Reel good time at the movies
Reel good time at the movies
JAKARTA (JP): And a child shall lead them: Whether in
mediating the afterlife and the living, or teaching some immature
adults a thing or two about responsibility. Here is the lineup of
movies currently playing at local cinemas, with reviews and
grades by screenwriter Rayya Makarim (RM) and film reviewer Tam
Notosusanto (TN).
Big Daddy. Comedy; starring Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams,
Jon Stewart, Cole and Dylan Sprouse and Steve Buscemi. Directed
by Dennis Dugan.
Sandler's routine of crassness and imbecility continues: Now
he demonstrates how he can pollute a little kid with all his
boorish shenanigans. From letting the tyke urinate anywhere he
likes to showing him how to injure other people, this film is
practically Sandler's very own Misbehaving 101. What's most
horrifying, the local censor board has labeled it a movie for all
ages. (Graded D 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 versus
giant reptiles flicks, but this 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 among 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).
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 woman who has the
habit of dumping men at the altar. Ike gets fired and seeks
vindication by getting up-close-and-personal with the "man
devourer" herself. It's always great to see beautiful and well-
liked people on the screen. A fun film with "quirky, weird and
mysterious" characters. (Graded B+ by RM).
The Sixth Sense; Psychological drama; starring Bruce Willis,
Toni Collette, Haley Joel Osment, Olivia Williams and Donnie
Wahlberg. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan.
Child shrink Willis must get inside the mind of a troubled
young boy who sees dead people walking around him. It's a moving
human drama about relationships and the fragility of life,
disguised as a mild ghost story.
It doesn't matter that Willis underperforms, because Osment,
as the boy, steals all the scenes he is in with his staggering
portrayal of a reluctant psychic. Look for the unrecognizable
former New Kid on the Block Wahlberg in a chilling brief turn.
(Graded A- 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
television series. Kline undertakes the dual roles of United
States president Ulysses S. 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).