|
|
||||||
|
|
SCHOOL OF ROCK by Rachel Deahl Review Film Critic Click the pic for the official site Every young music fan has, at one time, probably sat in his high school music class wondering why he couldn't be learning about Led Zeppelin or charting the rise of hip hop. And, as someone with a strong sense of music history and an equally strong disregard for authority, director Richard Linklater was undoubtedly one of those kids. Like the aimless Texas teens who occupied his irreverent and timely "Dazed and Confused," Linklater has demonstrated a scholarly knowledge of that most deviant and rebellious form of music: rock and roll. And, with "School of Rock," the director delivers a warm-hearted and irresistible valentine to the music he loves. Written by Mike White (who has penned such notable films as "The Good Girl" and "Chuck and Buck" ) "School of Rock" is essentially a fable about growing upŠand managing to remain cool in the process. Mostly it's an examination of how you can stay true to your rock and roll roots once you're too old to be dazed and confused. Here, Jack Black stars as Dewey Finn, a down-and-out singer who can't pay his bills but is still unwilling to give up on his rock and roll dreams.
Urged to get a job and clean himself up by his straight-laced roommate, Ned (played by White), Dewey stumbles on a seemingly quick and easy way to make rent. When Ned gets a call for a substitute teacher position at an upscale prep school, Dewey takes the job. Posing as Ned, Dewey blows onto campus in his dilapidated black van and attempts to sleep his way through the first day of class. But, after hearing his little tikes in music class, he decides to turn his students into a first-rate rock band. Inaugurating himself as the lead singer, Dewey starts prepping the kids to enter the local battle of the bands - an event he was supposed to compete in with his former bandmates. Starting his course on classic rock 101 with intensive music appreciation, Dewey hands out CDs to his young proteges - everything from Yes to Rush to Aretha Franklin. And, as he pontificates on the musical styles of Hendrix and Page, he starts to become enthralled with his new unlikely post as teacher. Seemingly written with Jack Black in mind, "School of Rock" is a perfect vehicle for the energized comedian. Showcasing his musical talent as well as his uncanny knack for Belushi-like physical comedy and facial contortions, Black has finally found a film that takes advantage of his talents. Improving the already-solid material, Black manages to eke a laugh out of almost every line in the film even the most mundane. And, when the band - which the kids appropriately coin School of Rock -- finally takes the stage and the kids start jamming their punked little souls out, it's clear that this class is definitely worth taking. GRADE: A INTOLERABLE CRUELTY Click the pic for the official site Departing from their trademark cinema of the bizarre, the Coen Brothers make an unfortunate foray into romantic comedy with their latest effort, "Intolerable Cruelty." Bereft of the Brothers' eccentric storytelling and impeccable comedic touch, the outing will hopefully be their first and final dip into the genre. Taking the novel idea of wrapping a romantic comedy around the practice of trial separations and pre-nuptial agreements, "Intolerable Cruelty" turns into an extended joke about the heartlessness of attorneys and the shallowness of L.A. women. George Clooney, delivering his worst performance to date, stars as the smarmy Los Angeles divorce attorney, Miles Massey. Known the state over for the "iron-clad" pre-nup he devised - dubbed "the Massey pre-nup" - Miles has hit a mid-life crisis. Wealthy, successful and bored, a man who makes a living being cynical about love realizes the one thing in his life he's missing is a woman. And, when he meets the ex-wife of his newest client, Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones), he discovers the woman he must have.
Equally cynical, Marilyn is a gifted maneater. Poised to divorce her current hubby and nab everything he's got in the process, Miles gets in the way when he beats Marilyn in court. The surprise decision leaves Marilyn in need of a new cuckold - a position Miles unknowingly fits into all too well. Clooney, whose bizarre attempts at turning his fast-talking shyster into an amusing caricature fall terribly flat, makes the lukewarm proceedings almost unbearable to watch at times. Prancing around like he's still filming scenes of "O Brother Where Art Thou," it's unsettling and confusing to see Clooney's buffoon attempting to romance Zeta-Jones's steely femme fatale. Even the mildly amusing running joke about Miles' obsession with his teeth - the first shot we get of our star is a close-up of his pearly whites as he's getting them cleaned at the dentist - becomes wearisome in Clooney's hands. As the actor checks his teeth and pats his hair, it's evident he's trying too hard to be funny. Everything in "Intolerable Cruelty" finally feels a little too forced, from the lead performance on down to the canned jokes. Aside from a hilarious bit in which a hired killer confuses his gun with his inhaler, there's very little here that bears the zany and bizarre proceedings for which the Coens are so well known. Ironically, in their attempt to veer from the formulaic standard set by the genre, the Coens miss the most essential thing: developing two characters the audience really wants to see end up together. By the time all the double-crossing, divorcing and pre-nuptial ripping is over, that final walk into the sunset feels entirely inconsequential. 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 |
||||||
