15 Minutes (R) Robert De Niro and Ed Burns play the pistol-packing good guys on the trail of a pair of mad-dog killers with a mania for videotaping their crimes. Tough, exciting and just off-kilter enough to keep us guessing, 15 Minutes is a thriller that transcends the buddy movie genre and even says a few interesting things along the way about America's mania for celebrity and sordid reality TV. Also stars Kelsey Grammer and Avery Brooks.
All Access (PG) IMAX Channelside's five-story tall screen and 14,000-watt sound system add immeasurably to the pleasures of this hourlong concert film, which features the likes of Sheryl Crow, Sting, Carlos Santana, B.B. King, Trey Anastasio (of Phish), George Clinton, Mary J. Blige, Macy Gray and others.
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
Amores Perros (NR) The most astonishing film from Mexico in ages, Amores Perros (Love is a Bitch) offers up three dovetailing tales in which characters appear and reappear, and time occasionally doubles back upon itself in order to present its prism-like narrative from what frequently appears to be all angles at once. With its extreme violence, its fascination with society's underbelly and, most of all, its time-bending, multisegmented, Pulp Fiction-like structure, there's every temptation to describe Amores Perros as Tarantino-esque. By the end of this intense and extraordinarily rich film, though, director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu reveals a deeply human, even spiritual dimension to his movie that recalls the more sublime moments in a Kieslowski film more than Reservoir Dogs. Amores Perros has its influences, but that doesn't lessen its impact or ultimate originality. At Main Street Cinema, Clearwater. Call theater to confirm.
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 and all-around nice guy, George Jung, a blank, clueless cipher with a bad shag haircut and a broad Boston accent. It's mostly Depp's performance, in fact, that lifts Blow above its rather routine script and competent but uninspired direction. Also stars Penelope Cruz, Franka Potente and Paul Reubens.
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
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.
The Dish (PG-13) Director Rob Sitch (The Castle) returns with a comedy about Australian technicians, working with the American Apollo mission in 1969, who decide to put a satellite dish directly on top of an Aussie sheep farm. Incredibly enough, this is based on a true story. Stars Billie Brown and Roy Billing. At Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
(Not Reviewed)
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.
Enemy at the Gates (R) As the Russian and German armies face off during World War II's decisive battle of Stalingrad, director Jean-Jacques Annaud's engaging film zeroes in on the personal and very intense war of nerves between two dueling snipers (Jude Law and Ed Harris). The film is engrossing from beginning to end, effectively balanced between the massive, ugly sprawl of the war and the intimate push and pull between its individual characters.
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.
The Forsaken (R) A guy driving cross country to his sister's wedding picks up a hitchhiker, and all hell breaks loose, involving vampires, bloodletting, a blood disease and all manner of other unpleasantness.
(Not Reviewed)
Freddy Got Fingered (R) Tom Green's particular brand of humor (which is, in fact, more like performance art — really bad performance art) is designed for maximum shock value, and it's the only thing that really sets Freddy Got Fingered apart from your typical, tepid Pauly Shore or Adam Sandler vehicle. Also stars Rip Torn.
The Golden Bowl (R) The latest Merchant-Ivory period piece is set at the turn of the last century, and concerns a pair of poor, lower class types romantically attaching themselves to a wealthy father and daughter. Stars Nick Nolte, Uma Thurman, Anjelica Huston and Jeremy Northam. Opens May 11 at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
(Not Reviewed)
Heartbreakers (PG-13) Heartbreakers is one of those cheerfully idiotic flicks that sticks to a rigid, easily digestible formula where nothing really makes sense and where almost everybody behaves like a moron simply to move the story along. Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt star as a mother-daughter grifter team who support themselves by defrauding rich, gullible men. Also stars Gene Hackman, Jason Lee and Ray Liotta.
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.
Josie and the Pussycats (PG-13) Based on the vintage Saturday morning cartoon about an all-girl rock band who fight crime in their spare time, this silly little ditty stars Rachel Leigh Cook (guitarist), Rosario Dawson (bassist) and Tara Reid (drummer) as the movie's pop-rockin' heroines. Scattered gags are funny (two or three are actually downright clever), but much of the humor falls flat, and, worse, the filmmakers show very little sense of pacing or style — two crucial elements in a cartoony project like this. It's all about as exciting — and not unlike — a Scooby Doo adventure. Also stars Alan Cumming and Parker Posey.
Joe Dirt (PG-13) Another typical, basically forgettable David Spade project in which the ex-SNL cast member stars as the ultimate white trash trailer park denizen. Outside of the big joke of Spade's hair (a bad mullet that looks suspiciously like, as one character notes, Jane Fonda's 'do in Klute), the rest is pretty slow going. Also stars Brittany Daniel, Adam Beach and Christopher Walken.
Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale (R) An interesting film that could have been much more, Keep the River on Your Right is essentially a one-man show put on by Tobias Schneebaum, a gentle octogenarian who once spent some time wandering around the jungle with a tribe of head-hunting cannibals. Scheenbaum's a fascinating figure, an accomplished painter and draftsman turned anthropologist, art historian and writer (and, in his way, a gay rights spokesman), and the film makes the most out of basically just turning him into a talking head and letting him rattle on for 90 minutes or so. What's less satisfying are the leaps, ellipses and dead zones in his narrative, foggy places that the film appears to make little effort to investigate or resolve. Schneebaum chats away about everything under the sun — and eventually gets talked into returning to his old stomping grounds in New Guinea, where he relives his past joys and traumas as a cannibal cohort — but the film and its subject never really get to the heart of things. Schneebaum actually participated in a massacre and partook of human flesh on one memorable occasion, and all he'll say about it now is it tasted like pork. And all this time we thought it was chicken. Opens May 11 at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
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 Patriot's Heath Ledger stars in this medieval adventure as an ambitious commoner who, with the help of some forged documents, poses as a knight and enters the world of jousting tournaments. Also stars Rufus Sewell and Laura Frasier. Opens May 11 at local theaters.
(Not Reviewed)
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. Playing at Channelside Cinemas, Tampa, and Main Street Cinema, Clearwater. Call theater to confirm.
The Mexican (R) Another one of those discombobulated, self-consciously quirky comedies in which the humor hinges almost entirely on the premise that the gangsters in the film are just regular, slightly neurotic, middle-class guys. Brad Pitt plays a baby-faced, slightly klutzy bagman for the mob. He's got a nagging, psychobabbling girlfriend (Julia Roberts) who wants him to quit his job, but that doesn't stop him from heading down to Mexico to retrieve a valuable antique pistol for his bosses.
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.
Nico and Dani (R) An engaging, funny and surprisingly full-bodied coming of age tale from Spain. Teenage pals Dani (Fernando Romallo) and Nico (Jordi Vilches) spend a summer sans parents, hanging out in a charming little Spanish beach town, learning the subtleties of courting girls, and dealing with their exploding hormones. The boy's bond teeters on the edge of being something more than friendship, and the film does an admirable job at exploring that little-discussed area where close platonic companionship can inexplicably become something romantic, or at least sexual. Nico and Dani is Porky's with gentle wit and brains, a breezy little teen buddy flick that doesn't ignore the many possible lifestyle paths that budding sexualties can lead to. Also stars Ana Gracia, Myriam Mexieres and Chisco Amado. Opens May 11 at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
O Brother Where Art Thou? (PG-13) The Coen Brothers' latest foray into the lunatic fringe is a much-mutated take on Homer's Odyssey by way of vintage Preston Sturges screwball comedy, liberally sprinkled with Three Stooges bonk-and-splat. George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson star as a dim-witted trio of escaped convicts taking the long route home while seeking some sort of treasure that may or may not exist. Also stars Charles Durning and Holly Hunter.
Ocean Oasis (G) A fascinating exploration of the richly diverse life forms inhabiting the Baja, Calif., peninsula, the brand new 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.
Pokemon 3 (PG) The Pokemon return in a beautifully written and stunningly animated homage to the golden age of Japanese cinema, in which the oddly shaped creatures perform their own anime version of the multi-leveled tale of Rashomon. Just kidding.
(Not Reviewed)
Someone Like You (PG-13) Ashley Judd stars as Jane Goodale, an attractive young professional who just can't find the right guy. When her latest Mr. Right (Greg Kinnear) jilts her, Jane spends the rest of the movie moping, whining, yelling and, eventually, writing an article on her half-baked notions of male sexuality (something to do with equating humans with cows; don't ask). To its credit, Someone Like You attempts to establish its own identity by doing something a little different than most romantic comedies, but the movie's a mess.
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.
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. Playing at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
Town and Country (R) If this long-delayed and problem-plagued Warren Beatty project isn't quite the disaster we might have expected, it's not for lack of trying. Beatty stars as a New York architect coping with life and love, and the movie is all over the map. It starts off as a typical Woody Allen knock-off, complete with well-to-do middle-aged New Yorkers not quite knowing how to deal with their own too-colorful families (or with the silly Third World stereotypes all around them). By its second act, Town and Country begins to resemble Bulworth without the brains or wit, as Beatty's aging character appears to snap (it's never quite clear) and goes into freefall. The film just rambles on and on, until by the third act, when Beatty's cheating on his wife with every female in sight, Town and Country's become little more than a routine sex farce of the most tiresome sort.
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. Stars Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Benicio Del Toro, Luis Guzman and Dennis Quaid.
With a Friend Like Harry … (R) In the tradition of Claude Chabrol and The Vanishing (the original Dutch version, not the lame-o Hollywood remake) — all modeled after the darker side of Alfred Hitchcock — comes this creepy, densely atmospheric Euro-thriller from first-time director Dominik Moll. 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. Harry fondly remembers his old friend's way with the written word, though, and, first benignly and then with ever increasing obsession, begins doing everything in his power to manipulate Michel's life in such a way as to realize what he imagines as his friend's potential. 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. Opens May 11 at Tampa Theatre. Call theater to confirm.
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted
This article appears in May 10-16, 2001.