Angel Eyes (R) Much more and much better than those misleading and terribly trite trailers would indicate. Jennifer Lopez is a convincing presence as the tough but vulnerable Chicago cop who finds herself falling in love with a mysterious stranger who saves her life (Jim Caviezel). Angel Eyes doesn't resolve things in a particularly interesting way, but the film is watchable chiefly on the merits of its heaps of atmosphere and Lo's and Caviezel's performances. Also stars Sonia Braga and Terrence Howard.
The Animal (PG-13) Rob Schneider stars as Marvin Mange, a wannabe cop who develops animal urges after an experimental operation. Don't ask for details on the switch; there are none. But then again, this isn't the kind of movie where you really need scientific explanations. What you would hope for, though, is some better jokes. The movie meanders through roughly 80 minutes of Schneider's slapstick animal impersonations, with a shoestring plot tied in loosely. Former Survivor loser Colleen Haskell takes her first stab at the silver screen and comes up empty. Her spotty performance makes Schneider look like an Oscar candidate. Also look for John C. McGinley (Platoon, Office Space) and Guy Torry (American History X), two respectable actors who really don't belong in such a ridiculous flick.
—Dustin Dwyer
Along Came a Spider (R) Morgan Freeman returns to the role of Dr. Alex Cross in this follow-up to Kiss the Girls (1997). Cross is a renowned profiler, or psychological detective, chosen by a serial killer who wishes to gain crime-of-the-century status for his kidnapping of a senator's daughter by luring Cross into the case.
—Cooper Cruz
Blow (R) A rise and fall yarn about an ordinary guy who avoids poverty by selling pot in the '60s, graduates to dealing coke and then winds up falling as far as he can fall, while getting screwed by pretty much everyone on the planet. Johnny Depp delivers yet another outstanding performance as our contraband-dealing hero.
Bridget Jones's Diary (R) An English everywoman in the limbo between youth and middle age, Bridget Jones is single (although not by choice), slightly overweight, smokes and drinks too much, doesn't get on that well with her nagging mum, and finds herself constantly falling for the wrong sort of man (like her sexy scoundrel of a boss, impeccably played by Hugh Grant), while soundly rejecting the ones who might just turn out to be Mr. Right. There's an undeniable charm to this pleasantly droll comedy, but for all the humorous winks, nudges, quirks and buffoonery, there's an inescapable blandness to it all, something formulaic and compromised that makes it difficult to completely give ourselves over to Bridget Jones's Diary.
The Brothers (R) Four successful black men ponder life, love and friendship while on the brink of marriage. Sound familiar? It should. This is the third in a string of such films (including The Wood and The Best Man) and is by far the worst of them. Morris Chestnut (The Best Man, Boyz 'N the Hood) plays the compassionate one who thinks he's finally met the right woman — until he discovers that she used to date his father (Oops!). Also stars Bill Bellamy, Shemar Moore and D.L. Hughley.
—Dustin Dwyer
Chocolat (PG-13) Free-spirited Juliette Binoche opens a chocolate shop in a repressed village, setting up a didactic conflict of indulgence vs. denial. The French locales, food and faces are lovingly photographed (the disarming ensemble includes Judi Dench, Johnny Depp and Alfred Molina), but the film cannot equal the comparably themed but richer Babette's Feast. Chocolat melts in your hands, not in your heart.
—Curt Holman
Chopper (NR) This award-winning and extremely controversial Australian film tells the story of Mark Brandon Read, a.k.a. Chopper, a hulking, mad dog killer who — and this is where things really get weird — actually exists in real life (the real Chopper, as it happens, is not only one of Australia's most notorious lowlifes, he's also the best selling author of nine books — including one called How To Shoot Friends and Influence People — in which Mr. Read gleefully chronicles a lifetime of abominable behavior). Much like Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers, a film that's impossible to avoid mentioning in this context, Chopper makes no bones about the fact that it's a freak show. Like NBK (or A Clockwork Orange, Badlands et al), Chopper doesn't attempt to preach or pass judgment: it simply pushes buttons by allowing us to spend some quality time with a publicity-hungry, self-mythologizing criminal. And like Stone's film and all those other modern day horror shows, the fact that there's something weirdly likable, even endearing, about this murderous creep ensures that the public and private debate on Chopper is unlikely to end any time soon. None of this obviously makes for a very pretty picture, but it's almost always a pretty engaging and provocative one — and frequently quite funny as well, in an outlandish and deliberately absurd sort of way.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (PG) Ang Lee's poetic reinvention of the martial arts genre takes place in China in the early 19th century (although the look and feel is as magically timeless as the film's characters are eternal), where recently retired master warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) has agreed to take on one final mission to retrieve a prized sword and avenge the death of his master. The other crucial elements to Crouching Tiger's deliriously romantic human schema are Mu Bai's fellow warrior, Yu Shu Lien (Michele Yeoh) — who is deeply in love with him, as is he with her, although each has found it impossible to openly express love — and Jen (Zhang Ziyi), an independent young noblewoman who may not be quite who she appears to be. Crouching Tiger is filled with marvelous archetypes, charismatic performances and, perhaps best of all, some of the most astonishing and lyrical action scenes ever filmed.
Driven (PG-13) Having apparently graduated (for lack of a better word) from directing popcorn movies to making feature-length music videos, Renny Harlin offers up this annoying little time-waster about the lives and loves of some very boring race car drivers.
Evolution (PG-13) Check your indie-loving, art-house attitude at the door. Ivan Reitman's latest comedic opus is full of plot holes, mindless sidetracks and middle-of-the-road directing, but it's funny as hell. The film takes an almost evolutionary track as it winds its way through a dull first half, finishing up with such classic cheese-ball humor you'll be choking on your popcorn. Perhaps most entertaining of all, you get to see Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights) and David Duchovny, two normally serious actors, ham it up alongside the shamelessly hokey Orlando Jones (7-Up commercials) and Seann William Scott (Dude Where's My Car). The quartet teams up to battle rapidly evolving alien creatures threatening to take over the world. What else do you need?
—Dustin Dwyer
Exit Wounds (R) Steven Seagal, cops and corruption. And Tom Arnold. What more do you need to know? Also starring DMX, Isaiah Washington.
(Not Reviewed)
Fantasia 2000 (G) A perfect choice for the new Channelside IMAX, Fantasia 2000 was designed for that format. The seven animated segments here are basically all over the stylistic map. Amid several attractive but somewhat disposable segments are the movie's two, unmitigated success stories: a depression-era fantasy set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and peopled with wonderfully stylized Al Hirschfield drawings; and a reprise of the original Fantasia's Sorcerer's Apprentice segment.
House of Mirth (PG-13) Terrence Davies reins in his more abstract impulses to offer up a surprisingly faithful, no-nonsense rendering of Edith Wharton's century-old tale of secrets and lies in New York high society. Davies' The House of Mirth, faithful though it may be, is a dry and bloodless affair, not to mention a depressing one. Gillian Anderson stars as Lily Bart, a bright and attractive young woman who winds up ruined by a destructive network of untruth and gossip.
Into the Deep (G) If your eyes have already darted down to the extravagant number of planets awarded this film, bear in mind that the rating owes as much to the phenomenal IMAX 3-D experience as it does to the movie itself. Into the Deep is an extremely well-made 40-minute documentary on underwater creatures, but in 3-D, it becomes an absolutely breathtaking experience. At Channelside IMAX.
Journey into Amazing Caves (PG) Two young scientist/teachers, Nancy Aulenbach and Hazel Barton, are our passionate and personable guides in this expedition, taking us from caves in Arizona to the frozen expanses of Greenland to the Yucatan Peninsula in search of super-hearty, cave-dwelling microorganisms (called extremophiles) that may hold the key to curing any number of diseases. Playing at IMAX Dome Theater.
Kingdom Come (PG) Soul Food was just an appetizer for this African-American family comedy that brings a dysfunctional brood together to bury their patriarch. The actors and most of the script make up for technical shortcomings in the funniest funeral since Chuckles bit the dust. Stars Whoopi Goldberg, Loretta Devine, LL Cool J, Vivica A. Fox and Jada Pinkett Smith.
—Steve Warren
A Knight's Tale (PG-13) Who needs historical accuracy when you've got rock ballads? Jousting participants probably never stomped out We Will Rock You before a match, and the crowd wouldn't really do the wave, but who really cares about stuff like that? Writer/director Brian Helgeland certainly doesn't. The Academy Award-winning screenwriter of L.A. Confidential put together this entertaining story about a Medieval peasant who tries to sneak into knighthood in the jousting arena. More comedy than action, A Knight's Tale has a surprisingly strong cast led by soon-to-be-superstar Heath Ledger.
—Dustin Dwyer
The Luzhin Defense (PG-13) A well-intentioned but not terribly interesting adaptation of Nabokov's obscure novel about the intersection of chess and unlikely romance. John Turturro plays a Russian Grandmaster whose obsession with chess is so complete he is utterly unable to function in the real world. Emily Watson plays the woman with whom he falls madly in love during an important match. It's all fairly watchable, but the chemistry between the two leads is never completely believable and the story, without the benefit of Nabokov's gracefully soaring prose, feels more than a bit stuffy and dated, infused with a surplus of rather simplistic psychology. Director Marleen Gorris proves again she's far better working from her own material (Antonia's Line) than from others (Mrs. Dalloway). Also starring Geraldine James and Stuart Wilson. Opens June 8 at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
Memento (R) A haunting film about a man who can't trust his own memory. Our hero, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), has a bizarre condition that makes it impossible for him to remember anything more recent than the night of his wife's brutal murder. Consequently, he travels from place to place searching for her killer, tattooing upon his own body the clues that he uncovers, clues that he would instantly forget if not for the fact that they were indelibly imprinted on his skin. Memento actually tells its story in reverse, but the movie isn't so much a radical experiment as it is a crime thriller in the classic film noir vein — all brooding atmosphere, paranoia and treachery. Also stars Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano.
Moulin Rouge (PG-13) The nominal stars of Moulin Rouge are Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, playing a star-crossed pair who fall in love, experience sublime happiness and meet inevitably tragic ends while putting on a big show at the legendary old Montmartre cabaret. But the real star of Moulin Rouge is its sense of style: the astonishing sets, the costumes, the choreography, the how'd they do that? camera moves. There's hardly a second in Moulin Rouge where we're not given something to look at that takes our breath away — and which then, just as quickly, disappears. Moulin Rouge barely sits still for a moment, pulsing and churning ahead like a thing pumped-up on a double-dose of Ecstacy. It's all staged as a musical, with the wisp of a story told largely through song, and characters constantly breaking into pop tunes (mostly from the '70s and '80s). Like most postmodern exercises, there's something a little too self-congratulatory and maybe even masturbatory about the whole process. All of which makes Moulin Rouge something of a dead end street, albeit possibly the most gorgeous and wildly cinematic dead end we may ever see. Also stars John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent and Richard Roxburgh.
The Mummy Returns (PG-13) More is more in this relentlessly bombastic sequel to the 1999 blockbuster. Returns basically recycles all the main selling points of the original, minus any vestigial attempts at humor or pacing. There's little for star Brendan Fraser to do but bounce from one spectacular (and spectacularly artificial) computer generated effect to the next, like an Indy Jones-lite in an all-consuming digital sea.
Ocean Oasis (G) A fascinating exploration of the richly diverse life forms inhabiting the Baja, Calif., peninsula, the IMAX production Ocean Oasis spends most of its time under water before giving us a brief contrasting look at the curious plants and animals doing their thing above the surface. The narration is informative without being too intrusive and often illuminates intriguing nuances of the on-screen mating, birthing, feeding and dying.
One Night at McCool's (R) An unemployed bartender (Matt Dillon), an obnoxious lawyer (Paul Reiser) and a God-fearing, jumbo-size detective (John Goodman) are all fatally attracted to the same woman. She's Jewel (Liv Tyler), a long-legged, baby-faced sexpot, who makes the bartender turn to a life of crime and entangles the lawyer, the cop and one or two other hapless males in the same sticky web.
Pearl Harbor (PG-13) The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is the pivotal event looming over, and then descending upon, two ace fly boys and best pals (Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett) in love with the same beautiful nurse (Kate Beckinsale). Almost everything about Michael Bay's new movie is epic — from its jumbo-size emotions to its battle sequences to its three-hour running time. It's not really strictly a war movie, either, with much of the film simply devoted to evoking a sweet nostalgia for a more noble and wholesome bygone era, where heroism, patriotism and strong personal and communal values ruled the day and folks danced to Cole Porter by night. Balancing human drama and unabashedly cornball romance with balls-to-the-wall action — and told in big, stirring, simple (occasionally simplistic) strokes — Pearl Harbor is nothing if not a clear attempt to out-Titanic Titanic; the film fairly begs the question: Why just sink one boat when you can sink a whole bunch? Featuring a series of virtual cameos by the likes of Cuba Gooding Jr., Dan Aykroyd, Tom Sizemore and Alec Baldwin.
Reservoir Dogs Tarrantino's 1991 pre-Pulp Fiction effort set the tone for the filmmaker's harrowingly innovative style. One of the great heist-gone-wrong movies, Dogs brims with edgy, often funny dialogue and unflinching violence. It's Showing at Main Street in Clearwater on Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9, as part of a summer midnight movie series. And, yes, the midnight movies start at midnight.
—Eric Snider
Shrek (PG) If Shrek is any indication of what the summer of 2001 is going to be like, then bring it on. Dreamworks' animated fantasy is a deliciously irreverent bit of make-believe, a classic bedtime story tinkered and toyed with in as tasty a manner as any fractured fairy tale we can recall. Mike Myers supplies the voice (and personality) for the titular lime-green ogre, who embarks upon a quest to rescue an enchanted princess from the castle of a fire-breathing dragon. The 3-D-like digital animation is also a treat, but the real star here, for once, is the writing. Shrek is loaded with wonderful wit and great gags, both verbal and visual, including an assortment of delightfully nasty little jabs at everything from the Lords of the Dance to The Matrix to the competition over at Disney. The kiddies will be in heaven, but it's possible that adults may like it even more. Also featuring the voices of Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow.
Spy Kids (PG-13) Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino (Nic Cage's gal-pal from Snake Eyes) play a couple of married-with-children ex-spies who come out of retirement and join forces with their adorable offspring to save the world from an army of multicolored mutants and pint-size androids. Robert Rodriguez's thoroughly kid-friendly project makes up for a fairly forgettable storyline by offering lots of crowd-pleasing eye-candy, some clever gags, a couple of highly watchable performances (Banderas is fine, although not on screen enough, and Alan Cumming, as the villainous Fegan Floop, is excellent) and sheer momentum.
Swordfish (R) Form blows away content in this extremely stylish, fast-paced but (although you'll hardly have a chance to notice) fairly ordinary thriller about a high-tech heist. John Travolta stars as master cyber-criminal Gabriel Shear, a slicker cross between two or three of the excessive villains he's portrayed over the last decade. Hugh Jackman (Wolverine from X-Men) supplies the human interest as the hacker who reluctantly hooks up with Travolta's character, and Halle Berry shows plenty of skin as an enigmatic gang member who may or may not be what she seems. The movie's individual elements are mostly solid, although far from inspired, but the real show here is in the elaborately orchestrated chaos of the chases, explosions and other scenes of mass destruction. Good fun while we're watching it, but a day or two later it's hard to remember much about Swordfish. Also stars Don Cheadle and Vinnie Jones. Opens June 8 at local theaters.
The Tailor of Panama (R) Pierce Brosnan stars as a morally dubious secret agent stationed in Panama, who blackmails a transplanted English tailor (Geoffrey Rush) into helping him with a nasty little get-rich scheme — a master plan that plays on everyone's greed, paranoia and unblinking jingoism, culminating in a fiasco of monumental proportions.
Traffic (R) Director Steven Soderbergh's magnum opus uses an economical but instantly identifiable style, raw emotion and a surplus of tough, jittery intelligence to transform itself into a vast, modern epic built upon some crucial and very difficult ideas. Traffic is a movie about drugs — one of the best you'll see — but it's not a drug movie in the sense of something like Trainspotting or Requiem for a Dream. Soderbergh's film isn't so much concerned with the allure of drugs, or with individual pain and the process of addiction as it is about the business of drugs that, often in the most subtle or inscrutable of ways, ties so much of the world together.
What's the Worst That Could Happen? (PG-13) A punch line waiting to happen. Danny DeVito is a rich target for bungling criminals Martin Lawrence and John Leguizamo.
(Not Reviewed)
The Widow of Saint-Pierre (NR) The latest movie from acclaimed French filmmaker Patrice Leconte. The film takes place in 1850 on a remote island off the coast of Newfoundland, where a condemned murderer waiting to be executed (Emir Kusturica) is taken under the wing of the local military commandant and his wife (Daniel Auteuil and Binoche).
With a Friend Like Harry … (R) Sergei Lopez stars as Harry, an enigmatic figure from out of the past who shows up one day and proceeds to insinuate himself into the life of his old school chum Michel (Laurent Lucas), now firmly settled into a spectacularly unexceptional life dictated by the responsibilities of providing for his family. Beginning with a chance encounter between the two former classmates in a public restroom, With a Friend Like Harry … finds intrigue and suspense in the unlikeliest of places, turning the ordinary into the ominous and piling on the sense of inevitable dread. Also stars Mathilde Seigner and Sophie Guillemin.
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted
This article appears in Jun 7-13, 2001.