New James Bond movie opens across town

JAKARTA (JP): What happens when a new 007 movie opens? All the theaters in town may not be enough. Here's the alphabetical lineup of films playing at the local cinema, with reviews and grades by Rayya Makarim (RM), Oren Murphy (OM) and Tam Notosusanto (TN).

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).

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).

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 2: 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, black-marketing Asian- American teacher. How convenient. (Grade: C- by TN).

The World is Not Enough. Bond movie; 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 the 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 by RM).