The Grudge 2
REVIEWED 10/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Pretty well picking up where 'The Grudge' (2004) left off, Aubrey Davis (Amber Tamblyn; 'The Ring' (2002), 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' (2005)) arrives in Tokyo to bring home her older sister, battered and hospitalized American volunteer care giver Karen (Sarah Michelle Gellar; 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' (1997), 'Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed' (2004)), but the evil ethereal presence that was once girlish Kayako Saeki (Takako Fuji; 'Mononoke-hime' (1997), 'Rinne' (2005)) before the gruesome murder that unleashed her terrible rage is now more powerful and insatiably determined to destroy Karen and everyone who entered the most haunted house in that Japanese capital, in this slightly better but wildly confusing and boring sequel from director Takashi Shimizu ('Ju-on' (2000), 'Ju-on: The Grudge' (2003)) that reportedly remakes his popular foreign Horror movie 'Ju-on: The Grudge 2' (2003), where Aubrey is soon drawn in by obsessed journalist Eason (Vancouver's Edison Chen; 'Tejing xinrenlei 2' (2000), 'Mou gaan dou II' (2003)) to solve this ghoulish mystery that he's been following for the past three years, while transferred American high school student Allison (Arielle Kebbel; 'Soul Plane' (2004), 'John Tucker Must Die' (2006)) becomes increasingly terrified by visions, after she's unwittingly initiated in that creaky old house by doomed classmates Vanessa (Teresa Palmer; 'Wolf Creek' (2005)) and Miyuki (debuting Misako Uno). Frankly, I don't understand why it took two movies released a couple of years apart to fully explain how this diabolical spree of haunted mayhem all started, with 'The Grudge' awkwardly exposing the captivating yet brief reason behind the double homicide that turned Kayako and her eight year-old son Toshio "Cat Boy" Saeki (Yuya Ozeki; 'Ju-on: The Curse' (2000), 'Ju-on: The Grudge') into ghosts, and this one eventually cobbling together Kayako's otherwise intriguing childhood background under her Shaman-like mother.

I guess it's somehow better for a paying audience to sit through two aggravatingly confusing and utterly silly films as a result, but Stephen Susco (the screenwriter for both) really should have tossed away much of the peripheral cheesy shadow lurching that comprises the guts of these stinkers and just concentrated on combining both original scripts in a linear manner as one big screen shocker. This second assault is slightly better, but its disjointed structure ultimately distracts and sabotages your enjoyment of what plays out. What's worse, this poorly edited and agonizingly boring ninety-five minute follow up indulges in unintentionally goofy scenes - such as a couple slowly becoming possessed as a kid (played by Matthew Knight; 'Cheaper by the Dozen 2' (2005), 'The Greatest Game Ever Played' (2005)) investigates weird noises in the night, and his teenaged neighbour (Jenna Dewan; 'Tamara' (2005), 'Take the Lead' (2006)) gulping down a jug of milk only to disgustingly choke it back into the container - that fail to be consistent with the underlying process of torment and death already established. Sure, you could argue that some of what transpires during those crazy asides somehow mirrors Kayako's own unhappy marriage, but you'd truly need to be a major scholar of all things 'The Grudge' in order to easily piece it all together while they click out, and it's really not worth that kind of effort. As with the first remake, 'The Grudge 2' overwhelmingly forces you to switch off above the neck and just let it wash over you without understanding much of anything. It's like a lazily enigmatic montage of spookiness, inspired by the tired old Slasher genre that's curiously been revived by the likes of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning' (2006), where your only notable source of entertainment is through witnessing the special effects driven body counts. yawn. Additionally, selective memory abounds, since you're clearly still supposed to recall some of what played out in 'The Grudge' - because certain explanatory details are forgotten here - but, not everything from that first flick seems to be of any importance this time around. How Geller's character got caught up in things to begin with or how she managed to survive what seemed like her inescapable death at the end of 'The Grudge' is completely overlooked, for instance. I highly doubt that renting both as a back-to-back matinee would help. This effort is a shambles of amateurishly colliding half baked ideas tenuously wedged into place along with repetitive flash back scenes that only vaguely push the plot along. The reek of desperation is sometimes overpowering, as Jeff Betancourt's unbelievably bad editing chops through the mess. It's a shame, because the potential is obviously there for this to become something wonderfully superior for intelligent Horror fans to chew on. The entire premise behind Kayako's past is truly inventive, but is ultimately ruined by incapable hands.

Check it out for the cheap frights, but 'The Grudge 2' doesn't make a whole lot of sense and misses the mark so many times that it's hardly worth putting yourself through the aggravation of spilling popcorn on yourself without knowing why.

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A Good Year
REVIEWED 11/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Unabashedly ruthless and pompous high rolling London commodities trader Maximilian "Max" Skinner (Russell Crowe; 'Romper Stomper' (1992), 'Cinderella Man' (2005)) takes an unexpected detour back to the slow paced life of his orphaned childhood at his Uncle Henry's (Albert Finney; 'Tom Jones' (1963), 'Big Fish' (2003)) rustic, dilapidated Chateau du Siroque farm house and vineyard in Provence, after receiving word that Henry's death has left Max with that sprawling, Sun drenched eleven hectare property, in this fairly predictable yet surprisingly extraordinary comedic drama from director Ridley Scott ('Blade Runner' (1982), 'Kingdom of Heaven' (2005)) that's based on A Year in Provence writer Peter Mayle's 2004 novel, where Max's initial determination to quickly sell off his inheritance of that unkept manor and its undrinkable wine and save his sabotaged career plundering the London Stock Market soon become more difficult than planned when faced with a flood of fond memories as a boy there, the impassioned meddling of the ground's vine grower Francis Duflot (Didier Bourdon; 'Les Trois frères' (1995), '7 ans de mariage' (2003)) and Max's budding fascination with fiery local café owner Fanny Chenal (Marion Cotillard; 'Taxi' (1998), 'Big Fish' (2003)), as well as the sudden arrival of young American Christie Roberts (Australia's Abbie Cornish; 'Somersault' (2004), 'Candy' (2006)) who claims to be Henry's daughter. This is probably one of the most complex starring leads in Crowe's relatively short litany of character roles, and yet he clearly takes great delight in continually and almost effortlessly switching gears from broad affected comedy to playing smaller moments of compelling insight here.

The hilariously caustic quips and somewhat less impressive physical laughs seem endless, as 'A Good Year' starts off like an amusing British small screen romp that barely offers much substance for a paying big screen audience to tap into. However, you soon realize that Skinner's metamorphosis really can't believably begin to crystallize except through a series of small stabs of reclaimed conscience, that leave him with no alternative but to find personal redemption by changing to suit this foreign landscape that represents his soul. That's the brilliance of Marc Klein's screenplay. Even though you can easily figure out most of what transpires throughout this hundred and eighteen-minute screening beforehand, the specifics of what happens still manage to sneak up on you in deliciously provocative ways. There's one scene in particular - where Skinner catches himself feeling the first twinges of true remorse over the loss of his connection with Henry, where a single rain drop hits the lens of his eye glasses like an unfamiliar tender emotion had suddenly escaped through Max's callous facade from somewhere buried deep within - where you feel Scott's genius is masterfully preparing this story for a thoroughly satisfying turn of events. The subtleties are immensely mesmerizing. This one definitely doesn't disappoint. The cast is absolutely brilliant, each serving up beautifully well rounded characters that all follow their strong individual purposes. It's as though Scott's crew simply went to Provence and found them there, as opposed to any of them being concocted for your enjoyment. Finney's flash back cameos are remarkably intoxicating scene stealers opposite Freddie Highmore's ('Finding Neverland' (2004), 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' (2005)) wonderfully effective contributions as Max in boyhood, and Cotillard is the perfect romantic foil for Skinner's habitual offensiveness. Awesome. Also keep an eye out for Tom Hollander's ('True Blue' (1996), 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' (2006)) superbly underplayed droll wit as Skinner's Brit realtor and friend Charlie Willis. Sure, some aspects of this feature do tend to resemble 'Under the Tuscan Sun' (2003), but that's part of its charm, not a determining factor to this astoundingly fresh plot that's primarily driven by the people who inhabit this fictional world.

While it does take its sweet time in shaking off the superficial punch lines, 'A Good Year' is absolutely well worth checking out as a wonderfully humourous and mature crowd pleaser that will likely and rightfully become a favourite in more than a few home collections.

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Guru
REVIEWED 01/07, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Arriving in Bombay with his new wife Sujatha (Aishwarya Rai; 'Bride & Prejudice' (2004), 'Umrao Jaan' (2006)) and an audacious dream after working his way up the ranks of Burma Shell in Istanbul, opportunistic Gurukant "Guru" Desai (Abhishek Bachchan; 'Sarkar' (2005), 'Dhoom 2' (2006)) bullishly overcomes an assortment of obstacles to enter India's competitive market selling spices and importing polyester towards building his tiny company Shakti Trading into a corporate empire, in this visually stunning drama from co-writer/director Mani Ratnam ('Bumbai' (1995), 'Kannathil Muthamittal' (2002)) that's apparently closely inspired by the tumultuous rise to fortune of Reliance Commercial Corporation founder Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani (1932-2002) tinged by the likes of 'Tucker: The Man and His Dream' (1988) and 'All the King's Men' (2006), where Desai's accelerated success in eventually owning India's largest company in 1980 incites allegations of corruption and fraud publicly investigated by dogged journalist Shyam Saxena (R. Madhavan; 'Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein' (2001), 'Rang De Basanti' (2006)) at the urging of Guru's former ally and longtime Swatantra newspaper editor Manikdas Gupta (Mithun Chakraborty; 'Mrigayaa' (1976), 'Jallaad' (1995)).

Saddled by surprisingly poor subtitles, dubious attention to minor dead end squabbles, and an odd distancing of its screenplay from the obvious real life on which it's based, this hundred and fifty-six minute Bollywood production still effortlessly manages to consistently entertain a paying audience throughout. Bachchan shatters all expectations, deftly sustaining an incredible range of versatility that wonderfully fleshes out his starring role as this dynamic and personable yet complex man of somewhat flexible morals. Awesome. Unfortunately, Rai's otherwise proven acting skills feel systematically diluted and relegated to the background, missing opportunities for her initially captivating character to become a stronger influence to Guru's story than merely as his trophy wife to playfully banter with. Most of the people in Guru's sphere seem to be little more than associates with whom he shares a somewhat aggravating emotional attachment, lessening their potential impact. As a result, Rai's specific electrifying presence is more apparent during the song and dance interludes that put her squarely in a spotlight that allows her to do more than cry or smile. One of the overwhelmingly refreshing aspects of this feature is the superior camera work, where cinematographer Rajiv Menon heavily saturates each key scene with a rich pallet of colourful textures, extreme close ups and an artful mixture of traditionally composed shots interspersed with the almost voyeuristic angles of a videographer. The over-all look of this picture is hugely impressive and powerful. Conversely, Ratnam's and co-writer Anurag Kashyap script tends to wobble a few times, particularly during the peripheral stories that seem to serve more as distractions from rather than complementary to the main plot. This is most notable in the later mini drama involving journalist Shyam and Gupta's wheelchair bound daughter Meenu (Vidya Balan; 'Parineeta' (2005), 'Lage Raho Munnabhai' (2006)). It doesn't really fit as presented, because not enough effort is invested towards fully developing their characters beyond Guru's radar. It's also curious how Gupta's switch from being Guru's loyal ally to becoming a mildly respected enemy is portrayed, as though a perceived snub is enough to shatter their long friendship to the point of vengeful antagonism. The premise seems thoughtlessly contrived - again, because the supporting characters aren't given enough elbow room to be perceived as effective figures - instead of that event rightfully being shown as a major turning point that quickly rattles this charismatic tycoon's dream both personally and in the public eye. Don't get me wrong. With all of its flaws and failures, 'Guru' absolutely remains well worth the price of admission in large part due to Bachchan's compelling performance and Menon's masterful lens.

Enjoying its recent gala premiere in Toronto sure gave this one a lot to live up to that doesn't materialize, but it's definitely well worth checking out as a notably entertaining rental.

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