Movie Review Signs

Signs (2002) 

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Written by M. Night Shyamalan

Starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Amanda Breslin

Release Date August 8th, 2002

Published August 4th, 2002 

I Can't Believe He Did It Again! Director M. Night Shyamalan, for the third consecutive film, has managed to twist audiences to his will with yet another twisted film that shocks and surprises. In Signs Shyamalan plays his audience like a violin and makes us like it in what is the best film of 2002.Taut, perfectly paced, and filled with breathtaking moments, Signs is yet another extraordinary signpost in the increasingly brilliant career of M. Night Shyamalan. 

Signs stars Mel Gibson as Father Graham Hess, or rather just Graham Hess. As we come to find out Graham has lost his faith in God and left the church. Now living on his farm with his two kids, Morgan (Rory Culkin) and Bo (Amanda Breslin) and his brother Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), Graham seems to be slowly adjusting to life without faith. Then, not 10 minutes into the film we are thrust into a story involving the mythical urban legend: the crop circle.

To Graham it seems local idiots have vandalized his corn. It isn't until TV new coverage reveals that the crop formations aren't just in his cornfield, they are global. Interestingly enough the crop circles are merely the hook; the real story takes off well after we've seen our last crop circle.

Shyamalan adopts a sort of pop culture version of Hitchcock, aping the master’s style with his impressive film score that evokes some of Psycho and The Birds. Like Hitchcock, Shyamalan knows that the audience need not see anything to be scared, in fact, what the audience imagines is likely far scarier.

Mel Gibson is solid as always playing Graham with depth and feeling, never allowing the character to drift off into action hero mode but also not allowing him to be weak. Shyamalan once again shows his brilliant eye for casting children, with Rory Culkin proving to be the class of the Culkin family. And little Angela Breslin, whose wide-eyed deadpan delivery is used to both great dramatic and comedic effect.

One of the film’s most surprising elements is its sense of humor, which is perfectly timed and never takes away from the suspense. Shyamalan is beginning to show a pattern in his filmmaking style. A simplicity of storytelling that is so understated you barely notice it. He simply and artfully weaves together subtle realistic drama against outrageous backdrops. 

In the Sixth Sense it was ghosts, in Unbreakable it's comic book superheroes and in Signs it's.... no no, I am not going to be the asshole who ruins the fun. You will have to see it yourself in what may be the best film of the year.

Movie Review Austin Powers in Goldmember

Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) 

Directed by Jay Roach

Written by Mike Myers, Michael McCullers

Starring Mike Myers, Beyonce, Seth Green, Michael York, Robert Wagner, Vern Troyer, Michael Caine

Release Date July 26th, 2002 

Published July 25th, 2002 

The original Austin Powers was a kick in the pants to the lazy action spy genre that was becoming repetitive and dull. The second film , The Spy Who Shagged Me, achieved the opposite effect, instead of continuing the satire of the first film, the sequel the trend of the moment gross out humor and ended up funny but derivative. Now comes the third film, and while Goldmember is slightly better than it's predecessor, it also lacks the originals sparky satirical bite.

Beginning with a sensational movie within a movie featuring eye popping celebrity cameo's, and quickly upping the ante with another hysterical dance sequence, Goldmember gets off to a spectacular start. Unfortunately it's downhill from there. As we rejoin the story Dr. Evil has returned from space to a new lair in the Hollywood hills where Number 2 (the highly under-appreciated Robert Wagner) has opened an evil talent agency. Agent being the perfect evil profession. 

Dr. Evil is once again ready to launch an evil scheme. However before Dr. Evil can finish his plan involving time travel to the 1970's, a tractor beam, and a meteor, the meeting is broken up by Austin Powers. Dr. Evil is arrested, leading to a Hannibal parody in which Austin needs Dr. Evil's help to find the man who has kidnapped his father played by the legendary Sir Michael Caine. Dr. Evil's newest henchman, Goldmember, is the culprit leading Austin to time travel to the 1970's to find Goldmember and save his father. While back in the 70's Austin hooks up with an old flame named Foxy Cleopatra (the surprisingly game Beyonce Knowles).

From there the film becomes a series of sometimes very funny skits that don't necessarily add up to much of a story. There is a great deal of obvious improv going on which is skillfully done by Myers and company but it ultimately detracts from the story, especially towards the end of the film which turns into a complete mess. At times it seems like ideas were thought of on the spot and weaved into the film as it was going on.

When the film is funny, it is very funny. However when it's not funny, the film is damn near impossible to watch. Especially unfunny is the film’s main conceit built around Austin's need for his father's approval. I don't know about you but I wasn't the least bit interested in knowing that Austin Powers was neglected by his father and frankly the whole storyline is a real downer in a film that should come nowhere near a downer.

The film is populated with big laughs and indeed when the film is funny it's funnier than any other film this year. But the script’s reliance on bits rehashed from the first two films fall intensely flat. Especially when the characters acknowledge the recycled jokes which borders on being too clever for it's own good. Especially unfunny cribbing from The Spy Who Shagged Me is Dr. Evil's rap set to Jay Z. The musical number isn't as funny as it is uncomfortable.

While my review may seem negative, and indeed there are a lot of things I didn't like, the film is still very funny. If the humor had been a little less scatological, and the story slightly more coherent, Goldmember could have been a classic. As it is it's an amusing but unmemorable comedy that is best to wait for on Video and DVD. Though judging by the box office that is a moot point.

On a side note shame on IMDB for giving away the names of the celebrity cameos. You could have waited a few weeks so that people could see it for themselves.

Movie Review K 19 The Widowmaker

K19: The Widowmaker 

Directed Kathryn Bigelow 

Written by Christopher Kyle 

Starring Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgard 

Release Date July 19th, 2002

Published July 18th, 2002 

Few genres come with an atmosphere built in. Film noirs of the 1950's, with their smoke filled back rooms, guys in trenchcoats and femme fatales, is an example of a genre with built in atmosphere. Another genre with an atmosphere built right into it is the submarine film. When you see a sub movie you’re guaranteed many guys crammed into tight quarters and claustrophobic interiors where the walls are actually coming in on you.

The new Harrison Ford film K-19 expertly takes advantage of the built in atmosphere, using it to crank up the intensity of a film based on real life events.

It's 1961 and the Russians are gearing up to show the Americans they have nuclear strike capability. Unfortunately, according to the captain of the navy's one nuclear class sub, Captain Polenin (Liam Neeson), the boat isn't ready. Despite the boat's obvious technical problems the government orders the ship commissioned in 4 weeks for a run which will lead to the firing of a test missile within range of American spy planes. 

Of course if things went as planned there wouldn't be a movie. Captain Polenin's pleas for more time to fix the boat are ignored and Polenin is demoted to executive officer. Polenin is then replaced by Captain Vostokoff (Ford), a Captain known for his party loyalty and connections that are rumored to have earned him the prestigious post. The boat sails even after the ship's nuclear expert is fired for drunkenness and replaced by a green rookie right out the military academy.

Tensions flare between Polenin and Vostikoff after Vostikoff endangers the crew in order to test the boats limits. Unfortunately, the test may have led to the failure of the sub’s nuclear core. There is only one way to fix the reactor, send someone into the reactor itself and fix the problem by hand. Keep in mind we are talking about a nuclear reactor, where radiation can eat right through you. This leads to scenes of compelling bravery all the more sobering knowing that it is based on a true story.

All of these setup scenes are well staged as well as the action sequences which are extremely familiar to us as we near "crush depth". No depth charges though, likely a first for a sub movie. Even as familiar or even clichéd as these scenes are, director Kathryn Bigelow defly handles them, using the dramatic weight of her actors and some impressive special effects that take you outside the boat as if you were hanging onto the side of it.

Indeed Ford and Neeson have some familiar dialogue exchanges, questions of loyalty, competence and motives. Each actor however transcends these problems with their restrained and dignified presence. Ford and Neeson are imposing actors whose authority can be expressed with looks and manner. Peter Sarsgaard plays the green nuclear officer Vadim who, while struggling to hold onto his accent, still delivers a heroic performance.

Give credit to director Bigelow and her crew for casting actors able to garner our sympathy, considering they are portraying our enemies. The history lesson is sobering and the Cold War backdrop is well used to increase the tension. The ending leaves something to be desired as it overstays its welcome, but overall K-19 is a solid, dramatic, history lesson with fantastic performances.

Movie Review: Eight Legged Freaks Starring David Arquette

Eight Legged Freaks (2002) 

Directed by Ellory Elkayim

Written by Jesse Alexander

Starring David Arquette, Scarlett Johannson, Scott Terra, Doug E. Doug Rick Overton

Release Date July 17th, 2002 

Published July 16th, 2002 

I've never been afraid of spiders, well, except for that first Spiderman script to hit the net, that was pretty scary. Other than that though I have no fear of these disgusting creatures. Not that being afraid or unafraid of spiders will affect your viewing of the movie Eight Legged Freaks, I just needed an opening paragraph for this review.

Freaks stars David Arquette, a freak in his own right, as Chris Mccormick. The long missing son of a small town miner who recently passed away, Chris has returned to takeover his dad's mining business in hope of finding the gold his father swore was in those mines. Upon his return Chris once again strikes up a relationship with his high school crush Sam Parker who is now the town's Sheriff. 

It's been over ten years since they have seen each other and a lot has changed. Sam now has two kids a daughter named Ashley played by Scarlett Johannson and a son named Mike played by newcomer Scott Terra. It is Mike who sets the story in motion after visiting a friend who runs a Spider museum (an uncredited Tom Noonan) Mike discovers that the grasshoppers his friend has been feeding his spiders have been mutated by toxic waste spilled into the local creek. Mike soon finds his friend dead and giant spiders are the culprits.

At first no one believes him, no one believes little kids in these situations. Soon however pets begin disappearing, then local residents and finally the town is completely overrun.

The film is a modern take on the cheesy sci-fi of the 1950's and the film’s cheesy effects are a nice touch, making the film more comedy than horror film. The spiders look as fake as they would have in the 1950's. I hope that was what they were going for because if it wasn't then this film has serious problems. Working under the assumption that this was all intentional Eight Legged Freaks comes off as an often funny but plodding movie.

The supporting characters, most notably Doug E. Doug and Rick Overton, provide the film’s best laughs. But of course the movie’s best asset is the spiders, and when they aren't onscreen the film suffers. Eight Legged Freaks isn't bad but it's far from great. The spiders, while totally cheesy, are very funny. Unfortunately, they do wear out their welcome after the first hour or so. Simply, I liked this movie but I won't be seeing it again.

Movie Review Reign of Fire

Reign of Fire (2002) 

Directed by Rob Bowman

Written by Matt Greenberg

Starring Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, Isabella Scorupco, Gerard Butler 

Release Date July 12th, 2002 

Published July 11th, 2002 

Whilst I must quibble with the film Reign Of Fire being called a sci-fi film (indeed the film contains not one bit of science), what I can't argue with is that Reign Of Fire is a roller coaster ride, action thriller that kicks serious ass. As we join the story, a young boy is visiting his mother at her job on a construction site when some guys drilling a hole accidentally awaken a billion year old fire breathing dragon. Whoops!

The dragons are awake and after a couple million-year nap they are a little hungry, thus begins the near apocalypse. By the year 2020 the dragons are Earth’s dominant species while humans hide in caves and outwit the dragons to grow food and get supplies. The young boy from the beginning of the movie, Quinn (Christian Bale), is now grown up. Quinn is the leader of a ragtag group of humans living in what’s left of the English countryside.

An American army arrives, led by Van Zandt (Matthew McConaughey) and Alex (Iabella Scorupco). Van Zandt does what Quinn and his people have never dreamed of, they hunt and kill dragons. We are quickly treated to Van Zandt's hunting style in a spectacular set of mind-blowing effects scenes. Indeed Reign Of Fire is a special effects movie and the effects are fantastic, rendering very lifelike dragons and a surprisingly lifelike Scorupco.

There is, however, something deeper going on as director Rob Bowman, the man behind The X-Files movie, makes a film that is part western, part war movie. Bowman then tops it off with hints of Herman Melville's “Moby Dick” as McConaughey's Van Zandt's insane obsession with killing the lone male dragon with Quinn as his Ishmael.

McConaughey is a real standout in this film. He oozes machismo and charisma. His insanity is so engaging I would have followed him into battle for sure. Christian Bale is also good as the straight man; he doesn't get McConaughey's swaggering arrogance. Instead he is consummately British; intelligent, levelheaded, but always ready to fight.

I do have some trouble with some of the film’s logic. How when all of New York has been burned to the ground did Newsweek and Time magazine print their issues announcing global apocalypse? Also, if Time and Newsweek have time to print magazines, how is it scientists didn't have time to figure out the dragon's secret weakness? What matters most though is the action and Reign Of Fire more than delivers. Awesome special effects, amazing dragons and a lot of great action. Reign Of Fire is a huge summer movie surprise.

Movie Review Pumpkin

Pumpkin (2002) 

Directed by Anthony Abrams, Adam Larson Broder 

Written by Anthony Abrams, Adam Larson Broder

Starring Christina Ricci, Dominique Swain, Marisa Coughlan

Release Date June 28th, 2002 

Published November 10th, 2002

For anyone who has never been to college or at least visited a college campus, the terms Sorority and Fraternity are likely mere pop culture. In reality, the pop culture treatment of these odd institutions does not do them justice.

Fraternities and Sororities are actually weirder than they have been portrayed. These conformity factories for the elitist culture are a strange mix of depravity and morality. They each combine odd rituals and out of control behavior with a social conscience that includes charity work. One night guys are spanking each other with a wood paddle, the next day they are picking up garbage on the side of the road.

In a Sorority, the rituals aren't as sadomasochistic in nature but just as weird with singing, chanting, dancing and other liturgy. The film Pumpkin has yet another pop culture treatment of the sorority world and its biting wit on the subject makes for one of the funniest movies of the year.

Pumpkin stars Christina Ricci as top sorority gal Carolyn McDuffy. She is the house pep leader and the model for the rushes, the girls trying to get in the sorority. Carolyn and her house leader Julie (Marisa Coughlin) are determined to win S.O.Y, Sorority of the Year. To win they have to show they can do community service so they volunteer to help "special" kids train for an athletic competition. Each member of the sorority is paired with a "special" kid and Carolyn is paired with Pumpkin (Hank Harris).

At first, we believe Pumpkin is both mentally and physically handicapped, he arrives in a wheelchair though he can walk. Pumpkin is immediately dumbstruck by Carolyn who is the most beautiful girl he's ever seen and probably the first he's ever touched. Carolyn wants only to quit her charity work and go back to important things like shopping and spending time with her vapid Ken-doll boyfriend played brilliantly by Sam Ball. 

In a scene that you're ashamed to laugh at, Carolyn attempts to teach Pumpkin how to throw the javelin as Pumpkin tries to find the words to tell Carolyn how he feels. Pumpkin's struggle for words and Carolyn’s embarrassing attempts to understand him makes for very uncomfortable humor. For Pumpkin, it's love at first sight. For Carolyn, it's something she can't comprehend. There is something in Pumpkin's eyes that she has never seen before.

Nothing about Pumpkin is simple, this strange mix of earnest romance and biting satire walks the line between good taste and offensiveness. If you are sensitive about the treatment of the handicapped, you might want to avoid this film. Pumpkin bravely wades into this thorny issue and lets loose a barrage of bad taste humor that, while funny, makes anyone watching just a little uncomfortable.

Pumpkin's shifts in tone from biting satire to earnest romance stretches credibility, leaving the audience to wonder whether to take the film seriously or not. The film wants to be edgy and satirical but also wants you to believe the romance that grows between Carolyn and Pumpkin is for real. Were it not for Ricci's skilled performance and Harris's charismatic willingness to go all the way to every extreme with Pumpkin, the whole film would likely collapse on itself.

Co-directors Anthony Abrams and Adam Larson Broder, each in their directorial debut, walk that line of credibility with bravery and sharpness. Their willingness to trust Ricci and Harris' performances and make it difficult to believe their romance is real is a decision not many directors would have the courage to do. And in the end, to send up everything the movie has built up to with one ingenious line of dialogue is truly brilliant.

What truly makes Pumpkin one of the best comedies of the year was the ability of Abrams and Broder, who also wrote the script, to create a mini-universe for these characters to exist in. By doing that they can control the context of the jokes and are free to take chances. And take chances with a bold comedy that I highly recommend. 

Movie Review Mr. Deeds

Mr. Deeds (2002) 

Directed by Steven Brill

Written by Tim Herlihy

Starring Adam Sandler, Winona Ryder, John Turturro, Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Allan Covert 

Release Date June 28th, 2002 

Published June 27th, 2002

In 1934 the legendary Gary Cooper starred in Frank Capra's Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Nearly 70 years later the film has been remade with the Gary Cooper role now filled by Adam Sadler. Did someone say the decline of western civilization? Well I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is the film that will destroy our culture. In fact, as much as I hate to admit it, Sandler's Mr. Deeds isn't that bad.

Deeds stars Sandler in his usual dopey earnest character. As Longfellow Deeds Sandler is a pizza shop owner in a small, New Hampshire town. Deed's also happens to be the sole heir to the fortune of his long lost uncle. The fortune is a company worth in excess of 40 billion dollars. Deeds however couldn't care less as he is more excited about the free trip to New York.

Peter Gallagher is the film’s formula bad guy out to dupe our hero into handing the company over to him. Also trying to take advantage of Deeds is a TV tabloid show. The show’s producer Babe (Winona Ryder) goes undercover and begins dating Deeds and secretly filming him for the show, leading to an hysterical cameo by John McEnroe. Well of course the formula dictates all that happens. Babe has a change of heart and falls in love for real, evil will be punished, and the company will be saved. The plot is meaningless.

Well of course it's meaningless, this is an Adam Sandler movie. The plot is merely in place to lend a little context to the jokes. What is most surprising is how funny those jokes are. Sandler and his supporting cast, which includes not only Rider and Gallagher, but also John Turturro and Steve Buscemi, all contribute some very funny moments, A lot of which is great physical humor.

I was honestly ashamed at how much I laughed during this film. I tried not to laugh, but I couldn't. Especially in scenes with Steve Buscemi as the guy with the crazy eyes. And then there is Sandler. He has always reminded me of an old friend of mine named Decker. Decker was never the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he was the guy to call if you ever had a problem. Sandler has that same “give you the shirt off his back” earnestness.

Maybe the key to his appeal is the fact that Sandler doesn't seem like a movie star. Instead he seems like a guy you could actually know. He has a goofy charm and friendliness that is easy to enjoy at least in short bursts.

Movie Review Sunshine State

Sunshine State (2002) 

Directed by John Sayles 

Written by John Sayles 

Starring Jane Alexander, Angela Bassett, Bill Cobbs, Edie Falco, Timothy Hutton, Mary Steenburgen

Release Date June 21st, 2002 

Published June 21st, 2002 

Writer-director John Sayles is the prototype independent filmmaker. He's even been referred to as the Godfather of the independent film. For more than 20 years, Sayles has been making his films his way, with tremendous artistic success and modest box office. Along the way, Sayles has picked up awards, critical plaudits and sorts-of praise. None of that has altered his way of making movies. Sayles has never succumbed to mainstream moviemaking and he's never been co-opted by the studio system. Sayles exists on his own filmmaking plane. His latest work is yet another work of independence called Sunshine State.

State tells the multiple interlocking stories of the people living on the fictional plantation island off the coast of Florida. Formerly a bustling community of semi-affluent African-American and small business owners, Plantation Island is now feeling the encroachment of modern America in the form of big business real estate developers. As we join the story, developers have already begun to dominate the island save for two small communities. In the predominantly African American community of Lincoln Beach, times are tough and the residents are ripe to be picked off by the real estate developers. Not everyone is so quick to move however, especially Dr. Lloyd (Bill Cobbs) who leads the only resistance to the developers.

Dr. Lloyd is living with Eunice Stokes (Mary Alice), another longtime resident of Lincoln Beach not keen on moving. Mrs. Stokes however has more pressing concerns as her daughter Desiree and husband Reggie have arrived from out of town. Eunice has a secret and needs to reconcile with her estranged daughter, not only for herself but also for her young nephew Terrell.

Paralleling that story is that of Marly Temple, a Hotel and Restaurant owner being pursued by developers who want to turn her small businesses into a thriving mini-mall. Marly is quite tempted to sell but can't because her ailing father (Ralph Waite) who though retired from the business, urges her to hold onto the business he started.

Each story plays out as the city that surrounds them is celebrating a citywide festival organized by Fracine Pickney, a silly housewife played by Mary Steenburgen. She is so wrapped up in making a great parade she fails to notice her husband’s (NYPD Blue’s Gordon Clapp) multiple attempts at suicide.

A group of golfers act as the bookends of the film, led by comedian Alan King as the head of the development company trying to buy the island. King has two sensational speeches, one at the beginning of the film and one at the end that tie the story together in its most simple form.

There are so many characters in Sunshine State and so many little connections between each character it would be impossible to explain each of them. The connections are well explained and meaningful, and come together to paint a beautiful picture. A picture of a group of people living their lives and the life that has grown up around them.

At first it seems that Sayles is going to make a statement movie about the environment and evil big business corporate villains. However, by the end of the film Sayles’ broader themes become clear. Corporate greed and social issues are parts of the lives being lived in Sunshine State, but Sayles is far more interested in how those lives are lived. 

Sayles draws intelligent realistic characters that are well spoken and interesting. The scripting is intricate and ingenious, and Sunshine State is simply a joy to watch. A film that respects the intelligence of the audience enough to make a movie that doesn't work in broad strokes, but rather in subtlety. Words that are far more important than action. Humor that comes from reality instead of forced punch lines. While the film’s pace may be a little leisurely at times the performances and dialogue are strong enough that even the most belabored scenes hold the audience's attention.

John Sayles movies do not compromise, they never come off as market-tested. As such, they are nearly impossible to classify by genre. They are simply well made intelligent films. Sunshine State may in fact be John Sayles best film to date.

Movie Review: American Psycho 2: All American Girl

American Psycho 2: All American Girl (2002) 

Directed by Morgan J. Freeman

Written by Karen Craig, Alex Sanger 

Starring Mila Kunis, William Shatner, Lindy Booth 

Release Date June 18th, 2002 

Published June 18th, 2002 

Bret Easton Ellis is one twisted SOB. His novel American Psycho, adapted for the screen in 2000 starring Christian Bale, is a twisted pop culture salad of axe murders and pop references to Huey Lewis and the News, Genesis and Whitney Houston. The film version, while not as good as the book (they never are,) benefited from having a stellar indie cast including Bale, Jared Leto, Reese Witherspoon and Chloe Sevigny. 

The sequel, on the other hand, has William Shatner. 

The sequel’s connection to the original is so insignificant that I need not mention it, let's just say it provides the lead with her very thin motivation. The lead in American Psycho 2 is “That 70's Show's” Mila Kunis. As Rachael Newman, Kunis is a psychotically ambitious college student hell-bent on getting a teacher’s assistant job that will almost guarantee her getting into the FBI. The teacher, Robert Starkman (Shatner), is a former FBI agent who's final case was the Bateman killings, which remain unsolved. Standing in Rachael's way are 3 students so insignificantly painted that I need not describe them. Needless to say they are easily dispatched. 

For some inconceivable reason Rachael decides to see a psychiatrist in the middle of her killing spree. She isn't there to confess, but rather to provide clues so that later on the psychiatrist played by Garant Wyn Davies can be the hero and try to solve the crime. Whether he solves it or not I won't say, though it doesn't really matter. By the end of American Psycho 2 the whole thing is so superfluous and the mystery so ridiculous you couldn't force yourself to care. 

Kunis is badly miscast. She lacks the menacing sexuality of a Rose McGowan or the pop culture bitch cred of a Shannen Doherty, both of whom might have made for a more interesting film. The original American Psycho was an amalgam of pop culture and psychotic ax wielding, especially memorable was Bateman's dispatching of a victim while extolling the virtues of Huey Lewis & the News as “Hip To Be Square” played in the background. The sequel has none of that flair. It is essentially just a slasher movie and a bit of ripoff. 

Does anyone recall the movie Getting In with Kristy Swanson and Matthew Perry? Same idea, psycho killer taking out the competition for a coveted scholarship. Sequels are usually bad enough without being a ripoff. 

Movie Review: Windtalkers

Windtalkers (2002) 

Directed by John Woo 

Written by John Rice

Starring Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Stormare, Christian Slater, Noah Emmerich

Release Date June 14th, 2002 

Published June 13th, 2002 

War is hell and now so is watching war movies. The drive towards more realistic violence have made for some very hard-to-watch films. Saving Private Ryan set the standard, followed by films like Enemy At The Gates, We Were Soldiers, Black Hawk Down and most recently John Woo’s Windtalkers. Though it purports to be about Navajo Indian code talkers, Windtalkers as they were called, the film is actually about violence and war movie clichés. 

Nicolas Cage stars in Windtalkers as Joe Enders, a borderline crazy marine. When we are first introduced to Joe he is attempting to hold a position that is, to the rest of his platoon, already lost. Joe’s entire platoon is killed but he survives and returns to battle with a new assignment. Joe is to ship out to Saipan where he and his platoon will protect the military's new secret weapon, a pair of Navajo Indians whose native language is used as code to transmit Japanese troop movements without the Japanese being able to spy on it. 

The Navajo soldiers are Ben (Adam Beach) and Whitehorse (Roger Willie). Rounding out the platoon is your typical cast of recognizable character actors whose names become interchangeable though their faces are semi-recognizable. Christian Slater, Mark Ruffalo, Peter Stormare, and Noah Emmerich, amongst others, are the interchangeable soldiers.

Director John Woo is the absolute wrong choice to direct this film. With his penchant for stylistic violence, Woo forgets that the story is the code talkers and not video game style pyro technics. Adam Beach and Roger Willie get the short shrift from a story that would be better served by a smaller budget and a more centralized script. If the film would have focused more on the development of the code and the Navajo characters the story would be far more interesting. Of course it would have been far less commercial.

My guess is that the original story was about the code talkers but producers with dollar signs in their eyes got a hold of it, signed on big name star Cage and big name director Woo and put aside the real story in favor of one that played up Cage’s character. Once again, typical Hollywood greed ruins a good story. Navajo Code talkers were real, and the code they created helped the U.S win the war in the Pacific. There is a really good story to be told about them, Windtalkers is not it. -

Movie Review Scooby Doo

Scooby Doo (2002) 

Directed by Raja Gosnell

Written by James Gunn 

Starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Geller, Linda Cardellini, Matthew Lillard, Rowan Atkinson

Release Date June 14th, 2002

Published June 14th, 2002 

I came into this review all set to bemoan art in films, Hollywood's lack of creativity and why producers can't find original projects and so on. Then I saw the movie, and while I could still complain about all of those things, I have to be honest and say on some level I enjoyed this product of Hollywood's inability to be original.

As the story begins, we join our heroes Fred (Freddie Prinze of Darkness), Daphne (Sarah Buffy Geller), Velma(Linda Cardellini), Shaggy (Matthew Lillard) and the most famous Great Dane in the world, Scooby Doo. After doing battle with a ghost in Pamela Anderson's toy factory (yes that Pamela Anderson), the gang unmasks a janitor posing as a ghost. Another case solved by mystery Inc., except when approached by the press, Fred takes all the credit. Velma gets upset and quits, so does Daphne, and the gang is no more.

Two years later, Scooby and Shaggy are living in the Mystery Machine when they are approached by a messenger offering them money and all they can eat if they will come to the Spooky Island amusement park and solve a mystery. Fred, Velma and Daphne have also received invites and the gang is reunited. The film is as simplistic as its setup, with simple messages about friendship and teamwork that are aimed at the preschool audience. There are a couple of good chuckles for adults, such as subtle references to Shaggy's pot smoking and numerous send-ups of the cartoons classic setups.

The casting is pretty bad save for Matthew Lillard who was the perfect choice for Shaggy. He provides most of the film’s best laughs with his physical humor. Freddy Prinze Jr., to criticize him would be pointless so I'll move on. Linda Cardillini as Velma seems uncomfortable throughout the film struggling to ape the cartoon voice and manner of her cartoon counterpart. Sarah Michele Gellar as Daphne may have seemed like a good choice but after performing as long as she has on TV's best show (personal opinion) she looked bored by this material that is obviously beneath her. 

The CGI Scooby turned out surprisingly well. After the first trailer I thought he was going to look creepy. In the film, however, Scooby is well realized and the actors do a good job playing against a character that wasn't really there. Lillard had the most scenes opposite Scooby and he does a great job, it was probably easy for him, after working so often with Freddie Prinze he is used to talking to vacant spaces. I know, cheap shots.

One of the charms of the Hanna Barbera cartoon was that every episode was exactly the same. The film version does a good job at sending up those setups while still living into them. But don't be mistaken, Scooby Doo is a kid’s movie. It's meant for those between the ages of 3 and 12. And on that level Scooby is a partial success

Movie Review The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys (2002) 

Directed by Peter Care 

Written by Michael Petroni 

Starring Kieran Culkin, Emile Hirsch, Jena Malone, Jodie Foster 

Release Date June 14th, 2002 

Published November 10th, 2002 

What is your favorite childhood memory? For me it was making out with my first girlfriend Dawn. I was 12; she was 11 and every Tuesday her mother would bring her over while she played cards with my parents. Dawn and I would sneak off to a gorgeous spot right on the Mississippi River bank. The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys is one of those films that will make you nostalgic for your childhood, your first love, your best friends, and those moments that only you and those childhood friends will remember.

The film centers around four friends, Tim (Kieran Culkin), Francis (Emile Hirsch), Wade (Jake Richardson) and Joey (Tyler Long). The focus is on their love of comic books and their loathing of their catholic school teacher Sister Assumpta (Jodie Foster). The boys visualize themselves as comic book superheroes and their fantasies are played out in cartoon vignettes throughout the film. Things begin to change for the boys as Francis begins his first relationship with a girl, Margie, played by the lovely Jena Malone. As Francis and Margie's relationship grows, his friends’ sense they are losing their best friend, Tim especially feels he is losing his best friend.

As a way of reasserting their friendship, Tim gets an idea to take revenge on Sister Assumpta for all the trouble she has caused them. The elaborate plan calls for the guys to steal a cougar from a local zoo and unleash it in Sister Assumpta's office. Francis, Wade and Joey go along at first not realizing how serious Tim is about his over the top revenge scheme. In the meantime, Francis is dealing with Margie and her very serious home issues including alleged sexual abuse by her older brother who is a classmate of Francis.

The shocking details of the abuse would seem to be more than any teenager could deal with but Francis isn't an average teenager. Francis reacts to the many revelations from Margie at first like anyone would but his limitless kindness and gentle nature lead him to more philosophical conclusions than you would expect from someone his age. For the most part Francis retreats into his comic fantasies, incorporating his real life torments into his comic drawings and stories.

The film travels a twisted road of comedy and drama and is quite reminiscent of the movie Stand By Me in it's camaraderie between these four young guys and their ever quickening emotional growth. A tragedy near the end of the film makes sense emotionally and intellectually rather than seeming like a shallow heart string tug.

In the hands of a less skilled director, this material could have been a treacle mess. Veteran video director Peter Care, who has worked with the likes of REM, treads the line between smart comedy and drama very carefully. Care never allows his teenage characters to seem smarter than the adult types we get in so many other teen comedies and especially on TV.

Hirsch’s performance really made an impact on me. Looking like the younger brother of Adrien Grenier with his round soulful eyes and olive skin, Hirsch's look projects a budding intelligence necessary to make characters like Francis work. It is a great time for Independent film. My top ten end of the year list is likely to be dominated by them. Will The Dangerous Lives Of Altar Boys be on that list? We will see, it will surely come close.

Movie Review: Bad Company

Bad Company (2002) 

Directed by Joel Schumacher

Written by Jason Richman 

Starring Chris Rock, Anthony Hopkins, Gabriel Macht

Release Date June 7th, 2002

Published June 6th, 2002 

Anyone who has ever written a screenplay knows one of the hardest parts is coming up with a title. Back in 2000 Jerry Bruckheimer thought that when he bankrolled a mismatched, fish out of water, buddy, action comedy that the film had a perfect title. That title was Black Sheep. Bruckheimer had forgotten that just three years earlier Chris Farley and David Spade starred in a god-awful comedy of the same title. So the title was changed, however, the new title now seems just as curious. 

Bad Company is the title of at least a dozen films, one of which was a spy movie made in 1990 starring Laurence Fishburne and Ellen Barkin. Curiously that film is just like the new Bad Company, about CIA agents. Of course the fact that I have spent the first few paragraphs of this review writing about the title of the film should indicate how I felt about this latest Bad Company.

Chris Rock stars in dual roles, the first being an undercover CIA agent who is killed in the former Czech Republic in an arms deal gone bad. The second role is that of the CIA agent’s estranged twin brother Jake Hayes. After his twin brother’s death, Jake is recruited by the CIA to replace him and complete the arms deal. Jake is not surprisingly reluctant to team with the CIA and his brother’s former partner Oakes (Sir Anthony Hopkins). After finances are discussed, Jake eagerly takes up his brother’s cause.

This, of course leads to one of those typical fish out of water sequences where the low class character has to learn to be high class and do so in very little time. Jake needs to know which fork to use at a fancy dinner and needs to learn how to dress, walk and speak. It's a scene cribbed from a dozen other formula fish out of water comedies and not improved upon here. 

Once Jake is ready he is taken to the Czech Republic to do the deal, but wouldn't you know it, the same guys who killed his brother are already waiting for Jake and the CIA and the deal goes bad. The nuclear weapon that was the subject of the deal is stolen and moved to New York City, and somehow Jake's girlfriend is kidnapped. I'm sure there was a good reason for how the bad guys figured out Jake wasn't his brother but I was so bored with Bad Company by this point I didn't care.

It's not surprising to find this formula swill was directed by Joel Schumacher, the king of formula swill. (I should note my still simmering bitterness towards the man who destroyed the Batman series). What is surprising is seeing two actors as talented as Sir Anthony Hopkins and Chris Rock in such a conventional film. From the script to the screen, I can't imagine they couldn't see how formulaic and trite this material was. 

Rock deserves a lot of credit for going off the script as often as he does, providing the only solace from the lame formula with bits taken from his standup act and his natural wit. Sir Anthony Hopkins on the other hand makes it clear that he is merely picking up a check sleepwalking through the entire film, especially it's lamest of all ending. 

It would be very easy for me to blame Joel Schumacher for this formula trash but the real fault lies with Jerry Bruckheimer. He after all is the one who keeps financing this supposedly crowd pleasing, screen tested trash. Bruckheimer knows formula swill because he and his late partner Don Simpson invented it.

Movie Review: Undercover Brother

Undercover Brother (2002) 

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee 

Written by John Ridley 

Starring Eddie Griffin, Denise Richards, Dave Chappelle, Aunjanue Ellis, Gary Anthony Williams, Neil Patrick Harris, Billy Dee Williams

Release Date May 31st 2002 

Published May 30th, 2002

Eddie Griffin is a fantastic standup comedian, with what may be the best Michael Jackson impression on the planet. As an actor however Griffin has yet to find himself. Griffin's acting resume includes 2001's worst film Double Take and worst film candidate 2002 The New Guy. Now with his new film Undercover Brother, Griffin has found himself in what may be the funniest movie of the year.

Griffin is the titular Undercover Brother, a 70's throwback to the era of Blaxploitation who takes it upon himself to steal from the rich and give to the poor inner city black folks. As one character puts it he's a "Soul Train reject with a Robin Hood complex". After breaking into a bank and destroying the mortgages of poor people who couldn't afford to pay, UC is recruited by the Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is an underground organization dedicated to the protection of black culture from the evil ministrations of "The Man". 

It's headed up by the Chief (Chi McBride), and his top agents, Sistah Girl (smokin hot Aunjenue Ellis) and Conspiracy Brother (comedy's secret weapon Dave Chappelle). Also on the team are the computer expert Smart Brother (Gary Anthony Williams) and white boy intern Lance (Doogie Howser's Neil Patrick Harris), affirmative action hire. Undercover Brother teams with the Brotherhood to save a black presidential candidate played by Billy Dee Williams who has fallen under the control of the Man and now instead of running for office, he plans to open a chain of Fried Chicken Restaurant's complete with grits, greens and a complimentary 40 ounce malt liquor.

That's just a sample of Director Malcolm Lee and writer John Ridley's satire of African American stereotypes, they have far more satiric jabs for white people including swipes at white people's love of the show Friends and their peculiar love of mayonnaise. One of the best satirical moments is the send up of the black man's weakness for white women as Undercover Brother is seduced by the evil White She Devil (Denise Richards).

Chris Kattan rounds out the cast as The Man's evil henchman Mr. Feathers, and the film does the seemingly impossible, it's makes both Kattan and Eddie Griffin funny! Undercover Brother's showdown with Mr. Feathers toward the end of the film, set to Michael Jackson's Beat It, is absolutely hysterical, making use of Griffin's years of dance training and Kattan's completely inept attempt at dancing.

While the film cribs heavily from Austin Powers; hysterically out-of-date hero and over-the-top gags, if your going to steal you might as well steal from a good movie. The film also owes a great deal to other satirical looks at race relations and Afro American culture, from the films of Spike Lee to Eriq Lasalle's little seen Gem The Drop Squad and the Wayans brothers brilliant Blaxploitation send up I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Spike Lee, by the way, is Director Malcolm Lee's cousin, and while Malcolm doesn't have Spike's social conscience he has his sense of humor and it is well tuned in Undercover Brother.

For the first time in a long time we get a comedy that is actually FUNNY. I can barely remember the last Hollywood film that was as consistently funny as Undercover Brother. It’s all due to the confident lead performance of Eddie Griffin, the smoking hot performances of Richards and Ellis, and the well-played satire of Director Lee and Writer John Ridley, on whose web cartoon the film is based. Undercover Brother is an early candidate for the Best Comedy of 2002. And with the comedies Hollywood usually makes you might pencil it in as the winner now.

Movie Review Insomnia

Insomnia (2002) 

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Written by Hillary Seitz 

Starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Martin Donovan, Nicky Katt

Release Date May 24th, 2002 

Published May 23rd, 2002 

How many times has Al Pacino played a cop? About half as many times as his cohort Robert Deniro, but that is still a lot. However, Pacino has never played cop in a film directed by Christopher Nolan. That is an important distinction. As Nolan has shown, in his previous efforts Memento and Following, that genre is a dirty word. With Nolan at the helm, you know you’re not in for your typical police procedural.

Insomnia has Pacino playing Detective Will Dormer, on loan from the LAPD to an old friend who is the sheriff of Nightmute, Alaska. Dormer and his partner Hap are momentarily escaping an internal affairs investigation that threatens to destroy Dormer's high profile reputation. On arriving in Nightmute, Dormer is met by a young local cop named Ellie Burr (Hillary Swank) who fills us in on how well known Dormer is by discussing his many big cases which she studied while in the police academy.

As for the case itself, a teenage girl was found in a garbage dump having been beaten to death. The case breaks quickly as Dormer and the local cops lock onto a suspect after the discovery of the dead girl’s personal items. The discovery leads to a stakeout that goes horribly wrong, leading to the death of Will's partner and a cover-up that calls Will's integrity into question.

While investigating under the noses of the local cops, Dormer uses some questionable tactics to discover a suspect, a mystery writer named Walter Finch (Robin Williams). Somehow, Finch knows Dormer's secret and tries to use it against him. This begins a cat and mouse game where the mouse proves to be smarter and more adaptive than the cat. 

Insomnia isn't about police procedure and chase scenes, it's about atmosphere and intellect. Williams and Pacino play fantastic cat and mouse with Williams tormenting Pacino with his inability to sleep due to Alaska's never-setting summer sun. Both Williams and Pacino are spectacular as they leave their previous screen chewing person's behind.

Director Christopher Nolan brilliantly uses the never-ending sunlight of this unusual and unlikely location as the perfect backdrop for this intensely dark suspense flick. As Pacino drives around at 3 in the morning and the sun shines, it is as if the light turned his mind into a prison shining a harsh light on his guilty conscience and many regretful decisions.

Nolan is becoming one of the best directors in the world, an auteur whose genius lies in keeping both the audience and his characters off balance. In Memento it was Leonard's short term memory, in Following it was the young man’s writer's block and guilty conscience, and in Insomnia it's Dormer's inability to sleep that keeps the audience and the characters from ever getting comfortable or complacent.

Insomnia is a strong move into the mainstream for Christopher Nolan who manages to make a Hollywood film without compromising his artistic vision and Auteurist style.

Movie Review: Enough

Enough (2002) 

Directed by Michael Apted

Written by Nicholas Kazan

Starring Jennifer Lopez, Billy Campbell, Noah Wyle, Juliette Lewis, Dan Futterman

Release Date May 24th, 2002 

Published May 21st, 2002 

For all the jokes about Jennifer Lopez's personal life, singing career, and her backside, one thing people shouldn't joke about is her acting. With her performances in Out Of Sight, The Cell and the very under-appreciated Angel Eyes, J.Lo has proven she can act. Though her latest film Enough isn't as good as her previous films, it certainly wasn't her fault.

Enough is the story of Slim (Lopez), a waitress who while being hit on by a jerk cop named Robbie (ER's Noah Wylie), is saved by Mitch (Once & Again's Billy Campbell). What appears to be love at first sight turns into a marriage gone wrong. Several years after Slim and Mitch get married and have a baby named Racie (Tesa Allen), Slim finds out Mitch is cheating on her. When Slim confronts him, he beats her up. Slim eventually escapes and Mitch goes after her, leading the film from “movie of the week” drama to ridiculous revenge flick.

I saw a preview screening of Enough and I wonder if maybe the film wasn't finished yet. I say this because the first third of the film is such a complete mess your left wondering if a first-year film student high on Jolt Cola and Marlboro Lights edited it. Rather than developing a relationship between Slim and Mitch that makes sense, the film employs silent movie title cards to inform the audience of the stage of their relationship. Thus the audience is left wondering just what each character’s motivation was for being together at all.

The film does have some effective moments, mostly when J.Lo is on the run and training to fight her husband. Director Michael Apted does what he can with the limited script and effectively uses omniscient narration to build tension, especially in the film’s fight scene crescendo. In the end though, Enough is a ridiculous, revenge fantasy meant to appeal to the same girl-power feminists who made Ashley Judd's Double Jeopardy a 100-Million hit. See Enough for Jennifer Lopez's stellar performance, but if your not a fan, skip it. 

Movie Review Star Wars Episode Two Attack of the Clones

Star Wars Episode II Attack of the Clones (2002) 

Directed by George Lucas 

Written by George Lucas 

Starring Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman, Christopher Lee, Ian McDiarmid, Frank Oz, Joel Edgerton, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker 

Release Date May 16th. 2002 

Published May 16th, 2002  

Did you like The Phantom Menace? I thought I did but when I watched it, to prepare for Episode 2, cracks began to show. Where I once actually attempted to defend Jar Jar Binks, I now see how completely indefensible the character is. On the 12th viewing, Phantom Menace doesn't hold up. The film was efficiently crafted but lacked a soul. Episode 2: Attack of the Clones is also efficiently crafted but like Phantom Menace it too lacks a soul.

We rejoin the story as Senator Padme Amidala, the former queen of Naboo, arrives for an important vote on the formation of an army of the republic, an idea she is uncertain about. Upon her arrival there is an assassination attempt. Amidala survives and is put under the protection of Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen). While Obi-Wan is assigned to hunt the bounty hunter who orchestrated the assassination attempt, Anakin is told to escort Amidala back to Naboo and keep her safe.

The setup is a little obvious but then Lucas merely uses characters as transitory figures in between awe-inspiring effects. So now Anakin and Amidala are alone and as we already know they fall in love. The inevitability of their relationship takes away from the love story, but not nearly as much as Christensen and Portman's lack of chemistry and Lucas's quickest way to get the point across scripting.

Christensen isn't bad but he's not great. Rather than communicating the tortured soul that would lead to the dark side, Christensen communicates, for the most part, with whining and crying. Christensen played a similarly whiny and tiresome character in last year's Life as A House, and at this rate it is difficult to envision him improving much beyond what we've seen. 

Natalie Portman also isn't very good at all in AOTC. Whereas in Phantom Menace Amidala had courage and intelligence, now Amidala has become full of angst and moony eyes over Anakin. Also, the fact that Amidala looks as if she hasn't aged is an unavoidable criticism. Ewan Mcgregor and Samuel L. Jackson are strong but are let down greatly by Lucas's transitory script which forgoes wit and intelligence in favor of spiritual platitude and dull transitions from special effect to special effect.

Of course, Attack of The Clones isn't about dialogue and characters, it's about action and, in that aspect, it doesn't disappoint. The special effects are spectacular, and while I still prefer real sets and actors, Lucas has done a remarkable job of creating a whole universe almost without them. The special effects give the film an epic feel, especially the many landscapes of Tatooine, Coruscant and Naboo that are fully realized places made from absolutely nothing.

Of course, the scene that will get people through the door is Yoda's fight scene. At the showing I attended Yoda's CGI confrontation with Christopher Lee's Count Dooku elicited loud cheers from the audience. I couldn't help but to get caught up a little myself.

AOTC isn't bad but it seems like two plus hours of exposition for the far more interesting Episode 3, the episode that completes Anakin Skywalker's transformation into Darth Vader. And while I would like to have seen better acting and dialogue, I have a feeling George is saving the really good stuff for the next film.

Movie Review: Unfaithful

Unfaithful (2002) 

Directed by Adrian Lyne

Written by Alvin Sargent, William Broyles Jr. 

Starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Olivier Martinez, Michelle Monaghan, Chad Lowe 

Release Date May 10th, 2002 

Published May 9th, 2002

I have never understood people's desperate need to get married and buy a house in the country. Being a city person, I just can't imagine leaving behind the constant motion for the quiet serenity. There is something very dull sounding about spending the rest of your life with someone so far away from where there are things to do. Maybe that is what drives Diane Lane's seemingly happy, married mother of one to risk her marriage on a stupid fling. Or maybe she just needed to be in a city.

In Unfaithful, Lane is Connie Sumner, mother of one son named Charlie (Malcolm in the Middle's youngest, Eric Per Sullivan) and wife of Edward (Richard Gere), a businessman whose business is never really explained. The marriage is typically mundane. Edward takes the train into work every day and comes home at the same time every day. Connie doesn't work as often as Edward; her job obtaining items for auctions brings her into the city maybe once a week. 

On one particularly windy day, as Connie is shopping for her sons ninth birthday, the wind literally blows her into the arms of a handsome rare books dealer named Paul Martel (Oliver Martinez). Paul is a good ten years younger than Diane, but his lust for her is quite obvious. Maybe having a younger man find her attractive (or maybe Paul's cheeseball game, in which he gives her a book that he has planted in a particular spot for just this occasion) something stirs in Connie and her intrigue will lead her to stray from her marriage.

Edward is not entirely clueless. In fact, after Connie's first meeting with Paul, Edward senses something is wrong. Eventually Edward's suspicions grow to the point where he hires a private detective to follow his wife. Of course, he finds out what he suspected is true and this leads to a plot twist that is surprising, not for shock value but for how studied and quiet it is.

Director Adrian Lyne does something interesting with Unfaithful. A less-skilled director would have made Unfaithful into a predictable thriller with either the husband or the lover as some kind of psycho who flies into a rage and tries to kill everyone. Lyne, however, is more interested in the effect on the marriage. All of the actions taken by the characters are a logical extension of real emotion and not mere plot manipulation. Even toward the end, when the film takes its twisted turn, the actions still feel realistic.

Diane Lane is receiving the best reviews of her career for this role, and they are deserved. Gere is also strong, but the film's best element is director Adrian Lyne, whose lovely camerawork and studied pacing brings a realistic portrait of a troubled marriage that shouldn't be troubled.

Unfaithful is an interesting portrait of the need to break routine and cause change in one's life even if that change is painful and unnecessary. No matter how much two people love each other, there is only so much they can do together without getting bored. That may not be romantic or moral, but anyone who has ever been in a long-term relationship can understand the need for personal time and space and the need to have something that is entirely your own. This doesn't justify cheating on a wife or a husband but a film like Unfaithful provides a logical explanation of this destructive behavior.

Movie Review Spider-Man

Spider-Man (2002)

Directed by Sam Raimi 

Written by David Koepp

Starring Tobey Maguire, James Franco, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, Bruce Campbell, J.K Simmons

Release Date May May 3rd, 2002 

Published May 2nd, 2002 

I must admit that when I heard Tobey Maguire had won the role of my favorite superhero, Spiderman, I was quite disappointed. How could the Cider House Rules geek be a superhero?!? Well, I'm glad that I now must eat those words because Tobey Maguire is a terrific Spiderman and now, I can't imagine anyone else doing this role.

As the film begins, we are introduced to science geek Peter Parker, a shy introverted kid who’s only friend is Harry Osborn (James Franco) and nurses a crush on the girl-next-door Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst). I'm sure most people are familiar with the origin of Spiderman; he was bitten by a radioactive Spider and began to take on the spider’s traits. The ability to spin webs, strength 10 times normal and of course the amazing ability to crawl up walls.

Suddenly the shy kid is a muscled-up superhero and immediately looks for a way to cash in on his newfound abilities. He finds it in a wrestling ring with a huge guy named Bonesaw (The legendary Randy “The Macho Man” Savage). Peter, now calling himself Spiderman, defeats Bonesaw to win $3,000 dollars, however the promoter refuses to pay the full amount. The promoter’s office is then robbed, and Peter skips an opportunity to catch the thief. The decision to let the thief get away is a fateful one as it is the same thief who shoots and kills Peter's beloved Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson).

Parallel with Peter Parker's story is that of Norman Osborn (Willem Dafoe), father of Peter's friend Harry and the president of Oscorp. With his company on the verge of losing a major military contract Osborn decides to test his controversial new weapon on himself. Needless to say, the experiment is a mistake and causes Osborn's personality to split between Norman and his new alter ego, the Green Goblin.

It's a classic comic book story and transfers to the screen extremely well thanks to the brilliant director Sam Raimi. Raimi could have just used his big budget for nothing but special effects, but instead he uses it to create a whole universe for Spiderman and his supporting cast to inhabit. Whether it's Aunt May and Uncle Ben's row house, Peter's High School, or even a professional wrestling ring, the comic book sheen that Raimi and his team brings to Spider-Man looks terrific. 

Maguire is excellent; he makes Spiderman and Peter Parker come to life. Maguire never plays him like your typical, all-powerful, unkillable superhero. He plays him as a human who can bleed and get angry and has to fight his emotions as well as his pursuers. Kirsten Dunst has it easy, she merely has to smile, and the audience falls for her the same way Peter Parker does. Dunst is a wonderful actress who builds great chemistry with Maguire. Willem Dafoe is effective as Osborn/Goblin, he certainly can play a believable psycho and in Spiderman he does so with only a little bit of scenery chewing.

It is rare that a summer blockbuster actually meets expectations; it is far rarer when one surpasses them. Spiderman does exactly that and is one of the best movies I've seen this year and one of the best blockbusters of all time.

Movie Review Hollywood Ending

Hollywood Ending (2002)

Directed by Woody Allen 

Written by Woody Allen

Starring Woody Allen, Tea Leoni, Treat Williams, Mark Rydell, Debra Messing

Release Date May 3rd, 2002 

Published May 2nd, 2002

Being from the Midwest, Woody Allen's humor is somewhat lost on me. Allen's humor is at times very specific to New Yorkers, which can be a turn off to Midwesterners like myself. In his latest film, Hollywood Ending, Allen isn't too New York. Oddly enough, the lifetime New Yorker is too Hollywood. 

In Hollywood Ending, Allen is Val Waxman, a washed-up former Oscar winning director now working on TV commercials in Canada. Val's luck is about to change with a little help from his sympathetic ex-wife Ellie (Tea Leoni). Ellie is now a Hollywood producer and is pushing her studio head fiancee (Treat Williams) to hire Val for a movie called "The City That Never Sleeps." Val is not an easy sell for the studio as he has a history of being difficult including outrageous demands of time, money and even daylight. After some prodding and a meeting with Val, the studio reluctantly agrees to hire him with the caveat that he can be fired at any moment.

So excited is Val at landing the job that he loses his sight. Val suffers from psychosomatic blindness. So, Val should probably drop out of the picture until he gets his sight back, but on the advice of his agent Al (Mark Rydell) he stays in the picture even though he thinks he should quit.

Val: "Don't you think people will notice a blind director?"

Al: "What? Are you kidding me? Have you seen these movies today?"

Allen has some terrific moments of physical comedy, built around his being blind and attempting to negotiate the movie's set. With the help of an on-set translator (Barney Cheng), hired to help Val communicate with his Chinese cameraman, Al and Val try to make it seem like everything is fine so that Val doesn't get fired. Eventually Ellie discovers Val's secret and then she too tries to help him pull it off.

The cast is rounded out by Debra Messing as Val's ditzy girlfriend and George Hamilton as a vapid movie producer. The cast is good as is most of Allen's script, but Hollywood Ending is troubled by a tendency to be too Hollywood. A lot of the film's humor is aimed at the film industry, which is a ripe place for satire. However, it is at times a little too inside the industry. Jokes about agents and references to the director's guild will be lost on casual film fans.

Allen still has a great ear for dialogue and his classic self-deprecating humor is well in place, but Hollywood Ending is just not funny enough. While Hollywood is a wonderful source for satire (see David Mamet's hysterical State & Main), Hollywood Ending just doesn't have enough good jokes. The humor is scattered throughout and in fact the film is funnier in scenes between Allen and Tea Leoni as they rehash their failed marriage. Allen is indeed a funny guy, maybe someday all of us will get the joke.