Reviews
Dancer In The Dark
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Lars Von Trier |
| Written by: | Lars Von Trier |
| Starring: | Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare, Udo Kier |
| Released: | December 26, 2000 |
| Grade: | A- |
The most prestigious honour that can be bestowed from any film festival worldwide would have to be the Palm D’Or (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival. It is the grand prize and has been won recently by films including Secrets And Lies, Pulp Fiction and The Piano. It seems every year the award is shrouded in controversy as it is selected by a 15 member jury whose opinions tend to differ from the general public.
Lars Von Trier’s Dancer In The Dark was this year’s Palm D’or winner and as always, critics were at loggerheads. Some claimed the film the film was deserving but others claimed it was redemption for Von Trier not winning in 1997 for Breaking The Waves, a personal favourite of mine.
Dancer In The Dark is the story of Selma, a Czech mother with a 12-year-old son who migrated to the United States. Both suffer from a birth defect in that they are slightly retarded and have failing eyesight. As we discover, Selma has less than a year before she is totally blind. In that time, she is working flat out at a factory to save money for an operation that can prevent her son from succumbing to blindness also.
Selma lives in a caravan rented from local police-office Bill (Morse) and his wife. Bill inherited a large sum of money but through his wife’s lavish spending, the money is all gone and the bank is to repossess their house. When Bill finds that Selma has over $2,000 stashed in her home, he steals the money and claims it is his own. Who’s going to believe a retarded Czech mother over a local police officer?
Unbelievably painful to watch is the most apt way of describing Dancer In The Dark. To take advantage of the disadvantaged is a callous act and it’s impossible not to be affected emotionally.
Singer turned actor Bjork, is strikingly brilliant as Selma as are the supporting cast members. Von Trier uses many moving camera shots and close-ups and with the help of the cast, creates a “documentary-like” production adding to the realism. I should have read the posters for the film before seeing the film as it contained a warning - “Dancer In The Dark commences with a four minute musical overture, accompanied only by a blank screen”. Sure enough, many were left confused and one patron even complained to the staff indicating that there was a problem with the print.
The film would easily have been up with the best of the year had Von Trier not insisted on weaving unusual musical numbers into it. I’m not sure what they are intended to indicate but distract from the main show - sort of like ad breaks. Bjork may be a great actress but her singing technique is not my style and given she sings eight songs during the film, it becomes very annoying.
Certainly not for everyone, Dancer In The Dark again illustrates the talents of Lars Von Trier whilst also showing that he is human. Clearly the big winner is Bjork with her performance and one wonders whether she’ll stick with singing or acting. I’m hoping for acting.
Little Nicky
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Steven Brill |
| Written by: | Tim Herlihy, Adam Sandler, Steven Brill |
| Starring: | Adam Sandler, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Rhys Ifans, Rodney Dangerfield, Reece Witherspoon |
| Released: | December 26, 2000 |
| Grade: | B |
Having made cameos in The Wedding Singer and Big Daddy, Steven Brill pulls on the director’s cap in Adam Sandler’s latest mindless comedy, Little Nicky. Hell is currently in a time of conflict with Satan (Keitel) ready to retire after 10,000 years on the throne. He has three sons - Adrian (Ifans), Cassius (Tom Lister Jr.) and Nicky (Sandler). Both Adrian and Cassius dream of the title but Nicky wants nothing to do with it.
When Satan decides to sit for another 10,000 years, Adrian and Cassius are furious. They ascend to the surface in a plot to overtake and rule Earth. In doing so, they have blocked the passage that takes people to hell which threatens to destroy it. In desperation, Satan sends Nicky upworld to try to capture Adrian and Cassius and bring them back to hell to solve the problem.
Things aren’t going to be easy for Nicky as he’s unaccustomed to the human lifestyle. Led by a talking dog (a friend of his father), he’ll meet a bizarre assortment of characters which each rivalling the last.
Certainly different, Little Nicky is an unusually entertaining film. Personally, I question its M rating and suggest the censors were a little lenient given the subject material. I mean would a 14-year-old kid understand why Satan is sticking a large pineapple up Hitler’s ass? That’s the kind of humour you should expect.
The liveliest part of the film came from the numerous cameos. Jon Lovitz, Dana Carvey, Rob Schneider, Quentin Tarantino and Rodney Dangerfield all make surprising appearances. The best of the bunch was Reece Witherspoon as a “laid-back” angel from heaven who enjoys talking with her friends on her mobile and drinking the odd daiquiri.
Sandler films are an acquired taste and apart from The Wedding Singer, I haven’t been a fan. It’s tough to see a good comedian limited to the same stupid scripts over and over. At least Little Nicky is original enough to break some new ground.
Actors like Tom Hanks and Jim Carrey have broken the shackles and moved from comedy to drama but one feels Sandler doesn’t have that ability. Yet as I speak, Sandler has just signed with one of Hollywood’s leading directors, Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, Magnolia), to star in a top-secret movie. Given the class of Anderson and the lack thereof from Sander, that will be a movie worth seeing!
The Nutty Professor 2
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Peter Segal |
| Written by: | Barry W. Blaustein, David Sheffield, Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz |
| Starring: | Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson, Larry Miller, John Ales, Richard Grant |
| Released: | December 14, 2000 |
| Grade: | C- |
Professor Sheman Klump is back with new material. In the original remake of 1996, Sherman discovered a serum that allowed him to lose hundreds of pounds but as a side effect, the nasty Buddy Love persona was created. In the follow up sequel, Sherman has again cracked one of life’s impossibilities - the secret to the aging process and his latest concoction looks set to net him 150 million dollars.
The trouble is, Sherman hasn’t been feeling very well lately. It seems that after the Buddy Love incident, a few of Buddy’s genes remained in his system and they are starting to show strength. Buddy is busting to get out of Sherman, who finds he is starting to lose control of his own body.
In a bold experiment, Sherman attempts to remove Buddy’s genes, which initially proves successful, but ramifications follow. Firstly, Sherman finds his intelligence dwindling, which may cost him the wealthy contract, and secondly, Buddy’s extracted genes have been inadvertently mixed with DNA recreating a human Buddy who wants the contract to himself.
This film is nothing but a vehicle for the creativity of Eddie Murphy and make-up artist Rick Baker. There is no story but rather a series of sketches involving the whole Klump family who seem to only talk about farting, burping and erections. In all, Murphy plays 8 roles - Sherman Klump, “Papa” Klump, Young Cletus Klump, “Mama” Klump, Ernie Klump, Grandma Klump, Buddy Love and Lance Perkins. It may be funny for a while but having seen the routine in the original, Murphy is in serious need of a genre change.
The opening half-hour was excruciatingly boring and little changed in the later stages. Janet Jackson is useless as is Larry Miller and what was Chris Elliot doing in such a minor role? To make things even more predictable, brace yourself for the closing credits where we see all the “funny” outtakes involving Eddie Murphy.
Someone needs to explain to director Peter Segal the definition of the word “original”. The Nutty Professor 2 marks his fourth film as a director following The Naked Gun 33 1/3, Tommy Boy and My Fellow Americans. A total of five writers were responsible for the film and that’s not a particularly good sign either. In the words of McBain one feels “there were script problems from day one”.
One for the barrel, The Nutty Professor 2 is a fruitless attempt to cash in on the popularity of the original. How times have changed. The original The Nutty Professor with Jerry Lewis in 1966 was a great film and of course, no sequel was required. However, this is now the 21st Century and with few new ideas being tossed around, don’t be surprised if the number of sequels from other recent hits is on the rise. If they release a sequel to Titanic, I’m of here.
Vertical Limit
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Martin Campbell |
| Written by: | Robert King, Terry Hayes |
| Starring: | Chris O’Donnell, Bill Paxton, Robin Tunney, Scott Glenn, Temuera Morrison, Ben Mendelsohn |
| Released: | December 21, 2000 |
| Grade: | B |
Peter (O’Donnell) and Annie (Tunney) are brother and sister and adventurous rock-climbers. That is until an accident results in the death of their father. Both Peter and Annie take the tragedy hard and over time find themselves drifting away from each other.
Three years pass and chance brings them together. Peter is photographer for a National Geographic piece in Pakistan and when a crew member is injured, they are forced to travel by helicopter to a mountain climbing community for medical assistance. It is there he finds Annie, preparing to scale K-2 (the world’s second highest mountain) with business man Elliot Vaughn (Paxton) and guide Tom McLaren (Nicholas Lea).
All three are climbing for different reasons. Tom is being paid $1,000,000 for the expedition. Elliot is after publicity having just started a new airline and wants to be on top of the mountain when the first plane passes overhead. Annie wants to do it for her father who knows he would be proud of her conquering one of man’s greatest challenges.
Things go horribly wrong when bad weather and a resulting avalanche trap them in a deep underground cavern at 26,000 feet (just over 2,000 feet from the summit). At that height, the human body cannot last for long and projections give them just 36 hours to live. And so, a team of six (including Peter), against all odds, ascend K-2 in a daring speed ascent rescue mission...
You don’t take films like Vertical Limit seriously - just kick back and enjoy the ride. Sure there was plenty of bad dialogue and impossible escapes but I seemed to find myself caught up in the suspense. Performances were admirable all things considered but Scott Glenn is always worth watching on screen and was in my opinion, the standout.
Excruciatingly frustrating was some of the direction from New Zealand director Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, The Mask Of Zorro). On more than one instance, we’d see cast members in life-threatening situations but we’d never seem escape. Next time we see the character, all is well. Examples included the opening sequence with Peter and Annie rock-climbing and the final scene where Annie is pulled from the crevice.
Colombia Pictures has been promoting this film for months but early box-office projections from the United States suggest the film isn’t performing as expected. Sure it may be fun, but the public are tiring of repetitious action. It’s time to change the script.
Bring It On
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Peyton Reed |
| Written by: | Jessica Bendinger |
| Starring: | Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradforde, Gabrielle Union, Clare Kramer, Nathan West |
| Released: | December 14, 2000 |
| Grade: | B+ |
If there’s been one bright spot in the 2000 cinematic year, it’s been the resurgence of dance. In the past three months, we’ve seen Centre Stage (ballet), Bootmen (tap), Billy Elliot (ballet/tap) and now comes a different kind of dance from an unexpected source - cheerleading. As the choreographer says, “cheerleaders are dancers who have gone retarted”.
To Torrance Shipman (Dunst), cheerleading is everything. In her final year at Rancho Carne High School, San Diego, she’s been elected captain of the school squad (known as the Toros). Cheerleading is more than just playing second fiddle at football matches. Every good cheerleader wants a chance to compete at the national titles and take on the best American has to offer.
The Toros are a renowned team and Torrance aspires to lead them to their 6th consecutive national title. Things change quickly though when it is discovered the previous captain had been stealing cheers from the East Compton school in Los Angeles (known as the Clovers). It’s either take a chance and show up with the copied routine or come up with a completely new routine in a matter of weeks. Neither option looks particularly attractive.
Every teen film is black and white with no grey in between. From the outset, Bring It On has spark, originality, fair and plenty of grey. The characters are tough to gauge with emphasis going to Eliza Dushku and Jesse Bradforde (as Missy and Cliff), a brother and sister who don’t hate each other (for once) but rather show a fun, light-hearted look at such a relationship. Other teen moulds are thrown out the window including a lack of parental interference.
Before getting carried away, Bring It On does have its fair share of corny scenes and tacky characters to keep my eyes rolling. Still, the grand finale at the national finals was extremely well put together with the final result unknown to the very end - both teams deserved to win and I actually felt it was a shame there had to be a loser (i.e. grey area).
Everyone loves dancing - it’s the most popular form of creative expression. Just take a look at the dance floor of a nightclub at 1am on a Saturday morning and see if people are having a good time (try to look beyond the alcohol). There are some weird looking people with some weird looking moves but how many times have you felt yourself clicking your fingers or swinging those hips when even watching. In a darkened movie theatre, that feeling still resonates. So as for the future of dance on screen, given my adoration for them, I say Bring It On.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Details
- Written by Matthew Toomey
| Directed by: | Ang Lee |
| Written by: | Hui-Ling Wang, James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai |
| Starring: | Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Ziyi Zhang, Chen Chang, Sihung Lung |
| Released: | December 21, 2000 |
| Grade: | B+ |
In horse racing terminology, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has a great form line. Last September, it took top prize at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival. Three of the last four winners in Toronto have gone on to receive an Academy Award nomination for best picture - American Beauty, Life Is Beautiful and Shine. Even more significant are the films it beat home in this year’s competition - The Dish finished second and Billy Elliot finished third - two of my favourite films this year.
From Taiwan and subtitled appropriately, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon begins with great warrior Li Mu Bai (Yun-Fat) donating his 400-year-old sword to Sir Te. Through deep meditation he has come to an understanding that it is time to retire. For years he has searched for his mentor’s killer, Jade Fox, but has realised he may never find her.
Yet as soon as the Sir Te has possession of the sword it is stolen by a masked assailant with incredible skill in martial arts. Just who is this talented swordsman and is there any link with Jade Fox? The answers slowly unfold...
The best way of describing the film is as a fable filled with magic and mystical beings. I found the plot predictable and a flashback scene of some half-an-hour midway though the film was a serious distraction from the main tangent. Regardless, Ang Lee has produced more than I could imagine from the limited screenplay.
Speaking of Ang Lee, he would comfortably be included in my top 5 list of directors based on his efforts in Sense And Sensibility and particularly The Ice Storm. The sword fighting scenes (and there are several of them) and incredibly shot. In so many movies, we see a duel between two swordsman begin with each competitor going back and forth before one appears to be defeated before combating with an unseen manoeuvre to win the battle. No so in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Each individual duel was fast and intense with no needless “fencing”. For once I enjoyed the action more than the dramatic scenes.
As Taiwan’s entry at next year’s Academy Award, I can comfortably predict Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon walking away with the best foreign language Oscar next March. It again illustrates the difference between cultures and the hidden talent that exists in non-English speaking countries. It’s great to see the film getting a chance on a world stage and coming through with “flying” colours. You will be very surprised.