A new space movie enters the local cinema
JAKARTA (JP): Astronauts fly to Mars while killer bats fly to Texas. The following reviews and grades are by Oren Murphy and Tam Notosusanto.
Bats; Man vs. Nature, 91 minutes; starring Lou Diamond Phillips, Dina Meyer, Leon and Bob Gunton. Directed by Louis Morneau.
Biologically-altered bats escape from their laboratory cages and start attacking people in a Texas town. What this movie really offers is a stereotypical smug scientist who feels no remorse, a black actor playing the annoying comic foil with no funny lines whatsoever, and animatronic bats that look like badly made puppets. What's worse, the mutant bats here come from Indonesia. D (TN)
The Cider House Rules. Drama, 125 minutes; starring Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, Jane Alexander and Michael Caine. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom.
Young Homer Wells (Maguire) wants to leave the New England orphanage where he has been living all his life, to get a little taste of the world. His mentor and father figure, Dr. Larch (Caine) tries to keep him from going. This coming-of-age drama from best-selling novelist John Irving moves to its point too slowly. And the only performances that leave an impression are from the children who play the bit parts as the orphans. B- (TN).
Erin Brockovich. Legal drama, 130 minutes; starring Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger and Peter Coyote. Directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Erin (Roberts), a divorced mother of three with a bad temper and bad taste in attire works as a filing clerk at a modest law firm, where she discovers evidence that a giant electricity and gas company has been contaminating a small town's water with toxic chemicals.
With the obstinate persistence that amazes his employer (Finney) and other seasoned attorneys, Erin manages to motivate the townfolks to file a huge lawsuit against the company. This factual story comes alive in the hands of indie filmmaker Soderbergh, who proves to be equally adept at tackling the mainstream. And never before has Roberts given a performance this dynamic and captivating. A- (TN)
Mission to Mars. Science-fiction, 113 minutes; starring Gary Sinise, Don Cheadle, Connie Nielsen, Jerry O'Connell and Tim Robbins. Directed by Brian De Palma.
In the Saving Private Ryan fashion, astronauts risk their lives to rescue a fellow astronaut stranded on Mars after a disastrous space mission.
There are at least two heart-stopping scenes that depict gruesome deaths, but the rest of the movie feels like dead air. And the Close Encounters-inspired finale is too much of a cliche and provides an unsatisfying ending. C+ (TN)
Romeo Must Die. Action, 115 minutes; starring Jet Li, Aaliyah, Isaiah Washington, Russell Wong and Delroy Lindo. Directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak.
No, this is not the latest adaptation of the Shakespeare tragedy, although the story has two warring families and two youngsters from different clans who seem to be smitten by each other. That's as far as they would go because this movie, Li's first English-speaking starring role, is mainly a showcase for his martial arts talents -- not for him the romantic leading man.
Nonetheless, the movie has great, elaborately choreographed fight scenes. And the suspenseful, at times humorous, script makes it all the more enjoyable. B (TN)
Scream 3. Slasher movie, 116 minutes; starring David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox Arquette, Patrick Dempsey, Lance Henriksen, Parker Posey and Jenny McCarthy. Directed by Wes Craven.
More people and celebrities get a taste of being stabbed by the Ghostface Murderer. The story now takes place in Hollywood, where Stab 3 is being produced, and key cast members are killed off one by one. The dynamite trio (Campbell, Arquette and Cox Arquette) are back, with a cameo from the deceased video geek Randy (you guess how) explaining that in the third part of a trilogy, even the principal characters can die. Screenwriter Ehren Kruger (Arlington Road) takes over from Kevin Williamson, but neither he nor director Craven can come up with anything smart, or funny, or even thrilling. C