Oh, well

"Erin Brokovich"
Overall Rating: **½


Does everybody hate and mistrust lawyers? Maybe not everybody, but the title character of "Erin Brokovich," played by Julia Roberts, does. Erin Brokovich is an unemployed, single mother of three. After an unsuccessful job interview, she gets into a bad traffic accident. She hires Ed Masry (Albert Finney) as her lawyer; despite his assurances that they have a good case, they lose. Through a combination of begging and buffaloing Masry, Erin Brokovich finds a job as a legal secretary.

Julia Roberts is the driving force for this movie. Her character is on screen for just about the entire length of the movie. Despite a tendency to break out into profanity-filled tirades when provoked, she is compelling. Though she's crass and ill-tempered, Brokovich is dedicated to her work, and manages to make something of herself because of that dedication. She is imperfect but admirable. Roberts' performance is definitely the high point of the movie--more than its plot, the film is about her character. Her character is a laudable go-getter one moment, and her own worst enemy the next. Roberts makes Erin a likable character despite her flaws and because of her strengths.

You might think a movie about a legal secretary would be dull. Yes, it does drag in a few places--but not many. Certainly not what you'd expect for a two-hour-plus movie. There are a couple of brief "chase" scenes--but mostly, the action comes from business travel to and from the small town of Hinkley, coupled with the normally frantic pace of day-to-day life. The latter also helps to make Brokovich a sympathetic character.

If you like Julia Roberts, then "Erin Brokovich" may be for you. If on the other hand, you prefer John Travolta, then "A Civil Action" offers the same plotline. "Fire Down Below" and several episodes of "MacGyver" are also very similar. "Erin Brokovich" presents another case of a big corporate polluter being brought down by the lone crusader out for justice. They're poisoning the water, and someone has to take them to task. "Erin Brokovich" sticks to the formula--someone even makes a threatening phone call to Brokovich. Granted, the writers were limited by the fact that they used a true story as their basis--however, the movie winds up telling a story that has been told over and over again in recent years. The resulting canned plot and common theme that makes for little originality.

The movie also has plenty of flaws in how it presents the plot. Despite several narrative paragraphs at the end of the film detailing what happens to Erin professionally, Erin's love life at the end is resolved only with vague implication. Erin's conflict with her children is also badly handled. Her son (Scotty Leavenworth) actively resents her for not being there, but, near the end, there's a very contrived "Kodak moment" where he "learns" that his mother is doing important work, which just makes everything all right. (No indication how this affects his sisters.) It's very frustrating that what could be considered the main conflict is resolved so easily and in such an affected manner. Equally frustrating is that the movie has the chance to deal with a real issue--the difficulty of balancing career and family--but does its best to ignore it.

On the other hand, "Erin Brokovich" does have some good points. For instance, there is the scene used in the previews where Erin tells a group of lawyers who represent the guilty company and maintain there's nothing wrong with the water, that their drinking water comes from one of the wells in question. The scenes where Brokovich manipulates a simple file clerk to gain access to records she needs are also very amusing. Some of the film's best scenes aren't funny at all, such as the touching scenes when Brokovich interviews the families who use the poisoned wells. "Erin Brokovich" lives from moment to moment.

The main reason why "Erin Brokovich" is rated R is strong language--the movie employs quite a vocabulary in many different scenes. Beyond that, there are several references to sexual acts, though nothing is shown beyond revealing clothing and kissing. As for violence, there is nothing beyond shouting.

"Erin Brokovich" has its moments. It also has Julia Roberts, who handles her role excellently. Unfortunately, it has an all too often repeated plot, weakened by a superficial treatment of Brokovich's life outside of work.


Title: "Erin Brokovich"
Release date: March 17, 2000
MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: **½
Aprox. run time: 131 min.
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Writer: Susannah Grant
Stars: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/ErinBrok.htm

Added to blog site: 7/27/09

Lost luggage

"Final Destination"
Overall Rating: **½

One of the catchphrases from "Final Destination" is "In death, there are no accidents." The same cannot be said of Hollywood productions.

Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) is part of a student group going to Paris. Despite his anxiety about the flight, he quickly settles in to his seat and dozes off. It doesn't take long for him to wake up screaming--he dreamt that the plane blew up shortly after takeoff. When a latch holding a tray table in place breaks, in exactly the same way it did in the dream, Alex starts screaming that the plane is about to blow up. Not surprisingly, Alex is escorted off the plane. Four of his friends and his teacher follow him off the plane. While the group is regaining their composure and making plans to catch a later flight, they watch the plane take off--and explode seconds later.

That's about when the willing suspension of disbelief flies away. Alex practically tackles a stewardess trying to get off the plane, screaming about the impending explosion. Do they search the plane? No--it takes off promptly once the disruptive passenger is off the plane. Do they arrest Alex? No, even though they regularly arrest people for less serious disruptions to flights, Alex is free to go after being questioned. Once he's released, things really get chaotic, for Alex and his friends have cheated death, and death will come back for them--usually in the most bizarre manner possible. Without giving away how anyone dies, one of the deaths would have been prevented by a normal circuit breaker, and another by ordinary caution. One of Alex's friends--Billy Hitchcock (Seann W. Scott) presents another mystery: why is death after him at all, when he would have missed the plane to begin with? All hope abandon, ye who use logic here.

How are the special effects? Generally excellent. The problem is that the manner in which the characters' lives are threatened is so outlandish, that depicting it well becomes a moot point.

The cast is also excellent, to the extent permitted by the script. Devon Sawa's Alex--the film's protagonist--has an emotional range from slightly nervous to scared out of his wits. The limitation is the fault of the writers, not Sawa. While his role here is more limited than his character in "Idle Hands" (a horror film parody where Sawa shines as a slacker with a possessed hand) Sawa manages to be a convincingly "normal" student in unbelievable circumstances. I could say the same about Ali Larter, who plays Alex's pessimistic love interest, student-artist Clear (a strange spelling of "Clare"). Or Kerr Smith, who plays Carter--a bully, who was also among the students who got off the plane. Or just about any other member of the cast. That's what's frustrating: all of the main players capture their character's personalities--but their one-dimensional characters neither develop nor change.

"Final Destination" definitely earns its R rating. There is a very graphic depiction of a plane crash, and some very bloody death sequences. Beyond that, there is strong language, one scene where a character (and the audience) looks at a picture of a nude woman, and a scene where teenage characters drink alcoholic beverages (albeit in Europe, where teen drinking is both legal and accepted).

There is an old story of a man in Baghdad, who, when he learned he'd die the next day, decided to travel to Samarra to avoid death; when Death saw him in Baghdad, Death commented that he was surprised to see the man there, because he had an appointment with him in Samarra the next day. Both that story and "Final Destination" make the same point: you can't live your entire life simply trying to avoid death. In that regard, "Final Destination" is more intelligent than the average teen-oriented horror film--it has a theme. And there are some nice touches, such as a model plane that points up before the plane crash but points down after it, or such as the man handing out religious pamphlets at the airport.

Admittedly, I'm no fan of the horror genre. Still, in my opinion, "Final Destination" seems to have started with a good idea, and attracted some acting and production talent; unfortunately, it's shot down by a goofy plot.


Title: "Final Destination"
Release date: March 17, 2000

MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: **½

Aprox. run time:100 min.
Director: James Wong
Writers: Jeffrey Reddick (story and screenplay), Glen Morgan, James Wong (screenplay)
Stars: Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Kristen Cloke (as Mrs. Lewton), Seann W. Scott

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/reviewsbyjohn/Final_D.htm

Added to blog site: 7/27/09

Mars: A Space Odyssey

"Mission to Mars"
Overall Rating: ***½


The "Mars Face" is one of the most recognizable features of the solar system. NASA maintains that the face-like feature is merely an optical illusion, but to aficionados of the paranormal, it is an architectural message as important and cryptic as the pyramids. How much longer could we have gone without a sci-fi movie exploring the ins and outs of this mysterious feature of the Cydonia region?

"Mission to Mars" opens the night before the first mission to Mars blasts off. The astronauts are having a party to celebrate their last night on Earth; there, we meet lifelong friends Luke Graham (Don Cheadle), the commander of the first mission, Woody Blake (Tim Robbins), the commander of the follow-up mission leaving in a year, and Jim McConnell (Gary Sinise), perhaps, among the three friends, the most dedicated to the Mars mission. McConnell isn't scheduled to go to Mars, however; his wife's protracted illness forced him to drop out of the training program at the last minute. When a strange phenomenon kills all the members of the first team except Luke, however, Jim quickly plans out a rescue mission--and Jim is the only man to command it.

If "Mission to Mars" doesn't remind you of "2001: a Space Odyssey," chances are that you've missed either "2001" or "Mission to Mars." "Mission to Mars" is a bit more straightforward than "2001," it's a little friendlier, but it's practically the same movie; just replace the monolith with the "Mars face," and drop Hal. Some elements seem almost straight out of the earlier film--both films' spaceships look alike, and the white room used in the climactic scenes (and previews) of "Mission to Mars" strongly resembles the room at the end of "2001." "Mission to Mars" even has a brief scene depicting man's evolution (though the presentation is significantly different from the apemen scenes in "2001"). Homage? Perhaps--to an extent. "Mission to Mars" also has a character named Luke who spends one scene talking about a mysterious "force" ("Star Wars" reference?), a spaceship commanded by a man named Jim ("Star Trek" reference?), and overt reference to "Flash Gordon." I do have to give the filmmakers credit--this is the first sci-fi film I've seen with the Mars Face in it. I came away from this movie, however, thinking how much it reminded me of "2001."

Despite its apparently unoriginal origins, the story is engrossing. Between the déjà vu and the previews, I had a fairly strong idea of where the story was going. Nonetheless, it was interesting to see how they got there, and is exciting in places--the scenes right before the second mission lands on Mars had me on the edge of my seat. That sequence alone is worth the price of admission.

The movie is bolstered by second-to-none visual effects. There's one sequence that looks slightly animated, but it's supposed to, since the film is depicting an extremely sophisticated animated simulation. The images of Mars from the space probe, the Pathfinder-like robot rover, and the World Space Station are better effects; they are visually stunning. The best are the zero gravity effects--if the movie has a memorable scene, it's probably when Phil (Jerry O'Connell) makes a three-dimensional model of a DNA molecule out of M&Ms.

"Mission to Mars" is fairly safe for the whole family. There is some strong language, but less than many other PG films. There are some references to sex, though veiled enough that I doubt younger children would get them. There are also a few graphic deaths--including a very dramatic suicide and several deaths under mysterious circumstances. Some of these deaths, and another scene where a man is injured on a spaceship are moderately bloody, but the film on the whole always manages to avoid going too far.

Perhaps the funniest moment is buried deep in the credits; though set in Texas, on Mars, and in space, the movie was "Filmed on location in British Columbia." The biggest mystery in "Mission to Mars" is probably what part of British Columbia looks like Cydonia, Mars; nonetheless, the movie is a visual effects feast that should satisfy sci-fi fans.


Title: "Mission to Mars"
Release date: March 10, 2000

MPAA rating: PG
Overall rating: ***½

Aprox. run time: 113 min.
Director: Brian De Palma
Writers: Lowell Cannon (story), Jim Thomas, John Thomas (story and screenplay), Graham Yost (screenplay)
Stars: Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins, Connie Nielsen (Dr. Terri Fisher), Don Cheadle, Jerry O'Connell

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/M2Mars.htm
Added to blog site: 7/28/09

One to wonder about

"Wonder Boys"
Overall Rating: ****


This review gave me fierce writer's block. It might have had something to do with the subject matter of the film--a film about writers, college professors, and literature majors hits close to home for me. More likely, it's that while "Wonder Boys" is very good, there's something wrong with it that I can't put my finger on. In any event, this is one film that left me wondering what to say.

Prof. Grady Tripp (Michael Douglas), the author of a great novel (both in literary and sales terms), is having the most chaotic day of his life. His wife left him that morning, and she couldn't have picked a worse day--it's the first day of Wordfest, his university's writers' festival. Tripp's editor, Terry Crabtree (Robert Downey Jr.) and his homosexual lover are coming to town for the festival. Crabtree desperately wants to see Tripp's latest book, only Tripp hasn't finished it yet (he's on page 2611, and still writing). Then he goes to the reception for the festival--held at the house of Susan Gaskell (Frances McDromand), the chancellor of his department and his lover. When he tries to tell her about his wife, she drops a bombshell of her own: she's pregnant, by him. Subsequently, he runs into James Leer (Tobey Maguire) at the party. Things get truly chaotic when the Gaskell's dog attacks Tripp, and Leer shoots the dog.

This film is an actors' film more than any other recent production. Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire are both excellent. Tripp is the main cause of his own woes, but Douglas makes Tripp a likeable character anyway, and when Tripp overcomes those flaws, it's that much better. Maguire also makes his melancholy prodigy, who seems like a cross between Will Hunting from "Good Will Hunting" and Ricky Fitts from "American Beauty," the perfect foil to Tripp, into whose life he brings so much chaos. Coupled with a strong supporting cast, the two lead actors make the film a joy to watch.

"Wonder Boys" also has an interesting story. It's ahead of the game, having a plot that makes perfect sense. The wit is always sharp, obvious from the opening moments when we hear just how sensitive the writing class really is. "Wonder Boys" also has some nice touches. For instance, Prof. Tripp's name is highly appropriate, considering the amount of drugs he consumes. A subplot with Tripp's car develops nicely (pay close attention to what Tripp says about how he got the car--it will be important later on). What ultimately happens with Tripp's massive novel is also absolutely perfect.

Where I get lost is on what went wrong. Douglas and Maguire both deliver brilliant performances, and the movie itself is well written. Somehow, though, the movie doesn't come together the way it should. Coming from a movie critic, I realize that that's very vague. Maybe it's just that the movie goes too far. While academia is crazy, it's not as crazy as the movie depicts--I can go on record that I have never shot any of my professors' pets. In any case, I don't mean to make "Wonder Boys" sound like a disaster--it certainly isn't. In the end, I gave "Wonder Boys" the benefit of the doubt and four stars as an overall rating--but not without hesitation.

Parents will probably want to be careful with this one. There is some violence and some sexual content, though that's not how the film earns its R rating. There is copious strong language, and pervasive drug use. The characters also take a very casual attitude towards gun safety, and there are some questionable student-teacher relationships (a suggested sexual interest, and a scene where Tripp shares some dope with one of his students).

"Wonder Boys" lampoons the literary and academic worlds very nicely. While something that I can't quite put my finger on bothered me about "Wonder Boys," it still has a delightful story that's well presented.


Title: "Wonder Boys"
Release date: February 25, 2000

MPAA rating: R
Overall rating: ****

Aprox. run time: 112 min.
Director: Curtis Hanson
Writers: Michael Chabon (novel), Steven Kloves
Stars: Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire

Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/Wonder.htm

Added to blog site: 8/5/09

Don't Skip this one

"My Dog Skip"
Overall Rating: ***


"My Dog Skip" is a nice movie. It promotion seems to be targeting kids, but it is not strictly speaking a kids' movie. This is a sentimental, boy-grows-up-with-his-dog movie.

"My Dog Skip" takes place in Yazoo, Mississippi, during World War II. There, Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz) is a shy, bookish child who is ostracized because he doesn't play football. His only friend, is his next door neighbor, Dink Jenkins (Luke Wilson)--the town's star athlete; only Dink, who is many years Willie's senior, is about to go off and fight in the war. Though Willie's father (Kevin Bacon) is opposed to the idea, his mother (Diane Lane) decides to get Willie a dog for his ninth birthday, to keep him company in Dink's absence. Soon, Willie's dog Skip proves to be the hit of the town.

The movie has a number of extraneous elements. The way the movie handles--or rather, doesn't handle--segregation is a case in point. Skip occasionally wanders into the black neighborhoods, with the narrator commenting that perhaps the dog, being "color-blind," was wiser than the people. There are also occasional debates as to whether Dink Jenkins really was better than the black high-school's star athlete. That's as close as the film gets to condemning the Jim Crow laws; the movie isn't primarily about segregation, however, and the subject is forgotten almost as quietly as it's brought up. Dink Jenkins becomes another case-in-point. His return to the town turns out to be very awkward, and the question soon becomes whether he'll ever find his place in the town; in fact, we never get an answer to that question: the movie ends before Jenkins finds his place again. Not having read Morris' autobiographical memoir--the basis for the movie--I don't know if it shares the movie's tendency to bring up themes and subplots only to abandon them. Morris may not have known what happened to Jenkins, for instance.

The animal trainers deserve credit for their efforts in "My Dog Skip." Skip is as cute a dog as you could hope for in any movie, The highlight is a scene where Willie has Skip perform various tricks--but Skip, while doing each trick perfectly, does the wrong trick every time. One thing is certain--Skip's performance leaves no doubt as to why everyone loved the little dog.

Among the human actors, Kevin Bacon also deserves credit. Jack Morris is a stern man, but not completely heartless. Bacon manages to keep his character from seeming like an ogre--not an easy task, considering that Willie's father is the main obstacle between Willie and Skip,

There are some nicely handled sequences. For instance, an episode in the woods is a good red herring--leading you to think something will happen later on.

Whether or not "My Dog Skip" is a kids' movie, it is fairly safe for the whole family. There is a little strong language--though very little. There are also a couple of scenes where there is some violence--though the film suggests much more than it shows. Parents may also want to know that there is a fairly bloody hunting sequence, and a scene where a student in Willie's class brings an antique musket to show and tell.

I suspect my feelings for this movie are influenced somewhat by my school days. Like the young protagonist of "My Dog Skip," I was constantly teased in school--that is probably a constant for nerds. Nearly every other particular of my life is different from the movie, however, and, while "My Dog Skip" is endearing, it's not nearly as endearing to me as any of my cats.


Title: "My Dog Skip"
Release date: 1/12/00 (limited) / 3/6/00 (nationwide)

MPAA rating: PG
Overall rating: ***

Aprox. run time: 95 min.
Director: Jay Russell
Writers: Willie Morris (book), Gail Gilchriest
Stars: Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, Luke Wilson, Kevin Bacon


Original URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Mansion/7045/Dog_Skip.htm
Added to blog site: 7/30/09