cdh-2 Reviews

Red Planet (2000)

Something old, something new...

[7/10 · 16 July 2001]

Director Antony Hoffman's "Red Planet" is an old-fashioned sci-fi action picture with some modern twists. The gum-chewing, wise-cracking mechanic, who would have been a quickly-killed-off supporting character in a 1950s movie, is now the lead. He is solidly played by the quirky Val Kilmer. The tough-as-nails, damn-my-orders-I'll-save-my-crew captain is a woman-Carrie-Anne Moss from "The Matrix." The gray-haired old scientist-an underused Terence Stamp-has turned to philosophy and religion, where in the old days he would have been a hard-headed skeptic (that role is left to biologist Tom Sizemore). The premise is that, by the year 2057, Earth is so badly polluted that we are seeding the sands of Mars with algae to produce oxygen so that humans can colonize the red planet (don't algae need water to live?)-but the algae have suddenly vanished from our telescopes. So Commander Bowman and her crew are sent to investigate. While she orbits in a crippled spaceship, the five men (including pilot Benjamin Bratt and Simon Baker-the obligatory Guy From Brooklyn) land on Mars in a suspenseful crash scene. I won't give away what they find, but I will say the solution to the mystery is more like something out of a good science fiction novel than a Hollywood sci-fi movie. There is life on Mars, but it's not a typical movie monster. But there is the expedition's robot, AMEE, which is damaged in the crash landing, reverts to its original military programming, and starts stalking the men like a rogue lion. This leads to scenes reminiscent of another Val Kilmer film, the underrated "The Ghost and the Darkness." The premise may be far-fetched, but I thought the execution and resolution of "Red Planet" were exciting and satisfying. (And yes, guys, Carrie-Anne does get one brief, gratuitous shower scene.) I haven't seen "Mission to Mars," so I can honestly say that this is the best Mars movie I've seen this year.

Traffic (2000)

Soderbergh scores again!

[8/10 · 16 July 2001]

Director Steven Soderbergh's latest film, "Traffic," covers the US/Mexican War on Drugs-specifically, cocaine-from several different angles. Three separate but interconnected storylines show dealers, users, cops, smugglers, lawyers, government officials-everyone but the South American growers.

We get to hear the arguments on all sides and see the impacts on many people's lives-innocent, guilty, and everywhere in between. But in an early scene when Erika Christensen takes her first hit of freebase, the look of sheer bliss on her face sends the message that this war is already lost. As long as something can give people this kind of high, they won't care about how much it costs them and not all the laws and governments on Earth will keep it from getting to them.

The cast is large, full of good actors in juicy roles-Michael Douglas, Benecio Del Toro, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Don Cheadle, Luis Guzman, Miguel Ferrer, to name a few. Newcomers Christensen and Topher Grace stand out as spoiled teenage cokeheads. And if you look carefully, you can spot brief appearances by Albert Finney, Salma Hayek, James Brolin, and Benjamin Bratt. There are also cameos at a cocktail party by a real-life governor and five senators, at least one of whom (Orrin Hatch) has since denounced the film.

Each storyline is photographed in a different style-all shot by Soderbergh himself, with a hand-held camera, under the pseudonym Peter Andrews. Cincinnati and Washington are blue, hard, and cold; Mexico is overexposed, dusty, and brown-filtered; and San Diego is warm and soft-focused. At times I thought the jerky camera movement and jump cut editing started to get pretentiously artsy and distracting, but the story and the characters always pulled me back in.

The script by Stephen Gaghan-based on a 1990 British TV miniseries-may use situations and character types familiar to us from years of TV cop shows and other movies, but Soderbergh and the cast make them seem fresh and exciting again. For a change, style and substance work together, not against each other. It was like when I saw DePalma's "Scarface" or the series "Miami Vice" for the first time.

The only time my credulity was challenged was when drug czar Douglas went looking for his addict daughter in the worst-and apparently all-black-part of Cincinnati, kicking down doors and threatening an armed dealer himself. The guy's supposed to be a popular, hard-nosed, law-and-order judge. Surely he could've found some sympathetic cops to handle the rough stuff for him. This, for me, was the only scene where the movie took a turn for the stupid. And, to the film's credit, this stupid behavior almost gets Douglas killed.

Soderbergh got my attention three years ago with "Out of Sight" and knocked me out again last year with "Erin Brockovich". He fully deserves all the nominations and awards he's been getting lately. >

X-Men (2000)

Best Marvel Movie so far

[9/10 · 16 July 2001]

I have to confess, "X-Men" has never been my favorite Marvel comic book-I prefer "Thor," "Silver Surfer" and "Fantastic Four". And there have been so many bad movies based on Marvel's characters that I skipped seeing "X-Men" in the theater. But I bought the video and watched it five times over the holiday break. Now I can't wait for the next one. A decent script, a good director-Bryan Singer-and an excellent cast make this my favorite superhero movie since the 1978 "Superman". Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen embody Professor Charles Xavier and Magneto, respectively, so well that I can't imagine anyone else playing these roles. McKellen plays Magneto as both villain and victim-a man who was made a monster by monsters, and now wants to remake the world in his own twisted image. Stewart's Xavier, the archetypal teacher and father figure to his school of young mutant outcasts, is wise, witty, and caring. Oscar winner Anna Paquin brings the vulnerable waif Rogue to such vivid life that I don't mind the script changing her to a teenager. And Aussie newcomer Hugh Jackman so perfectly captures the spirit and personality of Wolverine that his height (6'3" vs. Wolvie's 5'3") was not an issue for me. All of Paquin and Jackman's scenes together are wonderful-two remarkable actors with an extraordinary chemistry between them. And that's the most remarkable thing about this movie-the quiet dialogue scenes between characters stayed with me long after the big action and fight scenes. Halle Berry's Storm holding the hand of a dying man, Xavier's first confrontation with Magneto, Rogue and Wolverine riding in his truck or on the train-I could go on and on. As far as I'm concerned, practically every change from the comic was an improvement. The only things that I really missed were Beast, Nightcrawler, and the Danger Room-but, hey, they have to save something for the sequel, right?

Face/Off (1997)

Would have been better...

[7/10 · 20 May 2000]

Great performances by Travolta and Cage. Good premise pulled off neatly in a new, original way. But all the gunfire and explosions kind of got in the way of the story. As we exited the theater, my friend Jack said, "It was good--but it would have been better if it hadn't been an 'action movie'." I'm disappointed to hear the Woo is making M:I2 as an action movie, but I'll probably go see it anyway.

The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974)

Oliver Reed makes it a 10

[10/10 · 20 May 2000]

Great movie--one of my favorites. What makes it a 10 is Oliver Reed's heartbreakingly good performance as Athos--particularly two scenes: first, when he tells D'Artagnan "a love story to cure you of love", then his confrontation with Milady DeWinter ("Since when has it been possible to insult YOU, Madame!"). Milady's seduction of Fenton, and the ensuing assassination are chilling. And the whole set piece of the Four at the siege is great comedy, well played by all. The only serious departure from the book is D'Artagnan's duel with Rochefort at the end (but it IS a thrilling swordfight, so I don't mind). I had the good fortune to see this film and Three Musketeers on a double bill back in 1976 (how many of us are old enough to remember double bills at the movies?) when I was 16. Now I've got to buy the videos and watch them together again. "All for one, and one for all!" I wonder: where is the nearest fencing instructor?

What Dreams May Come (1998)

My favorite film of 1998...

[10/10 · 12 March 2000]

...just edging out "City of Angels". I had just read the novel it's based upon--which left me crying for joy--and I wondered how it could possibly be filmed at all. Fortunately, Perez and Bass found a perfect visual metaphor, by adding the recurring motif of painting. They also added a few pleasant surprises involving the characters played by Cuba Gooding and Rosalind Chao, and the most terrifying visions of hell ever. Robin Williams has never been better. I've never seen Annabella Sciorra before, but she was outstanding--she played Annie's grief and despair so well, it was heartrending. I won't give it away for those who haven't seen the film or read the book, but there is a scene in Hell, where Chris proves how much he loves Annie by making the ultimate sacrifice. Apparently this is so unprecedented that it moves Hell and Heaven. If you have an open mind about life, death, and whatever comes next, please give this film a chance. And if you don't, it could help open your mind--and your heart.

Out of Sight (1998)

Wow, that's good writing!

[9/10 · 12 March 2000]

It wasn't until the scene in the car trunk that I realized just how different this movie is. A bank robber breaks out of prison, abducts a female US Marshal, and...chats with her about Faye Dunaway movies before releasing her unharmed!? Later, after she tracks him to Detroit, they have a few drinks, sharing some of the best dialogue in years, then...!? When he said, "Why would you think that? Why would you think I would think that?" I heard myself saying out loud, "Wow, that's good writing." After this and "Three Kings", I want to see anything that George Clooney does from now on. He's proven himself, as far as I'm concerned, one of the best actors working today, and he's finally getting scripts worthy of him. Jennifer Lopez and the rest of the cast were uniformally excellent. (And it was nice to see Nancy Allen again, even if for a few moments. Where's she been?) All the characters were well-written and well-played. This is one of the few cases where the screenplay was better than the already-good book. Crime movies, full of shooting and other violence, cruelty and profanity, are so commonplace that I've become jaded and almost desensitized to them. But occasionally, something like this comes along that concentrates on character instead of plot, and makes up for all the heartless, mindless, garbage they keep endlessly remaking and recycling. That this gem of a film died at the box office the same summer that the stupid, inept, intelligence-insulting "Armageddon" became the biggest hit of the year says more about the quality of moviegoers than of movies. If you haven't seen "Out of Sight", and you don't mind profanity and violence (when they're used well and in context), then see this film immediately. And the ending still has me laughing.

City of Angels (1998)

Still haunting...

[10/10 · 12 March 2000]

After two years, this film haunts me still. Every time I hear the song "Uninvited" I get chills and have flashbacks. I was going through something like that--falling in love with someone who was beyond my reach--at the time, so this film really spoke to me. The scene where Seth reads her mind as she sits grieving on the stairs, her reaction when he cuts through his hand and doesn't bleed--I could go on and on. I don't think either Cage or Ryan has done anything better, before or since. My only complaints: not enough of Andre Braugher, and that he and Dennis Franz didn't have any scenes together. If you're a hopeless romantic--or even worse, a hopeful one--then you've got to see this movie