| Issue #3- April 13, 2007 |
Dave Evan's MINI – MOVIE REVIEWS
Perfect Stranger
Think back to the technophobic days of Sandra Bullock starring in digital-thriller
The Net. Much has changed, but apparently not for director James Foley,
who heads up this dire suspense vehicle. Halle Berry continues her firm
downhill trajectory as a woman searching for clues about her friend’s
murder, and then finds herself entangled in an obsessive online love
tangle with Bruce Willis’ creepy executive.
Disturbia
Allegedly rising star, Shia LaBeouf, plays a teen under house arrest
that, out of boredom, finds himself watching his neighbors and possibly
witnessing a murder. So far, so Rear Window, but where that film crackles
along with a breakneck pace and witty dialogue, this flounders through
it’s narrative arc, fluffing the suspense and generally falling
flat.
Grindhouse
After the masterful Kill Bill films, Quentin Tarantino returns with
this curiosity: two films, back to back, one directed by the man himself
and the other by Sin City’s Richard Rodriguez, in the style of
Z-grade horror flicks. While this may not be in everyone’s taste,
it’s impossible to deny that this is a loving and smart homage
to a much-maligned genre.
Meet the Robinsons
CGI rears its eerily attractive head once more in this latest post-Pixar
offering from Disney. Free of any big-name voiceovers and this story
of a wunderkind inventor who finds himself pitted against an evil genius
and transported to the future, feels solid and robust in a way so few
recent children’s films do.
Pathfinder
Has director Marcus Nispel been possessed by the malign spirit of Mel
Gibson? Certainly this is a far cry from Nispel’s music video
work (Cher, Janet Jackson, etc.) and feels much more in the overblown,
simplistic historical epic vein of Gibson. Here the plot concerns a
fateful meeting between the Vikings and the Native Americans. Bloodshed
ensues.
The Reaping
Following her second Best Actress Oscar a couple of years back, Hilary
Swank seems to have a career death-wish following up the Dangerous Minds
re-tread, Freedom Writers, with this dire supernatural thriller. Here
she plays an ex-evangelist who arrives to investigate a town that seems
to be suffering the ten biblical plagues. Who cares?
Firehouse Dog
Nauseating as it may sound, Firehouse Dog comes with good directorial
pedigree. Todd Holland has worked on the low-key but excellent Malcolm
in the Middle and manages to bring some of that sleight of hand to this
unappealing offering. Hollywood’s top canine star goes astray
and is adopted by firemen, and helps out in their efforts to save their
station. Surprisingly painless.
Are We Done Yet?
How Ice Cube ever got involved in this family-targeted franchise is
beyond me, but here he is once again as the put-upon lead in the sequel
to 2005s Are We There Yet? Here, he and his new family find themselves
coming up against an unscrupulous property development when they move
to the suburbs.
The Lookout
Scott Frank, the writer behind Minority Report, finds himself in the
director’s seat for this noirish tale of an injured high-school
athlete who finds himself unwillingly involved in a bank heist. Joseph
Gordon-Levitt is excellent as the lead character, showing a palpable
adolescent rage married to certain strength. It’s a long way from
his days on 3rd Rock.---
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