Local cinemas awash in quality films
JAKARTA (JP): For this the second weekend of 2000, local movie houses are still abounding with good taste. We have an Oscar winner, quality entertainment for kids and a new, East-meets-West love story. The following reviews and grades are by Rayya Makarim (RM) and Tam Notosusanto (TM).
Anna and the King. Period drama, 140 minutes; starring Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat, Tom Felton, Keith Chin and Bai Ling. Directed by Andy Tennant.
The story of a 19th century British governess who conquers the heart of the King of Siam is again brought to the screen, this time without songs. For a change, a real Asian actor (though not quite Thai), action-star Chow, plays the monarch. Meanwhile, Foster shows off a British accent as the single-mother Anna Leonowens. The film is considerably enjoyable although the characters remain distant and flavorless throughout. Grade: B- by (TN).
Blue Streak. Action-comedy, 93 minutes; 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 shaft 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 is given 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 difference, though: Lawrence is not as funny as Eddie Murphy (his costar in Life), and a lot more annoying. Grade: C+ (TN).
End of Days. Action-thriller, 121 minutes; starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Pollak, Robin Tunney, Miriam Margolyes and Rod Steiger. Directed by Peter Hyams.
Satan has his own way of celebrating 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 early Armageddon. The movie is rich in pyrotechnics but less so in excitement. Its only fun scene is where Arnold gets thrown around the room by the overweight, middle-aged villain played by Margolyes (the voice of the motherly sheep in Babe). Grade: C (TN).
Good Will Hunting. Drama, 126 minutes; starring Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Minnie Driver, Ben Affleck and Stellan Skarsgard. Directed by Gus Van Sant.
Will is a math genius with a photographic memory who prefers to work as a janitor and drink with his buddies rather than solve math problems that leave even Nobel Prize-winning professors baffled. When an MIT professor tries to groom him for bigger and better things, Will senses "change" that may jeopardize his already safe surroundings. With the help of a counselor, he finally breaks through old traumas and insecurities. The story is full of human conflict that is written with such precision by costars Damon and Affleck.
Although the movie's conclusion is perhaps predictable, it is the individual moments and sensitive acting that really make this film shine. Grade: A- (RM).
Jungle Boy. Adventure, 88 minutes; starring David Fox, Lea Moreno, Asif Mohammed Seth and Jeremy Roberts. Directed by Allan Goldstein.
First of all, it's not a boy (like the poster suggests), it's a grown man in loincloth that is more Tarzan than Mowgli. Second, it's probably the umpteenth Jungle Book rip-off, with its usual cast of well-meaning archeologists and treasure-hunting villains, that we've been getting in the last couple of years. So, unless you're really curious about what different recreation they've come up this time (the animals in this one can speak, with Babe- style visual effects), you'd best do something more worthwhile. Like reading the Kipling classic. Grade: D (TN).
The Last Marshal. Action, 100 minutes; starring Scott Glenn, Constance Marie, Randall Batinkoff, Raymond Cruz and William Forsythe. Directed by Mike Kirton.
Red-neck Texas marshal Glenn pursues two criminals all the way to Miami, where his bigoted mind-set clashes with his new, multiracial surrounding.
It's really a run-of-the-mill action flick, but Kirto's rather sensitive handling of his characters, along with the solid acting by Glenn (Jodie Foster's boss in The Silence of the Lambs) and supervillain Forsythe makes it a quite enjoyable ride. Grade: B- (TN).
The Mighty. Youth drama, 100 minutes; starring Elden Henson, Kieran Culkin, Sharon Stone, Gena Rowlands and Gillian Anderson. Directed by Peter Chelsom.
A humongous, slow-witted teenager teams up with a brilliant, disabled boy to battle bullies and bad guys alike. It's really rare that we get inspiring and unsentimental films like this, which touchingly portrays a friendship as such a wonderfully symbiotic relationship. Grade: B+ (TN).
Toy Story 2. Animation-adventure, 92 minutes; starring the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Wayne Knight and Don Rickles. Directed by John Lasseter.
Solid evidence that sequels aren't necessarily weaker than their originals. This time the story is about all toys' greatest fear: that their owners will soon grow tired of them. Afraid of being discarded, Woody toys with the idea of being bought by a Japanese museum as a collectible. His fellow toys give the die- hard attempt to make him stay. Amazingly smoother animation and well-written material makes this a smart, funny, thrilling, touching picture; everything that you and your children can absolutely sit through together. Grade: A- (TN).
The World is Not Enough. Bond movie, 127 minutes; starring Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards and Judi Dench. Directed by Michael Apted.
When British oil tycoon Robert King is killed at MI6 headquarters, James Bond's mission is to protect his daughter and heir Elektra (Marceau) from his killer, Renard (Carlyle), who plans to sabotage an ongoing construction of the new King pipeline. The villains are more complex, even if nothing else is shocking about this 19th Bond film. Grade: B (RM).