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Reviews
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001)
WARNING: CHICKS ONLY
There are films made obviously with a female audience in mind which nevertheless are enjoyable for guys as well - take Bridget Jones Diary for example. This is not such a movie - its got girlie night in written all over it.
That doesn't mean its any good though. Its biggest problem is the fact that it doesn't seem to know whether its a comedy or a melodrama, and flits nervously between the genres. Drew Barrymore tries to flex her acting muscle, but sometimes she stretches it a little too far, and her crying / shouting / laughing fits begin to grate quickly. Her part spans 20 years, from the 15 years old pregnant girl with the dissappointed father up to the neurotic 35 year old mother. She's unlikeable in this role at every age.
The worst scenes are the ones between Barrymore and Adam Garcia. Although he plays her son (15 years younger)he's only two years her junior in real life, and frankly it shows to disconcerting effect. Its a good half hour too long, and the only thing really to the films credit is Steve Zahn, who as always steals the show.
Sleeping with the Enemy (1991)
Below Average Thriller
Julia Roberts obviously makes a concerted effort to shake off her cotton wool Pretty Woman persona with this spurious spousal abuse thriller, but it's hard to imagine she'd end up putting in a performance as powerful and convincing (and oscar winning) as she did in Erin Brokovich based on the back of this rubbish. And make no bones about it, it's nothing more than a Julia Roberts vehicle, but unfortunately, her performance is not the most lacklustre thing about it.
The plot has all the markings of a late night made-for-cable, and don't be under the impression that it will offer any insight into the dark world of domestic abuse because non of the characters are sketched out enough for you to really care.
Ultimately disappointing and unsatisfying, without Roberts' name above the title, I'm sure it would have totally flopped, deservedly.
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
a unique, powerful piece of cinematic history
Nic Cage plays Ben, an alcoholic who loses his good job, good family and what we gather to be a good life to alcohol, and decides to finish his life off by drinking himself to death in Las Vegas. He befriends Elisabeth Shuh who plays Sera, a prostitute with a heart of gold and quickly falls in love with her.
Pretty grim stuff... alcoholism, prostitutes, suicide, so full credit has to go to writer/director Mike Figgis for making this the utterly captivating, uplifting experience that it is. Almost hard to imagine a film conveying such sentiments considering its peppering of deeply upsetting scenes, including Ben deeply in the dark throes of alcoholic oblivion, combating DT's by downing uncomfortable amounts of spirits, flying into violent drunken rages and Sera being beaten and raped by a bunch of rowdy frat boys. The genius of the film is the depiction of the doomed romance that blossoms between the two leads, who are flawed, extreme, but identifiable characters, and perhaps as importantly, eminently likeable.
The main performances are both standout and in my opinion, career best for both Cage and Shuh. How Cage didn't win the Oscar that year is a mystery to me - he must have either had some real competition in an excellent year, or the Academy made one of their trademark misjudgments. It's easy to forgive any Con Air or Face Off for this realisation of a charming and likeable man with a deeply tortured soul.
An especially touching scene is after Ben has moved in with Sera, and she buys him a housewarming gift of a silver hip flask. Her resignation to the fact that the man she is falling in love with is a dying of something beyond his control scene among an extremely graphic and often upsetting depiction of a truly dehumanising, debilitating affliction. Shuh matches Cage perfectly and their portrayal of a deeply troubled and doomed relationship is believable and profoundly moving.
Knowing the subject matter, it took me a while to get round to watching this film - I usually choose films that I think will entertain me, and 'heavy' dramas can often drag their feet. After watching this on television however, I bought it immediately and have watched it at least once every couple of months since.
Its pretty hard to pick anything bad out of a film that I consider to be one of the best ever made so I'm not even going to try, and will propose that this is a film that in my opinion should feature in the collection of every serious film fanatic.
A Knight's Tale (2001)
I'm afraid not Mr. Helgeland
Brian Helgeland certainly hasn't done his directing career any favours with this silly, unrewarding family movie.
After the tour de force script for LA Confidential, Heldgeland turned his hand to directing with the dark, gritty and highly engaging Gibson remake of Payback, but seems to want to show the world his gentle side with this take on oldentimes, knights and jousting.
There are a few modern referances - the nike stripes on the armour, the crowd singing 'we will rock you' and, conidering the target audiece, a a somewhat bizzarre choice in a David Bowie track for a dancing scene. This could have worked nicely, but the idea loses steam, and rings hollow towards the end. Campared to a film like Moulin Rouge which fused modern songs effortlessy into the historical Parisian backdrop, Helgeland needn't have bothered.
The performanes are nothing special - Heath Ledgers clunky turn accompanied by an odd American/English/Australian accent brings his star status seriously into question. Rufus Sewel plays a meanie as well as the uninspiring script will let him, the only standout is Paul Bettany who plays Geoffrey Chaucer. The Chaucer idea was a nice one, but really wasn't used as cleverly as it could have been.
What really lets this down is a storyline that is dull, plain and simple. The standard 'boy from the wrong side of the tracks makes good' has been done a million times before a million times better, and the bulk of the 'action' is taken up by one jousting session after the other, the diretion is so flat you just want something else to happen. A weak, utterly predictable ending is a surefire bet, but you really don't care, as all interest is lost way before you realise it's a good half hour too long.
Along with Pearl Harbour and the laughable 'reimagining' of Planet of the Apes, this is one to consign to the 2001 dustbin of movie shame.
Le Cinquième Élément (1997)
Unbelievable
Good Lord! The most surprising thing about this film is the incredible display of modern contemporary talent.... which has been completely wasted on this ridiculous, woefully misplaced piece of rubbish.
Who'd have thought that someone capable of creating a perfectly pitched, wonderfully crafted thriller like 'Leon' could show such an astounding clumsiness in putting together the mess that is the Fifth Element.
The sets are just bad, the music is for the most part irritating, and the costumes designed by an over excited Jean-Paul Gaultier add an off-putting campness to a film which never seems to know what it's doing.
Bruce Willis is in full Bruce mode - he smokes, he looks tough, and the obligatory one liners come pouring out, reminiscent of rubbish like Hudson Hawk. Gary Oldman who has some pointless, camp South American accent, overacts his way from one dreadful scene to the next.
The only thing that Luc Besson has successfully done is to show, with a painful, two hour blow, that a big budget certainly does not ensure a decent film.
Awful from start to finish. Avoid.