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, smart and just off-kilter enough to keep us guessing, 15 Minutes is a thriller that manages to transcend the buddy movie genre and even say a few interesting things along the way about America's mania for celebrity and sordid reality TV. Burns is a far more appealing presence here than in his own self-directed films; De Niro gives one of his best performances in a long time; and the chemistry between the two stars is consistently engaging. The energy peters out a bit and the movie seems to lose its way during its last 45 minutes, but, on the whole, writer-director John Herzeld's sophomore effort is an infinitely more appealing film than his coy, convoluted debut 2 Days in the Valley. Also stars Kelsey Grammer and Avery Brooks.
3000 Miles to Graceland (R) A substandard heist flick with nothing going for it but glib style and a bunch of crooks dressed up as Elvis impersonators (late period, Fat Elvis), 3000 Miles to Graceland wears its quirkiness on its sleeve as if it actually meant something. Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell are the leaders of a gang who pull off a big Las Vegas casino heist and then wind up battling to the death over the loot. Director Demain Lichtenstein, straight out of NYU and with a fistful of music videos under this belt, simply crams the screen with shoot-outs in slow motion and everything else speeded up, and conveniently forgets about any semblance of cohesiveness, storytelling savvy or genuine originality. Also stars Christian Slater, David Arquette, Courteney Cox and Jon Lovitz.
Blow Dry (PG-13) Utilizing many of the same half-quaint, half- cartoony elements as he did in The Full Monty but wielding a much heavier hand, screenwriter Simon Beaufoy shows us what happens when a mob of foppish hairdressers invade a small British town and butt heads with the local philistines. The movie has a little something for almost everyone: an uncomplicated romance between a couple of attractive teens; maudlin melodrama revolving around the terminally ill mom of one of the teens; a staunchly PC underbelly (the terminally ill mom is also matter-of-factly lesbian); a pointless but pleasantly retro soundtrack; and lots of Monty-esque local color and exaggerated, off-kilter comedy. It's all likable enough, but the movie seems to be straining to entertain, and many of the characters, situations and jokes feel slightly less than fresh this time around. Stars Alan Rickman, Natasha Richardson, Rachel Griffiths, Rachael Leigh Cook and Josh Hartnett.
Carman (PG-13) Former pro boxer Orlando Leone Jr. plays Carman, who wants to honor his late father by starting an inner-city ministry for young people in this Christian-oriented film. Through plot twists, the unknown ends up fighting the current cruiserweight champion in a hyped match that gives him a chance to fulfill his dream. Also stars Michael Nouri, Jeremy Williams and Allia Hererra.
(Not Reviewed)
Cast Away (PG-13) Tom Hanks stars as a Fed Ex employee whose plane goes down, stranding him on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere. Cast Away makes us feel the physical suffering the central character endures, and there are some engaging sequences here, but most of the movie's pretty unsurprising, with a curiously formless ending that just seems to go on forever. Also stars Helen Hunt.
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
Chunhyang (NR) A Korean Romeo and Juliet re-imagined as an opulent combination of folk tale, performance art and transmuted opera, Chunhyang is a timeless love story set in 18th century Korea, in which complications ensue when a young nobleman secretly marries the beautiful but low-born Chunhyang.
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.
Down to Earth (PG-13) Chris Rock plays an amateur comedian whose dream is to play the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. After a traffic accident causes him to be taken off to heaven before his time, he's returned to Earth in the body of a wealthy old white man. The movie is inconsistent, the big laughs spotty. Rock is a talented comedian, but unfortunately Down to Earth does not advance the quality of his film career.
—Cooper Cruz
The Emperor's New Groove (G) David Spade provides the voice (and, to a problematic extent, the personality) for Emperor Kuzco, a self-centered young schmuck who gets himself turned into a llama by a scheming underling and her muscle-bound boy-toy (wonderfully voiced by Eartha Kitt and Seinfeld's Puddy, Patrick Warburton).
Enemy at the Gates (R) As the Russian and German armies face off during World War II, this film zeroes in on the personal battle between two dueling snipers. Starring Joseph Fiennes, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz and Ed Harris. Opens March 16 at local theaters.
(Not Reviewed)
Exit Wounds (R) Steven Seagal, cops and corruption. And Tom Arnold. What more do you need to know? Also starring DMX, Isaiah Washington. Opens March 16 at local theaters.
(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 and include a new agey interlude with a herd of computer animated whales drifting heavenward in vortexes of pure white light; a flock of pink flamingos playing with a yo-yo; Donald Duck going through his paces on Noah's Ark; and a grand finale in which giant elks and forest sprites cower before a fiery beast. In the middle of all of this attractive but somewhat disposable activity 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 "Sorcercer's Apprentice" segment.
Finding Forrester (PG-13) Director Gus Van Sant, back in territory not too far removed from his much admired Good Will Hunting, offers up this solid effort about a young inner city savant (Robert Brown) who stumbles into the life of a once-famous writer turned hermit (Sean Connery).
Get Over It (PG-13) In this teen comedy, dude gets the boot from his longtime girlfriend, then turns his attention to his best friend's younger sister. Stars Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, Martin Short.
(Not Reviewed)
Hannibal (R) Screenwriters David Mamet and Steven Zaillian do a faithful and reasonably good job adapting this sensationalistic but uninspired sequel to The Silence of the Lambs. Most problematic of all is that we see so much of Dr. Lecter himself that he becomes infinitely less mysterious, interesting and frightening than he was in the original movie, finally coming off as simply routine — much like Hannibal itself. Also stars Ray Liotta and Giancarlo Giannini.
Head Over Heels (PG-13) An attractive but unlucky-in-love art restorer (Monica Potter) lives in a posh, Manhattan loft with four gorgeous models. She falls for the dreamy guy who lives in the next building over (Freddie Prinze Jr.), and he with her, but the cutesy romance is complicated when she catches a glimpse of dreamboat apparently hacking somebody to death.
In the Mood for Love (PG) Set in Hong Kong in the early '60s, director Wong Kar-wai's ravishing In the Mood for Love follows two characters, Mr. Chow (Tony Leung) and Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung), who discover that their respective spouses are having an affair with each other. That we never actually see either of the adulterous lovers is just one of the rich ironies in a film that's as much about what doesn't happen as what does. Mr. Chow and Mrs. Chan commiserate and confide in one another, eventually realizing that what they're hopelessly in love — an attraction suppressed by a heartbreaking resolve "not to be like them." The odd and ultimately redeeming thing about all this is that none of it seems remotely bleak or depressing. Wong's clearly loves his characters, particularly when they're being stubborn or foolish, and In the Mood for Love communicates that affection in every richly nuanced, visually sumptuous frame. Held over at Channelside. Call theater to confirm.
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. Millions of mating, opalescent squid swarm all around your head, frisky sea lions drop right into your lap and sharks poke their noses directly in your face — whatever we're watching, we feel ourselves immersed in the image to the point where it literally becomes difficult to tell what's part of the movie and what's not. This is not your father's 3-D. At Channelside IMAX.
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. Pitt's situation goes from bad to worse, while Roberts, in a parallel story, is abducted by a hit man (James Gandolfini) with whom she promptly and wholeheartedly bonds. The Mexican is a handsomely produced film with some oddly engaging little bits scattered throughout, although the whole is too shapeless to probably be remembered a few months from now.
Monkeybone (PG-13) A major disappointment from director Henry Selick, the animation visionary behind Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach. Brendan Fraser plays cartoonist and car crash victim Stu Miley, who falls into a coma that sends him straight to a nocturnal fantasyland where all his weirdest nightmares come to life.
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. We're treated to numerous, spectacular shots of sharks, moray eels, manta rays and all manner of sea creatures gliding beneath the surface, as well as wonderfully poetic sequences of shape-shifting jelly fish (much better than lava-lamp watching) and even a moment of reflection over the massive corpse of a whale floating silently through the deep. The narration is informative without being too intrusive and often illuminates intriguing nuances of the on-screen mating, birthing, feeding and dying. The message drawn from all this circle of life stuff, as with most IMAX documentaries, is a predictably warm-fuzzy and PC one (at one point someone inevitably tells us that humans are much more dangerous to sharks than the other way around, and the movie ends on a big group hug with a whale), but there are some real eye-opening moments too. Best of all might just be the elephant seals, lumbering mountains of blubber resembling so many Jabba the Huts, who gurgle, roar and brutally push their way to positions of bulky power. Opens March 16 at IMAX Dome Theater.
Pollock (R) Long before Andy Warhol had his 15 minutes in the sun, Jackson Pollock was America's first Superstar Artist. Alternately sullen, exuberant, sensitive and piggish, the self-perpetuating enigma of Pollock's personality runs as deep as the mystery of his groundbreaking painting — and Pollock brings us up close and personal with them both. Sometimes too close for comfort. Ed Harris (who also directed) burrows deep inside the role, seizing on the charismatic bundle of contradictions that was Pollock. We get Pollock the big winner as well as the big loser, the devoted husband as well as the mean drunk and abusive, slimeball misogynist. Most of all we get a man desperate to communicate his vision and intensely uncomfortable in his own skin. Harris manages to convey the essence, warts and all, of this most notorious of 20th Century splatter artists. Also stars Marcia Gay Harden and Amy Madigan.
Recess: School's Out (G) Kiddie animation in which a group of heroic tykes take on a power-mad ex-principal who's hatched a plan to do away with summer, so that the kids will — gasp — have to go school year-round! Featuring the voices of Andrew Lawrence and Ashley Johnson.
(Not Reviewed)
Requiem for a Dream (NC-17) Based on a decades-old novel by Last Exit to Brooklyn author Hubert Selby Jr., the film from Pi director Darren Aronofsky tells two parallel stories, one of a little old Jewish lady who becomes hooked on diet pills (Ellen Burstyn, in an amazing performance), and one detailing the misadventures of her son and his pals (Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans), junkies all. Every element on screen is executed with such blazing honesty and insight that the film transcends the despair and ugliness of what it's depicting and becomes that thing we least expect, something genuinely beautiful.
Road to Redemption (PG) A spiritually-themed tale of a couple who happen upon stolen mob money, gamble it away, then high-tale it from gangsters. A road trip full of high-jinx and, of course, redemption ensues. Stars Pat Hingle, Johnny Meyer and Julie Condra.
(Not reviewed)
Save the Last Dance (PG-13) A love of dance bonds a 17-year-old, white, wannabe ballerina and her black boyfriend, but peer pressure twists their friendship in other directions. Stars Julie Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas.
(Not Reviewed)
Saving Silverman (PG-13) A haplessly stupid would-be comedy. The whiff of a plot finds Silverman (played with an astonishing lack of charisma by Jason Biggs) accepting a marriage proposal from a gorgeous psychologist who's a whip short of being a dominatrix (Amanda Peet). His two long-time pals (Steve Zahn and Jack Black) can't abide this, of course, so they set out to scuttle the relationship by — what? — kidnapping her.
—Eric Snider
See Spot Run (PG) Did you hear the one about the spaced-out mailman who inherits a cute little kid and a crime-fighting dog? Wish we hadn't. The mailman (David Arquette) walks into walls, does spit takes with chewed-up food and reprises his basic spazz routine. The little kid makes goo-goo eyes at everything in sight, and the crime-fighting dog learns how to loosen up and have fun. The movie's attempts at comedy are consistently dull and aggressively stupid.
Sweet November (PG-13) Based on the 1968 film of the same name, Sweet November offers up a fairly distinguished cast that doesn't come together. Charlize Theron (Cider House Rules) plays a cheery but secretly troubled young woman who takes in a new man every month in order to "help" him. Keanu Reaves, her November man, gives a predictably flat performance as the high-rolling advertising guru who turns shamelessly sappy under Theron's quirky guidance. —Dustin Dwyer
Traffic (R) Director Steven Soderbergh's latest 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. With a sprawl that takes us from Washington political parties to Tijuana drug busts to prep school kids experimenting with whatever's handy, Traffic is a complex, hugely ambitious and deeply disturbing investigation. Stars Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Benicio Del Toro, Luis Guzman and Dennis Quaid.
What Women Want (PG-13) Mel Gibson plays advertising executive Nick Marshall, a world-class chauvinist who suffers a freak accident and finds that he's suddenly able to read the mind of every woman he sees. Gibson's performance is good enough to keep us watching even during the dullest parts. Also stars Marisa Tomei.
The Wedding Planner (PG-13) She's a wedding planner who's great at her job but lousy at managing her own romantic life. He's a folksy kiddie-doctor who knows all the right things to say. They meet, and sparks immediately fly. The only hitch is that he turns out to already be engaged, and to one of her biggest clients, to boot.
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted
This article appears in Mar 14-20, 2001.