Being John Malkovich & Toy Story 2 (Feb. 1, 2000)

By now everyone has probably seen End of Days, The Matrix, Star Wars: Episode I, etc...all the "big" hits of '99. On the fringes of Hollywood's formula films, however, there is an awakening of sorts. The Blair Witch Project turned heads and my guess for the next independent hit is Being John Malkovich.
Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) finds a way to enter the mind of John Malkovich (played by himself) and shows others how it's done. Things get a little crazy when Craig's wife Lotte (Cameron Diaz) is in John Malkovich's body and sleeps with Maxine (Catherine Keener).
Maxine becomes somewhat infatuated with Lotte, and will make love to her only when Lotte is in John Malkovich's body. A simple idea, but a pretty confusing plot evolution makes this movie very entertaining, and one that you may need to see more than once to fully appreciate. Look out for cameos from Charlie Sheen, Brad Pitt and Sean Penn.
By now you should know that I am a big fan of writer Andrew Kevin Walker (Seven, 8mm). His next offering, Sleepy Hollow is definitely on my list of movies to buy. Johnny Depp plays Ichabod Crane, a New York policeman sent to investigate a series of murders in the small hamlet of Sleepy Hollow.
He soon learns of the local legend of the headless horseman (Christopher Walken). Despite initial sceptisicm, the regular discovery of decapitated corpses leads him to entertain the reality of supernatural forces.
Director Tim Burton creates a real-life Nightmare Before Christmas, with beautiful camerawork and eerily gothic sets. A great horror/fantasy story. You'll love it!
Next, I want to look at a sequel which is the first of its kind. Toy Story 2 is the first wholly computer-generated sequel, which may not mean a lot to anybody else....OK it doesn't really mean that much to me, either, but it's a nice way to introduce the movie.
Woody (no jokes please) and Buzz Lightyear return to the screen for more adventures when Woody finds himself victim of a theft by Al (Wayne Knight), a toy collector. It's a revelation of sorts for Woody, who learns that he comes from a vintage set of Western-themed toys inspired by a 1950s television show called "Woody's Roundup."
Al already has the other collectibles from the series: Jessie the cowgirl (Joan Cusack), Bullseye the horse, and Stinky Pete the Prospector (Kelsey Grammer), and he plans to sell them all to a wealthy collector in Japan. Despite that, Jessie, Pete, and Bullseye are thrilled to see their compatriot again, and after learning of his true roots, the noble Woody finds his loyalties torn.
Meanwhile, a rescue effort by Buzz yields a hilarious subplot when a different Buzz Lightyear, fresh off the shelf, is mistaken by the toy team for the real guy. Goofing things up further is the arrival at the rescue site of Emperor Zurg (Andrew Stanton), the manufacturer-designated mortal enemy of Buzz.
If you have any questions or comments about this column, actors, directors or movies in general, or if you'd like an actor's filmography, e-mail me at scoles@rose.ocn.ne.jp



Classics (Dec. 1999)

This issue's theme is classics, and that makes me pretty horny baby so let's get stuck in!
First I want to recommend Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. I have mentioned it in passing before, as the derivative of The Magnificent Seven and A Bug's Life, but now I want to give it a plug and get more people into the Kurosawa fan club.
It's not often that a film manages to create an original storyline, but when it happens it's usually good. In The Seven Samurai, a farming village in feudal Japan is threatened by a group of bandits. After consulting the village founder, it is decided to recruit samurai to help defend the village against the threat.
Much of the films' three or so hours is devoted to the search for samurai, and the atmospheric filmwork ensures that this time is not wasted. Then the preparation and battle scenes really build up into a masterpiece of modern filmmaking.
Until last week I had never seen this movie in Japan, and never with a Japanese person. I was astounded. See it if you haven't. If you have, recruit a few Japanese friends to watch it with you. You will be impressed.
OK. Next, kung fu classics. Forget Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. The best action and fighting scenes you will ever see are in Encounters of the Spooky Kind. It's set in China and revolves around "Fat Chung", who has been framed for the murder of his wife. She isn't actually dead, but has shacked up with her warlord lover.
Chung is a fearless sort who accepts all sorts of dares, and ends up befriending a good wizard, intent on helping him out of his predicament. Together they face a couple of hilarious encounters with ghosts who are brought back to life by the evil warlord's wizard.
The most spectacular fighting scene you will ever see happens in a countryside cafe when Chung is attacked by 30 or so bad guys. He fights them off armed with a stool, only to find himself in more trouble immediately afterwards.
The finale is nothing short of amazing, when Chung and his wizard friend face off against the evil wizard and his champion. Both fighters are empowered by the spirits of Chinese gods, and I guarantee you will never see better kung fu in a movie. Ever.
OK. Next on the list is a soon-to-be-classic, The Sixth Sense. Sure it's got Bruce Willis in it, but do you remember The 5th Element, 12 Monkeys and Pulp Fiction? He can actually act, and his manager seems to know a good script when he/she sees one.
It's spooky, it's got a great story and it's beautifully shot. Bruce plays a child psychiatrist who's lost his touch after one unfortunate mistake. He's given the task of counseling a young boy, Cole, who has the ability to see, talk to, and interact with ghosts.
OK, so the story isn't amazing, but the cinematography is great and I havn't felt this scared watching a movie since A Nightmare on Elm Street. (OK, so I was young and impressionable).



The Blair Witch Project and Others (Oct. 1999)

Last time I started with the most anticipated movie of the decade (according to LucasFilm marketing crew) and was disappointed. This time I'd like to try again, only with the independent movie world's equivilant The Blair Witch Project.
This film has received a lot of hype in America recently and after seeing it I can understand why. It's brilliant. It's a realistic horror film based around three young filmmakers (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams) who decided to go into a forest to make a documentary about a local legend: The Blair Witch. They were never seen again. A year after their disappearance, the footage they shot was discovered, and when it was pieced together, what they found was a five-day trek filled with slow-mounting terror as the trio gradually realised that they were being stalked by something.
Shot on both video and 16mm. the "found" footage has been shaped into a low-tech showcase. All the limitations of indie-filmmaking - no budget, cheap equipment, limited location -- have been used to the movie's advantage, giving it a sheen of non-fiction authenticity. A great modern day Hitchcock movie.
Speaking of which, here's another couple movie; Notting Hill. This one will do very nicely at the box office purely because it's another attempt at the Four Weddings formula. It's a great romantic fantasy: Hugh Grant plays an average bloke who runs a cute little book shop in London. Julia Roberts, playing the most famous movie star in the world, wanders into his store. Pretty much The End. Well...before the end thing when the lights in the theatre come on and everyone leaves, some other stuff happens which is a bit entertaining. Maybe. Well..someone might throw candy at the screen and it could stick onto Hugh's face and make him look funny. That would be amusing...
OK..Lastly I want to recommend a GREAT movie centred around a hopeless group of friends living in one of London's many less reputable areas. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is a first-time effort from director Guy Ritchie, a Tarantino wannabe who is actually better than Tarantino. If you like dark comedy with realistic themes then this is the movie for you.
Conned out of 100,000 in a rigged card game, the hapless foursome end up owing even more to the local mobster, who gives them one week to come up with the money, after which they're to lose a finger each, per day. After that it's toe time. They come up with a plan to get the cash, but it involves stealing cash and drugs that have already been stolen. Interesting.
LS&2SB (it's a long title!) has a great rock'n roll soundtrack, and enough twists to keep you guessing right up to the end thingy (see above for details). See it!



I'm not an easy person to please (Aug. 1999)

I'm not an easy person to please. In my last column I was disappointed that Star Wars - The Phantom Menace wasn't out yet. Now I'm disappointed because I saw it, and know why it's called "The Phantom Menace". If there's a menace in the movie, it's difficult to spot.
The movie starts with a peaceful little planet getting blockaded by a trade federation, intent on doing something menacing. Two Jedi Knights (Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor) are dispatched to see if they can sort things out with the diplomats, but end up on the hit list of the trade federation, apparently under orders from a more sinister force.
They then take it upon themselves to escort the planet's leader to safety where she can plead for aid against the threat.
Along the way they find themselves stranded on a planet needing the aid of young Anakin Skywalker (Luke's dad). There are battles, action scenes, and some stuff. Then the movie ends.
Yeah I know it's a pretty bland summation, but it fits the movie perfectly. As entertainment, it's an average movie. As a Star Wars prequel, it's interesting. As a testament to CGI it's decent, but on the whole this is definitely only for diehard fans or little kids desperate to be in the 'Star Wars' generation which they missed 20 years ago.
I'm absolutely a big fan of Austin Powers, having seen the first movie at least 15 times. I was a little apprehensive about the sequel, given the general rule surrounding follow-up movies. I'm pleased to say that Austin Powers - The Spy Who Shagged Me, breaks all the rules and is much better than the first. Anything that combines two of my favorite loves (Jerry Springer and Austin Powers) is a winner.
Mike Myers resurrects his character and the action takes off right from where the first movie left off, with Austin and Vanessa (Elizabeth Hurley) in their hotel room. I won't spoil what happens for you, but Austin ends up happily single, romping naked through the hotel as the opening credits roll.
Heather Graham plays the new love interest as Felicity Shagwell, CIA agent. She's a lot sexier than Hurley, and has a more important role in this film than Vanessa did in the first. Dr. Evil is back, of course, this time intent on using his 'laser' beam to destroy the world in what he calls his "Alan Parson's Project". His evil cohorts return with two new surprises, Fat Bastard the Scotsman and 'Mini-me', a pint-sized clone of the Evil one.
Too much happens in this movie for me to do it justice, but it's the funniest movie I have ever seen. There's a hilarious rap remix of "Just the Two of Us", performed by Dr. Evil and Mini-me, as well as a brawl on the set of 'Springer'. See this movie. Many times! Also hang around for a nice little surprise at the end of the credits.
Raiders of the Lost Ark defined adventure films, and continues to act as the benchmark. I was happily surprised then, with Hamunaptra, and actually enjoyed it more than I did The Phantom Pest.
The opening sequence sets the story for the action with a Pharaoh's high priest assassinating the Pharaoh in order to get his wife. The Pharaoh's bodyguards get a little angry and mummify the priest and his assistants, bestowing a horrible curse in the process.
Brendan Fraser takes the main role here as a ruffian/hero who leads a band of gold-hungry adventurers (Americans) to the city where these priests were buried, along with vast amounts of wealth.
Not much really to tell. They wake up the mummy; it runs around killing people and manages to do some really cool things with the weather.
Personally, I think the special effects were more special than in Phantom Annoyance, and the story was more enjoyable. It delivers a lot of fun and very nice action sequences, with effects that compliment, rather than overwhelm the movie.
Lastly, The Matrix. It's been a while since I have seen Keanu Reeves in a decent film, and I am still waiting. He's the kinda guy that always tries his best, but ends up looking like he's trying too hard.
The Matrix has Keanu as Neo, a computer programmer working for a large respectable company in Sydney (oops...somewhere in America). He gets approached by Morpheus, a guy who wants to show him something. Usually strange men wanting to show you something means either that you're about to have a really bad day in prison, or you're about to get arrested. Morpheus however, wants to show Keanu the real nature of the world; everyone is living in 'The Matrix', a computer constructed artificial reality, while their bodies lie in incubators, acting as batteries for robots which have taken over the world.
Acting isn't really important in this movie, as it's more a bridge between the hard core Kung-Fu of Hong Kong's John Woo, and William Gibson's futuristic nightmare of 'Neuromancer'.
Worth a look on the big screen just to check out the great action shots, but don't expect too much else.



Protest (June 1999)

First off, I have to warn you all that this is a protest column. I'm disappointed that Star Wars - The Episode I Phantom Menace wasn't out in time for the Oscars. Rather than a 90's version of 'The Solid Gold Dancers Moving to Your Favourite Polka Tunes', the Oscars would have been a celebration of Sci-Fi, special effects, and Jedi. In my book that's better than any remake of some Shakespeare story.
Actually, that's a bit harsh. Shakespeare in Love's writer, Tom Stoppard, has been my favourite playwright. Anyway, with Shakespeare in Love he has managed to put a fresh twist on a subject that's been written and re-written for over 200 years. The central theme of this very entertaining film is that William Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) was once an unknown playwright, working on a play called "Romeo and Ethel, the Pirate's Daughter." His theater manager (Geoffrey Rush), wants him to make the play as funny as possible, but Will has a serious case of writer's block. Along comes Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow), a rich young woman who is meant to marry a destitute but important duke. Will and Viola fall in love, and Stoppard does a wonderful job interweaving the plot of their love story with the emerging masterpiece, now happily re-titled "Romeo and Juliet."
While you are waiting for the next instalment of Star Wars, why not go for the next best thing with the Latest Star Trek sequel (number nine in fact!).
Star Trek: Insurrection is arguably the best "Next Gen" movie so far and ranks with The Wrath of Khan, which is usually considered the best Trek film ever (by Trekkies anyway).
Insurrection begins with Data (Brent Spiner) going rogue while participating in a cultural survey of the Ba'ku, a peaceful, agriculturally based society. Picard (Patrick Stewart) delays the Enterprise's next assignment to help with the capture of Data, but a series of events raises his suspicions so he investigates further. What he finds is a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of the Federation Council and forces him to decide between upholding the principles of the Prime Directive or following the orders of his superiors. Whew! Scary huh?
There's the usual special effects and Next Gen intrigue, but for non-fans of the genre it's going to be pretty hard to get the most out of the experience.
Next, I want to continue my Sean Connery bashing with Entrapment. I had hoped to find my faith in 007 renewed with this movie, after his pitiful performance in the pathetic The Avengers, but I was disappointed again.
Entrapment is basically about a food chain of criminals and cops who are feeding off one another's gullibility and vulnerabilities. Lots of twists and 'mystery'. End of story.
Gin (Catherine Zeta-Jones from Zorro) is posing as an American security expert amassing information on Mac MacDougal (Sean Connery), a notorious art thief. She is sent to London to catch him, but instead talks him into stealing a valuable mask from a museum and then co-staging a complicated rip-off of billions from a Southeast Asian bank.
With more cool little gadgets than James bond and Batman put together, it's like a cross between Hudson Hawk and The Avengers. There are some nice scenes, but overall if you take Assassins, and change Stallone for Connery, Banderas for Zeta-Jones, you've got this movie. There is quite a drastic final scene filmed in Malaysia but why sit through the other 125 minutes for that?
Finally, I want to look at a late release movie that I found nicely disturbing. I say nicely because it's always good to come out of the cinema a little shaken. Andrew Kevin Walker (the writer of Seven) might have something wrong with him that he can imagine stuff like this, but he sure can write great suspense stories. His latest offering 8mm, directed by Joel Schumacher is an unsettling story about a private detective's immersion into the depths of the porno industry in America. Tom Welles (Nicolas Cage) plays a 'surveillance specialist' hired by a rich widow (Myra Carter) to find out what happened to a teenage girl apparently murdered in a snuff film found among her late husband's possessions
Welles travels to New York and looks for clues to the girl's fate. His search takes him through the most grotesque sub-levels of the porn marketplace, a horrifying trip that will almost certainly make you want to take a bath after leaving the theater. While 8mm is equally as disturbing as its' predecessor Seven, it also has the same beautiful cinematography and film noir atmosphere that for me, makes it a special experience. As an idea, it's not nice. As a movie it's visually and emotionally more of a rollercoaster ride than Titanic ever was.



Videos from the Vault (April 1999)

Ever put off going to the latest Hollywood blockbuster because you don't know just how much of the hype is real, and how much is deserved? Well fret no longer. The new Xene movie/video column will sift the wheat from the chaff and do all the work for you. This issue's theme is re-makes, with a surprise entry from one of the latest offerings to hit Sapporo: You've Got M@il.
Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) owns a large book chain, "Fox Books," which has just opened a new outlet in Manhattan. He's not too concerned about putting smaller shops out of business, which lands him at war with local children's bookstore owner Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan). What neither of them know is that they have been conducting an affair with each other via E-mail, cheating (intellectually anyway) on their respective partners.
Although this is essentially a remake of a 1940's film The Shop Around the Corner, Hanks and Ryan manage to carry an average story with the same sort of style that saw Sleepless in Seattle become something of a hit. There are the usual "love story" obstacles to be overcome here, none of which will come as any surprise, or seem original. Despite all this it is a nicely made movie, worth watching if you have a bit of time (and money) to throw away.
Fans of CGI are in for a treat with the latest Disney/Pixar offering A Bug's Life. From the director of Toy Story, this film is a shameless but imaginative rip-off of Akira Kurasawa's classic The Seven Samurai. The plot centers around a lovably eccentric ant named Flik. When he screws up the annual harvest prepared in painful homage to some overbearing grasshoppers, he decides to seek some professional warrior help in the big city, where no ant from his colony has ever ventured.
Through a series of misunderstandings, Flik ends up hiring a washed-up circus troupe, which includes a hilarious macho male "ladybug," a German-accented caterpillar, and a couple of bugs who speak an incomprehensible language and who almost steal the show. The preparation for the fearful end-of-season visit by the rapacious grasshoppers, and the final encounter with them, occupy the remainder of this great fun movie. I'd definitely recommend seeing this one twice...on the big screen!
While we're looking at remakes, the Cinderella story gets a going-over from director Andy Tennant, with the new movie Ever After. Jeanne Moreau as a French noblewoman summons the brothers Grimm to her parlor and proposes to tell them the true story of Cinderella, or Danielle (Drew Barrymore) as she is known in this version.
After Danielle's father dies, her wicked stepmother (Anjelica Huston) demotes her to servant girl, where she has to run errands for the rest of her family. Grown into a young woman, Danielle catches the eye of the handsome Prince Henry (Dougray Scott). He chafes at the expectations his parents and his nation have for him, and he doesn't want to marry the Spanish princess he is slated to wed. The rest of the movie is understandably predictable, but is saved by the delightfully evil performances of Huston and one of my favorites, Monsieur Le Pieu (Richard O'Brien). Well...everyone knows the story. Take a friend.
As a rule, 30 years after having been aired, a TV series will get turned into a movie. Don't believe me? Check out The Fugitive, The Brady Bunch, and soon My Favorite Martian as well as Lost in Space. Now it's The Avengers' turn. This 60's romp through England was great at the time, and a daring director (Jeremiah Chechik) thought it was worth dredging into the 90's.
Unfortunately, times have changed. Despite the best efforts of Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman (as agents John Steed and Emma Peel), this attempt at an upper class retro movie falls far short of anything resembling entertainment or for that matter suspense...actually action also. The plot is straight out of a Boy's Own Adventure comic, and Sean Connery makes for a dismally unconvincing bad guy, intent on destroying the world with his Weather Control Machine.
Apart from a rather unexpected (and very lame) scene with giant teddy bears around a conference table, it's a good movie to fall asleep by.



Videos to Leave Japan By (Feb. 1999)
By Mikael Dam

The bubble burst a while ago, but the stream of fresh-faced foreigners coming into Japan seems to be holding steady. Whatever the reason -- money, culture, ikebana -- the fact is, one day, you have to go back where you came from. And it seems my number is up. Yes folks, this is the last time my words of video wisdom will grace the covers of this fine magazine (oh, come now, dry those tears). So, this month, I have chosen a cross-section of videos I feel represents the various ways in which folks come to bid farewell to these fair islands.
"You just don't know when it's time to go": Take a look at Fallen, starring Denzel Washington. This is a really spooky film about a demon (apparently just one of several) who has been on earth for over two-thousand years, and passes from human to human through touch. These demons are unhappy with what they see around them and are trying to bring about the fall of "Babylon" one person at a time. Thing is, Earthlings seem pretty satisfied with things they way they are, and are having none of it. Denzel Figures that this pseudo-devil should have packed his bags a long time ago, and sets out to save his family, himself, and of course the entire human race by buying this thing a one-way ticket. Interesting premise, good acting, and ancient languages. It will change the way you look at the blank-faced beings you see walking down the street.
"Someone else decides it's time for you to to": No, not a film about visa renewals and contract negotiations. Scream 2 is a very accomplished sequel about someone who takes it upon him or herself to help a few college students find a final way out of final exams. The first Scream was better since the self-effacing banter about horror films was fresher. But now, in the wake of the recent slasher flicks, it seems a bit like old blood (sorry). If you liked Scream, then catch this one as well. You'll enjoy all the in jokes and have an opportunity to marvel at the consistent stupidity of North American youth when faced with the blade of a really sharp knife.
"You go, but then come back": Some leave, figure out that life on the outside is no life at all, and return to Japan to try and live the life they once enjoyed. Sometimes, I imagine, others are glad to see you back, but then again sometimes I figure they were probably more impressed watching you go. I for one am very, very happy to find Sigourney Weaver back as Lieutenant Ellen Ripley. She's been gone for about two hundred years, but Alien Resurrection clones her back into living, breathing, asskicking existence. For entirely selfish and stupid reasons, an evil corporation (it's always the damn corporation, isn't it?), decides to bring her back only to harvest an alien from her fantastically flat stomach. Some will be able to relate to the feeling of being invasively used for the beast within them. Other might realize the merits in going and staying gone.
"You decide there is something else out there, and simply leave": Set in the not too distant future, Gattaca stars Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman (viva the future), and is a cautionary tale of the evils of genetic engineering. Hawke belongs to the pat of society called "invalids." These are people made the old-fashioned way and therefore subject to greater imperfection than the custom-ordered "valids." Ethan just knows this world is not for him, and does everything he can to join the Gattaca aerospace corporation (another bad corporation?) so he can get outta here. That's all I'm willing to say since you should really experience the film's predictions for yourself.
And now, since I have said all I have to day, I think I'll go home. Goodbye, thak-you, and amen. Sayonara.



Lighten Up for God's Sake! (Oct. 1998)

With half of Asia underwater, the Japanese currency weakening by the minute, and North Korea blasting large chunks of metal over our heads, there is more than enough to get down about these days. And although I, myself, am feeling less than comfortable with my environs, a recent trip to the video store did much to alleviate the blahs.
The Full Monty is out on video. By now everyone must have either seen or heard all about this charming little flick. In brief, a group of out-of-work steel workers decide to abandon the unemployment line and create work for themselves. Inspired by a male dance troupe's performance in the local pub, they set out to put on their own show. Now, none of these gentlemen are bound to grace the pages of GQ anytime soon, so you can imagine where the comedy is born from. Many of the guys I know found this movie terrifyingly funny since it leaves one imagining oneself up on that stage. Most of the women I know found it funny because they are very dark-humored and enjoyed laughing at these poor guys' insecurities.
Men in Black finds Will Smith once again kicking alien ass, and Tommy Lee Jones striding through the scenes with his usual tough-guy veneer. They play a pair of super-special agents devoted to ridding the earth of hostile aliens. All in all, it is not a bad film if you just need something to get your mind off of rising floodwaters. It has been aptly described as a Ghostbusters for the '90s. After all, with the millennium on the horizon, it is only natural that a gamut of films detailing all the outward threats to human survival should be surfacing. This one is much more fun than all the recent crap about giant asteroids and angry lizards.
Face/Off is, in most ways, just another wham-blam action movie. It is, however, an offering from this hour's hottest action director: John Woo. We have Nicholas Cage running around acting like John Travolta, and Travolta doing Nicholas Cage impressions thanks to a complex operation they both undergo. Basically, they have their faces switched in order to infiltrate a nasty group of doomsday criminals. I'm not going to tell you much more than that, since I saw it having been given a lot more foreknowledge about the plot and it spoiled the film for me. It's a good action flick, and it will help you ignore the horrible sound the yen keeps making as it splatters against the pavement.
Finally, if you really want a good laugh, I suggest that you pick up G.I. Jane, yet another "serious, dramatic effort" from a woman whom I think may be the crappiest excuse Hollywood has ever offered for an actor. Demi Moore is a woman who will not let her womanhood get in the way of making it as a Navy SEAL. That premise is about the only intelligent aspect of this otherwise disgusting waste of celluloid. She shaves her head, and in what one can only assume is an effort to seem tough, doesn't bathe much, and ends up looking like a badly bruised Barbie doll. With Ms. Moore spouting such lines as, "suck my dick," I think we can all give this one a miss.
So, put down that English textbook, throw aside your kanji-a-day workbook, and get down to the video store. Barring that, you could always go for a walk and look at the "shooting stars."
The Girls of Early Summer (Aug. 1998)
Just before the wave of summer blockbusters comes crashing upon the cinematic shoreline, it often happens that smaller, unique films hit the video store shelves. Movies that stand no chance against hostile aliens or giant lizards emerge right around this time.
Or at least that's one theory. If it were entirely true, then our local rental shops should be packed with interesting, independent films, right? Well, almost. The women of recent movies seem to be doing less mainstream material, whereas the men are stuck in the same tiresome cookie-cutter roles. Everything the guys are doing lately is either along the lines of Harrison Ford in Air Force One (playing yet another barely sentient action figurine), or Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet (a sensitive guy trying to find enlightenment through hair-dye). No thanks boys, this time around it's the women who are worth watching.
If you enjoyed Secrets and Lies, then I recommend Mike Leigh's latest effort, Career Girls. No, it's not what you think. Annie (Lynda Steadman) is in London visiting her college room-mate Hannah (Katrin Cartlidge). Told mostly through flashbacks, this film is a brilliant example of how much people really do change during their twenties. Through ridiculously unbelievable coincidences (made slightly tolerable by the fact that the characters react as strongly to the serendipitous incidents as we do), the women's past keeps plowing into them during their weekend about London. As in Leigh's other movies, there are moments when this one makes you laugh. When the credits roll, however, one is left with the sense that none of it was all that funny. Great characters and superb acting.
Bound, is an titillating, twisted idea brought to us by the Wachowski brothers. Your basic gangster moll, played by Jennifer Tilly, meets your basic lesbian handy-woman, too-toughly acted by Gina Gershon. Without giving too much away about the plot, I think this film might just be what Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin meant when they belted out that sisters are doin' it for themselves. See this film for the provocative concept and the way it leaps across all kinds of genres, since some of it is a bit forced - and I don't just mean Ms. Tilly's voice.
Having recommended both gritty English drama and leather-bound gangster babes, I think it might be time for something a little lighter. Trust me, it does not get any lighter than Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. With the blindingly blonde Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow (who happens to be my favorite Friend) in the tile roles, this flick is fluff all the way. But it's fantastically fun fluff. The movie caters to what I imagine is a rather popular fantasy for most of us: showing up at our high school reunion and being the envy of anyone who ever so much as looked at us the wrong way back then. Sorvino and Kudrow make a surprisingly great comic pair, and I strongly endorse this film for those days when you need a good laugh (perhaps after you come home from having converted yen into dollars).
Last, I offer you a bit of Babs. The Mirror has Two Faces (Japanese title: Manhattan Rhapsody), is a run-of-the-mill ugly duckling story. And while it's common enough to hear La Streisand questioning her own beauty in almost every film she does, this time it goes too far. The whole damn movie is about her wondrous transformation from a frumpy but witty college professor into a slinky and witty college professor. If you absolutely have to see everything Barbara does, then go ahead. Otherwise, see this one for the supporting performance by Lauren Bacall.
Here's hoping that the gents will take a hint from the ladies, put down their guns, and start acting again.



Hollywood's Hottest Screenwriter (June 1998)

Recently there has been a lot of buss around tinsel town about up and coming young writers Wish the Oscars just past, we apparently got a glance of film-making's future in the likes of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
There is, however, a writer whose material is still hot after centuries,, a playwright whose humanistic musings remain the stuff of blockbusters.
William Shakespeare generously donated an impressive parcel of plays to the enjoy, learn from, or perhaps just understand his work, we are still twisting and reshaping his scripts today.
Romeo and Juliet (starring Leonardo what's-his-name and Claire Danes as the irritatingly perfect star-crossed lovers), is perhaps the most obvious inclusion in this month's list, so let me get it out of the way.
Yes, it is a good film. Yes, the acting is accomplished. And yes, Leo, you were right: one can do Shakespeare without tights and foils. There remains,, all the same, high-school drama class undertones throughout. It is as though someone gave a bunch of a free reign. It is, all in all, an interesting treatment of Shakespeare, and the Verona Beach setting does work well enough, but it lacks feeling. If Shakespeare met Baywatch, I think it might look something like this film.
Richard III, on the other hand, has all the balls that R & J seems to lack. The stellar cast includes Ian McKellan, Annette Benning, Maggie Smith, Nigel Hawthorne, and Adrian Dunbar in its meatiest roles. The story of a power-hungry, nearly conscienceless man, this film also takes William's work and transplants it into a different time period. In this case, it is sometime around the 1930s.
The choice could not be more apt. One feels as though people like Richard and his co-horts must have existed during this period in history The film is gritty, cold, and as rock-solid as the Tower of London - which figures prominently in some of the slaughter. Greed, corruption, murder most foul, and big tanks, this film leaves your brain gnawing away at your heart, and your soul ashamed for having enjoyed it all too much.
With Kenneth Branagh having recently released his version of Hamlet, this could well be the last time anyone ever cares to mention the decidedly good effort that Mel Gibson stumbled through some years back. No, I'm sorry, I am not about to tell you that Mad Max actually does a good job playing the melancholy Dane. He remembers his lines - that's about all one can say.
What is great about this film are the supporting performances. Glenn Close is fantastic as the dangerously unaware queen, and Helena Bonham Carter will long remain the perfect Ophelia. The castle itself is also better here than in many other attempts. I mean, this is Denmark, land of dirty Vikings and craggy coastlines. Elsinore did not the contain brilliant, guilded halls that we so often find in the films. The damp, gray, windblown castle we see in the Zefirelli version is probably closest to the truth.
Finally, to dispel a bit of the gloom, Much Ado about Nothing is well worth a look. Barring some gross casting mistakes, this is a fun frolic through Shakespeare's comic genius. Kenneth and Emma (Thomson, that is) play opposite each other as romantic rivals. This film was made back when they were married, and so the chemistry was probably much stronger than it would be now. This film is light, airy, and practically spills the very fragrance of love right into your living room. The cast also includes Michael Keaton, Keannu Reeves, Denzel Washington, and Robert Sean Leonard. A great film for all you spring-time romantics
I hope you have as much fun watching this month's picks as many of these people had making them. Good night sweet readers, let angels fly three to thy rest.



One Tough Momma! (April 1998)

Of all the things this installment of videos could have been about (April Fool's Day, the death of Christ, springtime romance), the theme that effortlessly and authoritatively overtook them all was Mother's Day. That special Sunday in May, we celebrate the force of nature that is Mom, and these videos are dedicated to slightly misplaced maternal instincts.
If if looks like Betty Crocker, cooks like Betty Crocker and sounds like Betty Crocker, then it must be Betty Crocker, right? Not if it's the trash-talkin' mother played by Kathleen Turner in Serial Mom. She's a perfect clone of Donna Reed, acting like Courtney Love in her spare time. We've all heard stories of the things bored housewives do with the day's extra hours, but slaughtering one's neighbors just ain't nice. A great film that is one of the most convincing arguments for recycling I have ever seen.
From psycho to sentimental. The Joy Luck Club is a film made up of several stories. Four friends form a mah jong circle known as the Joy Luck Club, and each of them has a sad story to tell. Throughout the course of the movie, four daughters come to understand their mothers a little better after hearing troubled tales of growing up in China. A quintessential "chick flick," it's a hard look at what some mothers will do for -- or to -- their children. A three-hanky film.
I'm willing to bet that, although you might have seen the first two films coming, you didn't expected Arnold Scwartzenegger to show up. Junior is a fractured fairy tale in which Mr. I'll Be Back becomes a mommy. Not a fantastic movie, it's still worth a look if only for the chance to see this big bully go through morning sickness, mood swings and sensitive nipples.
Postcards from the Edge features certifiably nuts actor Shirley McClaine as Meryl Streep's certifiably nuts Hollywood mom. Talk about scar tissue! Streep grows up to be a drugged-out, drunk, flailing actor largely due to the antics and inattention of her mother. If you like these two actors, see the movie. If you loathe them, it won't do much to change your mind.
Everyone who didn't listen when told to tidy up, take out the trash or turn down the music is already familiar with the mother in the following films. Alien and Aliens (forget about the third one, but rush out to see the fourth) are the final picks in my tribute to our lifegivers. Sigourney Weaver stars in both of these movies about some pesky space creatures who form a rather strong attachment to humans (no, not the face!). Picture yourself as Weaver, and the alien as your mother in a bathrobe wielding a wooden spoon, and you've pretty much got it. If you've already seen them, rent them again for nostalgia's sake.
I LOVE YOU. NO, I REALLY LOVE YOU! Stalker picks for Valentine's Day (Feb. 1998)
In the argument over Valentine's Day, folks seem to be divided fairly evenly into two camps. Camp A regards Valentine's Day as a wonderfully romantic flurry of red balloons, paper hearts, and the sweetest chocolate which represent the culmination of an entire year's worth of loving someone. To those in Camp B, the holiday is nothing but a Hallmark-controlled, overdone, commercialized pseudo-holiday that exists to make you spend huge amounts of cash trying to put your affection for someone into material form.
Camp A disciples, read no further; Camp B followers, welcome home. This month's column is devoted to a group of videos that read like warning labels for too much love. Stalkers make the perfect Valentine's Day present for that special someone. Always the right style, size and color, a stalker is the gift that really, really says "I love you."
I know everyone and his bunny must have seen Fatal Attraction by now, but it is the perfect film for this month's viewing list. At it's core, it's fairly formulaic stalker stuff, but it's the little twists that make it worth seeing. In this film we find Glenn Close acting sexy (curious), Michael Douglas and his happy family (No, seriously, is that kid a boy or a girl?), and a host of reasons never to trust a back-lit blonde. This woman will stop at nothing to try to impress herself upon the cheating slime she's gotten involved with. I mean, she even cooks him a nice dinner (hasenpfeffer, anyone?). In the end, things don't quite work out between them, but they part hoping that one day they can be friends again (yeah, right). Superb performances by everyone involved. See it again with that special someone.
In The Fan, Robert De Niro acts like a big ol' psycho, what a surprise. Playing a baseball-obsessed knife salesman (Wow, that's nice and subtle), our Bobby goes just a little crazy when his favorite player makes some flippant comments during an interview. Apparently, the fans deserve respect, and our psycho hero will stop at nothing to drive that point home. A rather disappointing stalker, De Niro obviously needs a refresher course - he was so good back in the days when he was a taxi driver.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle: Talk about maternal instincts! This film was hugely popular when it was released, and with good cause. It's a model stalker flick. It features Rebecca De Mornay as a nanny who decides to become part of the family. All they need is a little convincing that they would be so much better off with her caring for them. An admirably focused young woman, with the best intentions, I almost feel sorry for her. (Psychos always get a bum rap.) After this one, you'll be more careful choosing a babysitter.
While Scream is technically a serial killer film, this movie is impossible to overlook. One of the latest offerings from self-proclaimed horror master Wes Craven, this is your typical high school slasher fare, but with a twist. The film is constantly deriding and subverting the very genre which it supposedly represents. A good scare and a bunch of laughs, as well. A must for Edvard Munch fans.



So You Think Your Family is Dysfunctional? (Dec. 1997)

It's December, and for many of us this is a time when our thoughts naturally gravitate towards seeing friends, eating huge meals, but perhaps most of all spending time with those we love most. These movies will not only give you cause to laugh away the Hokkaido winter, but might just make you thankful that there are a few kilometers between you and your loved ones.
If you're in the mood to spend some time with a group of people who have some serious issues to iron out, the Flirting with Disaster is for you. It's the story of Mel Coupland (Ben Stiller), the adopted son of loving but truly intrusive parents (look for a fantastic, if not disturbing, performance by Mary Tyler-Moore).
Mel has a loving wife (Patricia Arquette), and a three-month-old son. The problem is Mel's inability to choose a name for his child - ostensibly because of the psychological void left by the absence of his birth mother With his wife, child, and an adoption agent/psych student in tow, he heads off to San Diego for a long-awaited reunion. This is about as normal as things get. He finally tracks down his real parents (played with burnt-out hippie flair by Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin). Cue the music, fade to black, right? Wrong. This thing ain't over by a long shot.
Not only does this film make you laugh out loud, it also manages to strike some eerily realistic chords. It's almost as if someone simply put a camera in these people's lives and hit the record button. You may just recognize one or two scenes from your own life.
Next up is Mighty Aphrodite, by Woody Allen, one of Hollywood's most notoriously dysfunctional souls. If you like Woody Allen, you'll love this film.
Lenny (Woody Allen) and his wife (Helena Bonham-Carter) rush into adopting a son. The hasty acquisition leaves Lenny wondering about the source of the child's academic talent. He embarks upon a lengthy quest for his son's birth mother, only to find his search always keeps him arm's length from a mysterious woman with an every changing name. When he finally catches her she turns out to be a prostitute and adult-film actress (played with high-pitched, halting brilliance by Mira Sorvino).
Offered under the guise of classical Greek drama, resplendent with a very vocal chorus, this film has a great supporting cast (look for F. Murray Abraham and Olympia Dukakis). It's worth seeing for Sorvino's performance alone.
Finally, we come to Secrets and Lies. It centers around Cynthia (Brenda Blethyn) and her miserable life. She's stuck in a dead-end factory job, has a shrew of a daughter, and if that weren't enough, smokes way too much. Enter Hortence (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), yet another lost soul searching for her biological mother. The difficulty lies in how to introduce Hortence to the family, especially as few people know about this long-lost relative.
The situation sounds comic, and in parts it is, but the film spends more time peeling away the layers that define familial relationships. The film does not try to guide its characters, or its audience, toward saccharine sweet catharsis, but rather plays around with all the pieces that make up our understanding of what constitutes a family.
The picture plays upon the notion that it is a despondent story, and consequently speaks to that part of all who see it. Featuring consummately ordinary people, faced with exhausting circumstances, this film should not be missed.