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reviews in brief.
Gothika R, 95 minutes, South Wind 12
How can you trust someone who thinks you're crazy? Penelope Cruz raises this question and I was left with a similar one while watching this movie. How can I trust this movie when it takes me for granted?
In Gothika, Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is a brilliant psychologist trying to crack the case of the crazy Chloe (a creepy Penelope Cruz). All is well until she wakes to find herself a patient in her own institution accused of murdering her husband. As Grey tries to regain her memory and convince her coworkers (Robert Downey Jr. and Bernard Hill) of her innocence, a vindictive spirit uses her as a means to set things right; further convincing everyone of her insanity.
Now, did this film scare me? Yes, very much so. Did it use original scare tactics? No, and that was its sole problem. I'll admit that I'm an easy target for the easy scare and plenty of the audience members were holding their breath, but when the film is finished, it hardly leaves any lasting impression. Flashes of ghosts and chilling violins always do the trick, and this movie needed that something extra. Halle Berry is fantastic as she brings a sad, desperate woman to life in an unearthly way. Her performance is the film's saving grace, bringing tears to the eyes as we watch her
sink deeper and deeper into her hell. Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, Gothika is a fun, spooky but somewhat predictable shock fest. It tries its very best to surprise you but ends up leaving you jumpy, wideeyed and still wondering what's going on.
Lindsey Ramsey Grade: B-
Looney Tunes: Back in Action PG.90 minutes.South Wind 12
Looney Tunes: Back in Action reminds audiences why some things are better in small doses, especially Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck ... and Brendan Fraser.
This feature length release makes 90 minutes seem like an eternity for audience members as it relies on tired, 40-year-old gags that aren't even entertaining for small children. The Looney Tunes seem much funnier when seen in five minutes.
This cartoon feature blends the real world with an animated world as Kate (Jenna Elfman, Edtv), an executive for Warner Bros. fires Daffy Duck. The cartoon canard goes on a rampage and falls in the company of a security guard, DJ (Brendan Fraser, Bedazzled). Daffy's rampage gets DJ fired as well. The two start spending time together, realize DJ's father is a spy who has been kidnapped and decide to rescue him.
Robert Downey. Jr. and Halle Berry star in the new thriller Gothika.
contributed photo
Meanwhile Kate and Bugs form a friendship of sorts and decide they need Daffy back. All of a sudden everybody ends up in Las Vegas and finally, after an excessively long exposition, comedy ensues, sort of.
While it's impressive to see the real and animated worlds interact, it doesn't elicit any new responses from audiences. This technique has been used better and with funnier results in numerous films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
The only comedic high-points in this movie are when it turns a satirical eye on itself or the cartoon industry. Audience members can't help but chuckle as Bugs references rival Disney movies.
The most prevalent problem of this movie is that it offers nothing new, the jokes are old, the plot is trite, the characters are classic but clichéd and audiences aren't wowed anymore by seeing humans talk to cartoons.
-Cal Creek
Grade: C-
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World PG-13. 139 minutes. South Wind 12
Peter Weir, the Australian director of Dead Poets Society, is in full command of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Largely based on the 10th book in Patrick O'Brian's adventure series set aboard the HMS Surprise, Weir's brawny opus should whet the public's appetite for epic-scale moviemaking until The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King arrives Dec. 17.
Captain Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) and his English crew are out to sink the Acheron, a French vessel charged with spreading Napoleon's tyranny from land to sea. Aubrey finds the French captain to be a cunning adversary as the Surprise suffers crippling attacks from the Brazilian coast to the Galapagos Islands.
The film's scope is balanced by a strong center featuring three well-drawn characters who dominate the action.
Aubrey is a compassionate but prideful commander whose egoism threatens to turn his objective into a suicide mission. Dr. Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany) is the resident naturalist marveling at the undiscovered species he encounters along the
way. Lord Blakeney (Max Pirkis) is among the startling number of children onboard who's torn between the violent world of Aubrey and the tranquil ecology of Maturin.
Weir flexes so much directorial muscle during the battle scenes that the film would probably have worked as a traditional action picture. But his experiments are what shoot Master and Commander over the moon, from the film's interesting use of sound to its astonishingly realistic depictions of camaraderie and military tactics. It's a stirring achievement that should win Oscar nominations for Weir and John Collee's expansive screenplay and Crowe and Bettany's commanding performances.
Stephen Shupe Grade: A
Pirates of the Carribean:
The Curse of the Black Pearl
PG-13. 143 minutes, Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union
A summer movie has three primary goals. One, give the audience an escape from the unbearably hot weather. Two, allow them to travel to some far-off place for the price of a movie ticket. Three, make them laugh, swoon, stare in amazement and have fun all in one sitting.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl surprisingly succeeds on all accounts, delivering a fun summer movie worthy of recognition.
Johnny Depp is undoubtedly the star. As Captain Jack Sparrow, Depp swaggers and swindles his way into a character that no one thought he had in him. This movie proves that Depp's name makes money, and that he has the talent to back it up. Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly and Geoffrey Rush round out the fantastic cast in this tale complete with lost medallions, cursed pirates and young love.
Directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by blockbuster king Jerry Bruckheimer, Pirates of the Caribbean does have its share of cheesy moments. However, it is best to tolerate those moments to enjoy the thrilling and often hilarious ride that brings a welcome relief from the regular summer movie fluff.
—Lindsey Ramsey
Grade: B+
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jayplay
thursday, november 20. 2003