Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 March 2001

Now loose in New Orleans, Dracula (played by Gerard Butler) feeds on the blood of his victims whilst in search of an elusive young lady by the name of Mary Heller (Waddell).  She has had premonitions of Dracula's return but cannot understand why she has these visions.  The answer will be revealed when Dracula finally presents himself at her door step.

In the meantime, Van Helsing has travelled to New Orleans with assistant Simon Sheppard (Miller) to track down and recapture Dracula.  They will also need to kill anyone who has been transformed into a vampire with his deadly bite to ensure his presence will not continue.

There are a few nice surprises in Dracula 2000 so I won't give away any more secrets but within 20 minutes I knew it was just that little bit different.  There are no big stars and any preconceptions as to who would live and who would die went out the window.  Usually the big stars always survive till the end but it's hard to predict just what fate is in store for this cast.  Christopher Plummer (The Insider) is the standout performer but I also enjoyed many of the subtle, sarcastic comments from English actor Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting).

Wes Craven is an executive producer (no surprise there) and Dracula 2000 comes from the same Miramax subsidiary, Dimension Films, which have brought us The Crow, eXistenZ, From Dusk Till Dawn, Scary Movie and the Scream trilogy.  I can't say I've enjoyed all their films but they have a strong presence in the horror market and seem to have found enough screenwriters to keep the genre alive.  Their films are always a cut above the copycat horror flicks we've seen from other film studios and if you're looking for examples, just remember that Columbia Tristar was responsible for the pathetic I Know What You Did Last Summer and Urban Legend series.  A lot of bad memories...

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 March 2001

In Washington, Judge Robert Wakefield (Douglas) has been appointed by the President to lead the country in the war against drugs.  The problem is escalating but like any politician, he believes he has all the answers and appears in total control.  Back in Ohio, his 16-year-old daughter (Christensen) is about to highlight the futility of his pursuit.  She is arrested after dropping an overdose victim at a hospital entrance and attempting to flee.  She's found to be high on a mixture of drugs herself.

Meanwhile, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers Montel Gordon (Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Guzman) have landed a sting and arrested small-time dealer Eduardo Ruiz (Miguel Ferrer).  They offer him immunity and protection in return for the names of his suppliers.  This leads them to Carlos Ayala (Bauer) who is arrested.  His wife, Helena (Zeta-Jones), was unknowing of her husband's drug activities but will not sit quietly and watch her husband's million dollar empire crumble while he awaits trial in prison.

In Mexico, a war is being raged between two leading drug cartels that are supplying much of the product to the United States.  Javier Rodriguez Rodriguez (Del Toro) is a straight-shooting police officer who becomes involved when asked by Mexican military leader Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas) to help bring down one of the cartels.  His life is now in severe danger and further jeopardised when approached by American agents for sensitive insider information.  He's just not sure who, if anyone, should be trusted.

There are many involved in the drug industry and as evidenced from the above summary, Traffic shows many angles.  Steven Soderbergh deserves all the acclaim he has received (including the Academy Award nomination) for crafting a modern-day masterpiece.  He is supported by a brilliant screenplay from Steven Gaghan who offers a refreshingly pessimistic look at the industry and its effects.  It's an awesome cast.  You find yourself analysing each character - thinking what they want and why.  Keep your eye out for subtle cameos including Albert Finney, Benjamin Bratt, James Brolin and Salma Hayek. 

The film is shot entirely with handheld cameras and with quick editing and little score, the realism of the situation is heightened.  Scenes in Mexico are given a yellow tinge and scenes in Washington and given a bluish tinge.  It's nothing like I've seen before.  The film is rough and edgy - just like its subject material.

Many may find Traffic a frustrating experience given it offers no solutions.  I praise Soderbergh's courage not to succumb to Hollywood commercialism and provide an "everyone's a winner" conclusion.  This does not make the film a fruitless vehicle.  I now appreciate the dangers of the industry, the uselessness of politicians, the weaknesses in the justice system and the overall power of money.  Most of all I understand that the problem is not about limiting supply, it's about limiting demand.  The old catchphrase is ringing true - if we can't solve our own problems, how can we expect to solve those of others?

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 March 2001

Let me set the scene.  Sandra Bullock is Gracie Hart, an unlady-like FBI agent.  She cares little about her appearance and is well trained in martial arts.  Given she’s a woman, Gracie finds it hard to fit in at the Bureau and often misses out on the top assignments.  That Bureau’s top job at the moment involves a mysterious assailant responsible for a spate of bombings which have been preceded by a note revealing clues to its location.  Gracie seems to have cracked the code of the latest letter in believing the target will be the Miss America beauty pageant but fellow agent Eric Matthews (Bratt) is selected to lead the task force.

The only way to protect the contestants will be to have someone on the inside and the only person suitable for the job is Gracie.  After a discussion with pageant hosts Stan Fields (Shatner) and Kathy Morningside (Bergen), she’s entered in the contest as Miss New Jersey.  How so you ask?  Well it so happens that the FBI has found that the real Miss New Jersey stared in porno film, Armagonnagedidon, and that wouldn't look too good if exposed, would it?

With only two days to prepare, fashion consultant Victor Melling (Caine) is called in for the toughest job of his career.  He transforms Gracie from "dirty Harriet" into a starlet with a chance of going all the way in the contest.  Not only that, her new found beauty has captured the attention of Agent Matthews.

I've wasted enough time already so I'll keep it brief from here.  It's a totally zany, crazy plot that didn't give me that zany, crazy feeling.  It's limited too much by the boundaries it creates and none of the actors have a chance to shine.  Beauty pageants are mocked in many movies and to have this entire film based around one, didn't provide enough original material.  Even more patronising was watching Sandra Bullock learn just how great and intelligent the contestants were - they're not the "bimbos" she envisioned.

Film critics must look forward to reviewing Sandra Bullock movies because they are so easy to criticise.  Her previous five leading films have been Speed 2, Hope Floats, Practical Magic, Forces Of Nature and 28 Days.  Not one of the films was worth of more than a C+ in my book and Miss Congeniality continues the trend.  At first I believed that Sandra was receiving some bad career advice from her agent but now I'm not so sure.  Sandra Bullock is credited as a producer of this film which gives me an even lesser opinion of her - how could she read this script and agree to both star and produce!  Total madness!!!

"Miss Sandra Bullock, you are before this court charged with being a cinematic nuisance."

"I wish to plead insanity.  I mean just look at every film I've made in the past five years."

"Enough said!  There is nothing left to prove.  Case dismissed."

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 March 2001

Proof Of Life is different from the very start.  The open 20 minutes introduces us to the key players.  We meet Terry Thorne (Crowe) at a debriefing following his latest successful K&R (kidnap and ransom) negotiation.  He helped bring the ransom down from $5,000,000 to a mere $750,000 and secured the safety of the captee.  In South America, Peter Bowman (Morse) and his wife Alice (Ryan) are seeing their dreams fall apart.  Peter is overseeing the construction of a dam but back in the States, the company has gone bust and he's left without a job.  Things are a little strained between the two.

Having developed the premise, the film kicks into gear.  When driving to work one morning, Peter is set upon by a terrorist group and taken hostage.  Terry Thorne is called in by the insurance company to begin negotiations but on discovering the company is uninsured he is ordered to return back to the States leaving a distressed Alice without a prayer.  Somehow though, this has become personal.  He can't leave Alice stranded and secretly returns (unknowingly to his employer) to help secure the return of Peter.

We have seen many films in the past deal with terrorism, kidnapping and ransom but this is both real and suspenseful.  Just think that it could happen to you.  As Terry explains the motives behind the kidnappers, you’ll understand how much is at stake and how if you play their game, much can be gained.  It's not a mere matter of talking them down and solving the problem within a day.  Money is all that counts and you have to find just the right amount that gets the job done within the right time frame.

The final half hour features an incredible action sequence which I won't detail.  It is well shot from a variety of camera angles and gives a full appreciation for the situation and its perils.  It's reminiscent of great war sequences we've seen before in Platoon and Apocalypse Now.

Not only is Crowe's performance one of his finest, David Caruso and Pamela Reed give great support with developed roles.  The weakest link was Meg Ryan who does little more than get weepy in a few scenes.  She doesn't stand a chance against the talent around her and can I ask the make-up crew why her hair is so perfect in every scene?  A better casting choice would have put this film up with the year's best.

Taylor Hackford (The Devil's Advocate) has crafted a powerful film that has made the most of the budget and talented crew.  It's hard to look past all the controversy surrounding the relationship breakdown between Crowe and Ryan which many believe (including the director) has contributed to a poor U.S. box-office.  On screen, they don't exactly make a sizzling pair and thankfully, the romance side of the movie is underplayed.  So, disregard what you've already heard and make sure you see Proof Of Life.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 March 2001

As Buddy's own flight gets called around 10pm, he decides to play the nice guy routine.  He offers Greg his ticket on the plane who graciously accepts.  This leaves Buddy stuck at the airport for the night and provides the excuse to head back to Mimi's room for a one night stand.

Flashing lights and loud sirens awake them both the following morning.  Flight 82, of which Greg was a passenger, crashed killing everyone on board.  After this incredible twist of fate, Buddy's life now has new meaning - he should have been on that plane and somehow, he's still alive.  It's too much to deal with and developing alcohol problems see him wind up in a drug rehabilitation clinic.

A year passes and Buddy returns to work at his advertising business.  In the back of his mind, he's always felt guilty about giving Greg that ticket and he goes in search of his wife, Abby (Paltrow), to see how she is coping with the loss.  The problem is that as Buddy meets Abby and gets to know her, he develops a mutual attraction.  Can he continue this relationship?  Can he hide the truth that he was the guy who gave her husband the ticket who took his life?

Don Roos is a gifted screenwriter whose credits include Boys On The Side and Single White Female.  He made his debut writing/directing effort in 1998's The Opposite Of Sex which is a much underrated comedy.  Making The Opposite Of Sex so special was the dialogue shared between the characters.  It wasn't a bold or original concept but everyone was realistic and funny.  Clearly, Bounce isn't an original idea either but despite Roos’ best efforts, it, like the plane, never gets off the ground.

The film begins promisingly with snazzy opening credits.  Bounce suffers in the final half-hour when it degenerates into a soppy cry-fest with every audience member known exactly what will happen in the end.  Few remember that both Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow have starred together before with both appearing in 1998's Academy Award winning Shakespeare In Love.  They make a believable couple but when the tears start flowing from the two, I couldn't help laughing at how fake it all seemed.

The reviews have been surprisingly upbeat from the States and I went with an open mind but Bounce continues the recent trend of poor romantic dramadies.  With such movies, there are only two possible outcomes - they either end up together or they don't.  Given the lesser emphasis on the ending, what makes the film is its development in the middle.  If you want to see a film that shows what I mean, see The Opposite Of Sex and save Bounce for a later date.