American Dreamz (2006) October 15, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Paul Weitz
Reality TV shows, especially those that focus on finding new pop stars, have become somewhat of a scheduling obsession over the past few years. Everyone wants to be the next big thing and of course, rake in the fame, popularity, and truckloads of cash that come with that. It wasn’t going to be long before talent-based reality TV had it’s cinematic send-up. I’m almost surprised it took this long.
In this film, American Dreamz is the number one rated show in the US. Its next season is about to start and the hunt for new and ‘different’ contestants has begun. Meanwhile, the newly re-elected President of the United States is having a crisis of heart. With popularity ratings down, his aide books him to be a judge on the American Dreamz finale. When a young Arab boy, Omer Obeidi, is picked to take part, terrorist leaders grab their chance to use him as a soldier of fortune. They tell him he must make it to the final show, so that he can detonate a bomb on stage with the president.
I really enjoyed writer/director Paul Weitz’s last movie In Good Company, which was a very smart romantic comedy with some well-drawn characters and an interesting premise. This movie is heavier handed than In Good Company, although it does deal with real subjects (terrorism, fame), and characters based (at least in part) on real people. I guess it’s hard to be quite so subtle when you’re playing the US President for comic effect to make him more realistic.
The narrative structure is generally good, and despite the numerous different story threads it never fails to make sense. It’s just that because the characters plotlines are so separated the movie ultimately lacks focus. Especially the scenes with the president, which could have come out of a completely different film, since his storyline barely interacts with that of the TV show until the very end. And the ending is in fact the movies biggest disappointment, descending into a bit of a farce instead of the clever satire I’d hoped for.
But don’t get me wrong, this film is still very funny with the principal cast all performing strongly. Hugh Grant is very natural as the egotistical show producer & presenter, Dennis Quaid & Willem Dafoe play well as the president and loyal aide, even Mandy Moore is fun as a desperate wannabe starlet. Sam Golzari also deserves a special mention for his role as Omer, probably the least offensive terrorist ever. The script has lots of fun taking jabs at television, wannabes, famous people, the government, terrorism, pretty much everything actually.
Unfortunately, I don’t think that this movie quite accomplishes everything it sets out to. The extended ‘tagline’ lays the inital idea out: “Imagine a country where the President never reads the newspaper, where the government goes to war for all the wrong reasons, and more people vote for a pop idol than their next President”. American Dreamz is not the social commentary it thinks it is, the film is too slapstick for that. It does have plenty of laughs though, and as a piece of entertainment it serves up an enjoyable tale until the final 10 minutes.
Desperate Measures (1998) October 12, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Barbet Schroeder
This movie has been kind of a guilty pleasure of mine for some time, and while I can admit that it isn’t the most technically accomplished, realistic, or thought-provoking flick, it always manages to entertain me. Maybe I’m just a crazy person though.
The plot revolves around Frank Connor (Andy Garcia), a cop who is desperately searching for a bone-marrow transplant for his critically ill son. The only genetic match they can find comes in the form of homicidal criminal Peter McCabe (Michael Keaton). After persuading McCabe to do the transplant (he is currently incarcerated in a maximum security prison), they transport him to the secure wing of a local hospital. Of course, McCabe breaks free and begins to run riot in the complex. With the police out to shoot him on sight, it’s up to Conner to make sure McCabe is brought in alive – or the transplant his son needs will become impossible.
So why all the fuss? What makes someone admit to liking a mid-budget action/thriller with a standard plotline? Being a Michael Keaton fan helps, and his turn as the evil serial killer with smarts is surprisingly effective. His slow story arc towards being not so ruthless is slightly less convincing, although this is rectified by time the credits roll. Andy Garcia is also good as the father who cares only for his sons life.
Although the plot may not be especially original, the story has an interesting element that is played to good effect. In fact, I think the best scenes are those that put Andy Garcia right in the centre of his moral dilemma – to do his job and bring down McCabe, or to work against his colleagues, and protect a criminal from the cops so that his son might live. It’s used really well at times, it’s just a shame there aren’t more moments like those.
Part way through the movie, the police captain says to Frank Conner, “How many people are going to have to die today, so that your son can live”. It’s nice that although this is a major flaw with a lot of action movies (multiple people often die in order to save just one who’s of no special importance), the filmmakers haven’t shied away from it. And if there’s one thing they’ve done right, it’s not trying to make this movie into something that it isn’t. Instead of adding big action set pieces that the budget clearly couldn’t handle and doing them badly, they’ve chosen to keep things simple and concentrate on the situation and the predicament of both main characters. It’s this self-awareness that turns what could’ve been a horrible mess, into an enjoyable 100 minutes.
Danny The Dog / Unleashed (2005) October 1, 2006
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , add a commentDirected by: Louis Leterrier
The first time I came into contact with this movie was in a Vancouver cinema, at an opening night packed-house screening of Sin City. The audience sat transfixed to the trailer, which was one of the most effective I’d seen in a while. When it was over, I remarked that despite what we’d just seen, the movie itself would probably not be deserving of such an attention-grabbing preview. Maybe I was wrong.
You see I, like many others, assumed from the trailer that this would turn out to be another Jet Li action-fest, when really it’s quite a sedate movie with a side of violence. The plot is the hardest thing to swallow: Danny (Jet Li) works for his ‘uncle’ Bart (Bob Hoskins), who uses him as a lethal bodyguard. Since he was a child he has been raised as a dog, and is trained to attack whenever his metal collar is removed. But when a sudden car crash leaves Danny to fend for himself, he is taken in by a blind piano tuner named Sam (played by Morgan Freeman). There he learns what it is to have a family, a home, and a life of his own. It isn’t long however, before Bart comes looking for his dog.
As somebody who’s not a huge fan of his work, I’m happy to say that Jet Li does a fantastic job as the scared and shy Danny, managing to keep up with his character’s progression from mindless animal to domesticated human. And Bob Hoskins too is surprisingly menacing as the evil centre in Danny’s world. For those after their dose of on-screen violence this movie has its share, with Jet Li proving once again why he’s probably the most skilled martial artist on our screens today. But the entire mid-section of the movie is dedicated to Danny’s transition, and his adopted family.
Director Louis Leterrier adds some nice visual flourishes, handling both the action & dramatic scenes expertly. There’s some interesting CG camerawork, and seamless scene transitions a-plenty during the relatively short 102-minute running time. The script (penned by famous writer, and occasional director, Luc Besson) is commendable for being touching where it needs to be, although the characters do sometimes fall back into their stereotypical boxes – the wise blind man, the miserly debt collector, the stupid henchmen, and so on.
Unleashed, as western audiences will know it, may not be the movie you’re expecting it to be. It’s Jet Li’s most real acting performance and while there are plenty of brutal moments (some of the fights are quite gritty), they are only in place to emphasise the nature of the character. If you can get past the far-fetched premise of a man as a dog, then you’ll find this film really has something to offer.
