Comedians, musclemen appearing at theaters
JAKARTA (JP): Two Hollywood musclemen (one Austrian, one Belgian) go head-to-head with their new action flicks.
Here's the lineup of movies currently playing at local theaters, with reviews and grades by Rayya Makarim (RM), Oren Murphy (OM) and Tam Notosusanto (TN).
Bowfinger. Screwball comedy; starring Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy and Heather Graham. Directed by Frank Oz.
Small-time film director Bobby Bowfinger (Martin) receives the script of his dreams and sets out to make a film with no money, a production crew that includes his dog and starring one of the biggest action stars in Hollywood, the paranoid Kit (Murphy). The one hitch is that Kit has no idea he is in the film. Bowfinger finds plenty of ingenious schemes to make Kit an unknowing star in his film, and delivers lots of laughs in the process. (Grade: B+ by OM)
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.
After a couple of flops, Harlin, the director of box-office hits Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, returns with this Jaws- meets-The Poseidon Adventure spectacle. Intelligent sharks (don't ask) at an off-shore underwater research lab go berserk and start chomping on scientists as these unfortunate humans make a mad dash to the surface. Cool J's lovable, Bible-spouting cook lightens the movie a bit, but the graphic dismemberment scenes and the sight of those still-wiggling body parts will guarantee you nightmares. (Grade: B- by TN).
End of Days. Action-thriller; starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollak, Robin Tunney, Miriam Margolyes and Rod Steiger. Directed by Peter Hyams.
Satan has his own way to celebrate the new millennium: coupling with the Chosen Virgin (Tunney) to give the world a brand new Rosemary's baby. Ex-cop Schwarzenegger must stop him to prevent an untimely Armageddon. The movie is rich in pyrotechnics but less so in excitement. And Byrne is not as gripping as his Usual Suspects costar Kevin Spacey in his portrayal of the devil incarnate. But it's sort of fun seeing Arnold being thrown around the room by the overweight, middle-aged woman played by Margolyes. (Grade: C by TN).
The Faculty. Teen sci-fi horror; starring Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Famke Janssen, Robert Patrick, Salma Hayek and Piper Laurie. Directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Students at a suburban high school suspect their teachers are actually aliens. Hmm, isn't that what most kids think of their teachers? After spoofing horror movies, screenwriter Kevin Williamson (Scream) now takes a stab at the sci-fi genre with this fresh film where the evil aliens are healthy (they drink more than eight glasses of water a day), and heroin is the substance that saves the human race. However, our censor board's apparent aversion to nudity makes the climactic showdown between man and alien rather confusing. (Grade: B- by TN).
Inferno. Action; starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Pat Morita, Larry Drake and Vincent Schiavelli. Directed by John G. Avildsen.
As if emerging from a Lucky Strike commercial, Van Damme, with his tank top and cool motorcycle, rides into an isolated desert town to rid the innocent citizens of a gang of despicable, unwashed hoodlums. With the numerous explosions and large body count it's pure Van Damme, but nothing an Oscar-winning director like Avildsen (Rocky) should have been involved with. (Grade: C- by TN).
Nightwatch. Thriller; starring Nick Nolte, Ewan McGregor, Patricia Arquette, Josh Brolin and Lauren Graham.
A student takes on a part-time job as a nightwatchman at a morgue at the same time a serial killer is on the loose. Strange things start happening while he's working, and as more murders occur all the evidence seems to point at him. The film is effective in evoking a sense of fear and paranoia with the use of close-ups and the eerie setting. A quite enjoyable suspense thriller. (Grade: B by RM).
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 theft of a US$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 by any means. A battle of wits between the two slowly develops into more complex emotional ties. McTiernan directs action films (Die Hard, Predator), not romantic ones. Thus, besides the opening and closing scenes, the middle-section of the film drags into sentimental mush. (Graded B- by RM)