoming the potent propaganda of her incarcerated mother's hidden brainwashing agenda, Astrid combines these powerful influences to create her own strong and independent self. The stellar cast, namely Alison Lohman of TV's Pasadena, skillfully portrays the complex hardships life can deal you and the consequences that can prevail. --Hernon
|
 |
