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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 21 June 2003

Expected to be a one-hit wonder after Ace Ventura, Jim Carrey has evolved as a premium actor.  As I’ve mentioned before, he’s part of an elite group who can successfully deliver in any genre.  As popular and successful as he as been, it’s been almost two years since the last Carrey film – The Majestic.  Bruce Almighty calls on Carrey’s funny side but a few thought provoking moments, aimed at a wide audience, add a little extra.

Carrey is Bruce Nolan, a news reporter looking for an anchor spot on the station’s nightly news program.  Station director Jack Keller (Hall) respects Bruce but has instead given the job to Evan Baxter (Carell) who he sees as a more serious reporter.  It’s a bitter blow for the self-absorbed Bruce who takes out his frustrations during a live broadcast and is promptly fired.

His long-time girlfriend Grace (Aniston) has always been Bruce’s loyal supporter but his reactions to these events reaffirm her doubts that he cares more about himself and his work than their relationship.  Looking for answers as to why he can’t get what he wants out of life, Bruce shouts out to God to give him a sign as to what he must do.  God isn’t going to give him the simple answer.  Played by Morgan Freeman, the great man pays Bruce a visit to provide a divine opportunity.  He will let Bruce be God for a few weeks (complete with all his powers) so he can see just how hard it really is.

The film’s funniest moment arrives when Bruce sabotages a news report of rival Evan Baxter and credit to Steven Carell for his performance in this scene.  It’s generally predictable humour but the limitless energy of Carrey and the lovability of Jennifer Aniston make it a joy to watch.  The film could easily have become a schmaltzy, preachy affair but the experienced screenwriters know better.  They understand the audience will foresee the finale and compensate but providing entertaining humour and a short, compact conclusion.

Bruce Almighty marks the third time director Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura, Liar Liar) has worked with Carrey and their previous successes are proof they make a great team.  In co-writing the crazy Ace Ventura: Pet Detective nine years ago, they provided the platform that gave each an entry into big-time Hollywood.  Carrey now commands a $20m salary and has two Golden Globe Awards.  Shadyac’s previous five films have grossed $550m in the United States alone and that doesn’t include the $194m that Bruce Almighty has claimed in the past four weeks.  Not a bad stretch for these two good friends.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 12 June 2003

American Pie proved that Seann William Scott is a funny guy and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon showed that Chow Yun-Fat is martial arts guru.  Yet when you bring this unlikely combination together for a funny, martial arts flick, you get a very, very, very boring result.

In Tibet 1943, an unnamed monk (Yun-Fat) earned the responsibility of guarding a sacred scroll.  Anyone who read the words of the scroll would be blessed with incredible powers and therefore it had to be closely guarded to protect it from evil hands.  When a group of Nazis attacked the monestary where the scroll was kept, the monk was forced to flee to evade capture.

Sixty years later, his travels have taken him to America.  He is tired and understands it is time to hand down the responsibility of the scroll to someone else.  Given guidance from the gods to help find this “chosen one”, he comes across Kar (Scott) – a petty thief who lives and works in a movie theatre specialising in Chinese cinema.  Kar thinks the monk and his philosophical sayings are crazy but the two become a united team when each other’s lives are threatened.  A Nazi from the past is still looking for the scroll and is stopping at nothing to obtain it.

Judging from the audience’s half-hearted laughs, I wasn’t alone in declaring Bulletproof Monk a waste of space and time.  The screenplay is ridiculously far-fetched and the two leading stars have no chance to showcase their humour.  Scott tries a more sarcastic, laidback persona which doesn’t suit the childish material.  Yun-Fat simply doesn’t belong here.  Even worse are the Nazi officer and his granddaughter.  Somebody needs to show director Paul Hunter a book of overused stereotypes to help him out.

The title suggests very little and on that scale, Bulletproof Monk delivers with precision.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 June 2003

Travelling Birds is the apt title for this project headed by Frenchman Jacques Perrin.  Five film crews followed migrating birds across seven continents over a three year period.  To raise his documentary to a new level, Perrin has used camera techniques.  To create the incredibly close shots of the birds as they fly overhead, a camera has been attached to a remote controlled bird which flies within the pack.  In other scenes, a cameraman sits in a glider which flies above.  Even helicopters, delta planes, ultra light motorized aircraft and balloons are used to get the perfect shot of the winged creatures.

It’s beautiful to watch but I was disappointed by what I learnt from it all.  There is little narration and the bulk of the film is just the birds flying with soft music (composed by Bruno Coulais) echoing in the background.  There are some spectacular single camera shots and some very colourful species of birds to admire but I would have preferred more education.  More discussion was needed on why the birds acted as they do.  Further, a few silly special effect shots looking down on the globe were an unwanted distraction.

Whilst I criticise these elements of the film that didn’t personally please me, I point out that it was always Perrin’s intention to have the film rely on visual images rather than spoken words.  One of his previous documentaries, Microcosmos, was very similar in the way it looked at the insect world.  In his own words, “Man has dreamt of birds since the beginning of time.  How to imagine being among the first to transform this dream into reality?”  There is no question that he has provided this reality.

Funded by a number of production companies, including National Geographic (as you’d expect), Travelling Birds received a nomination for best documentary at this year’s Academy Awards.  Despite losing the top prize to Michael Moore’s Bowling For Columbine, the film has generated world wide interest.  Unlike most feature length documentaries, which debut on cable television, Travelling Birds has been released theatrically in over 20 countries around the world (including France, Russia, Italy, Spain, Japan, Canada and the United States).  If nothing else, it’s void of clichés, and if you look at what else is currently screening, it’ll be the only film in that category.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 June 2003

The Fast And The Furious was one of the success stories of 2001 when on a budget of $38 million, it grossed $41 million in its first three days before finishing with a juicy total of $144m.  Blessed with a bigger budget, only Paul Walker returned for the sequel with Vin Diesel turning down the lucrative pay cheque and the studio appointing a new director in John Singleton (Boyz N The Hood).

In the creatively named 2 Fast 2 Furious, Brian O’Connor is now on the other side of the tracks.  He once worked for the LAPD but after letting his man get away (at the end of the first film) he was kicked off the force.  Devoted to drag racing, he’s still the best guy on the street and his reputation is a good as ever.  However when the police bust an illegal race, O’Connor is arrested and faces time in the slammer unless he cooperates with the cops.

They’ll wipe his record clean if he’ll help them bring down a drug lord named Carter Verone (Hauser) who also has a love for fast cars.  An undercover agent (Clemente) is already posing as Carter’s mistress but she’s going to need help to bring down this powerful leader.  Brian will only do the job if he can choose his own partner and with a moral debt to repay, he asks past friend Roman Pearce (Tyrese) to be that man.  All is in place and the games are about to begin…

Surprisingly, the narrative holds up and despite the predictability of it all, I enjoyed the story.  It shares many similarities with the original but the new cast keep it interesting.  It isn’t as humorous but the action sequences are on par, if not better, than the 2001 release.  For director John Singleton, it’s his first true crack at the action genre and I had criticisms but was satisfied with the overall picture.  The two men who deserve the most praise are editors Bruce Cannon (Poetic Justice) and Dallas Puett (Tomb Raider) who have sliced hours of footage with ultimate precision.  They have crafted visually dynamic car chase sequences which will get that heart pumping.

The obligatory sequel is now behind us and once again, it has been a profit making vehicle for Universal Pictures.  Nothing is in writing yet but to satisfy the public’s growing need for speed, I’d be betting on another follow up… with another creative title.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 June 2003

Pardon the pun, but this disaster movie really is a disaster.  The fad began in 1996 when Twister “swept” through cinemas.  Since then, we’ve managed to survive through Daylight, Independence Day, Dante’s Peak, Volcano, Hard Rain, Deep Impact and Armageddon.  Most thought the genre had been exhausted but Paramount Pictures believed there was still a window of opportunity and gambled another $85m on the success of The Core.

Their investment has turned to dust in this horribly misguided motion picture.  A secret government agency has been working on a weapon which can plough into the Earth’s crust and generate seismic activity.  Unfortunately, their testing has had a nasty effect on the Earth’s core – it has stopped spinning.  Within months, the resulting cosmic radiation will cook the Earth and all its inhabitants.

The plan is to have a specially designed craft tunnel deep into the Earth’s core and then detonate a truckload of nuclear weapons to “jumpstart the planet”.  As expected, a varying crew has been assembled for this mission to save the world.  We have Ed Brazzleton (Lindo) who has designed the tunnelling craft.  We have astronauts Robert Iverson (Greenwood) and Rebecca Childs (Swank) who will pilot the vehicle.  And, we have experts Josh Keyes (Eckhart), Conrad Zimsky (Tucci) and Serge Leveque (Karyo) who are experts in the field and can offer the best advice to aid the mission’s success.

You need a degree in nuclear physics to understand much of the dialogue.  The crew keep coming up with amazing ideas but it beats me what they are and on what basis they are expected to work.  What I do know, is that it’s the most far-fetched piece of garbage seen on a screen this year.  As I’ve said many a time on this matter, these films will only create the intended thrills and suspense if the storyline is plausible.

I also disapprove of the film’s length.  For a poorly edited production, 135 minutes is too long to hold anyone’s attention.  There’s a heavy reliance on special effects but even they look second-rate.  In its planning stages, The Core must have looked an attractive proposition given the high profile cast it attracted.  I can only assume that subsequent script changes have been a major factor in the film’s demise.  It brings a tear to the eye to watch great independent actors like Aaron Eckhart and Stanley Tucci utter lines that belong in a trashy soap opera.

One could forgive me for wishing a natural disaster to befall the producers who gave the initial green light on The Core.  Complete disappointment without exception.