Gareth Watkins' Movie Reviews - Part II
Anyone familiar with the work of Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Roger Rabbit) could be forgiven for expecting Contact to be full of cute gimmicks and slapstick. But this science fiction drama is full of thought and spirit and there's not a talking car or floating skateboard in sight.
Jodie Foster plays Ellie Arroway, a brilliant astronomer hell-bent on the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. She devotes her life to this cause and comes across many obstacles along the way. Then one day she discovers a signal being transmitted from outer space (woo hoo). It is traced to the constellation of Vega. Hell breaks loose as they try to interpret the "message" with religious types crying "blasphemy" and scientists jumping up and down with excitement. It transpires that the message contains plans for the construction of a machine, apparently able to transport one person to the source of the signal, i.e. Vega! You'll never guess who volunteers to go!
The movie is well over 2 hours long but the story kept me interested as I found myself becoming hooked on Ellie's dream. There are some very deep issues addressed here. The main one being that if we do discover intelligent life out there, what massive implications for the church and millions of God-fearing people around the world! This question is investigated within the movie with the scientists on one side and the spiritualists, fronted by Matthew McConaughey's author Palmer Joss, on the other. Once Ellie embarks on her fantastic journey she uncovers even more questions but at the end we are left to wonder where she exactly went. Was it Vega, did she dream it all or was she touched by God? Well I know what I think, but then I'm a firm believer in the idea that we are not alone. This is a serious movie which addresses a serious issue. It is deftly directed by Robert Zemeckis and the visuals are excellent, especially the opening sequence and Ellie's "journey". The end result is very entertaining and thought-provoking, and visually excellent. 8/10
It was only the fact that there was nothing else at the cinema I wanted to see that prompted me to take a deep breath and watch this movie. I was expecting a couple of hours of good special effects, lots of noise and minimal plot. I was not to be disappointed.
The story is simple. Nuclear tests in the French Polynesia cause mutations in a specis of lizard. Lizard gets big, VERY BIG. Lizard swims to New York, pausing only to swat a tanker and a few trawlers and to take a stroll across Panama. Lizard flattens New York. New Yorkers fight back. Oh and did I mention the twist that Lizard is pregnant?
Matthew Broderick plays yet another movie character with a crap name (Castor Troy (Face/Off) or any Arnie character for example). He is a biologist brought in by the military to investigate the lizard. He helps lead the fight against it when it eventually reaches New York. The army makes bold attempt to destroy the monster before it flattens the whole city but our reptilian hero resists it all. We have the cliche of the monster getting apparently blasted and then discovering it is ok! We also have a scene where our human "heroes" discover the nest of the lizard full of eggsthat look suspiciously like the face-hugger eggs from Alien. We then slip into Velociraptor territory as hundreds of Godzookis tear about
That's enough plot because we have seen it ALL before. There are elements, notunsurprisingly, of Independence Day (it's the same director/producer team) butwhen they have to resort to copying the T-Rex jeep chase from Jurassic Park you know they have run out of ideas (if there were any original ones in the first place).Spielberg's velociraptors are copied in poor fashion. We are used to high standards of special effects these days and even some of the CGI is sloppy. Godzilla goes for a swim and we are reminded of Alien Resurrection. Where is the originality?!OK the movie is a bit of mindless fun but the poor cast, appalling script and crap story makes for a very disappointing event. 4/10
This adaptation of James Ellroy's book was, in the opinion of notonly myself, but many many others, the best movie of 1997. See it andI'm sure you'll agree that it knocks spots off the other wannabes ofthe year like Jerry Maguire or Shine and forget about that bloody boat flick! It's a powerhouse of a movie with top notch performances from almost all concerned. Particular credit must go to our two Antipodean friends - Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce. Pearce especially I think. Considering how utterly crap hewas as biker Mike in Neighbours, he does actually have some talent and I'm sure we'll be seeing more of him. In fact his performance pushed top thesp Kev Spacey into a mere supporting role. But where were the Oscar noms (Miss Basinger excepted)?
This a crime flick of the highest order, on a par perhaps with thecrime film noir of old, although of course no one has the presence ofold Jimmy or Edward G. In a cop shop full of dirty deeds and the stench ofcorruption, our fallible heroes, Ed Exley and Bud White (Pearce and Crowe), set out, initially seperately, to solve the puzzles surrounding a mass killing in a night cafe, one of the victims being a recently dismissed cop. Throw in some double-cross, romantic interlude (interlude's a bit unfair to Miss Basinger but I'll stick with it for effect), torture and some more murder we find some of the tastier ingredients in this thrilling plot that zigs and zags like an ant on speed. However it all comes together by the time we arrive at the noisy denouement - you were paying attention I hope?
What I find impresses me most about this movie, the story and acting aside,is that, without exception, the characters are all interesting. They all have a story to tell. Take Crowe's hard-nosed Bud White - a cop obsessed with punishing woman-beaters. Nothing wrong with that but we discover his past is not entirely blameless. Jack Vincennes (Spacey) is a cop quite willing to take back-handers from unscrupulous muck-raker journalist Sid Hudgeons (Danny de Vito). Hudgeons pays Vincennes to make celebrity busts, providing juicy material for his Hush-Hush magazine. Anyway, when Vincennes is partly responsible for the death of a young actor, he re-asseses his whole attitude and begins to try and make amends by assisting Exley (Pearce) with his investigation. Character development is high on the agenda and it's pulled off with great aplomb.
Top support comes from Oscar-winning Kim Basinger, David Strathairn, a sneaky Danny de Vito and James Cromwell (last seen in Star Trek First Contact andbefore that as the dancing farmer in Babe!). Without doubt the best movie of 1997, it deserves more awards than it received. 10/10
This is the latest offering from the team that brought us the refreshing British thriller Shallow Grave and the barn-storming Trainspotting. If you are expecting something just as good then you're in for a big disappointment.
Ewan MacGregor (soon to be Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel) is Robert, a cleaner who loses his job and decides to kidnap the boss's daughter (Cameron Diaz) in order to get his job back (as you do). At the same time we meet two angels who are sent down by Gabriel (bless him) to make MacGregor and Diaz fall in love.
The boss (Ian Holm) hires our two angels (Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo) to track MacGregor down and retrieve his daughter. And so sets off a chain off events, eventually leading to the inevitable conclusion (how often I say that!). Along the way Diaz and MacGregor join forces in order to nab the ransom money and split it between them (Diaz is not close to her father to say the least).
Of course they fall in love and the way the story unfolds is a little naff and I was wishing it would hurry up and finish! There are some amusing moments but the screenplay is not electric like Trainspotting. I guess it is a kind of modern fairy tale, certainly by the end. Indeed the concept of an angel coming down to sort someone's life out is not a new one. Hopefully Danny Boyle and co will do better next time - we know they have the talent! As for this one, only average. 6/10
The latest offering to vent from the warped/enigmatic/mystifying/disturbed/mad (delete where applicable) mind of Twin Peaks creator David Lynch is no less weird and incoherent than any of his previous movies. It will leave you rather befuddled and perhaps a bit frustrated that just when you think you've solved part of the story, something else goes and bloody happens to throw you off track once more. Oh bugger.
It would seem that most other internet movie reviewers haven't gone into details about the plot of Lost Highway - or can't work it out more like! :) The plot has been described in many many places as a Moebius Strip of a plot and it is not entirely inaccurate! Roughly halfway through the film when Bill Pullman apparently metamorphasises into Balthazar Getty (is he trying to be like Charlie Sheen? Baaaad move) you can be forgiven for thinking "what the bloody hell is going on here?!!". I still have no idea how that happened. A man in a locked cell on death row CHANGES into someone else. Yeah right!
Anyway that's a minor quibble. The film itself is visually creepy and disturbing. This is largely as result of excellent sound and cinematography. The use of shadows is brilliant. Bill Pullman silently walks down a hall in his house, vanishing into the darkness after a couple of metres. It's likehe's being swallowed up by a black void. The silence adds to the tension as wewonder whether a scream or something is about to shatter the peace and make usjump. The silence prevails. The soundtrack though is frequently ripped open by sporadic events like a phone ringing or a burst of Nine Inch Nails' guitars. Asfor the cinematography, the use of shadows is spot on, in particular in Pete and Renee's house. From the outside it looks like a prison! Windows are few and small. This creates a very uneasy atmosphere inside which exudes from the screen into our living room.
The plot twists about and eventually folds in on itself, not least because of the Pullman transformation but also from Patricia Arquette's apparent doubleidentity. Figure that one out! This is a dark, mysterious, drama type thrillercome suspense nightmare-type movie, the kind that we are accustomed to from Mr Lynch. Sporadic violence and sexy sex present occasional moments of security for the viewer - we're perhaps used to guns and knockers but Lynch'sstorylines? Huh?! See this movie and be rewarded but be warned, it will notbe a comfortable experience. 7.5/10
James Stewart is God - it's official! This is a true tour-de forceof his versatility as he portrays a vulnerable, trusting and, yes,naive, Mr Jefferson Smith, in Frank Capra's compelling, moving yet upliftingtale. Smith is set up as a puppet in Congress when a Senator, whohappened to be in the pocket of an unscrupulous businessman, dies.Stewart marches off with some trepidation and is surprised when hediscovers he's expected to merely turn up and vote as advised by hisfather's friend, and fellow Senator Paine, played deliciously by ClaudeRains. Smith sets about doing something to help his boy scout troupehe left behind at home and plans a summer camp for boys from acrossthe US. A gallant plan but it treads on the toes of plans for a dam,proposed by his "friends".
It all ends with a 30 minute speech-athon with Stewart set up ascorrupt and taking centre stage at Congress, it seems, forever, untilhe clears his name. This finale is utterly captivating and verymoving as Stewart emplores Congress to see the corruption that existswithin it. It all concludes in fantastic drama. With excellentsupport from Jean Arthur as his secretary Clarissa Saunders, this is a film that will stir up emotions that will stay with you for hours afterwards. An unforgettable masterpiece. 10/10 no less. One of my favourites!
Mrs Brown (aka Her Majesty, Mrs Brown)
This 19th Century drama made by the BBC is a touching and moving story about Queen Victoria's (Dame Judi Dench) grief following her husband, Prince Albert's death from typhoid. She remembers him telling her of a Scotsman, one Mr Brown (Billy Connolly) who was of great help to him while staying at the Scottish Royal residence of Balmoral. Victoria sends for him with the idea that his presence will keep her closer to her late husband.
Cue one Mr Brown, a loyal and kind-hearted man who loves his Queen. He speaks his mind but always has Victoria's best interests at heart. She is at first taken aback by his manner but soon becomes close friends with him. Brown provides exactly the right kind of support and friendship she needs to help her through her grief. At the same time Brown is treading on the toes of other members of the royal family, simply by his relationship with the Queen. What follows is Mr Brown devoting his life to the Queen's well-being and security. Even when she takes exception to some of his advice and falls out with him, he remains as utterly faithful as he ever was.
The film contains two excellent performances from Judi Dench (Oscar-nominated, and to my mind would have been a deserving winner) and Billy Connolly (impressive, most impressive). Their performances never slacken as they head towards a sad ending. This is a story about a friendship between a commoner and the Queen of the British Empire and it is rivetting stuff. 8/10
This was screened recently on BBCtv in a double bill with The Wild Bunch (inwidescreen no less). The Wild Bunch of course is a superb western, whichportrays bad guys that we actually care about. But I want to talk about Major Dundee, another western from Sam Peckinpah. It's slightly tounge in cheek for a large part as we follow Major Amos Dundee (Charlton Heston) in his quest to rescue some American boys abuducted by a band of Indians. His mission is to rescue the boys and bring the Indian chief to justice.
Dundee's task is not an easy one. He has been posted in charge of a fort for prisoners from the American Civil War. He is short of soldiers and has to turn to the prisoners for volunteers to join him in his quest for the Indian. Of course he eventually rounds up a mixed rabble of soldiers from both sides, plus an assortment of drunks and layabouts. The most notable among these is Captain Benjamin Tyreen (a chivalrous Richard Harris), a former friend of Dundee who had played a part in the beating of one of Dundee's men, who subsequently died. They play a game of wills and the integration of him and his cohorts into Dundee's band, or lack of it, makes amusing viewing. Notable faces among these cohorts include Ben Johnson and Warren Oates (both of Wild Bunch fame).
Naturally things are never easy or smooth running and Dundee has to deal with ambushes, tension among the men, women and desertion. Yes indeed it is far from plain sailing. But it's a lot of fun getting there. Heston and Harris certainly seem to be enjoying themselves and their sparring provides great interest. As does the romantic interlude with Senta Berger (what a stunner!). This isn't a classic western by any stretch but it's a perfectly enjoyable one with some great moments and some good action bits. The ending is rather downbeat but I felt it quite fitting considering the more serious undertones in the movie. 7/10
On the face of it, this British film might seem rather unsavoury. The topic?Sado-masochism, whips, branding, torture, all for sexual pleasure (hmm lovely). But to sit and watch it we are reminded of the fact that even if their sexual preferences are not like most people's, they are still "normal" people (mostly - notice the "Gimp" hanging upside down in the cage). Human beings if you will.
Member of Parliament Henry Harding (Tom Bell) is on a moral crusade against the S & M scene. He employs Peter Emery (Christian Anholt) a young computer whizzkid to infiltrate the London scene and gather evidence of bodily harm and physical abuse in order to prosecute the "offenders" and clean up society. Peter is at first disgusted at what he sees but is intent on the task at hand. He becomes the personal slave of Mistress Tanya Cheex (Guinevere Turner) and inevitably grows feelings for her. She awakens him to feelings and desires he never knew he had and he starts to wonder if the "scene" really is all that bad. No one has to do anything that they don't want to do - that is always very clear.
The film is very funny. The participants in the scene are generally portrayed in a sympathetic manner rather than simply poking fun at them or showing them up as freaks of society (with one or two exceptions). One interesting feature is the colour pink which, I'm told, is a colour synonymous with the S&M scene, andthe colour appears in pratically every scene. I guess this is a subliminal messageto suggest that S&M could be anywhere and can be done by anyone. Take that trafficwarden that just stuck a parking ticket on your car. Maybe he spends his evenings strapped to a post being whipped by a naked middle-aged solicitor? The film has its positive attributes but does lag in places and doesn't gel as well as it could but that aside, if you're broad-minded enough to stomach some pretty explicit scenes, just enjoy it! 6.5/10
The story of controversial and outrageous radio DJ Howard Stern isinteresting I guess. A bit up-and-downy (if you'll pardon theexpression) throughout. It can't seem to make up it's mind whetherit's a comedy, a fly-on-the-wall documentary or a biopic. There aresome truly funny moments like the bit when Stern and his colleaguesare trying to use the "no no" phrases expressly forbidden for use onair, in a kind of Blankety Blank way - "Blank willow", "Blank-adoodle-doo". You have to see it to appreciate what I mean but it'sthe funniest bit in the movie.
Stern's performance is fine and there is reasonable support butsometimes Stern's voice-over narration becomes almost as irritatingand pretentious as the bloody kid in the Problem Child movies. Havingsaid that, Private Parts is as amusing as the title (make of thatwhat you will). It's quite an enjoyable piece of entertainment. 6.5/10
Tom Sizemore hams it up in this "people trapped in building withmonster" flick that will pass an evening quite contentedly. A fewnice gory moments keep the interest going while the plot shows littleimagination. Nice to see James Whitmore (Shawshank Redemption,Asphalt Jungle) popping up as the token "old man". If you've gotnothing better to watch, this will amuse for an hour and a half! 4/10
Paul Verhoeven makes a decent comeback after the farce that wasShowgirls (hmmm, farce yes, but what a farce! ;) ) in a movie thatsmacks of Full Metal Jacket meets Aliens. The first half focusing onour young heroes and heroines training in to be Citizens in anintergalactic army, while the second half is a special effects festwith blood 'n' guts ahoy as they battle with the insect-like foe ontheir home turf.
With one or two very serious sci-fi movies last year (Contact andEvent Horizon) it's great to see one with tounge rammed firmly incheek. From the off Troopers hams it up in a similar way to Robocopwith a great piss-take futuristic news slot popping up from time totime ("Would you like to know more?" asked after the headline reportsmass death in Buenos Airies - er, nah, skip to the story about theprice of slippers, ta very much...).
Basically Troopers is a very entertaining piss-rip on the usualgung-ho American shite that lets us all believe that if anyone messeswith the USA then they're gonna get their asses kicked. As usualthough, after a few amusing knock-backs for our intergalactic heroesand heroines, it all ends on a duly upbeat note, although Verhoevencan't resist a final kiss-off with a distinct nod and a wink. Greatfun - just don't take it seriously! 8/10
It's funny how almost every decent director seems to have one filmhe/she is especially noted or remembered for. Without doubt, JamesCameron will be remembered for Titanic. He's made some excellentmovies - Aliens, T1 and T2, True Lies - but none of these can matchthe majesty and grandeur that exudes from Titanic. It's cinema on thegrand scale and MUST be seen on the biggest screen you can get to!It's huge!
The story of this above average-sized boat is known to everyonebut what we don't know are the stories within the story - the storyof the people ON the boat, during the voyage. This is the questionthat Cameron poses. The tale begins with the exploration of the wreckand the discovery, by treasure seeker Bill Paxton, of a saucy pictureof a young woman wearing nothing but a massive jewel. An elderly ladycontacts him saying the picture is of her. And so begins her story.
It is from this point that we go back in time and join thepassenegers on board that fateful voyage. Kate Winslet, lookinggorgeous, is Rose, a young bride-to-be, engaged to stuck-up rich bastardBilly Zane (sadly wooden and 2-dimensional, although let down by a script that places all its emphasis on Jack and Rose). Leonardo DiCaprio (whyis he always smoking? Shouldn't he be setting an example?) is Jack, apoor young man who won the ticket in a card game. Suffice it to saythat Kate and Leo meet and fall in love - predictable stuff. The relationship is handledwith great sensitivity by Cameron, not entirely accustomed to makinglove stories, and the scene where Leo draws a nude Kate Winslet isdealt with perfectly tastefully while at the same time being quiteerotic.
Once the ship hits the iceberg and the shit hits the fan, Camerongoes into overdrive and gets on with what he does best - action! The pacenever slackens until the inevitable and tragic conclusion. The finalscenes are electric and on repeat viewings, you are sure to see things that you missed first time round. Expect for one or two sloppy computer effects (Kateand Leo morphing into blatant graphics as they run ahead of a wave of water,for example) the visuals are breathtaking. Never mind the religiousunder-currents that are hinted at on certain newsgroups. Also let'sforget the very ordinary script. But Cameron has pulled off something that looks absolutely incredible.
Was it worthy of 11 Oscars - well, no, certainly not. It deserved the technical awards, maybe even Best Director, but 11 Oscars puts it up there (statistically) with Ben-Hur but WOAH wait a second - Ben-Hur? A superlative epic movie. Titanic simply cannot be put on the same level as the likes of Ben-Hur but I fear some people will think it can. It's been compared to Gone With The Wind but I just say "sod off". No way man! It's visually breathtaking and indeed provides great excitement, but the poor script alone prohibits it from entry onto the all-time classic list. At the end of the day I would just say to enjoy it for what it is - a fantastic cinematic experience. 9/10
John McNaughton's latest effort has more twists than a Cadbury's Curly Wurly,although Denise Richards is much sweeter!! Actually most of the twists come in the last 5 minutes but it's quite fun getting there.
I won't go into the story too much because the twists begin about halfway through but I think I can get away with this much. We have dream boat schoolteacher Sam Lombardo (Matt Dillon) who all the school girls lust after. Nonemore so than randy sauce pot Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards) who does herutmost to seduce him. The plot thickens when she accuses Sam of raping her, we know not whether he is guilty or not - but he seems like such a nice guy!
And so it goes to trial (watch out for the male extra giving the thumbs up signto the panning camera!) and some persistent questioning by Sam's lawyer (BillMurray) leads sultry loner Suzie (a foul-mouthed Neve Campbell) to upset the apple cart. Then the movie goes into twisty-turny mode. Hard-nosed detectiveRay Duquette (Kevin Bacon) suspects something is seriously afoot and proceedsto investigate Sam and the two girls. Suffice it to say that twists and doubleand triple and quadruple crosses ensue.
The pace is pretty steady in this movie and Matt Dillon's character is interesting to follow. The twists get tiresome after the first couple and itgets a bit silly. The end credits are interspersed with a couple more, would youbelieve?!! It's entertaining enough and did I hear a few titters when Mr Bacon exposed his semi-stiff manhood? Surely not!! For the raincoat brigade and thosewho, like me, fancy Denise Richards, there is a nice scene between Matt Dillon,Neve Campbell and Miss Richards involving some sweat, a couple of breasts and some champagne. If you've got nothing better to see then go for this, it's pretty entertaining but ultimately only slightly better than average stuff. 7/10