Reviews

Superman Returns is a groan-inducing film. You'll want to boo at the screen as you're exiting the movie theater. The main problem is how it was edited. The final cut is two hours and fifty four minutes long and simply doesn't need to be. Just for example: There a far too many pregnant pauses between lines of dialog; There are ten second character reaction shots when a one second shot would have sufficed; Characters take thirty seconds to walk across a room and open a door when the action could be edited down to two seconds. It's a shame, really. Tighter editing might easily have trimmed 20 to 30 needless minutes, and faster pacing would have helped to camouflage the film's various other shortcomings. Chief among them: Kate Bosworth's terrible acting, clunky dialog, and an often murky plot.

To be fair, Superman Returns does have a few things going for it. First off, Brandon Routh. In person, the actor seems to lack charisma or sex appeal. Even on screen, in his Clark Kent persona, he fails to make much of an impression. But about forty minutes into the movie, when he first dons those blue tights and red cape, you at last understand why Routh was cast. He actually looks like a superhero. What Routh has -- its not sex appeal exactly -- its a sort of idealized, masculine beauty. It's probably the most memorable thing about the film.

The film also has at least one exciting, well-choreographed CGI action sequence involving a jumbo jet in a fiery tailspin. Brief, close-up jump cuts back and forth between Superman flying outside the plane and the passengers tumbling around inside the plane's cabin help to build suspense. No doubt this CGI sequence was storyboarded down to the last frame. Perhaps that limited the film editors' influence over this scene's pacing. Regardless, it was exciting and fast-paced-- standing out in an otherwise maddeningly slow film.

The film also gets a boost from Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Compared to Gene Hackman's hammy take on the character in the original Superman movie, Spacey's performance here is understated, subtle, and downright sinister. You really believe this Luthor can and will kill Superman. Unfortunately, Spacey isn't given enough screen time. (He has only one scene with Superman and it is arguably the best scene in the movie.)

I really thought this one was going to be a stinker. Pitt has made some awful choices before (Meet Joe Black, Troy) and I just didn't see how you could make a serious movie out of married assassins trying to kill one another. The only way I thought you could make it work was as a broad comedy. In which case, hire Mike Myers and turn it into an Austin Powers movie.

But I liked Doug Liman's Swingers and Go, and I think Angelina Jolie is not-of-this earth beautiful, so figured it was worth a matinée viewing.

I seriously underestimated this movie.

The story "A" which you are familiar with from the previews (why two assassins married without knowing the other's identity and are eventually tasked with killing one another) is indeed preposterous and sorta lame at the same time, but they found a way to make it work. Except for a few stylish set pieces with big guns and various spy toys, the director wisely chooses to barely sketch that plot in. Instead, he focuses on the more interesting story "B" -- which is a close examination of marriage itself. The plus to this approach is that Pitt and Jolie are on the screen verbally and physically sparring with one another for almost every frame. There is definitely chemistry between the two and that helps to make the physical fights between them (gut-punching, drop kicking, stabbing, etc.) almost sexy. It also helps that you believe Angelina Jolie could actually kick Brad Pitt's ass. Thus, its a fair fight and not misogyny when he gets the occasional punch in.

The dialog was also excellent-- vastly wittier than the usual banter you would find in a typical romantic comedy. Maybe it had something to do with the reputed 100 re-writes and numerous writers this script went through, but my hat is off to whoever honed the dialog.

Even though the writing is great and the choices the director made were spot on, credit for this film's success is definitely with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They are both frighteningly beautiful and completely assured in this movie. You can't take your eyes off them. For this film at least, they were definitely worth whatever millions they were paid.

This film was produced for BBC television but had a theatrical release the next year -- probably to take advantage of the popularity of all those Jane Austen movies (Emma, Persuasion, et. al.) It is not a Jane Austen story, but it is a sort of genial romance/comedy of manners (set in the early 1930's?) with a plucky, bright, but penniless heroine. The book it was based on was actually a parody of Gothic romance fiction. Even though this movie is played for laughs (and has many), it still manages to make you care for the characters. Everything works here and (editing, cinematography, performances) and you really appreciate what the director, John Schlesinger, managed to do on a probably skimpy budget.

This movie was the first I ever saw of Kate Beckinsale and I thought she was fantastic in it. I remained a fan for a long while, even though her subsequent movie performances (and choices) have been awful. She finally lost me with her recent laughable turn in Van Helsing. Nevertheless, she WAS good in Cold Comfort Farm, so if you're no fan of Beckinsale don't let that dissuade you from seeing this movie.

Other standouts in the cast are Eileen Atkins, Rufus Sewell, and Ian McKellen who is screamingly funny as a fire and brimstone preacher.

This film is definitely worth having on video or DVD in that it bears up very well to repeated viewings. I've seen it at least 5 times since its release, and my estimation of it rises with each viewing.

AFI listed this as one of the top 100 comedies, and I think they got it right. This was the first and best pairing of Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder. Unlike their later movies together, this one isn't simply a buddy flick. Its also a romantic comedy thriller and nails every genre it aims for. It was written by Colin Higgins, the guy who wrote Harold & Maude. He is a genius at witty dialog which is most apparent in the first act, where Wilder meets Jill Clayburgh on a train, the two get drunk and seduce one another. Despite the fact that no nudity is involved, the sophisticated verbal exchanges between Wilder and Clayburgh and Henry Mancini's lovely theme combine to make for a really gorgeous love scene. Who would have thought Gene Wilder could be sexy?

A very similar film (and almost as good) is "Foul Play," written and also directed by Colin Higgins in 1978. If you liked this one, you should see that as well.

This movie asks us to believe that the director of the silent movie horror classic "Nosferatu" hired an actual vampire to play its lead. A brilliant idea on which to base a movie. Unfortunately, the screenwriter and director stumble badly in its execution. First off, nothing much happens. Even at a breezy 90 minutes (with a full 10 minutes taken up by an interminable credit sequence) this movie seems too long. Why? No real conflict and no main character for the audience to identify with. You can't root for F.W. Murnau-- his chief desire is to get his movie made and he would willingly sacrifice his cast and crew to do it. The vampire, played by Willem Dafoe, is a more sympathetic character, but brilliant as Dafoe is, the part is nothing more than a caricature -- good for a few grisly laughs. I think this premise would have made for a much more interesting film if they had expanded Eddie Izzard and Catherine McCormack's roles. They play the other (human) actors in "Nosferatu." If the film had been about their struggle to survive against the villainy of Murnau and his vampire, this thing might have been truly great.

A survival story of an average guy stranded on a deserted island. Tom Hanks is the perfect actor to play this part and the audience is only too happy to spend an hour with him alone on an island, cracking coconuts and making fire. I was impressed with how the screenwriter avoided the cliches so common in survival stories -- for instance, when Hanks crashes at sea during a storm he doesn't simply wake up the next morning, washed ashore on the beach. Instead, during the middle of the night and the storm, he has to crawl on top of a coral reef. The story should probably have ended with Hank's rescue, because the audience's interest runs aground once he makes his way back to civilization. The resolution with Helen Hunt, his former fiancee, is overlong, fitful and unsatisfying. Worst of all, the ending where Hanks delivers the FedEx package he refused to open in his 4 years on the island was downright absurd. (Newsflash to Hanks -- there might have been food in that package!) The big winner for this movie has to be Federal Express. Next time I send a Wilson volleyball to Russia you can be sure I'll use their service.

Perky librarian Gloria Mundy (Hawn) has stumbled on to a plot to assassinate the pope. Now she has an albino, a dwarf and a scarfaced killer "after her ass." She turns to Det. Tony Carlson (Chase) and together they crack the case. The plot, including the obligatory car chase through the streets of San Francisco, is totally by the numbers, but this movie has a lot of minor delights. Witty dialog and a brilliant supporting cast help a lot. As for the leads, Hawn was in her prime. Even in the bad seventies makeup, hairdos and clothes she is adorable. Chevy Chase doesn't have a lot to do, as the script gives most of the heroic moments to Hawn. Even so, he turns out to be quite a charmer. I'd forgotten that, back when he was young and handsome, his bumbling schtick actually worked. The best part of seeing Foul Play now is spotting the multitude of 70's anachronisms. Just a few that stand out: Gloria thinks nothing of picking up a hitchhiker. She's a non-smoker but lets someone light up in her car. Chevy Chase's character, a police detective, smokes a joint now and then. Ah, those were the days. If this movie appeals to you, I would strongly suggest "Silver Streak" (1976), another comedy/romance/thriller also written by Colin Higgins. These two films share a similar sensibility, and I'd love to see them at a revival house as a double feature.