Gareth's Movie Reviews Past & Present - Part III
This bittersweet comedy-drama won the Best Picture Oscar back in 1961 and onmy first viewing of Billy Wilder's 1960 production, it is pretty easy to see why.
Firstly the story - "yes" man C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) works at an insurancecompany and lets his apartment out to some of his superiors in the office who use it to "entertain" their respective "lady friends". It is funny because good old Baxter lets his neighbours think it's him entertaining all these women, not wanting to reveal the truth. This arrangement earns him his promotion. Yay great! While this proceeds, he finds himself drawn to pretty elevator girl Fran (Shirley MacLaine). Soon Baxter's Personnel Manager Jeff Sheldrake (delightfully slimey Fred MacMurray) also wants to use his apartment for his own mistress and guess who that is? That's right, our girl Fran! The plot thickens when Jeff takes Fran to Baxter's apartment on Christmas Eve and lets her down badly, a proper fob-off. She can't cope and, in a very surprising turn of events considering the light-hearted tone prior to this, takes an overdose of sleeping pills. So the movie takes a sudden serious turn. Baxter looks after her and inevitably falls in love.
I won't spoil it for those who've not seen it by telling the story furtherbut what follows brings redemption to the yes man Baxter and an ending that will warm your heart. Awwwww, in't that nice? The Oscar-winning screenplay, co-written by Wilder, is first rate, blending humour with more serious elementsin a way that certainly surprised me. The cast is excellent. Lemmon andMacLaine were Oscar-nominated (they did win Golden Globes), although strangelyMacMurray (great in The Caine Mutiny) was not. There is also a goodsupporting cast including Ray Walston and Jack Kruschen (Baxter's long-sufferingnext door neighbour). This is a great movie which has all the right ingredientsin all the right quantities! 9/10
This special effects-laden blockbuster from the "high octane action blockbuster"factory of Bruckheimer and Friends could have been re-named - like so many otherWillis/Stallone/Schwarzenegger/and others movies - A Man's Gotta Do What A Man'sGotta Do. That's not to say that I didn't like Armageddon - on the contrary, it is good fun and the special effects are fantastic - but the macho bullshitand laughable love affair between Liv Tyler and Ben Affleck just wound me up.But before I get flamed for being a cold-hearted bastard, let me digress and do the obligatory plot summary.
Bloody huge asteroid is heading for Earth and a scruffy band of rough-neck oil drillers get called in to zoom out on a couple of space shuttles to intercept the asteroid. Once there, the mission is to drill a big hole and plant a suitably powerful nuclear bomb to blow up the rock and split in two - the subsequent parts drifting harmlessly by us.
The first half of the movie focuses on our gang of roughnecks as they train for their mission. Bruce Willis is the Red Adair-type character, whose daughter, Liv Tyler, is shagging fellow roughneck Ben Affleck. Add a few sundry additional characters including fat token black man Michael Clarke Duncan, wacky genius, Steve Buscemi,and Willis' close buddy Will Patton (it's a pity we don't see Mr Patton in more movies - he was nice and slimy in No Way Out). The guys go through all manner of cute routines, attempting to endear themselves to us but to be quite honest by the end, I didn't really care who lived or died. Having said that - we do care a bit more than we did in Godzilla, although that's not saying much isit? *grin*
Apart from the highly wooden and two-dimensional characters, the movie does have some redeeming features, which I have already mentioned. The special effects in particular are fantastic, the soundtrack is excellent and there is agenerous helping of genuinely exciting set-pieces. There's even an in-joke or two - check out the gear stick on the driller rigs...don't they look like Terminator heads? (Gale Anne Hurd is one of the producers.) However it is all let down by the predictable plot, ordinary script and "walk in the park" acting. Only Steve Buscemi looks like he's really enjoying himself as genius sex-addict "Rockhound". I'm notconvinced by Ben Affleck. I liked him in Good Will Hunting but in this he seemsto be taking things too seriously. I like Liv Tyler but she already convinced me in Stealing Beauty. And Brucey? Well he does play the macho man so well doesn't he? *grin* All in all this is a bit of harmless fun and I did enjoy it, just leave the brain outside! 6.5/10
Official Buena Vista Armageddon web site
This is a very powerful and effective World War Two movie from Sam Peckinpah (his only war movie). It has a top cast including James Coburn (I'm not sure I've seen him better), Maximillian Schell (seen recently in Deep Impact), James Mason and David Warner. It has some of the familiar Peckinpah trademarks we were treated to in arguably his best-known film, The Wild Bunch, strong characters, hard-nosed characters who we find sympathising with, and of course scenes of ultra-violence!
The twist in this movie that makes if different from the multitude of other WW2films is that we are watching the proceedings from the German point of view as they desperately fight to hold their positions in Russia. We see their inner struggles as, becoming demoralised against a superior force, they have to keep falling back. We focus on one platoon led by tough, war-hating, Sergeant Steiner (Coburn) and his ensuing battle with yellow-bellied, glory-seeking Captain Stransky (Schell). Things come to a head when the Germans fall back but Stransky omits (accidentally on purpose) to tell Steiner's platoon and they dulyfind themselves stranded and surrounded by Russian tanks! How do they get out of that?!You'll have to watch and find out! It is gripping stuff with Coburn holding the movie together, coupled with Peckinpah's tight direction, many scenes reinforcing the old adage about the futility of war. 8.5/10
Eddie Murphy's flagging movie career will get a bit of a boost from this entertaining little number from Private Parts' helmer Betty Thomas. Full of fart jokes and other toilet humour, this will doubtless amuse most viewers.Put simply this is the story of John Dolittle (Murphy) who can converse freelywith animals of all shapes and sizes. This paves the way for a multitude of walk-on parts for all creatures great and small, providing wise-cracks in asimilar way to that kid in Look Who's Talking
The plot is irrelevant because it is too uninteresting for words. What youshould watch this movie for are the various little moments with the differentanimals, dogs, sheep, birds, rodents and a suicidal tiger. The first half of themovie goes from one gag to another without the story getting anywhere special.In fact this was the better half of the film because the second half gets a bit bogged down with sentiment and slop.
To be brutally honest, this is a one joke movie, much like Look Who's Talking,but the kids will love it and there's enough to keep anyone else amused for 45 minutes before the film gets sickly. Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoyed it. There were numerous laugh-out-loud moments, such as the dog in the pound that proudly announces that he is Keyser Soze! But it does kind of feel like they strung the joke out a bit more than they should. There were not enough jokes or enough plot to keep the interest going for the whole 90 minutes. Another example of a film whose best bits were all included in the trailer! 5/10
This action adventure comes from director Lee Tamahori (MulhollandFalls, Once Were Warriors) and, yes, the pen of none other than multi award-winning writer DavidMamet (Glengarry Glen Ross, The Untouchables, Homicide). It stars Sir Anthony Hopkins asmulti-millionaire Charles who accompanies his younger wife Mickey (Elle MacPherson) on a photo shootto Alaska and getting very, very lost in the middle of nowhere.
Naturally there is some early antagonism between"brain-seemingly-full-of-useless-trivia" Charles and arrogant photographer Bob (Alec Baldwin), making us wonder whatpreceded the movie to cause this. Anyway, these three journey into the frozen, forested northwith their crew and shack up in a remote cabin and start the shoot (with Elle dolled up in a saucyIndian outfit). So how do they find themselves stuck out in the wilderness with nothing but a paper clipand a head-full-of now-helpful trivia?
Impatient Bob wants to head out and find a certain Indian who hereckons will be rather photogenic! Off he goes with Charles and assistant Stephen (Harold Perrineau) and onthe way their plane collides spectacularly with a flock of migrating geese. Down they go, losingthe pilot on the way, and thus find themselves lost. Almost immediately Charles' trivia comes into play,providing useful hints for survival techniques. And so off they set on the long walk in the generaldirection of the cabin, coming up against Mother Nature at every turn, usually in the form of a grumpy,man-eating grizzly bear (called Bart we discover in the ending credits!). Of course some male bonding goes onand Charles constantly surprises us with the crap that he knows, most of it helping them survive. Inevitably one of the buys the farm, leaving the other two to struggle through the winter, living on theedge (ha ha). Further bonding goes on until the film's only twist which we should have seen coming,leading to the ultimate betrayal.
Do they get through? Well what do you think? But the ending isnot a happy one (don't forget who wrote this!) but this is good because we all know that Hollywood likesa happy ending but not all of us like one too. But Charles is a nice man and the ordeal changes hisoutlook on life and even after the betrayal, he still protects the guilty ones.
This is a gripping film and ,considering it is an action movie, ithas a decent script (thanks I'm sure to Mr Mamet). There are moments of genuine tension. The on-screenrelationship between Hopkins and Baldwin never really convinces, although this may be par for thecourse for Baldwin, but to be fair may illustrate the under lying mutual distrust. Able direction fromTamahori keeps things flowing. I liked this but feel inclined to award it 7/10.
The latest effort from Quentin Tarantino, the director labelled by many as a massive wake-up call to the world of cinema, is quite unlike his previous twomovies. Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were both astonishing, in-your-facemovies full of hip dialogue, foul language and sporadic explicit violence.While Jackie Brown has its fair share of f-words, it swaps violence and wittybanter for some serious story-telling.
Pam Grier is terrific as Jackie Brown, an air hostess for a crappy Mexicanairline, who's smuggling money into the USA for gun-seller Ordell (a scarySamuel L Jackson, almost reprising his Pulp Fiction role). She gets busted and the feds make a deal with her to get to the guy she works for - Ordell, a bloke who it would seem would shoot his own grandmother if she crossed him!
Along the way, Jackie hooks up with bailbondsman Max Cherry (Oscar-nominated Robert Forster) who, it would appear, becomes somewhat smitten with our lass.In fact Forster's character receives our sympathy because he helps Jackie, mainly because he is attracted to her and perhaps doesn't realise, or is notthinking about, what mortal danger he could be getting himself into. This facet makes his perhaps the most interesting character in the movie.
As usual in these reviews, I won't go into details about how the story unfolds, so as not to spoil it for anyone. What I will say is that it is worth percevering with. The movie sets off really slowly and continues at this pace for some time. Occasional moments keep your interest, not least the appearance of one Robert de Niro whose character makes gripping viewing - a kind of time bomb waiting to go off, he spend most of the movie not saying a great deal while clearly acting his pants off! The last hour and things pick up I am glad to say, and by the end you will be glad you kept with it. Fans of Tarantino's earlier efforts may be disappointed, as I was to an extent, but Jackie Brown still has a lot going for it and flashes of Tarantino brilliance make it a fairly rewarding couple of hours. 8/10 (almost 7.5!)
This remake of the 60s sci-fi take on Swiss Family Robinson is a hugedisappointment. Don't get me wrong, it passed the time and was even reasonably entertaining but, apart from excellent special effects, it was pretty poor. Itlacked any tension or genuine excitement and the plot could've done with a bitof real substance.
The story goes like this: Earth is knackered. Resources are almost completelydepleted. Explorers have discovered another planet for us to ruin, er, I mean colonise, named Alpha Prime. The problem is that it is a 10 year space flight away. As luck would have it they have invented a kind of portal like that in Stargate which will enable humanity to transport instantaneously to this new planet. One gate is in orbit around Earth and another needs to be built at Alpha Prime. Cue the disfunctional Robinson family. We have scientist Daddy (William Hurt) who is too wrapped up in his work and neglects his children. Penny is his rebellious daughter and little Will is the child genius whose always gettinginto trouble, bless him. Oh, and there's Mummy (Mimi Rogers) too, the long-sufferingwife. Plus a bonus family member, Judy (Heather Graham) and she's a scientist too. They are all to be flown to Alpha Prime by cocky pilot Don West (Matt LeBlanc) where they will commence work on the construction of the other "Stargate" portalthingy. Unfortunately the mission is sabotaged by nasty Dr Smith (Gary Oldman - cast against type today!) and they get lost in space! Woo hoo!
And that, my friends, is basically it. There was great potential here for some really great action but the ensuing plot spends more time with the family trying to repair their ship (yawn) rather than throwing them into the middle ofsome interstellar war (maybe a sequel there?). There is even a really crap cute, cuddly alien thrown into the mess. Totally unnecessary and a vain hope that the "ahhh" factor will make the film more interesting. The funny thing is thatit wasn't until about two thirds through that it hit me how bad this film is.Until then the special effects had been superb and had distracted my attention.On top of that I was expecting some nasty aliens to come and attack or for thatinterstellar war to cross their path. But no, it became clear that this wasn't going to be. I'm not going to bother to reveal anymore of the plot and insteadI shall say just this: if you want some great special effects and a good soundtrack, then enjoy. The kids will probably love it, but if you want anything else then forget it. 5/10
Official Lost in Space web site
This 1997 film from Gillies MacKinnon, director of Small Faces, is set in Craiglockhart hospital, Scotland, during the First World War. We find anti-warpoet Siegfried Sassoon (James Wilby) sent here, partly to discredit him but also to be disuaded from his anti-war declaration by psychiatrist Dr Rivers (Jonathan Pryce). In the hospital, Sassoon befriends Wilfred Owen, a budding war poet and together they share words of wisdom.
We also meet Billy Prior (Jonny Lee Miller), starting the film in deep shell-shock, having become a mute through the trauma. We follow his treatment and how he slowly recovers, regaining the memories from "the front". Oh and he finds a girlfriend too.
But it is the battle of wills between Rivers and Sassoon that forms the bulk of the movie. Rivers is under orders to convince Sassoon to recant his anti-war declaration before he can do any harm with it. Sassoon is determined to declare the war as an unnecessary evil, deliberately prolonged by the powers that be. By the end of the film, neither of them really win although Sassoon ends up back at the front, but still anti-war.
The film provokes some interesting thought about the futility of war. We see some sorry states in the hospital although I was surprised at how little we saw of what happened in the trenches. I am personally very interested in the First World War but I'll be honest, I didn't find any of this film moving. It lagged in places but I felt determined to stay till the end. I am familiar with the war poetry of Sassoon and Owen and there were a few quotes in the film. But while the film was sincere and portraying a very serious and deep issue - that of shell-shock and the subsequent "regeneration" and returning of soldiers to the front, it was lacking in something I cannot quite put my finger on and as a result receives 7/10.
I was looking forward to seeing this movie very much. The rave reviews onlyheightened my anticipation. Let me start at the beginning...
If you can survive the first 20 minutes then you'll be okay. Yes the opening is very graphic and very shocking...BUT it is absolutely brilliantly done. Itdepicts the fateful Omaha beach landing on D Day. We share every terrible moment in all but body. Starting with soldiers vomiting on the boats as they near the shore, bullets silently hitting soldiers underwater, the charge up the beach into a hail of gunfire, limbs flying through the air, sheer blind panic. It is an assault on the senses and I've never experienced anything likeit in the cinema before. Nor do I imagine I ever will again. Spielberg showsus the way through the eyes of Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) as he himself stumblesup the beach, dragging a wounded colleague only to look down a few minutes laterto see their legs are now missing. It is almost a blessed relief when they break through.
After that we get down to the business of the movie - the locating and rescuing on one Private Ryan (Matt Damon) - in a public relations exercise afterhis three brothers are killed in quick succession, it is decided to spare the mother any further grief and return the surviving son to the fold. It is a simple premise but one which Miller's squad quickly resent, risking eight men to save one private. It begs the question - is saving one life worth risking many? It is a question we are frequently reminded of throughout.
The task of locating Ryan is by no means an easy one and the squad go throughgreat difficulties and conflict, both external and internal, along the way: asniper attack, a botched hit on a gun nest, arguments over "the decent thing todo", the execution of a POW. Until finally Ryan is located along with a small squad, all protecting a relatively meaningless bridge in a ruined town. Millerand his men end up joining them and the inevitable confrontation with some German panzers is another gruesome battle, lasting longer than the beach landing! I won't spoil the outcome *grin*
This is cinema par excellence and my hat is now permanently off to MrSpielberg. The direction and editting are superb. The script is very well penned, bringing the characters to life, giving them all valuable things to say.Very able support comes from Jeremy Davies (as green Corporal Uppham) and animpressive Tom Sizemore as the ever faithful Sarge, Miller's confidant. Tom Hanks shines as the Captain, a private man, trying to be strong in the face of death but his resolve slowly being eroded. Oscar nominations anyone? If you can stomach the graphic images, it is well worth it. One image that will remainwith me is one that just made my jaw drop - the beach landing, and the first boat opens up to allow the soldier to disembark but as soon as the door opens, the whole boatful is scythed down in a whistling torrent of machine gun fire. Absolutely horrifying.
This is a very rewarding and even educational movie. As Matt Damon said, he left the cinema with a great sense of guilt - that this generation (of which I am a part) really have no idea of what those men went through over there. This movie cannot be missed. Speilberg is at the top of his profession and deserves all the accolades we willsurely receive.
The closing thought from the movie relates to a message given to PrivateRyan - "Earn it". This referred to the fact that this group of soldiers had risked everything to save his ass and the request was asking Ryan to make sure he lived a life to earn this rescue. I have seen it written elsewhere and I agree that "Earn it" is also a message that WE can take away from the movie.It wasn't just Miller's team that risked everything. We are all Private Ryan and 1000s and 1000s of others like Miller and co. also risked - and gave - everything, to ensure that we have the freedom we all take for granted. See this movie - it is important that you do. 10/10
This is a charmer of a movie and one which really rings true of what it must have been like for those old timers at the end of the "Wild West" era. John Wayne is John Bernard Books, The Shootist, a former gunman, now dying of cancerand he wishes to find himself a quiet spot and die in peace. He chooses Carson City and rents a room in the boarding house of proud widow Bond Rogers (LaurenBacall).
Of course things don't go according to plan for Books and word gets around that the gunman is in town and dying. One or two old enemies show up to have a popat him and the town marshall (Harry Morgan) dances round the room when he hears about the cancer. But this movie isn't about settling of scores, it is about a man trying to die quietly and with dignity.
Books strikes up interesting relationships with the widow Rogers and her enthusiastic son, Gillom (Ron Howard). The son is in awe of Books and a bit of hero-worship goes on. Books tries to share a bit of his wisdom with him. The lad is keen to learn how to use a gun and Books attempts to explain the way of the world andthat the life he led was not a safe or easy one. Books' relationship with MrsRogers does not get off to a good start but they soon learn to respect eachother and form something resembling a friendship. We are left wondering if theremay have been potential for more than that. The movie progresses nicely towards an inevitable conclusion with Books'redemption and a very moving kiss-off between him and Gillom, who throws a gun awayto Books' approval.
The movie is rivetting and features strong performances from all concerned.There are some good characters, the marshall especially amusing. Bacall and Howard produce some good performances and Wayne was never better. Watch out toofor one James Stewart, popping up as Books' doctor. This is a moving film butultimately an uplifting one with Books' redemption and Gillom's rejection of the gun, one feels that both a soul and a life were saved today. A great movie aboutthe end of the Wild West. 9/10
I'd received many good words about this movie so I took my seat in the cinema expecting something fun and entertaining. This is what I got. I think this will go down as one of the most entertaining movies of the year and one of the funniest. Hey come on! The sight of Steve Buscemi dressed like one of The Four Tops and crooning has to be worth the admission price alone!
The story revolves around wedding singer Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler - whose character I wanted to shoot when I saw him in Happy Gilmore) who is jilted at the altar. He becomes friends with waitress Julia Sullivan (Drew Barrymore - who I last saw being slaughtered in Scream) who is about to marry long-term fiance, slimy rich bastard Glenn Gulia (Matthew Glave - ER's Dale Edsen). Of course Julia and Robbie fall in love, Glenn turns into a bit of a rat but their wedding is due to go ahead and we are kept on tenterhooks as to whether she and Robbie will ever get together(!)Well what do you reckon? ;-)
I don't really mean to put the film down by suggesting that it is predictable fare. Hell, it is! But you have so much fun getting there that you don't give a damn! The central characters are all very likeable and there are plenty of in-jokes and nods to 80s idiosyncrasies. There are laugh-out-loud moments (check out the granny rapper) and loads of great tunes from the 80s to produce that nostalgic feeling. This is a terrific feel-good movie and a great date movie, addressing the question of what we look for in an ideal partner and maybe to only enter into a marriage if you have found the person you "want to grow old with". A must-see 8/10
Official Wedding Singer website