Reviews - 2000

Almost Famous

New film by Cameron Crowe. It's a semi-autobiographical account of a young journalist's odyssey on tour with a tipped for the top rock band in the mid-seventies. If you think you might enjoy this film then you probably will. It's enjoyable, but it's not nearly as enjoyable as Crowe's last film 'Jerry Maguire'. Patrick Fugit, in the lead role is very good, and Frances McDormand as his mother is excellent, as is Philip Seymour Hoffman.

American Psycho

Reasonable attempt by Mary Harron to film an essentially unfilmable novel about a Wall Street dealer who revels in murder and depravity under everone's nose. Worth a watch as there are some funny scenes, and a convincing performance by Christian Bale as the demented Patrick Bateman.

The Beach

From the same team that brought us Trainspotting, this is Leonardo DiCaprio's first film since Titanic. Leo's pretty good, and the scenery is stunning, but not much happens, and Danny Boyle's obsession with making his films 'hip' and commercial means there's too much emphasis on techno tunes, and after a while it all seems like a pop promo.

Brother

The new film from Japanese director and star 'Beat' Takeshi Kitano takes him to America for the first time. It's a bloody tale of Yakuza and gangsters which is very well done, but kind of loses it's way in the middle. Kitano is very good both in front of and behind the camera (and in the editing room too).

Cast Away

While the likes of Speilberg causes a publicity juggernaut to spring into action with every movie he releases, Robert Zemeckis keeps quietly turning in wonderfully entertaining and brilliantly made films, one after another. This one stars Tom Hanks in an Oscar-worthy turn as a ship-wrecked FedEx man washed ashore on a tropical island after his plane crashes. Funny and moving, and never dull.

Chopper

Fact-based drama about the life and times of Mark 'Chopper' Read, a criminal in Australia, who spent most of his life in and out of prison. Eric Bana in the title role is very good indeed, and there are some very funny moments in what is a pretty grim tale.

The Gift

Something of a return to form by Sam Raimi, after a couple of disappointing mainstream films. This is a gothic whodunnit with Cate Blanchett as a fortune teller in a southern town who becomes involved in a murder case. Blanchett is very good in the lead role, and holds the whole film together. Giovanni Ribisi is also good as her disturbed friend, and Keanu Reeves is much better than usual. There are some effective scary touches by Sam Raimi, who knows what he's doing when it comes to scaring people.

Gladiator

Russell Crowe shows just what a star he is in this epic tale of his journey from Roman general to slave and gladiator. Not my cup of tea, and does borrow heavily from Kubrick's Spartacus but Ridley Scott is no slouch when it comes to directing, and the cgi work is impressive. Oliver Reed delivers a solid swan song performance too.

High Fidelity

John Cusack stars as a record-store owner with a complicated love-life. The dialogue is wonderful, and Cusack acts his socks off. The supporting characters are excellent too, especially Jack Black, who does a wonderful turn as the manic Barry.

The Legend of Bagger Vance

Robert Redford's new film, starring Matt Damon and Will Smith, is pretty involving if extremely predictable due to Redford's rather heavy-handed direction. His determination to make golf seem like a 'magical' game is a little irritating as is the fact that every scene is signposted - it's clear from the very beginning of the movie what is going to happen at the very end. Matt Damon and Will Smith make the best of what they've been given, which isn't much, but if you like a game of golf you'll probably get a lot out of this

The Luzhin Defence

This is John Turturro's film. He plays the titular character and he's the reason you want to keep watching. Pretty interesting if you like chess, not so much if you don't. Differs quite a bit from Vladimir Nabokov's book of the same name.

Meet The Parents

Ben Stiller has a mountain to climb to impress ex-CIA agent Robert DeNiro enough to let him marry his daughter. Both stars shine brightly in this enjoyably daft film by Jay Roach (of 'Austin Powers' fame).

O Brother Where Art Thou?

It's the new film from the Coen Brothers, and really that's all you need to know. One of their very best, it's an absolute tonic if you're feeling down. Seeing George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson wearing false beards, singing 'Man of Constant Sorrow' at a hoe-down is enough to make even the most jaded movie-goer fall about laughing. Brilliant.

Pay It Forward

A shamelessly sentimental film about a young boy's idea for creating a better world by doing good deeds for three strangers in the hopes that each will do the same. Pushes all the right emotional buttons, and there are no surprises, but the acting is of such high quality that the cast almost pull the whole thing off. Kevin Spacey should be the front runner for best actor Oscar this year.

Proof of Life

Why such a low score? All the ingredients are in place, but none of it works, chiefly because of poor story-telling; there didn't seem to be any sense of danger or excitement, and I found myself wondering at people's motivations throughout the whole movie. Almost everyone in the cast kind of sleepwalks through the movie, going through the motions. David Morse's performance as the kidnapee is the best of a bad bunch.

Quills

Tale of the last months of the Marquis De Sade and his struggle to continue writing his distinctive brand of depravity whilst held captive in an asylum. Geoffrey Rush looks to be having a wonderful time playing the extravagent Marquis, and Kate Winslett is also good as the chambermaid who smuggles his manuscripts out for him. Michael Cain's character is too much of a caricature though, and the film is marred by a very silly postscript twist in the tale.

Requiem For A Dream

From the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. this is the tale of four people whose lives are pretty much destroyed through the course of the movie by drugs of one type or another. Some excellent touches and interesting directorial style by Darren Aronofsky make this a full-on experience which, during the last third in particular, is unrelentingly brutal. Ellen Burstyn's performance is especially good. The music by Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet compliments the film perfectly.

Shadow of The Vampire

This film tells of F.W Murnau's efforts to get the silent film 'Nosferatu' made, though his star is convinced he is a real vampire and starts offing the cast. Although it sounds like it would be good, at least for film buffs, I found this singularly unengaging. It's not particularly well directed and the whole cast overacts most of the time. Willem Dafoe as Nosferatu is interesting, but the film is burdened by an overall sense of smugness at how clever the fimmakers think they are.

Small Time Crooks

One of Woody Allen's more enjoyable films. Allen stars as the lead crook, determined to rob a bank by breaking through from the cookie shop he opens next door, but instead the cookie shop becomes a global success. It's always nice to see Woody Allen in front of the cameras and he's very funny here, as is the rest of the cast.

Snatch

Very enjoyable romp about a bunch of dodgy geezers chasing a stolen diamond around London's east end. Good performances (Brad Pitt steals the film) and smartly directed by Guy Ritchie. Nice intro scene too.

State And Main

The new film by David Mamet, so the dialogue and the acting is guaranteed to be of the highest quality, and indeed it is. It's the story of a film crew trying to get a major movie shot in a sleepy town in Vermont. A treat to watch, especially for movie-buffs, or those who know what it takes to get a film made. Another flawless performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is fast becoming the best actor of his generation. William H. Macy is also excellent.

Thirteen Days

Competent telling of the cuban missile crisis that gripped the world in 1962. Some of the accents are a bit funny sometimes, but then again the New England accent of the Kennedys is strange sometimes. Chilling to think that the events depicted on the screen were real, and the world was actually that close to disaster.

Traffic

With every new film, Steven Soderbergh astounds with the technical imagination that he invests in them. Here he weaves four storys together about drug trafficking and it's consequences, with the minimum of moralising. The whole cast is excellent, but special mention must go to Benicio Del Toro who plays one of the Mexican cops in Tijuana. A best supporting actor Oscar should be assured.

Unbreakable

M. Night Shayamalan is making a habit of writing and directing films that don't make much sense. The biggest problem with this film, is that the basic premise is very silly. If you can accept the premise then the film is enjoyable, and the performances are good, but there are holes in it you could drive a truck through, and the 'twist' at the end is laughable.