Tomorrow Never Dies (5.5)
After the success of Goldeneye, Pierce Brosnan’s eagerly awaited follow-up appearance as 007 is something of a let-down. An distinctly average pre-credits action sequence segues into a dull Sheryl Crowe single and the worst opening titles visual sequence in the entire Bond series.
The plot, such as it is, has Jonathan Pryce as a media mogul intent on creating newsworthy events (ie World War 3) so that his newspapers, magazines and TV schedules can be first on the scene. Thus he has a rogue ship using the latest stealth technology (thereby rendering it invisible to radar) scupper a British Navy vessel in order to create a showdown between British and Chinese forces. ‘M’ sends Bond to investigate events in the hope of averting a crisis.
Two new Bond girls enter the fray. Teri Hatcher as Jonathan Pryce’s wife and Bond’s former lover. If this had been properly developed (ie. we were actually told anything about their former relationship) then this could have been a plus point. Instead, Teri Hatcher merely gets to look good in an evening dress before shrugging it off and leaping into bed with our hero. Michelle Yeoh then makes an appearance as Bond’s Chinese couterpart. Cue some gratuitous martial arts action.
The action sequences are well executed, with a car chase and and a motorbike chase taking centre stage. The car (a BMW 750) is easily the best gadget in the movie. The action takes place against the backdrop of numerous exotic locations though most of these seem somehow wasted, especially the waters around Kowloon which were used to much greater effect in The Man With The Golden Gun. That said, the bike chase in Vietnam is impressive.
No Bond movie is ever a complete disaster thanks to consistently high production values. However this one is most certainly one of the less memorable additions to the series, thanks largely to a weak script. Disappointing.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (3.5)
Promoted as a new horror movie from the creators of Scream. Unfortunately that doesn’t guarantee that it is any good, and quite how it has garnered so much success in the States beggars belief!
The initial premise is certainly good enough. One Summer’s night 4 teenagers returning from a party accidentally run down a complete stranger on a deserted stretch of road. Torn between reporting the incident to the police and ditching the body, they eventually opt for the latter only to discover the man isn’t completely dead when they drop him in the local creek. One year later, they each begin receiving notes bearing the titular inscription. Then worse begins to happen.
So far so good. The first half contains suspense, a few good scary moments and some puzzling events. Unfortunately the second half fails to adequately explain the puzzling events and the denouement is totally unbelievable. The action and any semblance of acting also slides, with the whole thing descending into a very cliched ‘axe-wielding maniac’ type yarn except this time he’s a fisherman with a hook for a hand. (Freddie, anyone?). Disappointing.
Using blood samples found at the scene of Ripley's demise in Alien 3, military scientists are conducting a variety of experiments in their laboratories on board a large spaceship. One of these involves the succesful cloning of Ripley 8 (geddit?), an all new Sigourney Weaver who is perhaps even meaner than before but might just harbour sympathies for the Aliens now that she shares some of their DNA. Another experiment involves trying to tame some captive Aliens. Well we all know that one's not going to work! Naturally they stage an ingenious escape and begin to run amok. Soon only Ripley and a band of space pirates are left to destroy the Aliens before the ship can reach Earth.
Jean-Pierre Jeunot (Delicatessen, City Of Lost Children) directs the fourth instalment with mixed success. I suspect that Hollywood has reined in Jeunot's directorial eccentricities in order to ensure that the franchise gets firmly back on track. This it does thanks mainly to a superbly enigmatic performance from Sigourney Weaver. A pity the same can't be said for Winona Ryder who does not make a convincing space pirate. Fortunately though, Jeunot has brought along a few pals from his previous films to round out the motley band of renegades.
Having been given a fair amount of the CGI treatment this time around, the Aliens are suitably impressive. Indeed, so are most visual aspects of the film - by far the best being an underwater battle scene as the surviving humans flee for safety. Equal care has been taken with the plot. First and foremost with the subtly twisted recreation of Lt Ripley (the splicing of her genes with the Alien DNA being a far more intriguing premise than merely bringing her back as an android as they did in the books). Winona Ryder's character also has her part to play in the ongoing development of the franchise, though this new plot strand is only revealed very late on in the movie during a nicely understated scene between her and Ripley. The fim offers a few more surprises amidst the action, though one of these nearly threatens to derail the franchise again.
Sufficiently entertaining to please both Hollywood and the fans.
Face/Off (6.5)
John Travolta has been trailing criminal mastermind Nicholas Cage ever since Travolta's son was killed by a bullet meant for his father. Following an action-packed showdown, Cage is left lying in a coma. Using surgical techniques known only to FBI special ops, Travolta 'borrows' Cage's face in order to fool Cage's brother into giving away the location of a bomb hidden somewhere in Los Angeles. But in turn, the surgery having awoken him from his coma, Cage steals Travolta's face and kills everyone who knew about the switch.
This has the makings of a very clever plot. Unfortunately the premise is better suited to a tense thriller than a Hollywood action blockbuster. That said, Travolta and Cage acquit themselves well - neither character being completely black and white and the audience having to constantly remind themselves which one is actually the good guy. Anyone not wholly familiar with John Woo's directing talent will lap up the big budget action scenes. But those of us familiar with his earlier work (especially The Killer and Hard Boiled) may be forgiven for thinking that he really has sold out to Hollywood. Amidst the action there used to be a story concerning characters which we could care about - but not here. The plot acts purely as a device to lurch from one set piece to another with scant regard for explanation or plausibility. The action is wholly derivative of his earlier work. John Woo fans have seen all these moves before and more. Shoot-outs in churches, boat chases and raging gun battles used to have style and grace but now they have been reduced to big budget special effects as 2 men spend the majority of the movie trying to kill each other.
Entertaining on a superficial level but definitely not John Woo at his best.
Downtime (4.5)
A low budget British thriller set in a condemned tower block in Newcastle where the few remaining residents are constantly terrorised by a maverick bunch of teenagers. The main bulk of the story concerns an act of vandalism resulting in a man, a woman and a child being trapped inside a lift and unable to raise help from the outside world.
While the story is engaging as far as it goes, it fails to provide sufficient understanding of how the situation ever got this out of hand with the teenagers and leaves too many loose ends. It concentrates purely upon the 3 central characters and very little else. Of these, Susan Lynch puts in a solid performance as they terrified mother with little to live for while Paul McGann is unconvincing as social worker who first talks her out of a suicide attempt and who subsequently shares the ordeal in the lift.
As a thriller, the action is reasonably well directed and the tension maintained throughout. The grottyy locations look authentic, albeit they give the whole thing the feel of a TV drama. However, the one thing that really marred this for me was a graphic incident in the lift shaft which came with little warning and is definitely not for the squeamish. When working with a visual medium, it is somewhat self-defeating to force the audience to turn away from the screen.
The House Of Yes (5.5)
On a dark and stormy night, a man brings his fiancee (Tori Spelling) home to meet his family on Thanksgiving weekend. Only this is no ordinary family. Firstly there’s the mother (Genevieve Bujold) who is definitely one place-setting short of a dinner table. Then there’s there’s the school drop-out younger brother. But neither of these compare with recently de-insitutionalised twin sister (When they were born she was holding his penis) Parker Posey who goes by the name of Jackie-O who not only enjoys wearing her pink Chanel suit but has an assassination fixation toboot.
A claustrophobic movie with few characters which barely attempts to hide its stageplay origins. The thin plot promises much but ultimately delivers little. Only the acting (notably Parker Posey) maintains the audience attention. Melodramatic at times, farcical at others. What probaly worked well on stage fails to ignite the screen.
The End Of Violence (5.5)
A major film producer (Bill Pullman) is forced to ‘disappear’ after his life is threatened by two mysterious men. The incident is partially witnessed by Gabriel Byrne who mans an ultra secret hi-tec listening post with the ability to monitor the majority of of everyday Americans as they go about their business, but could his CIA boss (Daniel Benzali from Murder One) be connected with the attempted murder?
The film plays upon the suspicicions and paranoia shared by most of the public concerning secret government projects. The first half builds up an eyrie sense of intrigue and suspense, only to see it dissipate completely in the second half as most of the plot strands come to nought. Buried within the plot are some interesting ideas which are never fully explored by a script that seems to hint at many things but never wholly elaborates. Pullman, Byrne and Benzali give nice performances while Andie Macdowell (as Pullman’s wife) lets the side down badly.
An intellectual oddity which perhaps other people can read more into than I did.
Stiff Upper Lips (7)
Directed by Gary Sinyor, this is an entertaining spoof of all those period costume dramas (predominently Merchant Ivory productions) which the British cinema has foisted upon the world during the last 20 years.
The story is set in 1908. Georgina Cates, uncannily resembling Helena Bonham-Carter in both appearance and mannerisms, stars as the young uppercrust British lady whose aunt (Prunella Scales) tries to match her with various suitors while she desires the more earthy charms of the son of a local pig breeder (A reference to Leon The Pig Farmer, perhaps?) played by Sean Pertwee. A whistle-stop tour of the British Empire enables the story to take in such diverse locations as England (Ivory Hall), Tuscany and India - thus allowing ample opportunity for parodies of Howard’s End, The Remains Of The Day, A Room With A View, Out Of Africa, Brideshead Revisited and Passage To India to name but a few.
If this had been done badly it could have resembled a lame Carry-On film. Fortunately this is not the case. The comedy is relatively intelligent and frequently spot-on, mostly accentuating Hollywood’s view of the English. It is not essential to have seen all the films to which this spoof makes reference, though some of the subtler in-jokes will pass you by if you haven’t. It is also worth remembering that the director is Jewish, especially in the opening scene in which any resemblance to Chariots Of Fire is completely intentional.
Although the film wanes in parts (especially towards the end), there are more than enough laughs to sustain its running time. And any film where the heroine yells ‘I’m a young virgin in Italy. I want my sexual awakening and I want it now!’ can’t be that bad.
Live Flesh (6)
(Spanish - English sub-titles)
In the words of the director, Pedro Almodovar, when introducing this movie at the London Film Festival - it is an unfaithful adaptation of a Ruth Rendell novel. Not quite a cop thriller and not quite a drama. A man is infatuated with a woman and gains entry to her apartment in Madrid. By a series of circumstances, the man ends up in an armed confrontation with two cops, during which one of the cops is shot. The wounded cop goes on to become a successful paraplegic basketball player and marries the woman from the apartment, while the convicted man spends his time in jail planning his revenge.
Darker and more serious than the majority of Almodovar’s earlier work. The story is engaging but lacks the pace and tension of a true thriller. This could probably have benefitted from a larger injection of Almodovar’s quirky humour but he deliberately set out to play this one seriously - possibly so as not to offend the paraplegic fraternity with which he worked so closely. By his own admission - not his best work.
Mimic (6)
Mira Sorvino is a biologist specialising in insects who becomes a hero when she saves the children of New York from a virulent disease by genetically engineering a species of insect to kill the cockroach population which is spreading the disease. The new species is deliberately engineered without the capability to breed, thereby rendering it dead after serving its purpose. However, three years later evidence begins to surface to suggest that nature has found a way for the bugs to survive and that they have since mutated into something far more deadly.
A horror film directed by Guillermo Del Toro. Derivative of the likes of Them and Aliens but retaining a genuine creepiness (the majority of the film being set in New York’s disused subways) and enough scary moments to provide suitable late night entertainment. Towards the end it begins to get a little silly and all sense of originality finally expires but the action is paced well enough to hold the attention.
If, as stated in his introduction before its screening at the London Film Festival, the director’s intention was to take an attractive Oscar winning Hollywood actress and cover her in shit then this can certainly be deemed a success!
The Peacemaker (5.5)
Nicole Kidman is a former nuclear scientist, now a presidential aide, who teams up with maverick US army colonel George Clooney to track down a consignment of of stolen nuclear warheads within the former Soviet Union.
This first production from the Dreamworks studio adheres to a relatively standard formula reminiscent of James Bond but without the style and polish. Although the acting is not exceptional, George Clooney acquits himself well in this action role and will likely receive further offers to play similar characters. Nicole Kidman is far less suited to the part and the script allows her scant leeway to forge it into something that works for her. The set pieces are well executed, even if the initial train robbery is somewhat implausible.
This initial venture would seem to indicate that the Dreamworks studio is likely to produce a few box office ‘safe bets’ before attempting the type of ‘spectacular’ production which the general public is hoping for. This one is entertaining rather than exciting.
LA Confidential (9)
Directed by Curtis Hanson and adapted from a James Ellroy novel, this is a tale of cops and robbers who may themselves be cops in 1950s Los Angeles.
The time is 1953. The city is booming. Everyone wants to live there so they can mingle with the rich and famous - maybe even become the rich and famous! The LAPD, finest police force in the land, are there to see that everything runs smoothly. But each cop has his own reasons for being there, his own score to settle, his own agenda. Guy Pearce prides himself on his honesty and gains quick promotion by giving evidence against a colleague. Russel Crowe can't abide violence against women. Kevin Spacey enjoys the glamour associated with acting as consultant on popular TV series 'Badge Of Honour', while feeding information to local sleaze reporter Danny Devito. When the LAPD swings into action to tackle a new upsurge in violent crime which may or may not be drugs related, all three men find themselves caught up in a web of violence, corruption, glamour and pornography.
James Cromwell as the police captain turns in a solid performance while Kim Basinger gives possibly a career best (Though is thtat really saying much?) as a hooker made to look like Veronica Lake. However, it is the leading trio of Pearce, Spacey and Crowe who really bring Ellroy's fictional characters to life. The plot is complex, intelligent and full of unexpected twists. The period has been lovingly recreated through an array of lavish sets. The whole movie oozes style and confidence. Those who claim they just don't make them like they used to will be choking on their admission tickets.
An intelligent script, superb direction, great acting and sets to die for combine to make this a movie with the word ‘Oscar’ written all over it. Not so much a question of will it win but of how many will it win!
An American Werewolf In Paris (4)
A pale imitation of John Landis' original horror-comedy An American Werewolf In London. High on comedy but lacking almost any horror whatsoever.
Three American students travelling across Europe keep tally of the daredevil stunts which they have performed - hence the reason why one of them prepares to bungee jump from the Eifel Tower and ends up saving the life of Julie Delpy who has chosen to commit suicide by diving off the Tower. During their efforts to find her again, the 3 men gain invitation to a strange underground party, only to find themselves in the company of wolves. One un-death and two bites later they are seeking Julie Delpy's help to cure them of what they have become, for she is herself a werewolf - in fact the daughter of the hero from the original movie (a somewhat tenuous link!).
The acting and the script are mediocre at best. Quite why Julie Delpy chose this role I'm not sure. She can be so much better. The special effects are too good - being so technologically clever that they are quite obvious for what they are. This may entertain the kids of today but it won't impress those who remember lusting over Jenny Agutter while trying to spot the the 'See you next Wednesday' reference in the original.
Wilde (7)
This account of Oscar Wilde and his fall from grace in British society begins with his marriage to Constance (Jennifer Ehle) and the birth of their two children. Wilde is shown to be a succesful playwright and doting father until he discovers his homosexuality and embarks upon an illicit relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas (Jude Law), otherwise known as "Bosie". Bosie's father, the Marquis of Queensbury, is less than happy with this state of affairs and exposes Oscar Wilde's scandalous lifestyle, whereupon the Crown is forced to prosecute - thereby effectively destroying one of the greatest wits and intellects that Britain has ever sired.
The film is both entertaining and compelling but provides few details of Oscar Wilde's writing career. This, it seems, is left to common knowledge. The failure to build him up in this way lessens the impact of his downfall, though the full tragedy of his prosecution comes across only too well. Stephen Fry in the leading role is superb, noticeably so not only for his performance but also the parrallels with his own public and private life. Perhaps not true Oscar material (no pun intended) though he is almost certainly assured of a BAFTA nomination. However, those filling the 2 main supporting roles as Oscar's male companions also deserve mention.
The film has been lovingly shot and is beautiful to look at. Praise is warranted for both direction and cinematography. At times the script crackles with Oscar Wildes's witticisms but there are alas too few, as are the explanations to some of the actions portrayed. Nonetheless enjoyable. A very British period piece.
The team that previously brought us Shallow Grave and Trainspotting here devote their talents to producing a comedy with only a hint of the dark humour inherent in their previous work.
Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo are angels acting on behalf of the forces of fate and destiny. Following a recent string of failures, their current Earthside mission is to bring Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz together and make them fall in love. Since Ewan McGregor is the lowest of employees in Ian Holm’s business Empire and Cameron Diaz is Holmes’ spoilt rich-kid daughter this would seem to be a tough one. But then ‘fate’ takes a hand, McGregor is fired and confronts Holm and somewhere along the way ends up kidnapping his daughter. Now at least they are together but they hardly love each other and McGregor has no previous experience of kidnapping. Not only that, but Ian Holm responds by issuing a contract on McGregor.
The pace is gentler than Shallow Grave and the situation less intense, but the wit is just as sharp and the comedy enjoyable. Cameron Diaz has never looked nor acted better and outshines a Mcgregor not quite at his best. For my money though, the acting honours go to Holly Hunter, positively relishing her role as an angel with a mission and some unauthodox methods. Watch out also for references to previous films, especially Shallow Grave and Crash. Not exceptional but certainly entertaining.
Shooting Fish (5.5)
A gentle British comedy, patchy at times but occasionally hilarious. The story revolves around two young men, one a yank with the gift of the gab (Dan Futterman) and the other a quiet and thoughtful science nerd (Stuart Townsend). They spend their time in London embarking upon all manner of scams to raise money for their dream home. Kate Beckinsale finds herself involved in one of these ventures and thereafter drifts around with them while Charlie (the quiet one) becomes ever more besotted with her.
Although distinctly lightweight stuff, the film has a certain charm which borders on Ealing-esque. The plot drifts off at tangents from time to time but the scams provide the biggest laughs and are bound to provoke memories of times as college students or similar. In particular, the loft insulation scam and the ‘old theatre trick’ are an absolute hoot.
It won’t necessarily have you rolling in the isles but you’ll leave the cinema with a smile on your face.
Nil By Mouth (4.5)
Gary Oldman’s directorial debut is a tough drama set in South London (Bermondsey/Deptford/Lewisham) which deals with issues common to that area including social deprivation, alcohol abuse, drug abuse and social violence. Based in part on Oldman’s own childhood experiences, these themes are centred around a family where the husband (Ray Winstone) spends more time in the boozer than in the home and is prone to turn violent at the slightest provocation. His teenage son is constantly craving his next drug fix and steals from all and sundry in order to finance his habit. His long-suffering wife (Kathy Burke in an award winning performance) refuses to admit that she is trapped in a no-win situation. Only her mother (credited as Laila Morse), concerned for her daughter, has the guts to really stand up to him.
This is a tough film to watch and its depressing themes never let up. If this is even partially representative of Oldman’s experience of South London then who can blame him for heading off to Hollywood? As a directorial debut it’s an impressive piece of work. Oldman has extracted good performances from his little-known British ensemble cast including his sister Jackie Wyles (Laila Morse is evidently an adopted stage-name) whom, to the best of my knowledge, has no previous acting experience. I chose to see this film because I used to work with Jackie 10 years ago, but why anyone else would choose to see this is beyond my comprehension since it is most definitely not an ‘entertaining’ subject.
The Game (6)
Michael Douglas is a rich and successful broker with an ex wife, a long dead father and a younger brother (Sean Penn) whom he tolerates but sees very infrequently. So when Penn presents him with a birthday gift entitling him to enter a 'game' run by a mysterious organisation called Consumer Recreation Services, Douglas is obviously dubious. Nevertheless, curiosity gets the better of him and he enrolls - only to be rejected. At about the same time bizarre things begin to happen, beginning with the mysterious appearance of a lifesize doll and a TV presenter that speaks to him personally in the middle of a news broadcast.
Since the film is directed by David Fincher (Alien 3, Seven), it is no surprise that many of the sets are dimly lit and there is a constant sense of forboding and not knowing what to expect next. The basic plot is relatively thin and there are one or two gaping holes (a clue perhaps?), but since it twists and turns constantly this fact is not always immediately noticeable. The denouement raises as many questions as it answers but at least the dilligent will have the advantage of sorting fact from fiction before the final events unfold.
Solid performances from Douglas and Penn plus steady direction from David Fincher make this an entertaining thriller, though one which doesn't bear up to close examination of the plot.
My Best Friend's Wedding (4.5)
Lightweight romantic comedy high on slushy romance and low on comedy. Dermot Mulroney announces his intention to marry Cameron Diaz, much to the annoyance of his best friend Julia Roberts who suddenly realises she has been in love with Mulroney for the past 9 years. Roberts decides to scupper the wedding plans but has no idea how she is going to achieve her goal.
This is easy fare for Julia Roberts but Cameron Diaz struggles to make good of the material. (Perhaps she should stick to darker comedies like The Last Supper). Mulroney is a dead loss - why two such beautiful women should be fighting over him is a complete mystery! Rupert Everett as Julia Roberts' gay friend, who only appears for a total of 10 minutes, completely steals the show. On the strength of this performance he will hopefully be offered some meatier roles. The film contains some very funny scenes (my favourite being the Dionne Warwick story), but these moments are tacked together with large doses of schmaltz.
Still, I can't help wishing that my own best friend will one day feel this way!
Volcano (6)
Tommy Lee Jones is the crisis management team leader forced to confront the second of this year's on-screen volcanic eruptions, this time in down-town Los Angeles. The first sign of trouble occurs when several workmen are burned to death when an earth tremor opens up a fissure beneath McArthur Park. A local seismologist warns Tommy Lee Jones of the danger but he requires more hard evidence before evacuating the area. That evidence is forthcoming when the local tar pit starts spewing flame and before long molten lava is flowing down streets and tube tunnels.
This is a big budget special effects movie which would fall into the category of Summer blockbuster if it wasn't opening here in October. Comparisons with DAnte's Peak are inevitable. Whereas the earlier film concentrated on a slow build-up, some vague attempt at characterisation and offered more nuggets of scientific information, this film dispenses with characterisation and information in favour of sheer spectacle. The build-up is equally slow - for the first 10 minutes! From then on the pace and the tension never let up. The short running time (just 95 minutes) helps in this respect, though a few extra minutes devoted to characterisation would not have gone amiss.
While both of these volcano films have their faults (no pun intended), Dante's Peak tried to maintain some grip on reality. Thus the threat was to a small town in the mountains and Pierce Brosnan ran around helping everyone to flee the danger. What actually makes Volcano so much fun is that it takes the opposite approach by having its natural disaster running amok in a major US city while Tommy Lee Jones runs around trying to clear it up like it was just another day at the office. A daft but entertaining disaster movie.
Face (6.5)
A violent British thriller in which a gang of thieves led by Robert Carlyle successfully pull off a heist but net considerably less cash than expected. Having divided and stashed the spoils, one by one each gangster's share goes missing. Clearly someone is being greedy, but who?
Set in London, in some ways this resembles a low budget British take on Reservoir Dogs yet the plot has enough originality of its own to avoid direct comparison. Most of the characters are well drawn and the action is nicely paced. Following his recent starring role in The Full Monty, Robert Carlyle puts in another cracking performance. With both films now doing the rounds in British cinemas, he will desevedly be thrust into the lime-light. Expect to see him cropping up everywhere on British screens next year.
Contact (9)
At last, an intelligent science fiction film for the 90s. Based on the novel by Carl Sagan, this is a story about mankind’s greatest quest - the search for who we are and why we’re here. While many look to religion for the answers, astronomer Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster) looks to the stars in the firm belief that we are not alone in the universe.
Shunned by the science community but spurred on by her childhood fascination with communications and the cosmos, Arroway spends every available minute that funding will permit listening for transmissions from space. Naturally, when she finally detects such a signal everyone wants a piece of the action. Arroway’s skeptical ex-boss (Tom Skerritt) takes the credit, the NSA wants to classify the whole project, the religious fraternity is afraid that a new Truth might present itself and Angela Bassett as a presidential aide tries to preside over the in-fighting. All this before the message has even been decoded. On the periphery of all this lurk Matthew McConaughey as Foster’s romantic interest and John Hurt as her mysterious benefactor.
Nicely directed by Robert Zemeckis, employing many of the visual effects which he last used in Forrest Gump. Save for the impressive opening sequence, for the most part the effects are subtle and under-played even when the occasional scene would have allowed for much more. Jodie Foster puts in a first rate performance, though Angela Bassett and William Fichtner (as a blind astronomer) are also worthy of mention.
The film sees off any challenge to its 150 minutes running time by retaining the audience’s attention throughout, drawing you in to it's world of astronomy and mathematics. This doesn’t just require you to watch the screen, it begs you to sit up and open your mind to the possibilities.
Mrs Brown (4.5)
British historical drama set in the 19th century. Following the death of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) is distraught with grief and suffering from severe depression. Her Private Secretary (Geoffrey Palmer) enlists the help of Prince Albert’s long-time friend John Brown and royal horse-wrangler (Billy Connolly) together with the Queen’s horse. Gradually the desired effect of drawing the Queen out of her shell is achieved, but with unforseen side-effects. As Victoria’s friendship with John Brown grows, so too does Brown’s influence on royal matters. Rumours of a royal scandal begin to surface.
Nicely played by Dench and Connolly. It’s an interesting history lesson but nevertheless a fairly uneventful one. All of which consigns this to the ranks of ‘dull but worthy.’
Hamlet (8.5)
Hot on the heels of Ian McKellen’s turn as Richard III and Baz Luhrmann’s hi-octane interpretation of Romeo And Juliet comes this much more traditional take on the Bard’s work. That said, no-one today does Shakespeare better than Kenneth Branagh. Whereas previous film versions and even most stage productions have discarded some of the finer detail, Branagh’s version includes every line from every scene and even includes some non-speaking flash-backs of his own , thereby creating, at a running length of 4 hours, what must surely be the definitive Hamlet. (The Author’s Cut, if you will).
For the benefit of you plebs, here set in the 19th century, it is a tale of Scandinavian skullduggery in the court of Castle Elsinore. The Danish king is dead and the queen has married his brother. Denmark is threatened from without by its neighbours. The young prince, dismayed by his mother’s actions, is even more disturbed to discover that she has married his father’s murderer - news brought to him by none other than his father’s ghost. And thus does Hamlet plot revenge while all around him others seek their own gains, with tragic consequences inevitably the result.
While there is no doubt that Branagh in the starring role walks away with the acting honours, there are many admirable performances among a cast comprising a mixture of Ken’s thespian pals (Richard Briers, Brian Blessed), classical actors (Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet) and a multitude of blink-and-you’ll-miss-’em cameos from the likes of Ken Dodd, Judi Dench, Jack Lemmon, Gerard Depardieu, Charlton Heston, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and many more.
Inevitably with a film of this length there are drawbacks. The sets and costumes, aided by some superb cinematography, are always pleasing to the eye. But while Shakespeare’s use of language is equally pleasing to the ear, 4 hours of it is taxing on the brain to those of us not well-versed in the Bard’s text. The direction is at its best during scenes of action and melodrama but sometimes flags during the quieter moments and thus reminds the audience that this is not so much a film as a big-budget stageplay committed to celluloid. Scant use of incidental music only enhances this image. Nevertheless, an accomplished and definitive work of which Branagh can be proud.
Air Force One (7.5)
A Russian splinter group led by Gary Oldman hijacks the US presidential plane in mid-air. In the ensuing confusion it appears that the president has successfully escaped. But when his wife and daughter are on board and the president is none other than Harrison Ford, you just know this isn’t the case. Sure enough, Ford begins a one-man retaliatory action against the terrorists while, on the ground, vice-president Glenn Close and a host of military personnel attempt to negotiate while weighing up their counter-strike options.
The cynical can pick holes in the plot all too easily, but this is the sort of blockbuster movie that has been sadly lacking all Summer. Inevitably it’s jingoistic, but that’s a small price to pay for a taught big-budget action thriller which doesn’t let the special effects dictate the story. Harrison Ford is perfectly cast as the US President who vows not to give into terrorism but isn’t quite so self-assured when they’re holding a gun to his daughter’s head. Gary Oldman is suitably nasty in a slightly more traditional bad-guy role than he normally plays.
As the ultimate marriage of the Die Hard and Airport style movies, this was always going to be cliched and most examples are there to be seen, though the president’s 12 year old daughter is strangely under-used in this capacity! (Hell! She doesn’t even get to fly the plane when the pilots are incapacitated). That aside, this is an entertaining old-fashioned adventure yarn in which the good and bad guys are clearly identifiable. Check-in at your local cinema for an entertaining night out.
The Full Monty (5.5)
Inspired by a true story - this is the tale of a group of redundant Sheffield steel workers who become male strippers in order to earn some money. A typically British low budget comedy starring Robert Carlisle (Trainspotting) and a host of British TV actors.
It’s not the first time that a recent British film has endeavoured to portray the funny side of life in Northern England against a background of unemployment, family problems and property repossession. Indeed, substituting coal for steel, a brass band for the male strippers and Ewan McGregor (also of Trainspotting) for Robert Carlisle and the plot is instantly recognisable as that of Brassed Off. In a less-than-subtle in-joke, the film alludes to this fact very early on. However, whereas Brassed Off treated itself formost as a drama and attempted to tackle head-on the issues which it addressed, The Full Monty plays primarily for the comedy, treats serious issues as purely incidental details and has no qualms about leaving loose ends unanswered.
The Full Monty is little more than a made-for-TV comedy. As such it is very enjoyable and contains some moments of genuine British humour. However there is no disguising that the story is wafer thin, and compared with the likes of Brassed Off it is a lame imitation.
187 (6)
This stars Samuel L Jackson as a teacher in one of America’s less salubrious schools. The title alludes to the US police moniker for homicide - which is very nearly how Samuel L Jackson ends up after he is stabbed by a pupil unhappy with his grades. 15 months later he finds himself on temporary assignment in a different school but with the distinct possibility of a similar incident recurring.
The film has some of the traditional elements associated with this type of movie. Kids from a poor background, a bright kid who wants to learn, a teenage gang intent upon disrupting the class, and an indifferent head teacher. Where it deviates from this formula is in the resolution - refreshingly darker than normal but one which unfortunately loses its way towards the end until brought back into focus by blatantly spelling out the moral of the story.
At least it dares to inject some originality, and it could have been a lot worse if not for Jackson’s performance.
Conspiracy Theory (5.5)
Amiable thriller starring Mel Gibson as a paranoid cab driver who sees global conspiracies on every street corner, the details of which he publishes in an occasional newsletter. When some dubious 'government authority' heavies come calling he knows that he must have hit a nerve with one of his theories, but which one? The only person who will listen to him is Julia Roberts, a Justice Department employee who usually dismisses his crackpot theories but is forced to do otherwise once she finds herself in the firing line aswell.
The plot begins well enough and promises much, but what could have been a taught thriller descends into a run-of-the-mill chase movie with Gibson and Roberts being pursued by a bunch of unintelligent goons led by Patrick Stewart. It's all very reminiscent of other films in which these two have starred seperately (notably Lethal Weapon and The Pelican Brief) and, as such, is very predictable. Nonetheless there exists an uneasy chemistry between them on-screen, so that while this is ultimately forgettable it is still watchable.
Albino Alligator (5)
The directorial debut of Kevin Spacey concerns a trio led by Matt Dillon seeking to escape from a failed robbery and inadvertantly blundering through an anti-terrorist trap set to foil an international gun runner. With their plans knocked severely off-balance, the 3 guys hole up in in a New Orleans bar populated by an assortment of characters which they proceed to hold hostage to delay the inevitable armed response once the authorities locate their hideaway.
A very low-key film with a number of high profile actors, including a superb performance from Faye Dunaway as one of the hostages. The obscure film title is ultimately explained and leads neatly on to a final twist that typifies the unpredictability of the plot. Good performances and good characterisation in a downbeat thriller which tries too hard to be a drama.
Grosse Pointe Blank (7.5)
John Cusack stars as a professional hitman who returns to his high school reunion since he also has a job to take care of in the neighbourhood. While Cusack tries to convince himself that he should be proud of having an honourable job that pays good money, he begins to harbour doubts about whether he has wasted the last decade when confronted by old schoolfriends with spouses and kids. Minnie Driver turns in a charming performance as the highschool sweetheart whom he stood-up on Prom night and to whom he now tries to make amends. And as though he doesn'tt already have enough problems, he is aware that he is the subject of surveillance by unknown gunmen.
An engaging black comedy with an intriguing blend of John Woo style action and romantic comedy. The film bristles with excellent supporting performances including John's real-life sister Joan Cusack as his personal assistant and Minnie Driver as his confused former sweetheart. But it is Dan Ackroyd as a rival hitman trying to form a union who steals every scene in which he appears. The script is peppered with sharp one-liners and witty observations which will be only too familiar to anyone who has ever dared to re-visit their past haunts. Accompanied by a thumping soundtrack of appropriately nostalgic hits from the Eighties.
The supermarket shoot-out will appeal to computer nerds everywhere!
Lost Highway (7)
David Lynch directs by far this year's weirdest movie. For this reason it is also very heavy-going.
Bill Pullman and a brunette Patricia Arquette are not-so-happily married couple Fred and Renee whose mistrust for each other is heightened by the appearance each morning of video tapes on their doorstep, the contents of which grow more disturbing each day. Fred is eventually imprisoned for apparently murdering Renee in a frenzied attack and dies in jail. But then his spirit returns to the body of car mechanic Balthazar Getty who gets emotionally involved with Alice (a blonde Patricia Arquette) who is mistress to mobster Robert Loggia. As events become stranger and appear to turn full circle the audience is left to wonder whether Lynch has constructed a Pulp Fiction style non-sequential narrative or is the second act an alternative reality to the first?
Bill Pullman demonstrates yet another facet of his acting repertoire while Patricia Arquette as both brunette and blonde out-acts and out-vamps Uma Thurman's recent performance as Poison Ivy.
The first act is slow and methodically eerie. The second is more dramatic but no less weird. The film as a whole is as compelling as it is baffling and may well benefit from a second viewing if only to try to make a little more sense of it all.
Event Horizon (6)
A big budget British sci-fi movie is a rare event. And even Hollywood films in this genre rarely boast such a cast of well-known actors (Sam Neill, Lawrence Fishburne, Joely Richardson, Kathleen Quinlan). A pity therefore that it doesn't deliver as much as one might dare to hope for.
Strictly speaking, it's not a sci-fi movie at all. Instead, like Alien, it is a horror movie set in space. Only this time the terror has a psychological basis rather than emanating from a monster. A search-and-rescue team are sent to recover a spacecraft (the 'Event Horizon' of the title) that disappeared near Neptune 7 years earlier and has recently reappeared. No-one knows where it has been or what has become of the crew. Each of the rescue team harbour fears from their past which start to resurface once they set foot on the Event Horizon.
Paul Anderson directs the action in a manner which makes for some scary moments. Unfortunately most of these derive from classy special effects rather than old-fashioned suspense. Sam Neill and Lawrence Fishburne acquit themselves adequately - as much as this type of film usually allows for real acting ability.
Enjoyable enough but thin on plot and plausible science fiction.
A Woody Allen film that dares to be different. Not only because it breaks the usual confines of New York by setting some of the story in Venice and Paris, but also because it's a musical.
The story involves a wealthy family with the usual assortmentment of relatives and problems with relationships. The script is tpyical Woody Allen fare, though perhaps a little below par. What sets this apart are the musical numbers and the voice-over narrative, all very much 1940s style and thus reminiscent of Radio Days. Allen has dragged together yet another cast of well-known actors and made them sing their own numbers. Hence we see Tim Roth sing a quiet number to Drew Barrymore in a roof garden while Edward Norton bursts into a huge choreographed number at a jewellers store.
It's a very sentimental project. Some of it hits the mark but some falls a little flat. The musical numbers are the star of the movie but the usually razor sharp Woody Allen script has suffered a little from lack of attention. What it does prove is that Goldie Hawn can still act given a decent script and that, facially, Drew Barrymore is starting to resemble a young Bette Davis.
Bean - The Ultimate Disaster Movie (3.5)
Mr Bean (alias Rowan Atkinson), star of some 14 half hour comedy sketches on British TV, gets his first big screen break. Unfortunately, while 30 minutes of Mr Bean's rubber-faced antics and novel solutions to awkward situations is at times hilarious on the small screen, when the same amount of material is stretched to three times the running length even a bigger budget can't save it.
The scenario has Mr Bean working as security guard to the National Gallery. He is packed off to Los Angeles when the Americans request someone from the gallery to unveil their newest art treasure, a very expensive painting. The usual silent comedy mayhem ensues, though this time around Mr Bean does in fact utter a few lines of dialogue. There are some very funny gags (Notably the practical joke on the theme park ride) but many fall a bit flat and others are merely lifted from Mr Bean's TV escapades. This would all work fine if it was another half-hour sketch but there isn't nearly enough material to sustain almost 90 minutes.
The title does the movie an injustice. This isn't quite the ultimate disaster but it certainly comes close to being one.
Men In Black (6)
A big budget sci-fi comedy that doesn't rely solely on its special effects to impress, but actually scores curtesy of the chemistry between its 2 leading men - Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. However, the film's best weapon is in the subtle conceit of the set-up - No X Files style alien paranoia here! Oh no! Aliens have been visiting earth for years and a top secret government agency administers to all their immigration controls in return for the best technology other galaxies can provide. And this agency isn't one with a sit-in-the-basement budget and attitude. These gutys are as close to Mulder and Scully as James Bond is to the novels of John Le Carre. The meanest threads and the coolest shades are de-rigeur.
The all-too-thin plot involves a galaxy the size of a large bauble which develops a powerful weapon and thus becomes a target for its enemies. As the bauble is currently on Earth, it's galactic enemies have no qualms about destroying our planet in order to destroy the galaxy. It is the task of agents J and K (Smith and Jones) to recover the bauble/galaxy before it falls into the wrong hands.
As a variant of the buddy cop movie, new recruit Will Smith bounces some above average one-liners off seen-it-all, done-it-all partner Tommy Lee Jones. Jones' performance in particular is extremely funny as he takes every absurd situation in his stride.
Maybe not the most original Summer Blockbuster but, given the current crop of movies on release in the UK, certainly worth a look if you want some mindless fun and are happy not to take your science fiction too seriously.
One Fine Day (4.5)
Michelle Pfeiffer is an architect about to seal the deal of her career. George Clooney is a journalist who may have a big scoop on his hands if he can just secure some evidence. Unfortunately for both, they've been landed with looking after their respective kids for the day. They meet up through a set of very contrived circumstances, hate each other instantly, and are forced through necessity to agree to take turns child-minding for both children while the other dashes off to some important appointment.
A very predictable and threadbare romantic comedy saved only by the performances of Pfeiffer and Clooney.
Murder At 1600 (4.5)
Wesley Snipes is a homicide cop investigating the murder of a woman at the Whitehouse. The Secret Service are less than happy to co-operate with the investigation, as is the head of Whitehouse security (the bald headed one from Murder One). One of the Secret Service agents (Diane Lane) is assigned to keep tabs on Wesley Snipes but, fortunately for him, she begins to assist him when evidence begins to point towards some kind of cover-up.
Fairly routine thriller which has its moments but is ultimately rather forgettable.
Batman And Robin (3)
Great sets, great effects, shame about everything else! The fourth movie in the Batman franchise proves to be even less entertaining than the last one, even though Val Kilmer has been replaced by George Clooney. This has little to do with Clooney's acting ability and far more to do with the apalling script and lack of both plot and direction. Even the dedicated ER fan who accompanied me was disappointed. Never mind replacing Batman. If this fraanchise is going to survive for another outing the Joel Schumacher will have to be consigned to Arkham Asylum - after all, he's a bigger threat to Batman's future than any villain.
Even the costumes are somehow boring this time around. Mr Freeze (Arnie) looks more like the Michelin Man. Bat Girl's costume shows no originality whatsoever. Only Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy escapes relatively unscathed. Her costume is passable but more importantly practical, allowing her freedom of movement to act a little vampish and have some fun.
As for plot - this involves Poison Ivy conning Mr Freeze into exacting revenge upon Gotham City (and afterwards the rest of the planet) by bringing about a new ice age and thereby returning Earth to the plants, except for the 2 villains naturally. Did I say 2? Actually there's a third villain, Bane, but whereas he comes across as an interesting villain in the novelisations of the graphic novels, his presence here is never fully explained.
This film may hold your attention for the first 10 minutes. The remaining 75 will be a struggle. If I hadn't already seen Speed 2, I might be predicting this as the biggest flop among the so-called Summer Blockbusters.
Private Parts (5.5)
A film biopic of the famous American shock-jock Howard Stern, starring the man himself. It shows how he started out in the radio business and worked in a string of radio stations, gradually refining his unrehearsed format until he could be assured of offending and entertaining his listeners in equal measure.
Although extremely funny in places, the film ultimately fails to deliver because it is neither particularly shocking or offensive (unless you count some gratuitous nudity). Considering that this is exactly what has made Howard Stern famous, it seems rather a strange omission. Entertaining enough, but 'Good Morning Vietnam' it isn't.
Do not leave before the end credits have rolled if you want to see why the Academy won't dare to honour Stern's performance next March!
The Devil's Own (4)
Routine thriller starring Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford. Pitt is a wanted IRA terrorist who travels to the United States in order to secure a cache of Stinger missiles. His contacts secure him lodgings with an Irish American (Ford) who happens to be a hard-waorking New York cop. The two men become friends. Ford has problems of his own to contend with and thus is totally unaware of his lodger's plans until he and his wife find themselves attacked by masked gunmen after Pitt chooses to delay payment to his arms dealers. As the net begins to close in on the Irish terrorist, Harrison Ford is forced to decide whether to turn his friend in to the NYPD or allow him to be hunted down by the SAS.
Lack-lustre performances from both stars combined with a predictable plot make this a film in which it is hard to care what happens to either character. Claims that the film is pro-IRA are not completely unfounded, though this bias appears to be a by-product of the plot rather than a deliberate political stance.
Con Air (6.5)
A typical Hollywood Summer blockbuster containing plenty of action, mayhem and humour in equal measure. The plot doesn't bear close examination but the acting is reasonable, and so it should be with a cast which includes the likes of Nicholas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich,Ving Rhames and Steve Buscemi.
Nicholas Cage is an ex marine, paroled after 7 years for comitting a murder in self defence. Being flown home to join his wife and daughter, he is sharing the plane with numerous extremely dangerous convicts who are being transported to a new maximum security prison. The convicts engineer an escape and take over the plane so it is left to Cage to play the action hero and save the day, assisted from the ground by John Cusack as a cop trying to prevent his colleagues from just blowing the plane out of the sky.
A big budget slice of Saturday night hokum, high on UMV and OTT set pieces. Leave your brain at the check-in desk and enjoy!
Speed 2: Cruise Control (2.5)
If you thought the original film starring Keaunu Reeves and Sandra Bullock was a thrilling roller-coaster ride full of action and suspense and were eagerly awaiting the sequel then take my advice and save your money. This film is definitely in line to be the most expensive flop among the 1997 Summer blockbusters.
Sandra Bullock reprises her role but is teamed with Jason Patrick as the new man in her life who also excels at risking life and limb in the fight against crime. Again divided into 3 segments, Speed 2 starts with a completely pointless motor bike chase and ends with a boring speed boat chase. Sandwiched between these is an episode on board a runaway cruise liner where a disgruntled ex-employee (Willem Dafoe) has taken control of all the on-board computer systems via a laptop sat in his cabin. There is barely an unpredictable moment in the whole film and only one impressive stunt. This has about the same level of tension and excitement as watching paint dry.
Brassed Off (7)
Ewan McGregor, Tara Fitzgerald, Pete Postlethwaite and Stephen Tompkinson star in this tale of a colliery brass band in a Yorkshire town at a time when the pit is under threat of closure.
Tara Fitzgerald is the northern lass with an ulterior motive for returning to her home town who joins the band (She plays a mean flugle!) and rekindles a relationship with her former childhood sweetheart (McGregor). Postlethwaite is the band leader who wants nothing more than to win the national championships while his son (Tompkinsson) drifts ever closer to losing his job, his home and his marriage.
A low budget Channel 4 production. Essentially a drama but with a nice sense of humour. Up-lifting in a rather down-beat sort of way.
The Fifth Element (7.5)
Bruce Willis is a New York cabbie in the 23rd century who gets mixed up in a quest to track down the mysterious fifth element which alone can save Mankind from imminent destruction by an evil force threatening to engulf the Earth. His adventure begins when a beautiful young woman (literally) drops into his cab while being pursued by the cops, and from there on he has to contend not only with the Law but with a mysterious priest (Ian Holm), a lunatic gangster (Gary Oldman) and a bunch of hairy aliens.
It's not exactly what Luc Besson's fans might expect of a sci-fi blockbuster from the French director. His distinctive visual flare is certainly present, though his vision of the future is painted in bold, bright colours lending it a look more reminiscent of Dick Tracy and Back To The Future II than of the more popular bleak cityscapes of Blade Runner et al. The film steals elements from just about everything else in the genre. You'll have fun trying to spot them all. (Note the Egyptian temple at the beginning which I swear is exactly the same set as used in Stargate). The plot threatens to go off the rails occasionally but there's no shortage of action and humour, especially when towards the end it becomes almost Die Hard in space.
It may not be classic science fiction but it makes for a fun night at the movies nonetheless.
Breakdown (7)
Kurt Russell and his wife are driving across the States to re-start their lives in a new town. The car breaks down in the middle of nowhere and a lorry driver kindly gives his wife a lift to the nearest diner to phone for assistance while Kurt stays with the vehicle. He eventually realises that the malfunction is caused by a displaced lead, duly fixes the problem and sets off to pick up his wife. However, he finds no sign of her at the diner and the locals seem anything but helpful.
For the first 45 minutes this is an intelligent and thought-provoking thriller as Kurt Russell becomes more and more frustrated as he desperately tries to figure out what has happened to his wife. In both premise and atmosphere, it is similar to The Vanishing. To give away more of the plot would be unfair to those who have yet to see it. Suffice to say that while it always holds the attention, unlike it's Dutch predecessor this veers off the rails a little during the second half as some of the action begins to stretch credulity. What starts out as an entertaining mystery thriller climaxes with a finale reminiscent of Duel or The Hitcher.
Austin Powers (4.5)
Mike Myers (Wayne's World) stars as a famous 60s British fashion designer, playboy and super-spy in this distinctly kitsch spoof of the Bond, Flint and Matt Helm style movies plus more besides. When Dr Evil (a bald-headed villain with a white cat) evades capture by launching himself into space in a cryogenic chamber, Austin Powers opts to pursue him through time by volunteering to be frozen himself. As super-spy and super-villain thaw out in the present day and Dr Evil hatches yet another plan for world domination, the question is not so much who will win the day but will either of them manage to adapt to the 90s life-style.
It's a clever idea and some of it works well, especially the clash of 60s behaviour with 90s attitudes. Some of the better jokes are genuinely very funny. Unfortuanately, many more fall a bit flat or get repeated numerous times just in case the audience didn't get them first time around (A classic example being hench-woman Alotta Vagina). The idea that this groovy 60s hero, regarded as so hip and suave in his own time that his chat-up line 'Do you want a shag?' is all he required to bed the birds, is regarded by 90s folk as rather crass is entertaining for a while but then begins to wear thin.
If the script and the humour was as sharp and witty as some of the observations, this could have been very funny indeed. Unfortunately it adopts an almost slap-stick approach at times and attempts to wring every last breath of life out of each joke. There is one compensation however, Elizabeth Hurley has never looked more stunning (Not even at the Oscars!).
Donnie Brasco (5.5)
Intelligent crime thriller based upon a true story. Johnny Depp portrays an FBI agent who goes undercover to infiltrate the Mafia in New York. Al Pacino is the the member of the Mafiosi who trusts him and whose life will therefore be endangered as and when the FBI bust the crime syndicate and DEpp's true identity is revealed.
Directed by Philipp Noyce with solid performances from Depp and Pacino plus good support from Michael Madsen. Not particularly action-packed and therefore recommended for mobster movie afficionados only.
Absolute Power (5.5)
Clint Eastwood is a jewel thief who, whilst on a job, witnesses a woman being murdered by her lover, Gene Hackman. What is particularly interesting is that her lover is none other than the President of the United States and the secret service are keen to cover up the crime by making it appear to be a burglary. Thus, not only does Clint Eastwood become prime suspect in the police investigation led by Ed Harris but he is also the target of secret service hit-men and a private assassin hired by the victim's husband.
Such an entertaining premise utilising such a distinguished cast promises a taught and exciting thriller. Somehow it doesn't quite manage to deliver on either score. Instead it plods along fairly routinely and is ultimately forgettable once the end crdits have rolled.
Crash (4)
Having finally outwitted the Daily Mail and Westminster City Council by flying several thousand miles to San Francisco, it's rather a shame to have to report that this isn't one of David Cronenberg's better films.
The idea that there are people who derive sexual thrills from watching car accidents is highly original but ultimately not very entertaining. James Spader gets caught up in this world after a car accident involving Holly Hunter. The film has one or two good moments (Notably the recreation of James Dean's fatal car crash) but doesn't contain enough decent material to sustain a full length feature film.
It's easy to see why some factions have been offended by the disturbing subject matter and the sexual content but it does not deserve to be banned in the UK, especially as such a move has only served to provide more publicity for the film than it actually deserves.
When Andy Garcia graduates from law school he believes all crime to be black and white. Either a crime has been committed or it hasn't. But as he ascends the New York political ladder, first to Assistant District Attorney and then to District Attorney, he learns to view crime in varying shades of grey.
Nice idea, shame about the execution. Important elements of the plot happen almost too hastily for the audience to keep up with. Garcia's meteoric rise from law graduate to D.A. occurs so quickly as to be almost unbelievable. Likewise his sexual relationship with a fellow attorney. Ultimately important to the plot, though one moment they've just met and the next they're living together.
Not a bad film. Sidney Lumet's direction is competent and Andy Garcia and Richard Dreyfuss act well enough in two of the key roles Just not one which held this particular reveiwer's attention.
The Lost World (6.5)
After the overwhelming success of Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton was offered an obscene amount of money by the film industry to pen a sequel, elements of which form the basis of this new movie.
On the original breeding site (another island) the dinosaurs that should have expired are still surviving. Richard Attenborough despatches a team of scientists led by Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore (formerly Laura Dern's character) to investigate. Meanwhile, the major financial investors in Richard Attenborough's original venture have launched their own expedition to bring back exxhibits for a theme park on US soil.
Although the film has its moments, it is little more than a tired re-run of Jurassic Park. The special effects are even more impressive than the original but the thrill of seeing the dinosaurs on screen is diminished the second time around. Expect wholesome mindless entertainment aand huge box office receipts.
The Relic (5)
Following the arrival of a rather puzzling cargo from one of its researchers, a Chicago museum is plagued by a series of strange deaths. The local police wish to close the museum and conduct a thorough search of the premises but are under pressure to allow a gala opening of a new exhibition to proceed. Needless to say, it's not long before the lives of the entire guest list are endangered by the mysterious killer in the basement.
A classic B movie horror flick elevated from the straight-to-video market curtesy of a big budget. The dodgy scientific hypothesis employed to explain the hybrid monster is so implausible as to make the plot of Anaconda look sensible by comparison. Scary, laughable and predictable in equal measures.
Anaconda (4.5)
A film crew take a trip up the Amazon to shoot a documentary about a lost tribe. When one of the crew has a diving accident, a snake hunter (Jon Voight) saves his life. However, the hunter is intent upon capturing a 40 foot anaconda. Needless to say, it's not long before the lives of the entire crew are endangered by both the hunter and his intended prey.
The acting is distinctly mediocre, the dialogue apallingly banal, and Jon Voight's performance so OTT that this is almost so bad that it's good. Short on horror but long on unintentional laughs.
Liar Liar (6.5)
Jim Carrey is a lawyer more intent on getting to the top of his profession than remembering to attend special occasions with his son. After phoning in a woeful excuse for not attending his son's 5th birthday party (Actually he's being seduced in the office by Amanda Donahoe), said son makes a birthday wish which comes true. Thus Daddy isn't able to lie for 24 hours. This soon begins to cause major problems for the lawyer with an important court case.
Carrey is a little more restrained than usual which helps the plot to develop. Although much of it hinges upon a wafer-thin premise and the female roles are dreadfully under-developed (as are everyone's) in order to make way for Carrey, the film is still very enjoyable. Carrey goes through his repertoire of facial contortions (always a good laugh) and throws in a few one-liners. There are also one or two scenes, especially the boardroom meeting, which are so hilarious that they will have you in stitches.
If you want a trip to the cinema to have a good laugh then this is the movie to see.
Scream (7)
Wes Craven is a master of the horror genre and understands the code of ethics inherent within it. If a character says they'll be right back, you know damned well they won't be! He's already sent up his own A Nightmare On Elm Street, but this time (with tongue firmly planted in cheek) he goes one further by sending up the entire slash-and-stalk genre.
A year to the day after her Mother was brutally raped and murdered, Drew Barrymore is trapped in her home by a knife-wielding maniac, the only hope of escape for her and her boyfriend is if she can answer one simple question: 'Name the killer in 'Friday The 13th.' (Do you know? Do you really know?). Like the majority of the audience, she gives the wrong answer. And thus the local high school population is reduced by 2 and everyone has their own theories on who the killer might be.
And now the suspects are wheeled out in droves. Is it the jilted boyfriend? Or the geek who works in the video store and knows every piece of movie trivia? Maybe it's the school principal? Just as you think you have the answer, Wes Craven seems to kill off your prime suspect every time. The usual set of potential victims are also present. A local cop, a reporter out for a big story, a house full of students having a party. One or two deaths are clearly sign-posted. The rest are not. And the cleverest twist of all is in the final resolution because all-along the audience has been making one very big assumption which has never been a part of the horror movie code.
An entertaining slice of Saturday night hokum.
Return Of The Jedi - Special Edition (7)
The weakest episode of the trilogy starts well enough with the impressive rescue of Han Solo from Jabba The Hut's palace on the planet Tatooine. Unfortunately it's downhill from there on as the action focuses on the construction of a new Death Star (couldn't they think of something more original?) and the Alliance plans to destroy it. Said plans involve sending a small team to the planet Endor to deactivate the the energy shield protecting the Empire's new weapon. And thus are we introduced to the most cute, cuddly and annoying creatures in the entire Star Wars saga - the Ewoks!
The film fails to retain the darkness of its predecessors and instead plays everything slightly more for laughs. Only when Luke Skywalker, now a fully fledged Jedi knight, confronts Darth Vader and the Emporer in the final showdown does normality return.
As for the special edition - the upgraded sound is used to good effect, especially when Jabba's sail barge is destroyed. There is a small amount of extra footage prior to Han Solo's rescue and one or two extra shots during the closing celebrations following the destruction of the Empire.
The Empire Strikes Back - Special Edition (10)
Already by far the best film in the Star Wars trilogy, the special edition contains only minor tweeks to the visuals plus a THX sound make-over. After all, if it's not broken, don't fix it!
As the Empire continues to pursue the rebels across the galaxy, so the action moves from one stunning set piece to the next. Beginning with a land-based invasion by Imperial forces on the ice planet Hoth, swiftly moving on to a nifty piece of flying as Han Solo outwits the baddies in an asteroid belt and culminating in the best light sabre duel of the trilogy as Luke Skywalker does battle with Darth Vader in Cloud City.
Along the way, the film finds time to flesh out the romantic interest between Princess Leia and Han Solo. Their bouts of verbal sparring may be corny but they're also effective, including a classic one-liner (cleverly reversed in Return Of The Jedi) as Princess Leia decares her love for Han Solo just as he is about to be frozen in carbonite. As if all this was not enough, along comes the stunning revelation about the dysfunctional Skywalker family plus a strong hint of the revelation yet to come in the third instalment.
As with the rest of the trilogy, not all the acting is particularly first rate. But when the story, the characters, the action and the effects are this engaging, it doesn't need to be. Nights out at the movies don't come any better than this!
The Saint (5.5)
Dispensing with the general public's idea of the suave, debonair chap who could never resist helping a damsel in distress, this film portrays Simon Templar as an international thief interested in art, technology or industrial secrets so long as the price is right. Making him more of an anti-hero could have been a clever touch to appeal to a 90s audience but unfortunately it is completely destroyed by casting Val Kilmer, a man who displays all the charm of a geeky scientist (one of many disguises which The Saint employs).
The action flits between Moscow and London. There are some enjoyable Mission Impossible style set pieces though for the most part the bad guys would be hard pushed to give the Keystone Cops much trouble! Romantic interest comes in the form of Elisabeth Shue, a scientist on the verge of perfecting Cold Fusion technology whose secrets Simon Templar is employed to steal before falling in love and attempting to be more of the nice guy we remember from TV.
Watchable, but prepare to be disappointed if you're expecting to see a big screen version of either the Roger Moore or the Ian Ogilvy TV series.
Secrets And Lies (8)
A funny and touching film, set among the suburbs and terraces of London, which centres around a portrait photographer (Timothy Spall), his elder sister (Brenda Blethyn) an her obnoxiously moody daughter. Into their world steps a young black woman seeking her real mother, not knowing what to expect but rather dumb-founded to learn she is white. Though not as surprised as her Mother upon discovering that she has a black daughter!
Binding together the family squabbles and tragic revelations is a story packed with splendid dialogue and performances. Brenda Blethyn is truly outstanding and desrves all the awards which have been bestowed upon her. Timothy Spall ( a man better known for British TV comedy) is equally superb.
A heart-warming, low budget gem, the likes of which only the British can make.
The People Vs Larry Flynt (6.5)
A film that has courted a lot of controversy in the United States and whose box office has suffered as a result. This relates the tale of how Larry Flynt built a huge porn empire out of humble beginnings after spotting a gap in the market and plugging it with Hustler magazine. Flynt was abhored by the self-righteous, god-fearing bible belt of America, crippled by a sniper's bullet and dragged through one federal court case after another, all the time citing the American Constitution as justification of his right to publish such material.
Woody Harrelson is in fine form as the central character but is ultimately upstaged by Courtmey Love in her first big screen outing as Althea, the ex-stripper whom Flynt married. The film is certainly guilty of viewing Larry Flynt's activities through rose-tinted spectacles but Love's performance as Althea turns to heroin and then later contracts Aids goes some way to redressing the balance by helping to provide a glimpse of the seamier side of Flynt's life-style.
It is debatable as to whether this film will attract much interest in the UK. It certainly deserves to because at the heart of this is the concept of freedom of choice. The Americans may not be happy with everything that is presented to them but at least they can choose whether to view such material. That is a diminishing luxury here in Britain where a climate of censorship continues to loom.
Dante's Peak (6)
A by-the-book formulaic disaster movie with Pierce Brosnan as a vulcanologist sent to investigate possible activity at the site of a long dormant volcano. He concludes that the volcano will blow but is over-ruled by his boss when he attempts to convene an emergency meeting of the local town council because it would cause panic and have repercussions for the tourist trade. Ultimately Brosnan proves to be right, borne out by a special effects laden finale comparable with last year's Twister.
The build-up is suitably slow, with Brosnan becoming romantically entangled with the town's mayor (Linda Hamilton) which allows us to become acquainted with her family - son, daughter and ex mother-in-law who lives on the mountain. And if that isn't cliched enough for you, there's also a pet dog!
Brosnan and Hamilton are passable though they are severely hampered by some crass dialogue. The plot is extremely cliched but still has some nail-biting moments. Ultimately though, it's the special effects which will keep you watching. Personally, I think some more information about the volcanos would have been beneficial. For such a big budget movie, this is distinctly average.
William Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet (8)
Leonardo Di Caprio and Claire Danes are the star-crossed lovers in this bold vision of the bard's famous love story. Director Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom) presents a contemporary adaptation set in the mythical town of Verona Beach (possibly in Florida?) where the Montagues and Capulets are battling corporations and Rapier and Dagger are but two makes of handgun. Somehow this weaves Shakespeare's original text with stunning (at times almost OTT) visuals amidst a blur of MTV-style editing and surprisingly doesn't end up as a mess. It may be gimmicky, but it works!
Di Caprio and Danes are believable in the lead roles and are ably supported by a cast including Brian Denehey, John Leguizamo and Pete Postlethwaite. The modern slant lends greater understanding to the intricacies of the plot for those, like me, not well-versed in the nuances of Shakespeare's dialogue. As for the visuals - these are imaginative to the point of almost over-shadowing the rest of the movie. The masked ball is truly something else - complete with drag queen (No doubt the Australian influence!).
Perhaps not for the purists (What with the balcony scene having been moved to the swimming pool) but for those of us who usually find wrestling with Shakespeare's prose somewhat tiresome - a rare treat.
Star Wars - Special Edition (9)
A long time ago in a far distant galaxy ....
Actually it was 20 years ago and only 25 miles away when I first scived off from games with 2 of my friends one Tuesday afternoon to see what has since become the most influential film of the past 20 years. Now George Lucas has given the entire trilogy a special effects dust-and-brush-up by adding THX sound, enhanced visual effects and even a few extra frames.
The extra footage has been spliced very cleverly and, although none of it in any way really adds to the story, it does add to the overall visual spectacle. A pity the same can't be said of the sound. While by no means poor, it wasn't as good as I had expected it to be. There were one or two explosive moments when the difference was noticeable but for the most part it was no better than I remembered from before.
Nonetheless, the sheer spectacle of the movie right from the opening credits disappearing into the distance and the Imperial battle-cruiser flying in over your right ear through to the destruction of the Death Star make this a must-see for all ages, even if you have already seen it countless times on TV, video or laserdisc. And those of you who, like me, remember the excitement of seeing it the first time around - round up the kids (by force if necessary - may it be with you always!) and treat them to a real cinematic experience.
Lone Star (8.5)
When the remains of a Texas Ranger who disappeared 30 years previously turn up on the now defunct rifle range of a soon-to-be-closed army base, the local sheriff of this desert border town is called in to investigate. This brings him into contact with a variety of characters and cultures as he tries to piece together the truth. Much of ths takes the form of anecdotal flashbacks which gradually rounds out the lives and past histories of the town's inhabitants.
This is part drama, part soap and part mystery and part history lesson of how the Lone Star state came into being, bound together with some serious social comment on racism and family conflict. A solid ensemble cast portrays a host of interesting, well-rounded characters. But it is the script that really crackles. Not because of any glib one-liners, but because John Sayles shows that he knows how to really tell a story and keep it interesting. Already nominated for Best Original Screenplay, I for one believe that he thoroughly deserves to win it.
Towards the end of the Second World War, a hideously scarred burns patient (Ralph Fiennes) comes into the care of a nurse (Juliette Binoche) in the shelter of an Italian villa. Though at first he is unsure of his identity or even what nationality he is, his memory gradually returns - aided by helpful hints from an enigmatic thief (Willem Dafoe). Within these flashbacks unfolds the tragic tale of Ralph Fiennes love for a married woman (Kristin Scott Thomas) during 1938-39 while drawing up maps of the Sahara Desert. In a mirror image of this romance, Binoche falls for a Sikh bomb disposal expert - and it doesn't require Mensa abilities to know that something bad is going to happen!
Anthony Minghella directs this powerful tale of love and betrayal against a backdrop of stunning desert locations. The cinematography is first rate, as are most of the performances. Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche are excellent. Kristin Scott Thomas is outstanding.
The film has already been nominated for 12 Oscars and I shall be surprised if it doesn't come away with at least half of them. In these days of big budget special effects movies, this is an excellent reminder that you can't beat good old-fashioned story-telling.
Irma Vep (3.5)
(French: English subtitles)
This is a movie about movie making, at the core of which lies 2 big movie 'in jokes.' The first is that the film director within the movie is filming a remake of Les Vampires, a well known French serial circa 1915-16. The second 'joke' is that he casts Maggie Cheung in the lead role of Irma Vep (the name being an obvious anagram) because he fancies seeing her in black leather. Those familiar with Hong Kong action movies will doubtless know that Maggie Cheung is a big movie star in her native land, so the joke is a clever one as she gets to play herself in the main role of this movie too!
Maggie Cheung sails through this as the actress who finds herself having to contend with a director on the verge of losing his marbles and a wardrobe assistant intent upon making lesbian advances. Unfortunately, a couple of clever jokes alone can not support an entire movie. Although director Olivier Assayas is doubtless trying to convey a subtle message regarding the current state of French cinema, it's origins and its future, for the most part it elluded me as I dare say it will most people.
Jane Campion's adaptation of Henry James' classic novel comes across as rather a cold-hearted affair, which is a shame considering that the material promises so much more. Set equally in England and Italy, this is a sort of 19th century Dangerous Liasons with Nicole Kidman as an American woman as the centre of attention among English society. John Malkovich is the man that woos her, encouraged by an enigmatic and scheming Barbara Hershey.
This is a beautifully shot period drama but, at a running time of approximate 150 minutes, it is at least half an hour too long. The story is told at such a lazy pace that it is hard to remain attentive throughout. The performances are solid enough, with perhaps Kidman and Hershey standing out a little above the rest. John Malkovich plays his usual brooding character which here appears more unlikeable than ever. This is not helped by the fact that many scenes are darkly lit.
If only the narrative was as strong as the photography, this could have been higly entertaining.
Blood And Wine (6)
A Coen-style thriller set in sunny Florida which lacks the Coens' touch. Jack Nicholson is a wine merchant who, with some inside help and the aid of a professional burglar (Michael Caine), steals a valuable diamond necklace from one of his customers. Following a violent argument, his wife and son unknowingly make off with the jewels and Nicholson and Caine have no option but to chase after them.
For the most part this is enjoyable enough fare though the performances are strictly mediocre. The plot twists and turns amiably but is rarely nail-biting stuff. Unfortunately it suffers from a laughable and unnecessarily violent denouement.
Mars Attacks (6.5)
Tim Burton blows $70 million on producing a spoof / hommage to all those 1950s sci-fi B movies. Bug-eyed Martians invade Earth and having completely overwhelmed the combined military forces of our meagre planet, ultimately fail thanks to a band of plucky individuals who refuse to lie down and die.
Conceived from a set of 1960s bubble-gum trading cards, the Martians are not only a wonder of CGI special effects but are irrrdeemably stupid and nasty toboot whereas the Humans are, almost to a man, just plain stupid - none more so than Jack Nicholson as the American president. For this reason alone, it is hard not to support the invaders.
The all-star cast (including Nicholson in 2 roles, Glenn Close, Michael J Fox, Annette Bening, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Danny DeVito and even Tom Jones!) are all but squandered. The plot is thin but the dialogue is peppered with some nice one-liners the best of which is delivered by Glenn Close as the president's wife. Not all the jokes work and you have to be a science fiction movie afficianado to appreciate many of them - but if you are then this will, at the very least, least be entertaining.
For my money, the best gag is the spoof of This Island Earth as a spaceship carrying Pierce Brosnan and Sarah Jessica Parker heads towards a watery grave.
The Crucible (8.5)
In 1692 in the American town of Salem, a group of young girls started behaving very strangely. In such a puritannical and superstitious society, there appeared to be but one explanation for this conduct - witchcraft. And thus began the Salem witch trials, during which petty jealousies errupted and vendettas were settled. The only possible reprieve from the rope for those accused was to confess. Many refused to do so and ultimately 19 people were condemned to death.
In the early 1950s, inspired by the similarity of the McCarthy witchhunts, Arthur Miller wrote his now famous stageplay. Now he has adapted it for the big screen.
The story is well told and directed by Nicholas Hytner (The Madness Of King George). Although the translation from stageplay to film loses some of the claustrophobia inherent in the piece, this is still a very intense film. It is made all the more so by a collection of well-rounded characters portrayed by a suitable collection of heavyweight actors turning in sterling performances. Among these are Wynona Ryder, Daniel Day Lewis, Joan Allen and Paul Schofield.
A thoroughly enjoyaable evening's entertainment.
Bound (7)
Jennifer Tilly plays a gangster's moll who's had all she can take after watching her boyfriend (literally) launder two million blood-soaked dollars reclaimed from someone unwise enough to cross the mafia. She hatches a plan to take the money for herself and enlists the help of her recently discovered lesbian lover, Gina Gershon, herself an ex-con for robbery.
This is a modern day noir thriller which tries so hard to be stylish that at times it comes close to overdoing it. The first half an hour, in which the passionate friendship between the 2 women is established, is almost laughable. Fortunately however, it picks up a lot once the thriller element of the plot kicks in. Nearly all the action takes place in one apartment which lends this a very claustrophobic atmosphere reminiscent of many a stage play. Plot twists abound as events conspire to force the ladies to alter their plans and the body count begins to rise accordingly.
The performances are solid but nothing special. Nevertheless, this is an entertaining little thriller which genuinely keeps the you wondering right to the end about the outcome.
The Phantom (5)
The year is 1938 and an evil Italian American businessman is intent upon tracking down 3 bejewelled skulls which he believes will provide him with occult superpowers. Enter Billy Zane as The Phantom, bedecked in a purple suit, the latest masked comic strip hero to get the big screen treatment. The Phantom is also familiar with the legend surrounding the skulls and is determined that they should not fall into the wrong hands.
All the usual comic book elements are here. A hero with strange dress sense. A feisty heroine with a taste for adventure. An evil megalomaniac assisted by a troupe of latter-day pirates. Chases on horseback and in bi-planes plus the odd bout of fisticuffs and swordplay to boot. The sets look good and some of the action sequences are quite exciting. That this doesn't ultimately make the grade must be attributed to the lack of chemistry between the leads and some wooden acting on behalf of the forces of evil, not to mention a plot which resembles a poor man's Temple Of Doom.
Ransom (7)
Mel Gibson plays a self-made millionaire airline tycoon whose son is kidnapped. The FBI urge him to pay the ransom but then seem more concerned with catching the perpetrators than saving the boy during the bungled pay-off. A new pay-off is arranged but Gibson has a dawning realisation that by submitting to the kidnappers' demands he is only helping to fuel the fires of every parent's worst nightmare. So instead he turns the tables by offering the ransom as a reward to anyone with information regarding the kidnappers.
It's a neat premise which makes for an interesting thriller. Unfortunately it's a thriller with almost no plot twists. The action sequences are exciting but, Gary Sinise aside, the villains are relatively one-dimensional. Gibson's performance is very watchable, especially during a scene in which he believes his actions have precipitated his son's death. One of those 'What would you do?' scenarios which will generate endless post-viewing discussion.
Shine (7)
A biopic of Australian pianist David Helfgott who was evidently heading for a musical career of stratospheric proportions until suffering a nervous breakdown at the age of 14. He then spent the next 20 years in virtual obscurity before making a comeback.
It's a tale of triumph over adversity which manages to convey a great deal of emotion. David's tyrannical father, while encouraging his music, would not allow him to travel to the United States when the opportunity arose. David eventually ran away from home after being awarded a scholarship at the Royal College of Music.
The supporting cast includes Googie Withers, Lyn Redgarve and Sir John Gielgud, all of whom provide fine performances. But all these pale next to that of Geoffrey Rush portraying the 'comeback' David. The whole affair is nicely directed by Scott Hicks and is laced with a wonderful classical score.
She's The One (5.5)
Gentle romantic comedy which revolves around 2 brothers. The first is a big success on Wall Street, has a beautiful home and a wife to match (Jennifer Anniston) but is secretly having an affair. The second is a New York taxi driver who who marries one of his fares just 24 hours after meeting her but still has fond memories of his former fiancee. Cameron Diaz plays the second brother's former fiancee who just happens to be the first brother's mistress.
The characters and performances are likeable enough but not much really happens. However, there's enough witty one-liners and twenty-something angst to satisfy the Channel 4 sitcom fans.
Extreme Measures (6.5)
Engaging medical thriller in which Hugh Grant is an English doctor working in a New York hospital who starts asking awkward questions after a patient dies on his shift. Although his enquiries yield few answers, someone decides to frame him for drug abuse and so have him struck off the register. This only makes him more determined than ever to get to the truth.
A welcome return to form for Hugh Grant and a departure from the comedies with which he is more readily associated. Gene Hackman is watchable as ever in a supporting role.
Whether the medical aspects are accurately portrayed I cannot say (Over to you, Richard!) but the "What if .." premise at the heart of the plot is both intelligent and thought-provoking enough to raise this just a notch above the average thriller.
Set It Off (8)
Surely we had enough female bonding movies last year during the European Cup? But don't despair! This one is a distinct cut above the rest, not least because these women choose to kick back against a society that has treated them all somewhat unjustly. Each of them has good reason, and they do so in spectacular fashion by robbing a string of banks in L.A.
Intelligent scripting, taught screenplay and stylish cinematography combine to make this an enjoyable thriller that finds time to be both touching and funny along the way. (Watch out for the 'Godfather conference' scene). Wlile small criticisms can be levelled at the plot, particularly the speed with which the women turn to violent crime, it retains enough freshness to pull a few surprises and keep you guessing about the outcome.
Ultimately what holds it all together so well is a nicely balanced set of performances from the ladies. We haven't seen the last of these four, nor director F.Gary Gray. The film's soundtrack contains some good album material and won't disappoint on any half decent home cinema system.
All round nice-guy Tom Hanks not only directs but also stars and co-writes some of the songs in this tale of a 1960s pop group, The Oneders, who hit the big time on the back of Beatlemania with a hit single called That Thing You Do.
The band is portrayed by a cast of relative unknowns. Tom Hanks appears as the manager and Liv Tyler (looking gorgeous as ever) contributes the best performance as the lead singer's girlfriend. The film nicely captures the flavour of 60s America in a 'Happy Days' sort of way. The music is good and the tunes are catchy, though the title tune begins to grate after hearing it for the twentieth time!
Although watchable enough, the film ultimately fails to excite because it is just to damned nice. There are no bad guys whatsoever (And this is the record business?!!!) and therefore very little tension oe excitement. It's hardly dull but it's not gripping either.
The Frighteners (5)
Comedy horror film directed by Peter Jackson (Bad Taste, Heavenly Creatures). Michael J Fox, in league with 3 ghosts, runs a ghost-busting scam in a small American town. When healthy people start dying from 'natural causes', Fox becomes the prime suspect.
The film starts badly with some risible comedy involving the haunted house scam, not helped by a bunch of special effects ghosts vaguely reminiscent of Patrick Swayze in the final scene of Ghost. Fortunately the plot improves a little when people start dying and the mystery element kicks in. This is also helped by the appearance of a hilarious FBI agent, a specialist of the paranormal who is just about as far removed from Fox Mulder as it is possible to be! The final 30 minutes has Michael J Fox chasing the villain while just about everybody else is chasing Fox in an action sequence which just fails to capture the frenetic pace of the Back To The Future movies.
If it had been less ambitious then it might have succeeded, but it tries to mix elements from too meany genres and ends up failing to gel properly. The film has its moments but really is more suited to a wet Friday night on video.
The Ghost And The Darkness (6)
In 1896 army officer Lt. Col. John Patterson(Val Kilmer) is commisioned to build a railway bridge in East Africa as part of a major trade route under construction by the British Empire. No sooner has he arrived at the construction site on the Tsavo River than 2 man-eating lions decide that a little blood sport is in order. Patterson attempts to deal with the creatures himself but when this fails he is forced to bow to the superior hunting expertise of a professional (Michael Douglas).
What is so incredible about this is that it is a true story. In the only incident of its kind ever recorded, the 2 lions were responsible for over 130 deaths during a period of 5 or 6 months. It's an unusual story which has evolved into an uneasy treatment of the material. What might have promised to be 'Jaws in Afica' never quite materialises. However there are enough tense moments interspersed with beautiful African scenery to pass a couple of hours.
Evita (7.5)
Almost 20 years on, one of the world's best known stage musicals finally gets the movie treatment with an all star cast including Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce and .. erm ... Jimmy Nail! Plus about half the population of Argentina as extras.
As a straight forward piece of story-telling, this account of Eva Peron's rise to fame and power in 1940s Argentina is thin on detail and thus serves only as a very superficial history lesson. The stageplay could probably conceal that fact better than when it is transferred to the screen.
However, that aside, this is still a huge musical extravaganza with a cast of (literally) thousands. While the acting is merely mediocre, almost everything else about this production is excellent especially the cinematography and the set design. The music goes without saying! Madonna plays it for all she's worth. She's never likely to enjoy a finer hour on the silver screen and she knows it. Her acting is flaky at times but she delivers the goods in the song and dance departments. Jimmy Nail and Jonathan Pryce have very little to do. Antonio Banderas shines again and proves his star quality through competent singing and enthusiastic acting, appearing in almost as many different guises as Madonna does dresses.
Being the first cinematic musical of any sorts for over a decade, it's difficult to know what to compare this against. As a historical epic it falls a little below par, but as a feature length pop video it exudes a look and style which is little short of excellent
Daylight (5.5)
Sylvester Stallone is the only hope for a stereotypical bunch of trapped survivors after an explosion and subsequent cave-in blocks both ends of the road tunnel running beneath the Hudson River.
Although nothing special, this is a pleasant throw-back to the 1970s when disaster movies were all the rage. It also enables Stallone to mould his action man persona for the 90s so that he can still play the hero without having to gun down half the cast. The acting is distinctly average and the plot is predictable but it's good fun while it's on the screen.