Impostors rule the local movie theaters this week
JAKARTA (JP): A soldier becomes a substitute teacher at a public high school, while a thief passes himself off as a police detective, each with his own hidden agenda. All the world's a stage at our local movie houses. Here's the film lineup, with reviews and grades by Rayya Makarim, Oren Murphy and Tam Notosusanto.
Blue Streak. Action-comedy; starring Martin Lawrence, Luke Wilson, Dave Chappelle, Peter Greene and William Forsythe. Directed by Les Mayfield.
Jewel thief Lawrence hides a diamond in the ventilation of an LAPD station and comes back, pretending to be a cop, to retrieve it. But he is so convincing as a detective that he gets various investigation assignments instead. The movie is an obvious replica of Beverly Hills Cop, with a black, cheeky hero making fools out of white, by-the-book law officers. There is a slight problem, though: Lawrence is not as funny as Eddie Murphy (his costar in Life) and is a lot more annoying. Grade: C+ by 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 the film with no money, a production crew that includes his dog, and starring one of the biggest stars of 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-meet-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 rush 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: he chases a Chosen Virgin (Tunney) with whom he will bestow on 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 should have probably consulted his Usual Suspects costar Kevin Spacey in how to portray a devil incarnate. The film's only fun is in the scene where Arnold is thrown around the room by the overweight, middle- aged villain played by Margolyes (the voice of the motherly sheep in Babe). 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 maintain a healthy habit (drinking eight glasses of water every 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 material, but nothing an Oscar-winning director like Avildsen (Rocky) should have been involved with. Grade: C- by TN.
Nightwatch. Thriller; starring Ewan McGregor, Nick Nolte, Patricia Arquette, Josh Brolin and Lauren Graham. Directed by Ole Bornedal.
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 Substitute II: School's Out. Vigilantism; starring Treat Williams, B.D. Wong, Angel David and Michael Michele. Directed by Steven Pearl.
What a great idea to enforce discipline in the classrooms: hire a mercenary with vengeance in his mind as a teacher. Even Charlton Heston would kill to play this part. While the hero in the original film battles a corrupt black principal, the heavy in this unnecessary sequel is a vicious Asian-American teacher. Very convenient. Grade: C- by TN.