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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 September 2001

Unexpectedly, he is contacted by a nutty gentleman named Preston B. Whitmore who knew his grandfather long ago.  Fulfilling an old promise he made, Preston has found a large ship, a crew of over 200 and Commander Lyle Tiberius Rourke to escort Milo to a history making journey.  Sure enough, they find the lost city but it’s everything they didn’t expect.  People are still alive deep beneath the surface and the eternal life provided by a mysterious energy source keeps the city flourishing.  The arrival of these visitors from the upworld thought may threaten their existence...

By most standards, the film is poor but by Disney’s standards, it’s very poor.  You can bank on Walt’s company generating a big animated classic every summer but the quality is slipping with the increased competition.  For example, the opening scene contains subtitles and is a ridiculous way to start a film aimed at young kids.

The story is deep and spiritual which again seems beyond its target audience.  There were moments when even I couldn’t understand what the film was trying to say (such as the scene where Kida is filled by the Gods’ light).  I’m always for originality but the lukewarm box-office emphasises the disappointment enveloping this film.  Atlantis: The Lost Empire is also unfunny.  A few humorous lines come early on from the boat’s sarcastic announcer, Miss Packard, but there’s little else that’ll get those jaw muscles working (except for the popcorn).

Save yourself the trouble these school holidays and give the kids something more entertaining to pass the time (try Spy Kids).  As for Disney, they better get back to the drawing board.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 September 2001

Steven Spielberg was a long time friend of Kubrick and as a personal tribute to the legend, developed a screenplay from Stanley’s notes and took residence in the director’s chair for the first time since Saving Private Ryan.  Now showing in theatres, it’s clear that Kubrick’s influence has induced a departure from Spielberg’s commercial style.  The film is better for it.

A.I. offers a cold perception of the world in the “not to distant future”.  The polar ice caps have melted and many of the world’s great cities lie undisturbed beneath the ocean.  As expected, robot technology has advanced to incredibly precise levels with Professor Hobby (Hurt) an industry leader.  Robots (known as mechas) have become an integral part of life but their increased numbers and unlimited lifespan have many “organic” humans resenting their presence.

Hobby wants to take evolution a step further and develops a robot child that can “love”.  The prototype is placed in the home of company employee Henry (Robards) and his wife Monica (O’Connor) who still mourn following the loss of their own son five years ago.  Deciding to activate the mecha’s irreversible love capability, the robot is named David (Osment) and the line that separates fiction from reality has been crossed.

They soon learn that when you create a mecha with the ability to love you have also created a mecha with the ability to feel jealous, to feel threatened and to feel hate.  Monica and Henry reluctantly understand that David’s flaws will never allow him to fit in but faced with the alternative of returning him to Professor Hobby for destruction, they take him far from the home and leave him independent to make a life of his own.  Failing to compute the thought of being without his parents, David hears the story of Pinocchio and believes that if he can find the blue fairy, he will become a real boy and his mother will love and accept him again.

A film with the depth of A.I. is rarely witnessed.  It does not chastise the creation of robots nor spoon feed us the ethical clichés of “playing god”.  The film looks at the robots themselves and the aftermath in providing them with the ability to love and feel.  I hope audiences value Spielberg’s eerie conclusion in his view of the world 2000 years into the future.

A.I. is also an extremely dark film.  Compelling, strangely hypnotic and filled with dazzling imagery of a new world.  The soft music, simple story and minimal dialogue allow the actors’ simple movements and expressions to become the film’s most appreciable asset.  Haley Joel Osment’s performance is stunning.  We all remember him from The Sixth Sense and his subsequent Academy Award nomination but his dominating presence defies that fact he’s still just 13 years old.

The unconventional style and preconceived expectations will leave many unsatisfied but Spielberg has sacrificed his usual methods to help develop the future of cinema.  Change is difficult to accept but one day A.I. will find its place and will be truly appreciated.  Take the next step in evolution.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 September 2001

The Fast And The Furious is 100% action and 0% story (what else did you expect?) but is so unbelievably over-the-top that chances are, you’ll like it anyway.  Dom Toretto (Diesel) is the top-dog in the world of drag racing.  He organises regular night races on the streets of L.A. and his reputation is deserved - he’s never beaten.  Brian Spilner (Walker) is a young hot head who has foolishly pink slipped his car in a match race against Dom and found himself on the losing end.  However when police raid the activities, Brian’s daring driving saves Dom from certain arrest and a “friendship” between them is formed.

Frankly, there isn’t much more to tell.  The story follows no logic, makes no sense and has holes larger than you could imagine.  But hey, from the trailers and advertising (which have been abundant over the past two weeks), that’s not why you’re going right?  I have never, and I repeat never, seen stunts and action performed to this extent.  Some car scenes stretch longer than 10 minutes and the constant revving, screeching and crashing is deafening.

It’s stunning from a visual perspective too.  Director Rob Cohen (Dragonheart, Daylight) has come up with some astounding camera angles and editing techniques to make it seem so real.  It literally is “edge of your seat” stuff.  At the screening I attended, cries of “holy shit” and more elaborate expletives were being spoken throughout.

Of the cast, Vin Diesel (Boiler Room) and Paul Walker (Varsity Blues) have the testosterone charged personalities to match the film’s tone.  Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight) and Jordanna Brewster (The Faculty) play their respective love interests but are second fiddle to our two rev heads.

The Fast And The Furious has been the surprise hit of the American summer.  It was originally slated for an early 2001 release but phenomenal test screenings caused Universal to take a big chance and open it opposite Eddie Murphy’s Dr. Dolittle 2 and Angelina Jolie’s Tomb Raider in the peak season.  Shot for just $38m, the film recouped its cost in less than 72 hours and grossed a total of $142m.

In a year of blockbusters filled with computer animation and special effects, it’s nice to see good old fashioned stunts making a comeback.  If you’re going to do it, do it in style and that’s exactly what they’ve done.  I imagine nothing could be done to top this but I’m sure studios are already launching a full scale attack to surpass it (and cash in too).

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 06 September 2001

The film doesn’t waste time nor propose to be something it is not.  Like Berke’s line implies, this isn’t a film that will win awards or receive acclamation.  It’s aimed solely at a younger audience and all things considered, is worth a look.  It’s a simple story (as I’ve described even more simply above) but it is evident from the start that Tommy O’Haver’s (Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss) direction and R. Lee Fleming’s (She’s All That) screenplay bring new elements to the tired genre.

Ben Foster is our leading man and in breaking with tradition, he isn’t the extroverted teen heartthrob.  Foster received much praise for his breakthrough performance in Liberty Heights (unreleased in Australia) but his solemn, laid-back style is quietly refreshing.  For once, we have a character we can relate and sympathise with and Foster deserves credit for changing the mould.

There’s an array of hilarious side-characters but Martin Short is in a class of his own.  As the play’s director, Dr. Desmond Forrest Oates, his stereotyped persona is wildly funny.  Whilst I said that a film like Get Over It will never reach lofty heights, if Hollywood’s heavyweights took the time to actually watch it, Short could easily kick-start a campaign for next year’s Oscars.

Admittedly, it’s tiring to see so many recent teen films borrow heavily from Shakespeare.  Baz Lurhmann started the fad in 1996 with the brilliant Romeo & Juliet (starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes) but screenwriters are relying to heavily on the Bard’s works.  Last week in the States, a teen remake of Othello was released (called O and starring Julia Stiles and Josh Hartnett) but the poor box-office take may finally give studio executives the impetus to try something new.

I can’t expect everyone to leave their computers and rush to the latest multiplex to catch Get Over It but with a mediocre crop of titles on offer, it’s something just that little bit different.  And hey, if you don’t like it then tough, get over it.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 September 2001

Gregorio and Ingrid Cortez (Banderas and Gugino) were the best spies in the business until they retired, married and began a family nine years ago.  Their kids, Carmen (Vega) and Juni (Sabara) know nothing of their parents past and think of them as “uncool”.  Both have their own problems at school but they’ll prove insignificant when their parents come out of retirement for an old friend and are kidnapped by Fegan Floop (Cumming), a television star creating a robotic army to take over the world.

Carmen and Juni are transported to their parents’ secret hide-out where they learn how much has been kept from them.  Using the varied fancy inventions their parents have developed, the two know it is up to them to rescue them, stop Floop and save the day.

I was disappointed with the simplicity of Spy Kids.  Sure it’s a kids film but with a wide variety of stars (including Banderas, Cumming, Tony Shalhoub and Robert Patrick) I thought it’d have a more adult undertone.  There’s lots of cool action scenes with fun special effects but I’m sure more could have been made of the story (especially considering how impressive some recent family flicks have been).

So take the kids and prepare for hyperactivity (plenty of kids were jumping with excitement in my screening).  Don’t expect the same satisfaction from yourself.