Battling sharks and insomnia at the local movies
JAKARTA (JP): Here's the lineup of movies currently playing at your local cinema, with reviews and grades by Rayya Makarim and Tam Notosusanto.
Deep Blue Sea. Shark movie; starring Saffron Burrows, Thomas Jane, LL Cool J, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgard and Samuel L. Jackson. Directed by Renny Harlin.
Harlin, who brought you Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, is recovering from these two flops with this Jaws-meet-The Poseidon Adventure spectacle. Intelligent sharks (don't ask) in an off- shore underwater research lab go berserk and start chomping up scientists as the unfortunate humans rush to the surface. Cool J's lovable, Bible-spouting cook lightens the movie a bit. But graphic dismemberment scenes and the sight of still-wiggling body parts will guarantee you nightmares. (Graded B- by TN).
The General's Daughter. Detective story; starring John Travolta, Madeleine Stowe, James Cromwell, Timothy Hutton and James Woods. Directed by Simon West.
Travolta and Stowe are army investigators delving into the case of a murdered female officer, the daughter of an influential, politically ambitious war hero. It's one of those Hollywood movies that tries to depict the military as shady, twisted and ultimately evil, only this movie probably tries too hard. One aspect that makes it worth seeing, though, is Woods' multi-layered performance as a tormented army colonel. (Graded B- by TN).
The Haunting. Horror; starring Lili Taylor, Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Owen Wilson. Directed by Jan De Bont.
Under the premise of curing insomnia, Professor Marrow (Neeson) recruits three people for a psychological experiment in the mechanics of fear. The misguided volunteers are gathered at a gothic mansion called Hill House, where the caretaker and housekeeper never stay after dark and the next town is nine miles away. This film deserves much credit for the amazing location, sets and art direction. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a plot. So don't expect to be scared, but be prepared to be amazed by the film's overall visual splendor. (Graded C by RM).
Inspector Gadget. Sci-fi adventure; starring Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher and Michelle Trachtenberg. Directed by David Kellogg.
When a murder occurs at Brenda Bradford's (Fisher) research lab, John Brown (Broderick), a security guard who dreams of becoming a policeman, tries to help but ends up being hospitalized, where he becomes Inspector Gadget. In the meantime, the evil Claw (Everett) learns of Brenda's invention and creates an evil version of the Inspector. Those familiar with the cartoon version will notice that Broderick looks nothing like the Inspector, and the sight of a grown man hollering "Go, go Gadget oil slicks" is rather disturbing. (Graded C by RM).
Mowgli's First Adventure. Kiddie adventure; starring Gary Collins, Michael Beck and Michael Des Barres. Directed by Michael McGreevey.
Looks like our kids aren't in short supply of heroes in loincloths. After the Disney animated tribute to the most famous ape man, comes this cheesy attempt to cash in on Rudyard Kipling's beloved classic. Our teenage wild child here assists a group of archeologists in locating a legendary diamond in the Indian jungle while greedy villains follow them closely. Between lame action scenes, kid characters who aren't cute and are totally obnoxious and a well-coiffed, overly polite Mowgli, I don't know which one will bore your children to death first. (Graded C- by TN).
The Pallbearer. Romantic comedy; starring David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michael Rapaport and Barbara Hershey. Directed by Matt Reeves.
A mysterious Mrs. Abernathy asks Tom (Schwimmer), a jobless college grad to be pallbearer at her son, Bill's, funeral. Moved by the woman's tears, though having no recollection of the boy, he accepts. Through a string of unexpected events, Tom ends up in a love triangle involving the older woman and an old high school crush, Julie (Paltrow). This is supposed to be a 1990s version of The Graduate though one could have easily thought otherwise. Skip it and see The Graduate again instead. (Graded C by RM).
The Sixth Sense. Psychological drama; starring Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Haley Joel Osment, Olivia Williams and Donnie Wahlberg. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Child shrink Willis must get inside the mind of a troubled young boy who sees dead people walking around him. It's a moving human drama about relationships and the fragility of life, disguised as a mild ghost story.
It doesn't matter that Willis underperforms, because Osment, as the boy, steals all the scenes he is in with his staggering portrayal of a reluctant psychic. Look for the unrecognizable former New Kid on the Block Wahlberg in a chilling brief turn. (Graded A- by TN).
The Thomas Crown Affair. Caper movie: starring Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo, Denis Leary and Faye Dunaway. Directed by John McTiernan.
Thomas Crown (Brosnan) is a wealthy businessman who masterminds the removal of a $100 million Monet from New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Catherine Banning (Russo) is an insurance agent who is determined to retrieve the painting through any means. A battle of wits between the two slowly develops into a more complex emotional tie. McTiernan directs action films (Die Hard, Predator), not romance. Thus, besides the opening and closing caper scenes, the middle section of the film trails into sentimental mush. (Graded B- by RM).
Wrongfully Accused. Slapstick comedy; starring Leslie Nielsen, Kelly Le Brock and Michael York. Directed by Pat Proft.
This film is a spoof of The Fugitive. We know this because: 1. Ryan Harrison (Nielsen) is convicted of a murder he didn't commit; 2. Richard Crenna does an exaggerated impression of Tommy Lee Jones' character; and 3. Everybody's looking for a one- armed, one-legged, (one-whatevered) man. Its attempt to poke fun at The Usual Suspects, Fargo, Entrapment, Mission: Impossible, Field of Dreams and Braveheart only convinces us to watch the originals instead. Do yourself a favor, don't bother, it's on laser disc. (Graded by D by RM).