Change Your Image
StuHolmwood
Reviews
The Skulls III (2004)
The Skulls and the Boneheads
This film went straight to video, here is why:
The film has the misfortune of following one of the worst sequels of all time. "The Skulls" is a well known film starring Paul Walker, and "The Skulls 2" was the worst explanatory sequel since "Highlander 2." Everybody thought this movie would disappoint because it's a sequel to a bad sequel.
Secondly, "Skulls 3" is a feminist film anachronism. The audience is ready for women in serious roles. "G.I. Jane" was a huge hit. No longer is a film which begs the question 'why can't girls play too?' provocative. The films feminist themes are dated and cliched.
Finally, the obvious nature of the script rivals daytime drama. The roommate actually says, "waddaya know? A sorority girl with a brain!" (when describing herself).
Do not see this movie.
Crime Spree (2003)
Innovation in film editing.
The split screen is something that has fallen into disuse because of it's difficult nature, with the exception of "24". In "Wanted", the split screen is not only used brilliantly and traditionally, it's also used ambitiously and uniquely.
Normally, a split screen is used to show concurrent action in two settings. This is done in "Wanted", and it is done properly because the split shows how the two plotlines converge. The ambition comes in when a third split is created, and a third plotline is juxtaposed to the original three. But the makers of this film did not stop there. The three splits rotate as if they were items in a slot machine, and then all three splits show the one shot of the FBI agent who delivers the key piece of information. It was brilliant.
I look forward to seeing more work of this type, which adds to the comic nature of this caper. I Saw this film because of Depardieu and Keitel, but I enjoyed it for the techies.
The Italian Job (2003)
Proof That Trailers Are The Devil
Contains Spoiler Speaking from the perspective of being young enough to have not seen to original, this movie serves as an example of the fallen nature of movie previews. The important and fun parts of action films like "The Italian Job" are the plots twists; however, when all the twists are known to all the audience before the film starts, then the film must depend on other elements.
This is a film whose story can be summed up simply as: the crew gets the gold, Norton kills Sutherland, the crew recruits Sutherland's daughter, and then the crew finally get even. While this would normally serve as ample material for a film of this genre, it is unsatisfying because of the extensive trailer. We know that Norton kills Sutherland. We know that the crew finds Norton. We know that the daughter gets involved. We even know that in a mass traffic jam, an explosive is used to bring an armoured truck to the underground.
A caper film does not, thankfully for "The Italian Job", necessarily have to depend exclusively on action and plot twist. It can depend on things like original and comic characterization, as in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels", but there is no Steve Martin or Michael Caine in this film. This film is a triumph of the flat character.
Alternatively, a caper film can be a success when it contains many many more twists than its trailer reveals, as with "Heist", starring Gene Hackman.
Furthermore, a film of this kind can be a good movie if, through traditional means, it proffers an important theme unto its audience. The theme of "The Italian Job" is that good guys win and bad guys lose. Ambition should be made of sterner stuff than this.
This is a film with no surprises. All is known from beginning to end. No one character is explored to the point of serious interest. While I was hoping that the trailer was a red herring, and there would be a surprise somewhere, I was bitterly disappointed. It failed to say or do anything important, which was per se the only real surprise, given Ed Norton's record as a villainous philosopher in films such as "Rounders", "American History X", and "The 25th Hour".
X2 (2003)
Feminism Alive and Kicking
Women loved this film. I am not a woman, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. As I watched the film, however, I did remark a large step foreward in the role of the female super hero, and I think this is perhaps why women liked this film (besides that I'm told Wolverine is hot).
Traditionally, as with the Sorceress in "Heman", female superheros have power not because of physical strength, but because of some abstract or arcane power. This, symbolically, says that men are stronger than women, and women need to use some intangible power (be it intellect or sex appeal) to garner power.
The fight scene with Wolverine and the evil assistant in the adimantium laboratory changes all this. Wolverine, the macho man of the X-men, is severely beaten by a woman in a purely physical contest. There are no spin kicks, no spells, no potions, and no cleavage distractions. This is a fair contest with equal weapons, and it was well done to boot. Granted, he wins in the end, but he bleeds buckets.
Marvel comics, thus, has attracted women to a genre which is stigmatized as being male dominated. The boys with their kung fu grip Skeletor no longer reign in the comic book movie industry - way to go girls.
The Hunted (2003)
Not "Fugitive" or "Rambo" - Rebirth of the Fight Scene
This movie went places that most can't. My colleagues have compared "The Hunted" to "The Fugitive" and "Rambo". I would like to show these to be false comparisons.
Simply put, "The Fugitive" is about a man who does not want to be caught. "The Hunted" is a movie about a man who is dying to be caught so that he can be killed.
"Rambo" is about an army Sergeant who possesses superior vision and morality over his superiors, and is able to rescue prisoners of war. It is also about Sly showing off his big muscles and firing large weapons. "The Hunted" contains very little actual gunfire, in fact, it uses firearms symbolically to represent the fallen nature of human morality.
Tommy Lee Jones cannot be compared with Sly for a number of reasons. He keeps his shirt on, he does not physically attack his superiors (if he has any) at the end of the film as Rambo does, and he has a distaste for violence, even against his enemies.
Neither can Del Toro be compared with the Colonel. The Colonel is almost a flat character, and a prisoner of war waiting to be saved. Del Toro is an insane killer of urban businessmen.
After reading the criticisms of this film, I expected to hate it - but I couldn't. It was refreshing to see a movie fight that did not constantly change camera angles, and did not use fighting techniques that would mean certain failure if ever really used. The action in this movie, especially the final knife fight, is not only viscous and unrelenting, but also highly emotional and symbolic of the greater thematic conflicts in the film.
25th Hour (2002)
Playful racism and tolerance for minor sexual deviants.
Spike Lee's movies are characterized by their prominent moral themes. This has been the stigma ever since "Do the right thing" and "Clocker", and it's equally true of "25th Hour". This being said, Lee uses huge amounts of imagery to elucidate his notions on sexual ethics and racism. The appearance in the film on the surface is that Jacob is the sexual deviant; he has a crush on his student, he's desperate for a release, and he's a cheap drunk. Anyone who knows Spike Lee films, however, will note that things are never as they appear. Jacob's minor transgression is subtly juxtaposed with the style charm of Barry Pepper's character Frank (who is reminiscent of Roger from "Roger Dodger"). What Lee argues about sex, therefore, is that Jacob, although he is desperate and weak, is not a pervert. Neither is Frank, for that matter. Frank is a hero in the film for his honesty and compassion, and his finesse with women and his use of prostitutes is not a negative characterization. On the Racism issue, Lee uses some smart film editing to show Monty's state of mind in the washroom scene, and this is continued in the car scene at the end with the laughing minorities. Lee appropriately encorperates some common logic to illustrate Monty's hatred of minorities, but in the end (despite Osama bin Laden and the WTC imagery) Lee shows Monty's new ethos through his use of Tom, the black child on the bus. Lee's themes on racism are that playful and justified differences do exist between ethnicities. The big Ukranian is an example of this suitable racism. The same can be said of the frequent Irish comments. Lee goes on to show the face of America however. He shows the diverse nature of the New York community as at strives for a new life after death. Real hatred of race has no place in Lee's New York. This film is full of delightful secondary and minor characters. I enjoyed it not only for its big heart but also for the quality of the product. This is some of the best film editing I have seen in a long time. PS: Many people have written that the WTC imagery is misplaced and ambivalent. It supports Lee in his statement about ethos in America.
Old School (2003)
Imagine my surprise
The truthfullness and the honesty of this film (which is in a genre plagued by mesoganism and esoteric male humour) come from a surprising place. The demographic which voted most highly for this film was women in their twenties. Knock me down. The film was great because it took chances in a way that few movies do. This courage inspires the small ammount of fear in the audience that is required for real humour. It took guts to put the blowjob class in this film. It took producorial mox to have the KY jelly fight.
This film was outrageous, and it worked. It surpasses films like, "Road Trip" because it takes these risks (all due respect to Mr. Green, another Ottawa native). It surpasses films like "Booty Call" because it deals with it's subject matter without hyperbole - honestly.
View from the Top (2003)
Movie From The Bottom
Some movies are art. They challenge the audience, and create something that was not there before. This is part of the magic of movies. Some movies are capable of real life laughs, real life tears, and real life commentary. This film is capable of none of these things. This is a movie of flat characters, and dishonest writers. The degree to which the creators of this film warped what people are really like in order to support their puerile themes is morally corrupt. This isn't to say that a flimsy and fun movie can't be taken seriously. "Old School" is an example of a film in this comic genre which comments intelligently on love and marriage, for example. View "From The Top" is a bad bad movie.
City of Ghosts (2002)
Minor Character Makes The Film
Two things. One. Gerard Depardieu is a genius, and he has once again shined in an average film with an average roll, delivering a well above average performance. He is worth the eight dollars alone. Note of course that I'm Canadian, and I love crazy french people. Two. This movie is exactly the reason why you should never never ever ever go into a movie with expectations. James Caan is one of my favourite actors, and I spent most of the movie waiting for him to show up. I would have enjoyed the movie much more if I had not researched it before viewing, as then I would not have been searching for Santino.