by Michael Dequina
February 10, 2003
Even the KNIGHTS Are Better
The only two credits that will matter much of anything to most viewers of SHANGHAI KNIGHTS are the two names that appear before the title: Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson, the reunited stars of the 2000 martial arts comedy/western, SHANGHAI NOON. But a bigger, better reason why this sequel works shows up in the end credit roll: "fights choreographed by Jackie Chan." Far more than much of his recent Hollywood work, the fight scenes here recall the set pieces of Chan's Hong Kong heyday, where no prop or miscellaneous piece of set decoration is left unused as a potential weapon. When Chan's Chon Wang puts his moves on bad guys in a marketplace setting, fruit carts, ladders, rooftop coverings and, rather memorably, umbrellas factor in the wacky rumbles; in a room full of precious antiques, Chon makes unexpected use of vases to his advantage. The fights are clever enough to make one forgive director David Dobkin's penchant for scoring them to cutesy "comedy" music. Almost.
But the Chan/Wilson chemistry that drove the first film and draws people back to this one hasn't lost any of its snap, and their rapport smooths over some of the more questionable decisions by Dobkin and scripters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Having Chon and Wilson's less-than-suave fast-talker Roy O'Bannon bring their buddy act to Britain to find Chon's father's killer is an inspired move, but that just sets up some painfully precious and unfunny little in-jokes (for instance, an in-disguise Roy looks at a label on a clock to come up with the alias of... Sherlock Holmes); and while a new kid character mercifully never develops into the cutesy additional sidekick he threatens to become, his limited presence is still irksome. Thankfully, there isn't much lag time between a decent wisecrack by Wilson or a kick-ass fight scene featuring Chan and/or comely newcomer Fann Wong (as Chon's feisty sister). Sadly, the brief confrontation between Chan and another great HK martial arts movie star, Donnie Yen, is highly disappointing, but the fun, flighty film as a whole is not.
In Between Good and EVA
DELIVER US FROM EVA opens with a truly adorable title sequence: three of the four focal couples in the film do a dance-and-lipsynch routine on a bare set to Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's classic "You're All I Need to Get By," all while decked out in fashions from the Motown era. But when one of the ladies literally opens the book to the rest of the film, charm gives way to smarm as we're introduced to Eva (Gabrielle Union), an uptight bitch who makes life a living hell for her too-devoted younger sisters (Meagan Good, Essence Atkins and Robinne Lee)--and their men (Dartanyan Edmonds, Mel Jackson and Duane Martin), who hire love-'em-and-leave-'em playboy Ray (LL Cool J, now being billed under his given name, James Todd Smith) to romance Eva out of their hair. Union sinks her teeth into Eva's shrewish persona with verve, but the early comic scenes used to establish her bitchiness are a bit too broadly executed by director Gary Hardwick, not to mention become repetitive after a while. But when Smith enters the picture to butt heads with Union, the rocky beginnings pave the way for a sweet yet edgy, tender yet very sexy romance. It's no spoiler to say that Eva falls for Ray and vice versa, but the familiar motions are smoothly orchestrated by Hardwick and convincingly executed by the tremendously appealing pair of Smith and Union, who overcome the sometimes-strained mechanics of the plot.
Everything Is as It Seems
The title of THE RECRUIT could just as easily apply to star Colin Farrell as it does his role; much like James Clayton, his bartender/computer expert character who's recruited into the CIA by a top spook (Al Pacino), Farrell has been pegged for Hollywood superstardom since his charismatic turn in Joel Schumacher's 2000 film TIGERLAND. And, just like James, Farrell delivers the goods as expected, holding his own against Pacino and effortlessly carrying Roger Donaldson's picture as it snakes through a convoluted maze of moles, double crosses, and assorted intrigue seen in many an espionage thriller before it. When a character in a film repeats ad nauseum that nothing is at it seems, more often than not it means that it is, and such is definitely the case here; the twists would not have been surprises even if Disney's marketing campaign didn't spoil them all. That the film still makes a diverting entertainment in spite of its obviousness is a testament to the gifts of primary players Farrell, Pacino and Bridget Moynahan (who would've thought she'd have the biggest career out of all the COYOTE UGLY girls?) as another recruit; not t mention Donaldson, who lends the material a sense of urgency even when it--and Pacino's performance--completely succumb to cliché in the end.
BIKER BOYZ Go Bust
For a popcorn genre piece, BIKER BOYZ deserves credit for attempting to carve out a uniquely, ambitiously mixed niche: an urban motorcycle racing neo-western. But with each ingredient comes certain requirements and expectations, and only the "urban" angle is most fully realized, as director Reggie Rock Bythewood has assembled a multiethnic cast that includes a number of recognizable faces--in fact, so many that it becomes a distraction: Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke, Orlando Jones, Larenz Tate, Meagan Good, Eriq LaSalle, Terrence Howard, Tyson Beckford, Kid Rock, ROSWELL's Brendan Fehr, former A DIFFERENT WORLD castmates Lisa Bonet and Kadeem Hardison, even that annoying head Lost Boy from HOOK (since I never want to see this insufferable hack-tor appear on any screen ever again, I refuse to dignify his career and existence by naming him). The other two primary angles, "motorcycle racing" and "western," prove to be at odds, though, as FAST AND THE FURIOUS-fueled audiences expect lots of racing action--and there really isn't, for the film is one long countdown to the big gunfight, er, race between the legendary veteran (Fishburne) and the young up-and-comer (Luke), both of whom go by oater-ready monikers: Smoke and Kid. So to fill in the time, Bythewood and co-writer Craig Fernandez throw in good ol' fashioned... soap opera, which is played far too earnestly for the film's own good. Even in such an overheated context, Fishburne exudes authority and Luke displays real movie star presence, but their efforts aren't enough to make the movie anything more than watchable cheese.
Die, Already!
The Rube Goldberg-style, chain-reaction-gone-horribly-awry killings that distinguished the original film are back in the horror sequel FINAL DESTINATION 2, but that a number of said elaborate set-ups result in gruesome impalements pretty much sums up the film: the ingredients are here, but it's all been-there, done-that. A massive pileup on the highway is the fatal incident that a group of people narrowly escape this time, thanks to the psychic vision of a young woman (A.J. Cook). One by one these people get bumped off, one by one the people in the audience laugh their asses off--by the general campiness and the ludicrous, if trouper-like, effort of the filmmakers to conjure up some halfway-rational explanations for the preposterous events, not to mention invent strained connections to the original film. One principal from that first film, Ali Larter, does return, but more as a walking font of convoluted exposition than her former character--even her hair color is different this time--and Tony Todd reprises his cameo as a creepy mortician for no good reason. There's no good reason to watch FINAL DESTINATION 2--that is, unless, you're strangely curious to find out whatever happened to LOIS & CLARK's mysteriously canned original Jimmy Olsen, Michael Landes, who has a lead role here as a cop.
Hollywood Goes Bollywood
As a fan of those over-the-top, Hindi-language musical fantasias being churned out with remarkable rapidity in India, Hollywood's current trend of Bollywood chic is a most welcome one in my eyes. While MOULIN ROUGE! was certainly made in the Bollywood spirit, THE GURU is a far more direct homage to popular Indian cinema; unfortunately, it doesn't quite get it right. The premise certainly seems ripe for a Bollywood treatment: a dance teacher (Jimi Mistry) moves from Bombay to New York City in pursuit of film stardom only to achieve celebrity (through some fairly contrived plot developments) as "the Guru of Sex." What better way to evoke orgasmic pleasure than through the euphoric cinematic language of the Bollywood production number, no? Alas, director Daisy von Scherler Mayer and writer Tracey Jackson play it Westerner-safe and only throw in one such spontaneous scene of feverish choreography and lipsynching to the irresistible blend of sitar and tabla; not so surprisingly, it's the only moment where THE GURU achieves any sort of pulse. Mistry, who first earned attention in the underseen British film EAST IS EAST, is likable as the reluctant guru; so is Heather Graham as the engaged porn star who unwittingly feeds the guru his words of wisdom. They make a charming pair, but under all the frank sex talk and cutesy GREASE references, there's no fresh or funny angle to their clichéd, misunderstanding-plagued relationship, and the Bolly-inspired trimmings are too light to inspire much feeling--which not only makes THE GURU a tepid Bollywood imitation, but a tepid film, period.
Sight Unseen
Magazine reporter Kate Hudson's latest is assignment is a piece on HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS, but this being Hollywood rom-com land, she instead finds a man she wants to keep beyond said time frame in the form of Matthew McConaughey.
At the Video Store
Reese Witherspoon proved that the blockbuster grosses for LEGALLY BLONDE were no fluke by turning the nondescript romantic fluff of SWEET HOME ALABAMA (Touchstone Home Entertainment) into one of last year's biggest hits. "Greasy Reese," as our esteemed Poop Shoot publisher calls her, charms in this otherwise uninspired formula entertainment about a Big Apple designer (Witherspoon) who returns home to the deep south to get a divorce from her first love (Josh Lucas) only to--surprise, surprise--fall for him all over again. The DVD includes commentary by director Andy Tennant, deleted scenes and an alternate ending.
Putting a traditional screen tough guy in a kilt is a questionable hook, but that didn't stop the makers of the antic actioner FORMULA 51 (Columbia TriStar Home Video) from resting on the negligible novelty of Samuel L. Jackson dressed up as a Scotsman. That's about the only note of distinction in this blah buddy picture in which Yank drug designer Jackson attempts to make a big sale in the UK with the help of Robert Carlyle. My, how far director Ronny Yu, responsible for the Hong Kong action masterpiece THE BRIDE WITH WHITE HAIR, has fallen.
Despite earning some year-end awards recognition including Golden Globe nominations for stars Kieran Culkin and Susan Sarandon, IGBY GOES DOWN (MGM Home Entertainment) was a love-it-or-hate-it proposition for many audiences. Me, I enjoyed Burr Steers's acid-tongued comedy about a rebellious rich kid (Culkin) and his rather eccentric family for its outrageous, mean spirit and the game performances by the cast, which also includes Jeff Goldblum, Amanda Peet, Claire Danes and Ryan Phillippe. The DVD includes commentary by Steers and Culkin, deleted scenes and a photo gallery.
Goldie Hawn's glowing Golden Globe-nominated performance as an uninhibited ex-rock groupie who shakes up the staid life of her ex-partner-in-starfucking (Susan Sarandon) is the only reason to check out THE BANGER SISTERS (20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), a predictable "free spirit liberates the uptight" tale. The DVD includes commentary by writer-director Bob Dolman and an outtake reel.
The reasoning behind the FRIENDS cast's decision to return for another season comes clear while viewingSERVING SARA (Paramount Home Entertainment), a clunker of a comedy in which Matthew Perry plays a process server who teams with his target (Elizabeth Hurley) to get back at her cheating husband (Bruce Campbell). The DVD includes commentary by director Reginald Hudlin, behind-the-scenes featurettes, an outtake reel and deleted scenes.
NEVER AGAIN (Universal Studios Home Video) are two words that should pop into the heads of any studio or film financier when offered a pitch by writer-director Eric Schaeffer, whose latest addition to his ghastly oeuvre is this atrocious romantic "comedy" in which Jill Clayburgh and Jeffrey Tambor play mature lovers whose relationship amounts to a series of immature and unfunny slapstick sex gags. Gag is indeed what I want to do when looking back on this dreadful film.
Much to the surprise of many, the Dana Carvey vehicle THE MASTER OF DISGUISE (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment) did decent business when foisted upon an unsuspecting moviegoing public last year. Must've been the drawing power of that "turtle turtle" persona. The DVD includes commentary by Carvey and director Perry Blake, deleted and alternate scenes and making-of featurettes.
In what seems to be a way to test the market for full season collections (much like what Warner Bros. did with their initial "Best of FRIENDS" collections), Columbia TriStar has released MARRIED... WITH CHILDREN: The Most Outrageous Episodes Volume 1, which collects five (actually four, considering one is a two-parter) episodes of the long-running, ever-controversial Fox sitcom about that abrasive yet lovable family, the Bundys. But if this disc doesn't sell well, it wouldn't be so much a reflection of the marketability of the series than the rather slapdash job Columbia has done with this collection. Static and fairly unattractive menus string together a rather haphazard collection of episodes culled from the series' 11 seasons, and only one of which can be considered especially "outrageous," and then only due to historical context: the infamous lost episode "I'll See You in Court," which was rejected by Fox censors in 1989 but seems very tame today. All the episodes here have their share of laughs, thanks to the crack timing and delivery by the cast, which never got its due during the show's run (particularly Ed O'Neill as the hapless Al Bundy), but for a DVD collection of a popular and groundbreaking television series, the lack of supplements (wouldn't a commentary have made sense, at least on that lost episode?) is quite disappointing. If the season-by-season collections do happen, here's hoping Columbia puts in more effort.
Now that the GODFATHER and BACK TO THE FUTURE trilogies are now available on DVD, what better time to unleash on disc another three-part cinematic saga: that of the world's most troubled killer whale, in the FREE WILLY trilogy? 1995's FREE WILLY 2: THE ADVENTURE HOME and 1997's FREE WILLY 3: THE RESCUE make their DVD debuts along with a new 10th anniversary special edition of the previously available 1993 original, featuring a remastered transfer and various behind-the-scenes documentaries.
Looking Ahead...
Next time, a pair of Afflecks and their good buddy Matt as DAREDEVIL and GERRY hit theatres. As usual, check out my home site, Mr. Brown's Movie Site, for my longer takes on older releases.
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