THE
FABULOUS BAKER BOYS With Jeff Bridges, Beau Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, Jennifer
Tilly Written & Directed by Steve Kloves Kloves' finely assembled film
about a brother piano lounge double-act has held up over the years (except for
some hair and fashion styles). Their career is slowly slipping as the demand for
their retro ivory tickling starts to wane. The idea to soup it up by getting a
female singer on board not only sends their career in a whole new direction, but
also threatens to drive a wedge between the brothers. Pfeifer is the girl in question,
constantly winding up the more uptight & responsible one of the brothers (Beau),
the cool, womanizing one (Jeff) heading into troubled water when business and
pleasure starts mixed. A bittersweet human tale with some cool music and good
performances - everyone remembering the scene where the hot Pfeiffer crawls on
the piano as she sings Making Whoopie. 4 / B - PB
THE
FACULTY With Elijah Wood, Usher Raymond Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Oh, dear. Kevin Williamson and his cliché “spooky” screenplays. Sigh(!).
Here we have an alien life form taking over an American high school with a few
students learising this and not sure who to trust. Ooooh! Why Rodriguez took this
job after the totally Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn I have no idea. Overly
cool teens, asshole jock and other stereotypes make this a painful farce. No award
winner, but it seems to at least move forward (to an almost obvious conclusion).
Williamson, return to Dawson’s Creek or stop the “scary” re-hash business. Cheap
thrills and cool FX, little more. 2 / C - PB
FAITHLESS
- Live At Alexandra Palace This group succeeded in maintaining their
unique style and integrity in a music-world where it can so easily slip into mediocre,
cheap Pop territory. This show was recorded at their career pinnacle accompanying
their Forever
Faithless
hits collection. The 18 moody, scorching, and catchy tunes encapsulate both a
dance- and deeper atmospheric quality, and includes God Is A DJ, Insomnia,
Mass Destruction, I Want More, Postcards, We Come 1, and Machines R Us.
This is their first DVD release and with the full live band set-up, these
guys (and lady) are more than just another pop group. 5 / A - PB
FAMILY
MAN With Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni Directed by Bret Ratner At first the
whole (stale, boring, done-to-death) premise of a man who made a crucial life
decision but getting the chance to see how it could've been had he chosen otherwise,
really put me off this one. It took some convincing to drag myself there. And
as so often happens, I was pleasantly surprised (yet, not won over by the what-if
genre). Cage chose to leave the love of his life to pursue a career super big-buckeroos.
One night he performs an act of goodness which throws him into a state where he
wakes up next to his wife (had he not flown to the UK), kids, house in Jersey
- total chaos and no wealth. Of course he has to get to realise what he's doing
there, how to get back to his penthouse & Ferrari - that's if he wants to - wow,
big surprises pounce constantly (yawn!). But, it's a nice, cuddle-wuddly warm
& fuzzy sort of pic that does, I must admit, make you wonder about your possibilities
had you chosen another path. 3 / C - PB
FAMILY
VALUES If you don't have the Family Values CD yet, what the hell is wrong
with you?! This video is a fine companion piece, bringing the hard music to life
in full colour. In case you've been snoozing, the Family Values Tour brought together
a great ensemble of hard-hitting new-style no-bullshit music in the shape of
Limp Bizkit, Rammstein, Orgy, Ice Cube and Korn.
(This was in August/October 1998). During the tour (conceived by Korn and
The Firm), Ice Cube (yes, that badass Nigga from N.W.A) had to leave
the family for other commitments and was replaced by Incubus, who feature on the
CD, but not the video (pitty). This amazing show combine the best of new-school
metal, hardcore and hip-hop elements to give anyone with a pulse the urge to jump
four feet high. The video boasts 19 tracks and some backstage footage, mostly
goofing off clips like Korn getting make-up put on by Orgy, all
the members' kids toddling about, having birthday parties, ladies showing off
their pierced nipples (getting it licked by her tongue pierced girlfriend) and
more. At one stage Korn and Limp Bizkit played together on stage,
some of them dressed up like '80's glam rockers causing shit, having a ball. The
whole stage and venue have a circus feel, but each band has their own set-up (one
hell of a rigging and roadie challenge). Limp Bizkit, who render fine tracks
like Cambodia, a cover of George Michael's Faith (Bizkit-style)
and House of Pain's Jump Around. Their stage sport a crash landed
UFO with two members in freaky contact lenses and face paint. They crunch out
one hell of a set with superb subtleties injected. Orgy (the least macho
of the acts) have a more modest set-up, bathed in neon light. They also deliver
a fine version of Blue Monday. Rammstein takes the cake, not only
with their separate style (electronic/metal/near-goth/post-apocalyptic feel),
but also with the stage act. The vocalist grabs the keyboardist mid-song and has
him kneel on a flight case. He whips out a prosthetic phallus and goes on to spank
the guy with it - that's not all though - with a cunning compressor linked up,
this thing starts squirting all over the place for the remainder of the song!
Marilyn Manson eat your heart out. Absolutely cool and hilarious if you're
not easily shocked while others will choke. A rocket bow squirting sparks light
up the joint while burning keyboards also get the crowd excited. A magnificent
visual extravaganza layered with pulsating, powerful sounds. Ice Cube's
stage has an enormous top hatted bust of the man with outstretched arms, while
a live Grim Reaper parks at the back of the stage, the DJ housed on the tophat
and Cube and his co-vocaling homie inciting the crowd with everything from Fuck
the Police to Fuck Dying. Korn, the headliners and main instigators
deliver a powerful set with traditional metal-style cage stage-dressing, fans
raging inside it. The intensity, energy and entertainment value of this show is
more than enough to prove that hard music is by no means dead. 5 / A -
PB
FANTASIA
2000 With James Levine, Steve Martin, Quincy Jones, Bette Midler, Penn &
Teller, James Earl Jones Directed by Hendel Butoy, Francis Glebas, Paul Brizzi,
Eric Goldberg, James Algar, Pixote Hunt, Paul & Don & Gaetan Brizzi It’s
unbelievable that the original Fantasia was made a whole 60 years ago! Walt Disney’s
ambition to make the Concert Film an ever evolving phenomenon has only been realised
now. Fabulous new animated shorts set to classical music also get an old familiar
re-visitor of Mickey mouse and the Scorcerer's Apprentice. A timeless, awe-inspiring
work of art. 5 / A - PB
FARENHEIT
9/11 With George W. Bush, Michael Moore Directed by Michael Moore
Whether you're anti-Bush or a fan, this documentary is a fantastic, often jaw-dropping
look at how questionably George W. Bush came into power and how debatably the
2nd Iraqi war came about in the wake of September 11th. While biased, Moore conveys
facts that we may have missed the first time round (like Bin Laden family members
flown out of the US after the World Trade Centre had the rest of the country grounded
/ politician's ties with big industries, often war related), economic interests,
shady deals, big money, factual distortion and everything else you'd expect from
politicians with fingers in a lot of pies. The business of war is a good one and
Moore adds his brand of humour to proceedings, which would otherwise have been
too damn depressing. Interviews with big wigs, regular people touched by sons
dying in Iraq, news footage they wouldn't show on TV and a string of bits and
pieces that'll either have you shake your head in disbelief or feel Moore is merely
manipulating with editing. Whichever way you look at it, this may not have swung
the vote away from Bush doing a second term, but it surely opened up some eyes
not to accept everything they're fed in the media and via propaganda machines,
in whichever sector. 5 / B - PB
FARGO
With Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy, Harve Presnell
Directed by Joel Coen A stupid car salesman needs money and arranges to have
his wife kidnapped. Things don’t go according to plan and the freezing snow covered
setting becomes one of murder and subdued mayhem. Excellent thriller with the
Coen Bros. great brand of humour ever present. Nominated for 7 Oscars. 6
/ A - PB
THE
FAST AND THE FURIOUS With Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana
Brewster Directed by Rob Cohen When a young gun enters the world of illegal
souped-up street racing in LA, he gets more than he bargains for. For one, he's
met with opposition and he falls for one of the leading guys' sister. Thing is,
he's an undercover cop investigating a rampant hijacking ring, the main suspect
his new pal. Loyalty comes into play and through all of the exciting race sequences
with some fabulous cars, the fluctuating suspects of the hijackings get thrown
in all over the place, hardly of any consequence, as the stars here are metal,
fuel and speed. Fun, but a bit too "cool" in that artificial Hollywood way most
people love for some reason or another. Slamming soundtrack, though (but the CD
contains mainly Hip-Hop & Rap artists).
Click here for The
Fast & The Furious soundtrack review
3 / B - PB
FASTER
PUSSYCAT KILL…KILL! With Tura Satana Directed by Russ Meyer Bosom-king
Meyer throws his favourite subjects together - buxom ladies with attitude and
unbridled violence. A gang of go-go dancers (Varla, Rosie and Billie) head by
an ill-tempered leader cause havoc, carving a path of destruction as they take
vengeance on men. With true under-funded flair, hammed performances and gratuitous
images, Meyer and his ladies created another classic that'll live on far beyond
the drive-in B-movie most wanted it to be. A hoot. 3 / B - PB
FAUST
With Andrew Divoff, Jeffrey Combs Directed by Brian Yuzna Two
classic modern horror figures, director Yuzna (Society, Return of the
Living Dead Part 3) & actor Combs (Re-Animator, Pit & the
Pendulum) team up again with this little bit of FX & thrills that doesn't
exactly stay true to the original text to the classic Faust tale. The soundtrack
(if you can find it in stores) has a stack of great metal bands from Fear Factory
to Cradle Of Filth & Brujeria. 3 / B - PB
FELIX
THE CAT - THE TWISTED TALES OF FELIX THE CAT: ORDER OF THE BLACK CATS and other
stories In Order of the Black Cats Felix gets drawn into a secret Black Cat
society during Halloween while in Now Boarding he and his buddy get zipped into
a board game and have to abide its crazy rules. When Felix Breaks the Bank, he
does so by trying to break his piggy bank in order to buy a birthday gift for
his friend - the piggy bank has other ideas, though ! Felix in Psychedelic Land
speaks for itself and is one tripped out experience, man ! Accompanied with his
trusty firend, Felix hits the Middle Ages when they travel back in time on discovering
a book of old spells. FELIX THE CAT - THE TWISTED TALES OF FELIX THE CAT:
SPACE-TIME TWISTER When Felix tries to escape the Meat Man, his guardian
angel just seems to make things worse while everything gets twisted in Space-Time
Twister when Felix runs off with the Time Master's time machine. In true, logic-free
Felix style, he finds a string while cleaning house and unravels a weird new world.
Felix's renowned Bag of Tricks assists him in saving Rosco from the icky & nasty
Sludge King (part I&II). Taking spaced-out and far-out to the next level, Felix
is kidnapped and taken to Mars. 5 / A - PB
FEMALE
TROUBLE With Divine, Edith Massey, Mink Stole, David Lochary Directed
by John Waters Divine falls for a hairdresser - his husband & wife team
salon owner bosses spot Divine, wanting her to be their model of vulgarity, performing
criminal acts, shooting up on liquid eyeliner and more ludicrous and deliciously
tacky depravity. She marries the hairdresser but his aunt can’t stand her - throwing
acid in her face. The scars arouse the two vulgar-glamour freaks even more. But
Divine rises to become a megalomaniac celebrity loon who puts up a classic finale
show. Stole is the mad daughter who becomes a Hare Krishna and was conceived when
Divine was raped by the guy who gave her a lift (played by Divine himself!). Only
a few of the ingredients that make this one of Waters’ best stews of bad taste.
6 / A - PB
FEMME
FATALE With Rebecca Romijn Stamos, Antonio Banderas Directed by Brian
DePalma Since the 70s DePalma
has given his audience a great variety of films from various genres like Phantom
Of the Paradise (musical thriller), Dressed To Kill (killer thriller),
The Untouchables, Carlito's Way, Scarface (gangsters), Casualties
Of War (war), Carrie (horror). With this one his noir obsession (which
has resulted in many Hitchcock takes) has DePalma take his audience on
another visually meticulous journey. The basic idea of a heist at the Cannes film
festival takes on a convoluted and sexy life of its own. The lead characters involve
the hot key thief and a photographer who inadvertently gets mixed up in the whole
debacle. Without worrying about any who-dunnit elements or unlikely / farfetched
moments, just let him trap you with his visual sense and marvelous scene construction,
framing and set-ups, giving the camera life with the relationship with its subject.
3 / B - PB THE
FIFTH ELEMENT With Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich, Chris Tucker,
Ian Holm Directed by Luc Besson It took a Frenchman with an international
team of actors crew and FX specialists to breath new life into the Sci-Fi genre.
Based on a tale Besson had been carrying with him for decades, we find a future
filled with extravagance congestion and wildly manic good guys and villains. Willis
is a cab driver who gets embroiled in a plot of universal proportions when a disoriented
girl literally falls into his cab. She holds the key to prevent an evil force
in cahoots with the fabulously bad Oldman to erase mankind. With a great plot,
fantastic photography, splendid humour, amazing Gaultier costumes, a fine Serra
soundtrack and a unique style, class & innovative original futuristic vision,
this film is a stimulation for all senses. Not to be missed. 6 / A -
PB
15
MINUTES With Robert DeNiro, Edward Burn, Kelsey Grammer, Charlize Theron
Directed by N/A When a Russian and Czech criminal duo enter the US to
track down their Houdini partner in a robbery, a trail of death and mayhem ensues.
A decorated well-loved NY cop and young fire department investigator latch onto
their trail. Media vultures are not far behind. The criminals' idea is to claim
insanity and once the law played into their hands, sell the story of their murderous
spree for millions - all documented on video! A well-paced dose of action and
suspense with a fair chunk of brutality takes the viewer along what seems like
a conventional cop & perp narrative ride, until it swerves into a bit of a different
direction. The older DeNiro gets the more his nose seems to flatten & his mouth
pulls down & sideways…But that's neither here nor there. He is the cop & Burns
the fireman. Theron is only in one solitary scene, but what makes it the gem of
the film is the fact that she speaks to her buddy in perfect Afrikaans! Fantastic!
4 / C - PB
50
FIRST DATES With Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Rob Schneider Directed
by Peter Segal Sandler and Barrymore reunite after the enjoyable Wedding
Singer with this Hawaii set romantic comedy. Henry Roth is a vet at an aquarium
with a dream to travel on his yacht to study his favourite sea animal, the walrus.
He's a bit of a womanizer but when he meets a girl in a diner one morning he's
struck - and she really likes him as well. Unlucky for him Lucy is afflicted with
short-term memory loss after a car crash with her dad. She starts each day out
having forgotten the previous. Intent on not giving up, Henry meets her every
day for the first time and tries to get her to fall in love with him before she
goes to sleep - only to come up with a creative way to do the same the next day.
The result is some funny situations with admirable supporting roles helping it
along, Sandler's sidekick Schneider taking the biggest chunk as his Hawaiian surfing
moron pal. Slapstick and saccharine romantic moments play side-by-side in a surprisingly
enjoyable little flick that feels a lot like a Farrelly brothers premise. Not
exactly Memento, but what did you expect from a Sandler vehicle? PS. I
didn't notice Schneider saying "You can do it!" - that joke tired
the first time it came around 3 / C - PB
51st
STATE With Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Carlyle, Emily Mortimer, Rhys Ifans,
Meatloaf, Ricky Tomlinson Directed by Ronny Yu Jackson is as smooth,
cool and badass as usual - this time in a kilt & braids! He is a chemical expert
who leaves his life behind in the States, relocating to the UK in order to sell
a formula to the most potent drug ever created. He does this after getting a few
undesirable elements off his back - or so he thinks. This element (played by Meatloaf)
is the Lizard, a vile bastard who puts a hit out on him. The hitwoman happens
to be the ex-girlfriend of the man who meets him at the airport and has to take
him to his connection in Liverpool (Carlyle). When plans switch and the deal falls
through with several corpses, Jackson & Carlyle are on the lam, looking for a
new buyer. The
comedy element was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise. The action is hot, the pace
cracking and the vibe electrifying. With a few surprises thrown in, 51st State
gives the viewer a fun ride through a multitude of underworld characters (from
skinheads to corrupt cops and rave organizers), each scene a great chapter leading
to another. An exciting, unexpected blast of a flick that feels like a cross between
an American and Hong Kong action comedy and an English gangster flick. 5
/ B - PB FIGHT
CLUB With Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf Aday
Directed by David Fincher After the great Se7en, David Fincher had a
bit of an accident and made The Game. Many loved it, but it was just a little
too far fetched for a scenario placed in a rational non-fantasy world. The word
“ludicrous” comes to mind. But, he’s redeemed himself with this marvelous bit
of extreme art. Norton plays an everyman whose life is consumed by, well, consumerism.
He meets a guy who represents everything he doesn’t. Together they embark on an
intense, sometimes surreal journey to alleviate their anger, look within themselves
and exorcise demons they have within. Therapy if you will. Prior to their meeting,
Norton’s insomnia was alleviated by attending terminal support groups, pretending
to be one of them in order to cry and hug the frustration away. Here he meets
another “impostor”, Helena Bonham Carter, who, I might add, has perfected her
American act wonderfully. His support groups get substituted by the two new best
pals’ creation, Fight Club, where men pound each other, re-establishing themselves,
and finding a new sense of empowerment. These festivities don’t go without rules,
though. From underground punch-ups and the ever-growing interest, the club evolves
into organized mayhem. The fresh cinematic approach, fantastic cinematography
and texture with a great twist to boot, adds to the film’s pondering and memorable
value in stead of mere testosterone with a bunch of men beating the shit out of
each other. Well structured, well acted and some fine Rob Bottin make-up puts
the cherry on this exciting and intriguing flick that stands out head above shoulders
from other releases around the time of this one. 6 / A - PB ...2nd
opinion... FIGHT CLUB With Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Helena Bonham Carter,
Meatloaf Aday, Jared Leto Directed by David Fincher How overjoyed I
was when this film came out (one of my favourite films of its release year teetering
at the edge of the century), not displaying the crap story element of director
Fincher's appalling film The Game. Alien3 and Se7en were
awesome, and the ludicrous Game made me worry that Fincher might not be as good
as he appeared. How very wrong that would've been! This anarchic psychologically
twisted masterpiece about an insurance claims investigator whose dreary life and
insomnia drives him to extreme measures not only pokes fun at society and humanity,
but also makes you think about our blind consumerist ad-driven lives. When meeting
soap salesman Tyler on one of many job related plane trips and his flat explodes,
the life of our nameless narrator is changed forever. The two embark on a journey
of self-discovery via good friendly violence. They create Fight Club, where
strict rules are bound and men get together to beat the shit out of each other.
From merely coming to grips with your own capabilities and destroying the daily
norm, it escalates into a virtual army of disciples with powerful capabilities.
There is also the hate-love relationship with a woman (Marla) who would make any
Goth proud. Obsessed with death, she seems like the one thing that could come
between the new blood brothers. Amazingly shot, meticulously directed, fabulously
acted and with such a gritty sense of cool, you gotta love this film on every
level (the unforgettable scenes too many to even get started on - almost every
sequence containing a stark, hilarious, shocking or aesthetically admirable portion,
sometimes all at once!). The 2 disc DVD release contains the film in the only
format worth subscribing to: widescreen, with crystal clear surround sound. Artist
biographies include that of actors, director as well as soundtrack creators, The
Dust Brothers. Public Announcement trailers from Pitt & Norton (hilarious),
publicity material, storyboards, internet spots & trailers as well as a stills
gallery can be checked out. There is an Edward Norton Yale interview while This
Is Your Life is a great music video clip of The Dust Brothers track,
featuring Brad Pitt vocal samples. Deleted scenes and their alternates can both
be viewed as it was cut into the film or as it could've been. All in all one splendid
package, not only in content, but also in its animated menus and gatefold packaging,
complete with booklet. An incredible film presented in the most satisfying of
ways. 6 / A - PB
THE
FINAL CUT With Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino, Jim Caviezel, Stephanie Romanov,
Mimi Kuzyk, Thom Bishops Directed by Omar Naïm This futuristic film is
an interesting study of human perception and its altering via our memory and own
readjustment - but also physically, translated into the technology of an organic
in utero optical implant recording your entire life. This created the job of "cutters",
editors who get a person's entire life footage after their death in order to edit
it down to all the good parts to be screened at their memorial service. One such
cutter, seen as one of the best in his field, is faced with a moral dilemma when
he has to compile footage of an influential man with some dark skeletons in his
closet. Opposition groups protest the technology and its personal freedom infringement.
One such an activist (an ex-cutter) offers him a lot of money for the footage,
but seem to be willing to do whatever it takes to get it. Our somber lead, well
played by Williams, tries to lead a normal life, but has memories of the past
haunting him, as well as all of the private and often hideous things he's seen
through the eyes of the dead as he scans through their life movie. The look of
the film is not spacey or flash, but rather retro with old car models and the
editing machines wood paneled and polished as opposed to metal and plastic. The
muted, drab and organic colours of the décor and wardrobe add to sidestepping
the need for a sci-fi look, which would remove a lot of the humanity factor. A
very interesting movie that fits well with a flick like Gattaca.
4 / B - PB FINAL
DESCENT With Robert Urich, Annette O’Toole, John De Lancie Directed
by Mike Robe Air disaster made for TV film with Urich the pilot who gets
to fly with his girlfriend co-pilot. But a light aircraft slams into them, damaging
the tail, making landing impossible. Various dangers are afoot with many solutions,
some ver-very unconventional. Not too bad, but essentially a forgotten Airport
sequel. 2 / C - PB
FINAL
DESTINATION With Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Kristen Cloke, Seann
William Scott, Tony Todd Directed by James Wong A young man has a premonition
that the plane he’s about to board en route to France with fellow class mates
will burst into a ball of flame. He flips and gets off, a few other s with him,
inadvertently and on purpose: his best pal, the jock-like arrogant prick and his
Barbie girlfriend, a teacher, a klutzy dork-like guy and the lovely, loner girl.
It ends up that they were meant to die on the flight with the others, thus cheating
death. But the Grim Reaper hates to have his design meddled with and slowly comes
for them. But, our young hero is determined to prevent it, having figured out
part of this design. Innovative deaths are only part of the fun while a cool visual
style is maintained through most of the film. Initially this is a very cool premise
to a chilling teen flick that is kick started with style, and accelerates wonderfully…
until about halfway through where the final up & down bends of the roller coaster
ride end up a mere routine, the build-up and expected climax routine more than
anything. In the light of Scream and all the other new wave horror movies, this
one does however stand out a little more. (Cool double layered promo posters as
well). - PB 3 / B
FINAL
DESTINATION 2 With Ali Larter, A.J. Cook, Michael Landes Directed by
David R. Ellis The first installment of this teen shocker had its moments
- a bunch of kids miss out on death by not boarding a doomed plane, so death comes
after them one by one, dispatching them in all sorts of innovative ways. This
time round? A girl has a vision of a car pile-up and holds up traffic, preventing
a bunch of people from dying in the crash. The result? Yes, they all get stalked
by death in, guess what, all sorts of innovative (and hilariously gory) ways!
Rope in the sole survivor from the first to assist our doomed folk and you have
a regurgitated throw-away movie experience with only as much substance as the
FX crew put into it. The cheap shots and lame scares throughout the film are only
outweighed by the pretty spectacular car smash highlight in the first 10 minutes.
2 / C - PB
FINAL
FANTASY - The Spirits Within
With the voices of Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, James Woods, Ving Rhames
Directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi If you thought that the mind-blowing cinema
version offered the speecheless audience was a phenomenal one, check out the double
disc DVD. The sheer brilliance of this feast for the eyes (& ears) flow
both from its intensely wonderful narrative as well as the mind-blowing technical
artistry. This digitally animated masterpiece gets so close to replicating reality,
it almost surpasses it! You know the great pre-rendered animation you get in PlayStation
or PC games that act as cinematic links? This has the same feel, but is just so
damn slick, realistic, detail-ridden and dare I say it…perfect. With the original
PlayStation series as its inspiration (currently at Part X on PS2!),
one needn't have any knowledge of this engrossing gaming phenomenon to get completely
caught up in this brilliant film. The creator of the game series decided to take
it one step further and use the technology to its utmost degree, incorporating
it into the world of film. It is the future and an army of threatening phantom-like
alien life forms had infested earth when a meteorite struck the planet. While
Aki
Ross,
a lovely
young scientist
and her mentor Dr. Sid attempt to analyze and understand this phenomenon to try
and destroy it without harming the planet itself, a warmongering militant bastard
want total control from the senate to blow the meteorite to pieces with a newly
developed weapon. The weapon can also destroy the earth's spirit, an (unproven)
place called Gaia where all spiritual energy return once they pass on - from plants
to human beings. Our scientists are in the process of collecting a range of spirits
to fulfil their task. A quartet of special military personnel joins them in the
exciting and dark quest to save humanity. Everything about Final
Fantasy
is simply phenomenal. The music, the intensely serious and dramatically human
& spiritual story, even the voice-overs are great…and then, the animation…Man,
it's totally staggering. Skin texture, wrinkles, moles & blemishes, bone & veins
under the skin, expressions, hair, movement and mannerisms, fabric, high tech
machinery, lighting and the post apocalyptic, fantasy and futuristic surroundings
- it has to be witnessed. It pisses me off when a masterpiece like this doesn't
generate as much interest as it ought to when hitting the big screen - at least
now with this pristine high definition DVD conversion it can be savoured and re-experienced.
Final Fantasy
is not just a work of art, but also a piece of history, even though it loses a
bit of impact on the non-widescreen video rental, the DVD alternative offeres
you the full widescreen spectrum, appreciating its full expanse. The extras
are stupendous on this double DVD set. Besides getting the interesting
and enlightening
documentary including interviews with the experts, related sub-pods pop up during
the revealing of the work that went into this masterpiece and you have a limited
time to click these in order to garner additional info & clips, returning
automatically to where you left off.
The film has 3 commentary options from co-director & crew, animation director,
editor & staging director plus an isolated musical score track with commentary
by composer Elliot Goldenthal. Trailers, production notes, subtitled factoids,
alternate scenes, character files, artwork, sets, props, vehicles, "outtakes"
and a load of additional material makes this one worthwhile package with ages
of mileage. There's even a clip where the characters do the Michael
Jackson Thriller dance
routine! Incredible! Not to mention the multi angled scene you can edit yourself.
A DVD-ROM extra also contains the complete screenplay, screensavers, weblinks
and even a virtual tour of Square Pictures to be accessed via your PC. With
the wealth of enthralling audio-visual material in this DVD set, leave it up to
a games developing company to revolutionize film-making and offer me with one
of the most enriching DVD experiences to date, making full use of its capabilities
whereas other releases merely offer a trailer or language option... The future
is here, lets hope more people will take advantage of it. 6 / A -
PB
FINDING
NEMO With voices by Willem Dafoe, Ellen Degeneres Directed by Andrew
Stanton The Pixar-Disney partnership is really making the most of new digital
technology, sending the animation genre into new heights. Furthermore they also
make the best of the DVD format on its home release, packing it with a variety
of great stuff. Nemo is a young clownfish whose father (Marlon) is paranoid for
his safety (after his wife and the entire egg spawn was eaten by a barracuda -
Nemo the only survivor). Nemo has to go to school, but his dad fears for his safety
(especially since Nemo has a small deformed fin on one side). Marlon's paranoia
is realized when Nemo is caught by a diver for a fish tank in his dental surgery!
With the help of a fish with short-term memory loss, Marlon sets out to save his
boy. A great adventure unfolds for both Marlon and Nemo, and all the crazy characters
they encounter along the way. Great family fun. The first disc contains the movie
and extras like virtual aquariums, commentary tracks and a making of documentary.
Disc 2 includes Jean-Michel Cousteau's exploration of the reef, the classic Pixar
short Knick Knack, you can play "Fisharades", check out Mr. Ray's Encyclopedia
and view a behind the scenes studio tour, plus more. 5 / B - PB
FIRST
STRIKE (in Afrikaans) Met Jackie Chan Regisseur: Stanley Tong Die
Hong Kong aksie koning se energie raak nooit op nie. In hierdie wilde, komiese
aksie spektakel is Chan agter kern missiel diewe aan. Dis nou wel 'n afgesaagde
007 tema, maar met Chan se akrobatiese, fissieke vernuf is dit onvergeetlik en
so opwindend as kan kom. Die balans tussen komedie en relatief bloedlose aksie
is glad hanteer. Nes Chan se vorige flieks is First Strike eerste klas vermaak,
selfs al is jy nie 'n Kung-Fu aanhanger nie. 4 / B - PB
A
FISTFUL OF DOLLARS With Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonte, Marianne Koch,
Mario Brega Dircted by Sergio Leone This 1964 classic set the tone for
almost every Western to follow. Forget the boring, macho bullshit of the John
Wayne flicks. Here director Sergio Leone embarked on a revolutionary re-newed
style, look, atmosphere and darker themed realism. The man to embody this new
breed of western - yep, good ol’ Clint. As “the man with no name”, this was the
first in Leone’s western trilogy with Eastwood playing the good guy-anti-hero
who doesn’t hesitate to shoot…and does he shoot!?! Hardly ever missing, this man
of little words lets his revolvers do the talking. Money and wealth is always
the theme and most sought after ideal in all of these classics. This film also
led in greater part to the well-worn “Spaghetti Western” genre. Set in America
but shot in Europe by Italians with a Yankee star! Other actors featured in this
cinematic breakthrough include Gian Maria Volonte, Marianne Koch and Munio Brega.
5 / A - PB
FLAWLESS
With Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Barry Miller, Rory Cochrane,
Wilson Jermaine Directed by Joel Schumacher The freckled genius outdoes
himself (as with almost every role he tackles e.g. Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski,
Happiness, The Talented Mr. Ripley). It might seem insulting to refer to him as
such, but it is meant with all sincerity, as he does ten fold with his marvelous
acting what others try and accomplish with their looks. He can evoke true feelings
of belief when your eyes are nailed on his craft flickering on the screen. In
Flawless, Hoffman portrays Rusty, a drag queen (who hates the term and prefers
being called “an artist who does female impressions”). He is beyond believable.
Rusty’s neighbour, Walt (a bigoted hero cop), has a stroke and reluctantly turns
to him for singing lessons in order to assist the development of his speech. The
two are at loggerheads from the get-go. But deep compassion, humanity, understanding
and acceptance slowly get them communicating, turning each other’s “flaws” into
humour. They both know what suffering is. A parallel story line has an underground
boss looking for the money a tenant in their apartment block stole from him (resulting
in a few deaths and escalating dread). The colourful support characters are all
amazing (without it turning into Priscilla). Flawless is a compassionate, emotional
film with humour and even a sturdy touch of suspense. Hoffman deserves an Oscar
and steals the show from DeNiro who sometimes seems to labour the stroke act a
little - perhaps Dustin Hoffman would’ve been more appropriate - “Hoffman & Hoffman!”
Finally Schumacher redeems himself (together with 8mm) after the mess that was
Batman & Robin. 5 / A - PB
FLIGHT
OF THE PHOENIX With Dennis Quaid, Giovanni Ribisi, Tyrese Gibson, Miranda
Otto, Hugh Laurie, Tony Curran Directed by John Moore Based on Elleston
Trevor's novel and Lukas Heller's screenplay (for director Robert Aldrich's 1966
movie), this soupe-up modern version is limited to adding some colour (literally),
while losing a lot of the original's impact (especially at the end). A plane crash-lands
in the desert with a shut down oil operation's employees onboard (from working
crew to office suits). They are doomed, with low supplies, scorching sun, and
no civilization within walking distance. After a stretch of internal fighting,
disagreements and general animosity, they get grouped by the idea of a strange
little blonde guy (Ribisi) who believes they can rebuild the parts of the plane
and fly out of there. As a TV movie it is watchable. As a huge cinematic event
its cardboard routine just tastes too stale to swallow. The original was enthralling,
and even with some desert bandits to juice up the danger levels (the audience
only caring about low water supplies and bickering for so long), you don't really
get to connect with the characters. A re-release of the original, instead of a
remake would've enticed me more. 2 / C - PB
FLIGHT
PLAN With Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, Erika Christensen, Kate
Beahan, Marlene Lawston Directed by Robert Schwentke Multi-Oscar winning
actress turned director Jodie Foster has been keeping her acting jobs selective
the last couple of years (with a nice surprise popping up in the lovely French
movie A
Very Long Engagement).
Here she goes back to the Panic
Room style
thriller, but instead of a safe room, she's stuck in an airborne plane. She's
an aircraft technician in Germany who's husband recently died. She travels by
air with her daughter (in a new aircraft she helped design) to take his body back
home. They fall asleep and on waking her daughter's missing. She looks all over
but she's nowhere to be found. Slowly her sanity is being questioned as nobody
on the packed plane seemed to have noticed the kid. She flips. The suspense escalates,
although the two big punch lines will easily be considered by the audience. In
the post September 11 climate, more movies like these involving planes are beginning
to surface (including Wes Craven's Red
Eye).
3 / C - PB
THE
FLY (1958) With Vincent Price, Al Hedison, Patricia Owens, Herbert Marshall
Dir: Kurt Neumann An ambitious scientist accidentally gets his molecules mixed
up with a fly when he performs a scientific teleportation experiment. A true horror
classic. 4 / B - PB THE
FLY With Jeff Goldblum, Geena Davis, John Getz Directed by David Cronenberg
Stunning 1986 re-make with Goldblum’s trademark style at an all time high
coupled with the smoldering sensuality of Davis. Seth Brundle is a genius developing
a teleportation device. When testing it on himself, a fly is trapped in the sending
pod - arriving in the receive pod, their DNA got spliced and he slowly turns into
a fly. Davis falls for him (in his pre-fly state) and struggles with him through
his shocking ordeal. A classic remake of a classic film. 5 / A - PB
THE
FLYER With Marcel Van Heerden, Ian Van Der Heyden, Craig Palm, Kim Engelbrecht,
Kurt Schoonraad Directed by Revel Fox Shot in and around Cape Town,
this whimsical tale avoids the usual (often tired) political angle, frequently
necessary to ensure funding for your project - but inadvertently stifling artistic
growth. The social aspects of the country do come into play, with the protagonist
Kieran growing up as a street kid. He inadvertently gets "rescued" from street
life by a driven trapeze trainer, who incorporates him into the show after years
of hard work and determination to become a flyer. As kids, his brother Spies got
locked up for stabbing a policeman. As an adult he is released and again becomes
a negative pull on Kieran's realm. With a few obvious outcomes and a romantic
element, the authentic feel of the characters, the language and good performances
make this one of the more enjoyable recent local offerings. PS.
It is always great seeing your hometown, neighbourhood and even a stone's throw
from your home on screen, a touch of patriotism naturally flooding in.
4 / C - PB FOR
A FEW DOLLARS MORE With Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Klaus Kinski, Rosemary
Dexter Directed by Sergio Leone Only a year after A Fistful Of Dollars,
the team returned. More money, more bad guys, more gunslinging and more celluloid
glory. What also makes these films such beuties are the liberal utilisation of
the glorious widescreen format. The shot compositions and scene constructions
are so goddamned brilliant in this trilogy, it makes any cinematographer’s toes
curl. Draw sequences get a whole new meaning in this widescreen treatment, the
vast expanses of dry, arid land becoming so much more real to the viewer with
one small figure at the left of your screen, another at the right. But…here comes
the BIG but…The greatest evil to infiltrate the world of movies is the Pan & Scan
system. Aspect ratios of cinematic films does not correspond with that of our
TV screens. That means the actual filmed picture is wider and flatter than that
of our TVs. So, what did some Hollywood “genius” decide? Crop the picture to eliminate
black bars at the top and bottom of your TV screen! Idiot! That means up to a
third of the picture gets cuts off , since it’s basically zoomed in to eliminate
these bars! All that hard work chopped off, just like that. What makes this worse,
is when a scene is constructed in such a way that one character is far left, another
far right, both don’t fit on the screen! Or if there’s a conversation with lots
of space in between, the picture is panned from one to the other, when it’s meanrt
to be a static shot. Sickening! Yes, folks, I’m on my soap box here, and I’m not
done yet. These films are not seen as intended. What they do nowadays, as I’ve
noticed, is the squashing of the picturefrom either side to fit the subjects in.
Why? I’ll tell you why…because some idiots are under the impression that the black
bars actually cover up bits of the picture at the top and bottom! Dear God! Some
also complain, because apparently the picture is now not big enough…well, move
your Lay-Z-Boy a metre closer, jerk-off! Would you like it if the Mona-goddamn-Lisa
had chunks sliced off the sides, eliminating her shoulders? I think not. This
is filmed art, people! In this second installment, Clint faces off against a ruthless
gang. He is teamed up with Lee Van Cleef and other stars include Klaus Kinski,
Rosemarie Dexter, Jose Egger and a recurrence of Gian Maria Volonte. 5
/ B -
PB FOR
BETTER OR WORSE With Jason Alexander, Lolita Davidovich, James Woods, Joe
Mantegna, Bea Arthur, Jay Mohr Directed by N/A Not so funny comedy with
a romantic slant. Features Jason Alexander, beter known as George from the Seinfeld
show. 2 / C - PB
FOR
LOVE OF THE GAME With Kevin Costner, Kelly Preston, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle
Directed by Sam Raimi Going from the great Evil Dead Trilogy to A Simple
Plan to this, is quite a stretch. Whether Raimi is taking the piss out of these
kind of soppy romances, spliced with America’s favourite past time of baseball,
only he knows. Whichever way, he does it well. Overly lengthy, we’re taken through
the possible final game of a pitching veteran. Sprinkled in between the game where
he debates his career and relationship in a series of flashbacks depicting the
rise and fall of his five year relationship with a beauty journalist, as well
as his game. Basil Polidouris’s usual great soundtracks (Conan the Barbarian,
RoboCop) makes way for sentimental Hollywood shite. Each stroke of the string
pre-empting the viewer’s every emotion, prescribing a bit too forcefully what
we ought to or shouldn’t feel. But it is a rather touching love story where drawn
out baseball commentary will only strike the real fan’s fancy. 4 / C -
PB
FORREST
GUMP With Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field Directed
by Robert Zemeckis Another Oscar turn for Hanks in this marvellous tale of
a simple minded man who affects history in many ways. Soppy in many parts, but
a large scale all round feel good movie complete with laughter, tears, FX and
triumph. 5 / B - PB
THE
FORSAKEN With Kerr Smith, Brendan Fehr, Izabella Miko, Jonathon Schaech,
Simon Rex Directed by J.S. Cardone If The
Lost Boys
was never made, this film could've been forgiven. With a slight biological infection
angle thrown in, our gang of "bad-ass" vampires are on the trail of an innocent
guy who has to deliver a car cross country, but the hitchhiker he picked up happens
to be an ex-vamp on the lam from the blood suckers. He self-medicates an antidote
and is bent on killing the head vampire to break the chain and cure all under
his wicked spell. They pick up another girl almost totally infected and try to
help her as they schizophrenically attempt
to get away from the nuts, as well as destroy them. With too much emphasis placed
on the "hip" & "sexy" elements, those failed attempts
become its downfall. As a desolate road movie it can maybe get away with it, but
as yet another boring modern vampire flick it's just too damn stale. 2
/ C - PB
40
DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS With Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon, Vinessa Shaw, Paulo
Costanzo, Griffin Dunne Directed by Michael Lehmann As far as late-teen
/ early-adult sex comedies go, this one doesn't reinvent the genre too much. A
young guy gets dumped by his hot girl and it spoils his sex life, unable to get
her out of his mind. After seeing his priest brother, he decides to follow the
lent path and go celibate for 40 days - but happens to meet a girl who might be
"the one", obviously! When word catches on about his celibacy attempt it becomes
an internet betting circus. With this and the ex starting to muscle in again,
you can be prepared for the "you lied to me" or "how could you" scenario before
the final make-up. While it is quite watchable, it still feels very much like
a Freddie Prinz Jr. plot, even though it has a few more adult moments (and not
too tasty jizz scene). 2 / C - PB
The
Life & Times of FOSTER & ALLEN This DVD collection of Foster
& Allen songs
total 20 tracks. The music videos are that kind of 1970s/1980s Sunday afternoon
clips, usually out in the Irish countryside, with lovely green hills, fields,
lakes & streams (and often kids or milkmaids). The songs include Everything
Is Beautiful, Sweet Forget Me Not, A Mother's Way, Galway Bay, Lonely But Only
For You, You Stand Alone, Cottage In The Country, Still, One Hundred Children,
Partners In Rhyme, and of course Danny Boy. Lord Of The Dance
is an instrumental with three generations of lasses doing traditional Riverdance
style footwork. Strangely none of the girl name tracks like Maggie are
included. I must say I prefer Allen's voice (he's the bearded one) to that of
the accordion strapped Foster, but together they work well. 3 / C -
PB FOUR
BROTHERS With Mark Wahlberg, André Benjamin, Tyrese Gibson Directed by
John Singleton Singleton seems to be back on form with this action packed
urban drama with trajectories of humour flowing in and out. The four brothers
of the title are related by adoption. They were all troubled kids who would've
ended up dead. Years later after their mother is killed in a botched store robbery,
they all reunite for the funeral. Slowly they start to realize there's more to
it than a mere wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time situation. Their investigation leads
them to some underground dealings and they start to take the law into their own
hands, the cops one step behind. Well played all round and with one particularly
intense shoot-out, Four
Brothers
make for some exciting entertainment. PS. Ironically one of the four plays
a member of a rock band, while each of the others are or were in music related
projects like Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch (Wahlberg), Outkast (André
Benjamin aka André 3000) and of course, Tyrese. 4 / B - PB
FOUR
ROOMS (in Afrikaans) met Tim Roth, Antonio Banderas, Madonna Regisseurs:
Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino Die eerste stukkie werk na sy suksesvolle
Pulp Fiction, het Tarantino in 'n minder bloeddorstige stemming gevind. Hierdie
vier deel rolprent is behartig deur 4 van die VSA se nuwe jong regisseurs talente.
Hierdie komiese situasies speel af in 'n hotel met Roth as die "Bellhop" wat in
hierdie versameling vreemde gaste se doen en late betrokke raak op oujaars aand.
Rodriguez (van Desperado faam) en Tarantino se bydraes is definitief die beste
van die spul. Roth oordoen dit deeglik, maar slaan remme aan net voordat hy homself
heeltemal verspot maak. Wat lekker is hieraan, nes heelwat ander rolprente ook
al gedoen het, is die feit dat jy so te sê 4 flieks vir die prys van een kry !
4 / B - PB FOUR ROOMS met Tim Roth, Antonio Banderas,
Madonna Regisseurs: Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino Roth speel 'n
"bellboy" wat op oujaarsaand vir die eerste keer by 'n historiese hotel werk.
Dit raak egter die wildste aand van sy lewe soos hy deur vier tonele gesleep word
met 'n aantal disfunksionele en vreemde gaste wat hom by hulle mal lewens betrek.
Vier van Amerika se nuwe jong regisseurs span hier saam om vier onafhanklike stories
te skep wat saamgebind word deur die Roth karakter (wat amper 'n mengsel van Chaplin
& Mr Bean is!). Robert Rodriguez (Desperado) en Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction)
se bydras is definitief die beste van die lot. Gelukkig draai Tim Roth se karakter
net voor die irriterende deur om, andersins kon hy die hele fliek laat platval
het. Wat lekker is hieraan is dat dit basies vier flieks vir die prys van een
is ! 4 / B - PB
FRAILTY
With Matthew McConnaughy, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe Directed by Bill
Paxton When a man walks into the office of an FBI agent investigating the
God's Hand serial murders, an incredible and gruesome tale unfolds. He says he
knows who the killer is and tells of his childhood and how his father received
visions from God to kill demons with the help of his two boys. The one is completely
devoted to his father's twisted wisdom while the other is shocked and horrified,
not wanting to be a part of it. The script digs into the religious issue of belief
conviction in the face of horror and right & wrong. When God calls, do you answer?
And is it in fact Him or are you merely insane? I think this is actor Bill Paxton's
directorial debut (if not, this is his most prominent film, then). The dark laced
religious theme and off screen axe-horror coupled with finely tuned tension and
good performances make Frailty
an intriguing thriller that is refreshing and does not go the teen schlock route
- thank God! Ignore the "it'll keep you guessing till the end" taglines and just
enjoy this very interesting film of murder, faith and insanity. 4 / B
- PB
FRANKENSTEIN
With Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Dwight Frye
Directed by James Whale This definitive 1931 Frankenstein
version sees Karloff in his star-making role as the monster - a corpse resurrected
by a crazed doctor (Frankenstein), who put him together from various body parts.
But, his assistant obtained the wrong brain! Mary Shelley's tale of playing God
is brought to life with class, side-stepping the B-movie ground it so easily could've
trodden into. Karloff is great as the monster whose inherent aggression is drawn
out by ignorant humans to overshadow his compassionate instincts. Dozens of sequels
and retakes on the story came after, including Mel Brooks' comedy Young
Frankenstein,
Kenneth Brannagh's Mary
Shelley's Frankenstein
and Frank Henenlotter's schlocky Frankenhooker.
5 / B - PB
FREDDIE
MERCURY - The Video Collection The flamboyant
Queen frontman wasn't just partying all the time.
Besides keeping busy with his band, he also busied his tights with solo work.
On this collection of all his solo videos (remixed for digital surround), 11 flashy,
cheesy, funny and extravagant videos will please Freddie fans without even
trying. The live (or is that mimed) version of Barcelona with Montserat
has become an anthem. Golden Boy is also taken from this pre-Olympics show.
The Barcelona video version cannot be excluded. His memorable cover of
The Great Pretender appears in a single as well as extended version (where
old Queen videos were recreated to insert Freddie back into those
time frames). His party video, Living On My Own, flashes in all of its
Drag Queen glory. I Was Born To Love You, Time, How Can I Go On and a 2000
re-edit of In My Defence prove just how much he left behind, but also how
much more he could've given his fans had he not succumbed to the disease the SA
minister of health equates to asthma… The videos all include interviews from its
various directors Rudi Dolezal & Hannes Rossacher, Gavin Taylor and David Mallet.
5 / A - PB
FREDDY
vs JASON With Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger, Jason Ritter, Monica Keena,
Kelly Rowland Directed by Ronny Yu For
those of us who grew up in the '80s with classic slasher anti-heroes like Freddy
Krueger (Nightmare On Elm Street), Jason Voorhees (Friday The 13th)
and Michael Myers (Halloween), this film will bring back some great grisly
memories that we'd relive in the blood drenched pages of Fangoria Magazine. Fans
have been screaming for this match-up for ages. Freddy is the thinking psycho
and plots a plan to get back into the physical world by resurrecting Jason with
a cunning trick (impersonating his nuts mama, Mrs Voorhees). Jason has to instill
fear into the kids of Elm Street who has no recollection of Freddy's reign of
terror - their parents drugging them with a chemical to prevent dreams (the world
of nightmare's being Freddy's playground). The ultimate villain match-up, maybe,
but when their prey is annoying stereotype teens, it's hard to feel sympathy when
they get nailed in a variety of creative ways. But, the kids are just fodder -
we want the final big bout between the two maniacs to see who is the baddest of
them all! Those who grew up in the '90s and got exposed to the likes of Scream
(and loved it), will be happy with this hoot, while the rest of us will only enjoy
the idea of these two bad-asses sharing some gory screen-time, the final product
ultimately quite disappointing. Director Yu apparently claimed not having seen
any of the Elm Street or Friday films - perhaps he ought to have
head down to his video store for an all weekend session of cramming to see what
to retain and where to improve. At least it is produced by Friday The 13th
originator Sean S. Cunningham. DVD includes filmmakers' commentary. 2
/ C - PB FREQUENCY
With Dennis Quaid, Jim Caviezel, Elizabeth Mitchell, Andre' Braugher
Directed by Gregory Hoblit Lovely idea of a man in his thirties who, thisty
years after the death of his father (coinciding with the recurrence of the aurora
borealis visible in New York suburbs as it was three decades ago). This leads
to the time bending miracle of the now gown man speaking with his dad via his
short wave CB radio (which he happened to discover in storage at the right time).
Their disbelief at first turns to joy especially when information leads to his
dad (a fireman) not dying in a blaze… But each reaction as an equal and opposite
reaction as this alters other parts of history pertaining to their lives, in particular
leading to a serial killer who also doesn’t die, but continued his killing spree
of nurses who include his dad’s wife, his mother. (Being a cop and knowing all
the case details) he gets his dad to try and prevent these murders. It’s not that
easy. An interesting time bending exerise with some semi-touching son/dad moments
with joy in the fact of a once in a lifetime chance to alter the past and rectify
wrongs. Many people will find holes in the whole time twisting theory - the mere
idea is still a dream, so hey, don’t worry about it, like Back to the Future,
it’s a work of fiction made for entertainment, so don’t take it all that seriously.
4 / B - PB
FRIDA
With Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Ashley Judd, Edward Norton,
Antonio Banderas Directed by Julie Taymor The life of Mexican painter
Frida Kahlo was a passionate but hard one. In the 1920s a bus accident damaged
her back, the repercussions of which plagued her life till the end of her days.
The other catastrophe was marrying famed mural painter Diego Rivera. While they
felt they were made for one another, he could not deny or surrender his womanising
ways. Known for her mono-brow, her paintings reflected her innermost emotions
sometimes displayed to extreme and even shocking effect. Her colouful life is
affectionately brought to the screen by director Taymor who tries not to sanitize
anything, although creative license was not removed from the equation. Apparently
Madonna was also interested in the role, but Hayek does a fine job (although the
limping and back pains could have been a little more consistent). Rush and especially
Judd, Banderas and Norton make good turns in their very small roles. If you've
seen Cradle Will Rock you'll know who Rivera was - the guy who was commissioned
to paint the Rockefeller Plaza foyer wall but got canned because of the communist
imagery he incorporated. Some splendid animation, digital overlaying and make-up
gets incorporated in scenes where reality and painting integrate or moments of
daydreaming or unconscious hallucination. I knew nothing of Kahlo until seeing
this film - whether you love, hate, condone or act indifferent towards their lifestyles
and work, the fact remains that these people were real and left an impression
not only on other lives, but also the world- and art history. Artists are by nature
more extravagant and vibrant than your average Joe and what point would there
be in depicting the life of a drab, boring artist in any case? 4 / C
- PB FRIDAY
THE 13TH With Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Kevin Bacon
Directed by Sean S. Cunningham Here begins the Camp Crystal Lake legend -
and many corpses in its wake. While Halloween
did precede it by two years (1978), these two movies started the slasher genre
and countless imitations. What is pretty much a who-dunnit, this first in the
elongated Friday
The 13th
series jacks up the basic killer-thriller genre by showing the audience graphic
murders (mostly of libido driven summer camp councilors), courtesy of the special
make-up effects master Tom Savini. While it all seems senseless, the reasoning
for the brutal slayings become clear in the last few minutes, with a classic shock
punctuation mark to boot. A youthful Kevin Bacon is one of the horny hapless teens
who gets it. 4 / B - PB THE
FRIGHTENERS With Michael J. Fox, Trini Alvarado, Jeffrey Combs, Peter Dobson,
John Astin, Dee Wallace, R. Lee Ermey, Jake Busey Directed by Peter Jackson
After his hilariously gory Bad
Taste
and Braindead
(aka Dead
Alive),
New Zealand director Peter Jackson made a more accessible movie called Heavenly
Creatures.
The
Frighteners
is his first Hollywood effort and was produced by Robert Zemeckis. This was one
of Michael J. Fox's last big roles before he retired due to his illness. Here
we see him as a guy who gains the power to communicate with the dead after a car
crash. He capitalizes on this by using some of his dead "buddies" in haunting
scams, exorcising these ghosts from homes for a fee. But he becomes the only hope
of his town terrorized by the ghost of a killer who has punched through the boundary
of the living and the dead, continuing his murderous rampage in the real world.
A very well made trip of humour and horror. PS. Of course we all know what
Jackson went on to direct - a little series called The
Lord Of the Rings.
5 / B - PB THE FRIGHTENERS (in Afrikaans)
met Michael J. Fox, Dee Wallace Stone, Jake Busey Regisseur: Peter Jackson
Fox maak geld deur sy dooie spook vriende te gebruik om mense bang te maak.
Hy tel die tjek op deur op te tree as "gees uitdrywer" ! Sy gemaklike inkomste
en lewe word omvergewerp wanneer 'n onaantasbare reeks-moordenaar vanuit die graf
op die lewendes teer. Fox en sy "vriende" moet hom keer. Nieu Seelandse regisseur,
Jackson (wat binnekort dalk 'n nuwe King Kong fliek gaan maak), het sy loopbaan
begin deur uiters grafiese (en komiese) rillers te maak. Heavenly Creatures het
hom in die "mainstream" geplaas. Met The Frighteners het hy 'n groot Hollywood
begroting gehad met digitale effekte tot sy beskiking. Hy het dit goed benut.
Die uiteinde is 'n uiters vermaaklike prent wat visueel opwindend is. Michael
J. Fox se spel is heel oortuigend in wat so half en half sy terugkeer is na 'n
plekkie in die wye doek kollig. 5 / B - PB
FROM
HELL With Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane Directed
by The Hughues Bros. The brothers who brought us ghetto flicks like Menace
II Society
and Dead Presidents
invade the gothic London setting of Jack The Ripper. But, as they've stated,
it's little change for them, as it deals with urban violence. Amazingly shot and
constructed, the Bros. put together their most ambitious and visually intense
film to date. Depp is the controversial detective Abberline whose visions of murders
aid him in his cases, albeit after the fact. When a group of prostitutes get murdered
one by one (with ritual and clinical precision, by someone who refers to himself
as "Jack The Ripper"), the case pulls tightly like a noose. The film
reflects many comic book moods (part of its inspiration coming from Alan Moore's
graphic novel). Dark, ominous, atmospheric, visceral, gritty and very closely
linked to the facts of the actual case, this impressive motion picture will scare
some, but intrigue most, especially those who know the name Jack The Ripper, but
very little of the case itself. PS. I heard somewhere that Marilyn
Manson appears in this film
- the only character I thought he could be was under prosthetics as the Elephant
Man - unless he was lined
up for something but didn't do it - or the source had it quite wrong. 5
/ B - PB
FULL
FRONTAL With Julia Roberts, Blair Underwood, David Hyde-Pierce, Catherine
Keener, David Duchovny Directed by Steven Soderbergh Traffic,
sex, lies & videotape, Erin Brockovich and the remake of Ocean's
Eleven made Soderbergh a very comfortable man in Hollywood. To the extent that
he could experiment with a slow sci-fi tale in Solaris and now hit the
digital video revolution with Full Frontal. Several character storylines
intertwine through a pretentious Hollywood day, all heading towards the birthday
of a mutual producer friend. Each have their own problems, emotional instability
and neuroticism - like most people, but theirs just seem to be magnified due to
the crazy environment in which they function. Coleman Hough mapped out some fine
characters in his writing, the good cast making the most of it. The performances
are great all round, the naturalistic delivery and documentary feel of the video
and handheld camera adding to the believability, where it could so easily have
been pretentious. Also feature some heavyweight cameos by the likes of Brad Pitt.
Don't let the bad cover design put you off from a good film, though. 5
/ B - PB FULL
IMPACT With Gary Daniels, Dennis Reese, Ron Hull Directed by David Hue
Goodness me. Crapper it does not get (I hope…). Super cheesy kickboxing “action”
movie with an ex-cop on the trail of the bad guys, at the same time trying to
clear his name during a shooting incident in which he got blamed. A serial killer
is knocking off prostitutes, which gives the director Hue a good excuse for some
extended gratuitous violent sex & nudity to add to the pathetic fighting sequences.
Avoid unless you want to have a good laugh. 1 / C - PB
FUTURECOP
With Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt Directed by Richard Band Trooper
Deth is back after singing Trancers. Another low budget future flick from the
Full Moon clan. Funny, relatively innovative with cliché’s, but watchable nonetheless.
Deth has to return back to the ‘80’s from the future to find the bad guy. He hooks
up with a young Helen Hunt (with whom he happens to fall in love). She teams up
with him and they run to and from danger quite a bit. Some cool bits like a watch
that turns one second into ten. Cheap, but a good laugh, especially with a bunch
of friends expecting just that. (I take my hat off to Hunt as she doesn’t look
down on her past efforts by acknowledging those who helped her career in its infancy
- she makes a cameo appearance in one of the sequels). 3 / B - PB |