※ [本文轉錄自 Valentina 信箱]
作者: Valentina (去年煙花特別多)
標題: PLANET OF THE APES/John Cusak/A.I./Kubrick/Sting/CHOCOLAT...
時間: Wed Sep 12 15:45:16 2001
轉錄一篇文章:
MOVIE REVIEWS
Since I work in Hollywood, I see an enormous amount of films. Here, I've listed
my thoughts on some current releases. I'd love to hear your feedback on these
reviews. Whether you agree or disagree, you can e-mail me at
erinlacey@hotmail.com.
IN THEATERS NOW:
AMERICAN OUTLAWS- I hate to say anything bad about this movie, considering that
it is my company's first theatrical release.... but it's not very good. If
you're a Western fan (as I am) you're really going to squirm in your seat
during this tired, unimaginitive telling of the Jesse James story. In this
version, Jesse is an Old West Robin Hood, making life hell for the mean, mean
railroad men who want to steal his family farm. It's a far cry from the truth,
and this soft take on the outlaw life serves only to make the James-Younger
gang and their exploits uninteresting. And then there's the acting! Colin
Farrell is one of the most promising young actors in Hollywood, but his talent
is totally wasted here. Ali Larter is just awful as his love interest. And what
in the world is Oscar-winner Kathy Bates doing in this mess? I hate to tell you
not to see it, but I have to be honest... DON'T!
THE OTHERS- This is definitely one of my favorite films of the year. Nicole
Kidman is on a roll! A creepy ghost story with a major twist at the end, "The
Others" is a bit of a slow burn. Nicole Kidman, her children and her servants
begin to sense a supernatural presense in their large home. It's the 1940's,
and the English manor is forever engulfed in fog and bitter wartime memories.
Kidman's maddening stuggle to keep her children (who have a severe allergy to
sunlight) alive in the darkness ultimately leads to tragedy and horror. I
can't spoil it, but it'll creep you out! Go see this one.
PLANET OF THE APES- You're better off renting the original "Planet of the
Apes" than watching this inferior re-make. Even the direction of Tim Burton
can't make this film an interesting, enjoyable experience. Yes, the apes are
kind of cool to look at. Yes, there are a couple of good action sequences and
some cool effects. But very little thought was put into the story and it
shows. "Planet of the Apes" has gaping roles in the storyline that will leave
you scratching your head. And the ending is probably the worst, most
ineffective and uncomprehensible ending to a movie that I've ever seen. It
makes no sense. And the acting in this film is as bad as the storyline.
Estella Warren just stands around looking confused (but always with perfect
make-up!) while poor Mark Wahlberg is required to display exactly three
different emotions (confusion, anger, and determination). You never even learn
the names of most of the characters, and you really won't care. This film is a
dud.
LEGALLY BLONDE- Reese Witherspoon is a great comedic actress. As we've seen
in the excellent film "Election," she knows how to deliver the perfect facial
expression or mannerism at any given moment. She is dead on in the role of
spoiled Elle Woods and completely endearing as the ditzy blonde who is
accepted to Harvard Law School. While unrepentently a silly, slight comedy
(reminiscent of "Clueless"), "Legally Blonde" is truly funny. Elle's
adventures inspire a lot of giggles. This is summer entertainment at it's
finest. It won't make you think too hard. You'll just laugh a lot and leave
the theater happy.
AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS- Supposedly, this is a romantic comedy. However, the
writers seem to have forgotten the part where the hero and heroine fall in
love. It's a major problem that ultimately dooms this film. Don't get me
wrong, there is a lot of cute schtick in "America's Sweethearts." Hank Azaria
and Stanley Tucci chew up the scenery in their totally over-the-top roles.
Seth Green falls down a lot. But Catherine Zeta-Jones and John Cusack are
completely unlikable as spoiled, self-involved movie stars. Cusack, in
particular, mopes and whines his way through the movie and is so annoying that
you almost hope he'll never find love! Julia Roberts has the blandest role of
her career. Bascially, she stands around and hopes that Cusack will fall for
her. She stands around and hopes that Zeta-Jones will start respecting her.
But she never displays true heart and humor, and she never seems to be truly
in love with anyone. It takes the romance right out of this romantic comedy.
This is definitely a rental.
A.I.- I'm not the hugest fan of either Kubrick or Spielberg, so I wasn't
really expecting to like this film. Still, it's a joint creation of two of the
greatest directors of our time. I wasn't going to pass that up! The first
two-thirds of A.I. are really interesting and thought-provoking. It's the
bizarre and anti-climatic last 20 minutes or so that really don't work.
Plot: Haley Joel Osment plays a robot boy, programmed to love its human
"mother" (Frances O'Connor). When the human family can no longer live with
this overly devoted machinery, they dump him in the woods. The rest of the
story is consumed with Osment's obsession with becoming a "real boy" and thus
earning his mother's love. The despair and disillusion that follow are
compelling, but never really signify anything specific. A.I. explores
Spielberg's favorite themes: youth and family bonds. It also touches on
Kubrick's love of the unconventional and his preoccupation with alternate life
forms. The melding of the two mindsets raises many questions about the nature
of humanity but fails to answer them convincingly. Despite some great
performances (Osment, O'Connor and Jude Law in particular), the movie leaves a
viewer feeling unsatisfied and rather empty. Also, the pacing of the film is
often slow. You may need some sugary snacks to keep you awake! If you're a
film buff, you'll find A.I. interesting, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to
the recreational viewer. I'm betting on Spielberg's next effort, "The Minority
Report," to be much more interesting.
SWORDFISH- I haven't seen this movie yet. But in case you are wondering if you
should see it this weekend... the word is that it is BAD. My boss returned
from a screening shaking her head and muttering about formulaic plotlines and
gratitutious violence against women. Another friend told me that he actually
left the theatre after an hour. I'll post my own review if I actually decide
to see it, but in the meantime... consider yourself warned!
MOULIN ROUGE- I was blown away by this film. First off, let me say that I was
not a fan of director Baz Luhrman's last film, "Romeo + Juliet" (starring Leo
DiCaprio). His quick-cutting, wildly-edited style didn't work for me in the
context of Shakespeare. But "Moulin Rouge" is a masterpiece. It completely
re-invents the movie musical and is a dazzling display of color, light and
sound. While the story is a bit thin (the love triange is predictable),
emotion runs high in "Moulin Rouge" and it's hard not to be drawn in. The
music is extradordinary. You'd never think that Sting's "Roxanne" or Madonna's
"Like A Virgin" would work in turn-of-the-century France- but they do. And
how! The songs weave in and out of each other, creating mood and spectacle.
Nicole Kidman (who has never looked more lovely or appeared more sexy) and
Ewan McGregor can really sing! It's hard to truly describe this film because
you've just never seen anything like it before. Go see "Moulin Rouge!" It's
one of the most interesting movies you could see this year.
PEARL HARBOR- What a disaster! It's bad enough that hack director Michael Bay
(who is reponsible for the monstrosities "The Rock" and "Armageddon") decided
to tackle a sticky political topic in his latest film, but that's hardly the
worst part of this dreadful movie. The plotline is ludicrous. The romance is
totally simplistic and uninteresting. And the dialogue just gets cheesier and
cheesier. By the time Alec Baldwin shows up (playing a scenery-chewing
commander) you'll wish you'd stayed home to wash your hair. At 3+ hours,
sitting through this movie is unbearable. The only good thing about "Pearl
Harbor" is that quoting its dumb lines and making fun of its wooden acting has
become one of the best cocktail party activities in years. For the love of
God, avoid this film.
SHREK- With "Shrek," Dreamworks firmly established itself as the best
animation studio in Hollywood. A lighthearted, hilarious film, "Shrek" will
appeal to adults and children alike and will surely be one of the biggest hits
of the year. The computer-animated characters in "Shrek" look great and have
tons of personality. A sweet fable that provides the message "it's what on the
inside that counts," "Shrek" is populated with clever characters and
laugh-out-loud moments. The ugly ogre's quest to bring a spoiled, cursed
princess to a cruel king is truly compelling, but it's the humor that makes
the movie. I laughed harder at all the little jokes than most of the kids in
the theater, and would even see this movie again. Check it out!
THE MUMMY RETURNS- I liked this movie. Most of my friends thought I was crazy
and suffering a moment of terrible taste, but I liked "The Mummy Returns" even
more than the original "The Mummy." The first film had a tendency to be
deliberately cheesy and melodramatic, but the sequel is smarter and less
cloying. It's action packed from beginning to end and the visuals are truly
fantastic. No, it's not a terribly intelligent or believable adventure, and
it's not nearly as compelling as "Raiders of the Lost Ark"... but it's still
entirely watchable. The addition of Rick and Evie's young son adds a lot of
heart and energy to the story, and the Scorpion King provides yet another
villian to fear. The first of the big summer blockbusters, "The Mummy Returns"
is worth the ticket price. Check it out!
BRIDGET JONES' DIARY- If you read the book and fell in love with wacky,
neurotic Bridget Jones, you probably rushed right out to see the film. I did.
And I was not disappointed. Renee Zellweger (surprisingly enough) makes a
wonderful Bridget. Endearingly chubby, clumsy and clueless, she provides some
truly laugh-out-loud moments. The famous firepole sequence had me rolling on
the floor, as did Bridget's singing over the opening credits. I think that
even men will appreciate the humor in this film, because it's much more
accessible and physical than the book. The supporting cast is excellent. Hugh
Grant is perfectly devilish as Daniel Cleaver and Colin Firth is a handsome,
subdued Mark Darcy. You'll probably want to see the film more than once, it's
really that entertaining. Go see it with a pack of girlfriends and you'll
definitely enjoy it.
MEMENTO- One of the most unique and captivating films I've seen in some time,
Memento is definitely worth a trip to the theater. Starring Guy Pearce (L.A.
Confidential) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix), the film is actually p
resented backward. That's right, the story runs in reverse. Concept: Guy
Pearce's character has sustained short-term memory loss during an attack in
which his wife was murdered. He spends each day trying to track down the perp,
but cannot remember any of his progress from day to day. So he tattoos
everything he learns on his body and starts over in the morning. It's a
fascinating, haunting film which you'll want to see more than once. Director
Chris Nolan has created something very memorable with this film.
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME- This is a truly compelling film. Not only because the
performances are so extraordinary (Julia Roberts is lucky Laura Linney didn't
steal that Oscar away from her!) (中略)
SNATCH- It's not a bad film, it's just not nearly as interesting or inspired
as Guy Ritchie's first movie, "Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." The
director's sophomore effort showcases the same Tarantino-esque visual style,
although it is notably more gruesome in "Snatch." The story is complex and
interesting, and there are even a few moments of humor. Brad Pitt does much to
liven up the film, and his performance really shines through. It's not a bad
movie, it's just not great. If you haven't seen "Lock Stock and Two Smoking
Barrels," now is the time to rent it and see Richie's best work to date.
CHOCOLAT- The film industry was dumbfounded when this little Miramax film got
nominated for Best Picture. That may be why the theatre was packed when I went
to see "Chocolat"- everyone is wondering WHY. I have to say, I don't think
"Chocolat" should have been nominated above, say, "Almost Famous" or "Billy
Elliot," but this is a great movie in its own right and definitely worth your
ticket price. "Chocolat" has a fairy tale quality about it. Set in a small
French hamlet, it stars the ravishing Juliette Binoche as a chocolate-maker.
She stirs up the conservative little town and learns a lot of lessons in the
process. This film will make you smile and it will make you crave sweets.
Great camera work, lovely performances, and a sweet story make "Chocolat" a
winner.
DOWN TO EARTH- Chris Rock is a really funny guy. Even in this unexciting film,
he gets in a few good riffs and inspires some belly laughs. The problem is
that he's not much of an actor. He just kind of stands there and waits for his
next line. This movie has larger issues, however. The story is a remake of the
Warren Beatty classic "Heaven Can Wait." In this version, Chris Rock dies and
is reincarnated into the body of an old, fat white man. Comedy ensues. Or it's
supposed to. Truly, it's only funny when they show the old white guy rockin'
out to "Gin and Juice." When Chris Rock does it, it just doesn't have the same
effect. The romance is also pretty unbelievable and the conclusion is a bit
predictable. You can definitely wait to see this one on video.
SAVE THE LAST DANCE- The surprise hit of early 2001, "Save the Last Dance" is
an above average film that is really connecting with audiences. Why? Well,
it's got a great soundtrack and lots of amazing dance sequences. It's also one
of those rare Hollywood films that presents fully developed, non-stereotyped
African-American characters. It was really refreshing to see this young cast
work with good dialogue and believable subject matter. The interracial romance
is examined in a honest manner and Julia Stiles & Sean Patrick Thomas bring a
lot of heart to this relationship. While the whole plot about Julia Stiles'
dance career is a bit cliche (and she's so clearly the worst dancer in the
film!) it never becomes ridiculous or boring. This film is surely worth a
matinee viewing and/or a video rental.
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