[These first-impression comments were published when on the opening weekend of the film in 2000.] • Some actors have the gift of disappearing into a character, so that each role becomes a new revelation. But Hollywood seems to pride itself on developing a different kind of actor, the star that usually play the same role, with a different name and a different hat each time. These actors usually spend their years trying to find the character best suited to their... Read more
After seeing the preview for 28 Days Later, those who love violent zombie movies rushed to the theatre hoping for chaotic bloodletting and absurd violence. Most others assumed it would be just another icky horror film, and they steered around it as if it were typical roadkill. And who can blame them? Derivative, disposable horror movies show up almost every week these days, and those worth discussing are rarities indeed. But Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) had a lot on his mind... Read more
This review was originally published at Christianity Today. – When we bade farewell to the happily honeymooning ogres Shrek (Mike Myers) and Fiona (Cameron Diaz), it seemed like a “happily ever after” ending. True love had saved Fiona from the curse that bound her in the guise of a human being during the daylight. At last she was free to be her ogre-ly self, 24-7. She had learned to accept who she was, and she had discovered someone who loved... Read more
I walked into The Emperor’s New Groove expecting another formulaic Disney movie. I came out giddy with joy. For all of the craftsmanship of this year’s smash family movie Chicken Run, The Emperor’s New Groove is ten times funnier and more creative. It’s one of the year’s… uh… the year’s best… NO! I can’t make myself say it! It’s a Disney movie! Aren’t Disney movies just predictable, made-for-marketing, and drenched in sentiment? Sentimentality has slowly swallowed storytelling in Disney animated... Read more
– Christopher Guest’s commitment to “mockumentaries” about community events is a curious thing. All three of his semi-improvisational films — Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and now A Mighty Wind — have explored and celebrated the strange behaviors of human beings as they prepare for a public spectacle. He choreographs comical collisions of ego and inanity, and the results usually cause us to wince, laugh, and groan. And somehow, in the midst of inspired improvisation, he strikes resonant notes... Read more
2012 Update: It’s been fifteen years since I posted these first-impressions on Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s chapter in the Alien saga. At the time, it was a disappointment. But now that the preposterous Alien v. Predator series had trivialized these creatures and reduced the imaginings of Ridley Scott, H.R. Giger, and James Cameron to juvenile video-game fare, Alien: Resurrection looks like a movie from the good old days. I might even find myself talked into watching it again. I mean, surely a... Read more
[This review was first published at the original Looking Closer website in 2002.] – Director Kevin Reynolds, responsible for the bloated Waterworld and the misguided Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, has chosen a strong cast and a solid script for his adaptation of Alexander Dumas’ The Count of Monte Cristo. The result is not a great film, by any means, but it reveals that Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line, Frequency) can be a compelling big screen hero and Guy... Read more
Mel Gibson, take note. Harrison Ford, look at this very very closely. You needn’t stay in the narrow confines of your past roles. You can step out. You can break new ground. You can re-invent yourself and remain interesting. Paul Newman did it, in The Hudsucker Proxy and Nobody’s Fool after all. And now Michael Douglas had done it. For years, Douglas has been our most dependable sleaze-ball, a suit-and-tie mephistopheles with a flair for dangerous women and big money.... Read more
I finished reading Shusaku Endo’s Silence a few months ago, and there hasn’t been a day that’s passed since then that the book hasn’t haunted me. I highly recommend that you add it to your must-read list. (more…) Read more
No mainstream American film this year has earned a higher combination of critical acclaim and audience enthusiasm than The Incredibles. So, why isn’t the film in the National Board of Review’s Top Ten of 2004? Do they consider a film that can impress all ages to be unsophisticated? What could possibly be the reason? (more…) Read more
Looking Closer
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