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dkeeley
Reviews
Pressure (2002)
Surprisingly tense
Pressure is something of a paradox. It plays like an above-average TV movie, but at times does better than standard hollywood fare in avoiding plot cliches and explosion-driven narratives.
Kerr Smith, probably familiar from Dawson's Creek, is pretty likeable as the young man caught up in a series of freak mishaps which leave him hunted by the local police for a crime he didn't commit. There are some dodgy moments (The old camera spinning round the head as he tries to stay sane moment leaps to mind) but overall it's undemanding and he does fine. The supporting cast does fine, Lochlyn Munro is best as his unbelievably loyal friend (You're the subject of a statewide manhunt and waving a gun around while covered in blood? Let's go!) and the sheriff is suitably psychotic. That's the main character problem with the film - some of the characters are just so damn nasty it makes them somewhat unbelievable.
The narrative is the film's strong point, although it tails off a bit in the second half. The way that things fall apart in the first place is suitably plausible and it's a shame that the same inventiveness couldn't continue through the whole script. Things stay pretty tense though, and really the only complaint is that it ends a bit easily and perhaps should have been drawn out a bit longer - hardly the worst criticism of a film.
So overall - not a bad way to kill 90 minutes on a sunday afternoon.
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
A good way to finish the trilogy
This is the third Austin Powers movie and to put it in it's place, it's not as good as the first one (which had more energy and consistency) and better than the second (which was a bit of a mess). Like The Spy Who Shagged Me, there's a lot of toilet humour here which is fine when it works but can sometimes seem a little tedious. But that's OK because most of the comedy comes from the characters.
Austin himself gets a fair few laughs as you'd expect although it's almost all from comedy situations rather than lines or persona. He gets some good support from Michael Caine who seems to really get into the anarchic feel of the thing and gets the funniest line of the whole film. There's a whole father/son subplot here but fortunately it's not really dwelt on - I say fortunately because anytime a film like this tries to crowbar in some emotional sincerity it tends to make me gag.
Doctor Evil and Mini-Me were the comedy force behind most of the laughs in the last film and they both do well again here, though there's not a lot of time spent on their bizarre relationship this time. Verne Troyer gets more camera time which is good because he's just hilarious - I don't know whether he's a comedy genius or if there's something innately funny about physical comedy with a dwarf, but either way it works. Doctor Evil's the same old same old. Fat Bastard only has a couple of appearances which is good because he grates after a while. Which brings us to Goldmember himself - I'm so glad that they got permission to use that name because Meyer's latest character is one of his best, a random Dutch bad guy who steals each scene for no obvious reason except his accent and total lack of sanity. Also watch out for some excellent cameos from a bunch of A-list stars.
As a piece of cinema this films sucks. It's directed as a series of comedy setups with little overall plot or development but that should be OK with most people because that's not what's expected. What is expected, and delivered, is a distinctive brand of character comedy and physical humour. A fair few gags fall flat (there's another series of "that looks like a..." jokes that just don't work - again) but overall there should be enough here to keep you amused. I hope they don't make a fourth film because I think they've got all the comedy out of this that they can but as funny no-brainer, Goldmember works a lot better than most recent comedies.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Second Time Lucky
Episode I was hyped so much it took people a little while to come back down to earth and realise it disappointed them. Fortunately George Lucas either learned from his mistakes or had some grand plan from the start because almost everything that was wrong with Episode I (plot, direction, subtext, characters) is addressed here.
The first thing to mention, however, is the imagery. I hesitate to use the word `effects' because that has come to mean explosions and single moments of visual amazement. What the team at ILM have done here is to create a stunning visual backdrop to the entire Star Wars world, underpinning the whole story. Fantastic ships, characters and battles come to life so well that you really believe that this action takes place in another galaxy. Episode II can join a very few prestigious films in using SFX to create an entirely new world (2001 being one of them), which almost makes the story itself slightly irrelevant. In almost every scene I found something so great to watch it made me grin but it wasn't thrown at you, it just happened to be where the action was. Take a look at the aliens and the doors when Obi Wan visits Kamino and you'll see what I mean.
Well if that's the biggest pro of the movie, the biggest con is without doubt the romantic subplot. Hayden Christensen turns in a performance as wooden as a wardrobe, fortunately rescued slightly by the excellent Natalie Portman as Amidala. Some of the dialogue is atrocious - `I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Not like you. You're everything soft and smooth'. Like Harrison Ford once said to George Lucas, `you can write this sh*t, but you can't say it'. Thankfully this theme doesn't dominate the whole movie, and other subplots are much more satisfying. Ewan McGregor deserves special credit for his performance, managing to bring a bit of Alec Guiness into the character as well as his own exuberance. Christopher Lee is, well, Christopher Lee as the bad guy Count Dooku, which works out just fine. The person who really, truly, finally steals the show though, is a CGI illusion.
Yoda, quite simply, kicks more ass than any film character has ever kicked ass before. His entrance towards the end as you hear the `tap tap tap' of his cane round the corner gave me a grin so wide the top of my head almost fell off. I won't spoil the plot, suffice to say you learn why Yoda's meant to be the greatest of the Jedi Masters. It's 5 minutes of film I want to keep and play forever.
The Star Wars story unfolds a little more, pretty much as you'd expect. Obi Wan and Anakin have a great master/apprentice relationship and we see a little of the frustration and anger that will eventually turn Anakin into Darth Vader. The image of the Death Star which crops up at one point is a nice touch. And we also see how the Senate could turn into the Imperial Empire. `Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely'. `All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing'. You get the idea.
This would all make for a good film, slightly redeeming the mistakes of it's predecessor. What makes it a great film I want to watch again is the ending. It's not a plot twist or a subtle character moment, it's just an all out assault on the senses. The battle at the end of Episode I pales in comparison. Seeing multiple Jedi fight is amazing in itself, and then all hell breaks loose. Thousands of troops, hundreds of explosions, epic duels, it's all there and it all works. Finally.
All in all, Episode II makes you remember what it was about Episodes 4-6 which made you love this world in the first place. I can't wait until 2005.
Spider-Man (2002)
Finally, a comic-to-movie that works!
Most often the problem with movies based on comics is that the director focuses on action scenes and special effects, adding character development and subplot as an afterthought and resulting in messes like "Spawn".
With Spider-Man Sam Raimi has instead managed to stay true to the themes of the existing story, such as Peter Parker's guilt and frustration, and the burdens as well as the benefits that come with his new powers. This is due in part to Toby Maguire's great performance in the title role, portraying geeky unrequited love as well as ass-kicking bravado. The film works because it's not just about a superhero but the man behind the mask as well.
Kirsten Dunst and Willem Dafoe provide solid support with Dafoe admirably resisting the opportunity to ham it up. One criticism is the costume of the Green Goblin - the mask is so rigid and blank it robs the character of some of the twisted evil Willem Dafoe is so good at projecting. When Norman Osborn is arguing with himself in the mirror it's a worthy attempt to give some depth to the character but that vanishes as soon as the suit goes on.
The film moves along quite nicely after the basics are sorted out, with plenty of fast-paced action. It's here that Raimi uses his trump card - Spider-Man's mode of transport. Just like Superman made you believe that a man could fly, here you follow Spidey slinging down the street, sweeping over the traffic and brilliantly capturing the speed and exhilaration he feels. Even the "Woohoo!", which should seem plain silly somehow works.
Apart from the odd slightly overdone piece of romance (Kirsten Dunst's speech at the end in particular seems strained) the film has some great set-pieces and strong characters, making it a summer blockbuster that doesn't disappoint.