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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 March 2001

Mary wants to be made partner and puts an ultimatum to her boss Geri (Najimy).  There's an important wedding coming up involving Fran Donolly (Wilson) and her very wealthy parents are on the market for a wedding planner.  If Mary can get the job for the firm, Geri has reluctantly agreed to give her half of the business.

As talented as she is, you'd think Mary would be happily married herself but not so.  She lives alone, hasn't had a relationship in months and has her family and friends constantly trying to set her up.  Then, destiny steps in.  In an “only in the movies” moment, Mary finds herself on a road with a giant rubbish bin hurtling towards her.  In the last gasp, she is saved by a young gentleman but then passes out from shock.

When Mary awakes, she's in a hospital and the young man who saved her is looking down at her.  It turns out he's Dr Steve Edison (McConaughey) and destiny has seen them mutually attracted to each other.  They end up spending a romantic evening in a park dancing and watching classic movies.  Could this be the one?

It wouldn't be a script without drama and the dilemma soon presents itself.  It turns out that Fran is Steve's fiancé which creates the ultimate complication.  The man of her dreams is marrying her most important client.  Does she want to risk her career or is true love more important?

Some moments in The Wedding Planner left me cringing and most were provided by Jennifer Lopez.  She is a great actress and I feel she's better than roles like this so I hope to see her with juicier parts in the future.  The rest of the cast all have their quirks but the screenplay gives few a chance to shine - it is tacky.

In hindsight, it's the radiance of Lopez that puts the film a notch above similar romantic comedies.  Like Julia Roberts, her presence on screen is notable and gives any movie a boost.  The lavish weddings on show will leave women swooning - maybe more so than the romance between Lopez and McConaughey.  See it if you must but expect few surprises.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 March 2001

Let me set the scene.  Sandra Bullock is Gracie Hart, an unlady-like FBI agent.  She cares little about her appearance and is well trained in martial arts.  Given she’s a woman, Gracie finds it hard to fit in at the Bureau and often misses out on the top assignments.  That Bureau’s top job at the moment involves a mysterious assailant responsible for a spate of bombings which have been preceded by a note revealing clues to its location.  Gracie seems to have cracked the code of the latest letter in believing the target will be the Miss America beauty pageant but fellow agent Eric Matthews (Bratt) is selected to lead the task force.

The only way to protect the contestants will be to have someone on the inside and the only person suitable for the job is Gracie.  After a discussion with pageant hosts Stan Fields (Shatner) and Kathy Morningside (Bergen), she’s entered in the contest as Miss New Jersey.  How so you ask?  Well it so happens that the FBI has found that the real Miss New Jersey stared in porno film, Armagonnagedidon, and that wouldn't look too good if exposed, would it?

With only two days to prepare, fashion consultant Victor Melling (Caine) is called in for the toughest job of his career.  He transforms Gracie from "dirty Harriet" into a starlet with a chance of going all the way in the contest.  Not only that, her new found beauty has captured the attention of Agent Matthews.

I've wasted enough time already so I'll keep it brief from here.  It's a totally zany, crazy plot that didn't give me that zany, crazy feeling.  It's limited too much by the boundaries it creates and none of the actors have a chance to shine.  Beauty pageants are mocked in many movies and to have this entire film based around one, didn't provide enough original material.  Even more patronising was watching Sandra Bullock learn just how great and intelligent the contestants were - they're not the "bimbos" she envisioned.

Film critics must look forward to reviewing Sandra Bullock movies because they are so easy to criticise.  Her previous five leading films have been Speed 2, Hope Floats, Practical Magic, Forces Of Nature and 28 Days.  Not one of the films was worth of more than a C+ in my book and Miss Congeniality continues the trend.  At first I believed that Sandra was receiving some bad career advice from her agent but now I'm not so sure.  Sandra Bullock is credited as a producer of this film which gives me an even lesser opinion of her - how could she read this script and agree to both star and produce!  Total madness!!!

"Miss Sandra Bullock, you are before this court charged with being a cinematic nuisance."

"I wish to plead insanity.  I mean just look at every film I've made in the past five years."

"Enough said!  There is nothing left to prove.  Case dismissed."

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 March 2001

Despite this, President Evans is going against trend and plans to appoint Senator Laine Hanson (Allen) as his swansong late in his final term.  He wants to prove that a woman can serve at the highest level of the American government.  Under American law, it's not a simple matter when nominating and appointing a new vice-president.  The Constitution requires that he or she be confirmed by a special committee which is representative of both Republicans and Democrats.

Shelly Runyon (Oldman) is head of the committee and has no plans of confirming Hanson.  He believes the best "man" for the job is Hathaway and is not going to appoint a woman just because she is a woman.  The only way to stop her will be to bring her down and with his advisors, Runyon digs and uncovers a juicy past.  Photos supported by eyewitnesses show Hanson performing sexual favours at a sorority party in college.  Her clean image is about to be destroyed.

I love a good political thriller and The Contender is up there with the best.  Despite the fact we like to hate and criticise politicians, we still hold them in high regard.  When you stick a microphone in front of them and hear them speak, it's newsworthy and we pay attention.  This is a strong point made in The Contender.  Given the level of power they hold, people crave for such lofty positions and will do anything to get there.  Is it the best person who gets the job or is it just the most ambitious?

The film also raises important issues regarding women in politics.  How long will it be until a woman leads the United States of America?  Sure women hold more seats in the Senate than ever before but they always have and perhaps always will, take a back seat when it comes to the top positions.

Aside from the topical interest I had in the film, it makes great viewing from an entertainment perspective.  Writer-director Rod Lurie has done a superlative job and the cinematography and set decoration give the film a fast-paced realism.  Joan Allen is one of my favourite actresses and shows her talent with the difficult role (which has earned her an Oscar nomination) and Jeff Bridges (also nominated) is strong as the President.  Most striking was Gary Oldman, surprisingly overlooked at this year's Academy Awards.  It's about time Oldman took on more demanding roles having seen him in recent action junk (Lost In Space, Air Force One and The Fifth Element).

Whilst it may not be everyone's forte,  The Contender proves that intelligent movies appeal to an intelligent audience.  They’re rare in today's cinematic environment and the reason is simple - they just don't make enough money (this film only made $18m in America).  I guess we just have to savour them while they're showing.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 March 2001

As Buddy's own flight gets called around 10pm, he decides to play the nice guy routine.  He offers Greg his ticket on the plane who graciously accepts.  This leaves Buddy stuck at the airport for the night and provides the excuse to head back to Mimi's room for a one night stand.

Flashing lights and loud sirens awake them both the following morning.  Flight 82, of which Greg was a passenger, crashed killing everyone on board.  After this incredible twist of fate, Buddy's life now has new meaning - he should have been on that plane and somehow, he's still alive.  It's too much to deal with and developing alcohol problems see him wind up in a drug rehabilitation clinic.

A year passes and Buddy returns to work at his advertising business.  In the back of his mind, he's always felt guilty about giving Greg that ticket and he goes in search of his wife, Abby (Paltrow), to see how she is coping with the loss.  The problem is that as Buddy meets Abby and gets to know her, he develops a mutual attraction.  Can he continue this relationship?  Can he hide the truth that he was the guy who gave her husband the ticket who took his life?

Don Roos is a gifted screenwriter whose credits include Boys On The Side and Single White Female.  He made his debut writing/directing effort in 1998's The Opposite Of Sex which is a much underrated comedy.  Making The Opposite Of Sex so special was the dialogue shared between the characters.  It wasn't a bold or original concept but everyone was realistic and funny.  Clearly, Bounce isn't an original idea either but despite Roos’ best efforts, it, like the plane, never gets off the ground.

The film begins promisingly with snazzy opening credits.  Bounce suffers in the final half-hour when it degenerates into a soppy cry-fest with every audience member known exactly what will happen in the end.  Few remember that both Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow have starred together before with both appearing in 1998's Academy Award winning Shakespeare In Love.  They make a believable couple but when the tears start flowing from the two, I couldn't help laughing at how fake it all seemed.

The reviews have been surprisingly upbeat from the States and I went with an open mind but Bounce continues the recent trend of poor romantic dramadies.  With such movies, there are only two possible outcomes - they either end up together or they don't.  Given the lesser emphasis on the ending, what makes the film is its development in the middle.  If you want to see a film that shows what I mean, see The Opposite Of Sex and save Bounce for a later date.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 March 2001

Now loose in New Orleans, Dracula (played by Gerard Butler) feeds on the blood of his victims whilst in search of an elusive young lady by the name of Mary Heller (Waddell).  She has had premonitions of Dracula's return but cannot understand why she has these visions.  The answer will be revealed when Dracula finally presents himself at her door step.

In the meantime, Van Helsing has travelled to New Orleans with assistant Simon Sheppard (Miller) to track down and recapture Dracula.  They will also need to kill anyone who has been transformed into a vampire with his deadly bite to ensure his presence will not continue.

There are a few nice surprises in Dracula 2000 so I won't give away any more secrets but within 20 minutes I knew it was just that little bit different.  There are no big stars and any preconceptions as to who would live and who would die went out the window.  Usually the big stars always survive till the end but it's hard to predict just what fate is in store for this cast.  Christopher Plummer (The Insider) is the standout performer but I also enjoyed many of the subtle, sarcastic comments from English actor Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting).

Wes Craven is an executive producer (no surprise there) and Dracula 2000 comes from the same Miramax subsidiary, Dimension Films, which have brought us The Crow, eXistenZ, From Dusk Till Dawn, Scary Movie and the Scream trilogy.  I can't say I've enjoyed all their films but they have a strong presence in the horror market and seem to have found enough screenwriters to keep the genre alive.  Their films are always a cut above the copycat horror flicks we've seen from other film studios and if you're looking for examples, just remember that Columbia Tristar was responsible for the pathetic I Know What You Did Last Summer and Urban Legend series.  A lot of bad memories...