Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 22 June 2000

In this tradition of The Phantom Menace, this episode is a prequel to the original.  We are introduced to Fred and Barney as a little green alien named Gazoo comes down from outer space.  Remember him?  Fred and Barney of course can only see Gazoo and his mission is to observe the human mating ritual.

This isn’t quite so easy for Gazoo because Fred and Barney are not married and have no girlfriends.  That is until they come across two lovely ladies, Wilma and Betty, at the local fast food joint, the Bronto King.  As the story progresses, we find Wilma’s family is quite wealthy and her family has plans on her marrying wealthy casino owner, Chip Rockefeller.  Fred has other ideas...

Sure it’s not designed to be a critics' favourite and it does rehash jokes from the original but it’s still fun to go back into the fictional world of Bedrock.  The set decoration from Jan Pascale is fantastic and it’s worth keeping your eyes pealed in every scene for tiny details that make the world seem all the more like the one from the TV series.

Mark Addy was a surprising choice as Fred but does a good job and his voice especially brings Fred to life.  Stephen Baldwin and Kristen Johnston were perhaps miscast but Jane Krakowski was a good selection as Betty Rubble.  It was also pleasant to see a funny supporting cast including Thomas Gibson, Joan Collins and especially Alan Cumming, who plays both Gazoo and rock star, Mick Jagged.

It’s kept simple and is a great selection for the kids these school holidays.  It won’t have the same draw for adults but frankly, it’s a lot more entertaining then some other “comedy” films that have been released in recent months.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 June 2000

We start off meeting Al (Prinze Jr) and Imogen (Stiles) in the future and we have nothing but flashbacks into the past as the pieces of the story fit together.  They meet, they fall in love, everything is perfect.  Then things change, they drift apart, Imogen moves away and both succumb to depression.  What happens next?  Provided you have a double-digit IQ, you’ll know.

These characters are nothing but cardboard cutouts.  They have no “human” qualities and are nothing but rich, spoilt brats.  Prinze Jr and Stiles are terrifyingly boring together and the entertainment (if any) comes from the supporting cast with notable entrances from Monk (Zak Orth) and Eddie (Shawn Hatosy).

One observation.  The couple first meet and share a romantic moment in Central Park.  Why are movies filled with so many clichés?  In Mission: Impossible 2, they continually showed the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and Centrepoint Tower.  Directors continually use the same backdrops and icons in every film these days and it is tiring.  To use another example, how many movies have you seen set in France that doesn’t feature at least one shot of the Eiffel Tower?

If all this were true, the first place I’d be heading to in New York would be Central Park.  Surely I’d meet my true love in the most romantic circumstance and maybe even see a couple of wild police chases.  Apparently, everything that happens in New York happens around Central Park.

The teen-romantic genre is in dire need of a facelift and I can’t believe that Miramax would attach their names to this project.  It was obviously designed as a cheap money-spinner but was a major disappointment at the U.S. box-office.  Finally, the public have spoken.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 June 2000

This is the story of three days in Frank’s life on the road to redemption.  The kickstart to his depression came several months ago when on the job, he failed to save the life of a young lady.  He still hears her voice everyday and his madness continues as her forgiveness is sought.

Martin Scorsese (Kundun, Casino, Goodfellas, Taxi Driver) has a high reputation that must be very difficult to live up to.  The look of New York City he creates through the camera lens is dark and joyless and yet so absorbing at the same time.  It’s funny that in the space of two weeks we’ve seen two very different impressions of New York, in both Bringing Out The Dead and Keeping The Faith, that both work in their own ways.

Nicolas Cage relies heavily on his experiences from filming Leaving Las Vegas, a masterpiece released in 1996.  His performance in this role is mundane in that it resembles everything we’ve seen before from Cage (in film’s such as Vegas and 8MM).  In hindsight, he did play the character well but perhaps a different actor could provide a needed freshness.

With the exception of Patricia Arquette, who was nothing but a bore, the supporting cast came through with all the film’s lightest and finest moments.  John Goodman, Tom Sizemore, Cliff Curtis and Afemo Omilami as Griss are hilarious as they interplay with Cage.

Bringing Out The Dead is a complicated film with a complicated significance.  As funny as some of these situations are, there’s an underlying message that shows just how miserable the world has become.  It’s a tough life as an ambulance attendant and it’s a part of life that has rarely been explored on screen.  As I drove home from this film, an ambulance came flashing past me on the opposite side of the road at half speed.  For once I didn’t think who was in the back of that ambulance but rather who was driving it.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 08 June 2000

George is content in England - he his proud of his religious heritage, owns a small fish and chip shop and is a respected member of the community.  Trouble brews however when he sets up another two of his sons for an arranged marriage without consultation and the two brides-to-be are not exactly what you call “beauties”.

Ella wants no part of this but George is very determined and wants his children to marry within their religion in tradition with his ancestors.  It’s a ticking timebomb and when the two sons find out, the family disintegrates.

Winner of the British Academy Award for best British film of 1999, East Is East is a supreme mix of drama and comedy that hits all the right notes.  It begins as a riotous comedy but as the film develops, a darker layer is revealed (ala American Beauty).

Puri and Bassett turn in two of the best performances seen all year.  Puri is wonderful with his Pakistani accent and must set a cinematic record for the number of uses of the word “bloody”.  Bassett, with similarities to Brenda Bleythn’s character in Secrets and Lies, plays the quiet wife who you just know will break out of her shell and stand up to her husband.

Adapted from a play written by Ayub Khan-Din, the screen version of East is East is a touching production that is deserved of the critical acclaim it has been receiving.  Breaking fresh ground, it’s a change from the tiring, similar screenplays that have been circulating the cinemas in recent weeks.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 15 June 2000

Dinosaur (from Walt Disney, of course) again uses wonderful animation but cannot be compared to the above examples because of a poor screenplay.  Five screenwriters are credited and that’s a sure sign of script problems.

It is the story of a dinosaur named Aladar whose egg winds up under the care of a family of monkeys who raise and care for him.  When a meteor shower strikes the Earth wiping out most of the vegetation, Aladar and the monkeys set off to find a new place to live.  They meet a race of dinosaur who are on a journey to a secret breeding ground when fresh plants and water are in abundance.  It will take many days of travel across the desert to get there and the presences of vicious carnivores will make the journey a hazardous one.

Leading the pack of dinosaurs is Kron, a strict leader.  When Aladar arrives trying to help their cause, Kron finds his authority threatened and the success of the journey jeopardised.  Things are further complicated when Aladar falls for Kron’s sister, Neera.

Walt Disney is usually responsible for creating such wonderful stories for their films which capture the heart of both kids and adults (ala Toy Story 2).  Dinosaur is boring for the parents and boring for the kids who will be easily distracted.

Several of the dinosaurs look the same and given their obscure names, identifying one from the other is unnecessarily difficult.  James Newton Howard provides the film score for Dinosaur that overrides many patches of dialogue further frustrating the viewing experience.  Even more bizarre is the film’s length - 82 minutes, which includes both a lengthy opening sequence and closing credits.  You only just get the kids settled and have the story develop before it’s all over.

The voice list includes D. B. Sweeney, Julianna Margulies, Joan Plowright, Ossie Davis, Max Casella and Alfre Woodard.  Not big names by Hollywood standards but they do breathe a little life into these otherwise dull characters.

A high standard has been set with animation and it’s had a pretty good ride.  Dinosaur will fail to meet the successes of previous animations and a sharper story will need to be considered before we see Disney’s next entry (which will probably be due around this time next year).