Silver City

Dickie Pilager (Chris Cooper) is running to be elected governor of Colorado. He’s really a pawn for his senator father, Jud (Michael Murphy), and corporate mogul, Wes Benteen (Kris Kristofferson). When Dickie hooks a dead body while fishing during filming for a television ad, campaign manager Chuck Raven (Richard Dreyfuss) hires a private detective named Danny O’Brien (Danny Huston) to make sure certain entities who may cause trouble know they’re being watched. Being a former reporter, Danny’s curiosity gets the better of him and he starts digging into matters behind the emergence of the mysterious body. Nora Allardyce (Maria Bello) is Danny’s ex-girlfriend and a reporter who’s now seeing Pilager lobbyist Chandler Tyson. Daryl Hannah appears as Dickie’s sister, Maddie. This is an ambitious movie from director John Sayles that gets a little bogged down with too many characters and side plots, but as a whole it’s pretty good. Whether you enjoy it or not may depend on your political affiliations because Dickie is no doubt George W. Bush. Cooper nails the president’s speech and mannerisms perfectly. There’s plenty of good dialogue and solid acting. This was definitely preferable to most of the crap strewn out by Hollywood.

The Mudge Boy

Duncan Mudge (Emile Hirsch) is a socially inept, sexually confused teen who’s having a difficult time accepting his mother’s sudden death. His father is Edgar (Richard Jenkins), who’s a farmer and a man of few words, and he and Duncan have an awkward relationship. Duncan is ridiculed by his peers and called Chicken Boy because he totes a pet chicken everywhere he goes. He does manage to befriend a neighbour named Perry Foley (Tom Guiry), whose own sexual confusion and macho persona indicate he’s merely using Duncan. This was a difficult film to watch. Hirsch is very good but just watching Duncan makes you want to shake him and tell him he’s just asking for an ass kicking. We wonder how weird was he before his mother passed away. Or if he’ll ever be able to fit into society. I don’t know if he’s a sympathetic character or merely pathetic.

The Spanish Prisoner

Joe Ross (Campbell Scott) has invented a “process” that will yield a fortune for the company he works for. He travels to an exotic locale on a business trip with his boss, Mr. Klein (Ben Gazzara), a lawyer and friend named George Lang (Ricky Jay), and an employee lower down on the company rung named Susan Ricci (Rebecca Pidgeon) who is very ambitious and makes no secret that she’s smitten by Joe. A man named Jimmy Dell (Steve Martin) befriends Joe there and succeeds in getting Joe to carry a parcel back to the states to deliver to his sister. Thus begins a confidence game that will leave you guessing what the next plot twist will be. Written and directed by David Mamet, this is a very smart, thoroughly enjoyable movie. As usual, Scott appears to act like he has a stick shoved up his ass, but I was really impressed by Pidgeon’s performance. Mamet doesn’t throw in a bunch of unnecessary detail such as exactly what the “process” is. Very Hitchcockian in many ways and well worth checking out.




21 Days

Larry Durrant (Laurence Olivier) kills the husband of his girlfriend, Wanda (Vivien Leigh), whom she hadn’t seen in three years, in self defense. Larry goes to his brother, Keith (Leslie Banks) for help. Keith helps Larry cover up the murder because he’s on the verge of being appointed a judge and he doesn’t want a scandal involving his brother messing up his chances. An innocent man is put on trial however, and Larry must hope for a not guilty verdict so he won’t have to turn himself in. The plot is thin and the ending a disappointment. And it’s rather weak acting by the young Olivier. Leigh lights up the screen though.

Wilby Wonderful

Wilby is a small Canadian east coast island town and this film offers a glimpse at its residents at a time when gays and drugs are endangering their very way of life, or so the mayor, Brent Fisher (Maury Chaykin) would like people to think. Dan Jarvis (Dan Allodi) would like to kill himself in light of the scandal, but has the most awful luck in succeeding. Buddy French (Paul Gross) is a cop who feels the scandal is overblown. His marriage to his workaholic wife Carol (Sandra Oh) is on the rocks and he’s on the verge of cheating with Sandra Anderson (Rebecca Jenkins), who is struggling to run a local diner and be a good mother to her daughter, Emily (Ellen Page), who is just discovering boys and hoping not to end up like her mother. And there’s a painter named Duck MacDonald (Callum Keith Rennie) who hopes to connect with Dan before it’s too late. It’s one of those towns where everyone knows everyone else’s business. And if Wilby is so wonderful, why does everyone seem so miserable? Wilby Wonderful is a well acted, rather slow paced affair. It’s a slice of life movie that doesn’t seem to want to strive to be anything other than mediocre. I think its main fault is trying to wrap everything up with a cute little bow to send the audience home happy. I doubt this will find much of an audience outside Canada anyway.

Bright Young Things

The bright, young things are a raucous, hard partying social set in pre-WWII London. Their parties and the events of them often end up as prime reading in the Mr. Chatterbox column of a paper run by a Canadian newspaper baron named Lord Monomark (Dan Aykroyd). The writer of the column is Simon Balcairn (James McAvoy), and he’s ratted out at a party early in the film, and that turns out problematic for getting scoops. Luckily he has a writer friend in the circle of friends named Adam Fenwick-Symes (Stephen Campbell Moore) to turn to for help. Adam wants to marry Nina Blount (Emily Mortimer), but his novel’s been confiscated by customs and money is an issue. Nina loves Adam but loves the idea of security more, something another suitor, Ginger Littlejohn (David Tennant), can provide. Other members of the circle include the flamingly gay Miles (Michael Sheen) and the daffy Agatha Runcible (Fenella Woolgar). This film was very good at times, not as good at others, but as a whole it’s decent. More recognizable stars, Jim Broadbent, Peter O’Toole and Stockard Channing display their talent playing odd characters. It succeeds most when it’s funny, and there’s plenty of wry wit to go around. Along the way we discover that partying is hard work and being fabulous isn’t easy.

Caught In The Headlights

Kate Parker (Erika Eleniak) is a fed assigned to transport a murder suspect named Claire Scott (Brigitta Dau) to a federal penitentiary. She’s very difficult to deal with, but at the same time she professes her innocence. Mr. and Mrs. Jones (Stacy Keach and Erin Gray) are two bad guys who are after Claire because they think she knows the whereabouts of a top secret formula that her murdered boyfriend was working on. Harry Eden (Kim Coates) is an FBI agent and old flame of Kate’s who’s tailing Kate as back-up. But is everything as it seems? Hmmm… Firstly, Eleniak is miscast and not very convincing in her role. Secondly, the script is awful. Thirdly, everyone seems woefully inept at their jobs if we’re to believe they’re professionals. A straight to video hack job that should be avoided.

Sucker Free City

Sucker Free City is a Spike Lee joint and it was supposed to be a pilot movie for a series to air on Showtime. It centers on racial conflict in different areas of San Francisco. The key players are Nick Wade (Ben Crowley), whose white family is forced to move into a black neighbourhood after it becomes too expensive to live in The Mission, K-Luv (Anthony Mackie) is a black aspiring rapper from this neighbourhood, and Lincoln Ma (Ken Leung) provides muscle for the mafia in Chinatown. K-Luv wants to stop the bootlegging of his CDs in Chinatown, and eventually befriends Nick to help him burn discs so they can profit instead. These are definitely well developed characters doing what they have to do to survive in this dog eat dog world. The same rules of society that most of us are accustomed to don’t apply on these streets. These characters and those surrounding them make for interesting drama that kept my interest. Unfortunately Showtime didn’t seem interested in picking it up as a series. That’s the only shortcoming, the ending leaves us wanting more. It just sort of tapers off.

Intermission

This is an Irish film containing all of the country’s top talent. There are too many characters and situations to summarize the plot, which meanders, but plot elements and characters do intersect and the director somehow manages to avert disaster. Lehiff (Colin Farrell) is a thug and a robber. Jerry Lynch (Colm Meaney) is a tough cop. The only thing he’d like more than busting Lehiff is to star in a documentary about life on the streets. John (Cillian Murphy) and Oscar (David Wilmot) hate their jobs working in a supermarket. John wanted a break in the relationship with his girlfriend, Deirdre (Kelly Macdonald), but gets incensed when she hooks up with bank manager, Sam (Michael McElhatton), who’s just left his wife, Noeleen (Deirdre O’Kane) to move in with Deirdre. Sally (Shirley Henderson) is Deirdre’s sister, and totally unaware of how bad her moustache problem is. She aides people after a bus accident which gets the driver fired (not sure who played the role), although it wasn’t his fault. All these characters, plus a little brat on a bike are integral how things play out. There is dark humour and shocking violence, and some very hateful characters, and I didn’t necessarily like the outcome, but this is a solid film that will leave you guessing where it’s headed, despite a couple predictable turns. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of Farrell though, whose role isn’t that large.



The Dreamers

Matthew (Michael Pitt) is an American student in Paris in 1968. He spends his spare time taking in movies at Cinematheque Francaise. During a protest he meets fellow film buffs, Isabelle (Eva Green) and her twin brother Theo (Louis Garrel), who are the children of a famous French poet. When their parents go on vacation, they invite Matthew to come live with them. What follows is a series of often cruel mind games and incestuous sexual play. Movies are the bond that bind them and dominate their conversations. Director Bernardo Bertolucci cleverly splices in pertinent old movie clips very effectively. Although very sexual in content, I don’t know why this movie was issued the death warrant of an NC-17 rating. This is more than Bertolucci paying homage to old films. He pays great attention to detail, but I don’t think the film is as smart as it wants to be. Nor am I convinced these characters resemble anyone real.

Head In The Clouds

Gilda Besse (Charlize Theron) barges unannounced into the Oxford dorm room of Guy (Stuart Townsend) one night to avoid getting her boyfriend in trouble. Gilda is a socialite who’s notorious for her carefree manner and hedonistic ways. She admires Gus’ manners and chivalrous nature so some time later she invites him to Paris where she’s become a famous photographer. She introduces Gus to a model named Mia (Penelope Cruz) whom she’s discovered and befriended. But Gilda is unforgiving when her two activist friends head off to Spain to try to make a difference. Gus and Gilda’s cross again years later after the Nazi’s have occupied France, but it’s under uncertain circumstances. Gilda remains an enigma to Gus throughout in this want to be epic romance/drama. It doesn’t measure up to the title epic. It looks nice and all but the story never quite draws you in. There’s little chemistry between Theron and Townsend even though they’re supposedly an item in real life. I wasn’t much impressed with either Townsend or Cruz, but Theron displayed the right joie de vivre for her role.



Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid

The Blood Orchid is in bloom in the deepest, darkest jungles of Borneo and it’s been discovered that this plant contains a substance that can greatly prolong life. Problem 1: Your pharmaceutical company is fresh out of blood orchid. Problem 2: The bloomin’ blooming season lasts only two more weeks. Problem 3: The next bloomin’ blooming season won’t be for another seven years. Problem 4: It’s rainy season in Borneo and no boat for hire will take your expedition downriver. Luckily Captain Bill Johnson (Johnny Messner) owns something that might have resembled a boat in its better days and he’s for hire for the right price. A expedition consisting of plenty of snake food consists of the determined and ruthless Dr. Jack Byron (Matthew Marsden), the uptight Gail Stern (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), who calls the shots for the company, Gordon Mitchell (Morris Chestnut), Dr. Ben Douglas (Nicholas Gonzalez), Samantha Rogers (KaDee Strickland), whose looks make it hard to earn respect in her field, and comic relief man, Cole Burris (Eugene Byrd), who you’ll pray the snakes eat. Firstly, in the opening scene we see a tiger. Now I don’t think tigers actually inhabit Borneo. One thing I know for certain though… anacondas don’t!!! You’ll start laughing early here when you first hear the blood orchid premise. The clichés and stilted dialogue will get your eyes rolling. The obviously computer generated snakes were better in the original. Here they pack little punch and are almost too mortal. The monkey here is more annoying than the one in Friends. The remarkable thing is the cast can keep a straight face throughout. To tell the truth, I was rooting for the snakes.

De-Lovely

This is a Cole Porter (Kevin Kline) biopic focusing on the time he met his future bride, Linda (Ashley Judd) through to his twilight years. It’s wonderfully staged with plenty of his music, some performed by contemporary artists of today. Porter had a very unconventional marriage, and that’s hardly brushed over. Kline gives an Oscar worthy performance, but the film stretches on past its welcome. Although magnificently talented, not all his music is my cup of tea. Unless you’re a fan, you might want to pass this one up.

Collateral

Max (Jamie Foxx) has driven a cab in L.A. for twelve years. But when he picks up a fare, an attorney named Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith), we see he’s an intelligent, noble man with dreams of something more. But his next fare is Vincent (Tom Cruise), and Max soon discovers this fare may well be his last. Vincent has purchased Max’s services for the night, and he expects to be chauffeured around while he kills five people he’s been contracted to knock off. Mark Ruffalo plays Fanning, a cop trying to piece together what’s going on. Director Michael Mann has provided us with a taut thriller with interesting characters. The exchanges between Cruise and Foxx are fascinating. The two couldn’t be much different, good and evil. Neither shows up the other as both performances are high quality. Sure, there’s at least one coincidence that’s a bit far-fetched, but it makes for a tense finale, for sure.

The Forgotten

Telly Paretta (Julianne Moore) sees dead people. At least she does in memories, photos, and videos containing her son who died fourteen months ago in a plane crash. When all physical evidence of her son start to disappear, her shrink, Dr. Munce (Gary Sinise), and husband, Jim (Anthony Edwards), try to convince her she’s delusional and that her son never existed. I hate when that happens. But Telly ain’t drinking the Kool-Aid, so she seeks out Ash Correll (Dominic West), an ex-New York Ranger who lives in her neighbourhood, who lost a son in the same crash. Of course he thinks she’s nuttier than a fruitcake. But is she? The feds sudden interest in her activities indicate otherwise. Good cast, intriguing premise…or so it seems. You find yourself drawn in and wonder what the explanation is going to be. Then it unravels into car chases and unsatisfactory answers and plot holes so wide that you could drive a truck through them.



Wild Roomies

Reno (A.J. Buckley) has his life take a turn for the worse after he finds his girlfriend in bed with a roommate. Ten months later he has a new girlfriend named Holly (Holly Fields) when his uncle dies, leaving Reno a huge house in his will. However, the house still requires several payments before it can be owned, so they interview several prospects for roommates, eventually settling for Chad (David Wheir) and Nicole (Jennifer Lyons), which leads to jealousy and people getting on each others nerves. But not as bad as this movie got on my nerves. It’s supposedly a comedy, but it generates no laughs. It offers nothing new. Anything remotely funny is stolen from other films. The supposedly wild roomies aren’t all that out of control either. The direction seemed amateurish at times, like the director wanted to include more, but was forced to drastically edit. Or maybe the film ran out of money. Some of the contrived situations designed to provide laughs are plain stupid. Your life can still be fulfilled if you miss this one.




-- Edited by bawdy at 17:17, 2005-08-28

Dressed To Kill

Three music boxes containing a secret are built by a prison inmate to be sold at auction. When the intended buyer is delayed, they’re sold to three different patrons. Mrs. Hilda Courtney (Patricia Morrison) is a femme fatale willing to go to great lengths to recover the boxes for her gang of ne’er do wells. Not bloody likely with Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) on the case! This was the last in the series of Rathbone/Bruce Holmes films. It’s entertaining enough, albeit short. Morrison acquits herself well as a worthy foil. The two main stars could have played these roles in their sleep at this point. Holmes’ great leaps of logic only come due to offhand blathering by Watson. This has gotten a little old. Holmes owes his career to that man, I swear. The plot here is a little thin. Average, at best.



In The Company Of Men

Chad (Aaron Eckhart) and Howard (Matt Malloy) are off on a six week assignment for the corporate company they work for. Both bemoan unfair treatment by women they’ve been in relationships with recently. Although Howard is the group leader, Chad is definitely the more alpha male of these buddies from the same alma mater. So when Chad proposes getting revenge on a random woman, preferably someone who generally would have trouble dating, the weaker Howard goes along. So they select a capable, pretty secretary at the firm named Christine (Stacy Edwards). Chad is giddy once he discovers Christine is deaf. They’ve found their mark and begin to play her like a fiddle, with no concern about any possible consequences for their actions. You may end up loving this movie or you may end up enraged, but watch it you should. Eckhart is fantastic, and his character is so vile and calculating, it should make your stomach churn. However, it’s Howard who is a more accurate example of the average male-there is some good within him, he’s certainly nothing to be proud of. There’s a condemnation here of the games forced to be played in the dog eat dog white collar world as well, but the primary focus is on how self-centered men can be as their primary focus is personal advancement. I won’t say more about Edwards, who gives a splendid performance, because I don’t want to spoil the outcome. If you missed this one, it’s worth seeking out.

Silent Partner

Bill (David Field) and John (Syd Brisbane) are a couple of losers who bide their time at the track and doing some serious drinking. John is approached by a shady character who wants him to train a greyhound for him. He’s being played of course, but soon Bill and John are in full bore with dreams of big riches. But these guys aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, and you just know they’re going to screw up. Ok, Australians are difficult to understand as is. But drunken Aussies? Good luck! And these guys are constantly drunk. Otherwise, this wasn’t too bad. It’s like a play in regards to the fact that there are only two speaking roles. And it’s mildly amusing watching the gears cranking in these dimwits’ heads. But they’re in an obvious downward spiral and it’s a bit too easy to intuit where things are going.