American Dreamz
Paul Weitz, that smart American screenwriter and director,
responsible for such comedy classics as the ‘American
Pie’ series and ‘About a Boy’, zaps America
again with his latest movie ‘American Dreamz’.
Anyone who is addicted to ‘American Idol’ or ‘Indonesian
Idol’, or any other such TV schlock, is going to love
‘American Dreamz’. This is social-satire of a
highly amusing nature, and, it is best not to think too much
about it. Just go with the nonsense. For the new season of
his Idol-like TV show, Hugh Grant, as the producer and host
of ‘American Dreamz’, is looking for ‘geeks’
and ‘freaks’ to raise the ratings. Amidst a bizarre
collection of contestants can be found an Arab terrorist who
likes show-tunes, and, a delectable piece of ‘white-trash’
who would “rather jab her eyes out with tooth-picks
and eat them”, than lose the competition. Meanwhile,
the incumbent American President is exhausted from his re-election
campaign, and he is permanently zonked-out on ‘happy’
pills. To boost the President’s appeal his chief-of-staff
decides it wouldn’t be a bad idea for the President
to appear as a guest-host on the show. Various other sub-plots
are bubbling along below the surface. All these come together
at the TV show’s elaborate grand-finale. Much like ‘American
Pie’, the jokes come thick and fast. Some ‘miss’,
but some ‘hit’ extremely well. Even with the movie’s
blatant irreverence it does take a good shot at present American
‘pop’ culture and ‘pop’ politics.
In a stand-out ensemble-cast Dennis Quaid is appropriately
‘laid-back’ as the ‘stoned’ President,
while Mandy Moore, as the delectable ‘white-trash’
country-singer, shows that she has quite a flair for comedy
and that there is more to her talents than crooning. Hugh
Grant is outstanding as the TV host. For once he drops his
‘nice-boy’ routine and presents the sleazy side
of his personality, which we have all suspected was there
ever since that Sunset Boulevard ‘incident’. His
performance is pretty much ‘art’ reflecting ‘life’.
Some may find the movie in poor-taste. I found it to be hysterically
funny and very appropriate, given the state of current American
society.
Jet Lag
Paris is in the grip of a Labor strike and the Charles de
Gaulle airport is closed down. Circumstances throw two travelers
together and they find themselves sharing a room at the airport
Hilton hotel. Juliette Binoche is a beautician fleeing from
a disastrous relationship to a new job in Mexico, while Jean
Reno is a successful expatriate French chef, living in America,
and on his way to Munich to launch a new range of gourmet
frozen foods. Juliette Binoche is an internationally acclaimed,
Academy Award winning actress, and she also happens to be
France’s favorite leading-lady. Jean Reno is probably
best known for his ‘cool’ hit-man in ‘The
Professional’, though he is considered quite a star
in France. Even so, it is an odd pairing and you don’t
think it will really work. They just seem so ‘opposite’.
But, that is the secret to Daniele Thompson’s French
romantic-comedy, ‘Jet Lag’. Juliette and Jean
turn this trite tale into a very appealing movie. As they
bicker and banter a delightful ‘chemistry’ develops
between the miss-matched pair. The repartee comes thick and
fast and they dispatch it with professional Gallic zeal. Both
actors present fully-rounded characters and develop a romantic
relationship that is highly plausible. Director Daniele Thompson
doesn’t get in the way of her actors, and she seems
content to let them get on with it. Which Juliette and Jean
certainly do. In what is basically a two-hander, Juliette
and Jean extract as much resonance as they possibly can from
what is a fairly obvious plot and a fairly turgid script.
Anyway, everything always seems so much better and more classy
when it is acted and spoken in French.
The World’s Fastest Indian
It is the 1960s in New Zealand and Burt Munro spends his retirement
tinkering with his 1920 Indian motorcycle. It is his obsession
to go to Speed Week at Salt Lake in Utah to attempt a world
land speed record. Director Roger Donaldson’s movie,
‘The World’s Fastest Indian’, actually contains
no surprises. It is obvious what will happen. But, the success
of the movie is all in the telling, plus it contains a fabulous
performance from Sir Anthony Hopkins. This low-key New Zealand
film is a ‘road-movie’ for pensioners, and it
illustrates that life does not necessarily have to end at
65 and retirement. Donaldson subtly moulds this movie, and
its gradual orchestration, with plot developments, unusual
incidents, and intriguing supporting characters, shows that
New Zealand cinema is quite capable of producing movies with
more content than fjords, mountains and hobbits. Never-the-less,
the strength of the movie rests with Sir Anthony Hopkins’
portrayal of Burt Munro, and, as a feisty pensioner, who will
not take no as an answer, Hopkins creates a character just
as memorable as his ‘Hannibal the Cannibal’ but
very, very, different. Hopkins really is an acting genius.
When a Stranger Calls
“Get out of the house now. The call is coming from inside
the house!” How many times have we heard that line before?
I don’t know why I allowed myself to be seduced by Simon
West’s thriller, ‘When a Stranger Calls’.
Perhaps, because it is a very seductive movie. Okay, we all
know the plot. The lovely and luscious baby-sitter is stalked
by a crazy-psycho-killer, but, with his attention to cinematic
detail, and amazing ability to create tension, Simon West
turns this standard story into something genuinely scary.
He is also helped by a very good performance from Camilla
Belle, who, as a new-comer, displays a talent that consists
of more than just screaming. Camilla looks great on the screen
and she knows how to work the camera. We will be seeing more
of Camilla in the future, hopefully not only in horror-movies.
Simon West’s set, a high-tech computerized luxury house
on the shore of an isolated lake, also takes on a life of
its own and adds greatly to the suspense. Buy some pop-corn,
invite some friends over, and sit back and enjoy the fun.
But, whatever-you-do, don’t forget to firmly lock all
the doors and windows.
The Confessor
This movie will send chills up the spine of the Vatican. When
a homosexual and possibly pedophilic pious Roman Catholic
priest is accused of murder and commits suicide, it is up
to Christian Slater, as a more worldly priest, to solve the
mystery, and save the dignity of the church. What dignity?
Lewin Webb’s absolutely appalling movie, ‘The
Confessor’, just isn’t dignified.
