Emma's Chance appears aimed at tween to teenage girls. However, it has broad appeal and works as an educational, family-friendly film on two levels.
In the "big picture," the movie sheds light on the 152,000 horses who are killed each year for meat after they are no longer useful to their owners.
In the "little picture," children will learn about the tremendous time commitment a horse requires-along with the rewards of bonding to an animal. This movie is a must see for anyone who wants a horse. Red Bucket Equine Rescue, the real-life non-profit that serves as the location for the movie, says 85% of first-time horse owners get rid of their animals within five years.
The movie uses Red Bucket to convey its message. Filming took place on the group's ranch in Chino Hills, California. According to its website, all the horses in the movie were rescues, including the star, show jumper "Chance", who was played by four different rescue horses. Actor Missy Pyle portrays real life founder Susan Pierce and actual volunteers filled in as extras.
Adults will learn about the crushing financial burden facing Red Bucket and similar charities in need of support.
Children will learn about the commitment and rewards of taking care of a horse through Emma (Greer Grammer). This "good girl" agrees to perform community service after falling in with the wrong crowd and soon learns to love horses.
At times Emma's Chance feels like an infomercial, much like Apple of My Eye, which used Southeastern Guide Dogs to spotlight guide animals. However, both movies present meaningful messages in a thoughtful and entertaining way.
There is nothing offensive in Emma's Chance. Even the "mean girls" are not really mean, just in need of a teachable moment. The movie moves in an uplifting trajectory and mirrors Emma's increasing self-confidence as she tackles the task of caring for a horse. The final scene may sadden some children, but it teaches an important life lesson.
Reviews
21 Reviews
Apple of My Eye
(II) (2017)
Where's the ending?
30 November 2020
Apple of My Eye is an entertaining and educational look into the world of guide animals. The straight-to-DVD feature ends abruptly. Not cliffhanger-style or in ambiguity, as if asking the audience to ponder a larger truth. The film just ends, like the producers ran out of time or money and never shot the last 20 pages of script.
It's no loss. The movie's main conflict-whether Bailey (Avery Arendes) can bond with a guide animal-is over the moment she meets miniature horse Apple. It's love at first sight, and the rest of the movie is spent integrating Apple into the family. Being a family-friendly film, this happens with few hiccups.
Apple is adorable, but a one trick pony. Anyone expecting a typical "animal" movie with cute stunts and homewrecking will be disappointed. Apple spends her time (yes, Apple is a filly) walking with Bailey and lying down. She performs one stunt. However, as the movie points out, guide dogs (or horses) are working animals-not pets-and should not be treated as such.
Much of the film was shot in cooperation with, and on location at Southeastern Guide Dogs near Tampa, Florida. As a result, Apple of My Eye often feels like a promotional video for the center. That's not bad. The film teaches us a lot about visual impairment, braille, guide animals, their training and their function.
The film boasts a veteran cast, led by Burt Reynolds. He plays Charlie, the center's fatherly director. Amy Smart is Bailey's overworked mom Caroline. Liam McIntyre is unemployed dad Jason. AJ Michalka and Jack Griffo are employees, though sadly Michalka is underutilized.
Apple of My Eye sheds light on an important issue while slipping a sizeable amount of education into an easy to watch 84-minute package. We never notice we're in school. We're too busy watching the adorable Apple.
Pitch Perfect 3
(2017)
Back to Bellas
22 December 2017
If you were a fan of the first Pitch Perfect movie and were disappointed by the bloated sequel, you'll find Pitch Perfect 3 to be acc-awesome. I saw all three movies back-to-back-to-back at the Pitch Perfect Treble feature so I was able to put them into fresh context.
The third chapter gets back to basics and focuses squarely on the core cast, along with Hailee Steinfeld and Chrissie Fit from PP2.
Pitch Perfect always worked best as a "small movie". PP2 made the usual mistake of going big, rather than going deep. The result was needless plot distractions like the Green Bay Packers and Snoop Dogg. Sure, those elements were fun, but they didn't add much. Also gone is the weirdness of PP2, like the Teutonic Das Sound Machine, the Riff Off Host, and jokes about illegal immigrants.
What's left is a much tighter plot featuring the Bellas doing what they do best. My favorite scene in PP3 is the riff off where the group effortlessly segues from song to song. I'm sure it was heavily choreographed and rehearsed, but it seems so natural and reflects a chemistry developed from doing three movies together.
PP3 also avoids the third chapter mistake of trying to cram in everyone who appeared in the earlier features. A lot of the main characters are gone, and the roles of some of the remaining ones - most notably Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins - are diminished to give the Bellas more time. Even the finale, arguably, goes small to focus on the Bellas and their sisterhood.
In the end, this franchise finale is "pitch perfect". To paraphrase Jesse, if you like watching a bunch of girls doing covers of songs one last time, you'll love this movie.
As a final note - PP3 does a nice job closing this chapter of women's lives and also in paying homage to the past movies. Look for references and scenes from the past and enjoy how far these women have come.
The third chapter gets back to basics and focuses squarely on the core cast, along with Hailee Steinfeld and Chrissie Fit from PP2.
Pitch Perfect always worked best as a "small movie". PP2 made the usual mistake of going big, rather than going deep. The result was needless plot distractions like the Green Bay Packers and Snoop Dogg. Sure, those elements were fun, but they didn't add much. Also gone is the weirdness of PP2, like the Teutonic Das Sound Machine, the Riff Off Host, and jokes about illegal immigrants.
What's left is a much tighter plot featuring the Bellas doing what they do best. My favorite scene in PP3 is the riff off where the group effortlessly segues from song to song. I'm sure it was heavily choreographed and rehearsed, but it seems so natural and reflects a chemistry developed from doing three movies together.
PP3 also avoids the third chapter mistake of trying to cram in everyone who appeared in the earlier features. A lot of the main characters are gone, and the roles of some of the remaining ones - most notably Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins - are diminished to give the Bellas more time. Even the finale, arguably, goes small to focus on the Bellas and their sisterhood.
In the end, this franchise finale is "pitch perfect". To paraphrase Jesse, if you like watching a bunch of girls doing covers of songs one last time, you'll love this movie.
As a final note - PP3 does a nice job closing this chapter of women's lives and also in paying homage to the past movies. Look for references and scenes from the past and enjoy how far these women have come.
Paintball
(2009)
Off Target
26 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Watching "Paintball" is like watching one of those studio montages at the beginning of a DVD. You know – the words say something like "celebrating a century of entertainment" as clips of memorable scenes flash by.
Well, like those highlight reels, much of the best of "Paintball" comes directly from other films. At times, as I sat watching this movie at the Tribeca Film Festival, I swore I was watching "Predator," "Pitch Black," "Descent" and even "The Condemned." That's how closely this movie borrows from other flicks. And if you can recall those clips, you can splice together "Paintball's" plot.
The film follows a familiar formula – cocky expert hunters become the hunted.
In this case, a group of paint-ballers answers an ad to play in the ultimate game. Their opponents will be another top team. The location is a remote area in what appears to be a former Soviet republic.
The objective is simple: capture six flags and collect goodie boxes along the way.
Trouble and credibility problems start at the first flag when someone starts firing real bullets.
So how do these pros respond? Instead of disappearing into the woods like good players, they panic and spend the rest of the movie making themselves easy targets by shouting and arguing – and walking along open roads and fields.
It doesn't help matters when the women shed their camouflage duds.
The group does press on because the mysterious goodie boxes offer survival aids like a bullet-proof vest.
Teammates die along the way, but we don't care since the movie never gives anyone much of a back story and the constant screaming and bickering gets tiresome to the point it's almost a relief to have characters die so they'd finally shut up.
That said, "Paintball" is not a bad movie. The action sequences really pop like bursting paint ball pellets, and there are are plenty of other shoot'em ups with bigger budgets that are far worse.
The movie's biggest weakness is that by relying so heavily on other films for material, "Paintball" constantly reminds us these is better work out there – and it's already been done – so why not watch "Predator," "Descent" or "Pitch Dark" on DVD instead?
Well, like those highlight reels, much of the best of "Paintball" comes directly from other films. At times, as I sat watching this movie at the Tribeca Film Festival, I swore I was watching "Predator," "Pitch Black," "Descent" and even "The Condemned." That's how closely this movie borrows from other flicks. And if you can recall those clips, you can splice together "Paintball's" plot.
The film follows a familiar formula – cocky expert hunters become the hunted.
In this case, a group of paint-ballers answers an ad to play in the ultimate game. Their opponents will be another top team. The location is a remote area in what appears to be a former Soviet republic.
The objective is simple: capture six flags and collect goodie boxes along the way.
Trouble and credibility problems start at the first flag when someone starts firing real bullets.
So how do these pros respond? Instead of disappearing into the woods like good players, they panic and spend the rest of the movie making themselves easy targets by shouting and arguing – and walking along open roads and fields.
It doesn't help matters when the women shed their camouflage duds.
The group does press on because the mysterious goodie boxes offer survival aids like a bullet-proof vest.
Teammates die along the way, but we don't care since the movie never gives anyone much of a back story and the constant screaming and bickering gets tiresome to the point it's almost a relief to have characters die so they'd finally shut up.
That said, "Paintball" is not a bad movie. The action sequences really pop like bursting paint ball pellets, and there are are plenty of other shoot'em ups with bigger budgets that are far worse.
The movie's biggest weakness is that by relying so heavily on other films for material, "Paintball" constantly reminds us these is better work out there – and it's already been done – so why not watch "Predator," "Descent" or "Pitch Dark" on DVD instead?
Stay Cool
(2009)
17 Again in Reverse
24 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Can the high school geek who morphed into a best selling author finally bury his adolescent angst by retuning home to give the commencement address? And what about the cute cheerleader he was too shy to call after graduation - even though she asked him to? "Stay Cool" offers a fresh re-telling those familiar stories with a cast of quirky characters that will make you laugh and plenty of memorable lines that you'll long remember.
The film does its work by taking "17 Again" in reverse.
In "17 Again" high school king Zack Efron/Matthew Perry becomes a teen again to deal with issues he could not face as an adult. In "Stay Cool," former bottom feeder, Henry McCarthy (Mark Polish), is an adult, but remains trapped in a 20 year time warp because he never really grew up in the eyes of his hometown.
His parents tell him to eat his veggies and eavesdrop on his phone calls – while Principal Marshall (Chevy Chase) even goes as far as to suspend him from school.
Henry soon learns that to find peace he'll have to deal with issues he avoided long ago. The director-writer Polish brothers make Henry learn his lessons the hard way – from getting busted by the cops to attending the prom. At the Tribeca Film Festival premiere, director Michael Polish says he and his twin Mark crammed 20 years of dealing with high school pain into their movie. "Everything is there."
Complicating his quest is high school hottie Shasta O'Neil (Hillary Duff) who has a crush on Henry. And helping him are high crazy pals – gay hairdresser Big Girl and a butch tattoo artist played by "Lost's" John Holloway.
Of course the big unresolved issue is Henry's life is his high school crush Scarlet Smith (Winona Ryder). Weird, too, since the love interest in "17 Again" is also named Scarlett. As their reunion progresses, we learn, as Big Girl (Sean Austin) observes, that Henry "didn't come back to speak to a thousand people, he came back to speak to one."
And as Henry slowly finds his voice – and the words to his speech – he learns, as Scar told him long ago - how to "Stay Cool."
The film does its work by taking "17 Again" in reverse.
In "17 Again" high school king Zack Efron/Matthew Perry becomes a teen again to deal with issues he could not face as an adult. In "Stay Cool," former bottom feeder, Henry McCarthy (Mark Polish), is an adult, but remains trapped in a 20 year time warp because he never really grew up in the eyes of his hometown.
His parents tell him to eat his veggies and eavesdrop on his phone calls – while Principal Marshall (Chevy Chase) even goes as far as to suspend him from school.
Henry soon learns that to find peace he'll have to deal with issues he avoided long ago. The director-writer Polish brothers make Henry learn his lessons the hard way – from getting busted by the cops to attending the prom. At the Tribeca Film Festival premiere, director Michael Polish says he and his twin Mark crammed 20 years of dealing with high school pain into their movie. "Everything is there."
Complicating his quest is high school hottie Shasta O'Neil (Hillary Duff) who has a crush on Henry. And helping him are high crazy pals – gay hairdresser Big Girl and a butch tattoo artist played by "Lost's" John Holloway.
Of course the big unresolved issue is Henry's life is his high school crush Scarlet Smith (Winona Ryder). Weird, too, since the love interest in "17 Again" is also named Scarlett. As their reunion progresses, we learn, as Big Girl (Sean Austin) observes, that Henry "didn't come back to speak to a thousand people, he came back to speak to one."
And as Henry slowly finds his voice – and the words to his speech – he learns, as Scar told him long ago - how to "Stay Cool."
Vice
(2008)
Daryl Hannah, Drugs and Dics
10 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
"Vice" is a low budget cop noir movie where everyone is flawed, corrupt and/or dying.
It tries to be another "LA Confidential" or even "Street Kings" but falls short due to its simple characters and sets and limited plot.
Like other cop noir, this one begins with a voice-over. Michael Madsen's "Walker" stands in a church observing how no one is really alive. We're just all dead or dying. From there we jump to streetwalker sex and then a drug bust gone bad. During the take down, one of the dealers escapes in a bloody shootout - setting up the rest of the movie. Cops involved in the bust start dying and the Feds come in to investigate.
So who's killing the vice cops? Is it vengeful drug dealers - or members of the unit with secrets to hide? Or maybe it's a homicide cop on the take? Soon no one trusts anyone and everyone is a suspect.
We'd care more about the answers to those questions if the movie had more depth or complexity. It does not. The main character, Madsen's "Walker," is the typical blunt instrument. His main skill is dogged determination. His job is to find out who's killing his vice detectives and why. The rest of his crew is similarly one dimensional, making it hard to care about anyone as they die.
The limited sets contribute to this feeling of apathy. Walker moves in circle that soon becomes repetitive. It's back and forth between the cop shop, a bar and his car. He's like a player caught in an endless video game loop with no way out.
The best part of this film is watching Executive Producer (yes EP) Daryl Hannah slum around. Her "Salt" is a pick-up truck driving undercover narc who looks like Liv Tyler on a bad hair day. The most innocent of the vice cops, Hannah's "Salt" spends most of the movie with her beautiful baby blues covered by black bangs as if she doesn't want to see all the corruption around her.
The movie does end with a nice twist and since everyone has secrets, there are enough red herring to keep you guessing until the end.
My advice, get this one when you have a free video rental coupon.
It tries to be another "LA Confidential" or even "Street Kings" but falls short due to its simple characters and sets and limited plot.
Like other cop noir, this one begins with a voice-over. Michael Madsen's "Walker" stands in a church observing how no one is really alive. We're just all dead or dying. From there we jump to streetwalker sex and then a drug bust gone bad. During the take down, one of the dealers escapes in a bloody shootout - setting up the rest of the movie. Cops involved in the bust start dying and the Feds come in to investigate.
So who's killing the vice cops? Is it vengeful drug dealers - or members of the unit with secrets to hide? Or maybe it's a homicide cop on the take? Soon no one trusts anyone and everyone is a suspect.
We'd care more about the answers to those questions if the movie had more depth or complexity. It does not. The main character, Madsen's "Walker," is the typical blunt instrument. His main skill is dogged determination. His job is to find out who's killing his vice detectives and why. The rest of his crew is similarly one dimensional, making it hard to care about anyone as they die.
The limited sets contribute to this feeling of apathy. Walker moves in circle that soon becomes repetitive. It's back and forth between the cop shop, a bar and his car. He's like a player caught in an endless video game loop with no way out.
The best part of this film is watching Executive Producer (yes EP) Daryl Hannah slum around. Her "Salt" is a pick-up truck driving undercover narc who looks like Liv Tyler on a bad hair day. The most innocent of the vice cops, Hannah's "Salt" spends most of the movie with her beautiful baby blues covered by black bangs as if she doesn't want to see all the corruption around her.
The movie does end with a nice twist and since everyone has secrets, there are enough red herring to keep you guessing until the end.
My advice, get this one when you have a free video rental coupon.
Speed Racer
(2008)
Turbo Charged Family Fun will Win Big at the Box Office
4 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
"Speed Racer" will probably be one of the summer's top grossing movies, making it a must see.
I saw "Speed" at the second sold out screening at the Tribeca Film Festival. The advance ticket line stretched down a New York block, the audience clapped and cheered, leaving excited and talkative.
Why the buzz? Speed appeals to same preteen group that watched the original cartoon, giving it almost no competition this summer.
A lot of parents bought their children to my screening the moms and dads there to remember the kids to see the kaleidoscope of sound and color and to laugh at Spritle and the monkey Chim Chim, whose antics got the chuckles.
Neither group left disappointed, though serious film-goers will be.
"Speed" includes everything from the past from Trixie's helicopter to the gadgets on the Mach 5. It's all packaged in a family safe way. The racing looks like a Hot Wheels video game on steroids so none of the violence (or racing) seems real and the drivers (at least the good ones) escape death by ejecting in little balls.
What "Speed" lacks is something new.
The Brothers Wachowski offer no stunning visual breakthroughs as they did with "bullet time" in "The Matrix." We've seen the film's look in "Spy Kids," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Meantime, we learn nothing more about the Speed Racer saga. The characters have even less depth than in the cartoon and there's almost no plot only a vague storyline about whether Speed should sell out his Pops company to a multi-national sponsor.
So in the end, all this movie will do is make million of dollars for Warner Brothers, a unit of Time Warner, the world's largest media company - ironic for a movie that preaches independence from big business.
I saw "Speed" at the second sold out screening at the Tribeca Film Festival. The advance ticket line stretched down a New York block, the audience clapped and cheered, leaving excited and talkative.
Why the buzz? Speed appeals to same preteen group that watched the original cartoon, giving it almost no competition this summer.
A lot of parents bought their children to my screening the moms and dads there to remember the kids to see the kaleidoscope of sound and color and to laugh at Spritle and the monkey Chim Chim, whose antics got the chuckles.
Neither group left disappointed, though serious film-goers will be.
"Speed" includes everything from the past from Trixie's helicopter to the gadgets on the Mach 5. It's all packaged in a family safe way. The racing looks like a Hot Wheels video game on steroids so none of the violence (or racing) seems real and the drivers (at least the good ones) escape death by ejecting in little balls.
What "Speed" lacks is something new.
The Brothers Wachowski offer no stunning visual breakthroughs as they did with "bullet time" in "The Matrix." We've seen the film's look in "Spy Kids," "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."
Meantime, we learn nothing more about the Speed Racer saga. The characters have even less depth than in the cartoon and there's almost no plot only a vague storyline about whether Speed should sell out his Pops company to a multi-national sponsor.
So in the end, all this movie will do is make million of dollars for Warner Brothers, a unit of Time Warner, the world's largest media company - ironic for a movie that preaches independence from big business.
Rise: Blood Hunter
(2007)
Been There; Done That
18 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
"Rise: Bloodhunter" is a dull vampire movie that adds nothing to its genre. Like "Blade" and "Underworld," Bloodhunter tells the story of a reluctant vampire (is there any other kind?), Lucy Liu, who seeks revenge on her own kind. Unlike "Blade" or "Underworld," Bloodhunter is lacking in special effects, special weapons and special style.
Bloodhunter's vampires are a boring lot. Unlike your typical vamps, they neither fly nor shape shift. They also lack superhuman strength and a sense of fashion. Their dress is every day casual with Lucy Liu preferring grunge and six inch clogs to Kate Beckinsale's cat suit and stilettos.
And these vamps don't vamp. The over the top sexuality in "Blade" and "Underworld" is missing. With the exception of one scene that hints at really stylized depravity, feeding time has all the excitement and messiness of mystery meat day in the school cafeteria. Victims are dispatched quickly with little setup or foreplay. Afterwards, we are left with a corpse that looks like it's been in the losing end of a food fight.
The weaponry is also disappointing. Liu kills her brethren with a dainty, pistol-like cross bow that makes her look like a demented Cupid. There is no specialized high tech, WMVD (Weapons of Mass Vampire Destruction) here.
The dialogue is empty, though sometimes it was so bad, it got a laugh from the audience at the Tribeca Film Festival screening I went to. The move is filled with lines like, "Let your dark side emerge," or "There are only two kinds of people who talk in their sleep, those who shut up and those with something to say." What Bloodhunter does have is a more than usual dose of graphic nudity and gore. However, both are included more for shock value. There is little if any sexuality in the nude scenes. The tone is more like, "Is she really going to take off all her clothes on camera?" Similarly the gore has more of a "Grey's Anatomy" operating room feel rather than the true Jackson Pollack-like splatter of "Blade." With nothing new to offer, save your money on this one and rent a good DVD instead.
Bloodhunter's vampires are a boring lot. Unlike your typical vamps, they neither fly nor shape shift. They also lack superhuman strength and a sense of fashion. Their dress is every day casual with Lucy Liu preferring grunge and six inch clogs to Kate Beckinsale's cat suit and stilettos.
And these vamps don't vamp. The over the top sexuality in "Blade" and "Underworld" is missing. With the exception of one scene that hints at really stylized depravity, feeding time has all the excitement and messiness of mystery meat day in the school cafeteria. Victims are dispatched quickly with little setup or foreplay. Afterwards, we are left with a corpse that looks like it's been in the losing end of a food fight.
The weaponry is also disappointing. Liu kills her brethren with a dainty, pistol-like cross bow that makes her look like a demented Cupid. There is no specialized high tech, WMVD (Weapons of Mass Vampire Destruction) here.
The dialogue is empty, though sometimes it was so bad, it got a laugh from the audience at the Tribeca Film Festival screening I went to. The move is filled with lines like, "Let your dark side emerge," or "There are only two kinds of people who talk in their sleep, those who shut up and those with something to say." What Bloodhunter does have is a more than usual dose of graphic nudity and gore. However, both are included more for shock value. There is little if any sexuality in the nude scenes. The tone is more like, "Is she really going to take off all her clothes on camera?" Similarly the gore has more of a "Grey's Anatomy" operating room feel rather than the true Jackson Pollack-like splatter of "Blade." With nothing new to offer, save your money on this one and rent a good DVD instead.
Brooklyn Rules
(2007)
Don't Miss This Look Back at Brooklyn
18 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Brooklyn Rules is an excellent film about the choices made by three best friends who grew up in New York in the 1980s.
Freddie Prinze Jr. plays good guy "Mike. He wants to leave the neighborhood. Scott Caan is bad boy "Carmine." He's tempted by the Mafia and Jerry Ferrara is "Bobby," the comic relief.
The movie begins in "Stand by Me" fashion, with the friends making a discovery in the woods. It then jumps forward 10 years.
Mike (Prinze) is a senior at Columbia University. He wants to escape his working class existence via law school and a Connecticut-bred rich girl (Mena Suvari). Carmine (Caan) looks for respect through Mob connections. And Bobby (Ferrara) is just Bobby, the nice guy with a heart of gold. He lives at home, dates a girl he met at the video store while trying to rent "Brigadoon" and aspires to be a postal clerk.
Together the friends since kindergarten make decisions that ultimately affect them all.
This movie is wonderful. The writing is excellent. The characters are well drawn.
The dialogue is sharp and filled with the witty sarcasm that only comes from New Yorkers. When Carmine asks to borrow $20 till Tuesday, Mike responds, "Why Tuesday?" "That," replies Carmine, "is when I'll tell you I'll pay you back Wednesday." Then there's the line about bad lasagna and a dead dog
As for the characters, they are stereotypical. In this case that works since the film is told by narrative from memory and memory tends to color the past.
The one weakness is a lack of time and place. Although there are plenty of vintage cars, clothing and music, I never felt quite in the 1980s. The big establishing period shots are missing. Instead there are a lot of blurry hand-held traffic shots of night-time New York or generic day shots of the Brooklyn Bridge that could pass for any time or place.
This blurring may be the filmmaker's intent, since the movie ends with a clichéd voice-over about a universal truth that could apply, well universally. Personally I would have liked to know why, aside from a Mob war, the filmmakers choose this particular moment to show why Brooklyn ruled. Nevertheless, don't let that stop you from taking the D line to Coney Island.
Freddie Prinze Jr. plays good guy "Mike. He wants to leave the neighborhood. Scott Caan is bad boy "Carmine." He's tempted by the Mafia and Jerry Ferrara is "Bobby," the comic relief.
The movie begins in "Stand by Me" fashion, with the friends making a discovery in the woods. It then jumps forward 10 years.
Mike (Prinze) is a senior at Columbia University. He wants to escape his working class existence via law school and a Connecticut-bred rich girl (Mena Suvari). Carmine (Caan) looks for respect through Mob connections. And Bobby (Ferrara) is just Bobby, the nice guy with a heart of gold. He lives at home, dates a girl he met at the video store while trying to rent "Brigadoon" and aspires to be a postal clerk.
Together the friends since kindergarten make decisions that ultimately affect them all.
This movie is wonderful. The writing is excellent. The characters are well drawn.
The dialogue is sharp and filled with the witty sarcasm that only comes from New Yorkers. When Carmine asks to borrow $20 till Tuesday, Mike responds, "Why Tuesday?" "That," replies Carmine, "is when I'll tell you I'll pay you back Wednesday." Then there's the line about bad lasagna and a dead dog
As for the characters, they are stereotypical. In this case that works since the film is told by narrative from memory and memory tends to color the past.
The one weakness is a lack of time and place. Although there are plenty of vintage cars, clothing and music, I never felt quite in the 1980s. The big establishing period shots are missing. Instead there are a lot of blurry hand-held traffic shots of night-time New York or generic day shots of the Brooklyn Bridge that could pass for any time or place.
This blurring may be the filmmaker's intent, since the movie ends with a clichéd voice-over about a universal truth that could apply, well universally. Personally I would have liked to know why, aside from a Mob war, the filmmakers choose this particular moment to show why Brooklyn ruled. Nevertheless, don't let that stop you from taking the D line to Coney Island.
Next
(2007)
Been There; Done That
27 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
It's a shame the producer's of "Next" could not see into the future. If they could they might have created a better movie.
Maybe they were too busy looking into the past, because we're seen almost everything in "Next" before and done better.
Like "Déjà Vu," (2006) "Next" centers around an effort by the Federal government to see through time to stop a terrorist attack. Unlike "Déjà Vu," which allowed ATF agent Denzel Washington to look into the past, "Next's" FBI collaborator, Cris Johnson a/k/a Frank Cadillac (Nicholas Cage), can see into the future, albeit just two minutes ahead. In both movies, a woman plays a pivotal role in the remote visions.
Cage plays the reluctant hero, basically reprising the good guy done wrong roles he had in "Con Air" (1997) and most recently in "Ghost Rider" (2007). His FBI handler, Julianne Moore, gives her Agent Callie Ferris the same tough cop treatment she gave Clarice Starling in "Hannibel" (2001) or if you swapped sides, she could be playing Julian Taylor in "Children of Men" (2006).
The action sequences are derivative with the usual collection of car chases and shoot 'em ups. Cage's ability to see into the future does give him an almost super heroic ability to dodge bullets and other hazards, but that quickly grows tiring, because it is repeated in constant variants throughout the film.
And finally, like a good M Night Shyamalan movie, "Next" builds up to a big plot twist at the end. Unlike Shymalan, "Next" fails to deliver. Its turn produced groans in the theater I was in.
But "Next's" biggest failing is what it left out. The movie never answers the most basic question, why is Liz (Jessica Biel) able to affect Cris' ability? It's supposed the reason why he seeks her out and the idea just vanishes. Perhaps it was going to be answered in the next movie. But then, I can't see into the future.
Maybe they were too busy looking into the past, because we're seen almost everything in "Next" before and done better.
Like "Déjà Vu," (2006) "Next" centers around an effort by the Federal government to see through time to stop a terrorist attack. Unlike "Déjà Vu," which allowed ATF agent Denzel Washington to look into the past, "Next's" FBI collaborator, Cris Johnson a/k/a Frank Cadillac (Nicholas Cage), can see into the future, albeit just two minutes ahead. In both movies, a woman plays a pivotal role in the remote visions.
Cage plays the reluctant hero, basically reprising the good guy done wrong roles he had in "Con Air" (1997) and most recently in "Ghost Rider" (2007). His FBI handler, Julianne Moore, gives her Agent Callie Ferris the same tough cop treatment she gave Clarice Starling in "Hannibel" (2001) or if you swapped sides, she could be playing Julian Taylor in "Children of Men" (2006).
The action sequences are derivative with the usual collection of car chases and shoot 'em ups. Cage's ability to see into the future does give him an almost super heroic ability to dodge bullets and other hazards, but that quickly grows tiring, because it is repeated in constant variants throughout the film.
And finally, like a good M Night Shyamalan movie, "Next" builds up to a big plot twist at the end. Unlike Shymalan, "Next" fails to deliver. Its turn produced groans in the theater I was in.
But "Next's" biggest failing is what it left out. The movie never answers the most basic question, why is Liz (Jessica Biel) able to affect Cris' ability? It's supposed the reason why he seeks her out and the idea just vanishes. Perhaps it was going to be answered in the next movie. But then, I can't see into the future.
Normal Adolescent Behavior
(2007)
Complications at the Cuddle Puddle
27 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
"Normal Adolescent Behavior" (NAB) is a sweet and smart coming of age film. It explores with great sensitivity the moment when first love collides with childhood friendship. The situation is further complicated since these friends are also sex partners. Or as Julia Garro (Ann) said at the film's Tribeca Premiere, it's about relationships and "our (teens) delaying the inevitable" growing up.
Writer/director Beth Schacter says she drew from the Broadway play "Spring Awakening," plus research and experience, though not her own, to create the film.
NAB centers on what happens when Sean (Ashton Holmes) moves next door to Wendy (Amber Tamblyn) and disrupts her comfort zone. Wendy and her five friends since elementary school have created a "Green Zone" to shield themselves against adolescence angst. Each Saturday their bisexual "cuddle puddle" of three boys and three girls meets to share their hearts, minds and bodies. Within their group they are accepted and loved. "Everyone is beautiful," Wendy tells Sean. It's a safe arrangement that Billie (Kelli Garner) hopes will continue forever. She dreams they'll live next door to one another after college.
Sean's arrival complicates all that. Wendy begins to wonder if she wants more and her restless is felt by the group.
NAB's strength lies with its characters and acting. Missing are the typical teen flick stereotypes jocks, cheerleaders, nerds and slackers. In their place are completely drawn human beings who face real problems and exist outside any clique. For example Wendy wonders how to be a girlfriend and whether she even wants that role.
And it is Wendy who makes this movie. Amber Tamblyn is terrific and terribly believable as the high school senior with choices. And the rest of the cast gives her ample support.
The only question about this movie is how it will fare at the box office. It's a chick flick and a smart one at that so it may have trouble finding its audience. Adults may see it as a "teen movie" which is really is not and teens may find it too serious for a date or night out, though it does have numerous funny moments and a hilarious sub-plot.
So if it shows up at a multiplex near you, see it fast. It is worth the trip.
Writer/director Beth Schacter says she drew from the Broadway play "Spring Awakening," plus research and experience, though not her own, to create the film.
NAB centers on what happens when Sean (Ashton Holmes) moves next door to Wendy (Amber Tamblyn) and disrupts her comfort zone. Wendy and her five friends since elementary school have created a "Green Zone" to shield themselves against adolescence angst. Each Saturday their bisexual "cuddle puddle" of three boys and three girls meets to share their hearts, minds and bodies. Within their group they are accepted and loved. "Everyone is beautiful," Wendy tells Sean. It's a safe arrangement that Billie (Kelli Garner) hopes will continue forever. She dreams they'll live next door to one another after college.
Sean's arrival complicates all that. Wendy begins to wonder if she wants more and her restless is felt by the group.
NAB's strength lies with its characters and acting. Missing are the typical teen flick stereotypes jocks, cheerleaders, nerds and slackers. In their place are completely drawn human beings who face real problems and exist outside any clique. For example Wendy wonders how to be a girlfriend and whether she even wants that role.
And it is Wendy who makes this movie. Amber Tamblyn is terrific and terribly believable as the high school senior with choices. And the rest of the cast gives her ample support.
The only question about this movie is how it will fare at the box office. It's a chick flick and a smart one at that so it may have trouble finding its audience. Adults may see it as a "teen movie" which is really is not and teens may find it too serious for a date or night out, though it does have numerous funny moments and a hilarious sub-plot.
So if it shows up at a multiplex near you, see it fast. It is worth the trip.
Unleashed
(2005)
A Click Flick with Punch
14 May 2005
Hey guys, here's an action movie the girls might actually like. Be warned though this film is not you usual Jet Li slug fest. Instead of 10 rounds of non-stop action, Unleashed gives you five knockout rounds, plus more sensitivity than Spiderman (2002) and Spiderman II (2004) combined. In fact, the movie spends as much time on music as on muscle!
The result is the most effective mix of action with emotional depth since The Professional (1994).
The film's main problem is its improbably premise. Jet Li plays Danny, who's been literally trained as an attack dog since birth. He's a subhuman killing machine that provides muscle for local loan shark Bart (Bob Hoskins).
Through movie fate, Danny escapes and is adopted by a musical family (Morgan Freeman and Kerry Condon). Incredibly, his total lack of basic social skills attracts no suspicion. Danny's not a boy Tarzan rescued from the jungle, but a full-grown man living in Glasglow, Scotland. You'd think the average person would wonder where he's been, but not this family.
Anyway the plot advances predictably as Danny discovers the real world and his past while trying to free himself from his old life.
All this lets Jet Li show off a considerable range of acting skills as he grows from untamed innocent to a self-aware individual.
Unfortunately the movie is less effective in integrating action with empathy. The action sequences are shot with the bleached out look that we expect. In contrast, the emotion scenes are rich in color. At times it seems like we're watching two different films and the visual and emotional transitions are often jarring. However if you hang on, you'll leave with an emotionally satisfying finish.
The result is the most effective mix of action with emotional depth since The Professional (1994).
The film's main problem is its improbably premise. Jet Li plays Danny, who's been literally trained as an attack dog since birth. He's a subhuman killing machine that provides muscle for local loan shark Bart (Bob Hoskins).
Through movie fate, Danny escapes and is adopted by a musical family (Morgan Freeman and Kerry Condon). Incredibly, his total lack of basic social skills attracts no suspicion. Danny's not a boy Tarzan rescued from the jungle, but a full-grown man living in Glasglow, Scotland. You'd think the average person would wonder where he's been, but not this family.
Anyway the plot advances predictably as Danny discovers the real world and his past while trying to free himself from his old life.
All this lets Jet Li show off a considerable range of acting skills as he grows from untamed innocent to a self-aware individual.
Unfortunately the movie is less effective in integrating action with empathy. The action sequences are shot with the bleached out look that we expect. In contrast, the emotion scenes are rich in color. At times it seems like we're watching two different films and the visual and emotional transitions are often jarring. However if you hang on, you'll leave with an emotionally satisfying finish.
Foxes
(1980)
A Supurbly Shot and Scored Story About Growing Up in L.A.'s Fast Lane the 80s
26 March 2005
"Foxes" is a serious look at the consequences of growing up too fast in the 1980s. And unlike the teen sex comedies that overshadowed it (Porky's, Fast Times at Ridgement High), the movie holds up well against time.
Its theme of teen angst is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago and Jodie Foster and sk8er boi Scott Baio (remember him?) lead a fine young cast that's well worth watching.
The film follows four Southern California girls as they move through a rootless existence of sex and drugs and devoid of parents. The teens spend their days in and out of school and their nights at parties, concerts, or out on the street. Seldom are they home because instant gratification is a pill, party, or boy away.
But rather than condemning them, the film is sympathetic, blaming absent, uncaring adults for forcing the teens to grow up alone. And the charismatic cast is impossible to dislike.
The film's opening a long and loving pan - sets the tone for what follows. We see the girls asleep at daybreak amid the objects that define teen girlhood, from Twinkies to a picture of a young John Travola, while Donna Summer's "On the Radio" is scored beneath.
From there the movie picks up speed as the girls head off to school and to life. Annie (Runaway rocker Cherie Currie) is the wild child who lives for the next party or pill. Deirdre (Kandice Stroh) is the boy crazy drama queen. Madge (Marlilyn Stroh) is the shy girl in over her head. And Foster is the one with the plan. It's her job to keep this crew together long enough to finish high school while also holding her divorced and desperate man hunting mother in line (Sally Kellerman).
It's an almost impossible job and one that Foster ultimately fails at.
Despite its age, "Foxes" remains a pleasure to watch. Dated hair, clothes, and references to Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill haven't hurt the movie.
The cinematography is simply stunning, with breathtaking filtered shots of the L.A. basin at dawn, dusk and at night. Giorgio Moroder adds a 80s soundtrack featuring the likes of Donna Summer and Janis Ian.
Perhaps the movie's biggest disappointment is that the young stars around Foster never broke out like the casts of "St. Elmo's Fire" (1985) or "Empire Records" (1995). "Foxes" shows why they should have. But perhaps like Bowling for Soup's song "1985," they just hit a wall.
Its theme of teen angst is as relevant today as it was 25 years ago and Jodie Foster and sk8er boi Scott Baio (remember him?) lead a fine young cast that's well worth watching.
The film follows four Southern California girls as they move through a rootless existence of sex and drugs and devoid of parents. The teens spend their days in and out of school and their nights at parties, concerts, or out on the street. Seldom are they home because instant gratification is a pill, party, or boy away.
But rather than condemning them, the film is sympathetic, blaming absent, uncaring adults for forcing the teens to grow up alone. And the charismatic cast is impossible to dislike.
The film's opening a long and loving pan - sets the tone for what follows. We see the girls asleep at daybreak amid the objects that define teen girlhood, from Twinkies to a picture of a young John Travola, while Donna Summer's "On the Radio" is scored beneath.
From there the movie picks up speed as the girls head off to school and to life. Annie (Runaway rocker Cherie Currie) is the wild child who lives for the next party or pill. Deirdre (Kandice Stroh) is the boy crazy drama queen. Madge (Marlilyn Stroh) is the shy girl in over her head. And Foster is the one with the plan. It's her job to keep this crew together long enough to finish high school while also holding her divorced and desperate man hunting mother in line (Sally Kellerman).
It's an almost impossible job and one that Foster ultimately fails at.
Despite its age, "Foxes" remains a pleasure to watch. Dated hair, clothes, and references to Olympic skater Dorothy Hamill haven't hurt the movie.
The cinematography is simply stunning, with breathtaking filtered shots of the L.A. basin at dawn, dusk and at night. Giorgio Moroder adds a 80s soundtrack featuring the likes of Donna Summer and Janis Ian.
Perhaps the movie's biggest disappointment is that the young stars around Foster never broke out like the casts of "St. Elmo's Fire" (1985) or "Empire Records" (1995). "Foxes" shows why they should have. But perhaps like Bowling for Soup's song "1985," they just hit a wall.
Ice Princess
(2005)
An Icy Message for Snow White and Cinderella
19 March 2005
Talk about timing. Three days after Harvard's faculty gave President Lawrence Summers a no confidence vote for saying women lack the "innate ability" to do well in math and science Disney releases a movie about a girl who must choose between a physics scholarship from Harvard or life as a beautiful Ice Princess!
It's sad that Disney would even raise such a question when countless women from high school valedictorian Cindy Crawford to Yale grad Jodie Foster have shown it's possible to have both brains and beauty. Instead - the studio should encourage its target audience of preteen girls to study math and science. Researchers at the University of North Carolina found girls did better in math until age 11. Afterwards cultural conditioning forces them to choose between being popular and pretty or smart and nerdy.
The film does follow the classic Disney princess formula - poor young maiden with a heart of gold rebels against her strict mother by running away into the woods. There she meets the wicked witch and Prince Charming.
In this case, nearly friendless physics whiz Casey Carlyle ventures into the skating rink for a scholarship project. There she meets the wicked stepmother, ice queen Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall). Since Casey loves to skate but has no money, she soon finds herself doing Cinderella-type chores like running the rink's concession stand while squeezing in cross training with weights and ballet. This leaves little time for studies and puts her in conflict with her vegetarian professor mother (Joan Cusak), who dreams of sending her daughter to Harvard.
That sets up the inevitable question will Casey choose Harvard and her mother or skating and her surrogate mother or can she do both?
To its credit, Ice Princess does have many heart warming moments, mainly due to the comedic and dramatic talent of rising star Michelle Trachtenberg. And the big pop score by Radio Disney types like Jesse McCartney and Diana DeGarmo keep things bright.
It's sad that Disney would even raise such a question when countless women from high school valedictorian Cindy Crawford to Yale grad Jodie Foster have shown it's possible to have both brains and beauty. Instead - the studio should encourage its target audience of preteen girls to study math and science. Researchers at the University of North Carolina found girls did better in math until age 11. Afterwards cultural conditioning forces them to choose between being popular and pretty or smart and nerdy.
The film does follow the classic Disney princess formula - poor young maiden with a heart of gold rebels against her strict mother by running away into the woods. There she meets the wicked witch and Prince Charming.
In this case, nearly friendless physics whiz Casey Carlyle ventures into the skating rink for a scholarship project. There she meets the wicked stepmother, ice queen Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall). Since Casey loves to skate but has no money, she soon finds herself doing Cinderella-type chores like running the rink's concession stand while squeezing in cross training with weights and ballet. This leaves little time for studies and puts her in conflict with her vegetarian professor mother (Joan Cusak), who dreams of sending her daughter to Harvard.
That sets up the inevitable question will Casey choose Harvard and her mother or skating and her surrogate mother or can she do both?
To its credit, Ice Princess does have many heart warming moments, mainly due to the comedic and dramatic talent of rising star Michelle Trachtenberg. And the big pop score by Radio Disney types like Jesse McCartney and Diana DeGarmo keep things bright.
Hostage
(2005)
Doesn't Tally Up
12 March 2005
(This review is written for those who have read the book.)
The big screen adaptation of Robert Crais' Hostage will disappoint fans of the book.
Although the movie does include all the major characters and plot points, it inexplicably changes some, while reducing others to the point of irrelevance. The biggest change is a disappointing shift in focus. The movie abandons the well-drawn relationships that make the book so readable. In their place is a character study of the tortured soul of Jeff Tally (Bruce Willis). And like King Arthur (2004), it doesn't work. Bruce Willis does a fine job, but the confident, wise cracking star of the Die Hard trilogy is ultimately unconvincing as a haunted former LAPD hostage negotiator.
It's not Willis's fault. He played the right character in The Sixth Sense (1999) and his relationship with hostage Tommy could have mirrored the one he had with Haley Joel Osment. But this movie isolates Willis - action hero style and reduces what is a crucial element in the book to two brief scenes. Other relationships, such as the one among the hostage takers are also shortchanged.
Instead the movie substitutes far too many scenes of Willis alone and in intense personal agony. As a result, we care too little about the rest of the characters because we never really get to know them.
The movie changes other elements like the location of the house and the circumstances leading to the original hostage taking. Jennifer Smith is not the bikini-clad babe in the book. And some points - like Officer Flores family situation and a surveillance video - are presented in aftermath.
None of this adds anything and merely weakens the book's strong plot. And that's a shame. I really wanted this movie to do really well, in hopes that some of Crais' even stronger novels, like Demolition Angel, would make it to the big screen.
The big screen adaptation of Robert Crais' Hostage will disappoint fans of the book.
Although the movie does include all the major characters and plot points, it inexplicably changes some, while reducing others to the point of irrelevance. The biggest change is a disappointing shift in focus. The movie abandons the well-drawn relationships that make the book so readable. In their place is a character study of the tortured soul of Jeff Tally (Bruce Willis). And like King Arthur (2004), it doesn't work. Bruce Willis does a fine job, but the confident, wise cracking star of the Die Hard trilogy is ultimately unconvincing as a haunted former LAPD hostage negotiator.
It's not Willis's fault. He played the right character in The Sixth Sense (1999) and his relationship with hostage Tommy could have mirrored the one he had with Haley Joel Osment. But this movie isolates Willis - action hero style and reduces what is a crucial element in the book to two brief scenes. Other relationships, such as the one among the hostage takers are also shortchanged.
Instead the movie substitutes far too many scenes of Willis alone and in intense personal agony. As a result, we care too little about the rest of the characters because we never really get to know them.
The movie changes other elements like the location of the house and the circumstances leading to the original hostage taking. Jennifer Smith is not the bikini-clad babe in the book. And some points - like Officer Flores family situation and a surveillance video - are presented in aftermath.
None of this adds anything and merely weakens the book's strong plot. And that's a shame. I really wanted this movie to do really well, in hopes that some of Crais' even stronger novels, like Demolition Angel, would make it to the big screen.
Blade: Trinity
(2004)
A Dull Matrix Clone Lacking Blade's Sharp Edge (One Spoiler)
16 December 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Getting stabbed by a dull object is extremely painful. And that's how you'll feel after watching Blade Trinity.
Blade Trinity is a blunt movie that lacks the sharpness of the series' first two installments. Gone is the over the top style and endless sprays of blood that made the first two movies so much fun.
Instead Blade Trinity offers a battle between a super hero and super villain that's dull even for the contestants. Wesley Snipes' patented posturing and attitude mysteriously disappear after the first fight scene and "Mother of All Vampires" Dominic Purcell is just plain lifeless (maybe because he's supposed to have been at rest for millennia?). The fight scenes themselves have about as much creativity and choreography as a boy shooting ducks at an arcade.
The result is a generic Matrix clone. That's right. Blade Trinity owes more to the Matrix series than its own roots. Both feature the black vet (Snipes/Fishburne), the kick butt woman (Biel/Moss) and the wise cracking white guy (Reeves/Reynolds).
SPOILER: Then there are the strangely familiar plot elements like the "final solutions" proposed by both the Vampires and Vampire hunters and the trip to enemy headquarters to liberate a captured comrade. There's even mention of "The One." END SPOILER
It's all sad because Blade Trinity could have added to future of the series. Instead we're left reminiscing about the past. But that is the movie's one bright note. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Steven Segal and Jean-Claude Van Damme all but gone, it's good to see a pre-9/11 action hero in a 1990s-style movie once more.
Blade Trinity is a blunt movie that lacks the sharpness of the series' first two installments. Gone is the over the top style and endless sprays of blood that made the first two movies so much fun.
Instead Blade Trinity offers a battle between a super hero and super villain that's dull even for the contestants. Wesley Snipes' patented posturing and attitude mysteriously disappear after the first fight scene and "Mother of All Vampires" Dominic Purcell is just plain lifeless (maybe because he's supposed to have been at rest for millennia?). The fight scenes themselves have about as much creativity and choreography as a boy shooting ducks at an arcade.
The result is a generic Matrix clone. That's right. Blade Trinity owes more to the Matrix series than its own roots. Both feature the black vet (Snipes/Fishburne), the kick butt woman (Biel/Moss) and the wise cracking white guy (Reeves/Reynolds).
SPOILER: Then there are the strangely familiar plot elements like the "final solutions" proposed by both the Vampires and Vampire hunters and the trip to enemy headquarters to liberate a captured comrade. There's even mention of "The One." END SPOILER
It's all sad because Blade Trinity could have added to future of the series. Instead we're left reminiscing about the past. But that is the movie's one bright note. With Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Steven Segal and Jean-Claude Van Damme all but gone, it's good to see a pre-9/11 action hero in a 1990s-style movie once more.
The Grudge
(2004)
THE SIXTH SENSE MEETS LOST IN TRANSLATION
22 October 2004
THE GUDGE is a decent horror flick that could have been better without the split personality. It's based on the Japanese film Ju-on: The Grudge (2003). In the American version, the filmmakers apparently took the easy way out and stapled Lost in Translation (2003) to the front of the script.
PART 1: LOST IN TRANSLATION: As a result, the first third of the movie mirrors Lost in Translation's frozen inaction and snail's pace. It's so boring I almost walked out and serves no purpose except to awkwardly splice Caucasians into an Asian movie.
These elements also kill plot development. Dialogue is minimized because much of the early talking is subtitled Japanese. As a result we learn very little about the characters and develop few feelings for them. Most are bland anyway. One is an even accountant! The location is similarly wasted. Any local color that could explain why the movie should take place in Japan is abandoned in favor of generic city shots.
PART II: SIXTH SENSE: But once The Grudge shifts in The Sixth Sense (1999) mode, things improve rapidly. The movie mimics the Sixth Sense's style of shadows and quick cuts of the horror to keep us scared and guessing when the next fright will strike. And the movie does deliver the chills.
So if you're willing to put up with a very slow start, The Grudge will take you to a fine frightful finish.
PART 1: LOST IN TRANSLATION: As a result, the first third of the movie mirrors Lost in Translation's frozen inaction and snail's pace. It's so boring I almost walked out and serves no purpose except to awkwardly splice Caucasians into an Asian movie.
These elements also kill plot development. Dialogue is minimized because much of the early talking is subtitled Japanese. As a result we learn very little about the characters and develop few feelings for them. Most are bland anyway. One is an even accountant! The location is similarly wasted. Any local color that could explain why the movie should take place in Japan is abandoned in favor of generic city shots.
PART II: SIXTH SENSE: But once The Grudge shifts in The Sixth Sense (1999) mode, things improve rapidly. The movie mimics the Sixth Sense's style of shadows and quick cuts of the horror to keep us scared and guessing when the next fright will strike. And the movie does deliver the chills.
So if you're willing to put up with a very slow start, The Grudge will take you to a fine frightful finish.
The Final Cut
(2004)
FORGETTABLE
19 October 2004
What if someone could watch as your life flashed before your eyes? That's the premise of THE FINAL CUT (TFC), a movie that raises intriguing questions about privacy, truth, and memory, but unfortunately, leaves the answers on the cutting room floor.
TFC fast forwards from our post-911 world of surveillance cams and camera phones to a time when one in five people carry an organic TiVo in their brain. The Zoe Chip records everything seen and heard until death. Then 'cutters' convert a lifetime of memory into a movie-length 'rememory' for survivors.
ROBIN WILLIAMS plays Alan Hakman (hack man, get it?). He's the best, an artist able to turn mortal sinners into saints while keeping their worst secrets safe. Hakman's newest job is to makeover Charles Bannister, a nasty corporate lawyer employed by the implant company, Eye Tech.
Former cutter Fletcher, JIM CAVIEZEL, and other implant opponents want Bannister's memories. They're convinced it holds secrets that could destroy Eye Tech. But Hakman won't let go, in part because he's found something in Bannister could destroy his own life.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: TFC raises interesting questions. Should we always tell the truth about the past or should we look back at the past through rose colored glasses. Were the Happy Days of the 1950s really that good? Was the Kennedy era really Camelot?
However, instead of attempting to answer such questions, TFC fades into a forgettable film about corporate conspiracies and criminal acts. And that makes it not worth remembering.
TFC fast forwards from our post-911 world of surveillance cams and camera phones to a time when one in five people carry an organic TiVo in their brain. The Zoe Chip records everything seen and heard until death. Then 'cutters' convert a lifetime of memory into a movie-length 'rememory' for survivors.
ROBIN WILLIAMS plays Alan Hakman (hack man, get it?). He's the best, an artist able to turn mortal sinners into saints while keeping their worst secrets safe. Hakman's newest job is to makeover Charles Bannister, a nasty corporate lawyer employed by the implant company, Eye Tech.
Former cutter Fletcher, JIM CAVIEZEL, and other implant opponents want Bannister's memories. They're convinced it holds secrets that could destroy Eye Tech. But Hakman won't let go, in part because he's found something in Bannister could destroy his own life.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS: TFC raises interesting questions. Should we always tell the truth about the past or should we look back at the past through rose colored glasses. Were the Happy Days of the 1950s really that good? Was the Kennedy era really Camelot?
However, instead of attempting to answer such questions, TFC fades into a forgettable film about corporate conspiracies and criminal acts. And that makes it not worth remembering.
Raise Your Voice
(2004)
HILARY DUFF GOES TO 7TH HEAVEN
19 October 2004
RAISE YOUR VOICE (RYV) is an extremely sweet movie about a teenage girl trying to find harmony amid a life of dischord.
HILARY DUFF plays Terri Fletcher, a small town girl who sings in the church choir. (Take that Avril and Lindsay). Fletcher is an angel loaded pop potential. She wears a cross, prays often, and scolds a character for drinking. She even goes to a Three Days Grace concert. (Yes the movie has Christian undertones).
Fletcher also has an overbearing and overprotective father, David KEITH, who threatens to unplug her musical dreams. But a sudden life changing experience convinces her to enroll in a nationally known summer music program.
HEARD IT BEFORE: A predictable plot follows. Fletcher is the outsider who must win the respect of her classmates. The students look like they walked out of Fame (1980). There is the future Bond girl (the classic group) on violin, the White hip hopper, and the shy punk pianist.
Despite the story's familiar melody, the young cast is fun to watch as they practice for the BIG CONCERT. Duff is in fine form and displays her considerable charisma. And the adorable 'home videos' of her remind us why she's a pop star. They're worth the price of popcorn alone.
MUSICALLY CHALLENGED: Surprisingly, the movie's biggest disappointment is the music. You'd think RYV would be a 103 minute commercial for Duff, but the songs are surprisingly subdued and lack a big radio friendly number. They also sound overdubbed.
But if you're a Duff fan or are looking for a movie with absolutely nothing offensive in it, RYV is for you. Otherwise, take your boom box elsewhere.
HILARY DUFF plays Terri Fletcher, a small town girl who sings in the church choir. (Take that Avril and Lindsay). Fletcher is an angel loaded pop potential. She wears a cross, prays often, and scolds a character for drinking. She even goes to a Three Days Grace concert. (Yes the movie has Christian undertones).
Fletcher also has an overbearing and overprotective father, David KEITH, who threatens to unplug her musical dreams. But a sudden life changing experience convinces her to enroll in a nationally known summer music program.
HEARD IT BEFORE: A predictable plot follows. Fletcher is the outsider who must win the respect of her classmates. The students look like they walked out of Fame (1980). There is the future Bond girl (the classic group) on violin, the White hip hopper, and the shy punk pianist.
Despite the story's familiar melody, the young cast is fun to watch as they practice for the BIG CONCERT. Duff is in fine form and displays her considerable charisma. And the adorable 'home videos' of her remind us why she's a pop star. They're worth the price of popcorn alone.
MUSICALLY CHALLENGED: Surprisingly, the movie's biggest disappointment is the music. You'd think RYV would be a 103 minute commercial for Duff, but the songs are surprisingly subdued and lack a big radio friendly number. They also sound overdubbed.
But if you're a Duff fan or are looking for a movie with absolutely nothing offensive in it, RYV is for you. Otherwise, take your boom box elsewhere.
Wimbledon
(2004)
A Double Fault in Tennis and Romance
10 October 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Wimbledon is a romantic sports movie that double faults on both counts. Not only does it serve up very little tennis, but it is also weak romantically.
The film tracks two tennis pros on very different arcs. Rising American star Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) is playing in her first Wimbledon Championship while English vet Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) may be playing in his last. Along the way both players find they may love something more than tennis.
PLOT PROBLEMS: Wimbledon's biggest fault lies in its inability to stay within its plot lines. One would expect a film running just 100 minutes to be tightly focused on Bradbury and Colt Instead precious minutes are wasted on distracting subplots involving Colt's parents and brother.
POOR PREMISE: And the basic plot premise is questionable. Given the youth in women's tennis, would a first-time Wimbledon player, probably in her mid to late teens, be attracted to a 31-year-old, who, like in teen years, is like 100?
TENNIS TROUBLES: The film is also misses the mark tenniswise. If you'd expecting an inside look at the pro game, you'll be disappointed. Unlike Blue Crush (2002) which showcased pro women's surfing, tennis and Wimbledon are mere props for a generic love story that could easily have been about two accountants in an office building. Much of the action takes place outside The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and the usual celebrity cameos are virtually non-existent. Sadly even Mr. 3000 had more behind the scenes action than this movie.
And the tennis itself has a fake feel. It is heavily laden with special effects reminiscent of Matrix 'bullet time' and annoying in your head voiceovers, ala For the Love of the Game (1999).
Sadly (MINOR SPOILER) the best match is a charming game of 'air tennis' between Bettany and Dunst.
SUMMARY: The movie's final fault lies in trying to be too nice, which makes for a lack of drama. There are really no villains here and no real great challenges for our actors to overcome, making for a politically correct but rather dull movie.
The film tracks two tennis pros on very different arcs. Rising American star Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) is playing in her first Wimbledon Championship while English vet Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) may be playing in his last. Along the way both players find they may love something more than tennis.
PLOT PROBLEMS: Wimbledon's biggest fault lies in its inability to stay within its plot lines. One would expect a film running just 100 minutes to be tightly focused on Bradbury and Colt Instead precious minutes are wasted on distracting subplots involving Colt's parents and brother.
POOR PREMISE: And the basic plot premise is questionable. Given the youth in women's tennis, would a first-time Wimbledon player, probably in her mid to late teens, be attracted to a 31-year-old, who, like in teen years, is like 100?
TENNIS TROUBLES: The film is also misses the mark tenniswise. If you'd expecting an inside look at the pro game, you'll be disappointed. Unlike Blue Crush (2002) which showcased pro women's surfing, tennis and Wimbledon are mere props for a generic love story that could easily have been about two accountants in an office building. Much of the action takes place outside The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and the usual celebrity cameos are virtually non-existent. Sadly even Mr. 3000 had more behind the scenes action than this movie.
And the tennis itself has a fake feel. It is heavily laden with special effects reminiscent of Matrix 'bullet time' and annoying in your head voiceovers, ala For the Love of the Game (1999).
Sadly (MINOR SPOILER) the best match is a charming game of 'air tennis' between Bettany and Dunst.
SUMMARY: The movie's final fault lies in trying to be too nice, which makes for a lack of drama. There are really no villains here and no real great challenges for our actors to overcome, making for a politically correct but rather dull movie.
Friday Night Lights
(2004)
Varsity Blues for Adults
10 October 2004
SUMMARY: Friday Night Lights (FNL) plays like a Varsity Blues (1999) remake from the adult viewpoint. Unfortunately, showing high school football through the eyes of coaches, parents, and townies is less interesting than showing it through the eyes of teens.
Plot line: Both FNL and VB share similar stories. Both are set in depressed Texas towns (Odessa, in FNL's case) that live for high school football. Hopes are high as both movies begin. Each team has a potential NFL pro, but a key injury forces the team to step up.
The casts are similar. Billy Bob Thornton is the domineering coach, though with considerably more compassion than Jon Voight. Lucas Black has the James Van Der Beek role of the quarterback whose heart may lie elsewhere. Ryanne Duzich is the popular girl, who like Ali Larter, wants to hook up with someone who will take away.
WEAKNESSES: The film has two major weaknesses. First, the players' are underdeveloped. Their main role in is to react to adults and so they almost always appear with their game faces on. As a result, it's hard to root for them. Do they really want to be champions? Or are they just playing because it's their job?
The film's other weakness is that it limited by a reality. Since no one would write about a losing team, we assume the Permian Panthers will play for a championship, so there is little suspense until the end. The film also tries to present too many points of view coach, players, former players, rich townies, poor townies, etc. This dilutes the emotional impact of each tale. Some stories only get a quick scene or two.
STRENGTHS: That said, the film does have strong points. The football action is true to life and hard hitting. The main adult characters, including Billy Bob Thornton and Tim McGraw, are excellent and Derek Luke is the one player remembering. He delivers an outstanding emotionally charged performance, and his shirtless NFL-type body is truly a sight to behold.
Plot line: Both FNL and VB share similar stories. Both are set in depressed Texas towns (Odessa, in FNL's case) that live for high school football. Hopes are high as both movies begin. Each team has a potential NFL pro, but a key injury forces the team to step up.
The casts are similar. Billy Bob Thornton is the domineering coach, though with considerably more compassion than Jon Voight. Lucas Black has the James Van Der Beek role of the quarterback whose heart may lie elsewhere. Ryanne Duzich is the popular girl, who like Ali Larter, wants to hook up with someone who will take away.
WEAKNESSES: The film has two major weaknesses. First, the players' are underdeveloped. Their main role in is to react to adults and so they almost always appear with their game faces on. As a result, it's hard to root for them. Do they really want to be champions? Or are they just playing because it's their job?
The film's other weakness is that it limited by a reality. Since no one would write about a losing team, we assume the Permian Panthers will play for a championship, so there is little suspense until the end. The film also tries to present too many points of view coach, players, former players, rich townies, poor townies, etc. This dilutes the emotional impact of each tale. Some stories only get a quick scene or two.
STRENGTHS: That said, the film does have strong points. The football action is true to life and hard hitting. The main adult characters, including Billy Bob Thornton and Tim McGraw, are excellent and Derek Luke is the one player remembering. He delivers an outstanding emotionally charged performance, and his shirtless NFL-type body is truly a sight to behold.
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