Benigni's Oscar-winning gem lands at theaters
JAKARTA (JP): Our theaters have experienced a rare occurrence this week: an Italian import that does not exploit violence and lowbrow humor, but boasts Oscar and Cannes credentials instead. The following reviews and grades are by Oren Murphy (OM) and Tam Notosusanto (TN).
The Bone Collector. Detective story, 118 minutes; starring Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker and Ed O'Neill. Directed by Phillip Noyce.
Washington is a paralyzed forensics veteran who joins forces with Jolie's brilliant rookie cop to solve a series of gruesome murders meticulously set up by an ingenious, diabolical killer. Effectively chilling, this film apparently derives some of its gory inspiration from the likes of The Silence of the Lambs; in particular, a scene where the lead star bites off another man's face (although here it is for self-defense). Graded B (TN)
Chill Factor. Action, 101 minutes; starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Skeet Ulrich, Peter Firth and David Paymer. Directed by Hugh Johnson.
An alternative title would probably be: Quick, Before It Heats Up!. Common folks Gooding and Ulrich suddenly get the improbable task of delivering a secret chemical weapon into safe hands while chased by a villainous army officer (Firth) and his band of mercenaries. With semblances of Speed and any past buddy movie that involves a black guy and a white man, this movie is a formulaic venture with a good dose of deaths, car chases and explosions. It zips by you, and then vanishes without a trace. Graded C+ (TN)
Double Jeopardy. Action thriller, 105 minutes; starring Tommy Lee Jones, Ashley Judd, Bruce Greenwood and Annabeth Gish. Directed by Bruce Beresford.
Judd gets wrongly imprisoned for the murder of her husband, whose body is never found. Then she finds out that dear hubby is still walking and breathing in another part of the country, with their child and a new wife. Even though she keeps saying, "I just want to see my son," we know that all she wants is revenge. Vigilantism is alive and well at the movie theaters. Graded C+ (TN)
Life is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella). Comedy-drama, 116 minutes; starring Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Marisa Paredes and Horst Buchholz. Directed by Roberto Benigni.
This Italian Oscar winner begins as a mere screwball comedy with the unoriginal plot of a guy (Benigni) who defies all odds to get a girl (his real-life spouse Braschi). Then it becomes something else as the film takes on the grim atmosphere of a Nazi concentration camp. Benigni ran the risk of presenting comedy that is offensive and trivializes the most horrifying atrocity of the 20th century. Instead, he comes up with an inspiring tale that celebrates the human spirit. He deserves every single one of those awards he garnered. Graded A- (TN) Note: Shown in Italian with Indonesian subtitles only.
She's All That. Teen comedy, 95 minutes; starring Freddie Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Kevin Pollak, Kieran Culkin and Anna Paquin. Directed by Robert Iscove.
George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion gets relocated to an American high school, where the school's Mr. Popular (Prinze) makes a bet with his buddies that he can turn the most infamous dork (Cook) into a prom queen. Long before we get to the climactic prom night, we know that he and everybody else will be blown away by the makeover results. There isn't much surprise, and humor is sparse. But the petite Cook reminds us of a younger, more fiery Holly Hunter. Graded C (TN)
The 13th Warrior. Adventure, 102 minutes; starring Antonio Banderas, Diane Venora and Omar Sharif. Directed by John McTiernan.
Braveheart moves to Scandinavia. The film is ostensibly about an exiled Arab diplomat, Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan, (Banderas) who joins a group of Norse warriors in their return from abroad to defeat a terrifying and cannibalistic foe. What it is really about is bloody battles with more scenes of decapitation than any film in recent history. The cinematography is at times breathtaking and the battle scenes well-choreographed, but the story is sidelined to make room for more dismemberment. Graded C+ (OM)