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 atmosphere and Lo's and Caviezel's performances. Also stars Sonia Braga and Terrence Howard.
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
The Animal (PG-13) Rob Schneider stars as Marvin Mange, a wannabe cop who develops animal urges after an experimental operation. The movie meanders through roughly 80 minutes of Shneider's slapstick animal impersonations, with a shoestring plot tied in loosely.
—Dustin Dwyer
The Anniversary Party See Film column.
Atlantis (PG) Disney's latest animated feature is a Jules Verne-ish looking adventure about a group of explorers who discover a civilization beneath the sea. Michael J. Fox, who seems to enjoy this sort of thing, supplies the hero's voice. Opens June 15 at local theaters.
(Not Reviewed)
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.
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.
—Dustin Dwyer
Calle 54 (NR) Forget the Buena Vista Social Club comparisons. Fernado Trueba's documentary on Latin jazz stands on its own, as a record of and tribute to some of the world's finest musicians, all of whom are allowed to speak for themselves in the best way possible — through their music. Calle 54 introduces us to a handful of the Latin music world's jazz giants via grainy, black and white segments in which they talk a bit about themselves, and then puts the musicians in glossy, full-color studio settings and simply lets them go nuts. The result is some of the most intoxicating music you'll ever witness, performed uninterrupted, and smartly shot and edited. Featured are Last Tango in Paris sax man Gato Barbieri (who still wears his trademark hat and waxes eloquent on cinema artists like Godard and Pasolini), piano titan Chucho Valdes (who performs an astonishing duet with his father, Bebo) and the late percussionist Tito Puente Nothing too deep or revelatory here as far as digging into the history, background or meaning of Latin jazz, but then again, who needs it? The music is a revelation all by itself. Opens June 22 at Channelside Cinemas. Call to confirm.
Clerks (R) Shot in grainy black and white and employing a veritable no-tech attitude, Clerks is an even more blatant anti-anthem to slackerdom than Slacker. Clerks (1994) is essentially a series of raunchy vignettes punctuated by absurdly lofty titles like Syntax and Paradigm, detailing a day in the lives of a pair of smart-asses stuck in dead-end jobs clerking in a local convenience mart. The humor veers between deadpan droll and rude, crude and blissfully offensive (a typical sight gag involves a defecating kitty). Playing at midnight Friday and Saturday, June 22 and 23, at Main Street Cinemas in Clearwater.
Dr. Dolittle 2 (PG) Eddie Murphy reprises the role of the infamous animal love doctor, and this time he has a message. After being lured into the woods by a raccoon with Mafia connections, Dolittle hears from the Godbeaver himself that the forest is about to be destroyed. In order to save the pristine wilderness from evil loggers, Dr. Dolittle attempts to get two endangered and completely incompatible Pacific Western Bears to mate. If this sounds stupid to you, don't worry, you are not alone. On the other hand, kids will probably love it. With plenty of fecal jokes and semi-sexual references, this is the kind of movie that'll set young 'uns rolling on the floor.
—Dustin Dwyer
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. Stars Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, Kip Pardue, Til Schweiger and Gina Gershon.
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)
Evolution (PG-13) 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.
—Dustin Dwyer
The Fast and the Furious (R) A total video game of a movie, in the best sense, and everything Driven should have been: a racing flick that's one big, unabashed rush, sprinkled with larger-than-life characters who swagger between iconic stature and campy cartoonishness. Director Rob Cohen (Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story) re-imagines L.A. as a glossy no-man's land ruled by speed-crazed street racers. The cars gleam, everyone looks slutty and tough, and the film's best moments offer some of the most visceral depictions of the sound and fury of pure forward momentum we've seen. The story is flimsy at best (hunky young undercover cop infiltrates gang of daredevil racers) but the movie knows where its real strengths lie. The Fast and the Furious (not a bad title, considering Speed was already taken) isn't really watched so much as it's experienced along our nerve endings and in the pits of our stomachs. Stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster. Opens June 22 at local theaters.
The Golden Bowl (PG) Just when you thought it was safe to go back into your local art film venue, along comes the new Merchant-Ivory project — which, I'm sorry to report, is pretty much the same as the old Merchant Ivory project(s), except more so. The main problem with The Golden Bowl, an impeccably crafted and solidly performed period piece based on a Henry James novel, is that the film lacks the sort of weight and complexity that have characterized (and redeemed) better Merchant-Ivory efforts, such as Howards End and Remains of the Day. Worse, The Golden Bowl lacks all but the smallest shred of narrative momentum or suspense. The film takes place in the early years of the last century and follows four individuals who are related to one another or involved in relationships with one another, some official and publicly sanctioned, some covert and potentially explosive. Nothing much happens, but The Golden Bowl still manages to stretch the proceedings into 130 minutes of screen time. Stars Jeremy Northam, Kate Beckinsale, Uma Thurman, Nick Nolte. Held over at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
Himalaya (PG) Himalaya is the story of two men filled with unspoken, grudging admiration for one another but locked in a great, symbolic struggle anyway. It's the story of old ways versus new, of a journey both physical and internal, and of the perpetuation of something that, much as it makes our skin crawl to summon up the phrase, can only be thought of as The Circle of Life. What really sets Himalaya apart from the scads of similar-sounding movies (most of which, as you might expect, are Hollywood products) is that the movie takes place high in the Himalaya mountains of Northwestern Nepal, and its actors are real people, non-professionals playing what amounts to versions of themselves. That sense of reality and naturalness happily informs the movie's every frame. The two characters involved in the movie's mano-a-mano face-off are Tinle, the wirey old chief of the Doplo people, and Karma, a rugged, resourceful young man who would be the next chief. The battle of wills between the old man and the young upstart explodes in a dispute over when to embark on the Doplo's big annual caravan, a dispute that leads to the formation of two rival caravans. Guess which one wins. Starring Tilen Lhundup, Gurgon Kyap, Karma Wangel, Lhakpa Tsamehoe. Held over at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
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. The truth of the matter is that the film could almost certainly have used an infusion of nonsense — or at least something that feels alive — because Davies' The House of Mirth, faithful though it may be, is a dry and bloodless affair, not to mention a depressing one.
The King is Alive See Film column.
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) 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.
—Dustin Dwyer
Lara Croft Tomb Raider (PG-13) Yet another reason why movies should not be based on video games. Angelina Jolie stars as Lara Croft, a busty, butt-kickin adventuress with a serious daddy complex. The plot here is almost invisible — something about LC facing off with a secret society called the Illuminati and some ill-defined mystical claptrap about a triangle that controls time — and the movie is essentially just an excuse to fetishize Jolie and showcase some exotic locations and annoying digital effects. The film plods when it's not in action mode, and even when the mayhem is in full swing it still feels oddly bland and bloodless. Also stars Jon Voight and Iain Glen.
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. 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).
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.
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. 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?
Shrek (PG) 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. 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 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.
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. 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 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. Brosnan's character is the dark and greasy side of James Bond, a 007 without the charm, mystery, class or basic common decency. He's also a wonderfully compelling anti-hero.
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) A gorgeously mounted period piece with lush cinematography, big themes, a rising international star (Juliette Binoche) and romantic attitude to burn, The Widow of Saint-Pierre is 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 all its well-intentioned ragging on the death penalty, the film winds up feeling just a little too close to a Dead Man Walking in period drag.
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted
This article appears in Jun 21-27, 2001.