Reviews
The Polar Express
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Robert Zemeckis |
| Written by: | Robert Zemeckis, William Broyles Jr |
| Starring: | Tom Hanks, Michael Jeter, Eddie Deezen, Nona M. Gaye, Peter Scolari |
| Released: | November 18, 2004 |
| Grade: | B+ |
As a Christmas movie, The Polar Express stands out. For one thing, it isn’t a comedy. It’s a mystical family film which embodies the spirit of Christmas. Unfortunately for the creators, this isn’t a film the public wants to see. Costing in excess of $150m, The Polar Express made a measly $23m in its opening weekend in the States.
Our leading character is a young boy who has a growing doubt over the existence of Santa Clause. Lying in his bed on Christmas Eve, the walls start shaking and a giant train pulls up outside his front door. It’s the Polar Express and it takes any doubting child directly to the North Pole to see first hand the magic Christmas. An excited conductor ushers the boy aboard and the journey begins.
The children aboard the train are in for a bumpy journey as the train traverses high mountains and icy glaciers en route to its destination. They will ultimately find their way to North Pole where they will be treated to sight few children ever see and they will gather an appreciation for the spirit of Christmas.
We have a different style of animation on display here – some characteristics make it look very real but other characteristics create an opposing feel. The children look amazingly real and yet their faces are strange, almost creepy. It’s a little off-putting. I applaud the attempt at originality but not sure if it works in the film’s favour.
Another strange aspect to the film is the use of Tom Hanks. Hanks voices the lead boy, his father, the conductor, a hobo, a scrooge and Santa Clause himself. Again, I have qualms over whether this was the right decision. A few of his characters sounded too similar and I felt more distracted than impressed.
On the whole though, I found enjoyment in the film and do have words of praise for director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Cast Away). The colours and softness to the film’s textures are beautiful and the score from composer Alan Silvestri is delightfully uplifting. The storyline may be a little dark, but I’d have no misgivings taking a child to see it. All aboard!
Taxi
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Tim Story |
| Written by: | Ben Grant, Thomas Lennon, Jim Kouf |
| Starring: | Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon, Henry Simmons, Jennifer Esposito, Gisele Bundchen |
| Released: | November 11, 2004 |
| Grade: | C |
Good luck trying to find a laugh in this pitiful excuse for a motion picture. Queen Latifah is a delivery driver named Belle who has finally gotten her New York City taxi licence. Jimmy Fallon is a police detective named Washburn who has had his licence revoked because he’s the worst driver on earth.
When a bank is robbed and Washburn is the nearest to the vicinity, he hops in Belle’s cab and the adventures begin. The cab gets damaged, Belle’s boyfriend is fuming, Jimmy gets kicked off the force, and yet… Pfffft, we all know what happens in the end. They capture the robbers in a crazy car chase and redeem themselves.
How stupid is this plot? How can a leading police officer not be able to drive? How can the other police officers be so mind-numbingly stupid? How can a group of women pull off these daring heists with such nonchalance? I know this is supposed to be a comedy but I don’t find humour in any of this. It may pass for a second grade skit on Saturday Night Live but not on a big screen and not costing me $8.
Hero
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Yimou Zhang |
| Written by: | Feng Li, Bin Wang, Yimou Zhang |
| Starring: | Jet Li, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi, Daoming Chen, Donnie Yen |
| Released: | November 4, 2004 |
| Grade: | A- |
As the most expensive Chinese film ever made, Hero was released in Asia back in December 2002. Inspired by its success, Miramax Films acquired the rights to distribute it in America but held off releasing it until August 2004. After topping the U.S. box-office in its first week, international markets are now capitalising on Hero’s success and after two years of waiting, it now is being shown in Australia cinemas.
China has an amazing history which we aren’t often exposed to on a big screen. We continually see tales set in medieval times, American civil war times and World War II times but we don’t often look much further. Set over 2,000 years ago, Hero is the story of a man who wants to unite the Six Kingdoms of China who are currently at war. This nameless warrior (Li) has arrived at the doorstep of the King of Qin (Chen) and begins to tell the story of how he has slain the King’s three main enemies, Broken Sword (Chiu Wai), Flying Snow (Cheung) and Sky (Yen).
I can’t say I fully understood all of this intricate story but the film deserves full marks for its visuals. Director Yimou Zhang uses a beautiful range of colours and crafts some incredible martial arts sequences. I don’t know if it’s any better than the already successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon but suffice to say that if you enjoyed Tiger, you’re likely to enjoy this too.
I’m not often one to comment on sound effects but they are amazing. One particular scene comes to mind where the Nameless warrior fights Broken Sword on the top of the lake. We not only hear the “ching” of the sword, but also the gentle “splash” of the water below. Throw in a haunting melody from Academy Award winning composer Dun Tan and you have one incredible action sequence.
Hero is a film of elegance and a great tribute to China’s history.
Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Beeban Kidron |
| Written by: | Andrew Davies, Helen Fielding, Richard Curtis, Adam Brooks |
| Starring: | Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Jim Broadbent, Gemma Jones |
| Released: | November 11, 2004 |
| Grade: | C+ |
Bridget Jones (played by Renee Zellweger) continues to overcomplicate even the simplest situations in Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason. After winning the affections of Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) at the conclusion of the first film, this sequel sees Bridget doing her very best to unwittingly ruin this dream relationship.
I haven’t read the novel but surely there’s more substance than what’s on show here. This is a paper thin plot and simply revolves around Bridget in pursuit of a husband. They may only have been going out for two months but all she can think of is accepting a proposal of marriage from Mark Darcy.
There are three parts though to most romantic movies – boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. The film meanders innocently through the first two acts before taking an absolutely farcical turn in the finale. The convoluted situation by which the two are reunited is ludicrous. I’ll bite my tongue and not reveal this element of the story but for those that have seen the film, it all begins when Bridget puts something in her suitcase. You can make humour out of any situation but given the sweetness of Bridget and her story, I’m really surprised they took this path. It borders on being insulting.
I raved about the first film when released in 2001. It was a box-office hit and earned Renee Zellweger an Academy Award nomination. Like any sequel though, the motivation behind this production appears to be money. All was nicely tied up at the end of Bridget Jones’ Diary and there was no need to revisit this tale.
If you ask me, Mark and Bridget make a pretty uninteresting couple. She’s a neurotic who will never be happy and he’s a bore who works too much. The only life in the film comes from the reappearance of Hugh Grant as Daniel Cleaver, one of Bridget’s work colleagues. Grant and Zellweger share some mildly funny scenes but that’s as far as my endorsements go.
This time around, the diary of Bridget Jones is a very tedious read.
The Forgotten
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Joseph Ruben |
| Written by: | Gerald Di Pego |
| Starring: | Julianne Moore, Anthony Edwards, Dominic West, Linus Roache, Gary Sinese, Alfre Woodard |
| Released: | November 4, 2004 |
| Grade: | C |
I’d review this film but thanks to some mysterious space aliens, I’ve forgotten it already.
De-Lovely
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Irwin Winkler |
| Written by: | Jay Cocks |
| Starring: | Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce, Kevin McNally, Sandra Nelson |
| Released: | November 4, 2004 |
| Grade: | A- |
Cole Porter was a brilliant songwriter and composer. He first rose to prominence in the 1930s and his Broadway hits included The Gay Divorce, Anything Goes and Leave It To Me. One of his last shows is one many will remember - Kiss Me, Kate in 1948.
De-Lovely is the story of Porter’s life but it is told in a rather unique way. We are introduced to an aged Cole Porter (played by Kevin Kline) sitting with a friend (Pryce) in an empty theatre. From there, they both look back at his life with Porter offering commentary. Porter’s famous songs help tell the story and so you could call this part-drama, part-musical. A few artists of note appear in the film and lend their voices in the performance of Porter’s songs. Robbie Williams, Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, Caroline O’Connor, Cheryl Crow and Natalie Cole are amongst them.
The story focuses on Porter’s relationship with wife Linda (Judd). The two married in 1919 and Cole loved Linda but his success and his wealth gave him the ability to explore another love in his life – men. He developed relationships with male performers and frequently attended gay clubs. His wife knew of this and was happy for him to explore these “interests” but they soon dominated their relationship and Cole seldom spent time at home.
The songs and music of De-Lovely are great but the story is lacking. I confess to being touched by the teary-eyed conclusion but the screenplay lacks depth. Too much time is spent exploring Cole’s relationship with men and I would have rather seen a greater focus on his actual talent. Each to their own though as many others may prefer the approach taken by writer Jay Cocks.
I enjoyed the performances of Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd. It’s great to see Judd showcasing her talent rather than having it go to waste in some cheap crime thriller. I don’t know if either will find themselves in contention for any year-end awards but the make-up artists sure will. With the film spread over several decades, they age Kline and Judd beautifully. Kline is almost unrecognisable by the end but yep, that is him under all that make-up.
Premiering at the lucrative Cannes Film Festival and debuting here in Brisbane as part of the Brisbane International Film Festival, De-Lovely is a classy film for lovers of great music.