Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 August 2001

As a prequel to Kiss The Girls, Police Detective Alex Cross (Freeman) reprises his role as a leading expert in criminal profiling.  Eight months earlier, his partner put her life on the line and was killed on duty.  In semi-retirement since that fateful night, Cross still blames himself for her death and he hasn’t been the same since.

Attending a local school is 12-year-old Megan Rose (Boorem).  As the daughter of a White House Senator, she has to be monitored daily by Secret Service Agent Jezzie Flannigan (Potter) to ensure her safety.  One lunch hour, Megan is called into the office of her teacher Gary Soneji (Wincott) who isn’t quite who he appears to be.  Soneji kidnaps Megan leaving a message specifically for Alex Cross that he has her.  What is his motive?  How did he get past security?  Why has he involved Cross?

Yes, the answers are gradually revealed but no, they aren’t necessarily believable.  Last week I promoted Sean Penn’s The Pledge as a perfect example of a crime flick that defies convention.  This week, I can show you the exact opposite.  Along Came A Spider is just nonsense.

Morgan Freeman is a great actor and for the opening hour, his passion for the case makes the movie worth following.  He carefully dissects the clues and slowly puts the pieces of puzzle together.  Then, the film spirals.  Following a $10m ransom drop, a series of bizarre twists and strange coincidences left me shaking my head.  Without giving anything away, I’ll just say that the whole “Aces & Eights” thing is just what I’m talking about.

I haven’t read James Patterson’s novel (upon which the film is based) but can safely conclude that this is a very weak adaptation.  New Zealand director Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors) impresses with his work in Along Came A Spider but he deserves more substantial and meaningful material.  Along came… a waste of money.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 August 2001

This new film is more appropriately described as a retake on the book (written by Pierre Boulle) rather than a retake on the film.  We open with Captain Leo Davidson (Wahlberg) working on a space station above Earth.  The year is 2029 and the crew are investigating a space anomaly that has them all guessing.  Trained apes are being sent into the “black hole” but without the human touch, little is being learnt after contact is lost with the apes’ pods. 

Acting against orders, Leo boards a space pod of his own and tries to become a hero.  Instead, he finds himself crash landing into an unknown planet on which the apes are the leaders and the humans are the slaves.  Taking pity on Leo is an ape named Ari (Carter), the daughter of a leading senator.  Usually such respect for humans and quotes like “apes and humans are equal” would find her killed but ape leader Thade (Roth) has feelings for Ari and protects her from vocal critics.

Ari helps Leo escape from captivity after he promises to show her his ship and prove that humans were once intelligent.  Also making the journey are three other humans who Leo helped elude imprisonment.  On their tail are Thade and his army who are seriously threatened by this “human who came from the stars”.  He must be stopped or the apes’ prosperous way of life will be no longer.

Tim Burton is known for his differing direction - a quality that’s seen him much appreciated for works such as Edward Scisssorhands, Batman, Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!, and Sleepy Hollow.  I expected a very creative movie but Planet Of The Apes is the most standard film Burton has produced.  The opening half-hour is interesting as is the completely different ending in the final five minutes but the remainder of the film is a plotless “black hole” itself.

There’s a hint of a romantic threesome between Leo, Ari and Daena (one of the other human escapees) but it’s never explored.  There are also some disgraceful corny scenes that ruin many of the highlights and a good example is the young boy defying Leo and riding out on a horse in the film’s action finale.  In essence, I loved the original for the philosophical points it made regarding evolution and it is very disappointing for the same themes not to show through here.

It’s hard to pinpoint my favourite performances as most of the cast are unrecognisable.  I could gauge a few from their voices and spotted Charlton Heston’s “damn you all to hell” cameo but I didn’t even know Tim Roth was in the film (let alone a leading character) until I checked the credits.  The great part is that they really do look and act like apes which is a credit to the make-up crew, the special effects gang and those poor trainers who helped them perfect their walks, posture and grunting noises.

With all the hype and fanfare, I was expecting more from Planet Of The Apes.  I think I’m yet to find a remake that was equal to its predecessor and this is just another dose of Hollywood commercialism getting in the way of innovation.  20th Century Fox weren’t taking any chances and the decrease in plot combined with increased action has Planet Of The Apes following the trends set by Pearl Harbor, Tomb Raider, The Mummy Returns and Swordfish this summer.  The combined budget of these five films is in excess of $510m.  It’s an unbelievable waste of money and when idiots like me keep going to see films based solely on hype, the studios will keep winning.  All they’re interested in is my $13 and unfortunately they take it before I go into the cinema (when I’m willing) rather than on the way out (when I’m not).

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 August 2001

Bursting onto the scene with several early season wins, Jimmy Bly (Pardue) is the year’s hottest rookie indy car driver.  Three-time defending champion Beau Brandenburg (Schweiger) is feeling the heat with Jimmy drawing level on the championship table with only a handful of races to run.  However, Jimmy’s also feeling the pressure that comes with overnight fame.  Media commitments, advertising endorsements and meetings with management are too much for a young innocent kid to handle and his results on the track start slipping.

Team manager Carl Henry (Reynolds) doesn’t want this kid to crack and calls in old friend and ex-racing driver Joe Tanto (Stallone) to help him.  Tanto was once a young racing prodigy but he faded away when other commitments became more important.  Can Joe get Jimmy back on track or will he wind up as a burnt-out star like himself?

Indy car fans will be let down by Driven as it’s aimed at an audience with little prior knowledge.  With current safety levels, some of the extravagant crash scenes seem unbelievable.  I was also frustrated by the racing commentary which unnecessarily explains every minor detail of the sport.

Like the racing, the film is fast and doesn’t drag itself out.  There’s a ripper soundtrack and whilst some of the camerawork is a little confusing, I did get an adrenaline rush out of watching these cars travel at high speed.  Lucky there were no speed cameras on the way home from the theatre.

I wasn’t “driven” to boredom but I certainly wasn’t brimming with enthusiasm walking out of this flick.  Usually sports movies have more of an effect so I guess indy cars just aren’t my thing.

Sylvester Stallone and Burt Reynolds are better than average but most attention will be addressed towards newcomer Kip Pardue who’s only other significant role to date was as the hippy quarterback in Remember The Titans.  In the past, Stallone was a drawcard that could get audiences to flock to the cinema but Driven acts like a changing of the guard with Pardue in the beginnings of a similarly fruitful career.  There was one line though that particularly struck me - “Everyone falls down, it’s just how fast you get up.”  Well Sylvester, let’s see how long it takes.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 09 August 2001

The young girl’s mother pleads with Jerry to find those responsible and she makes him pledge that the killer will be brought to justice.  That same night, a convicted rapist named Toby Jay Wadenah (Del Toro) is arrested in a vehicle matching the description provided by a witness.  He is mentally handicapped and Officer Stan Krolak (Eckhart) conjures a weak confession before Wadenah steals an officer’s gun and commits suicide.  The case is closed to everyone but Jerry who doesn’t believe Wadenah was their man.

The police department he was once the centre of, aren’t interested in his theories and so Jerry leaves town.  He buys a rundown petrol station bordering the highway and lives a life of solitude.  Yet, he continually peruses police records and interviews those involved in a search for that one breakthrough clue that can prove the killer is still out there.

At a local bar he meets Lori (Wright Penn), a waitress with a young daughter named Chrissy.  He takes them into him home after Lori is beaten by her ex-husband and has nowhere to turn.  The three become a close family but a nasty thought develops in Jerry’s mind.  Could Chrissy be used as “bait” to lure the real killer out of hiding?

Rarely can I recommend a film so highly as a must see!  Each character is difficult to label and Jack Nicholson (in his first role since his Academy Award winning turn in As Good As It Gets) is dynamite.  You’re never quite sure whether he’s perceptive or just crazy.  Clearly evidenced by the cast he has assembled, actor Sean Penn has rapidly become a leading director.  Acclaimed stars have offered their services for even the tiniest of scenes.  Benecio Del Toro, Aaron Eckhart, Helen Mirren, Mickey Rourke, Sam Shepard, Harry Dean Stanton and Vanessa Redgrave are just a selection of those making an appearance.

Serial killer flicks are now a permanent staple on every studio’s release schedule but unlike Silence Of The Lambs, recent endings have been anything but thrilling.  We always know our hero is going to survive and the killer will make a stupid, hard-to-believe mistake that gives up his identity and solves the mystery.  The Pledge’s plot is something completely different.  We’re not even sure if there even is a killer and it’s this quality that distinguishes the film.  From the opening minute, you’ll doubt your otherwise reliable judgment.

The ending is the finest of the year.  It’s been 24 hours since I walked out of the cinema and I’ve thought about that ending more times than I’d care to admit - it’s brilliant.  That’s all I can reveal except to beg of you not to miss The Pledge and see for yourself just what critics are raving about.  A film that leaves you thinking not just to the very end, but beyond.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 August 2001

In Tigerland, we will never actually see our army recruits take on the elements in Vietnam.  The film looks primarily at their plight through eight weeks of advanced infantry training at Fort Polk, Louisiana followed by a week at the infamous “Tigerland” - a place that will make or break you.

The film centres on Bozz (Farrell), a young hothead who is spending more time in solitary confinement than with the rest of the regiment.  He’s constantly goofing off and trying to get out of the army but this contrasts his intelligence and sharp ability with a rifle.  He becomes best friends with Paxton (Davis), a quiet honest young man who’s just doing his thing - he doesn’t believe in war but believes in defending his country.

Director Joel Schumacher’s career has nose-dived in recent years.  He is still acclaimed for his earlier works which include St. Elmo’s Fire, The Lost Boys, Dying Young, The Client and the brilliant Falling Down.  The past five years have seen him succumb to Hollywood commercialism with Batman Forever, Batman & Robin, A Time To Kill and the horrible 8MM.

Most critics agree that Tigerland is a return to the Schumacher of old.  The film is grainy, lacking colour and looks as if it was shot in 1971.  The story can be separated into two parts - the opening hour sees them battle the elements of boot camp and the closing hour sees them battle Tigerland and their inner selves.  The screenplay acutely captures varying emotions.  They’re cocky and green when they arrive but as they set off to Vietnam, they know that they’re probably not coming back.

Colin Farrell delivers an incredible performance that earned him the best actor prize from the Boston Society of Film Critics last year.  It’s a wonder he was overlooked come Oscar time but I’m sure the film’s limited release was a major factor.  Don’t be deterred by a similarly small release in Australia.  Tigerland is an emotional character driven story that offers a thought-provoking and gripping conclusion.