Reviews

This was one of those films that I saw over and over in 1995. I just enjoyed it to the nth degree. Largely for the kick-ass performance of the great thespian, Angela Bassett (showing that Sigourney has no monopony on being an Oscar-caliber star with action/adventure chops -- Hallie can learn boat-loads from her!) and for the nuance of Ralph Fiennes' "loser." I also fell for Kathryn B's directorial chops as well. She picked up stuff from Cameron and finally seemed to add her own eye and style (perhaps, again--I haven't seen all of her work).

It was the Frank Miller Daredevil which kicked off my appreciation of this character and his additions to the legend (turning Spiderman foe, The Kingpin, into DD's central nemesis, Electra, Ben Urich - who also probably came out of Spidey, Stick - who doesn't appear but may figure in the Electra spin-off, and, most likely, it was Miller who layered in the Hell's Kitchen/Catholic Church angles). Director/Writer Mark Steven Johnson did a great job of translating that DD onto the screen. Turning Daredevil's radar sense into a sonar sense was wonderfully inventive. I think I liked Spiderman the movie better than this one but I think it's the difference between the visual energy of the two movies, like comparing Superman the Movie to Batman the Movie (the first in each franchise). I give Superman/Superman the edge because, well, it's more cinematic to watch a character actively do super-human things rather than do things via a more passive gimmick (Bat-equipment or sonar sense). And part of DD's problem is that it suffers a bit from "Batman III/IV-itis" from the beginning. At least, the first Batman contented itself with a thumbnail origin story. DD does a more full-blown origin backstory plus introduces three pivotal characters (4 or 5 if you count Urich and the priest). All these characters get underwritten which wouldn't be bad if key characters got more screen time to establish them. The Kingpin, for instance, is, arguably, the most nuanced villian in the Marvel Universe (after Doctor Doom). What we get in DD is an big, brutal black man not a Godfather-esque figure tortured by the illness of his beloved wife who built a criminal empire as powerful and dominant as his brawn. What we get is Electra, who we are told has been studying martial arts since she was five, but not Electra Assassin, perhaps the most dangerous killer for hire in the world - discounting, of course, Bullseye.

I like his work, anyway. But I thought this "Spy Kids" was more a movie and less an attempt to "do something different." Family and, ultimately, family values (with a decided Latin spin) is the underlining engine motoring this smooth entertainment along. There is a bit of dead space where things drag somewhat, but after years of watching Bond films, the drag goes virtually unnoticed. Alexa Vega (as Carmen Cortez) and, especially, Daryl Sabara (as younger brother, Juni) seem to have their characters down. So much so, that they have matured and become more complex since we last saw them. Juni is a wonderful creation, actually. He is the most "kid"-like movie kid I can think of. Just the right mix of real angst swapping hormonally with confidence. Alexa's Carmen is good as well.

...but it wasn't. It had cameos almost as good as "Goldmember". It has a babe as babe-esque as "Men in Black II." And though it did have a running fart gag, it wasn't as gagging as Fat Bastard's. It was...well, restrained. Dana Carvey wasn't doing Jerry Lewis. His character actually was trainable and actually could take care of himself, push come to shove. And that was worth an extra point up the rating scale.

...to him going in the direction of having something of that influence down the line. M goes at it, unlike Spielberg, largely through his script work, the way he puzzle together the elements of character, dialogue, structure. Often, the epiphany of his work is the coming together of all the elements which crystalizes into his point. The glasses of water all over the house, the little boy's asthma, the strike out king...all these elements climax into Gibson's character's absolution. The leads are all wonderfully written and performed. There are scenes that stand out in my mind but given the Spielberg proclamation (made by Time or Newsweek, I don't recall), the one that stands tallest is the dinner table one where Gibson finally starts to go to pieces. Thinking back on it now, I don't remember if mashed potatoes were involved, but it did play like a rift on Spielberg and Dreyfuss'dinner scene in "Close Encounters."

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the film. And it did open my eyes to a new culture (the Greeks) and there own eccentries. It was well-done and the leads were lively. But the film is no "Billy Elliott" or "Muriel's Wedding" or similiar take-me-to-a-new-place-in-a-fresh-way kind of film. It was good but if it starts getting "Amelia"-esque buzz come award time I'd be surprised. "Dance with Me" or "Ballroom Dancing" had more umph and had more "something special" about them.

I loved Bigelow's "Strange Days" not because it was flawlessly crafted but because it was intelligently and ambitiously crafted. The same is true here, although the subject matter makes for a less-than-exhilarating film experience compared to the action genre pacing of her previous works. Here, you have a complex character in Harrison Ford. An intelligent man who believes in his country, who is perhaps pushed to be an ultra-patriot by the shadow of his father, and yet who sees the bigger picture better than his "liberal" first officer (Liam Nielson) and, of course, his superiors. He makes mistakes and he makes the best decisions which those mistakes afford him. Decisions based on the big picture beyond the troubled sub. This is not "the Hunt for Red October." It is it's own film. Whereas, "October" had the cat-and-mouse game between men and the superpowers they represented, "K-19" is strictly told from the POV of the Soviets and the tension is borne by the differences between takes of ideology rather than differences of ideology. Everyone is a Soviet here---just to a greater or lesser degree. A wonderful character/ideological study. Kudos to all the actors and creative/production teams.

Men in Black II may have benefited from the "Batman" franchise in that it doesn't try to juggle too many new elements. L (Linda Florentio in MIB I) doesn't appear here which is sad, given the development of the character in the MIB Animated Series, but probably also fortunate as screen time is devoted to enriching Jay and Kay, the new villian---Lara Flynn Boyle, wonderfully funny as the Victoria Secret's model look-alike alien (favorite scene--her chomping down on a huge burger that any working model would consider a meal for a week)---and adding TWO love interests (the gorgeous Rosario Dawson being the one we see, alas, not frequently enough). Frank and the worms steal scene after scene and Rip Torn's Zed gets a great mano-a-non-mano scene with Boyle's alien. The scripts fun, the direction keeps things moving and Tommy Lee Jones again anchors the whole with his earnest, deadpan delivery. And, oh, yeah, Will Smith's good, too (though, he is allowed too much time to do physical schtick towards the end that undercuts the maturation of his character as witnessed prior to Jones' return.

...but there's nothing wrong with that. Doug E. Doug and Rick Overton are the highlights of the supporting cast. Arquette and Wuhrer play their parts well. Wuhrer gets to Sigourney Weaver with tongue-in-cheek and there are a lot of horror film derived laughs to keep this thing web spinning along.

...and a star is Bourne. Not that he wasn't already a star. But he adds legit action star to his credentials in this piece which is a notch above the post-Connery Bond films (and even some of the Connery Bond films). It is intelligent and endlessly paranoia (and just 'cause I'm paranoia doesn't mean people aren't out to get me...). Franka Polenta is odd casting here. You'd think they'd go for a more obvious "babe" type (a la Bond Girl), but she works so well in this film. Looks like Damon and Polenta have a franchise opp here.

The leads are sufficiently over-the-top when appropriate. McCaughey, Bale and Scorpuco do the job that the script and genre require. (Scorpuco, by the way, is a Michelle Pfeiffer clone in some scenes---she made me think back to Ladyhawke). There are, of course, questions. Why the dragons ruled the air except for the air that a certain helicopter must have been flying in (for years). That type of thing. But, otherwise, it's a nice treat of a movie. The "Star Wars" reenactment is what puts the film a notch above for me.

...or maybe it is less fresh in the minds of other voters. Back in the '60s in Los Angeles, there was on Channel 9 (KHJ), the famous "Million Dollar Movie." They showed the same movie every afternoon for a week (and I believe there were evening and weekend broadcasts as well). In any case, on a good week, one could see a favorite movie over and over and over. They tended to be Gladiator/Hercules movies but...there was also "The Creation of the Humanoids," which is the direct precursor of "Bladerunner." (It even predates by six years "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" the Phillip K. Dick short that inspired "BR.") This was one of the great films of my youth! I loved it and never, never failed to watch it for as many days that I could. Unfortunately, more than a few years ago, I saw it as an adult (post-"BR"). It did not hold up well. It was like returning to a favorite schoolroom and discovering, geez, what a dump! Bad acting, bad effects, bad writing.... The sets reminded me of "Star Trek." I still have affection for it, but give me "Them!"

...as Brad Pitt might say in this "Pulp Fiction" for Y2K. Sensational cast. Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, Rade Serbedzija, Jason Statham, Alan Ford, Mike Reid and the rest sparkle like the elusive diamonds in this film. Pitt, Farina, Statham and Jones are especially fun to watch. (Pitt's fun to try and listen to as well.) I've loved Farina since Michael Mann's "Crime Story." This was a wonderful return to form albeit a comedic form. Statham, the "star" of this very ensemble piece, is rock solid and anchors the work of the others. And Jones is wonderful as the man that cannot be killed. If you tried. The movie is wildly funny. Sad and horrific just enough to accent the humor. (Humour.) Go and enjoy.

The two leads are adorable. They look like real people. (As opposed to Jennifer Beals and Michael Nouri in "Flashdance." Do people who look like that really weld?) At times, I'd think of "Billy Elliot" when Stiles was going through her "awkward" dance phase. (This isn't a bad thing.) The "thug-friend" subplot was unnecessary and detracted from the dance, coming-of-age stuff. And where was all the hip-hop music? "Romeo is Dead" seemed to have more. It's better than "Flashdance" but, because it has regular people in the leads, it's not nearly as sexy. No scene that comes close to Beal taking off her bra from under her sweat top. Still it's a great film for its audience (which, scary enough, were toddlers when "Flashdance" hit) and a pretty okay film for the rest of us.

Julia Roberts deserves her accolades for the performance in this. Has she been better? Probably. But not as DRAMATIC. And that's what counts for awards. As a rule. This bit of work holds its own with brother Eric in "Star 80." Albert Finney has been better (best guilty pleasure performance? "Wolfen."). And I must give credit to Aaron Eckhart (unrecognizable from "In the Company of Men") as the house-biker who takes care of Erin's kids while she saves Hinkley, CA (standing in for The World). Oh, and, of course, nod to "C.S.I." to Marg Helgenberger who was quite good. Soderbergh has just been nominated for two DGA best directing noms for this film and "Traffic." Overkill. Nominate him for "Traffic" and take another look at Hanson's "Wonder Boys" or Kaufman's "Quills". Still, like "The Accused" and "The Verdict," two other "name" performance-driven movies, this film does its job, effectively.

Or so one surmises is the thinking of all involved here. Mel and company come up with a fine not distinguished movie. (Mel has done distinguished. See "Gallipoli," "Mad Max," even "Braveheart," and, of course, "Chicken Run.") This is Mel in a comedy. It is better than "Air America." It has memorable scenes involving Tomei, Hunt and Ashley Johnson. But as men-getting-handle-on-women comedies go, "Tootsie" has this beaten by several miles. If Mel was going for that, he successes as well as he did running those last miles in "Gallipoli."

What this film will be remembered for is Robert Brown's wonderous performance as Jamal Wallace and Sean Connery's addition to his life-work of fine-memorable performances as William Forrester. Abrahams is re-tooling his Amadeus' Salieri here and Paquin merely reminds us that she didn't sell-out when she signed on to do Rogue in X-Men (also, though far from super-heroine, figure-wise, she has filled out).

There's something about going to the big screen that signals to the writers, producers, etc. that there shall be no levity when it comes to Pokemon. Granted that the tv series has its high comedy/lo comedy moments, but the film series seems to focus more on drama. And it seems to skew more towards boys. That said, Pokemon 2000 (which is actually Pokemon 1999 as Pokemon 2000 in Japan is a different movie--the movie slated for release in April 2001 here most likely) is a perfectly fine piece of kid's fare. No "Iron Giant" but its better than any of those other Warner animation theatrical releases ("Batman Beyond: The Joker Returns," being a straight to video item). Plus, this time, others (principally, Misty and Team Rocket) have things to do! (In the first movie, those characters were just window dressing.) Brock is missed here--he would have had something to say about Misty's protestations regarding Ash. All in all, it is a good, not great, film. Better than "Miss Congeniality."

Sandra Bullock lost me the moment she had to hit a punching bag in this movie. Jennifer Lopez was a believable (or unbelievable, if one goes by looks) cop. Sandra---Wonder Woman apparent, if the green light ever goes on---just wasn't credible. It wasn't an acting thing, though, she seemed to be forcing herself to fit this genre. She simply fought like a girl (and we're not talking Xena/Buffy here). No one really survives the cheese here. Except, maybe, Michael Caine. Bergen and Shatner needed to be elsewhere---"F.Y.I." or the bridge of an Enterprise. The much-talked about (in the gossips) Benjamin Bratt was forgettable (sorry, Julia). Why not a lower score for this, mess? I haven't seen Sandra in awhile and I guess I missed her presence (even in this).

There were two films battling out for Best honours in 1981. Malle's "Atlantic City" and this one. Forget the fact that "Chariot's of Fire" beat both out for the Oscar. Chalk it up to the English voting bloc edging that lovely little gem through the cracks created by the rift caused by the closeness of the vote between the two front-runners. The true race was between "Reds" and "Atlantic City." And for my money, then and now, twenty years after, "Reds" was the hands-down winner. A magnificent achievement muted by its "glamour-man" roots. Like Robert Redford, Warren Beatty is victimised by his celebrity. A celebrity that seems to contradict his achievements as a film maker. He will always be associated with failures like "Ishtar," "Love Affair" and "the Fortune" because it is comforting to know that dashing leading types can fall on their faces too. But Beatty gave us--as actor, director, producer, writer...some configuration--a good near dozen of memorable, timely, human and humane bits of terrific American cinema. "Bonnie and Clyde," "McCabe and Mrs. Miller," "Shampoo," "Heaven Can Wait," "Bugsy," "The Parallax View," "Splendor in the Grass," this film (and "Bulworth"). "Reds" is his masterwork. A romantic, political, literary, multi-hour extravaganza that, heretically enough, I'd put before Lean's "Doctor Zhivago" (and maybe before his "Lawrence"). That fact that "Gandhi" WON an Oscar for Best Picture a year after "Reds" nomination galls me to this day. "Gandhi" is a "2" to "Reds" "10." Easily. (Though I'll give you Ben Kingsley.) Beatty and Keaton deliver performances of nuance and complexity. (Keaton is the best Beatty "girl" since Zhivago's girl, Christie.) Gene Hackman, Jack Nicholson, Jerzy Kosinski, Paul Sorvino, Maureen Stapleton defined the period and personalities of the time evoked by the picture. The cinematography, writing, the themes, direction, music...the little witness vignettes featuring the Durants and others...all aspects of this film were seamlessly crafted together into a perfect whole. It will leave you with images (Reed running during the Mexican and the Russian revolutions, Keaton's Louise Bryant looking at a child down the hall from a deathly-ill Reed) and words ("Don't you rewrite what I write!" or "This one even pisses red") that will stay with you long after the credits. The AFI's lone representative for 1981 on its 100 Best List was "Raiders of the Lost Ark." "Reds" is a far richer movie. Still, I wouldn't argue for the dismissal of "Raiders." Not when the AFI missed "Reds" yet managed to find "Guess Who Came to Dinner."

Mima is one-third, and presumably, the best third, of the biggest girl pop group in Japan where being a girl pop group evidently means you are required to maintain an image so squeaky perfect that YOUNG Maria Osmond would be hard pressed to keep. Mima, however, has goals. Pop icons also seem to last as long as your youth. So Mima wants to try her hand at acting. Converting her fame in one arena to a new one. Her decision sends shockwaves through her fandom. And when she starts to "diversify" her image away from squeaky clean, she hits the point of no return. Worse, though only from an ego standpoint, the two girls she left in the group, move on and become a very successful duet, as she flounders in establishing her new career. And, oh yeah, there's something going on...a mad homicidal fan, she's losing her mind or both. Mima works hard to keep her slipping wits about her, keeping up appearances and watching her back. Part "Diabolique" and "Bodyguard" (without the bodyguard), "Perfect Blue" will creep out your psyche even though it's "just a cartoon." And "Seven" is just another lesson from the Bible.

It is the women, including Mrs. Brown and Gigi, that add chili to this light (one could say unbearably light) confection. The plot moves with English Patience. Olin's anti-Romero of a life does bleed. And, in her young son's life, Moss is the one (though, here, she faces the indomitable Dame Densch. It is a film clearly about mothers and children, estranged to greater or lesser degree but estranged, nonetheless. Even Molina is like a child estranged. Binouche plays the first aggravating-then-healing force here, but who heals the healer? Johnny Depp delivers another fine performance to add to his long list of quirky/outcast roles.

Bruce gave us "Enter the Dragon." Ang opens Western eyes to the wudan sword epic. Lee brings sense (more than the usual, at least) and sensibility to the genre by giving flesh to the waiting between sword flash and wire-flight. And what flesh! Chow Yu Fat. Michelle Yeoh. Leading stars of Hong Kong make believers of the rest of the world. No matter how blindingly quick their swords or feet move, their hearts and eyes smother quietly, tellingly, in their measured screen time together. Theirs are performances of grace, glances and minimal words, crafting characters as rich as any in Ang Lee's American art house work. Their authority and reality in the mythic landscape of the film channels great silent-era performers. And the scene when they hold hands evokes the wonderful scene in Scorsese's "Age of Innocence" when Fiennes takes the glove off Pfeiffer's desirous hand. Zhang Ziyi is a find who holds her own well with the veterans who also include the Taiwanese icon of Ang Lee's youth, Cheng Pei Pei. The definition of a classic, where no element lets down another, braces this film. From the lush cinematography to the score featuring Yo-Yo Ma's haunting cello, "Croaching Tiger" is held high like the cloud-piercing Wudan Mountains beautifully depicted towards the end of the film.

Even if this isn't Mann's debut, "Thief" would play as a minor masterpiece if it came out today. "One False Move," "Taxi Driver," and even "Heat" are comparable, not better, films. The characterizations are wonderful. And it is the most luminous night-shot film since "Taxi Driver."