Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 16 July 2000

When he receives a phone call bringing news that his brother has had a stroke, he decides it is time to go see him in Mt. Zion, Wisconsin.  They have not spoken in ten years but Alvin feels that with little time left for both of them, it’s time to bury the hatchet.

Just how exactly is Alvin going to travel the 300 odd miles to Mt. Zion?  By a ride-on lawnmower.  It’s about the only thing Alvin can still drive and he sets off, determined to make the trip on his own.  It is his own way of paying penance for his failure to reconcile with his brother all those years ago.

Along the way, Alvin meets an assortment of characters and his kindness and decency touch their lives.  Overnight he sleeps in a small trailer towed behind the mower and eats nothing much more than wieners for the whole trip.  Like old folk are, he was determined to do it his way.

This is a true story.  The real Alvin Straight travelled this journey back in 1994 before passing away in 1996 and the film is dedicated to his memory.

It’s hard to believe that David Lynch is behind the camera for this G-rated flick from Walt Disney.  When you consider Lynch’s most famous works - Blue Velvet, Lost Highway and the TV series Twin Peaks, you would think a film like The Straight Story would be the last project he would tackle.

Lynch, boosted by cinematography from Freddie Francis and music from Angelo Badalamenti has painted a picturesque portrait of Southern America.  The film is a magical tapestry of sights and sounds.  Lynch, enhancing the viewing experience, captures everything from a beautiful sunset to the sound of a harvester with immaculate precision.

Given the material, this film could so easily have been a tiring bore that is even more credit to the talent of David Lynch and the crew.  Richard Farnsworth, who this year became the oldest actor in history to receive an Academy Award nomination, is wonderful as Alvin.  It was the role of a lifetime and it’s funny that he’s had to wait 79 years for the opportunity.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 July 2000

There is one answer to Luke’s problems.  An exclusive, secret society known as the Skulls has the reputation of providing for one’s future but obtaining membership is harder than cracking the most secure safe.

Luke is given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when he is preselected as a candidate for membership and put through a series of tests to evaluate his loyalty.  He is paired with Caleb (Walker), with whom he develops a bond.  Everything is perfect for Luke until his best friend is found hanged in his room and suspicions are aroused.  Does this have anything to do with his association with the Skulls?

The Skulls is an attempt to break away from the traditional teen mould of soppy romance.  It has its thrills but gets bogged down in its oversimplification.  It’s disrespectful to the audience that studios think lowly enough of our intelligence to be taken in by this film.  It could have been so much better.

The cast does little to save the script with Jackson playing the good guy (as always) with his familiar style. Walker gets the juicier role and makes more of it.

It is rumoured that organisations like this do exist all over America and that the CIA was founded in such a way.  That may be the case but given the bunch of yuppie saps that are members of the Skulls, I’d rather not be a member.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 July 2000

Ryan yearns for Ashley (O’Keefe), the most popular girl at school who hasn’t looked twice at Ryan in their entire time at the school.  Ashley’s cousin, Chris (Franco), seems to have a soft spot for Maggie but Maggie finds him too much of a jock to be interested.  From all this, a compromise arises.  Ryan will help Chris win the affections of Maggie if Chris will help Ryan’s chances with Ashley.

Whether deliberate or accidental, Whatever It Takes seems vastly different from previous teen movies.  Firstly, the cast features no big name stars that works effectively since we are not seeing the same, usual actors in their repetitious roles (ala Freddie Prinze Jnr, Julia Stiles, etc).  Secondly, the characters seem to exhibit more human qualities than other films.  Sure they’re predictable but the dialogue and storyline is easier to swallow.

I’m sure the four leading stars are destined for further work.  All have lined up several projects for 2000 and keep an eye out for Sokoloff for her great work in one of TV’s best shows, The Practice.

Like one of my favourite teen flicks, 10 Things I Hate About You, Whatever It Takes’s best feature is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously.  It’s not trying to answer life’s impossible questions and is a comedic tale of love-struck teenagers.  It seems almost all these films end with a prom and whilst Whatever It Takes is no exception, it throws up a few surprises including an extremely funny takeoff from Titanic.

We may start off down that familiar road but I ended up in a place I didn’t quite expect.  A teen comedy worth recommending?  Surprisingly, yes.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 29 June 2000

Determined to prove them wrong, Billy rounds up his crew for one last trip before the winter sets in.  One of the crew, Bobby Shatford (Wahlberg), has left despite the wishes of his wife (Lane). She’s ready to settle down and make a go of it with Bobby and wants him to give up his fishing career.

What they encountered on that trip is what meteorologists define as the “perfect storm” - when a cold front, a low and a hurricane collide to create a massive weather system.  Crucial navigation decisions will have to be made that will affect their survival as the ultimate battle between man and Mother Nature takes form.

Director Wolfgang Petersen (Air Force One, Das Boat) has pulled off a supreme directorial effort for The Perfect Storm and is backed by the wonderful editing of Australian Richard Francis-Bruce (The Shawshank Redemption, Seven) and the cinematography from another Aussie, John Seale (The English Patient, Rain Man).

The special effects in The Perfect Storm comfortably surpass those seen in other disaster films of recent years.  The line between live and computer-generated has been blended with such precision that it’s impossible to differentiate between the two.  The realism provided by the visual effects are the key to supporting the screenplay and giving the story it’s “edge of your seat” quality.  It’s rare to see such a developed plot feature in an action film.  Time is actually taken at the start of this film to develop characters.  As seen by this week’s other release, Gone In 60 Seconds, the action should be built around the story and not vise-versa.

The acting performances are top-notch with some great scenes shared between two stars George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg.  Also working effectively was the creation of several, smaller sub-stories which helped build tension and create a higher interest level.

Perhaps the only downside to The Perfect Storm was the drawn out ending.  Without giving too much away, the film’s final five minutes release the tight grip the film has over the audience and is most unnecessary.

Not to be overlooked as another one of those Hollywood summer disaster movies, The Perfect Storm relies upon a super cast and crew to creates a film with power and feeling that throws up more than a few surprises for the better.   A “perfect” action movie.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 July 2000

So what kind of qualities am I talking about?  Professor X (Stewart) is their aged leader and has tremendous psychopathic abilities.  Wolverine (Jackman) has tremendous physical strength and metal claws protruding from his knuckles.  Storm (Berry) can influence the weather.  Cyclops (Marsden) can shoot lasers from his eyes.  You get the picture?

On the other hand, there is an evil race of mutants led by the powerful Magneto (McKellan) who want to destroy all humans so that the mutants can dominate the Earth.  When Magneto comes across a very important mutant named Rogue (Paquin), he discovers the secret to fulfilling his objectives and thus it’s up to the “good” mutants to try to save the human race.

It seems most every comic book and cartoon series has made its venture to the big screen and X-Men has come across with some heavy financial backing.  It’s a big cast with some elaborate special effects that are well crafted.  It’s quite dark and has striking similarities with the original Batman (released way back in 1989) only with more commercialism.

The plot has substance but is confusing at times and you’ll have to be paying close attention to keep up.  It takes a long time to set up the characters and once the action gets started and the interest builds, it’s all but over.  Over 45 minutes of the film was cut by the studio to try to make the film faster and more audience-friendly.  Without having seen the extra footage, I feel sure it would have made X-Men a better view.

A bigger annoyance is that the ending so obviously sets up a sequel that it’s hard to feel you’ve reached a conclusion.  It’s like we’ve seen part one and we’ll have to wait a couple of years to find out how it ends.  I guess it’s similar to reading a comic book in that the super villain always manages to elude them so that more adventures can be created.  I shouldn’t have to pay to see the next movie because technically I haven’t seen the end of the first one.

I was surprised to see Bryan Singer as director given his previous two projects - The Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil.  Singer’s direction is intense and creates strong interest and suspense.  The X-Men aren’t exactly household names and Singer has created a film that will generate heavy interest in the franchise.

It’s always nice to see summer blockbusters that aren’t just plastic characters acting cheesy storylines.  Whilst not covering any new ground, X-Men is simple entertainment that’ll sucker you in for a couple of hours.  Take plenty of popcorn.