Inside Man
Starring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster
Written by Russell Gewirtz and Directed by Spike Lee


Neither black nor white -- but gray. This statement could stand for a lot a things and in a Spike Lee film, it always does. Inside Man, Spike Lee’s latest “joint” is absolutely brilliant. After a series of lack luster films like Bamboozled and She Hate Me, it is nice to see Spike back where he belongs -- at the forefront of filmmaking.

Inside Man appears to be yet another bank heist film, but like Dog Day Afternoon -- it is so much more than that. It is layered with social commentary: racism, redemption, and corporate corruption are all covered. The brilliance comes in how Spike Lee weaves all these topics into the fabric of the classic bank heist plot. A great twist on a very stale genre. It also helps to have a cast of actors that includes Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, and Christopher Plummer.

Denzel plays Detective Keith Frazier (currently being looked at by Internal Affairs for some missing cash) who is sent in to negotiate with, Dalton Russell (Clive Owen), who happens to have fifty hostages and a large bank in the palm of his hand. These two tear it up with some classic verbal battles and prove to us that great dialogue is king. Jodie Foster also gives a very nice and sassy performance as a women who seems to be friends with everyone who is anyone and when the owner of the bank calls for her help, we see why when she works her magic.

Inside Man has some great twists, fast and furious dialogue, and firm performances. Whether you are a fan of Spike Lee or not, I guarantee you will really enjoy this film. If you do happen to be a Spike Lee fan, then Inside Man will definitely not disappoint and will only act as a reminder of why you like Spike Lee so much.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: Inside Man is beyond a conventional bank heist film.

The Bad: May be a little long (129 mins) for fans of regular bank heist films.

The Law: Do not miss Inside Man.

Domino
Starring Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Edgar Ramirez
Written by Richard Kelly and Directed by Tony Scott


Don’t do drugs. Instead, go watch Domino -- the latest acid-flick from Mr. Style/Flash, Tony Scott. Tony Scott knows how to make a fun film, and he knows how to make it look good.

Domino is about Domino Harvey, an English girl who’s father was an actor (Laurence Harvey) famous for being in 1962’s Manchurian Candidate with Frank Sinatra, who ends up coming out to Beverly Hills with her mother after her father dies, gets kicked out of school, becomes a supermodel, then turns to a career in bounty hunting. Sounds like something from the mind of a young Hollywood writer, doesn’t it? But believe it or not, it is a true story. A true story perfect for someone like Tony Scott to tell.

Keira Knightley is perfect as the sexy tomboy Domino who has something of a problem with authority and infused with Tony Scott’s unique visual style and editing, she really shines in this film. We all know that Keira Knightley is oh-so hot as the kind of girl a guy can become best friends with then finds himself falling in love with -- in this film she really uses that quality to help her performance as a sexy gun-toting girl. Mickey Rourke gives yet another fantastic performance (the man really should get an Oscar nod soon) after years of drug and alcohol abuse, it looks like he finally found a way to use those demons for good. Christopher Walken also lights things up as a Hollywood producer who is behind a reality show called, Bounty Squad that follows Domino and her boys around. Really hot stuff. The film also features players like Lucy Liu, Mo’Nique, Delroy Lindo, Mena Suvari, and hilarious appearances by 90210 alumni, Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green.

Domino is fast paced, adrenaline pumping, eyes bugging fun. It’s like getting in a car with no brakes going downhill on a twisty road. It does lull a bit before the climax, but all is forgiven when guns start blazing in one of the most explosive finales you will ever see or feel. Domino Harvey was a kick-ass bounty hunter and now she is a kick-ass film.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: Fast paced, adrenaline pumping, eyes bugging fun.

The Bad: A little slow right before the finale, especially for a film this fast.

The Law: Don’t do drugs... Do Domino.

Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Starring Dan Aykroyd, John Lithgow, Vic Morrow
Written by John Landis, George Clayton Johnson, Jerome Bixby, Richard Matheson
Directed by John Landis, Steven Spielberg, George Miller, Joe Dante


If there was no Twilight Zone, there would be no M. Night Shyamalan. There wouldn’t be a lot of things actually. The Twilight Zone series that originated in 1959 from the mind of Rod Serling has been revived in the 80s and even at the beginning of the new millennium, proving that the show was truly a phenomenon. It’s unique blend of horror, fantasy, sci-fi, and thrills is one that will have audiences captivated forever. In 1983, four of Hollywood’s most prolific directors decided to bring four stories from the series to the big screen.

The film starts out with a very well-crafted (Shyamalan would be salivating) prologue involving two buddies on a road trip. It starts out comical and typical, but in the Twilight Zone you know how that always ends. A great beginning to the film.

The first segment is brought to us by John Landis, the man behind Michael Jackson’s Thriller video and An American Werewolf in London. The story is about a man who blames all “non-American” people like Jews, Orientals, and Blacks for all his problems. He is very vocal about this and soon finds himself being transported into the shoes of some of these people during some of society’s ugliest eras. He is a Jew in Nazi Germany, he is Vietnamese during the Vietnam war, and he is captured by the KKK who only see him as black. The story is like a moral lesson with bite.

The second segment is full of fantasy and with just the mention of the word, “fantasy”, you can probably guess that it is presented to us by Mr.Fantasy himself, Steven Spielberg. It is an inspiring tale about a group of seniors who literally become young again and remember what it was like to be full of hope and laughter. A little sappy and could have been excluded, but is like a nice intermission to the other three stories.

Joe Dante of Gremlins fame brings us a story of a boy who is in a sense like a gremlin. He tells the tale of a boy who can wish for anything and have it be a reality. Just imagine what it was like being a child and all the things you wished for and then imagine spending a night with yourself as an adult now. Now imagine pissing off yourself. Scary stuff, eh?

Finally, Mad Max’s George Miller bring us probably the most definitive story in the Twilight Zone film. The story involves a paranoid and claustrophobic airline passenger who has a hard enough time flying without having to deal with the fact that he thinks he sees a Gremlin-like monster hanging out on the wing of the plane trying to rip the engines off. Scary, funny, thrilling, relatable -- the perfect Twilight Zone story. For all you Simpsons fans out there, you will recognize this story as the one the Simpsons parodied with Bart on the school bus on one of their annual Halloween specials.

The Twilight Zone series was scary because it was able to reach into our subconscious and pluck out our deepest and darkest insecurities and expose them. The show scares the hell out of us and shocks us because deep down in all of us we possess a very scary and dark side. Twilight Zone: The Movie does the same.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: A great horror, fantasy, sci-fi, thriller that honours the original Twilight Zone TV series.

The Bad: The film could have done without the sappy Spielberg segment.

The Law: Watch Twilight Zone: The Movie and then go check out episodes from the original series.

My Girl (TV Series 2005-2006, Korea)
Starring Da-hae Lee, Dong-Wook Lee, Jun-gi Lee, Si-hyeon Park
Written by Jeong-eun Hong and Mi-ran Hong
Directed by Gi-Sang Jeon


I don’t usually discuss TV shows on my blog, but I thought I would say a few words about one I just finished watching. My Girl, a 16-part rom-com TV series from Korea was one of the most enjoyable ”soap” style TV shows I have ever watched. It deals with a lot of “Asian” themes such as self-sacrifice, family loyalty, and love that is free of sexual undertones. If the series ever played in North America, let’s just say that it would be on either the Family or Hallmark Channel. That however is what makes the series so endearing. It’s classic “Frank Capraesque” style storytelling and its innocence reminds us that we don’t always need to be reminded of how cynical the world is, especially on TV and at the movies.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot, but the story is basically about the romantic and comic escapades that ensue between the lead and his love interest after he hires her to pretend to be his long-lost sister in order to please his dying grandfather. The conflict is he actually starts to fall in love with his “sister” and desperately tries to find his real sister before they are destined to be related forever.

I strongly encourage you to go to your local Asian market and obtain a copy of the show (or watch it in segments on YouTube.com) and discover how fun this series really is for yourself.

*Special thanks to CT and her dad for introducing me to the show.

King Kong (2005)
Starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks
Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Peter Jackson
Directed by Peter Jackson


King Kong is long. At three hours and eight minutes, I don’t care if you are King Kong or not -- that is a long running time for any film. Fortunately for the audience, Peter Jackson’s King Kong happens to be a very well-crafted and entertaining piece of work.

King Kong is long, yes, but it is also a lot of fun to watch. Peter Jackson, the man behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy, knows a thing or two about making long epics, but thank heavens he knows how to make them fun as well. It is obvious that Peter Jackson is a big fan of the original 1933 King Kong starring Fay Wray because he directs the updated version with lots of hugs & kisses. He respects the content. He respects the story. He respects King Kong. What that produces is an emotionally fulfilling and thrilling spectacle. Utilizing a talented cast consisting of Oscar winner, Adrien Brody, the always fun, Jack Black, and the beautiful Naomi Watts -- Jackson essentially breaks the film into three parts. First we get to know the “humans” living in depression era New York, then we head to Skull Island, the home of Kong, and then everybody comes back to New York for a giant party, so-to-speak.

The first part of the film is like a good drama, full of dilemmas and personal conflicts. The second part is like Jurassic Park, filled with crazy tribes people and rompin’ stompin’ dinosaurs. The third part is like a disaster flick, filled with cars being flipped and buildings being smashed. What a great deal; three great films for the price of one.

King Kong is good old fashioned popcorn munching, pop slurping, “this is why we go to the movies” fun! Good storytelling laced with great special effects. A spectacle in the truest sense. So escape and check out King Kong -- it will be one of the best three hours and eight minutes of your life.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: A good old fashioned popcorn movie. Loads of fun.

The Bad: Jack Black can’t help but be funny, even when he is trying to be serious.

The Law: King Kong is awesome.

16 Blocks
Starring Bruce Willis, Mos Def, David Morse
Written by Richard Wenk and Directed by Richard Donner

All you have to do is transport a witness 16 blocks. Sounds simple enough doesn’t it? But you know whenever something appears to be too simple, it usually means it is cloaked in complexity. Thus the premise for the latest Dick Donner flick, 16 Blocks.

Bruce Willis is back playing the character he always plays best, a rough around the edges cop that has a really good heart. Hey, he plays it well, so why mess with a good thing. His job in 16 Blocks starts out looking very routine, but soon turns into one of the longest mornings of his life. All he has to do is transport a motor-mouth, wise-cracking witness played by ex-rapper, Mos Def, 16 blocks to the nearest courthouse. That’s it. Less than ten minutes later, bullets start flying, people start running, buses are hijacked, good cops turn bad, and somehow Bruce Willis and Mos Def’s characters find redemption. Sound like fun? It is.

16 Blocks follows in the traditions of films like Speed and Nick of Time -- using the element of a time deadline for urgency and a simplistic setting to engage the viewer’s imagination. Having done Lethal Weapon and the original Superman, Richard Donner is no stranger to action rolled up in good storytelling and he definitely shows us that in 16 Blocks. The action is smart, suspenseful, and just plain fun. 16 Blocks is simply a complex action film.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: Simple, but above average action fare.

The Bad: Some minor cliches, but easily overlooked.

The Law: 16 Blocks is nothing incredibly special, but definitely worth at least one viewing.

Life
Starring Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Heavy D
Written by Robert Ramsey & Matthew Stone
Directed by Ted Demme


To be honest with you, and why would I have any reason not to be, I really thought Life would be nothing more than a vulgar “black” comedy starring two loud mouth comedians that seem to be more interested in big paychecks than artistic integrity these days. Then the starting credits starting appearing: Imagine Entertainment, Brian Grazer, Ted Demme... I was beginning to feel that maybe I could be wrong about Life...

Life in fact is a very fulfilling and endearing film. It takes us back to an ugly time when the color of someone’s skin determined the kind of life they could lead. Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence are transported back to the 1930s and play Claude and Ray, two good souls that seem to find trouble due to their ambitions. Like all great duos, they don’t click immediately with each other, but are bursting at the seams with chemistry. Murphy and Lawrence are hilarious together and help tell the story of two men trapped in a southern prison for a crime they didn’t commit, and they do so without hitting us over-the-head with how unfair the world is. Instead, Ted Demme, Murphy, and Lawrence work together to tell us about social injustice through truly touching and truly funny scenes. Something very hard to pull off. The key to the story of Life is hope. Life is about hope -- in the film and in people’s actual lives. Life does a wonderful job of showing us that life is always going to have its ups and downs, but it can also be full of great friendships and laughs as well -- as long as we have hope.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: A surprisingly endearing and very funny film.

The Bad: Contains a lot of profanity, which some people may find offensive.

The Law: Give Life a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Memoirs of a Geisha
Starring Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Watanabe, Gong Li
Written by Robin Swicord and Directed by Rob Marshall


Memoirs of a Geisha as a novel by Arthur Golden was emotionally engaging and beautiful. Memoirs of a Geisha as a film by Rob Marshall (Chicago) is beautiful, but not emotionally engaging. Yet another piece of literature adapted by Hollywood, yet another unfulfilling attempt.

Memoirs of a Geisha as a film is hard to connect with. As a viewer you are intrigued by the lost world of the geisha in pre-World War II Japan, but the film fails to draw you in with anything else. With a skillful director at the helm and a talented roster of actors consisting of Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Watanabe, Gong Li, Kenneth Tsang, and many other talented Asian and North American names -- one could have bet the farm that this film would be a success, but once again we find out that nothing is a sure bet in Hollywood. The story is of a brave young girl named Sayuri who at a very young age is robbed of her family and her childhood when she is sold to a “house” in the city and becomes a servant. She finds out quickly that being a Geisha is the best possible future for a woman, but even knowing that, she still does not want to be one. That is until she meets, The Chairman (Ken Watanabe), who she instantly falls in love with and who gives her hope for something more in a hopeless world. Sayuri then suffers through the cruel and competitive world of being a geisha with the hopes of one day meeting him again. Inspiring story, eh? Unfortunately not on screen. Ziyi Zhang acts her heart out, but I felt nothing. I just didn’t feel the true emotion from deep down inside her. It just appeared as if she was, well, just acting. Not good enough for me. I want to really feel a performance. Having said that, since the film is anchored on her character, the end result of the whole experience is flat. Although I would like to add that Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh did manage to find a way to connect with their characters and the audience. Too bad neither of them were playing the lead character. I’m sorry, Ziyi, you are a great actress and very beautiful and I have really felt your performances in previous films (2046, Crouching Tiger, Flying Daggers) -- but I just didn’t feel you in Memoirs of a Geisha.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: A visually stunning film. Beautiful locations, set decoration, costumes, music, and ladies.

The Bad: The film lacks emotional impact.

The Law: If you’re looking for eye-candy and a good story -- Memoirs of a Geisha is for you. Just don’t expect to feel anything.

Insomnia
Starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank
Written by Nikolaj Frobenius, Erik Skjoldbjaerg, and Hilary Seitz
Directed by Christopher Nolan


It is always fun to watch a late, late-night movie when you can’t sleep. What is even more fun is watching one like Insomnia. Top notch acting, a great story, fascinating characters -- what more can one man who can’t sleep ask for.

Set in a small town in Alaska, where in the summer it never gets dark and you can’t tell day from night, Insomnia is a crime thriller in the truest sense. Al Pacino is on fire as usual as veteran Los Angeles homicide detective, Will Dormer, who is dispatched to Alaska to assist on the murder case of a local teen. On arrival he meets local detective, Ellie Burr, played by Hilary Swank, in another great role, who sees Dormer as a kind of mentor and legend. Everything seems routine at first for Dormer, but then the constant sunlight starts to get to him, causing him to lose sleep and shoot and kill his partner by accident while pursuing a suspect. Trying to catch the murder suspect, an internal affairs investigation involving him back home, and lying about shooting his partner all begin to add to Dormer’s insomnia and slowly eat away at his mind. Then Dormer is contacted by the murderer, Walter Finch (Robin Williams), a local detective novel writer who is as annoying as he is creepy, who starts a cat-and-mouse game with Dormer, driving him practically insane. From there Insomnia beings spinning a web of intense thrills.

The scenes where Robin Williams and Al Pacino square off against each other are classic. Both actors bring years of experience and wisdom to their roles and fire of dialogue at each other as if their mouths were semi-automatics. An early scene where Dormer pursues Finch through a landscape of fog and a later scene where he pursues him again through the town and through a log-filled dock are some of the most thrilling chase scenes you will ever experience. Considering this is only the second “big” film by director Christopher Nolan (his first was Memento), Insomnia is quite amazing. The characters are developed nicely and the pacing displays the marks of a veteran filmmaker, not a new one. If you’re trying to fall asleep, don’t watch Insomnia because it will keep you up all night with all it’s thrills and intense drama.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: A perfectly executed crime-thriller.

The Bad: May keep you awake thinking about how good it was.

The Law: Keep your eyes wide open when watching Insomnia, you don’t want to miss anything.

Miami Vice (2006)
Starring Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li
Written and Directed by Michael Mann


I remember being no more than five or six years old at the time when I first got a taste of the world of Miami Vice. Yes, it was on late, but I have very liberal parents who let me stay up and watch late-night NBC during the early eighties. I was seduced by Miami Vice and have been infatuated with it since. The mood lighting, the fashion, the music, the drugs, sex... Yes, I definitely wasn’t like the other five-year-olds and Miami Vice definitely wasn’t like other shows. It was hot. Intense. I am so happy to say that it is still just as hot and just as intense on the big screen. Even more so, actually.

Underneath all the gloss, Miami Vice has always been about the daily grind of being an undercover officer and going in so deep sometimes that you don’t know which way is up anymore. It was about really good guys giving up their lives to catch those really bad guys. However, what makes Miami Vice different from other cops and robbers shows is one thing: Michael Mann. Michael Mann gave Miami Vice life with his vision to make it look MTV, but not have it be as shallow. This gave the audience a show that looked so damn good, but at the same time really told a good story. So, naturally with Michael Mann being the writer and director of the 2006 Miami Vice theatrical film, we have something truly special. Using digital cameras and his signature raw and visceral storytelling style -- Michael Mann really raises the bar with Miami Vice. Refusing to use CGI and insisting on filming in actual locations all over Southern Florida and Cuba (that is why the movie cost so much) -- Mann is able to make us “feel” his film. Nothing is better than the real thing, I don’t care what George Lucas thinks and thank goodness Michael Mann doesn’t either. Each scene, each frame, in the film is carefully lit and carefully crafted, putting us in moods. Sexy, intense, hot, cool, hurt, angry -- all shades of Miami Vice. Colin Farrell is no Don Johnson and Jamie Foxx is no Philip Michael Thomas, but they do a good job filling their shoes for this generation. We believe Farrell as Detective Sonny Crockett, a womanizing hot-shot rebel, and we believe Foxx as Ricardo Tubbs, a soft-spoken hero with swagger.

The story of Miami Vice is presented in almost a reality TV/documentary fashion. Crockett and Tubbs along with the rest of the Vice squad have a job to do involving some bad drug dealing Cubans and we are right there beside them for the ride. Whether making love or in the middle of a shoot-out, Mann tries his best to make us forget that we are watching a film and makes us a participant. He makes us feel the moments, not just watch them.

Miami Vice on the big screen is simply put: an experience. It is raw, gritty, and it will have you in bed moaning and groaning before you know it.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: Miami Vice is raw emotion and a thrilling experience.

The Bad: Nobody can replace Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas.

The Law: Miami Vice should not be missed. Go feel and experience the intensity that is Michael Mann’s Miami Vice.

Equilibrium
Starring Christian Bale, Taye Diggs, Emily Watson
Written and Directed by Kurt Wimmer


If a movie really makes an impact at the box office and with the public, one thing always happens -- it spawns like a million clones and copycats faster than you can say boyband. With Equilibrium it is quite obvious that it got greenlighted purely on the success of The Matrix. This however does not necessarily mean that Equilibrium is a bad film. It surprisingly is quite unique and entertaining in its own way.

To say that the Wachowski brothers are responsible for the newest trends in the sci-fi/action genre would not be wrong, but it wouldn’t be right either. Way before the Wachowskis introduced us to the neo-world of The Matrix, they were studying the hyper-nature of Japanese animation and John Woo. So, with Equilibrium, if you say that it is just another Matrix knock-off in a very long line of Matrix knock-offs, I must correct you on that. It is just another film influenced by other films that tells a fun story. That fun story is that in a Fascist future, after several more World Wars, it has been determined that having feelings and emotions is the primary cause of destruction in the world and that emotions and feelings should be suppressed. So, a drug is introduced and self-injected by people and all those who oppose are to killed, or more specifically, burned in a giant chamber. Of course, being a human means having feelings and being emotional, so naturally there is a rebellion against the regime and one man will rise to lead these rebels to victory. That man is John Preston (Christian Bale, before he saved Gotham City).

John Preston is a head cleric (clerics are in charge of exterminating touchy-feely humans and their belongings) and definitely one bad man. His martial arts and weapons skills are fast, furious, and very “Matrix-like”. He is cold, but not that cold. Years earlier, his wife was executed for refusing to inject and suppress herself, somewhere inside Preston, he still remembers that. After missing a daily injection, Preston starts to feel again and wages a one man war against The Leader. That means lots of guns and lots of people flying around in all directions.

Equilibrium looks a lot like The Matrix, but I give writer/director Kurt Wimmer a lot of credit for trying to expand on what The Matrix built. He tries some new camera tricks and choreography that is definitely fun to watch. The story of a suppressed future is always fascinating to imagine (we all do work for a living) and who doesn’t enjoy a lot of stylized action now and then, brought to us by hip-slick men in black. Equilibrium is not original, but it is unique.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: Great action sequences that satisfy the inner “postal worker” in all of us.

The Bad: Looks and sounds a lot like The Matrix.

The Law: Equilibrium is not purely original, but unique enough to watch.

Madagascar
Starring Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer
Written by Mark Burton & Billy Frolick
Directed by Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath


I absolutely loved Madagascar. I admit that I am not the biggest fan of animation films, especially ones featuring talking animals -- but Madagascar won my heart over. The animation style is unique to itself and the synergy between the animators and voice talent is immaculate. The comedy is biting for adults and the appearance and sight gags are appealing to kids.

The story begins in Central Park Zoo, where we meet a gang of lovable “show-biz” animals consisting of: Alex the Lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the Zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the Giraffe (David Schwimmer), Gloria the Hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith), and a band of mercenary penguins that give the Dirty Dozen a run for their money. After they celebrate Marty’s tenth birthday, Marty has a mid-life crisis (10 years is a long time for a zebra) and wishes for a life filled with more than the bright lights and cushy lifestyle of the Central Park Zoo. Thus begins the journey and adventure that lands them in a land called Madagascar where their friendship with each other is tested and they discover that being in the wild has its advantages and disadvantages.

Being the wild-at-heart kind of guy that I am, I really connected with the obvious subtext of the film: People are born to be free of walls and must experience “the Wild” to truly feel alive. Alex the Lion disagrees with this notion, as the wild life doesn’t always guarantee him meat at the end of the day and soon enough he starts to blame Marty for his problems and literally wants to make him his dinner. David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith are a great supporting team to Chris Rock and Ben Stiller. Schwimmer was born to play a neurotic and timid giraffe that makes Woody Allen seem normal and Jada can be one hell of a feisty/sexy hippo. Like many animations trying to appeal to a wide demographic, Madagascar is filled pop culture references like the “Born Free” song reference in the opening sequence and scenes that reference other films like American Beauty and Cast Away. Again, lots of sight gags for the kids, but definitely an equal amount of adult humour to keep the parents from falling asleep.

Madagascar is not a brilliant piece of animation like Toy Story and it is not as well written as say, Shrek -- but it will make you laugh and smile at the end of the day. Great jokes, a unique look, fun story with a little meaning, a great cast -- what more can you ask for?


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: A fun show for the whole family.

The Bad: Contains a lot of references to things that only adults will get.

The Law: Visit Madagascar and laugh wildly and freely.

Chaplin
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Moira Kelly, Anthony Hopkins
Written by William Boyd, Bryan Forbes, and William Goldman
Directed by Richard Attenborough


I have always been fascinated with Charlie Chaplin. From the first time I saw clips of him on TV to receiving a piggy bank in the shape of him as a gift on my birthday -- I have always been drawn to Charlie Chaplin. From his wonderful acrobatic skills to his unique look, Charlie Chaplin is undeniably unforgettable. I am sorry I can’t say the same for the film.

Chaplin is yet another biographical film in an endless line of biographical films. It follows the same formula, starting from the troubled youth scene to the scene where he gets carried on the shoulders of an adoring mob, and then onto the old-age scene where he looks back on a glorious life. With director Richard Attenborough (Gandhi) guiding the film and William Goldman as one of the screenwriters, not mention the great subject matter that they have to work with -- I have to ask, what happened?! The film is flat, the low scenes are never that low and the high scenes never achieve any height. Charlie Chaplin would be rolling in his grave. Is it a well-made film? Yes. But does it entertain? No. Robert Downey Jr. always gives a great performance and his portrayal of Chaplin is no exception, but the pacing and storytelling is just awful. I am very upset. In a day and age of remakes, I really hope somebody remakes Chaplin and honours the life of comic genius Charlie Chaplin -- this film sure didn’t.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: Thank God for Robert Downey Jr. and the life of Charlie Chaplin.

The Bad: Dishonours Charlie Chaplin with bad pacing and storytelling.

The Law: Avoid the film and go rent some old Charlie Chaplin flicks instead.