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Reviews
Tipping the Velvet (2002)
Done it again, Mr. Davies? Well done, sir!
Tipping the Velvet has just three weeks ago been released in the UK and already I watch as countless letters flood to the national papers and TV guides, claiming that it possesses a thin plot, weak performances and an even weaker script.
You find me incensed. This is heresy.
I would really like to dispel all doubt by first congratulating Andrew Davies on enabling Geoffrey Sax to create this wonderful dramatization of Sarah Waters' novel by cushioning him with such a fantastic script. Kudos. But I fear I must now change tack.
I saw one of the premiere TV guides here in the UK (which shall remain nameless) relentlessly describing Tipping the Velvet as a "lesbian love story". If they are, and I assume they are, trying to promote interest in the film, then this is completely the wrong way to go about it (aside from the phrase being a disappointingly inaccurate description). By saying such a thing, they are either a) turning away those who would instinctively be repelled by "that" subject matter or b) attracting a class of people who will only watch to see some "serious girl-on-girl action". Buy a video! Through this display of serious inconsideration, this and other magazines are cheapening what is a brilliant adaptation of one of recent literature's greatest works. Tipping the Velvet is a story of love, of passion, of moving on, of loss, and of heartbreak. It's not a lesbian love story. No siree.
The end result is a stylish affair, with excellent performances all round (particularly from Stirling, Hawes, Chancellor and May). Direction-wise, it's intoxicating and immersive - sometimes, fast-paced, sometimes not - but it never ceases to be anything less than compelling. As a whole, it's polished and well delivered, the sex is undertaken with tenderness and delicacy - and although many will not class it as a real "film", it will remain among my favourites for some time to come.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
"A pox on thee for slating Star Wars II!"
Spank me. I feel racked with an intense, unrelenting guilt. I expected so little from Episode II. Please, someone. Spank me.
What was I thinking? I walked, a wry little smile across my cynical little face, into my local cinema. And I said to myself: "Come on. It's just something that has to be done, because it's there." Why did I think this? Because Episode I was such a terrible, terrible film. God, the afwulness. What was going through old George's mind when he did that? Who knows? Who cares? Attack of the Clones, bless it's heart, is just fantastic. Everything Lucas did wrong in The Phantom Menace he does so very, very right in AOTC. And then some. My stomach churns at the thought of that syrupy little Lloyd kid in TPM, trying so desperately to be good. How could that wee little oik go forth to become Darth Vader? There's just no way. Hayden Christensen, however. Now that's more believable. Anakin is no longer an inquisitive junior marvelling at the Jedi's "laser-swords" (that's Lightsabers, my young fool), but an adolescent, full of energy and, it seems, quite a bit of pent-up anger. Now we're getting somewhere. Those of you who haven't yet had the opportunity to go see AOTC, but have seen the trailers for it, will no doubt be wondering whether the entire story revolves around Anakin (Christensen) and Amidala's (Natalie Portman) blossoming romance. Do not be discouraged. Although it does obviously play some part in the storyline, it's only a subplot. The rest of the story focuses on the manufacture of a "clone army" on an unknown planet for the express use of the Republic by a notorious bounty hunter by the name of Jango Fett (Boba's dad), and, more importantly, Anakin's descent towards the dark side of the Force.
The script is where I was a little concerned (prior to the experience, naturellement). Described in a simple sentence: it has its moments. Granted, it's not the most groundbreaking or unique, or, well, particularly deep syntax, but it does have some excellent sections, such as one of the scenes between Amidala and Anakin, where they deliberate over whether to go forward with a real relationship or not. It works well for the actors, and goes to making that scene very electric. The screenplay's real lull is one of Anakin's "emotional" lines: "It's not fair. It's all Obi-Wan's fault. He just doesn't understand." This perhaps, doesn't give the impression that he's grown up that much at all, and is still prone to a good strop.The remainder is riddled with the inevitable cliché or two, but largely compliments the film well.
Now: everyone is aware that the music has always been the Star Wars saga's strongest facet. Why? Two words. John Williams. What score has this man done that isn't incredible? As with all of his work, the score for AOTC is simply perfect. And that's all I have to say on the subject.
But I'm not going anywhere without mentioning the SFX. My God. I will leave it for you to decide, but you need just look at two sequences: the massive battle between the Jedi and Dooku's army; and Yoda's lightsaber duel with Dooku. They really have pushed the boundaries of CGI possibility with this one. Judge for yourself. If you don't grin your way through the action sequences with awe, then ask for your money back (metaphorically, of course).
I really only have two gripes with the film: the sporadically clunky dialogue, and...the title (what was wrong with "The Shadow Falls"?). I personally think Lucas and the rest of his team have outdone themselves with Attack of the Clones. It quite literally kicks the butt off The Phantom Menace, and quite possibly Return of the Jedi as well. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
The stuff of true & brilliant cinema!
This is no movie. Moulin Rouge is an intoxicating, life-affirming, magical audio-visual experience. It's something which you'll likely never come across again, and if you aren't touched in some way by it, then you can't be human. Everything: the acting, the script, the cinematography, the music, the amount of wisdom and soul injected into it strikes chords with me that no other film has ever done (though "Almost Famous" isn't far off). It is a simply wondrous work of art. One of the things that most surprised me was the fact (stop the presses!) that Ewan McGregor - bless his soul - can sing! And not just an average singing voice: a real, powerful, Broadway-esque voice that goes perfectly with Nicole Kidman's (which is also excellent). This blend of vocal quality and evident chemistry between them is the pivot on which movie spins. The story is as deep and sumptuous as the music, giving Ewan & Nicole's Christian & Satine exactly the kind of canvas on which to weave their magic. On face value, Moulin Rouge is much more style than substance, and granted it is VERY colourful and visually spectacular - but the basis of the story is very emotional. The idea of these two completely different people - one a struggling & penniless writer, the other an out-of-this-world underworld performer - is so well carried off that I couldn't help feeling a sense of reality to it. It seemed to me that they were real, and they were really in love. The kind of movie that breaks your heart (and you don't care, because it is so fantastic) and takes your breath away EVERY time you watch it, is one to be treasured. There really aren't enough words in the world to describe the sheer incredibility of a film that I for one am proud to say "Moulin Rouge is my all-time ultimate top-of-the-class favourite film ever, and I don't care who knows it" about. The performances, the score, the screenplay, the artistry - every one of Moulin Rouge's attributes is unique, and will probably never be equaled, let alone surpassed. It's a wonderful experience and one that I will love having over and over again.
Swordfish (2001)
I now officially *hate* critics.
Why? Because they know nothing. Zilch. Zip. Bupkiss. Diddly squat. Absolutely nothing. I'd read the reviews, they all said it was terrible, but how wrong they were. It angers me how they can all slate such a jaw-droppingly incredible film this is. The script, for one, is fantastic. No dodgy wisecracks, no cliches, just pure unadulterated brilliance. It holds one of the wittiest lines I have seen in a movie:
'Sir, this is a call to notify that $10,000,000 has just been transferred to a new account in your name.' 'Oh. Thanks.'
The performance is excellent, primarily from (expectedly) the leads (Travolta, Jackman, Berry and Cheadle - Vinnie Jones is particularly effective). The soundtrack is amazing, composed by the legendary Paul Oakenfold; the storyline is expert - exciting, intriguing and suspenseful...I could go on, but let me say this: I came out of the screen literally shaking. The movie took my breath away.
This is what I think: why spend millions upon millions of dollars making appalling trash like ahem Pearl Harbor when some of the greatest movie-makers of our time are making superb movies like this?
If you have to see one movie this year, let it be this.
The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
Be prepared for some inane smiles...
Admittedly, this is a loose remake, which usually spells trouble. To take an example, Never Say Never Again (the remake of Thunderball) was a flop, with plenty of cheese and terrible script. It ridiculed those who were in it. But, hoorayhoorah, this is one of the best thrillers I have seen for a while. And what a feast! 3 fantastic actors in the main roles (Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo and Denis Leary), brilliant script, and some of the most impressive scenes to be found amongst all the many crap pictures they seem to be reeling off at the moment. The teasing, cat-and-mouse chemistry between Russo and Brosnan is quite noticeable: she constantly playing games with him, he overly confident that he can get what he wants. Brosnan is a natural, it seems, at playing rich men (see James Bond, Grey Owl, The Tailor of Panama), but he has a certain vulnerability and sensibility which makes him a fantastic man to watch. The most amazing scenes in the film are those in the museum: the way he uses the other robbery to his advantage and makes a ten-second job of stealing the Monet; and the final scene in which he uses 6 different men all in the same attire to completely baffle the police as to his whereabouts. Both will have you grinning like an absolute imbecile!! it's an excellent film, but if you are looking for guns, death and explosions, stay firmly away: you won't find it here.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
007 proving his, and our, tirelessness
Admittedly, I was not expecting a bad production in the latest addition to the continuing Bond saga. Neal Purvis and Robert Wade were signed to write the screenplay, and I had heard of their successes with 'Plunkett And Macleane' (also starring, coincidentially, Robert Carlyle). Though in many eyes Brosnan is not THE James Bond, his irrepressable style and charisma in Bonds 17 and 18 proved to me that Eon had not taken a backward step. Bond's primary mission seems to be to move with the times, and he certainly does not fail here (this did not appear to be the case with 'License To Kill', it seems to me).
Traditionally, the major villain in a Bond Movie will have aspirations of world domination - we are not spared even here, albeit on a lesser scale. Carlyle makes one of the most genuinely powerful, even frightening villains of the series, portraying his martyr Renard's anger and frustration with understated skill. His fantastically life-threatening injury makes the character increasingly maddened, made only more so by the sexual frustration with his lover Elektra, played with flair by French actress Sophie Marceau. Elektra is the first real female villain across the entire series, and works incredibly well. Bond is instantly seduced by her, unaware of her underlying intentions, and the moment when he kills her is both refreshing and shocking, to see 007 shoot his former lover in cold blood. The brilliant Zukovsky (Robbie Coltrane) has been resurrected from GoldenEye, a courageous yet expert move. The hefty Russian is given a fairly abrupt exit, however, as Elektra forbids him any further life to prevent him from saving Bond from her garrote chair (The question is, however, whether this will be the last of him. I wonder not). Every scene is electric, with superb performances from all (most).
Bond enters the millennium with a very large explosion...I, for one, will be sorry to see Pierce go.