Van Helsing (2004)

Though nowhere near a classic, I do find this flick somewhat enjoyable. There is plenty of action, some snickers, and (most surprisingly) a memorable score.

Hugh Jackman was made to play this part, and gives us his second-best Wolverine. Personally, I find it enough. Beckinsale is hot and sassy and David Wenham quite unnecessary... Though at least he is not Shia Lebouf. Richard Roxburgh certainly looks the part of Dracula, but he really does not show enough variations throughout. Dracula is not a mindless thug, and needs a bit more depth and flair.

I'm not certain Summers wants us to take this movie seriously. At times it tries to show a bit of seriousness as a monster movie, but other times (such as the ridiculous slo-mo introduction of Beckinsale and her sword...) it's as daft as Wayne Rooney in a whorehouse. Sometimes the humor seems to have self-irony and flair, other times it's just lame. Perhaps some of the reason the movie fails to find a path is due to Summers' inability to create suspense without pace, or the more significant inability to create characters with depth. Even in tragedy, he barely makes a scratch on the surface, and by creating so much personal tragedy for some of the characters, one expects him to do something with it. Or perhaps he's just mean.

Spending two hours with "Van Helsing" is not without its perks, though. A standout scene is the repertoire between the excellent Coltrane and a most arrogant and cocky Jackman. There are also some decent set pieces (and goth-lovers will drool relentlessly over the costumes). The music is brilliantly dramatic and Silvestri really combines the blaring horns with some extreme percussion for full effect. With some effective choral arrangements and violins where needed Silvestri delivers. Perhaps not quietly suspenseful where it could be but still a fantastic installment.

All in all "Van Helsing" is quite amusing with a mix of monster-classics, X-Men and James Bonds gadgetry, but to call it quality is taking it too far.

P.S. If you can't be bothered to fine some sub-zero location for the actors, at least have the decency to make their frosty breath look less obviously CGI.

5/10

Knockaround Guys (2001)

There's a big difference between a brilliant cast and a list of fine actors. This film certainly has the latter. John Malkovich, Barry Pepper, Dennis Hopper, Tom Noonan, Arthur Nascarella and lets add Vin Diesel. OK, so not a great actor, but used properly (as in Saving Private Ryan) he can be a real asset. Seth Green also stars.

There's actually a decent formula to watch this thing with: Pause at every crossroad and come up with 2-3 scenarios of what is most likely to go wrong. Then press play and see what you've won. Thus runs the film. Murphy's law. It's not original

I would like to give kudos for the use of Dylan's brilliant classic "Not dark yet" but it adds little under the circumstance and is not helped by stale dialogue in a less then memorable scene. The director fails miserably at creating suspense to the inevitable shootout and even though he uses all the tricks he has in his bag (slow-motion) it's still predictable and dull. It's all been done before. And usually better.

The director really wants to be cool and the most likely reason he casted Malkovich and Hopper was to get some excellent dialogue-scenes going. Unfortunately he simply doesn't have the script to pull that off, whether it's Pepper vs Noonan or Hopper vs. Malkovich. To make time for the non-existing dialogue there is barely any action sequences. Thus making the film boring at most times. Add that to predictability and you have what is likely to be a good payday for the actors involved and a waste of time for all others.

2/10

The Hours (2002)

I usually do not embrace spoilers in reviews, but as I find it difficult to present this film without using examples in scenes, I will abide to the social norms and issue a spoiler alert.

The Hours have a gut-wrenching and rather disturbing start, played out by director Daldry with utmost patience and care, and with a lovely build-up by minimalist composer Philip Glass. After this, we go back to start with three different stories.

These stories are filled with parallels in story-lines as well as in small details, i.e. the breakfast-nagging, the lingering insanity, the flowers and forbidden kisses... and of course Mrs. Dalloway. Despite the film's relatively slow pace, there are so many nuances, topics and details to pay attention to that it at times feels like a rollercoaster-ride nonetheless.

The cutting of the three eras is done with much intricacy and must have cost Daldry some difficulties. The casting is superb and worthy of an ensemble movie. Kidman, Moore and Streep all do shine, and this really was Julianne Moore's year, as she was Oscar-nominated (and snubbed) for "Far from Heaven" in addition to her marvelous performance here. The support (Dillane, Janney and Harris) are quiet and allow the three women room to impress. Herein lies in my opinion perhaps the little advantage for Nicole Kidman. Stephen Dillane brings an astute calmness and dignity to his character and the scene in which he surrenders to her wish to move to London, and loses those features, ever so slightly, ever so short, as he sheds a tear, makes her horrible decision abundantly clear to make. A frenzy of a scene ending with utter silence as the viewer is left to read between the lines. Sheer brilliance.

And as Woolf decides to end her life to let her husband live, another Oscar-nominee, Ed Harris, decides to end his as he does not wish to live solely to keep another happy. Another astonishing scene with a subtle change of mood as Glass adds just a single dark note to his main theme and Richard Harris plunges to his death... And life goes on with the one that got away hosting a rather mediocre party for her husband and son. "Some of us will have to die so the rest will appreciate life more".

And so it was. The poet had to die. A very good piece of drama, with some first-rate scenes.

8/10

Showtime (2002)

Another action-comedy with two cops of extreme opposites, forced to work together. The buddy-cop genre. DeNiro is old, white, no-nonsensical and grumpy whereas Murphy is (trying to pass as) young, eager and impulsive. Apart from a couple of scenes where DeNiro times his lines of grumpiness decently (i.e. "Get a real job") there really isn't much to laugh at here. His Mitch Preston is no John Moss and certainly no Jack Cates. He is also given a head start as Murphy's character is so obnoxious and useless that you really do identify with all of DeNiro's spite.

The most notable support is William Shatner... urgh. Making fun of himself as he did for a decade. There's a smile and a half in it. Also watch out for some really, REALLY lame Taxi Driver references.

The stereotypes are all here. The white cop, the colored cop, the money-hungry PR-person that turns out to have some moral fibres after all (as opposed to her boss... no surprise there), the Johnnie Cochran-jokes by colored perps being arrested etc. With one of the least memorable (and certainly least original with his dyed hair, eastern european accent and club life) villains of the decade, this really isn't worth its running time.

The action sequences are generally less than impressive, and the storyline has not really been written by anyone, just stolen from earlier (and better) movies in the same genre. The best thing I can say about this movie is that it made me want to watch "48 hours" again, where Nick Nolte epitomizes the angry white asshole cop, whereas Murphy is actually funny. And that they at least spare us a stupid romantic side-story, although if Russo had shown the same strutting as in "The Thomas Crown Affair" there would be a third scene I liked.

Not even the blooper reel is worthy of a laugh...

2/10

Trading Places (1983)

I'm not sure if it's a compliment any more for a film to be labelled a classic comedy, but in the eighties it was, and Trading Places was one of them. A smart story, combined with deft casting and the raw comedic talent of the prime of the decade (remember when these guys were funny?) saw one of the most influential comedies of our times.

Dan Aykroyd is wonderfully clueless and innocent as a successful broker bouncing optimistically from one disaster to another towards a bottomless pit, whereas Murphy brings the Ghetto to Wall Street without making it seem forced. At his best, Landis is great at spicing his films with fantastic cameos and small parts. Paul Gleason is definitely worthy of a mention in that respect. With an evil smirk and flickering eyes he takes great pride in picking Aykroyd's life apart whilst walking unnecessarily into all pedestrians, to much merriment.The pairing of Bellamy and Ameche is also outstanding and they light up the screen whenever given the chance.

Landis usually adds a little moral in his flicks, and here most of it is aptly carried out by Denholm Elliot, the brilliant butler. Delivered in just small enough doses not to get preachy. Though the concept is far fetched Aykroyd and Murphy, helped by Landis and a good script, somehow manage to make it work. For all the clever turns and great actors, the comedy must not be forgotten. There are some delightful moments here, exampled by the dirty Santa stealing nice foods before trying to frame Murphy. A hilarious scene made all the better by Aykroyd strutting his stuff in glee after waving his gun and experiencing power again, although accomplishing absolutely nothing. The following Santa-scene where he eats through his scruffy beard on the subway, gets pissed on by a dog and has a misfire when trying to kill himself while it simultaneously starts to pour down is just misery in so many layers it is disturbingly (at least a shrink would think so) hilarious. There are many reasons why this is considered a comedy classic, though the safest sign is how much has been stolen/borrowed in later movies. If you dislike this comedy, your idea of a classic in that genre is most likely something starring Steve Carrel or *shudder* a recent Eddie Murphy.

8/10

The Shipping News (2001)

I like quirky, and this film is certainly that. It also boasted a most impressive cast (Kevin Spacey and Judi Dench headline, whilst Julianna Moore, Cate Blanchett, Pete Postlethwaite, Scott Glenn and a pleasantly normal Rhys Ifans support) at the time of it's release, but still it fails to engage the viewer as it could (and perhaps should) from a director like Hallström.

Spacey came off an amazing run with both American Beauty and K-Pax just prior to this, but he seems to be doing just a little bit too much in The Shipping News. His Quoyle before and after the accident simply doesn't feel like the same guy. If I was to venture a guess, it would be that director Lasse Hallström cut a significant part of the book there (or just changed the character halfway into production without re-shooting the early scenes). He goes from something close to a slow vegetable to a quite clever character in a matter of minutes, without any real explanation and that lacks believability. Spacey is a bit too soft-spoken at times and though he is more believable the last half of the film, this is not his finest hour. It's also a slight nuisance that while some of the actors sport an Irish accent throughout the film, others seem to limit themselves to a sentence or a word here and there.

Overall there is no lack of decent scenes here, Hallström just fails to make it all flow. For example, the two first encounters of Moore and Spacey are deftly executed and allow for memorable viewing. Another problem is that the film tries to incorporate more characters than it wishes to explain. Hence both Quoyles "wife" and daughter are annoying and caricatured. The wife is gone soon enough, but the daughter remains. Instead of bringing something exciting and innocent, her scenes are inexplicably dull or annoying and add very little to the other characters as she grossly changes her whole personality from one scene to the next.

As I am a huge fan of scores, I will always add a paragraph on the music. Christopher Youngs contribution is quite delightful, adding a sense of the Irish as well as drama and suspense. Forgettable on CD, but well taken for the film.

Hallström is able to convey both drama and at times even suspense. Extra credit to Julianna Moore for a standout performance among great colleagues. There are glimpses of immense quality here and there but ultimately it's unfulfilled.

6/10