|
|
||||||||
|
|
CRADLE 2 THE GRAVE By Rachel Deahl Review Film Critic Click to see the official site Jet Li is an international star who has been in search of an American star vehicle; unfortunately he's still waiting on a decent script. Like Jackie Chan and Chow Yun Fat, whom have both crossed over from the Asian film scene to find success (to largely different degrees) in American films, Li brings to the screen a remarkable and singular fighting style and screen presence. But, unlike his contemporaries, Li has something else, a quiet power that sets him apart, a quality which is writ large in his latest effort, "Cradle 2 the Grave." Unfortunately, like so many of the poorly crafted action movies he's made in America, this film relies too heavily on explosions and lengthy car chases instead of its diminutive Chinese lead. Making his American debut in the flashy flop "Lethal Weapon 4," Li has gone on to star in a string of bombs. The first of those, "Romeo Must Die," was orchestrated by the moneyman behind the "Lethal Weapon" series, Joel Silver. Touted by the producer as a hip-hop version of "The Matrix," "Romeo Must Die" was more like "West Side Story" on speed, with more blood and more explosions.
After delivering another flop at the box office with "The One," Li has reunited with Silver for "Cradle 2 the Grave," in what would seem to be the producer's dramatic, hip-hop version of "Rush Hour." Like Li's other disappointing ventures with Silver, "Cradle" is high on poorly executed action sequences and low on carefully orchestrated stunts and fight scenes. In other words, there's an exhaustive display of people routinely getting their ass kicked and a lot of crap blowing up in the background. Paired with rapper DMX, who plays a high end thief named Tony Fait, Li co-stars as a Taiwanese government agent, named Su, who comes to town to get his hands on some jewels Tony and his crew have inadvertently stolen in their latest heist. Of course Tony's bad luck is that those black diamonds he thought he lifted are actually small plutonium capsules that will revolutionize atomic weaponry. (Don't you just hate it when that happens?) And, since those little suckers are worth hefty sums (the arms dealers are ready to pay top dollar), there's also an evil, young businessman/vigilante who's eager to get control of the mysterious loot. The Dr. Evil of the picture, Ling (Mark Dacascos), kidnaps Tony's daughter in order to get those all-important diamonds. Forced to pair up with the foreign cop so he can get his daughter back, Tony and Su set off to find the loot (which has been stolen from them by a fourth party) and set all right with the world in the process. From DMX's catchy title song, "X Gon' Give it to You" to the logical pairing of street fighting with kung fu, the concept behind "Cradle 2 the Grave" isn't a bad one. And, in general, Silver and other moviemakers are correct to assume that martial arts and hip-hop blend nicely. That said, Silver's latest project fails in its execution. With too little Li and too much DMX, the film would have been much better served if each player could have been allowed to stick to what they do best, with Li fighting and DMX singing. The shoddy script and idiotic plot line (the auction among the world's top arms dealers for the plutonium capsules is particularly laughable) only fuel the fire. But, in that final showdown between Li and Dacascos which takes place in a ring of fire complete with the sprinkler system raining down, there is a giddy sense that if this martial artist ever does get a decent U.S. film to helm, it will more than make up for his transgressions with Mr. Silver. Grade: C OLD SCHOOL Click to see the official site Oh to be a young, inebriated undergrad. Wild parties, easy women, cheap beer and seemingly no responsibility - what's not to love about college? If you were to ask the trio of thirty-somethings in "Old School," they would quickly confirm that life was better in their days of university yore. So what's a nearly middle aged guy to do when the trials of marriage and job get him down? Move back on campus of course and start his own fraternity. Trading on the antics of "Animal House," "Old School" plums the depths of collegiate debauchery with, more often than not, little success. When easygoing lawyer Mitch (Luke Wilson) walks in on his long-term girlfriend having an orgy (with people she met on the Internet, no less) he rightfully sinks into a depression. Hoping to lift their best friend's spirits, crass entrepreneur Beanie (Vince Vaughn) and newlywed Frank (Will Ferrell) encourage Mitch to turn his recently rented bachelor pad into a frat house. Situated on the outskirts of the local college, Harrison University, Mitch begrudgingly agrees and soon the three old friends are running the wildest house on campus. From the all-night kegger where Mitch ends up bedding his boss' high school daughter and Frank winds up streaking through town (after funneling numerous beers) to the onslaught of hazing rituals (which range from KY-Jelly wrestling to a stunt involving yarn, a cinderblock and the boys' exposed genitalia), the old guys quickly earn a reputation on campus. Of course with their newfound "street cred," as Beanie calls it, comes the ire of the slimy dean (Jeremy Piven). With the administration breathing down their backs and the adults in their life questioning their slightly immature behavior, all seems lost for the boys.
Can they win back the women they love and keep from getting their young friends expelled? Well, wouldn't you know it, the crew's fate boils down to an on-campus Olympiad where the brothers must compete in a series of events (demonstrating their mastery of school spirit, athleticism and academia) a la "Billy Madison." Between Vince Vaughn's tired "Swingers" routine and Will Ferrell's manic and idiotic SNL antics, "Old School" doesn't offer much in the way of unexpected gags. Some of the hazing rituals are laughable (the sinister-looking black van the boys use to initially pick up, and nearly run over, their pledges is particularly enjoyable) but the gags never reach the height of "Animal House" proportions. With much of the screen time donated to Ferrell's uncomfortable nude scenes (the actor ends up in the buff on countless occasions - with and without the help of alcohol), you have to wonder how long the comedian can depend on his poky figure for laughs. Apparently a hairy back and a gut are fodder for endless yuks. Luckily, for those who miss the Ferrell strip tease here, they can catch it just about any Saturday on SNL. Where's Flounder and John Bluto when you need them? DAREDEVIL Click to see the official site Initially Ben Affleck seems like the ideal celebrity to fill the shoes of a blind superhero. With his newly crowned title as the world's sexiest man (compliments of "People" magazine) and his penchant for playing snarky dorks (most notably in Kevin Smith's films), the Massachusetts stud had all the makings of a perfect Daredevil. Or did he? Decked out in an unfortunate skin-tight, maroon leather get-up (that he doesn't quite fill out), Matt Damon's best buddy is consistently out of place in "Daredevil," churning out his action star one-liners like a guy who desperately wishes he was in another movie’ a comedy. Based on the Marvel comic about an Irish kid from the once rough and tumble New York City neighborhood of Hell's Kitchen (which is now gentrified and called Clinton Hill) who gains superpowers when he's blinded in a freak accident (it involves toxic waste to the eyes), "Daredevil" is a poor man's "Spider-Man" in almost every sense. With its geek turned fighting-machine-freak premise and its darkly humorous tone, it's hard not to wish you were watching Toby Maguire swinging from the skyscrapers instead of Ben Affleck somersaulting from former tenements. And, like Spiderman, Daredevil is something of a self-taught superhero that fights crime to avenge a personal loss. When the local mob boss kills his boxer father after he refuses to drop a fight, the superhero within the boy is born.
And here, like young Spidey who draws up a costume and hones his newfound arachnid skills, Daredevil transforms himself into a fighter, utilizing his other heightened senses to more than make up for his absence of vision. In the early going, "Daredevil" suffers from awful stunt special effects and stunt coordination. Much of Affleck's ass-whupping scenes are hurt by the sloppy direction, with Affleck's superhero moving so fast that we can scarcely see how he's beating down his multiple foes. And, although the way in which Daredevil utilizes his super-human powers is interesting (he largely relies on his supersonic hearing to work off vibrations in the room), it falls flat. Undoubtedly the high point of this tepid superhero caper is Collin Farrell's Bullseye. As the bald Irish bad boy who "never misses," Farrell has enough fiendish fun to almost make up for Affleck's uninspiring performance. With Ben Affleck somersaulting from fire escape to fire escape and his love interest (played by Jennifer Garner) also in on the action pulling from her familiar repertoire of high kicks and low blows on "Alias," "Daredevil" should be a better film than it is. Unfortunately the film isn't dark or fun enough to make up for its disappointing leading man and stunts. The uninspired cameo from Kevin Smith, who crops up as a geeky lab analyst, stands as a not so subtle reminder that Ben Affleck would have been more well-equipped and much happier to appear in his old friend's movie. Grade: B-
To see more info about these movies, and lots more, go to movies.yahoo.com |
|||||||
|
|
Enable frames | |||||||
|
home | out/about | events | personal | store | classified | real estate | forums | archives | contact |
||||||||
