Max Payne
Mark Wahlberg stars as ‘Max Payne’ in this rather good action movie, directed by John Moore. The movie is based on a successful interactive Video Game. Max is a maverick cop, trying to track down the killers of his wife, which leads him into a bizarre ‘underworld’ full of strange phantoms, or hallucinations, which eventually have an insidious deeper connotation. However, the most interesting aspect of the movie is the Production Design and Art Direction by Daniel T. Dorrance and Andrew M. Stearn. It is Winter in New York, and the snow never stops falling. The continual falling snow creates a wonderful visual texture to the movie, and as the swirling snow and sleet and gunfire builds to its inevitable crescendo, it succeeds in reminding us that we are, after all, only watching a superbly created cinematic fantasy.
Eight Miles High
This amazing German film is directed by Achim Bornhak, and stars Natalia Avelon as Uschi Obermaier. Uschi was something of a ‘Pop Icon’ in Germany during the late 1960s and 1970s. Bored by regional life, at the age of 16 Uschi runs away from home and becomes a top photo model in Berlin. Soon she meets all the fashionable ‘in’ people, and takes up residence in ‘Kommune 1’, Germany’s first politically motivated ‘hippie’ commune. The other communards claim Uschi isn’t political enough, but, this doesn’t really bother her too much, because, the next thing you know, ‘The Stones’ are in town and Uschi goes on tour with Mick and Keith! Eventually, Uschi joins the Jet Set ‘hippie’ trail, following what she calls the “Endless Summer”. The movie brilliantly depicts the politics, fashions and music of the times, and in its own way explores the idealistic values of the ‘hippie’ movement.
The Rocker
Robert ‘Fish’ Fishman is a passionate drummer, but, when he is kicked out of an Eighties Heavy Metal band because he doesn’t have the right ‘look’, he misses his chance at Rock and Roll Stardom. Twenty years later, when ‘Fish’ hears that his nephew’s high school band is looking for a drummer, he grabs his final opportunity for success. Peter Cattaneo directs an amusing comedy, which takes many vicious swipes at the whole ‘Rock’ Industry. As ‘Fish’, Rainn Wilson is terrific as a musician who is determined to party till he drops, while, Christina Applegate makes a nice ‘older’ groupie, equally determined to ensure that the band isn’t just part of the collateral damage.
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
Successful English comedian Simon Pegg tries his hand at an American comedy. Badly. Simon plays a British journalist whose ‘beat’ is Celebrities, Movie Stars and other Paparazzi Fodder, who avoid him like the plague. Therefore, it comes as a bit of a surprise for him, and the audience, when a prestigious American Gossip Magazine offers him a job in New York, covering the same ground. Once established in the States, the local Celbs are pretty perplexed by his ‘An Englishman in New York’ routine. Basically, this dreary routine becomes awfully boring, and Simon Pegg has a hard time carrying it off throughout the length of the movie. The biting humor which can be found in the movie actually revolves around the intricacies of Show Business Promotion, and it comes from the excellent supporting cast which includes Kirsten Dunst, Gillian Anderson, Megan Fox and Jeff Bridges.
Bangkok Dangerous
It is curious that Thai screenwriters and directors Oxide and Danny Pang would chose as their first ‘big-budget’ Hollywood movie a remake of their successful Thai action movie ‘Bangkok Dangerous’ (2000). The Pang Brothers are known for their gory ‘low-budget’ thrillers and ghost stories, however, for their mainstream American debut, they have cleaned up their act considerably. They have also altered the plot considerably. In the original movie the story concentrated on a deaf and dumb contract assassin at work in Bangkok, and his inability to communicate with a lovely pharmacy assistant. The assassin is now played by a gruff talking Nicolas Cage, while the mute role becomes his insipid love interest. Also, for an action movie, the film is pretty scenic. Often, it resembles nothing more than a travelogue about Bangkok tourist attractions. Anyway, if you are unfamiliar with the fast-paced original, you might get a kick out of this less-frenzied version.
Traitor
Directed by Jeffrey Nachmanoff, and starring Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce, this movie is about the FBI hunting a devout American Muslim who they suspect has ties to Arab terrorist groups. However, the finale of the movie is ‘telescoped’ during the first 20 minutes, and the film becomes a tedious exercise in watching a director tie up all the loose ends. Also, the movie is a blatant attempt to cash in on American Fundamental Religious hysteria, which makes you want to watch it with a certain amount of cynicism.
Filth and Wisdom
Madonna writes, produces and directs a movie which is concerned with the day to day lives of a male prostitute, and his flat-mate, a budding ballerina, who has to make ends meet as a pole-dancer and striptease artiste. It is all very circa Madonna the ‘Exotica’ album, which features heavily in the soundtrack, and it all goes to show that even with her many stage persona reincarnations, Madonna remains basically the same! Honestly, if this movie had been made by anybody else, you just wouldn’t give it the time of day!
Mr. Robet’s Best Buys
Red Cliff
A fabulous film which looks at Chinese history during a momentous period.
Burn After Reading
The Coen Brothers create an elegant ‘comedy-of-manners’, with a great cast.
Max Payne
This superbly created cinematic fantasy is masquerading as an action movie.
Eight Miles High
The values of the ‘hippie’ movement are studied in this terrific German film.
Julia
Tilda Swinton is totally tremendous in this extremely powerful crime movie.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
This pleasant Walt Disney movie features adorable talking Chihuahua dogs.
Caramel
The restrictiveness of Beirut society is carefully explored in this tactful film.
The Rocker
A very funny film, which takes lots of wicked swipes at the Music Industry.
Tropic Thunder
Ben Stiller makes a good comedy that sends up many Vietnam War movies.
The Tattooist
This movie successfully blends modern Urban and primitive Samoan Myths.
While She Was Out
A woman’s late night visit to a shopping mall becomes a terrible experience.
Bangkok Dangerous
A muted version of one of their action films is remade by the Pang Brothers.
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
British comedian Simon Pegg is not good in this otherwise enjoyable movie.
Filth and Wisdom
Madonna creates a film which is so bad that it has to be seen to be believed.
