Reviews

One of the most anticipated movies this year, Tillsammans offers a moving, funny, and evocative document of life in the mid-70s. Set in Stockholm, its story follows the interconnected lives of the residents of a left-wing community and captures the difficulties of building and keeping relationships in a crowded environment.

Writer-director Lukas Moodysson's follow-up to the hugely acclaimed debut Fucking Åmål (a.k.a. Show Me Love) presents a definite crowd-pleaser and a sharp piece of story-telling (closer to British East is East than The Ice Storm). Tillsammans (=together) effectively develops its central theme of friendship and strong solidarity blending 70s nostalgia, sexuality, curiosity, loneliness, and hilarious comedy into an engaging emotional quilt. Once again confirming Moodysson's knack for conveying human emotions and creating hugely likeable characters.

The performances are uniformly excellent (by an almost completely unknown cast) -outstanding are Lisa Lindgren (Elisabeth) igniting the screen as a self-discovering mother, Sten Ljunggren (Birger) as a lonely depressed old man, Gustaf Hammarsten (Göran) as the biggest namby-pamby ever seen, Michael Nyqvist (Rolf) as an alcoholic and abusive father and Jessica Liedberg as the new-born lesbian Anna.

The sense of time and place are never lost in this witty, dramatic story filled with historical references and Moodysson's hand-held documentary style heightens the real feel no end.

Funny, recognizable and on occasion deeply moving, this is Swedish cinema actually worth shouting about. Tillsammans is simply one of the greatest films of the last several years and regarding the strong audience response at the screening I attended, it will no doubt enjoy a long career and attract a mass audience. I can't wait for Moodysson's next film project.

Relying on Julia Roberts comic talent and inexhaustible charm, director Garry Marshall teams up with the Pretty Woman leads for another romantic comedy.

This time columnist Richard Gere heads for the small-town to find the woman who indirectly had him fired. She, Julia Roberts, is the Runaway Bride i.e. she repeatedly runs from the altar at the last possible moment. Intrigued, Gere wants to prove that she's only having a laugh when rejecting the future husbands.

Spicing the Marnie-like story (Remember the Hitchcock classic?) with the usual small-town clichés, cheap humour and some really daft supporting characters, Garry Marshall tries to create a witty, warm look at roundabout relationships. But Runaway Bride results in an end product that's not even half as funny as it seems to think it is. Joan Cusack does her tiring In or Out character and Gere's acting extends only as far as an ability to convincingly look peering. And yes, Julia Roberts is pretty when she's chewing gum and she has a funny giggle when she falls. But why overdo it? Besides, if a woman rejected four guys in a row at the altar and was the laughing stock of the whole town, you'd tell her to leave the place and never get married. Wouldn't you?

Runaway Bride was never going to escape comparisons with Notting Hill. However, while certainly as appealing, Runaway Bride is far less amusing, lacking in the edgy dialogue, interesting characters and the absorbing plot.

Unlike the delightful and very funny Notting Hill, the other blockbuster romantic comedy this year Runaway Bride is instantly forgettable on every possible level.

This sharply-scripted debut comedy comes off largely by virtue of writers-directors-actors Fredrik Lindström and Felix Herngrens' remarkable ability to create funny situations and hugely likeable characters.

Felix Herngren plays Frank, a bored 30-year-old lawyer whose life crisis prompts him to an affair with a young art student he meets at his eccentric friend's (Fredrik Lindström) art gallery. Frank's wife on the other hand falls for the suave journalist Georg played by Mikael Persbrandt.

Through a consistent use of voice-overs blending Frank's sexual fantasies, obsessions and guilty conscience we follow his search of an eventful, unpredictable new life.

Cecilia Ljung is particularly good as Nenne's increasingly worried best friend Rosie, Persbrandt hilarious as her unfaithful husband and Härenstam brilliant as Frank's prim , dry boss. But the film belongs to the excellent Felix Herngren, funny and moving in an apt and well-written part.

One of the best Swedish comedies in recent years.

Pierce Brosnan stars as the wealthy playboy Thomas Crown who organizes a painting heist just for the hell of it, and Rene Russo is the insurance agent who falls for him while investigating his fishy dealings.

Although a surprisingly low action-scene frequency for a John McTiernan movie and a rather slow development it is cleverly unfolding into a very satisfying film. Visually attractive with spectacular vistas and exquisite set-pieces, The Thomas Crown Affair echoes that sense of seductive, old, classic entertainment.

Naturally Pierce Brosnan does a standard, cool Bond performance, only this time he squeezes some comedy and sensitivity into the character. And Rene Russo captivates through forthrightness and vulnerability, reminding us how resourceful an actress she is.

Not reaching for any depths but exposing laid-back elegance and a shapely, beautiful Russo, The Thomas Crown Affair is well-executed and mature amusement.

Doug Liman's (Swingers) second motion picture is basically an intelligent mosaic of the lives of a bunch of L.A. characters, packed with an amazing number of conflicts and incident into its 102 minutes. John August's well-written, funny plot unites the entertaining little stories and forms an unpredictable and enjoyable composition.

Viewed as a whole the film is not without implausibilities and incongruities but Liman still manages to retain a general appealing comic vision of the characters' lifestyle and encounters. And though it fails to engage on an emotional level, Go in turns offers a convincing cast (Sarah Polley, Katie Holmes , Jay Mohr, Scott Wolf...) and an original story full of surprises.

Just sit back and enjoy the show.

During one day, we follow the lives of a couple of people who all live in the same apartment block in Tokyo. There's a young bored couple, an old crazy lady, a young bullied swot and a self-absorbed female caretaker.

Beautiful Sunday is more a work of art than a portrait from real life. It depicts a story like a series of stills. The dialogue is sparse, the scenes are long drawn-out and the characters are motionless. There are a few funny moments but mostly it looks like something of an endurance test. Certainly the slowest film you'll ever see.

Set in present time, New York, this fourth version of Choderlos De Laclos' novel "Les liaisons dangeureuses" tells the story of Sebastian Valmont, a wealthy, spoiled young man with a compulsive commitment to sex (he's even screwing his sex-therapist's daughter). But the simplicity in seducing young girls bores him. Sebastian longs for a real challenge and his strong desire for his step-sibling Kathryn makes him accept the tempting and intriguing bet she proposes.

If he manages to pop the daughter of the headmaster's cherry, he gets Kathryn for the night. "You can put it anywhere," she tells him. If he fails, Kathryn gets his Jaguar.

The bitchy dialogue and the sparkling cast make this modernisation of the French classic an entertaining and engaging experience. First-time director Roger Kumble successfully blends comedy with a tickling and clever story.

Cruel Intentions bounces easily along to a cool soundtrack, featuring Fatboy Slim, Blur and Placebo. And though it's imperfect in places and heads to an artificial ending it is well worth 97 minutes of your time.

The Wachowski Brothers (screenwriters-directors of the compelling lesbian noir Bound) provide an innovative and fascinating sci-fi thriller.

Keanu Reeves plays Neo, a computer hacker who "wakes up" from his dream of reality into the horrifying real world of the future, discovering that the world is actually a virtual reality computer game.

The powerful, intelligent screenplay and the generous dose of ground-breaking "flo-mo" effects make it irresistible. It elegantly mixes action, sci-fi and kungfu with a structure that in many ways follows Star Wars. The plot is tight and stimulating and builds to a satisfying, strong climax.

Like in Bound Bill Pope delivers a dark appealing cinematography with a sober use of colours, wrapping in The Matrix in an obscure, exquisite cover. The great cast, including the ravishing newcomer Carrie-Ann Moss and the Australian star Hugo Weaving, grace the brothers flawless direction and make it a thoroughly entertaining watch. The Matrix will no doubt be followed with several copy-cats.

Accused of a car theft, Eddie Fleming is taken to the police-station for interrogation. At first Eddie maintains his innocense but soon he starts revealing his true identity.

The Interview replicates in many ways The Usual Suspects and nods to several other serial killer films. Naturally, all genre films steal from each other. But in The Interview the slow pace gives you the time to question parallels to similar plots. Sadly, almost the entire film takes place in the interrogation room, which is a rather misjudged narrative technique to say the least. And though the screenplay is well-crafted and the actors brilliant, it fails in creating sympathy for any of the characters.

Hugo Weaving (The Matrix) is, however, convincing as the possible serial killer, Eddie Fleming. He does a great performance combining vulnerability with an underlying growing intensity.

Hank Mitchell, his brother Jacob and Jacob's friend Lou stumble on a crashed plane and 4 million dollars. As their obsession with the money grows, so does the need to keep it in whatever manner necessary.

Sam Raimi crafts a dark and downbeat thriller, with a remarkable enthralling plot and a pleasant mixture of strong casting Paxton, Thornton and Fonda, a powerful premise and confident direction.

Interesting, entertaining and cool. Based on Scott B. Smith's brilliant novel.

Based on Blake Nelson's popular novel - Girl offers a traditional cut-and-dried teen-story. Far from excellent, witty Clueless or TV-Series Dawson's Creek.

Andrea Marr (Dominique Swain) lays eyes on Todd (Sean Patrick Flanery) a local rock guru and begins to rebel by going to clubs and becoming a groupie.

Irrespective of the inspiring original, the plot feels jerky and Andrea's character lacks in substance. Girl slips in authenticity but somehow captures some of the disillusionment and confusion of being a teenager in today's society.

After all, both Dominique Swain and Sean Patrick Flanery (Young Indiana Jones!!) are talented and captivating actors and make Girl worth seeing.

Becoming a courtesan like her mother Veronica Franco satisfies herself and a number of persons of high station. But a busy schedule keeps her from her true love Marco Venier.

Apart from the exquisite costumes and a splendid scenery Dangerous Women leaves you dissatisfied and indifferent. It fails completely in its numerous attempts to move its audience. The dialogues are hackneyed and artificial, the characterisations dimension-free, the plot surprisingly jejune and worst of all it all ends with the over-used Dead Poets Society / In and Out - final.

Add a couple of sex-scenes to Dangerous Women and it would make a pretty decent Playboy-movie.

First of all, I am a sucker for Seven. It's one of my favorite movies and though I've seen it a good many times I still think it's a masterpiece and brilliant in its way to create a gloom-soaked and horrific atmosphere. Writer Andrew Kevin Walker has a knack for creating true-to-the-touch characters and speedy, strongly driven dialogue.

It's sad to discover that his plot for 8mm doesn't offer the edge and excitement the story would need. It sinks pretty quickly into uncommitted, conventional storytelling and both characters and plot lose credibility.

I must admit I was a bit perplexed when finding out Joel Schumacher was going to direct 8mm. David Fincher had the innovative and aesthetic style to add the right atmosphere and mood to Seven. And I did find it difficult to believe that Joel Schumacher would be able to make the story as intense and convincing. Don't get me wrong, Joel Schumacher is an exceptional director and Falling Down and A Time to Kill prove it. But he is also justly unfavorably reviewed for his lousy Batman attempts. Unfortunately, even Joel Schumacher can't mask the fact that plot- and tension- wise, the movie hurtles wildly off the rails. Cage delivers a standard lead performance and the rest of the performances are way over the top.

Sadly, the whole venture is as uninspired as it is unnecessary. Still, the hunt for a snuff-movie producer is a great premise.

This is, initially, no easy watch. A man returns to his family's mansion to celebrate his father's sixtieth birthday. He reveals in a speech for friends and family how the father repeatedly raped him and his sister when they were kids.

Thomas Vinterberg's Festen is a masterpiece of perfect acting and offers exhilarating performances. It's free from Hollywood convention, clichés and predictable nonsense plots. This is as pure as it can get. You're completely absorbed into this powerful and devastating story shot through a simple video camera.

Unforgettable!

Re-using Hitchcock's classic McGuffin, Ronin's main plot revolves round a secret briefcase and a band of mercenaries chasing it.

OK, so it's packed with hardboiled characters, a great deal of shooting and three truly spectacular car chases. It's still an unsuccessful attempt to make an old-fashioned spy thriller. And it seems like director John Frankenheimer has too much faith in the pointless dialogue interludes. It's just dull and flat and the ending is ludicrous and close to parody. Great cast though.

In a pathetic try to resemble excellent Boogie Nights - director Mark Christopher delivers a curiously unatmospheric tale about Studio 54.

The real problem with 54 isn't the uncommitted direction or the boring script, it lies simply with Ryan Phillippe's performance. He doesn't express a thing! Not even the presence of one of the most beautiful women, Salma Hayek, makes this film worth seeing. Neve Campbell may wonder what the hell she's doing here.

Go rent Boogie Nights!

Secrets are revealed and devastating truths are brought to the surface in Tod Solondz's Happiness. The movie is some kind of cross between W.Allen and Short Cuts, peppered with sexual perversion. The result is a dark and absorbing watch.

When I saw Happiness, a woman at my side cried throughout the movie. As for me I was completely indifferent. I missed a subtle and sensitive direction to bring that depth and humanity to the story. Nevertheless there is still much to enjoy.

Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman are assigned to rescue England from bad guy whether fetishist Sean Connery.

The acting is poor. The effects are a joke. Worst of all, there isn't a suspicion of a plot. Long before the end is in sight, you'll only keep watching to see if it can get any worse. It does.

At the risk of stating the obvious, The Avengers is complete crap.

Taxi is a delight for everyone who revels in the sight of dozens of cars smashing into each other. But the thin B-movie plot (loser cop Émilien hires speedy cabdriver Daniel to save Marseille from bad German bank robbers) doesn't match the quality of the breathtaking car chases. Still, any film with natural born talent Luc Besson's entertaining screenplay can't be all bad. Taxi is both comic and exciting but you forget the movie after you've seen it.

Fucking Åmål follows the lives of a group of teenagers in a Swedish small town.

Rebecca Liljeberg stars as 16-year old Agnes. A shy, lonely girl who falls in love with tough and independent Elin (Alexandra Dahlström). After Elin (unconsciously) prevents Agnes from committing suicide, the pair fall in love. Ashamed of her feelings for another girl, Elin starts dating simple-minded and inert Johan. But she can't forget Agnes.

Sharply observed, wittily scripted and shatteringly sad, this Swedish box-office smash features superb acting from an (almost) all amateur cast. First-time director/writer Lukas Moodysson's sparkling genuine dialogue gives the actors words to smile around and exchange glances between. Fucking Åmål gets full comic value while still retaining its sympathy and gripping touch. Very much worth seeing.

Sweden's 1999 Academy Awards contribution.

French director Manuel Poirier has made an intelligent and sensitive road-movie about two foreigners spending three weeks together hitch-hiking through northern France. Cutting out the usual french existentialist dialogue, Poirier concentrates on everyday life. There is a striking simplicity and calmness in this movie. Nevertheless it crackles with tragedy, poignancy and wit. Western is by far the best european roadmovie to have been made up to now and I recommend the film unreservedly.

Western was awarded the "Prix de jury" at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.