Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 25 October 2001

That is until a freak storm arrives and his $150,000 boat is obliterated by a bolt of lightening.  When the wave of the near-death experience subsides, Steve is shocked to find his insurance company unwilling to fork over compensation for a new boat.  Apparently, his insurance policy doesn’t cover “acts of god” and this loophole leaves Steve feeling screwed by corporate bigwigs.

So just what does he do?  It’s useless suing the insurance companies as their policies are watertight but what about God?  Who’s to say what an “act of god” really is?  And so he begins an action against the church, as a representative of God, to prove that this truly wasn’t an “act of god”.

Siding with Steve is journalist Anna Redmond (Davis) who knows that to be successful, he’ll need the media on his side.  She acts as his media liaison and he’s soon front-page material with all of Sydney talking about his story.  The Churches and their lawyers are starting to take this seriously...

The Man Who Sued God is one of the most morally disgraceful films I have seen.  The performances are great and there’s nothing wrong with Mark Joffe’s (Cosi) direction but how anyone associated with the production can live with themselves is incomprehensible.

Another Australian production, The Bank, was released several weeks ago and targeted banks in a one-sided attempt to please audiences.  The Man Who Sued God goes even further with its blatant targeting of insurance companies.  The companies’ and their respective lawyers are treated as the bad guys, Billy Connolly’s Scottish accent will adore him to audiences as the good guy and there’s absolutely no in-between.

Without engaging in a heated debate on the global economic future, I do believe that corporations (and not people) run the world and in an era where a very small percentage of the population control most of the wealth, I’m not proud of the path we are taking.  You’d think my stance would favour such a film but nothing provocative is ever explored.  It’s nothing more than easy jokes against a traditional public enemy who isn’t given a chance to defend itself.  Does it come as a surprise that the film failed to mention the overwhelming fact that if such frivolous lawsuits were to exist, the price of insurance premiums would only rise to compensate?

The religious aspect of the film is also sure to offend.  Churches and their leaders are heavily criticised but save face in the final scenes when they realise the true error of their ways.  Again, this may be a comedy but the underlying subtext is rather sinister.

Telstra recorded a record profit of $4.1b last year so can I soon expect a lopsided comedy about a man who doesn’t pay his bill and gets away with it?  From the audience’s positive reaction to The Man Who Sued God, it’d be a sure hit.  Film is a powerful medium but when used as a tool for propaganda, it can become just as powerful a weapon.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 October 2001

In Kiss Of The Dragon, Liu Jian (Li) has been sent to Paris as China’s representative in an investigation involving an Asian drug ring operating in France.  Liu soon finds it’s the French who can’t be trusted with Inspector Richard (Karyo) intending to frame him to shirk attention from Richard’s own involvement in whatever he is concealing.

Richard’s clean cover is blown however when his henchman accidentally tape him shooting a powerful Chinese drug dealer.  As you’d expect, Liu gets his hands on the videotape giving him leverage but Richard will use every resource at his disposal to stop Liu from exposing the truth.  When Liu forms a friendship with prostitute Jessica (Fonda), he finds that her own connection with Richard might give him the edge as the tension escalates even further...

That’s my best effort to explain a story that makes very little sense.  There are two major action scenes to open the flick and they disguise the fact the story isn’t developed.  We’re not told why Liu has been sent to China, who he’s working for or what he’s there to uncover.  Maybe I just wasn’t paying attention?  I sure ain’t going back again to find out.

Looking particularly at the action itself – it’s pathetic.  There were several moments where it was clear that body contact wasn’t made and you’d think that with a $25m budget, they’d have the resources to get it right.  I’m also at a loss to explain Liu’s mysterious technique of using acupuncture to subdue his enemies.  Someone may have to explain that to me also.

Whilst my review for Rush Hour 2 several weeks ago may appear to contradict the stance I’m taking here, there’s a big difference in what both films had to offer.  Rush Hour 2 was about comedy but Kiss Of The Dragon is about nothing.  There is no suspense, no thought process, and no point at all to go and see it.  I wasted my Saturday night so please make sure you don’t do the same.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 October 2001

16-year-old Ruby (Sobieski) is out partying with her girlfriends and returns home late to find two police officers waiting for her.  She begins her defence by stoutly apologising for sneaking out but the police are there for other reasons.  Out celebrating their wedding anniversary, both her parents were killed in a car accident.

The shock subsides and reality sets in for both Ruby and her 11-year-old brother Rhett (Morgan).  At the funeral, their parents’ financial advisor, Mr. Begleiter (Dern), introduces himself and informs Ruby of their future.  Their parents have left some $4m in trust for them but until entitled, both have been placed into the custody of Terry and Erin Glass (Skarsgard and Lane).  The Glass’s were once next-door neighbours and best friends of the family but have hardly been seen since they moved to Malibu.

Questioning her parents’ wishes to have them stay with Terry and Erin, Ruby is unsettled by her new surroundings.  Rhett is blinded by the fancy house and expensive toys but Ruby senses it’s disguising something sinister.  Why are Terry and Erin fighting?  Why was Erin caught injecting herself with a needle?  Why is Terry getting calls at 3am in the morning?  Why are she and Rhett being watched so closely?

With ten years of experience on the small screen, director Daniel Sackheim makes his motion picture debut with The Glass House and he’s worth following.  Most of the film is set at a lavish mountain-top house made mostly of glass.  Throw in a little rain and you’ve got an eerily creepy locale that’s perfectly exploited by Sackheim.  Composer Christopher Young adds tension to the mix with another of his renowned musical scores.

Leelee Sobieski (Deep Impact) plays the leading role with restrained intelligence.  She acts as anyone would in the same situation which plays favourably with the audience.  Youngster Trevor Morgan is also notable in an emotional performance.  The 14-year-old is finding sudden notoriety in the film industry with roles in Jurassic Park 3, The Patriot and The Sixth Sense.  He’s one to watch.

The Glass House suffers in its ability to find a conclusion.  After being extremely well developed, it reaches a point where it becomes too crazy to consider and the ending is justifiable proof.  Whilst I won’t offer my own alternate suggestions, a more logical conclusion would have maintained the heightened suspense.  Without breaking new ground, The Glass House has an added freshness that hopefully won’t go stale.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 October 2001

Legally Blonde is conventional by Reese’s standards.  A popular socialite, Elle Woods (Witherspoon) is preparing to graduate (as a fashion major) from college.  Her boyfriend, Warner (Davis) has asked her to dinner to discuss their future and Elle expects this to be the moment where she’ll get that glistening ring on her finger.  Wrong.  Warner, like his father before him, wants to run for office and he feels he’ll have no chance with a ditsy blonde as a wife.  He needs someone more serious and it’s time to break up.

Determined to prove him wrong, Elle regroups and pulls out the grades (plus a little extra) to receive an offer to attend Harvard’s exclusive law school, coincidentally the same school Warner is attending.  At first, Elle’s “blondness” and outgoing nature ostracises her from the other students but Harvard soon finds out that not all blondes are dumb and there are some who shouldn’t be underrated.

A departure from her usual style, Reese chose the script for Legally Blonde because she saw it as “an opportunity for me to try and reach more people”.  Reese concedes that “today, it matters how many people see your movies” and despite critical acclaim for her previous works, she is yet to have a film explode at the box-office.  Legally Blonde became Reese’s first number 1 hit and its $20m opening outdueled the new DeNiro/Brando crime thriller, The Score.  Yet another feather in her hat.

As for the film, this feel good fairy tale stretches its point a little too far for my liking.  Reese’s characters (and wardrobe) in itself tells you that the film is only meant to be light-hearted fun but so much of it seems manufactured to please.  The jokes, the plot and the ending are too predictable and I much preferred the darker nuances of Election.

An experiment with mixed results, Legally Blonde has certainly pushed Mrs Phillippe into the spotlight.  She’ll next appear beside Messrs Everett, Firth, O’Connor and Dench in The Importance of Being Earnest.  Another intelligent career move which I guess shows that sometimes blondes do have more fun.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 18 October 2001

The “story” revolves around Professor Oldman (Curry) assembling a group of students to stay in a haunted house.  I won’t say any more for fear of giving the impression that the film has a plot.

Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Anna Faris return from the original and are joined by a few newcomers and few Hollywood veterans.  James Woods opens the film with a take-off of The Exorcist.  Marlon Brando was originally cast in the role but when taken ill, Woods filled his shoes.  A stroke of luck for Mr. Brando I’m sure.

A sampling of this films spoofed are Dude, Where’s My Car?, Save The Last Dance, What Lies Beneath, Hollow Man, Titanic, Romeo & Juliet, Hannibal, Charlie’s Angels and even the game-show, The Weakest Link.  You’ll notice that none of the above are teen horror flicks which again shows the stupidity of this production.  As I said, all the good material was used in the first film.

At only 82 minutes, it’s a crime to think that the public should have to pay full price.  The Exorcist opening itself is eight minutes and when you throw in five minutes worth of credits, just how much are you actually getting?  To make matters worse, jokes from the original Scary Movie were used again here.  Very ordinary.  Comfortably, one of the worst films of the year.