Hot Fuzz

After a record-breaking arrest record, Police Constable Nicolas Angel (Simon Pegg) is promoted by his superiors (Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman) to Sergeant of a tiny precinct in the country town of Sanford-Glousteshire, a model village that mysteriously is free of crime. Heading up the station is Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent) assisted by the rest of the officers including his son, Danny (Nick Frost,) with whom Angel forms a friendship. Shortly after his arrival, Sanford experiences a series of grisly murders which the rest of the police force writes off as simple accidents. What he eventually uncovers turns out to be something truly odd and even a bit disturbing.

Hot Fuzz is an adrenaline rush even in the calming moments. The quick edits and close angles bring the film's pacing into close-quarters, along with well-used jump-cuts and appropriate scoring appropriately cause the adrenaline to flow generously and efficiently. Every action movie convention is used, including the impassioned speech by our hero to the bad guys before the big showdown. It's an excellent combination leading to a well-written and heartfelt film. And I love the British Comedy!!

This is one of my favorite films; I could seriously watch it over and over and over again, and still have room for one more time after that. The construction of action, drama, comedy and thrills builds a brilliant piece of cinema. The casting with Pegg, Frost, Broadbent and Timothy Dalton rounds out a quality performance of all involved. The sets are brilliant, together with beautiful color and great costumes, rounding out a beautiful package.

I particularly enjoy the monologuing, particularly Simon Pegg's Angel's. He is the perfect balance of sensitivity and ice-cold calm with a bit of in-your-face swagger. He's got that stiff, British charm I love so much which is another reason why this is one of my favorites. He's cast perfectly against Broadbent's disturbing geniality and Dalton's wickedly hilarious menace. Also well-done is Nick Frost as the comic relief and warmth of the piece. Also memorable are spot-performances by Bill Nighy and Martin Freeman.

Just brilliant...enough said!!

****

IN: Martin Freeman

OUT: Jim Broadbent

Coming Soon: Moulin Rouge

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The earth is destroyed in favor of a hyperspace express rout, an intergalactic bypass; but before it is, Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) is extracted by interplanetary hitch hiker Ford (Mos Def) who's repaying him for saving his life while he was introducing himself to an SUV. They team up with Galactic President Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell) and fellow earth survivor, Tricia McMillan (Zooey Deschenel,) whom Arthur Dent failed to pick-up at a party who left with Zaphod instead. Their many adventures lead them on a quest to discover the ultimate question, of which the answer is 42.

Intelligent and also ludicrous humor is the point of this entire piece. It is completely ridiculous, from the improbability drive to "don't forget your towel" (the reason of which is never explained,) Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy presents an intelligent banter of different explanations for metaphysical inquisitions and contemplations asked by philosophers and scientists for the history of the world. It contemplates everything from the creation of the universe to who we are and the meaning of love and life. And instead of being pompously serious, the tone is playful and snarky keeping all on their toes and paying attention.

I love this film because of all the science fiction conventions it flouts. Instead of a complex scientific explanation for how translations work, Ford pulls out a cartoony looking fish in a jar from his pocket and sticks the fish into Arthur Dent's ear as The Guide, a computer-like book carried always by Ford, explains that the fish is eating the language fed into Arthur's brain and excretes sonic waves that allow him to understand what is being said. Ridiculous, I know, but much more fun!! Because of this, the film's an acquired taste and perhaps not for everyone.

Quality performances by Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry and Helen Mirren, who leant their voices for Marvin the Robot, The Guide and Deep Thought, respectively. I also enjoyed the spot performances by Bill Nighy and John Malkovich, each putting their entire efforts into their short time on screen. The trio of Martin Freeman, Mos Def and Sam Rockwell were a perfect match for each other. A great cast, which is why I chose to see it in the theater in the first place.

Not necessarily a "must-see," but fun nonetheless.

****

IN: John Malkovich

OUT: Martin Freeman

Coming Soon: Hot Fuzz

Cruel Intentions/Dangerous Liaisons

Bored blue-ribbon beauties engage in a high-stakes game of seduction. A wager is set upon the seduction of a staunchly chaste wife of an absent lawyer. Consummate cad, Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich,) is to seduce Madam de Torvel (Michelle Pfifer) and produce proof in order to secure his long-standing desire: a ravenous night of passion with his friend and former lover, the Marquise de Merteuil (Glen Glose.) His game is soon complicated when he develops feelings for his target, betraying his enduring reputation as a philanderer.

The cadence for Dangerous Liaisons seems completely based on the acting style of its stars, Glen Close and John Malkovich. The mercurial Malkovich bursts out in an explosion of volume and action, while Close remains calm, collected and dignified. The casting harms "the package." The plot, therefore feels clunky and the seduction that is supposed to be taking place, does not for the audience. It's left wondering where the caresses have gone and the gentleness that is supposed to turn our head and weaken our knees. Malkovich is too ballistic to shoulder Valmont because he doesn't have the suave savvy; this role, however, doesn't shy me away from seeing any of his others and he really did work from what he had.

Remakes are the same stories told with a simple shift of genres or settings or both. For example, Romeo and Juliet is a revenge romance set in Medieval Verona. A remake of the tale, set among the greaser gangs of New York, is a little musical called West Side Story. Dangerous Liaisons is set during post-revolutionary France. Whereas Cruel Intentions is set in cosmopolitan New York City.

Cruel Intentions follows the same storyline, except using high school students. In their senior year, step-siblings Seabastian (Ryan Phillippe) and Kathryn (Sarah Michelle Gellar) wager on weather Sebastian can seduce Annette (Reese Witherspoon,) a virgin waiting for true love. In this case, it's not just Sebastian's reputation on the line, but his Classic Roadster, his prized possession.

Gellar and Phillippe are evenly seductive and brutal and twice as lethal. The balance makes the plot more compelling. Witherspoon, as well, gives a warmth to Annette that Pfiffer's Torval lacked. I felt more drawn to these characters than that of Dangerous Liaisons'. The chemistry within the entire cast is fluid, making me emotionally desperate for Sebastian's quest and pulling for him in the love story . As a result, we are devastated when it all comes crashing down. The setup in the denouement is executed with finesse.

Frankly, the remake is better. There's an equal balance of drama and tension. And the payoff rewards the audience for their diligence, offering hope as well as comeuppance. And the cadence is smoother, the chemistry better, resulting in a non-traumatised plot delivery. This package easily sells and I'm buying!!

****

In: Ryan Phillippe

Out: John Malkovich

Coming Soon: Hitchhikkers Guide to the Galaxy

Crash

Racism is an injustice from which humanity suffers. Ignorance of other people's cultures and lifestyles is the incitement to provincial thinking and it causes strain amongst the people placed on this planet. And sometimes it is necessary for events to occur in order to shake up our worldview and perception of our human brotherhood. And Crash is an essay on that shakedown of perception. Involving one of my favorite tools of storytelling, an ensemble of characters creating a complex plot, this film features some of the best ensemble and method actors of this generation of filmmaking including Terence Howard, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Ryan Phillippe, Brenden Frasier and William Fichtner.

Misunderstandings beget mistrust as several different stories deal with the provincial prejudices of people in a post-9/11 Los Angeles. Multiple story-lines interweave telling the clash of white cops versus the different "colored" people they pull over, affirmative action workforce, immigrant service workers versus their employers, persecution against middle eastern Americans and the general landscape of urban society. And this film both inspires us to put aside our differences and also show some tolerance for things we are not used to or that is new to us.

My favorite is the story between Thandie Newton's celebrity wife and Matt Dillon's police officer. Their story begins with Matt Dillon's character and partner pulling over Newton's husband for questionable behavior while driving and the situation gets uncomfortable for all concerned, including the audience, as it's supposed to. The police lets them go with a warning, but she meets him again the next morning when she's been involved in a traffic collision and he's the only one that can save her and, with persuasion, she lets him.

This film is an opera, with a chorus for each of us, prodding us to release our prejudice, our pride in ourselves, to look outside our doors and help our neighbors, to get to know them and to break bread and bond with our human brothers because we're all worthy of life. And the song is sung with finesse.

****

IN: Don Cheadle

Out: Ryan Phillippe

Coming Soon: Dangerous Liaisons/Cruel Intentions

Traitor

Freelance bomb-maker Samir (Don Cheadle) moves explosives and explosive components for the right price and with all due respect. He also operates as an under-the-table contractor for the CIA and is loyal to the Muslim faith. During a weapons raid in Yemen, run by FBI Agents Clayton (Guy Pearce) and Archer (Neal McDonough) he is arrested and faces prison time there. Inside, he spends time with a terrorist, Omar, and, after a prison break, is invited to join Omar's cell. When the next attack is planned, his services are needed but whose side he's on is anyone's guess.

So many films these days are an examination of how the world is fighting the "War on Terror" against the onslaught of activities around our planet. And usually the point of view comes from the defensive. This film, however, illustrates the offensive, as we are inside the cell itself. And, because our protagonist, Samir, has undefined loyalties, we are unsure of the angle of support appropriate and our feelings are conflicted due to our emotional attachment to him. And the conflict is brilliant, meaning the story's been effective.

As always, Don Cheadle brings a thoughtful and thought-provoking presence to his character. His study of what it takes to be a terrorist, as well as the depth of the Muslim faith brings an authenticity to Samir that educates, inspires and connects us emotionally that we are horrified, kicked into action, or taught with every step he takes toward the cell's endgame. On the flip side, Guy Pearce's Agent Clayton also teaches, inspires and connects us to the defensive in different ways than Kieffer Sutherland's Jack Bauer does. Jack Bauer represents the muscle of the Counter Terror campaign whereas Agent Clayton is the brain and the soul. Clayton's understanding and empathy helps humanize the antagonism that the FBI represents in this film's atmosphere adding to the conflict in our feelings; do we or don't we want the attack to go forward as planned?

The escalating tension and the relocation to separate locations builds the payoff, enhancing the chase. Like other pursuit films before it, Traitor's cat-and-mouse drives with speed, intensity and does so very smoothly, painting a comprehensive picture of the terrorist/counter-terrorist struggle body, mind and soul.

***

In: Guy Pearce

Out: Don Cheadle

Coming Soon: Crash

LA Confidential

Officer Bud White (Russell Crowe,) Sergent Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacey,) and Sergent Ed Exley (Guy Pearce) with Captain Dudley Smith (James Cromwell) are caught up in the vacuum created by the arrest of the crime boss of Los Angeles Mickey Cohen. The Hollywood Precinct's officers, including Officer White and Sergents Vincennes, incite a prisoner riot in retribution for an attack on a pair of their own. In exchange for snitching on the lot of them, Exley is promoted and therefore hated by the department, ignored by Vincennes and loathed by White. After a robbery-homicide, all three are assigned to work the case and each work it with their own style leading to a ring of corruption, murder and the strong arm of the law.

In typical noir/detective fashion, this film plays complete with femme fatale, Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger.) corrupt cops, murder and seduction with a splash of romance and vibrant colors mixed with hard-edged lighting and heavy punches. With the smooth jazz of the 40's and 50's and a story just as smooth as the fortunes of our three cops change dramatically throughout the dance that is the plot. As each story plays, our three protagonists go deeper into the seedy underbelly of the LAPD, the case unravels and our three detectives find themselves needing each other for closure in the whole matter.

Cadence is an important tool in storytelling. The pace and rhythm the action takes helps make the audience attentive and makes the film attractive. We never go to the movies to be bored. Edgar Allen Poe, my favorite poet, said that a story should be capable of being read in a single sitting, should be simple enough to last the time frame needed, and be interesting enough to keep us from becoming restless or inattentive. Motifs are important tools to assist the flow of the cadence; for instance, the connections between each aspect of the case interweave the interests of each police officer in this story, keeping them tethered to the story, heightening the suspense, action and emotion necessary to complete the journey. And this film's cadence is so effective, I'm unable to sense the duration of the story, which is roughly 2.5 hours.

The texture of LA Confidential is smoky, seductive and twisted leaving a pit in your stomach telling you something is definitely off, propelling you to connect and complete the story. The cast presents a flawless performance, from Cromwell's disturbing and creepy Captian Smith to Basinger's savvy, smoky and sensitive Bracken. I enjoyed the chemistry between our three Protagonists in their distaste for each other and in their teamwork toward the end. And I loved the conflict between the two sides of each of them: Bud Whites tough and warm nature, Jack Vincennes vanity and compassion and latent naivete and Ed Exley's hard-lined provincialism to hard-lined diplomacy and vindictiveness. Crowe, Spacey and Pearce sold their characters with great effect and so well each that I find it a hard task picking whose story-line is favorable and worthy of my feelings. They blend their on-screen presences with little competition between and serve the plot with a level-footing that allows me to feel for each equally. A rare thing for such a vast cast.

The silver-screen feel past the silver-screen era is a rare find, and LA Confidential has captured the Judy Garland/Bing Crosby feel so well and hit tones harmonizing with the era that defined Humphrey Bogart. This is a beautiful film worthy of the audience it attracts.

***

IN: Kevin Spacey

OUT: Guy Pearce

Coming Soon: Traitor

The Usual Suspects

After an explosion onboard a boat in the Los Angeles harbor at San Pedro, Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) agrees to speak to Special Agent Dave Kujan (Chazz Palminteri) about the events leading up to the explosion. Kujan been obsessed with one of the crew involved, Dean Keaton (Gabriel Byrne,) and wants to make sure that he's dead. Verbal, Keaton, Fenster (Benicio Del Toro), McManus (Stephen Baldwin,) and Hockney (Kevin Pollack) are arrested and put into a lineup following a heist involving a truck with guns. While inside, the five hatch a plan to knock off a smuggling ring and end up pulling a few more jobs together in Los Angeles. While there, they're approached by Mr. Kobayashi (Pete Postlethwaite) and forced into pulling one more job, for his boss, Keyser Soze, a notorious crime boss. While the job goes down, something goes wrong and everyone dies but Verbal. And the investigation's biggest question is: Who is Keyser Soze?

It's a ride of terror in low places as the underbelly of the criminal class runs for their lives because the boogeyman has stuck his head out of the hole he's been hiding inside. And the players in this long-con are hiding under the covers. The waltz around the cops is playing and Verbal is in the middle of the floor, stepping each beat with poise as he spins his yarn. Kevin Spacey's Verbal Kint is a perfect narrator, his voice is perfectly soothing, lulling us into a tale of intrigue, betrayal and business. It's a fanciful, operatic and the dance's steps strut with confidence. The story's simplicity allows for the employment of the twist and misdirection applied by the film's editing and first person narrative to go smoothly with the correct amount of tension and cadence leading the audience, along with the cops into a trap of the plot's making. And we walk in with them and we love it as the jaws of the trap snap shut.

This cast is brilliant; comprehensibly. The lineup boys have a beautiful chemistry from the beginning that it's a shame there isn't a sequel. The cops (Paminteri and Giancarlo Esposito) also have a wonderful chemistry vs each other and also against Keaton and Kint. Palminteri and Spacey's rapport swells and throws down with grace, beauty, power and finesse. Their exchanges work so beautifully that they easily could play out on the stage, as could this film.

I'll not say more; because, as like Pulp Fiction, this one needs to be experienced. And if I do say more, it will spoil the twist for you and I don't want to do that!! All I will say is that this film is a brilliant piece of cinema and a film worth studying.

***

IN: Gabriel Byrne

OUT: Kevin Spacey

COMING SOON: LA Confidential

Shade

Veteran Card Shark and Con-Man Charlie (Gabriel Byrne) and his partner Tiffany (Thandie Newton) with their Poker Mechanic Vernon (Stuart Townsend) hustle newbie, Larry Jennings (Jamie Foxx) in order to bankroll a big game against an old-school poker king called The Dean (Sylvester Stallone) who's in town to play one last game before retiring and settling down with his girl, Eve (Melanie Griffiths.)

Like any good heist movie, a good con film has layers. This one has a layer and an angle for each character. Charlie's in it to make money, Tiffany likes power, Vernon's motive is unclear and unsure, and The Dean just wants to get out. In a good con film, the angles are the juice and the glue that drives the story and triggers the tension creating drama. And we, the viewer are left to see how the angles play out. And this one stresses us beautifully, drawing out the story line and playing with us with beautiful timing, throwing down the twist with perfection.

The mechanics of the film (photography, editing, music, cadence and performance) were efficient, well-plotted and executed flawlessly even if the story itself was cliched. The players helped add some class to a tired plot. Even generally typecast Stallone reflects an air of class with his presence as The Dean. I thoroughly enjoyed his presence in this film, especially his scenes with Griffiths' Eve. Their chemistry reflects a timeless love and attraction, and the tenor of their performance makes the romance real and pays off with class. The tenor of the film, regardless of cliches, reflects credibility in storytelling. The photography is consistent, the color rich and bold and the editing brilliant in cadence. The dance is really lovely.

Shade is a brilliantly woven picture: classy, rich and bold and smooth. The tension perfectly hooks the audience allowing the atmosphere to bewitch and beguile.

***

In: Stuart Townsend

Out: Gabriel Byrne

Coming Soon: The Usual Suspects

The Vampire Chronicles

Louis (Brad Pitt,) a vampire, tells his story to writer Daniel (Christian Slater) of his damnation into the ranks of vampires and his relationships with his maker, Lestat (Tom Cruise,) child vampire Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) and ancient coven-master Armand (Antonio Banderas.) His tale tells of seeking to die after the deaths of his wife and child, pursuing a reckless lifestyle. Lestat chooses to condemn him to becoming a vampire, rather than killing him and Louis mourns his life, hanging onto his humanity.

This adaption of the Anne Rice novel Interview with the Vamipre has a wonderful cadence, almost operatic in nature. The music is epic, and also appropriate to the time period when the setting is for the episode within the story. The story matches up with the music so perfectly, that the package flows well and the film is beautiful, poetic and lyrical; yes, even terror and revenge are played musically. And the players sculpted the personality of the piece with power and poise and grace and romance.

Particularly potent is the chemistry between Dunst's Claudia and Pitt's Louis. Their love is comprehensive: birth, death, hatred and passion. She's experienced beyond her years, portraying both the innocent and the ruthless and the ageless. She is terrifying, chilling and pathetic and you feel her love for Louis, as well as the hatred for his part in her making. And he, the unrequited lover, father and spurned is sorrowful, poetic and brooding. And he mourns for everything from her birth as one of the damned to her execution at the hands of the Paris coven. They are also both inconsolable for what Lestat has done in their making. And they both become bonded in their hatred of him that it becomes the basis of their love and faith in each other, and when they leave him to die, they become soul-mates and lovers. For that reason, when Louis finds someone else, in Armand, she is betrayed and their love is at an end; a beautiful, but pitiful love story portrayed stunningly, creating and sustaining my heartache.

The same musicality is not present in it's sequel. The opera dies in favor of heavy metal and the modern age, where ruffles and velvet are exchanged for leather pants and music videos.

The Vampire Lestat (Stuart Townsend) has slept for the better part of the 20th century, rising and becoming the lead singer in a rock band entitled, The Vampire Lestat. His lyrics, music videos and lifestyle reveal the secrets of his life and of his nature, daring the others like him to reveal themselves. But he's lonely, even surrounded by his entourage. Meanwhile Jesse, an freshman Talamascan (a student of the supernatural and paranormal) is curious about him, much to the disapproval of David, her teacher. The ancient vampires, including Maharet (Lena Olin) and Marius, Lestat's maker, are preparing to protect the world against the rising of Akasha (Aliyah,) the first vampire and her plans to smite the world and create it in her image, with Lestat ruling at her side while vampire covens everywhere are planning on killing Lestat at his first and only concert in Death Valley.

Time was not used well in developing Queen of the Damned. This one feels like a pastiche of special-feature caliber music videos and a television movie presented on NBC during the summer. And the fault does not lie with the players, or the music or the photography or anything in the mechanics of the package. In fact, it plays very well. It just needed more time to blend the two novels. It could have used, perhaps an extra half hour to forty-five minutes. The opera of the previous film is not here. The breathtaking beauty is not here. It's a massive music video, stylistic and sexy only. The story fails to drive a stake between the ribcage and sternum into my heart, breaking it.

Stuart Townsend does, however, tackle the character of Lestat to the letter. His seductiveness, arrogance, loneliness and brooding are all present here in Townsend, making him indeed attractive and draws me in alongside all the fans and victims in the film. For Cruise's performance, he displays a callousness and coldness as well as a desperation to keep Louis with him in his creation of Claudia. However, the attractive and seductive nature is sacrificed in order to cast him as the villain of the story. Vampires, by tradition, are seductive, attractive and mysterious, luring innocent blondes to their deaths while in lacy nightgowns. Cruise's Lestat lacks this traditional motif. Townsend's Lestat is sleek, sexy and mysterious, following in the line of Bram Stoker's Dracula and the Buffyverse villains Angelus, Darla, Drusilla and Spike. Regardless of shirking tradition, both Cruise and Townsend consume Lestat and imbibe him with feeling, strength and soul, providing a credible person convincing and believable. So, it is hard to choose whose face I'd rather see Lestat wear.

With consideration to the pair as a series, the two hardly relate in anything but the character of Lestat. This makes complete sense, however, due to the fact that he is the protagonist of The Vampire Chronicles series by Anne Rice. And, to be fair, Queen of the Damned does an all right combination of the stories in the novels the film is based upon (The Vampire Lestat and Queen of the Damned). But in consideration to which one touches me, there's no contest: Interview with the Vampire triumphs.

****

IN: Brad Pitt

OUT: Stuart Townsend

Coming Soon: Shade