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Reviews
Grace and the Storm (2004)
Bittersweet, sometimes surreal tale about street life.
Grace and the Storm is the story of one drug dealer racing for an escape from the New York City underground. His chance comes in the form of the legendary "Grace", a mysterious new drug that everybody wants and nobody has. The drug dealer's hard-boiled street adventures are balanced nicely with a bittersweet subplot concerning his ex-girlfriend, whom he watches over from time to time like a guardian angel. The story unfolds slowly but builds momentum after the intense "lab rat" scene, after which every new twist and turn seems to raise the stakes for Pipe. For the final half-hour, the audience is plunged into the high-stakes deal with the hero, and we can truly feel his desperation as the clock ticks. Writer-director Christopher Baldi (who also cameos towards the end) has a confident storytelling style that never relies on cheap effects or fast-paced editing tricks.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
A child's eye view of a grown-up world.
This amazing, endearing, hysterical film is tough to label. Perhaps the best description I've heard is that THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is "an adult world seen through a child's eye." There is definitely an innocent quality to everything you see in this film, although the humor is usually very intellectual. Furthermore, every performance is note-perfect, from Gene Hackman as the rascally head of the family, to Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson as the kids- all screwed-up, bitter, and melancholy in their own ways. Although the story deals with some very difficult familial themes- ranging from divorce, abuse, neglect, even incest(!)- THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS is never downbeat. Amazingly, this heavy subject matter is presented as if it were all lightweight kid's stuff- and somehow, it all works.
AVP: Alien vs. Predator (2004)
Biggest monster of all? The director.
All four Alien films, and even the first Predator film, were helmed by very talented filmmakers. Together, the Alien and Predator series have launched the careers of major talents, such as Ridley Scott, James Cameron, David Fincher, and John McTiernan. So who was the genius over at Twentieth Century Fox that decided to hand BOTH franchises over to writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson? Anderson's awful reputation as a music-video-style hack is not unwarranted. Anybody who actually saw Event Horizon, Soldier, Resident Evil, or any other previous efforts knows that this guy can make an unwatchable movie out of any decent script. To be fair, AVP begins promisingly- I actually really enjoyed the set-up in the underground Antarctic pyramid. And I was fairly pleased to see the filmmakers hold back on the CGI. However, the film really starts to lose its hold over a thinking audience when the titular monsters finally do face off- the first match-up is about halfway through the film. The editing becomes frantic, the story becomes silly, and the characters- well, they were unmemorable to begin with but these characters soon become absolutely unbelievable as well. I have a major problem with some pretty face of a heroine (Sanaa Lathan is NO Sigourney Weaver) making FRIENDS with a Predator. Blame Paul W. S. Anderson, who somehow got story, screenplay, and director roles on this long-awaited event film, for botching what could have been a great fight.
Collateral (2004)
Starts very promisingly, degenerates into mediocrity.
I think the reason COLLATERAL has been so over-rated by critics and audiences is the fact that the studio wisely slipped it into the summer film slate, when we're more accustomed to seeing big-budget, effects-driven event films. COLLATERAL is definitely a character-driven film, and for the first two thirds, is fairly thoughtful and well-made. The digital cinematography and pick-up locations lend an authenticity to the story of a hit-man and his cab driver. The performances are truthful, and the screenplay allows us time to get to know the characters of Vincent and Max, the proverbial cat and mouse. The third act of the film, however, degenerates into typical Hollywood gunplay. The mental chess match becomes a tired physical shoving match, and Jada Pinkett Smith's character re-appears for a wildly improbable plot twist that all but loses the film its credibility.
Training Day (2001)
Give back the Oscar, D.
Denzel was totally over-rated as a corrupt cop in this middling tale of street life. He won the Best Actor Oscar in 2002 for his portrayal of a shady streetwise detective, but let's face it- he does nothing remarkable in this film. He just raises his voice and tries to "out-act" everybody else on screen. Ethan Hawke was also nominated, and is actually much more impressive and truthful as the rookie cop (whose first day on the job with Denzel lends the film its title.) Denzel is always competent, but his turn as the bad guy in TRAINING DAY never amounts to anything but a gimmicky career move. I suppose his Oscar win just goes to show how much the Academy loves an actor showing off, whether its Nicole Kidman or Charlize Theron uglying up for their Best Actress wins, or Al Pacino, Tom Hanks, or Dustin Hoffman playing handicapped for theirs. In this case, Denzel was the Biggest Showoff of 2001.