Category: Reviews

  • ‘The Fast and the Furious’ is a pure adrenaline rush

    Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in ‘The Fast and the Furious’

    If you want to go to a movie and simply enjoy two hours of pure nitro, this is the movie for you! This is one movie that actually lives up to its title.

    Vin Diesel plays Dominic Toretto, the badass leader of a Los Angeles underground street racing gang. Paul Walker is Brian, an undercover cop sent in to investigate a hijacking ring. First, Brian investigates Dom’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster) and soon becomes part of the “family” But, not before the traditional West Side Story/Romeo and Juliet sidebar leads us astray. Throw in some Chinatown hoods and you have 105 minutes of action packed entertainment.

    I love fast cars and bad boys so this movie was perfect for me. I came into the theater with no expectations. I only wanted to see Vin Diesel in some sort of undress and I got just what I bargained for. Vin cut his teeth in Pitch Black and Saving Private Ryan. In The Fast and the Furious, Vin embodies Dom. This is a part that starts franchises. Remember Mel Gibson in Mad Max? Vin is the sum of all his parts.

    Vin’s baritone voice sounds like the soft sweet hum of a fine tuned engine. His voice resonates with a melodic rhythm. Every part of his body seems to burst out of the frame. Making the screen look too small to handle his physique.

    Walker seems to sleep through his performance. Think Keanu Reeves in Breaking Point. Walker even has the same monotone speaking patterns as Reeves. Brian visually is the screen opposite of Dom. Where Dom is dark and secretive; Brian is blonde and wants membership into this exclusive car club.

    I thought this movie would only be about fast cars and fast woman. It lived up to its title. This is one movie that gives the audience everything it wants and more.

    This movie has everything. Good-looking cars, women, dangerous chase scene, bad guys and crime. Some of the best car stunts scenes that I’ve seen in a long time. Fast and Furious pays off where Gone in 60 Seconds misfired. You have cars going under moving semis, peoples hanging from semis, people jumping out of sunroofs onto semis.

    Whew.

    This movie is a pure adrenaline rush.

    Even the women in this film keep up with the action. I am sure filming this movie was a stuntman’s heaven and hell. Watching these scenes on screen propels this movie to a fast paced crescendo.

    The surprise is how far street racing has evolved. A not so well kept secret. Look at all the website that promote this illegal pastime.

    Street racing on film is not new ground. Rebel without a Cause, American Graffiti, Driven, Gone in Sixty Seconds. Those movies were great. But what The Fast and Furious has is Vin Diesel, flashy cars and the ethnic flavor of living in East L.A. in 2001.

    The Fast and the Furious also delves into the fact of how young urbanites find the financing for their car creations. Many of the young actors themselves did not even have driver licenses at the time this movie was shot. Not one of these characters has a job that pays more the minimum wage. Yet, everyone is throwing $100k plus for the upkeep of his or her cars. Do we care? NO! Just keep racing those cars. Yes, there is plenty of posturing and sizing up of the other guys “pistons.”

    If you want something hot to watch this summer, seek out this film and inject yourself with it. And remember, don’t let up on the pedal.

  • What went wrong with ‘Tomb Raider’?

    Angelina Jolie is Lara Croft in ‘Tomb Raider’

    Imagine this: You have one of the most successful and recognized computer game character in the world. You think, “Hey, let’s make a movie out of it.”

    One problem. The video stars one bungee-jumping, butt-kicking, Kung Fu-fighting, gun-wielding, archaeologist, wet dream-uber-babe. Oh, did I forget to mention that she has the body of Pamela Anderson, the skills of James Bond and Indiana Jones, and talks likes Mister T?

    You could solve your problem and let her become one of the new cyber-babes that are all the rage. But, no, you want an actress with some DNA. You don’t want to make a cartoon. You already have the video. What do you do? It’s obvious.

    You get Angelina Jolie.

    All the ingredients of a mega-hit were there: Just add Angelina, stir and mix. What went wrong with this recipe for success? Shall we start with the opening fight sequence?

    Do we really need Lara Croft fighting a test “monster” robot to inform us that we came to see an action movie? I think not.

    Tomb Raider is about heiress/archaeologist Lady Lara Croft as she continues the work of her, missing-in-action Lord Croft (played by Jon Voight, Angelina’s real-life father).

    The adventure begins with Lara discovering a clock that is counting down to the alignment of the planets. A feat that only happens once every 5,000 years.

    The significance of this event is that once the alignment is complete, the person that is in the possession of “the key” (which is actually an All Seeing Eye) will have the ability to suspend time. Time would be “bent” and the holder of the Eye would then have the ability to time travel back and forth changing history.

    Manfred Powell is the diabolical agent of the Illuminati that wants to steal the Eye from Lady Lara so that he can change.

    I wanted so much for this movie to send me over the edge. It did send me over the edge, but not in a positive way. I even went to a costume party and came as Lara Croft. Complete with my black tank top, black short and two side arms (Okay, they were water pistols). I had the long braid down my back and a pouch that was filled with items that I had recently “raided” from a tomb. I also have the cup size that would make any X-rated director happy. (Hey, why didn’t Jolie’s breast get credit in this movie. They had more of a starring role than her father)?

    I was impressed with the exotic locations in the movie. Jolie is wonderful in her bungee scene. Of course, you just know that there is going to be, “Tomb Raider: The Ride” at some theme park next year. It’s just too big of an opportunity to pass up.

    I was equally impressed that Lady Jolie did all of her own stunts. She tore several ligaments in her foot, nicked her knee when she fell 20 feet off a climbing wall and wore out her shoulder due to the strenuous boxing schedule that she maintained.

    But the movie dug itself into a hole from the opening scene and barely climbs out of it.

    So if you played the video game and found the hidden link that lets you view Lara topless. Have at it. The game is a better thrill.

  • ‘Jurassic Park III’ has smarter dinosaurs, but dumber humans

    The dinos are back in ‘Jurassic Park III’

    Have I become a cynic or did I just see the same movie with different actors? There is nothing new here.

    Paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is back to take the helm of this lackluster tail with a new hunky assistant, Billy (Alessandro Nivola). We find Dr. Grant doing speaking engagements to raise research money for his foundation. He newest discovery is the fact that raptors were indeed smarter then he first anticipated. In fact, Dr. Grant now believes that they have the ability to work together as a team and have social skills. Well, they should have gotten together and re-written this script.

    Dr. Grant declares that nothing will ever get him to go back to visit the island. That is before Kirby Enterprises writes him a check to fund his research. Mr. and Mrs. Kirby. (William H. Macy and Tea Leoni – minus her pearls) dupe Dr. Grant into going to Isla Sorna. The Kirbys convince Dr. Grant that they are globetrotting thrill-seekers, and seeing Isla Sorna is truly the last frontier. They want to celebrate their anniversary and what better way than to be the anniversary dinner?

    Actually it is Billy that suggests that Dr. Grant meet with the Kirbys. This leads you to think that Billy is somehow involved when the plane lands on Isla Sorna. But this plot line is just dangled in front of us and the writers never pursue this line of thinking.

    The Kirbys real intention is to locate their son who has been lost on the island after going Para-sailing eight weeks earlier. The Kirby’s are from Enid, Oklahoma and this fact gets mentioned three times in the movie. Having been to Enid, Oklahoma I know that JP3 will be showing non-stop at both theaters there. I was more impressed with the Oklahoma reference then with the story line.

    There is some great casting with this movie. William H. Macy is always wonderful to watch on screen. Seeing his character evolve from milquetoast company man to family protector is a joy to watch. As for Tea Leoni, there is nothing new here. She plays Macy’s wife. She does a lot of screaming and yelling and that is about all.

    Besides Macy, the other real jewel in this movie is Michael Jeter. He is playing against cast as the mercenary that organizes the trip. You can just see the excitement in his face. He really gets into the role as an action figure.

    JP3 does take the time to introduce us to some new dinosaurs. The flying pteranodon finally makes its screen debut. Michael Crichton had these lovely creatures in the original book. It’s sad that its taken three movies for them to finally appear on the scene. But, when they do, this is one of the most riveting parts of the movie.

    The 44-foot spinosaurus is awesome and destructive as it rips apart the airplane and used its passengers as a rolling pin. I found this scene very frightful. I am acrophobic, claustrophobic and “dinophobic.” This scene will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. The special effects are truly exceptional. The general mass of the spinosaurus and the brachiosaurus is reminiscent of the first “Jurassic Park.”

    I still expected more from this movie. The dinosaurs have gotten smarter, why haven’t the humans?

    Steven Spielberg turned over the direction of this film to Joe Johnston. Joe made the movie 30-40 minutes shorter then the previous. Why Joe? Was it because you were having script re-writes straight up to the time you began shooting? Say it isn’t so Joe.

    In 1993, I was truly amazed that there were dinosaurs for me to see. I am still amazed, but let down. This movie was anti-climatic. Sure its entertaining but at what cost? Has Steven finally reached into his bag of trick and finally come up empty? I can’t answer that. But for me, this movie was one big trailer for Jurassic Park IV: The Pteranodon.

  • John Carpenter’s ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ was brilliantly ahead of its time

    John Carpenter’s ‘Big Trouble in Little China’ was brilliantly ahead of its time

    Kim Cattral, Kurt Russell, Dennis Dun and Suzee Pai in 'Big Trouble in Little China'
    Kim Cattral, Kurt Russell, Dennis Dun and Suzee Pai in ‘Big Trouble in Little China’

    When I found out that Carpenter had participated in a DVD release of this film, I had to get my hands on it. Fortunately, the holiday season was friendly for me, and I was given it as a birthday gift from my brother-in-law.

    I loved this movie when I first saw it on television more than ten years ago. Although it wasn’t the box office hit the studio apparently thought it would be, it became wildly popular in its video release.

    Now it has received the proper DVD treatment, equipped with an audio commentary by Carpenter and Russell, deleted scenes, a making-of documentary and a hilarious music video (more on that later).

    For those unfamiliar, here’s the low down:

    Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) is a truck driver in California. Filled with confidence and very little skill, he arrives in Chinatown in San Francisco, where he meets up with an old friend, Wang Chi (Dennis Dun). When Burton accompanies his friend to the airport to meet his fiancé — a green-eyed beauty from China — trouble ensues.

    She is kidnapped by a local Chinese gang. But, supernatural forces soon get involved, as ancient Chinese legends come to life. It appears the evil David Lo Pan (James Hong), trapped for centuries as a ghost, needs a green-eyed bride to break the curse and become flesh again.

    He kidnaps Chi fiancé, with the help of a force of Kong-Fu fighters, and three magical spirits known as the “Three Storms”. This leaves Burton to help his friend save his fiancé.

    First and foremost, the film is NOT to be taken seriously. It’s generally tongue-in-cheek, and flips the traditional role of hero and sidekick. Russell’s character actually becomes the sidekick, while Dun plays the ass-kicking hero. The humor of the film is on the odd side, so you’ll either love it or hate it.

    I loved it.

    Big Trouble in Little China was also, to my knowledge, the first American film to incorporate the elaborate fighting styles and choreography popular in Hong Kong action films, and recently made famous in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

    Mind you, it doesn’t do it very well, but for the time at which it was made — pre-digital — it does a good job. I’m sure had Carpenter had access to today’s effects technology, it would have been stunning.

    This DVD is highlighted by Carpenter’s commentary. This is why I fell in love with audio commentaries. Although Carpenter and Russell go off on a few unrelated tangents here and there, the conversations they have are interesting, and the insight they provide into the film are great. The two also worked together on the commentary over The Thing — without a doubt Carpenter’s best film.

    Big Trouble in Little China is not for everyone. But if you’re looking for a fun film that takes the classic formula for a buddy picture, and turns it slightly askew, then you’ll get a kick out of this film.

  • The beautiful ‘Monster’s Ball’ will leave you emotionally drained

    Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton in ‘Monster’s Ball’

    Monster’s Ball, believe it or not, is a love story. It is a story about second chances and never giving up on people, not even yourself. A story of how hatred will destroy everything it touches. Monster’s Ball is an old English term given to the party that is thrown for the condemned the night before he is executed.

    Hank Grotowski is a redneck correctional officer (Billy Bob Thornton) a career that was passed down from his father (Peter Boyle) that Hank now passes to his son (Heath Ledger).

    Hank doesn’t really care about anything or anyone one. Hank even despises himself. He just doesn’t know it yet. He lives in rural Georgia and he doesn’t like change. He has been going to work at the State Penitentiary for some 20 years. Hank eats at the same restaurant and hates the same people. Just like his daddy. The Grotowskis have another family tradition; bigotry.

    Then destiny steps in and changes Hanks life. Hank wakes up in a world that has changed around him. He doesn’t want to accept it. Three generations of men that have contributed nothing to society except to work on Death Row and hate.

    The Grotowskis know how to hate. The question is, can they stop?

    Leticia (Halle Berry) plays the wife of Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs), a convict on death row for shooting a cop. Leticia hates Lawerence for forcing her to make a life for herself and her overweight son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun). Leticia has been going to visit Lawrence for the 11 years. The entire time that Lawrence has been behind bars. He has exhausted all his appeals. He is ready to die and Leticia is ready for him to die, so that she can stop coming to a place that only brings back memories of their wasted lives.

    Hank and Leticia, two characters dealing with the pain their lives. They both will experience loss of a loved one. It is this pain, and a strange course of events, that bring these two unlikely lovers together. Strangers that would never met. Shakespearian in their own way, each one of them flawed. Yearning for, love yet denied it because they have never really known what love is. Destiny steps in and does what Cupid would never dare, bringing the executioner with the condemned man’s wife. The racist with someone that he has been taught to hate his entire life.

    This story shows that any life can be redeemed if you forgive yourself and let someone love you. Hank reaches out to help Leticia, a black woman, because his own pain blinds him. He gives no explanation, but Hank has changed and this change will affect everyone that comes in contact with him. Hank doesn’t know why he helps Leticia, but once he does he can’t stop. She becomes a part of his daily routine. Hank likes routine it comforts him. Like the same bowl of chocolate ice cream he eats every night.

    There are so many exceptional performances in this movie. Thornton and Berry are so incredibly intense. You see two flawed people coming together when they have lost everything, trying to make sense of what the world has done to them.

    Everyone in this movie seems to be doing time. The father that is dying of emphysema. The son that is dying to escape his life and waiting for his father’s love. Leticia is waiting for her husband to die so that the past will die with him. Then there is Hank. We are shown glimpses of a life as a correction officer. He is serving time just like the people he is paid to guard. Pretty soon he becomes just as cold and as numb as the prisoners. Hank even takes comfort in eating like them too.

    This movie will leave you emotionally drained and will stay with you for days to come.

  • ‘John Q’ effectively attacks America’s health insurance problem

    Denzel Washington in ‘John Q’

    John Q is the story about an “everyman”, John Q. Public, if you will. John Q is a man forced with a decision that millions of Americans are forced to make every day. What do you do when your child needs a life-saving operation and your health care provider will not provide that service? You have a choice to make. You can either work within the system or you can buck it.

    John Q. Archibald chooses the latter.

    Denzel Washington plays John Q. A church going, factory working man that loves his family. He has a lovely wife (Kimberly Elise) and a son, Michael (Daniel E. Smith). Sure, times are tough for the Archibald family. Everyone has it tough. We all live paycheck to paycheck.

    But the Archibalds have it even tougher.

    John is only working 20 hours a week at the factory. Bills are piling up. Some bills are getting paid late, while others go unpaid. The creditors have started coming around claiming what is theirs.

    It is evident, from the start of the movie, that there is a lot of love in this family. John and Denise are making the best of a tight situation. John does have a few character flaws. He never finishes what he starts and he always procrastinates.

    John’s son, Michael, is faced with heart transplant surgery, and their HMO will not cover the operation. The hospital also prevents Michael’s name from getting on the donor list. John goes through all the red tape and appeals to get the HMO to provide funds for the operation. Unfortunely, this is not enough to save his son!

    So, he takes the hospital hostage.

    This is where the second story line begins. A story of a desperate father willing to do anything to save his son’s life. One thing we must keep in prospective. This is not just a black man wielding a gun at a room full of white hostages. This is not just a black man struggling with taking lives of innocent people. This is the plight that millions of Americans face without adequate healthcare. This is one man trying to provide for his family.

    We have learned a lot about John Q before he takes the hospital hostage. He has played every card fairly that this world has dealt him. He is a moral man.

    The underlying theme throughout this picture is the sad fact that this could happen to any one of us. We are one paycheck away from being John Qs. Here is an average American pushed into doing the unthinkable. He is in a lose-lose situation. John’s only thought is to save his son’s life. By doing this, he may ultimately lose his own.

    Ann Heche plays the hospital administer that denies the Archibald family coverage and James Woods is the heart surgeon. I can only say that both characters are heartless and they also need to be put on the donor list.

    Sure, this movie has its flaws. It sometimes gets too preachy. We all know that this country needs Health Care reform. The movie is somewhat ironic and foretelling. There is a news clip of Ted Demme stating we need better health care (the late-filmmaker recently died of an undetected heart ailment).

    This movie makes one point that needs to be explored more. Why are we paying for Health Insurance when you can’t get it when you really need it? The real hostages here are the American public.

  • ‘Training Day’ is hardcore Denzel Washington

    Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke in 'Training Day'
    Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke in ‘Training Day’

    What could be better than seeing Denzel Washington during my Christmas break?

    Seeing him show up in “Training Day” driving a custom, vintage low rider Black Monte Carlo. The car that I wanted my dad to buy me when I was in High School.

    “No!” was all I ever got from him. But he got himself one. Some memories are hard to forget.

    Denzel takes a leap of faith and goes against the grain to play one of the most evil character that I have ever seen him portray. (Denzel began his career playing a heavy in “A Soldiers Story.”)

    Washington plays Det. Alonzo Harris a buck wild cop in the narcotics division of LA. It’s hard to tell if he is working the streets of LA or if the streets are working him.

    Ethan Hawke plays his partner, Jake Holt. Washington’s assignment is to train Holt to survive on the streets. Holt is a Waspy looking rookie that has wet dreams of being the next Serpico. One look at Detective Alonzo Harris and we know that Holt will never survive the day. Their personalities are the antithesis of each other. This makes for either a wonderful collaboration, or a deadly combination.

    “Training Day” gives of a glimpse of both scenarios.

    Okay, stop right there! Haven’t we seen this sort of picture before? Black cop/White cop, old cop/new cop, hip-hop (music) dead cop?

    Well forget those other movies. It is the same formula, but video director Antoine Fuqua makes all things new again. Fuqua turns this movie into a PCP pipe and forces you to take a hit. Yes, you will inhale and enjoy all the effects that this movie makes on you.

    I was glued to my seat, totally engrossed in all the smells and sounds of Crenshaw, Watts, South Central and Inglewood. Fuqua throws the mean streets of LA up in your face and you can feel all the sweat and the filth as you sit in your seat. You feel like you are in the car with Harris and Holt as they drive around and give you a view of LA you would never have the privilage of seeing. You want to duck or run for cover when the bullets start flying. You begin to wonder, “Where is your back-up?”

    What makes this movie is Denzel. Do I have to say anything else? We love him, yet we despise what he is doing. Denzel makes this movie work and Ethan Hawke is the icing on the cake. At first you think that Hawke is the weaker of the two or would get lost next to Denzel’s volatile character. But the movie uses this juxtaposition to draw us into its web.

    The only disappointment with this film was the ending. It was like someone said, “Okay let’s wrap this up. We are running out of film!” The movie works up until this point. There are so many unanswered questions and the audience is left feeling unsatisfied.

    We are pushed into accepting the final fate of these two characters when we are just beginning to care about them.

    Extra bonus: There are enough cameos in this movie, it starts to look like an MTV award show. Macy Gray, Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre round out the musical cast of misfits.

    Go see this movie and see for yourself why Denzel Washington received another Oscar nomination for his portrayal of another cop that has gone in too deep. Just remember to leave all those glossy 8×10 at home with your mother. This is hardcore Denzel and he is taking you on the ride of your life.

  • ‘The Film Director: Updated for Today’s Filmmaker, the Classic, Practical Reference to Motion Picture and Television Techniques’

    'The Film Director: Updated for Today's Filmmaker, the Classic, Practical Reference to Motion Picture and Television Techniques'
    ‘The Film Director: Updated for Today’s Filmmaker, the Classic, Practical Reference to Motion Picture and Television Techniques’

    I recently moved, and was able to unpack several of my books which had been tucked away for awhile. I decided, since I was putting the book out for display, I should read it.

    The book, as you can see by the image, is called “Making Movies,” by John Russo. A former cohort of George Romaro (director of “Night of the Living Dead”), he has worked as a director and screenwriter, and wrote several books on filmmaking.

    In this book, he really gets into the nuts and bolts of making films. From information and tips on how to get started in the business, to how to raise money, budget, market and promote your film.

    Unlike most books on making movies, this one is rooted in real-world ideas and solutions. It also features stories from other famed writers/directors such as Sam Raimi (“Evil Dead,” “Spiderman”), to Oliver Stone (“Platoon,” “Natural Born Killers”). However, since the book was written in the late ’80s, it discusses film and video, but the information was compiled before the “digital revolution.”

    Still, while the technological aspects of the book are slightly dated, the information the book offers is useful.

    This same reason is why I did not really like “The Mummy Returns” as much as the first film.

    I highly recommend Russo’s “Making Movies.” But, I should add that it may be quite difficult to find as it is out of print. However, Amazon.com does appear to have it, and you may also be able to get it through Barnes & Nobel’s website.

    The producers and Sommers are also making a prequel to this film, “The Scorpion King.” I’m curious to see the film. “The Rock” was hardly in this film, but his character could make a good movie.