Hi-tech cowboys join romantic thieves
JAKARTA (JP): The Egyptian walking dead are spreading their curse at major Jakarta theaters for the sixth straight week, followed by a pair of romantic thieves, still going strong after week number five. They are now joined at the local cinema by a couple of hi-tech cowboys. The following brief reviews and grades are provided by screenwriter Rayya Makarim (RM) and film reviewer Tam Notosusanto (TM). This week's films, in alphabetical order, are:
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. Comedy; starring Mike Myers, Heather Graham, Elizabeth Hurley, Rob Lowe and Robert Wagner. Directed by Jay Roach.
Sexually impotent in 1999, Austin Powers (Myers) discovers that Dr. Evil (also Myers) has traveled back in time to 1969 to steal his "mojo" (Austin's source of power). With the help of his own time machine Austin pairs with CIA agent Felicity Shagwell (Graham) to reclaim his lost libido and destroy his arch-nemesis once and for all. Hilarious in some parts, this film, however, is two notches below the original. A lot of the humor is recycled, and as a result the film lacks the spontaneity and the originality of its predecessor. (Graded B by RM).
Entrapment. Action; starring Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta- Jones, Ving Rhames and Will Patton. Directed by Jon Amiel.
Aging master thief Connery goes on a series of heists accompanied by beautiful insurance investigator Zeta-Jones, who works undercover to entrap him. From New York to London to Kuala Lumpur, this movie offers breathtaking stunts, exotic locations and the May to December romance between the two leads. It's glamorous and sometimes thrilling, but not much else. (Graded B by TN.)
Lake Placid. Comedy-thriller; starring Bill Pullman, Bridget Fonda, Oliver Platt, Brendan Gleeson and Betty White. Directed by Steve Miner.
It may seem like yet another addition to those man vs. giant reptiles flicks, but the movie's focus is mostly on the people: two big-city scientists (Fonda and Platt) and two local authorities (Pullman and Gleeson). They bicker, interact and fight with each other while collaborating to capture the creature. You get your share of grisly images (of humans falling prey to the beast), but it's the offbeat comedic style of Emmy- winning writer/producer David E. Kelley (Picket Fences,Ally McBeal) that dominates. (Graded B by TN.)
The Mummy. Adventure; starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and Arnold Vosloo. Written and directed by Stephen Sommers.
Don't expect to be frightened by the state-of-the-art computer-generated mummy, because this glossier, noisier redoing of the 1932 horror classic never had the intention of heading in that direction. This movie is more a Raiders of the Lost Ark wannabe, but without the wit, the thrill and the classy style that engaged Indiana Jones fans around the world. (Graded C by TN.)
Runaway Bride. Romantic comedy; starring Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, Joan Cusack, Christopher Meloni and Hector Elizondo. Directed by Garry Marshall.
USA Today columnist Ike Graham (Gere) does a last minute story on Maggie Carpenter (Roberts), a small-town babe who has the habit of dumping men at the altar. Ike is fired and seeks vindication by getting up-close-and-personal with the "man devourer" herself. It's always great to see beautiful and likable people on the screen. A fun film with "quirky, weird and mysterious" characters. (Graded B+ by RM.)
The Thirteenth Floor. Sci-fi thriller; starring Craig Bierko, Gretchen Mol, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dennis Haysbert and Armin Mueller-Stahl. Directed by Joseph Rusnak.
No, it's not about a bunch of claustrophobics stuck in an elevator. It's an intriguing yarn about a group of scientists who invent a parallel universe set in 1937 Los Angeles which they can leap into and out of. Then one of them is brutally murdered and the film becomes a noir-ish mix of time-travel fantasy and a detective story. Independence Day creator Roland Emmerich co- produced this subtler, quieter Matrix lookalike. (Graded B by TN.)
Wild Wild West. Sci-fi adventure; starring Will Smith, Kevin Kline, Salma Hayek and Kenneth Branagh. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.
It's Smith's fourth outing as a summer blockbuster hero, this time playing a 19th century government agent in pursuit of an evil genius in this big-screen version of the popular 1960s TV series. Kline undertakes the dual role of U.S. President Ulysses Grant and Smith's sidekick, a gadget wizard who is also a master of disguise, while Branagh vociferates in his faux Southern accent as the legless villain. The film is a dazzling special-effects exhibition marred only by flat jokes and uninspired one-liners. (Graded B- by TN.)