I Spy
REVIEWED 11/02, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

High in the wintery mountains surrounding an Uzbekistan detention camp, U.S. Bureau of National Security Special Agent Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) tracks down the recently defected test pilot of a largely plot-unimportant top secret American prototype stealth fighter - called The Switchblade - that's been enhanced with electrochromatic cloaking technology, rendering it virtually invisible and highly valued by the richest evildoer du jour.

However, just as the thoroughly-trained operative is about to quietly intercept this traitor, he causes a minor avalanche, injuring his target and alerting an army of trigger-happy camp guards who, of course, give chase on foot and in a flamethrowing tank. Alex manages to find out that conspicuous yet elusive arms dealer Arnold Gunders (Malcolm McDowell) has the Switchblade, and is puzzlingly able to escape through knee-deep snow with the pilot slung over his shoulder, but he's the only one of the two to make it back to the States alive. Much to the jeering chagrin of his boss and spy world peers, hesitant about him being assigned to locate and return the stolen jet before it's sold to the nastiest bad guy with the biggest bank account. So, considering that Gunders is a huge boxing fanatic, our klutzy hero is dubiously paired with overtly egocentric golden gloves prizefighter Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy), who just so happens to be touring the world as the reigning undisputed champion in a series of hugely publicized bouts. Huh?

Well, so begins the annoyingly contrived premise behind 'I Spy'. An action-adventure buddy flick - reprising the 1960's Cosby/Kulp TV hit - that's really just a thinly cobbled together vehicle showcasing Wilson's repetitively boyish 'aw shucks' brand of primarily humourless comedy, overshadowed by Murphy's patented streetwise loudmouth sidekick act. Both actors delight in basically parodying themselves, while playing with various low grade props and pyrotechnics as they trash the streets of Budapest. Even the potentially captivating glimmers of romance between Wilson and ex-007 villianess Famke Janssen's Emma Peel-like character ridiculously fizzle under another wet blanket of silly spy shenanigans. This is a gut-wrenchingly flat live-action cartoon, featuring nothing but a couple of mildly funny rants worth hooking in to. It really doesn't offer much more in the way of entertainment beyond what you've probably already seen for free in the suped-up commerials for it. Which is really too bad, if you go in expecting an hilariously spoofish espionage romp.

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It Runs in the Family
REVIEWED 05/03, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

A group hug for Spartacus. Three generations of the Kirk Douglas clan - including this eighty-five year-old stroke-surviving patriarch who's film career spans as many movies - come together in this light-hearted yet fairly bland showcase where captivating acting takes a backseat to art imitating life. While crusty family elder Mitchell Gromberg struggles with the few good years he has left on the eve of his former law partner's death, his adult son Alex (Michael Douglas) battles against boredom with his own Manhattan law firm position and discontentment with his stagnating twenty-two year marriage with Rebecca (Bernadette Peters). Meanwhile, eldest Grandson Asher (Cameron Douglas) stumbles through his failing senior year at College, making a living selling from his hidden marijuana grow room and deejaying local raves, while clumsy puppy love for a Goth grrl classmate secretly finds its way into the brooding heart of 'Ash's eleven year-old Karate green belt brother Eli (Rory Culkin). Nobody's happy in their comfortable ruts here, as these somewhat unimpressive caricatures ebb and neap within the framework of their aimlessly drifting relationships with each other.

Sadly, there's no real story to lock into here, folks. This slice of life pastiche featuring a cast of predominantly wasted talent merely fumbles along through a series of relatively minor trials and tribulations culminating in a load of dismally chewed out and teary-eyed speeches concocted to tug at your weary heartstrings. The main problem is, there's nothing here to really keep the audience interested enough to care what this typically dysfunctional family is putting itself through. There's no reason for this flick to exist, except maybe to give these Douglas men a much-needed guise behind thinly veiling characters to say things to one another on screen that they can't say in the privacy of their own homes. That's what it feels like. As though somebody decided to remake 'On Golden Pond' - complete with a three-generation in-camera reunion huddled in a tiny fishing boat - while there's still time. Now, if they'd actually bothered to lift the script out of the realm of amateur film class 101 to give us some equally memorable moments, then I'd be more inclined to recommend this picture. As it stands, 'It Runs in the Family' is more like the last piece of a full set that you don't really need, except to complete an almost three-quarter Century collection of far better must-haves.

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The In-Laws
REVIEWED 05/03, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blew up. Mark Tobias and Melissa Peyser are getting married. You can tell, because the bride-to-be's father - neurotically pompous Chicago podiatrist Jerry (Albert Brooks) - is a nervous wreck who's driving everyone else nuts. He's taken over the arrangements, fired a couple of caterers, and has turned what was supposed to be a simple romantically small beachside service into a huge production with the hundred guests and the oodles of flowers and the whole shebang. Mark's 'Xerox salesman' Dad Steve (Michael Douglas), on the other hand, is stuck in a breakneck bullet-riddled car chase through the winding streets of Prague. It's what he does. See, Steve's really a CIA operative under deep cover, working to bust the sale of a twenty year-old Russian submarine to a fanatical French weapons dealer named Jean-Pierre Thibodoux (David Suchet). But first, he's got to meet the In-laws, while avoiding his bitterly flaky ex-wife Judy (Candice Bergen). To make matters worse, the FBI believe Jerry's also a spy, forcing Steve to bring this big whiney baby along on the mission.

This is actually a remake of the 1979 Alan Arkin/Peter Falk comedy of the same title, and hilariously features the James Bond tune 'Live and Let Die' as its opening theme. 'The In-Laws' is a pretty irreverent and funny popcorn flick, but it does go way overboard with the goofy accents and corny jokes at times, floundering the over-all slick pacing and funnier banter. Sitting through it, I felt as though the scriptwriter wasn't confident enough to stop Brooks from reliving whatever comedic success he had thirty years ago (doing the same thing). Good thing Douglas takes the bull by the horns and has a blast with his role. The other upside is, just like most of the later Roger Moore spy stinkers, the great gadgets and impressive action sequences don't really give you the chance to get bored by your constant groaning or the slightly stunted performances given by most of the supporting cast. Still, it's an entertainingly light-hearted kiss-kiss bang-bang romp, despite the hokey humour and cheesy ending. So, I'd definitely recommend this one for a laid back mature audience that doesn't need to be blown away by ear-splitting CGI special effects.

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The Italian Job
REVIEWED 07/03, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Mini flick hugely satisfying. Criminal mastermind Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) is bent on revenge. With the murderous double-cross of smarmy cohort Steve Frezelli (Edward Norton) near the snow peaked Austrian border still fueling his burning rage, Croker enlists the help of Stella Bridger (Charlize Theron) - a professional lock and bolt technician and the feisty daughter of his safecracking mentor - to relieve Steve of the $27 million in gold bars that are left from Charlie's band of thieves' last explosively daring Venetian heist. Not so much because he believes it's theirs for the taking, but to punish Frezelli where he lives and set things straight by an underworld code of vengeful justice. Problem is, their cagey target is holed up in an impenetrable Hollywood mansion and has managed to pin the gun-death of a ruthless Ukrainian mobster's black marketing cousin on our hero, forcing Charlie to stay one step ahead of everyone while he and his gang of Austin Mini racers (apparently borrowed from his cinematic UK predecessor) speed against time to pull the biggest action-packed daylight robbery of their lives.

Wow. I'll admit to not remembering ever seeing the Michael Caine/Benny Hill 1967 comedic original of the same name, but this fantastic rip-roaring remake is an incredibly entertaining romp in it's own right. Norton, despite him trying to publicly distance himself from this movie, gives one of the best performances I've ever seen from him. You truly hate his character's guts at first sight, and know he's the perfect nemesis for this motley yet highly capable crew. Balanced by Donald Sutherland's parole-breaking fatherly bandit John Bridger; whose line about how crime enriches the lives of some whereas defines those of others truly works to hook you in on the side of these good guy baddies, superbly lifts this thoroughly enjoyable adventure from becoming just another unimaginative caper fest peppered with the usual pyrotechnic car chases and fizzling one-liners. Even Wahlberg pulls off a pretty good performance here, thanks to a script that plays up his natural charm and wit but gives his part an edgy intelligence that's completely believable. It's funny, captivating, tight and had me on the edge of my seat more than once. If you're looking for a big budget film that'll actually give you your money's worth for a change, I'd definitely recommend you check this one out.

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I Capture the Castle
REVIEWED 09/03, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Seemingly locked away from civilization within the crumbling stone walls of her eccentrically broken and penniless author father's ancient Saxon castle in Suffolk since childhood, a sudden turn of events presents dream-filled seventeen year-old Cassandra Mortmain (Romila Garai) a lingering bittersweet taste of life and love from the sidelines, as her older sister Rose (Rose Byrne) systematically charms the American son of their recently deceased landlord towards matrimony in 1930's England. Simon Cotton (Henry Thomas) is at first mildly intrigued by Rose's lithe yet unhoned wiles, but as a touch of sibling rivalry between him and his boyishly rugged brother Neil (Marc Blucas) slowly simmers, and their rich widowed mother develops an interest in nurturing a follow up success to the stumbling Mortmain patriarch's twelve year-old first and popular novel, Cass is girlishly disillusioned that this exciting upcoming wedding is more a marriage of financial convenience than an honest union of the heart. Secretly, she adores Simon's quietly cultured demeanor, letting her undeveloped imagination run wild in her thoughts and actions and the daily passages of her ragged diary. So, when she eventually confides this terrible truth to her longtime friend and devoted castle groundskeeper Stephen (Henry Cavill) - who has clumsily nursed a burning desire for this auburn-haired beauty deep within his chiseled chest since boyhood - Cassandra suddenly finds herself facing a terrible dilemma that could tear these two families apart.

You can tell this BBC film tries to be faithful to the 1948 novel by '101 Dalmatians' writer Dodie Smith. It's got that authentic air of the era and the complicated machinery of it's social norms permeating throughout, that easily transport the audience into this rather melancholic bygone world of suppressed emotions met with scandalous desires. This is a complete story that successfully portrays a young girl's wonderfully sentimental coming of age tale, and fills the screen with a host of captivating characters and interesting subplots. So, not only do you get Garai's thoroughly absorbing performance as this thoughtfully introspective yet self-professed 'consciously naive' lovelorn spirit shyly navigating her first few steps into womanhood, but you're given a fabulous glimpse into the increasingly disjointed mind of her character's doubt-haunted Dad (brilliantly played by Bill Nighy), the needy oddball logic of her artsy and somewhat clothing challenged stepmother Topaz (Tara Fitzgerald), plus a cleverly adapted presentation of class and cultural clashes. Pretty well all of the main cast have their own stories here, and we see them grow and mature over their hundred or so minutes onscreen. Sure, this movie does tend to pause every so often, weakening its over-all entertainment value at times, but not enough to seriously detract from its strengths in character development and sheer exuberance. When Simon finds Cassandra in the midst of her last annual Mid-Summer's ritual by a crackling bonfire in the woods, you know that she will share her first kiss with him. However, in no way are you given any indication of how powerfully touching this film ends. I almost didn't bother with this obvious Period tearjerker, but I'm glad I did and would definitely recommend it. Breathtaking.

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Intolerable Cruelty
REVIEWED 10/03, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Brilliantly successful California law firm partner and president of the 'National Organization of Matrimony Attorneys' Miles Longfellow Massey (George Clooney) seems to have finally met his match, when gorgeous conniving gold-digger Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) re-enters his plush downtown office six months after losing a lucrative alimony case to his doddering millionaire client, Rex Rexroth (Edward Herrmann). See, Marilyn plans to marry Texan oil baron Howard D. Doyle (Billy Bob Thornton) and wants to sign Massey's infamously ironclad prenuptial agreement to clear her muddied name and prove her true love for Howard. Problem is, Howard won't hear of it, and this outwardly suspicious lawyer has fallen hopelessly head over heels for her. So, when Doyle gleefully eats their barbeque sauce-slathered contract minutes after their luxuriously beautiful wedding is sealed with a crocodile kiss, it's only a matter of time before Miles turns his world upside-down in the pursuit of this fascinating woman's hand in marriage. Funny thing is, Marilyn has a few surprises up her sleeve and it might be too late for the truth to come out, before they dash off to exchange vows at the Wee Kirk of the Heather chapel in Las Vegas and Massey's otherwise jaded heart ends up possibly shattered by his own petard.

Well, this surprisingly entertaining quirky romance definitely harkens back to the irreverent screwball comedies of early American Cinema. Clooney is astoundingly perfect here, as an overtly narcissistic yet likeably neurotic Turk reminiscent of Carey Grant or Clark Gable at their best, who wonderfully balances pure slapstick lunacy with keen dramatic theatre throughout here. His timing is impeccable, and it's a sheer delight watching him carry the lion's share of this tightly paced flick, as his character navigates circles around a supporting cast of hilariously captivating caricatures. If you've seen the trailer featuring Jonathan Hadary's uproariously farcical Heinz, the Baron Krauss von Espy, you know what I mean. This picture is rife with such fresh and funny over-the-top roles that keep the plot moving along at a thoroughly satisfying click. Zeta-Jones is just as marvelous, obstensively playing succulent straight man and wry mercurial siren, as her feline-like character toys with the minds and hearts of these hapless men in every scene-stealing moment on screen. Brilliantly electric. Sure, this is a vast departure from directing duo the Coen Brothers' surreal storytelling slant of 'Raising Arizona' (1987) and 'The Big Lebowski' (1998), but this phenomenal romp has so much going for it in snappy wordplay and astoundingly good acting that it really is worth seeing. Without a doubt, 'Intolerable Cruelty' delivers on all fronts and is one must-see movie that's sure to please a paying crowd. Fantastic.

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In America
REVIEWED 03/04, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Ten year-old Christy Sullivan (Sarah Bolger) has seen a lot of changes with her bright, aware eyes. How the slow death of her little brother Frankie had changed her family long before they'd left Ireland for Manhattan. Drastically affecting her struggling actor father Johnny (Paddy Considine) to the point of him becoming little more than a shell of his former self at times. Devastating Sarah (Samantha Morton), her quietly brittle yet openly loving mother, as they all try to acclimatize to their new attic home. Christy has seen it all, recording every moment and secret thought with her camcorder, sometimes playing it back. To remember. Sometimes. When imagining she's talking to Frankie doesn't help. It seems as though the only one left unaffected is her younger sister Ariel (Emma Bolger), who sees every day as an adventure met with a glowing chatty smile. Their New York City building is a decrepit hovel. No working elevator, and rotting hallways infested with pests and drug addicts. Ariel just wants to keep the pigeons that roost in the bare ceiling and skylight of their dusty apartment. Her parents make the best of it, scrounging their money from menial part time jobs to put the girls through a proper Catholic school, while Johnny hunts for stage work between shifts. They are surviving. They have each other. It's not enough to dull their grief. When the Sullivan children give American trick or treating a go on Hallowe'en, they soon befriend a tortured reclusive neighbour downstairs. Mateo (Djimon Hounsou) is an artist. A painter, who suffers from regular bouts of studio-trashing rage. Slashing his work before it has time to be discovered. Letting the demon in his blood drip and saturate the canvas; expressing through art what he can't get past volcanic anger to articulate. Much like Christy, he sees the pain that's choking this small clan, and it draws him closer to them just as his own life is ebbing away. Just as Sarah and Johnny expect the birth of another child. And, their old wounds surface. Ready to be healed.

Apparently loosely based on co-writer/director Jim Sheridan's own early experiences in coming to the States in the 1980's, this decidedly small and very touching human picture leans heavily on the side of melancholy to tell a fairly familiar story. Nothing of any magnitude transpires throughout the course of its hour and forty-five minute screening, yet the characters are so surprisingly captivating that you can't help but feel for them and their struggles. They're not even earth-shattering struggles, but because this cast so superbly brings life and a rare honesty to their roles that's seldom seen on a big screen full of actors, its almost second nature tapping in to the script and wanting to find out how things end up going for all concerned. Granted, a lot of this could easily be due to the littler Bolger's rosy-cheeked scene stealing that will have you cracking a smile several times. However, wonderful performances pulled in by the elder Bolger, Considine, Morton and Hounsou are truly what make this picture a sometimes breath-taking worthwhile movie. It's like you're watching someone's home videos at times. Listening to their thoughts whisper over you. And, that's the strength - and the magic - of 'In America'. What Sheridan does is let you feel as though you're watching a collection of realistic moments from this family's life, taking a step beyond what you'd normally see in the real world by inviting you to see the surface that the adults have each fabricated out of self-preservation while he methodically shows you what's simmering underneath and ready to explode before it does. You know what they're going through, without needing to have it fully explained to you, because you can see it in their body language. It screams from their eyes. I guess my only problem with this picture was with the timing, when it seems as though every interesting artist depicted in theatres these days has to be either suicidal or (in this case) dying of AIDS. It's a minor quibble, though. It fits with the story.

Check out this slow-paced yet marvelously enchanting gem if you're tired of pyrotechnic blood baths set to a trippy back beat, and be ready to suddenly get the urge to hug your kids a little tighter or have more cups of tea than usual with a relative soon afterwards. Lovely.

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Intermission
REVIEWED 06/04, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

This fairly quirky Irish Film and Television Awards multi-winning 2003 County Dublin-based romantic comedy wonderfully entwines writer Mark O'Rowe's outlandish and expletive-filled yet captivating three main urban contemporary stories in approximately a hundred minutes, as played out by an incredible ensemble cast directed by former actor John Crowley. Surprisingly under rated these days, powerhouse Colin Ferrall immediately steals the show through sheer brute force here as volcanic small-time criminal Lehiff, keeping one step ahead of the city Garda's self-aggrandizing tough guy Detective Jerry Lynch (awesomely done by TV's former 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' (1987-1994) Miles O'Brien, Colm Meaney) while attempting to mastermind a daylight bank heist that involves blackmailing its manager. Of course, the primary plot revolves around lovelorn and disgruntled Henderson's Supermarket shelf stocker John's (Cillian Murphy) six month relationship 'intermission' with his ex-girlfriend Deirdre (Kelly Macdonald), as he's obsessively tormented by her hooking up with Sam (Michael McElhatton) - who's recently and quite coldly walked away from his fourteen-year marriage after cheating on his devoted wife with his new-found love, and who just so-happens to be the local Eurobank's manager.

Murphy and Macdonald are great together, as John immediately sees the ironic chance for revenge, and quickly joins Lehiff's plan when a mutual pal calls him over in the pub one night. Continually bright Scots talent Shirley Henderson pulls in an impressive and often hilariously self-effacing performance as Deirdre's hardened and depression-riddled sister Sally, in the third coinciding tale that starts off as little more than a reoccurring facial hair sight gag but eventually expands into some delightfully touching moments here. Faves definitely include Taylor Molloy's devilish rock-throwing kid spontaneously tossing out steps from Riverdance at an on-location TV interview, as well as a paying audience getting to see those would-be crooks nonchalantly singing their hearts out to a familiar Catholic Mysticism tune by Clannad. 'Intermission' is rife with welcome unexpected gems like those. Apparently, Ferrall also added his rendition of 'I Fought the Law' to the soundtrack. Sure, this immensely satisfying flick does suffer from a couple of silly over-long asides and a fiercely goofy ending; and the dialogue laced with liberal amounts of thick-tongued brogues throughout could have benefited from subtitles for the screening that I found annoyingly indecipherable at times, but most of these characters are so intriguing and fresh that it's still well worth hunting down and spending time with.

Check out this mixed bag of raw laughs and down to earth romance that definitely delivers a fabulous cast and some truly great scenes.

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I, Robot
REVIEWED 07/04, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Claiming to be merely "suggested by the book by Isaac Asimov" that was really a groundbreaking 1950 Sci-Fi anthology of nine short stories written by Russian-born prolific American author and biochemist Asimov (c.1920-1992), about the futuristic manufacturer U.S. Robotics and Mechanical Men's positronic-brained NS (Nestor Series) robots functioning (or not) under the watchful eye of robo-psychiatrist Susan Calvin and the now-famous 'Three Laws' rules; originally called 'Mind and Iron' and renamed by his publisher after Earl (1904-1966) and Otto (1911-1974) aka 'EandO' Binder's 'I, Robot' fiction featured in Amazing Stories' January 1939 edition, Will Smith stars as brooding technophobic circa 2035 Chicago homicide detective Del Spooner who stumbles upon what eventually seems to be a conspiracy towards all-out revolution, after renowned robotics developer Dr. Alfred Lanning (James Cromwell) is apparently pushed through his lab's twelfth floor window by a prototype NS-5 robot named Sonny (voiced by Alan Tudyk).

Bridget Moynahan co-stars as this rollicking actioner's USR-employed Susan Calvin, pulling in a fairly good job as the prevailing voice of reason opposite Spooner's mounting paranoia that's haunted by nightmarish dreams of his recent past. And, ignoring the suspiciously unwarranted controversy over how Warner Brothers handled the book's rights bought from Asimov's estate and apparently plugged into screenwriter Jeff Vintar's 'Hardwired' script that evolved into this hugely enjoyable film, Smith does a great job here in mixing broad pulse-pounding action with some wonderfully well-crafted scenes of personable drama and wry humour throughout. He's got two or three quips here that are absolutely priceless, in this sprawling science fiction whodunit that feels predominantly retrofitted from such Phillip K. Dick-inspired cinematic predecessors as 'Minority Report' (2002) and 'Blade Runner' (1982). Sure, because so much of this screening is so brutally overrun by its visually overwhelming but sometimes aggravatingly clunky CGI effects, as well as Simon Duggan's exasperatingly intrusive camerawork throughout, a lot of what director Alex Proyas ('Dark City' (1998), 'The Crow' (1994)) seems to be attempting gets unintentionally muddled or completely shoved aside at pivotal moments. If you're prone to vertigo or motion sickness, either steer clear of this one or bring an extra strength barf bag. However, what stands above all of that is a truly satisfying story that, while unabashedly veering eons from Asimov's more sublime fantasies, is still well worth the price of admission as an incredibly captivating crime-solver turned cautionary tale.

Definitely check it out as an over-all rip roaring, lip-smacking mature futuristic nail biter from beginning to closing credits. Awesome.

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Intimate Strangers
REVIEWED 10/04, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

The perfectly sober professional life and emotionally stalled personal existence of recently dumped, second generation Parisian tax advisor William (Fabrice Luchini; 'Beaumarchais, l'insolent' (1996)) are inspired towards unforeseen changes when lithe, mysteriously seductive shop clerk Anna (Sandrine Bonnaire; 'Monsieur Hire' (1989), 'Mademoiselle' (2001)) enters his dull third storey office by mistake - believing that he's Dr. Monnier, the psychiatrist practicing at the other end of the same narrow hallway - and she begins confiding the intimate details of her sexually strained marriage to him. At first, William innocently thought Anna was merely seeking tax-related advice regarding her possible divorce. However, when he quickly realizes the mix-up, he still can't bring himself to set her straight. Even when he seeks Monnier's advice, the good doctor sees the humour in it - citing that they're both in the same business "dealing with what people claim and withhold" - but, this outwardly stoic man is increasingly intrigued by her and how his time spent with Anna is effecting him, in this surprisingly slow paced and mildly humourous subtitled character study from award-winning director Patrice Leconte ('Monsieur Hire' (1989), 'L'Homme du train' (2002)).

While 'Confidences trop intimes' (its original French title) does primarily play itself out as an over-all potentially interesting and oftentimes sophisticated offering, large gaps in the plot's momentum do unnecessarily undermine whatever initially manifested interest in what's happening on the big screen between these two incredibly captivating talents. As though screenwriter Jérôme Tonnerre was unsure about creating a script with a definite, story-driven course until about two-thirds of the way through, spending far too much time attempting to slowly develop these two main characters within the confines of one fairly minimalist room in the dubious hopes of somehow miraculously conjuring up a tangible spark between them, without really giving a paying audience any real reason to care what happens by the second act. The story plods a long, relentlessly teasing a paying audience into expecting something more to happen - either with Anna's stories, or with William's growing addiction to them and her - if not this next time she appears at his door, then maybe during the following session. Neither happen, really. Even when her husband enters the picture, the opportunity for this flick to up the stakes as either an intriguing glimpse into the consequences of intellectual voyeurism or a completely irreverent comedy of reactionary errors is totally overlooked in favour of more aggravatingly underplayed scenes of longing glances and unspoken obsession-rapt agony for the psychic ticket holders willing to sit through this one. Yawn. Sure, there's the sophisticated aspect mentioned earlier that does come into play during a few key moments, and primarily near the end, but it's tough to say that it and whatever naturally lush screen presence Luchini and Bonnaire bring are enough to truly sustain this mature yet disappointingly flawed foreign film throughout its entire run time. Frankly, I kept hoping that Jeanne (Anne Brochet), William's ever present, blunt-talking ex-girlfriend of two years, would kick start things where no others seemed the least bit willing here. Ah well.

Steer clear of this plodding, undercooked amusement featuring an otherwise wonderful cast.

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Intern Academy
REVIEWED 09/04, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Essentially a vague retooling of US director Garry Marshall's first feature, 'Young Doctors in Love' (1982), this fairly aggravating and disjointed Canadian comedy from Emmy-winning SCTV alumnus, actor/writer/director Dave Thomas ('The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew' (1983), 'Coneheads' (1993)) follows the overwhelmingly unfunny and contrived final year internship of a collection of lazy medical school student stereotypes stuck in the irrevocably cash-strapped learning facilities of St. Albert's Hospital. Nerdy klutz Mike Bonnert (Alberta comedian Peter Oldring; 'K-19: The Widowmaker' (2002), 'Hollywood North' (2003)), womanizing slacker Dale Dodd (comedian Pat Kelly), moonlighting naughty nurse Mitzi Cole (Christine Chatelain; 'Final Destination' (2000), '40 Days and 40 Nights' (2002)), and over achieving blonde princess Mira Towers (former Miss London, Ontario, Ingrid Kavelaars; 'Specimen' (1996), 'Dreamcatcher' (2003)) are four of the half dozen boring main characters lumbering through several of this disaster's half cocked gags and juvenile shenanigans, with Thomas, Dave Foley ('Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy' (1996), 'Monkeybone' (2001)), Matt Frewer ('Max Headroom' (1987), 'Lawnmower Man 2' (1996)) and Oscar-nominated Dan Ackroyd ('Trading Places' (1983), '50 First Dates' (2004)) rounding out its dismal cast of visibly floundering clowns.

Shot in Edmonton, what inevitably makes this somewhat initially promising ninety-minute flick such a cinematic turkey suspiciously smacks of the same inexplicable curse that's plagued many big screen comedies from this country over the decades: It can't decide what it wants to be. Ending up scattered and out of steam, as this irreverently stupid farce; too nervous about its romantic sub-story and too deliriously burdened by an endless stream of lousy affected acting and bland punch lines, is dragged out so long that you've already slipped into a coma by the time it suddenly shifts gears into becoming a semi-interesting triage centre torn from the pages of any TV hospital program, where this gang of goof balls somehow snap to at the eleventh hour as moderately adept professional doctors saving the day. Huh? Chucking human entrails food fight style at each other isn't funny. Frewer pulling dumb faces while mutilating a cadaver isn't funny. Failing to give a paying audience any reason to care about any of these people or their individual quirks isn't funny. Frankly, Thomas' script feels overtly cobbled together for the most part here, and this entire movie seems more like a series of poorly improvised skits loosely strung together by a couple of temporarily examined plotlines that don't really go anywhere by the time the closing credits finally grant the sweet release of the exit door's freedom. It's as though this film is the result of this crew sitting around over beers while watching such bygone groaners as Marshall's forgettable parody cited above, the two clinic-related low brow Brit classics from the Carry On Gang made in 1959 and 1968 respectively, and anything else that's lampooned the medical profession since, and then cramming their notes through a rusty meat grinder before the cameras rolled.

The silly teen sex romp 'Porky's' (1981) - reportedly still the highest grossing Canadian comedy ever made - and even the recent, sporadically enjoyable 'Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle' (2004) have nothing to fear from this insulting and numbingly awful flop. Steer clear of 'Intern Academy', unless you're desperately out of sleeping pills.

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I Heart Huckabees
REVIEWED 10/04, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

A series of vaguely serendipitous events leads troubled LA poet/activist founder of the local Pacamac Chapter of the Open Spaces Coalition, Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman; 'Rushmore' (1998), 'Simone' (2002)), to hire the overtly weird detective powers of seventeen-year veteran existential investigation and resolution professionals Jaffe and Jaffe - husband and wife philosophical sleuths Vivian (Lily Tomlin; 'All of Me' (1984), 'Orange County' (2002)) and Bernard (Dustin Hoffman; 'Kramer vs. Kramer' (1979), 'Runaway Jury' (2003)) - as he realizes that manipulatively gregarious local Huckabees superstore chain advertising executive Brad Stand (Jude Law; 'Gattaca' (1997), 'Cold Mountain' (2003)) is winning a bid to undermine everything that Albert has worked for in trying to save the threatened stretch of marshlands and wilderness of nearby Hutchinson Woods from corporate development. For some inexplicably obsessive reason, Markovski wants to know if there's any meaning to him bumping into the same seven foot-tall Sudanese refugee (Ger Duany as Steven Nimieri) three separate times during that past couple of months. The Jaffe's dig a little deeper and follow every lead, encouraging Albert to adopt a far more universal truth about his existence before somewhat prematurely introducing him to his "other": Recently separated, world-weary and angst-burdened firefighter Tommy Corn (Mark Wahlberg; 'Boogie Nights' (1997), 'The Italian Job' (2003)) just as Corn is seriously considering abandoning the whole interconnective notion of existentialism for the stark apathy of nihilism as vehemently proposed by the Jaffe's former prodigy and apparent arch rival, acclaimed French thinker Caterine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert; 'Violette Nozière' (1978), '8 femmes' (2002)). Dragging Markovski along for the ride of his life.

What an odd little movie. Writer/director David O. Russell ('Spanking the Monkey' (1994), 'Three Kings' (1999)) wonderfully plays with these two rather diametrically opposing internal conundrums of existentialism and nihilism - reportedly first cited by 19th Century Danish philosopher Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855) and refined for the masses by French novelist Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), and by Russian poet Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (1818-1883) and made famous by German philosopher Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900), respectively - within the framework of a real world detective story, instead of the stoic solitude of a psychologist's couch. That's primarily where this flick is incredibly interesting and undeniably fresh, on the same level as 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004) takes a paying audience on a quirky meander while most of these main characters individually suffer various degrees of a mental breakdown. Unfortunately, it's almost as though Russell took his original finished manuscript and cut it like a deck of cards with script out takes from the old Tom and Jerry (1965-1972) animated TV show to purposely give a disoriented and surreal, almost Dadaist flavour to this production. Of course, I'm exaggerating a little, but there are moments here where vaguely connected, puzzlingly bizarre scenes are rammed in from left field, demanding your confused attention while not really moving the movie along in any real way, before they're summarily forgotten. Sure, Hoffman and Tomlin steal the show with their hilariously eccentric performances. Put them together, alone in a room playing these laterally cerebral characters and you'd have a better movie, likely. As it stands, this entire experiment plays out too much like self-indulgent post-production playtime for this crew, and as an annoying, inaccessible farce really only intended for those already inculcated by either of these two rather heady dogmas. Making it a tough one to thoroughly enjoy in general terms, as anything other than a pedestrian moviegoer subsequently filled with far too many unanswered questions by the time the closing credits roll.

Definitely rent this mature romp for the memorably bizarre acting that's well worth checking out, but forget about finding much in the way of a cohesively satisfying story unless you're already taking heavy doses of prescription drugs or love using the wrong road map to navigate unfamiliar territory.

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The Incredibles
REVIEWED 11/04, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

It's been fifteen years since the results of mounting lawsuits and a unanimous decision by the US Senate forced every once-glorified, crime-fighting and masked superhero into decommission; given no alternative but to live ordinary lives under a government sponsored relocation program. And, that's what disgruntled Metro City Insuracare claims worker Bob Parr - aka Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson; 'Poltergeist, (1982), 'The Skulls' (2000)) - and his adoring homemaker wife Helen - formerly ElastiGirl (Holly Hunter; 'The Piano' (1993), 'Little Black Book' (2004)) - have tried to do, fitting in and raising their family like any other outwardly average American. Despite their secret super human abilities. However, when Bob is suddenly given the strange invitation to relive those incredibly daring days that he's always regretted having to turn his back on; secretly hired by Mirage (Elizabeth Peña; 'Rush Hour' (1998), 'Tortilla Soup' (2001)), the seductive assistant of a shadowy billionaire, to face off against a giant marauding battle droid gone berserk on a remote volcanic island, little does he realize the very real dangers already set in place for him that will also threaten his family and every unsuspecting citizen of his thriving metropolitan home.

Wow. This hugely entertaining, computer animated PG-rated action/comedy from the wunderkinds at Pixar ('Monsters, Inc.' (2001), 'Finding Nemo' (2003)) does seem to heavily borrow from the likes of 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969) and other James Bond capers, as well as sparks vague comparisons to 'Unbreakable' (2000) and to the decidedly darker, groundbreaking comic book series 'The Watchmen' (1987) throughout. However, what makes this rollicking hundred and fifteen minute spectacle (apparently the longest feature of its kind to date) such a hugely satisfying romp is that this story from writer/director Brad Bird ('The Iron Giant' (1999)) - who also voices flamboyantly hilarious fashion designer Edna Mode here - is so incredibly compelling as an insightful drama as well. These cartoony main characters are three dimensional, having the same sorts of adult concerns and emotions and foibles wonderfully presented in extremely good live action movies, while this one is set within the slightly less serious genre of building-leaping do-gooders inspired by Superman comics and films for half a Century. Their devilish nemesis' eye-popping Fifties-style secret lair and dastardly machinations truly are fun. Seeing Bob's and old pal Lucius Best's - alias Frozone's (Samuel L. Jackson; 'Pulp Fiction' (1994), 'Star Wars: Episode II' (2002)) - ambivalence regarding their mundane lives versus their fantastic Golden Years send them on surreptitious night excursions to trade war stories while responding to police radio calls incognito is both inspired and truly satisfying. It's tough to believe that any ticket holder wouldn't quickly want them to don their old super suits, fighting the urge to deliriously cheer like an eight year-old geek when they finally do. I'm not quite sure why the first five minutes are set aside for Boundin', a fairly soft and corny, dancing sheep musical short unrelated in any way to this feature, feeling like conspicuous filler for young kids, though. At any rate, 'The Incredibles' is more than just high velocity feel good violence for adolescents, and might actually be a little too intense for toddlers at times, but it's certainly a marvelously lush offering for kids at heart interested in seeing these middle aged, spandex-wearing champions realistically depicted in a humourous and insightful, enormously satisfying manner throughout.

Absolutely do yourself a huge favour and check it out on the big screen with the best sound system your local movie theatre can offer. Awesome.

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In Good Company
REVIEWED 01/05, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

When the parent company of Manhattan-based Sports America Magazine is suddenly bought by multi-national Globecom tycoon Teddy K, that publication's fifty-one year-old, twenty-year veteran sales manager Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid; 'Great Balls of Fire!' (1989), 'Far from Heaven' (2002)) hears about it for the first time on the morning news channel while getting ready for work. It's a shock to his entire team, with the rumour mill running overtime with nervous talk of massive lay offs and expected down sizing during Teddy K's (Malcolm McDowell; 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971), 'Hidalgo' (2004)) infamous slash and gut restructuring style. However, that's not the biggest life-changing news on Dan's mind at the moment. Not only does his beloved eldest teen of two daughters, Alex (Scarlett Johansson; 'Home Alone 3' (1997), 'Lost in Translation' (2003)), want to enroll at pricey New York University and leave their comfortable suburban home for dorm life in the big bad city, he's tormented by finding an empty pregnancy test box in the kitchen trash that morning. The corporate takeover at work doesn't quite register until his boss lays it out in black and white: Foreman's losing his plush corner office. Summarily demoted to assistant sales manager, under Globecom's hot shot young twenty-six year-old sales executive Carter Duryea (Christopher 'Topher' Grace; 'Traffic' (2000), 'Mona Lisa Smile' (2003)). The betting pool odds are pretty good that Dan will be the first to be let go. However, Duryea has problems of his own - having to deal with the shock from his crumbling seven-month marriage suddenly ending - just as he starts his new job of shaping up Sports America's ad revenues by 20% in record time. He sees the happy, balanced life of family and career that Foreman's made for himself over the years, and is curiously drawn to that seemingly unattainable success. Particularly with Alex, who's found herself inexplicably smitten with Carter while completely hating what Globecom stands for...

Wow. This incredibly fresh dramatic comedy is an absolute gem. Writer/director Paul Weitz ('Down to Earth' (2001), 'About a Boy' (2002)) delivers an outstanding story for Quaid and Grace to completely stretch their acting muscles in pretty well every direction here, with wonderfully memorable results throughout. Sure, the reality of veteran employees being displaced by younger management isn't particularly new. What makes it a captivating source for this big screen offering is in how richly developed these characters truly are. You're given clear reasons to care about them, instead of just being expected to automatically empathize with their situation, because each primary role has his or her own peripheral story that makes them feel human. Believable, in many respects. Even the way in which the simple age gap is played with, where either side initially demonizes the other with easily recognizable skepticism and acerbic wit - before this picture's strong story arc somewhat changes their attitudes - is packed with clever dialogue and careful attention to detail. Johansson easily shines here as well, disarming a paying audience with her superior portrayal of an equally strong minded yet fragile young woman in scene after scene, while ending up becoming the unwilling catalyst that inevitably sparks further tensions between these two accidental friends. This is a high caliber cast that's been given the perfect film for them to be in. Part odd couple buddy flick, part Shakespearean romance, 'In Good Company' fires on all cylinders as a sharply witty and marvelously compelling, surprisingly laid back cinematic treasure from beginning to closing credits. Superior acting. A tour de force screenplay. Awesome pacing by editor Myron I. Kerstein, and beautiful cinematography from Remi Adefarasin. I honestly can't say enough good things about it. Definitely do yourself a huge favour and check out this thoroughly outstanding, hundred and nine-minute sleeper hit.

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Ice Princess
REVIEWED 03/05, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Connecticut high school senior and Harvard University hopeful Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg; 'Inspector Gadget' (1999), 'EuroTrip' (2004)) has the raw talent and clear potential to make the right choice for her promising future. A shy yet personable straight A student who loves to escape her rigorous studies by lacing up her second hand ice skates and gliding circles for hours on her family farm's frozen pond, Casey is encouraged by her professor Mr. Bast (Steve Ross) to apply herself towards winning a much needed physics scholarship towards what she and her middle school Feminist Literature teacher Mom Joan (Joan Cusack; Runaway Bride (1999), 'Raising Helen' (2004)) have been planning for years. Dowdy Joan is overjoyed, seeing this as a once in a lifetime opportunity for her lovely daughter to excel as a successfully influential role model for young women everywhere who want to be noticed for their minds and not their bodies. Skating is a nice hobby, but how any woman can think that she's taken for a serious athlete wearing a skimpy costume is beyond her. Harvard is the key. However, Casey needs to come up with a special project to submit first. Bast suggests something personal that will reflect her scholastic passion. Nothing comes readily to mind, until Casey's inspired while watching figure skating championships on TV, realizing that there must be an aerodynamic formula for performing the perfect triple Lutz and sowkow. Sending her to the local indoor rink with video camera in hand to study the State finals' hopefuls practicing their closely guarded programs, only to find herself nervously attempting to explain to that closed arena's suspicious owner and coach, former Olympic contender Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall; 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (1991), 'Crossroads' (2002)), that she's not a rival spy. Carlyle's first stab at producing the right calculations are good, but her best friend thinks she needs to personalize it even more. Resulting in Casey working a part time job flipping burgers in order to afford taking the only skating lessons that Harwood will let her join: The three days a week novice class of wobbly ankled six to eight year-olds sporting cushioned shorts, well padded for safely falling on hard, polished ice. That's when something magical happens. And, it continues to happen, until Casey becomes torn between fulfilling her mother's dream for her or deciding to follow her own unintentionally discovered path...

Admittedly, I had my doubts checking out this surprisingly well-crafted Disney movie that's apparently intended for young teens. I suppose that I had the same dreads going in as most moviegoers would who aren't particularly fanatical about figure skating to begin with. Yes, there's a lot of ice time shown here. However, it could easily be argued that 'Ice Princess' would be just as contagiously entertaining if Trachtenberg's character had realized her passion for hockey, or had discovered an unrealized aptitude for ice sculpting, or had become obsessed with wanting to be the most popular online movie critic in the Great White North. Okay, so maybe they might have needed to change the title to suit that last example, but you get the idea. Hadley Davis' wonderfully fresh and insightful screenplay is about this girl finding what most defines her sense of self-worth and going for it. What that is doesn't matter, because the conflicts and insecurities and successes that she faces would likely be similar regardless. That's where this ninety-two minute coming of age, family friendly outing from director Tim Fywell ('I Capture the Castle' (2003)) is a pure treasure to watch unfold. Being at least vaguely interested in skating does help, but it's not compulsory for you to enjoy the drama off and on the rink. These characters are incredibly believable within their world, and while the story's structure is obviously - appropriately - formulaic throughout, this main cast of proven talent pulls in exceptionally captivating performances for a paying audience to immediately tap into and follow along with until the closing credits. Trachtenberg, Cusack and Cattrall are all absolutely fantastic here, armed with some truly superb dialogue while deftly playing off of each other. It's particularly impressive that this picture actually does acknowledge two decidedly extreme opinions about competitive figure skating, finding a balance as coach and mother develop along individual arcs that frequently intersect with Casey's. And, while I could have done without a couple of its overtly precocious pee wee players, the majority screen time afforded the supporting cast is kept to a minimum so that the entire picture delivers a tightly woven, thoroughly enjoyable time. Good stuff. Cinematographer David Hennings does a great job capturing what transpires, under a staggering variety of lighting conditions. Definitely check out this surprisingly impressive, adolescent chick flick for it's inspired writing and memorable performances.

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Inside Deep Throat
REVIEWED 03/05, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

In 1972, President Nixon announced that America's controversial ten-year open involvement in the Vietnam War was ending. Peace was at hand, and yet no Nobel Peace Prize was awarded that year. Racial and social unrest was at an all time high, and the Watergate Scandal first broke headlines with the arrest of five White House operatives. It was a time when North American televisions tuned in to the inaugural season of 'MASH', and renowned news anchor Walter Cronkite showed close up pictures of Mars sent home by Mariner 9. Bloody Sunday ripped through Dublin, and eleven Israeli athletes were kidnapped and killed by Palestinian terrorists during the Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. Moviegoers saw the premieres of 'The Godfather', 'Deliverance' and 'Cabaret', as well as one of the most famous and arguably highest grossing pornographic films of all time: 'Deep Throat', starring twenty-three year-old amateur fetish actress Linda 'Lovelace' Susan Boreman (1949-2002) ('Deep Throat Part II' (1974), 'Linda Lovelace Meets Miss Jones' (1975)) and twenty-one year-old porn actor Harry Reems ('Mondo Porno' (1970), 'For Your Thighs Only' (1984)), both from The Bronx. Reportedly shot in six days with a budget of $25,000 in Miami, Florida, 'Deep Throat' wasn't the first graphic sex movie ever shown in the States. The genre had been around for decades at home and abroad, under the guise of being called Instructional Films or Art. However, it quickly became the single most talked about, must-see screening that everyone who was anyone wanted to be seen going to check it out, shortly after debuting in Manhattan's Times Square. The film also became a flash point target, galvanizing stronger US government regulation and sending a chill through mainstream Hollywood when the FBI charged Reems with conspiring to distribute pornographic material across State lines simply by appearing in it. What the documentary 'Inside Deep Throat' does is outline that sixty-two minute cult classic's behind the scenes stories and ponders upon its surprising box office success, attempting to put it into the larger context of a waning Sexual Revolution during the tumultuous height of that nation's censorship laws, burgeoning Modern Feminism, and that era's deeply widening Generation Gap.

Primarily using archival footage and 2002 interviews of its main cast of two and New York beauty salon owner turned pornographer and 'Deep Throat' creator Gerard Damiano ('The Devil in Miss Jones' (1973), 'Perils of Paula' (1989)), as well as talking to several recognizable fans from that time - including Hugh Hefner, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Norman Mailer and John Waters - writer/director team Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato ('Party Monster' (1998), 'Hidden Fuhrer: Debating the Enigma of Hitler's Sexuality' (2004)) manage to piece together a somewhat interesting yet unavoidably blue effort here. Yes, 'Inside Deep Throat' does essentially focus on the anatomical bits while attempting to validate 'Deep Throat' as something more than what it was. With narrator Dennis Hopper ('Easy Rider' (1969), 'Apocalypse Now' (1979)) and others here calling it revolutionary. It feels like a mockumentary at times, citing the original as being a bedroom trailblazer for depicting the then-taboo subject of female sexual pleasure unreliant upon male satisfaction and for changing Seventies North American ideas regarding fellatio (merely by celebrating Lovelace's, uh, robust windpipe, spun into a bizarre story line). Huh? You needing to be there in order to understand the full thrust of its far reaching societal significance quickly becomes Bailey's and Barbato's boring one note mantra though, basically downsizing whatever compelling relevance for a contemporary paying audience that this forgettably corny 1972 romp made heavily politicized and subsequently demonized might have represented to a rebellious, substance dabbling culture back then. Porn is still just porn, so what's the big deal? Frankly, the title likely conjures up the shadowy informant from 'All the President's Men' (1976) more readily these days than collective recollection of a poorly made novelty reel of so-called artfully naughty slap and tickle. However, despite the thirty-three year-old explicit content apparently existing for no other reason than to promote the questionably remastered reissue of 'Deep Throat' in soft and hard core DVD versions, what vaguely saves 'Inside Deep Throat' from completely becoming little more than a trivial cinematic wet spot are these real life characters and their sometimes hilariously insightful anecdotes of seamy cinema, Constitutional rights, police raids, celebrity endorsement and mob takeover. They truly are thoroughly intriguing, briefly candid voices - in many cases, momentarily lifted from relative obscurity - taking you down this particularly ruinous, self gratifying gutter of memory lane.

'Inside Deep Throat' isn't particularly notable over-all; obviously intended more for pornography aficionados than for serious history buffs, hardly making it worth the price of admission unless you're young at heart enough to be interested in a slanted, X-rated view of what all the fuss was about and you're old enough to legally buy a ticket.

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The Interpreter
REVIEWED 04/05, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

"The Teacher will never leave this room alive." That ominous threat whispered in an arcane foreign dialect unexpectedly overheard after hours from the United Nations' General Assembly room haunts five-year veteran international interpreter Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman; 'The Hours' (2002), 'The Stepford Wives' (2004)) as she runs into the night from her darkened sound booth. She understood. The Teacher, aged Matoban President Edmund Zuwanie (Earl Cameron; 'Thunderball' (1965)), is slated to arrive in Manhattan from his war torn African country in two weeks time, to speak against a UN resolution that charges him with racial genocide. It would seem that the joyful parade that had welcomed this controversial Third World leader to America thirty years ago has now been replaced by cold-blooded assassination plans by those apparently aligned with his brutal government's rebel opposition. Kuman-Kuman (George Harris), Matobo's media savvy former Minister of Industry living in exile in New York appears to be a prime suspect. So is vocal Socialist agitator Agene Xola (Curtiss Cook), who has demanded that Zuwanie's bloody regime be overthrown in a People's Uprising. However, Broome's motives also appear to be suspect, as beleageured Secret Service agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn; 'Dead Man Walking' (1995), '21 Grams' (2003)) begins to ask tough questions about her murky past and blunt alliances after it's discovered that her parents were killed by a Matoban Army land mine when she was six years old. Everyone has a grudge to bear, but who would want to bring it half way around the globe by killing this President in front of 191 delegates and their staff of bureaucrats? Time is running out. American civilians have already died in a horrifying East side bus explosion, and Silvia's life hangs in the balance as these faceless killers stop at nothing to see their insidious plot played out...

Feeling like a contemporary cinematic cousin of 'The Conversation' (1974) and 'The Pelican Brief' (1993), award winning director Sydney Pollack's ('Tootsie' (1982), 'The Firm' (1993)) intelligently tight offering crackles with - dare I say it - Hitchcockian intrigue hearkening back to old fashioned, unpretentious nuts and bolts movie making. In a good way. Penn and Kidman pull in electrifying performances here, armed with incredibly strong dialogue, easily fleshing out their complicated characters for a paying audience to empathize with and be dragged along for the ride. You want to take Keller's cautiously skeptical side while still wanting to support Broome's leaps of fragile conscience, as your amateur sleuthing gland works overtime meticulously piecing together this outstanding puzzle. Nothing is wasted. Awesome. I'd read about this being the first picture to be given permission to shoot on location inside the fifty-five year-old UN building. That nifty bit of trivia certainly adds to its over-all credibility but it doesn't really matter, because there's so much more that makes this hundred and twenty-eight minuter well worth the price of admission. Sure, Charles Randolph's, Scott Frank's and Steven Zaillian's screenplay is slightly difficult to follow in parts, likely leaving you wondering what happened to a couple of the supporting players who suddenly disappear, but the primary plot line is crystal clear and masterfully realized from beginning to closing credits here. 'The Interpreter' is a rare delight, where its story is obviously action driven and yet is just as carefully orchestrated by the personalities caught up in this labyrinthine web that overtakes them. Definitely check out this intensely superior, outstanding thriller that's easily the best thing from Hollywood playing in the theatres so far this year.

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It's All Gone Pete Tong
REVIEWED 06/05, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Like an atomic explosion of raw musical brilliance, scorching the stratosphere and shattering the ozone layer with a trillion-trillion decibels of primal synchapation, world famous master class trance house mixer Frankie Wilde (Paul Kaye) is the undisputed Sun King of all that he surveys. His chart-topping electronica dance club hits are legendary. His magazine interviews and glossy endorsements and exclusive features on TV are legendary. His exploits and excesses in and out of the strobe light spotlight are legendary. If legendary is the word to describe the epitome of everything that is Frankie, there would be a picture of him in the dictionary instead of the word legendary under 'L'. And, under 'F', instead of the word Frankie, and under 'W' instead of Wilde. And, under 'F', for Frankie Wilde. Commanding the heaving, sultry throng of numbingly mesmerized nubile fans who cram every floor to capacity on the Ibiza night scene, this fashionably gaunt and red haired and gold capped toothed legendary legend stands akimbo under the thumping monolithic speakers that punch and drone his rhythmic genius across that Spanish beachside paradise of hedonistic delights. That is, he was all that. A year ago. Before years of ear splitting music had left Frankie stone deaf. Before his label dropped him. "Latterly, his work was clearly the work of a man who couldn't hear," the head of London's Motor Records explains. Frankie vanished. Six months later, his longtime manager Max Haggar (Mike Wilmot) tells an Ibiza Beat TV correspondent that he thought Wilde had been spotted in New York, panhandling for spare change with shoe boxes on his feet, trying to eat a rock like a sandwich. However, the Cocaine Badger knows where Frankie is. He's holed up like Howard Hughes in a green parka with cotton strapped to his ears, in the trashed master bedroom of his ocean view villa. He needs complete silence, if he's ever going to get his hearing back and finish the beginning and the middle and the end bits of his comeback album. However, Frankie loves the Cocaine Badger and the Cocaine Badger loves Frankie.

Loosely playing out as a kind of low brow, prematurely birthed third cousin to television's 'The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash' (1978) and the theatrically released 'This is Spinal Tap' (1984) and 'A Mighty Wind' (2003), this vaguely amusing 2004 Brit mockumentary from writer/director Michael Dowse ('Fubar' (2002)) feels a lot like a lazy contemporary rehash of some of the more memorable moments from 'Tommy' (1975), 'Pink Floyd - The Wall' (1982) and 'Trainspotting' (1996) - with far less intriguing characters, however. One of the problems with 'It's All Gone Pete Tong' - reportedly a twist on Cockney rhyming slang, meaning It's All Gone Wrong, coyly using the name of BBC Radio personality and famed dance club DJ Pete Tong (who makes a cameo here as a beleaguered interviewer) for no apparent reason - is that it fails to push the envelope of hedonistic excess and self-destructive drug abuse far enough. There are no real scenes of debauchery, wild mayhem on and off of the stage, or any of the fast and hard rock and roll lifestyle bits that you might expect to find. It's simply alluded to, except what the guy in the giant badger suit appears. Yawn. These vices are what primarily move along the first half of this ninety-minute mess, and yet there's barely anything here that sufficiently captivates a paying audience. You spend a lot of time waiting for something to happen. That same aggravation holds true for the club scenes, which are pretty much shots of the same crowd used throughout as flashy props bereft of any tangible context for the uninitiated who haven't already dozed off or walked out. Sadly, Dowse's wisp of a script ends up becoming little more than a lot of substanceless, ad-hoc punch line goofing around for the camera, as though this feature was mindlessly extended for the big screen from a seven-minute skit that had already run out of juice long ago. This flick's star, former shock TV comedian Paul Kaye ('Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London' (2004)) obviously immerses himself into his numbed and slobbering role as the fictitious, legendary flip flop wunderkind Frankie Wilde pounding his smug lordship over the Ibiza electronica scene while slowly becoming stone deaf. However, because Wilde is portrayed as being such a completely loathsome and unredemptively stupid character to begin with, the second problem here is that you really aren't given any reason to care about him or the path to personal salvation he stumbles upon, either at his lowest point flushing the snort stashes or at the hands of his lip reading teacher and eventual love interest Penelope Garcia (Beatriz Batarda). 'It's All Gone Pete Tong' actually should have been about Wilde's profusely sweaty, hilariously foul mouthed manager, Max Haggar (Mike Wilmot; 'The Wrong Guy' (1997)), who wonderfully rescues every otherwise scandalously awful scene he's in. Max definitely has most of the best lines. He should have starred. Dowse must have realized something was wrong, because this disaster then suddenly decides to become a semi-serious self-help examination, with Frankie reclaiming his former glory clean and sober and just as humourless. Isn't the point of a mockumentary that it's supposed make you laugh more than once while it mocks something? All this one does is prove how naive anyone is if they buy a ticket expecting to sit through a good movie. Awful. Steer clear of this steaming pile of half baked celluloid.

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The Island
REVIEWED 07/05, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

There's definitely something wrong with The Lottery. Gandu Three Alpha (Brian Stepanek; 'Kissing Jessica Stein' (2001)) has been here for almost seven years. Cooped up in this tri-towered industrial complex as one of the first survivors of the deadly contamination that ravaged the Earth, his name still hasn't been picked. Watching Starkweather Two Delta (Michael Clarke Duncan; 'The Green Mile' (1999), 'Sin City' (2005)) bubble with deliriously silly glee at being the latest winner chosen at random to be sent to the blissfully sun drenched tropical shores of The Island on elevator twelve's projection wall that morning, Gandu's guts churn at the blatant unfairness of it all. Jones Three Echo ('Star Trek: Voyager' (1995-2001) co-star Ethan Phillips; 'The Man Without a Face' (1993), 'Bad Santa' (2003)) has another theory. He's done the calculations, carefully checking and rechecking his crumpled page of overlapping equations, and is almost positively sure of the results. Jones' name will be announced very soon. Within days. He can hardly contain himself. The Island is the last untouched bastion of clean air and wide open skies outside of these thick grey walls of glass and concrete and metal, and he can't wait to be shipped out. July 2019 is definitely going to be his month. Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) just wants his missing shoe. He's sick of this place. The boring, ridiculously strict meal plan. The boring, hard to keep clean white jumpsuits they all have to wear. He hates that everything he does is closely monitored by the Censors. Merrick (Sean Bean; 'GoldenEye' (1995), 'National Treasure' (2004)), the building's impersonally pleasant administrator, doesn't seem to realize just what a burden it is. He can't even help explain these strange nightmares that Lincoln's begun having. The lack of simple answers is almost maddening at times. Of course, there's his friend Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett Johansson), but she likes it here. At least Lincoln has McCord (Steve Buschemi), a dishevelled technician working elbow deep in the grungy behind the scenes mess of old machinery that run this sanctuary of sorts. McCord at least tries to have decent conversations with him, sneaking him a few sips of that throat-burning liquid from his silver decanter and treating Six Echo like a grown up. And then, he found the bug. If everything beyond the safety of their orderly home is poisoned and dead, where did that strange flying insect come from? Deciding to release it, Lincoln follows the winged creature up rusted ladders and ventilation shafts and ends up in the heavily restricted medical level, where he witnesses the birth of co-worker Lima One Alpha's (Siobhan Flynn) baby. It's incredible. Frightening, but not as horrifying as what he sees next. Starkweather's blood curdling screams still haunt him. Answers to unthinkable questions relentlessly attack his brain, and Lincoln realizes that he has to get out of there. Fast. Forget about The Island, it's a lie. He and Jordan - who has just been announced as the next Lottery winner - have to escape into the outside world, and keep running from their home at Merrick Biotech's secretive chamber of clones, if they hope to stay alive.

Remember the cautionary sleeper 'THX 1138' (1971) or the Brit Sci-Fi classic 'Z.P.G.' (1972), when Robert Duvall or Oliver Reed questioned the strict rules of a futuristic Utopia and turned against it? Do you recall seeing 'The Planet of the Apes' (1968) or 'Logan's Run' (1976), where Charlton Heston or Michael York stumbled upon the awful truth, and ran away a lot? How about Michael Douglas' and Geneviève Bujold's chilling human repository find in 'Coma' (1978), or the fish bowl-like manufactured world of 'The Truman Show' (1998) or of 'The Matrix' (1999)? Maybe those snazzy jumpsuits in 'Star Trek - The Motion Picture' (1979)? This visually stunning yet stunningly boring jaunt down Hollywood Memory Lane from director Michael Bay ('The Rock' (1996), 'Bad Boys II' (2003)) seems to want you to forget pretty well every relatively enjoyable science fiction movie that you and your parents probably grew up with and/or own on video. The premise of growing genetic duplicates as unwitting skin and organ host donors for real people has clearly been applied to this hundred and twenty-seven minute big screen Frankenstein's monster of culled bits and parts. Not inspired, or re-imagined. Lifted and repackaged. From the womb-like facility of 'Demolition Man' (1993) to the breakneck jet bike stunts of 'Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi' (1983); the high tech near future of 'Minority Report' (2002) to the me-versus-my-other-me dilemma of 'The 6th Day' (2000) and 'Multiplicity' (1996), 'The Island' - apparently a remake of the low budget shocker 'The Clonus Horror' (1979) - feels as though it was haphazardly quilted together from the cuttings of at least a couple dozen of its recognizable cinematic predecessors before being dipped in a vat of vacuously stylish, Bruckheimer-esque combustible eye candy. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. The art direction, CGI effects and camera work here are definitely impressive over-all. Besides, make a movie about clones gone awry, and a billion-plus 'Blade Runner' (1982) fanatics likely shed their grey work-a-day skins and leap across rain swept rooftops to eagerly hand over their box office cash by the fistfuls on opening weekend. Yes, it's like a softer back story that could resemble something you'd expect from 'Blade Runner' too. Stars Ewan McGregor ('Trainspotting' (1996), 'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith' (2005)) and Scarlett Johansson ('The Horse Whisperer' (1998), 'In Good Company' (2004)) obviously do go to great lengths as these on-screen human replica finger puppets named Lincoln Six Echo and Jordan Two Delta to pull remotely worthwhile performances out of writers Alex Kurtzman's, Roberto Orci's and Caspian Tredwell-Owen's wispy screenplay. There's not much for them to work with, though. And, you'll likely need to take out a second mortgage on the amount of borrowed patience required to sit through the first hour before much of anything happens. The main problem is, you've seen it before. With far more impressive glimpses of fresh, real intelligence appearing in the story. Here, it's all just great-looking rehash, with the somewhat wasted talent of Steve Buschemi ('Reservoir Dogs' (1992), 'Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over' (2003)) as haggard technician McCord and Djimon Hounsou ('Gladiator' (2000), 'Beauty Shop' (2005)) playing intense bounty hunter Albert Laurent actually stealing every moment they're in, as your brain cells slowly die anxiously awaiting the sweet release of the closing credits. It's not even so bad that it's good. Yawn.

Renting 'The Island' just for the special effects makes more sense, frankly, since recognizing the original movies that this aggravatingly disappointing turkey swipes from throughout is actually the only other real enjoyment it offers.

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In Her Shoes
REVIEWED 10/05, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Wow! Adapting writer Jennifer Weiner's 2002 book, Oscar-winning director Curtis Hanson ('L.A. Confidential' (1997), '8 Mile' (2002)) offers up a truly witty and touching movie here. Toni Collette ('The Sixth Sense' (1999), 'Connie and Carla' (2004)) is absolutely phenomenal throughout, portraying self-defeatist lawyer Rose Feller evolving out the wreckage of her sabotaged office romance and unfulfilling career to stumble into a new life with a new love and more than she ever dreamed could be possible. I'd read that Collette had gained some weight to lose during the course of this chick flick, but she basically did the same thing for her role in 'Muriel's Wedding' (1994), and it's hardly the most notable thing - even if you have noticed this strange trend also seen in the 'Bridget Jones' and other single gal films. All the same, this really is a great story, pitting Rose opposite her younger, delinquent party girl sister Maggie (Cameron Diaz; 'There's Something About Mary' (1998), 'Shrek 2' (2004)) - who also goes through a stunning transformation - and eventually bringing this splintered dysfunction family together after Maggie tracks down their estranged maternal Grandmother Ella Hirsch (Shirley MacLaine; 'Sweet Charity' (1969), 'Mrs. Winterbourne' (1996)). The casting is perfect throughout, with Susannah Grant's wonderfully cohesive screenplay giving all of these main characters some elbow room to draw you into their stories and actually care about what happens to them. The arcs of change truly do unfold while you're watching, where these two adult girls start off dealing with their grown up worlds like a couple of teenagers wearing their parents' clothes, before they both individually find themselves maturely coping with the lives they've cobbled together as, well, grown ups. Awesome.

Sure, there's the usual amount of crying and yelling and hugging and crying that one would expect to find here, but again, it's the way in which each of these parts is cleverly fleshed out for the screen that almost immediately captivates a paying audience's attention with believable insight and humour well worth sticking with 'til the hugely satisfying last act. You've likely met and fallen in love with women like them in real life. 'In Her Shoes' actually does feel as though it's been torn from real life, and that's a triumph for Hanson and this crew. Hardly anything is wasted in each scene, with the entire hundred and thirty-minute picture chugging along at an impressive pace that never loses its momentum or freshness. Even the small moments are carefully orchestrated to support the much larger dynamics to give you a tangible sense of authenticity. It's also a joy to see MacLaine revisit the quieter aspects of her role in 'Terms of Endearment' (1983) as heart broken widow Ella reconnecting with her lost daughter's children, without allowing her presence to become overtly sappy or caricaturized as comedy relief. Let's hope that more young actors get the chance to absorb the craft first hand as it's meant to be realized, by working under the on-screen mentoring of such marvelously acute talent that's afforded such intelligent and consuming roles. Also keep an eye out for Francine Beers playing Ella's riotously blunt Golden Acres Retirement Community pal Mrs. Lefkowitz. Yes, this genre still hasn't quite figured out how to use men as little more than cute props and stereotypical human finger puppets, but this one does manage to find a reasonable balance in Mark Feuerstein's ('What Women Want' (2000), 'Abandon' (2002)) measurably good part as Rose's admirer Simon Stein.

A great cast given a great story that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre definitely makes this movie worth checking out as a memorable time at the movies or as a much treasured addition to your snuggle-at-home cinematic collection.

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The Ice Harvest
REVIEWED 11/05, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

The sky was a heavy wedge of grey over Witchita Falls, Kansas on Christmas Eve day, as Mob lawyer Charlie Arglist (John Cusack) carefully walked out of the National Bank, cautiously climbed into Vic's (Billy Bob Thornton) waiting car, and quietly sat that black bag of stolen of cash on his lap. "I can't believe we're doing this," he muttered, wide eyed, to his partner in crime. "We're not doing this," Vic replied in his slow syrupy drawl. "It's already done." They had just walked away with two million, one hundred and forty-seven thousand dollars and change of local underworld boss Bill Guerrard's (Randy Quaid) money. Bill was Charlie's boss. Charlie, still reeling from the fact that he'd actually managed to pull off such a heist in broad daylight, unarmed and without any cops screaming after them, had left the loot with Vic for safe keeping until Arglist could deal with some unfinished business. Renata (Connie Nielsen; 'Soldier' (1998), 'The Great Raid' (2005)) was where she always was, wearing a loose silk blouse that clung to her sultry skin like a heartbroken lover under her tough business jacket, at her strip club The Velvet Touch. She was the perfect dream girl for any divorced burned out lawyer looking for trouble. All legs and curves locked on simmer. Charlie had always liked Renata. And, Renata had softened to Charlie's idea of them going away together, if there was ever enough money to foot a romantic escape out of this dead end town. At least, he thought it was his idea. Now, he had the cash. His bags would be packed in an hour, and he and Vic would be on a plane to someplace warm and exotic. Just Charlie and Vic, and Renata, once Vic was out of the picture. However, bad news travels fast in a small town, and Guerrard's thug Roy Gelles (Mike Starr; 'Goodfellas' (1990), 'Jersey Girl' (2004)) was already snooping around with his fist-like face clamped in a deadly grimace, looking for Arglist. Worse still, Charlie's best friend and Charlie's ex-wife's husband Pete Van Heuten (Oliver Platt) was making a drunken fool of himself that Christmas Eve, calling Charlie away from laying low until his flight out of Dodge. Roy was getting closer. Things were getting complicated. The robbery had gone so smoothly, and now this. He called Renata. Her chilled voice echoed from the cel phone, telling him to meet her back at the club. Slow cold panic dragged up his back like a straight razor against his spine, as Charlie pulled into the parking lot and saw Guerrard's car hunched in the shadows. This was bad. Real bad.

I really wanted to enjoy this surprisingly mediocre Noir comedy about the fallout from rural Kansas-based Mob lawyer Charlie Arglist (John Cusack; 'Grosse Pointe Blank' (1997), 'Serendipity' (2001)) casually stealing roughly two million dollars of his local Crime Boss Bill Guerrard's (Randy Quaid; 'Midnight Express' (1978), 'Independence Day' (1996)) cash with the vague help of sleazy heist partner Vic (Billy Bob Thornton; 'Chopper Chicks in Zombietown' (1989), 'Bad Santa' (2003)). However, 'The Ice Harvest' ends up becoming one of those painfully dull screenings where you end up keeping yourself awake by trying to figure out how either 'SCTV' alumnus turned acclaimed director Harold Ramis ('Groundhog Day' (1993), 'Analyze That' (2002)) or Richard Russo's and Robert Benton's screenplay could have done better. This eighty-eight minute disaster is actually based on novelist Scott Phillips' 2000 book, and it does manage to feature a few mildly funny moments, but it's definitely more of a crime flick lazily peppered with wryly arid humour than how it's been promoted in the ads. In fact, this entire movie feels like a lifted and agonizingly drawn out sub plot from the likes of 'Fargo' (1996), or from some other enjoyable Hollywood band of crooks effort. It also seems as though Ramis and crew realized too late that there really wasn't much in the script for a paying audience to tap into and enjoy, considering the overt amount of gratuitous violence and pointless nudity thrown into the final cut. Cusack's attempts at low key quirky insight simply doesn't work, sadly portraying little more than a kind of poor man's impersonation of a Nicholas Cage stock sad sack character without the required charisma. Thornton just sleep walks through his scenes. That's the main problem with 'The Ice Harvest'. This entire cast - including Windsor, Ontario's Oliver Platt ('Flatliners' (1990), 'Pieces of April' (2003)) as Arglist's drunken pal Pete Van Heuten and this picture's only initially reliable source of memorable humour found throughout - looks completely and utterly dead bored with the entire production. Their disinterest is a poisonous fog of atrophy that quickly becomes contagious beyond the big screen, systematically numbing you against any aspirations towards being entertained by all of the double and triple-cross schemes that play out before the closing credits bring sweet sweet release. These are all enormously capable actors, but you wouldn't know it if this was the first thing that you've seen any of them perform in. It's a shame, really, and an extremely disappointing time at the theatre.

In good conscience, I can't even recommend renting this dark and boring flop.

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Imagine Me & You
REVIEWED 02/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Wow. Brit writer/director Oli Parker ('It Was an Accident' (2000)) serves up this hilariously witty and beautifully captivating Lesbian romance flick that pits young Londoner newlywed Rachel (Piper Perabo; 'Coyote Ugly' (2000), 'Cheaper by the Dozen 2' (2005)) against a wealth of internal turmoil when she realizes that - despite her devoted love to her longtime friend and adoring husband Hector (Matthew Goode; 'Chasing Liberty' (2004), 'Match Point' (2005)) - she's fallen for Luce (Lena Headey; 'Mrs. Dalloway' (1997), 'The Brothers Grimm' (2005)), the single Gay shop owner who arranged that wedding's floral displays. This is such a great movie, destined to be the first sleeper hit of this year if enough of the high praise it clearly deserves gets around to moviegoers. Just think of any Julia Roberts romantic comedy, but add that her character is awkwardly bi-curious, and you'll have an idea of just how incredibly entertaining this ninety-four minute import is.

Frankly, I was a little skeptical going in, because, while the huge success of such pictures as last year's 'Brokeback Mountain', 'Capote' and 'Transamerica' have paved the way a little more for Gay Cinema to be made available to mainstream audiences, there's always the concern that this genre will be taken as a momentary novelty or quick cash fad by the general public and backfire if a wave of junk rides the coat tails of the good stuff. 'Imagine Me & You' is definitely the good stuff. This ensemble cast is probably the best seen in theatres in a while, deftly sharing the spotlight with each other's individual story lines while ensuring that their own characters are completely three dimensional and engaged in what's going on. Awesome. That's probably what's best about this movie. Many Hetero feel good love stories seem to normally marginalize one gender in favour of the other in what's apparently the production studio's attempt to attract a certain type of audience. This one doesn't do that in the slightest. So, everyone gets to enjoy what's happening on the big screen - straight or not - without feeling as though you're being forced to like it. Definitely keep an eye out for Darren Boyd's flawlessly side splitting feature film debut as the lovable womanizer Cooper. Sure, there's a certain amount of unsurprising and decidedly formulaic stuff here, but it goes without saying that these efforts are supposed to have hugely melodramatic happy endings in them. That's what makes them such fun guilty pleasures, right? With 'Imagine Me & You', you're also provided with some truly outstanding performances. You'll soon discover this is doubly true if you're in any way a fan of British humour.

Do yourself a huge favour and check out this delightfully clever surprise for the brilliant dialogue and superior acting throughout.

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Inside Man
REVIEWED 03/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Denzel Washington ('Malcolm X' (1992), 'The Manchurian Candidate' (2004)) stars as offbeat and under suspicion New York Detective Keith Frazier, attempting to confine and negotiate a peaceful end to what initially appears to be a straight forward bank robbery turned deadly hostage situation that's been meticulously orchestrated by criminal mastermind Dalton Russell (Clive Owen; 'The Bourne Identity' (2002), 'Derailed' (2005)) for somewhat different reasons, in this slightly over long and yet oftentimes mesmerizing crime thriller from director Spike Lee ('Do the Right Thing' (1989), '25th Hour' (2002)). Wow. 'Inside Man' actually feels a lot like an updated and grittier remake of any classic Hollywood crime caper flick at its core for the most part, adding a few decidedly fresh twists and clever diversions that definitely keep a paying audience thoroughly intrigued over-all. In hindsight, some of writer Russell Gewirtz's screenplay does seems simplistic, but that feeling doesn't materialize until after you've enjoyed what plays out. It keeps you guessing and involved. Yes, it does lose momentum a few brief times, but it's almost as though Lee is sitting with a speed dial beside the big screen, deftly turning down the intensity whenever you need to pay attention to something important to the plot, before cranking it up again for another white knuckled ride on this cinematic roller coaster of hair pin curves.

Of course, the best aspects of this hundred and twenty-nine minute film have to do with the dialogue. These characters punch out their lines with such entirely believable energy that it's sometimes tough to remember that it's all scripted and rehearsed. The small bits of unexpected humour are also impressive. Washington and Owen are incredible here, and top marks also go to Chiwetel Ejiofor ('Dirty Pretty Things' (2002), 'Four Brothers' (2005)) as Frazier's equally jaded and sometimes irreverent partner Detective Bill Mitchell, and to Jodie Foster ('Taxi Driver' (1976), 'Flightplan' (2005)) in her supporting role as coldly patronizing Wall Street power broker Madeliene White who's discreetly hired by that besieged bank's cordially serpentine millionaire founder Arthur Case (wonderfully played by Christopher Plummer; 'The Sound of Music' (1965), 'Syriana' (2005)) to ensure that a certain incriminating wartime document remains tucked away in his unlisted safety deposit box during this apparent heist gone sour. Nothing is what it seems to be. Awesome. The other notable thing that sets 'Inside Man' apart is in how Lee masterfully inserts a series of candid flash forward scenes with Frazier and Mitchell questioning a few of the hostages in an interrogation room, that are like video rough cuts with an entirely different look and mood to them. It's details like that which make this feature an absolute treasure to see. Sure, the ending does seem cobbled together and leaves a few loose ends still dangling before the closing credits roll, but these are all grey characters who don't really fit a conventional big screen picture anyway.

Check it out as an over-all memorably satisfying time at the movies, but you might actually want to rent it for the luxury of watching superior movie magic in the making a few times.

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Ice Age 2
REVIEWED 04/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
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REVIEW:

Global warming threatens the peacefully frigid life of Prehistoric pals Manny the Woolly Mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano; 'Welcome to Mooseport' (2004)), Syd the Sloth (John Leguizamo; 'Die Hard 2' (1990), 'Land of the Dead' (2005)) and Diego the Sabre toothed Tiger (Denis Leary; 'The Ref' (1994), 'The Secret Lives of Dentists' (2002)), and their menagerie herd of oddball animals are forced to flee the valley on an arduous trek in order to evade an on-coming flood and the nasty sea creatures that dwell beneath, in this fairly enjoyable and yet somewhat tepid sequel to 'Ice Age' (2002) from debuting feature director Carlos Saldanha. Yes, it's fun watching the inserted clips starring acorn obsessed Squirrel Scrat (Chris Wedge, the director of 'Ice Age', which Saldanha co-directed) prove once and for all just how much he's nuts for nuts, but writer Jon Vitti's screenplay doesn't really hold together as an equally irreverent or consistently entertaining story when compared to those hilariously outrageous moments spotlighting Scrat. For the most part, 'Ice Age: The Meltdown' (its official title) tends to bloat the big screen with a fairly pedantic awkward love story that grinds along at a snail's pace between Manny and an identity confused female Mammoth named Ellie (Queen Latifah; 'Bringing Down the House' (2003), 'Last Holiday' (2006)), who's been raised to believe that she's the nine ton blood sibling of precocious possum brothers Crash (Seann William Scott; 'American Pie' (1999), 'The Dukes of Hazzard' (2005)) and Eddie (Josh Peck; 'Snow Day' (2000), 'Mean Creek' (2004)). Compared to the hugely comedic first film, 'Ice Age' had more going on and was far more inspired than this sequel. It does carry on the themes of kinship and sticking by your friends, but isn't as compelling or memorable.

Don't get me wrong, the animation is impressive and a pure delight from beginning to closing credits. It's also funny when some of the livelier supporting players make an appearance - especially television's The Tonight Show host Jay Leno's ('Americathon' (1979)) incorrigibly sleazy, armadillo huckster Fast Tony - however, it's sometimes a tough call in figuring out who this ninety-minute flick is intended for. Much of it does seem to be the kind of stuff that small children who can handle minor bouts of danger would thoroughly enjoy, but then a lot of the mature dialogue feel as though it's aimed specifically at the funny bones of an older audience. While 'Ice Age 2' doesn't nudge at the boundaries of family entertainment with too many references to the act of, uh, making baby Mammoths, it also fails to avoid feeling watered down as an over-all hilarious romp that everyone can enjoy. To the point where some of Vitti's main script merely plays out as uninterestingly prolonged seguays that serve as soft bridges from one Scrat skit to the next. The good thing is, those wildly over-the-top skits - and when Leguizamo's character gets himself sidetracked by a bizarre tribe of mini Sloths - miraculously save this one from being a complete slog.

Rent this one as a reasonably fun small screen double feature with the original, but don't be too surprised if you can't remember much of it a few hours later.

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An Inconvenient Truth
REVIEWED 06/06, © STEPHEN BOURNE
www.ofrb.gov.on.ca | www.rcq.gouv.qc.ca


REVIEW:

Earth's fragile and elegantly integrated eco-system is being dangerously changed for the worse by steadily rising carbon dioxide emissions. This is former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore's message throughout this surprisingly disjointed yet thoroughly informative documentary from director Davis Guggenheim, which highlights Gore's speaking tour on saving the environment and ourselves. It's actually tough deciding just how extremist this film's pointed message is, because much of what essentially amounts to a lecture tends to stray from its objective as though a paying audience needs to be entertained by light hearted quips in order to absorb the heavy data that's touched upon throughout. Gore is definitely a personable and impassioned host, and 'An Inconvenient Truth' does feel somewhat like a teaser reel that pleasantly nudges you into wanting to sit through the entire live show. That's the problem with this hundred-minute picture. Guggenheim doesn't seem to care about what Al's trying to convey, instead awkwardly wanting to turn this into an exposé about the man himself. Sure, you're presented with a wealth of impressive information that undeniably shows that something's drastically wrong with the world's climate. Gore blames carbon dioxide - also known as Greenhouse Gases - citing that more of it is thickening our planet's atmosphere due to polluting nations' thirst for consumable raw materials such as trees and coal. Higher emissions trap more of the Sun's heat that then melts glaciers, cools the oceans, disrupts the jet stream's nature flow, and causes catastrophic weather conditions never seen before.

Sure, he's more eloquent in explaining how it's all connected here, but that's the gist of it. What doesn't work within the scheme of this documentary is in how your attention is relentlessly interrupted by slick peripheral posing sessions shot outside as Gore's talks, where he seems encouraged to give anecdotal evidence of his sincerity as a reliable spokesperson for this worthy cause. You learn about his boyhood on his father's farm. You're given Al's thoughts on him losing his bid for the presidency during the somewhat controversial election process that inevitably handed George W. Bush the Oval Office. You sit through Gore's pointed musings about how big business has misled people with regards to the safety of smoking tobacco in the past. Why any of that is necessary either remains confusingly elusive or questionably provocative in relation to the core of this feature. Its "Like Me and Trust Me, or Else" underlying drum beat makes it difficult to avoid feeling skeptical that there are ulterior motives unduly being linked to a serious call to arms being made in service of the environment. The true message becomes diluted by these peripheral ramblings as a result, sending you out of the theatre afterwards knowing that Greenhouse Gases are bad and expecting that the melting polar ice fields will flood a whole lot of populated land during your lifetime, but remembering next to nothing about what to do about it because you're reassured that Kyoto is a great idea that needs the signature of somebody else who you're informed here doesn't listen to you anyway - because Al Gore, like Ralph Nader or any other well known political gadfly, isn't in the White House. You're not empowered, despite Gore's (hopefully) ultimate intention through this movie of empowering you towards action. And, that's a shame.

Absolutely see 'An Inconvenient Truth' as a worthwhile rental that you'll likely want to refer back to more than once for its thought provoking core message, but don't be surprised if you're still left searching for more answers and a means to make a difference on your own while knowing a lot more about Al Gore than you probably wanted to know.

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