Reviews

Well if you're a fan of the irrepressable Ali G and you go along with a whole bunch of immature people (like I did) you're bound to love this movie. It's completely sick (worse than American Pie or Scary Movie) and it's no holds-barred but if you're looking for a lotta laughs and you don't mind sex jokes and toilet humour (and lots of it) then I definitely recommend Ali G Indahouse. Never mind that the plot is paper-thin, just sit back and gross yourself out!

R&B Crooner Tyrese takes a stab at acting in this realistic film about 'Baby Boy' . He thinks he's a man... he's got 2 kids. But really, he's just a baby who doesn't want to leave the cosy confines of his momma's house. There's no actual real plot-line to this movie, it's basically just an excerpt from Baby Boy's life - detailing his relationships with his mother, his kids, his kid's mothers and his mother's new man. Rapper Snoop Dogg also appears in this, as a rather nasty-lookin ex-boyfriend of Tyrese's woman. Fine directing, strong acting, a good metaphorical element about him being in the womb and sly humour make Baby Boy a good watch... although those sexually inhibited might find this a bit strong!

Cameron Diaz, Christina Applegate and Selma Blair play Christina, Courtney and Jane - 3 friends - in a film about trying to find the sweetest thing in a man. The movie kicks off with a collage of guys that Christina has dated in the past. From there we see Jane sobbing after being dumped by her boyfriend. That's when Christina demands that they go dancing. This is where Christina finds her potentional 'one and only', but he leaves too early for them to really get to know eachother. This leads Christina and Courtney on an absolutely hilarious journey to attend One & Only's brother's wedding. To avoid giving away the whole story, I'll stop reciting the plot line but I will say that this film is both charming and funny (even if it is quite short) and each of the lead actresses share great chemistry in one of the greatest female trio teamings since, well Charlie's Angels!

Natasha Lyonne (American Pie 1 & 2, The Slums Of Beverly Hills) is absolutely hilarious in this bittersweet comedy/drama about a cheerleader, who, at the advice of friends and family is sent to True Directions - a camp aimed at reforming gays and lesbians "back" into heterosexuals. Bizzare as it sounds, Lyonne pulls off her eccentric character brilliantly and co-star Clea Duvall (as the butch Graham) is also perfectly cast. There is quite a bit of same-sex kissing, but for guys, it's not that hot girl-on-girl stuff you'd expect as the two involved (Lyonne and Duvall) are not what you would probably call "hot". Then there's also the 2 guys as well which was almost too much for me! But as a film, it's funny and sensitive.

One of the biggest films of 2002 is of course, Men In Black II - the super-cool sequel to the 1997 sci-fi original starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. With a mysterious alien creature on Earth trying to find 'The Light' which could destroy Earth as we know it, Agent K (Smith) must find Agent J (Jones) and get his memory back, for he might be the only one who knows where The Light is hidden. One of the good things about MIIB is Rosario Dawson - a key witness to an alien attack - fresh from such flops as Josie & The Pussycats and Down To You, this is bound to kick-start her career. OK, it's not the most sophisticated of storylines and you won't come out of the movie feeling any smarter for having seen it, but at least, while you're in the movie theatre, it's an exhilirating rollercoaster ride filled with blinding special FX and a humourous cast with plenty of jokes. I wouldn't say it was either better or worse than the first one, but both are solid sci-fi action comedies to enjoy on the big screen.

The second movie in Kevin Smith's 5 film View Askewniverse series is Mallrats - a charming comedy about two losers, who, after being dumped by their girlfriends decide to spend a day at the mall. - and try and win their girls back. Jason Lee and Jeremy London play the dumped-and-depressed duo of ex-boyfriends who both succeed in bringing to life the characters of . Shannen Doherty and Claire Forlani - the two ex-girlfriends also perform well here. It's been said - not just by critics and fans, but by Kevin Smith himself, that Mallrats is a bad movie - and by far the worst of his 5. Personally, I rate this 3rd... with Dogma in front, and Chasing Amy last - I found this movie to be funny, charming and completely entertaining. Ben Affleck's character was also funny to watch. Jay & Silent Bob appear to add the cartoon comedy flavour, while Stan Lee cameos in an hilarious performance of himself.

I liked the script and the way that the movie was paced, although at times seemed like the scenes were stretched further than they should be. The sets were good and the lighting and cinematography is good also. I don't really have any major gripes about this film, it's just that, there are better movies in Kevin Smith's series.

The only reason I bothered to even watch this movie was because of the cast. I'm not big fan of teen romance-comedies, but this movie at least had Jason Biggs (American Pie), Claire Forlani (Mallrats) and R&B diva Monica. Well just my luck. Monica has a 3-line role, Jason Biggs has never been more annoying and Claire always seemed either dull, or dull but smiley. And Freddie Prinze Jnr in another one of these below-average teen flicks - no thanks. The plot basis was passable but the characters were unengaging, whiny and completely one-dimensional.

Yet another Freddie Prinze Jnr-lead teen romance comedy about two college students, Alec (Prinze Jnr) and Imogen (Julia Stiles, Save The Last Dance) who fall in love, and experience the highs and lows of being in a serious relationship. The good stuff: Unique and refreshing editing, Julia Stiles. The bad stuff: Freddie Prinze Jnr... he's a very ordinary actor, the plot... 100% unoriginal and not very engaging. Overall, I wouldn't say this is a bad movie, but it's not 'good' in any sense of the term and is ultimately completely forgettable.

The rules of politics are thrown out the window as Tracey Flick (Reese Witherspoon) will do just about anything to become class president. Just her luck then, that she has a teacher - Mr. MacAllistar (Matthew Broderick) who holds a major grudge against her plus the other two running - one a nice but dim-witted jock (Chris Klein), the other a revenge-seeking lesbian (Jessica Campbell) are both hoping to win the election.

It's delightfully sick and twisted - but in a good way. A comedy of the black kind, with great editing - each of the main characters gets their chance to narrate, giving us an insight into the characters and making them more than just made-up people on a screen) and the acting is brilliant. Witherspoon's Tracey is award-winning. She's obsessive, cute, a bit neurotic and Reese does all of this - and moore - with seeming ease. Broderick, Klein (American Pie) and Campbell are also perfectly cast. All in all, this is a very good film that puts a completely different spin of 'teen high-school flick'.

Slapstick British 'guy flick' about 2 losers who fly to the party island of Ibiza to become the World's Best DJ's and - also - to lose their virginity. Fans of sick comedy 'South Park' will no doubt love the uninspired toilet humour - including very graphic human faeces-eating and zit-popping scenes - and you've gotta admit - this film knows no bounds! Kevin (Harry Enfield) and Perry (Gimme Gimme Gimme's hilarious Kathy Burke - and yes, it is a woman) are absolutely hilarious in their title roles and whilst the movie is nothing but trash and fart jokes on a film reel, it will no doubt provoke reactions you weren't prepared to give! Most guys will like this (not being sexist, but only a handful of women could (or would!) sit through this without squinting and squirming at least once).

The Marvel Comic phenomenon finally crawls onto the silver screen in the big screen adaption of a cult classic superhero who, after being bitten by a genetically-enhanced new breed of spider, finds himself with arachno-mutant abilities! Set in high-school, high-school aged Peter Parker (played by Pleasantville's Tobey Maguire) is having enough troubles in his life - his Uncle Ben is killed and he lusts after Mary Jane Watson (Dick's Kirsten Dunst) - without having to save the citizens of his city! But a mysterious Green Goblin explodes onto the screen - ahem - scene to rain on Spidey's parade by destroying anything and anybody that gets in his way!

To be honest, I wasn't even going to bother with the big-screen experience of this film simply because Spider-Man was never a favourite superhero of mine (I liked the Batman phenomena much more!) but I'm glad I did! The visual effects are nothing but spectacular - each shot of Spiderman swinging from building to building from his silk-web-rope stuff is superbly choreographed and executed. The fight sequences and stunts are amazing to watch, while the hopeless romantics who view this will love the storyline between Parker, Mary Jane, Harry and Spider-Man. Also, the scenes in which Peter is trying out his new-found powers are extremely charming and funny.

Now, onto the performances. The not-so-obvious casting of Tobey Maguire in the lead role was an inspired idea. The fact that he's not a conventional Hollywood leading man works to his advantage. Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn/Green Goblin is great both in and out of costume while his son Harry, played by Freaks And Geeks star James Franco is good as Peter's best friend, although his character is a little stereotypical. Kirsten Dunst (who is just getting better and better) is wonderful as Spidey's love interest Mary Jane, despite the fact that for the 2 hours the film runs for we see her have strong feelings for a milestone four guys (OK, so 2 are the same person, but she didn't know this!). The charismatic high-school couple share great chemistry and hot up the screen in a particularly memorable scene where he rescues her from 5 thugs in the pouring rain.

Overall, this is a truly inspired comic-book to silver screen movie. Not since the first two Batman movies has a superhero film come as close to perfection as this (although admittedly, X-Men wasn't far off!). No doubt there is a sequel already planned and scripted - but that's definetely OK by me! 8.5/10.

Michael Douglas stars in this engaging thriller as Dr Norman Conrad, a psychiatrist who's daughter is kidnapped by a group of men desperate to find a pricy 10 million dollar jewel. In exchange for his daughter's return, Norman must find a six-digit code locked away in the complicated psyche of one of his more troubled patients (played by Brittany Murphy, in a role that couldn't have been ANY less 'Clueless').

Sean Bean stars as kidnap leader Patrick Koster, while X-Men's Famke Jansen is Norman's physically-challenged wife, Aggie. Spin City's Jennifer Esposito is great as Detective Sandra Cassidy, while Oliver Platt is also good. Michael Douglas does a strong and steady job, but it's Brittany Murphy as Elisabeth Burrows who is the most brilliant in this film. Her haunting venaqular and jarring movements will linger in your mind long after the credits roll.

The suspense is edge-of-your-seat genius and the plot, setting and storyline are all well-planned and extremely well executed. One of the few thrillers lately that have been genuinely scary. Open your mouth and tell everyone (to) don't say a word. 8/10

When Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristin Stewart) move into a new house, they find their lives in danger on the very first night as 3 burglars break in, attempting to steal a large sum of money hidden in the houses' main selling point, the Panic Room. Of course, as soon as Meg sees the robbers, she grabs her kid and the 2 lock themselves inside the panic room. The robbers try just about everything to try and coax the two out of hiding.

Of course, luck would have it, that the phone line inside the Panic Room has been disconnected and even after Ms Foster bravely exits the room to grab her cellphone they find that there is no reception. Even later we find out that the girl is a diabetic and her insulin level is dropping faster than Oprah would should she be jumping off a diving board. The robbers now enter the panic room with the girl still trapped inside and the mother just manages to throw her insulin injections into the room before the robbers close the door.

It all comes down to an edge-of-your-seat climax as the courageous mother fights for her daughter's life and all hell breaks loose. Jodie Foster is brilliant as the mother and Forest Whittaker and Jared Leto play their stereotypical bad guy characters well. The suspense is built up nicely throughout the film and overall, is a great thriller worth seeing more than once. Even the opening credits are interesting!

Fresh from the romantic comedy 'The Wedding Planner', Latin superstar Jennifer Lopez took on a completely different character in this, 'Angel Eyes'. After saving a man's life (it is part of her job, being a cop and all!) he begins to watch over her - much like a Guardian Angel would - and even rescues her from being shot. In between trying to sort out her many family problems, Sharon Progue (J.Lo) and her 'angel eyes' Catch (Jim Cavaziel) end up falling for eachother. The acting is very good. All those who have doubted the sexy singer's acting ability can breathe a sigh of relief - Ms. Lopez (or should that be Mrs. Judd?!) proves that she CAN act. Jim however, seems too distant to be her love interest, and overall, although compelling, Angel Eyes wasn't the part-thriller, part-romance I thought it was. nearly-6/10.

I felt ripped off. With Pras Michel and Ja Rule ringleading this Glitter-turned-rap film, I thought it would real cool. How naive am I? Although none of the actors were terrible (although Ja could do with a few acting lessons... given that its his first time I'll forgive him, but he should stick to what he does best) they're not good either. Pras and his lady-friend are about the ONLY people among the masses that look as though they know what they're doing. Also, what the hell is up with everybody you ever get to see in the film (minus a select few) being killed? And then having an ending that's supposed to envoke sad emotions - you don't feel bad for the people because you didn't care about them in the first place! In conclusion, if you don't like violence or continued use of the word 'n***a' then don't Turn It Up, turn it off! It's no wonder this thing didn't make any money - it grossed less than 1.5 million! 2/10

Slick, stylistic good cop/bad cop story where Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke, 'Gattaca') must prove to Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington, who deservedly earned the Best Actor Oscar for this) that he has what it takes to become a narcotics officer - in a very shady part of town. He's got just one day. Training Day. As the two embark on a 24 hour rollercoaster ride through the rough streets, they will avoid death time and time again; bust, break and take down numerous 'bad guys'; steal money; kill somebody; and stab you in the back... and twist the knife.

The Hawke/Washington pairing is well selected - the unlikely duo share great chemistry and bounce off eachother covincingly (despite half of Denzel's lines being ad-libbed). Their performances are extremely strong, as are 'Collateral Damage' terrorist Cliff Curtis and also recording superstars Macy Gray, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. This movie never drags along at a slow pace - it's fast, furious and ultimately viewer-hooking with a believable storyline, plot and characters. The DVD also features an alternate ending - so for all of you out there who were disappointed at the climax (I'm not one of them) you can take comfort in the extra scenes. An inevitable sequel is probably being planned already - and that's more than O.K. by me!

Chemistry so hot that they ignite the screen. Too bad it didn't ignite the Box Office, but Out Of Sight is one movie both George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez can feel damn proud of. Maybe it's the fact that George's criminal character is *actually* funny and multi-dimensional. Maybe it's the fact that the storyline actually has a story to it - and an interesting one at that. Hell - maybe it's just that J.Lo walks around in skimpy outfits - curves flaunted - and likes to kick butt. After much consideration, I must concur: it's equal parts to all 3.

Strong performances by Clooney (Jack) and Lopez (Karen), as well as George's Ocean's 11 co-star Don Cheadle. Witty script and likeable characters with a satisfying and plot-twisting ending. What more can you want? Did I hear you say Jennifer Lopez naked? Yeah well, you won't get that here... but it's good all the same!

It's incredibly hard to view 'Glitter' objectively given the facts that it was a huge Box Office bomb and that also the leading lady who was supposed to prove she was not only a singer but a an actor too, despite being mentally ill at it's release. Now I'm not saying that this review is completely un-biased, after all, I'd been brought up on a healthy diet of Mariah Carey, but I did rent this movie a few weeks ago (it being not released to cinema) due to pure curiosity.

The multi-octave song-bird's film vehicle (originally titled 'All That Glitters... a much better name I think) opens with in the early 1960's, in an all-black bar with a woman (Valarie Pettiford) singing a jazz/blues number before introducing her young daughter, Billie Frank (Isobel Gomes), to the semi-interested audience and the two launch into a duet which wows the crowd. Cut to the next few shots where Billie's mother tries to get money from Billie's father, before giving her up to an adoption agency.

Fast-foward to the bright and bouncy 1980's where all-grown-up Billie (the aforementioned Carey) is dancing in a club with her two best friends Louise and Roxy (Da Brat and Tia Texada), who are soon offered as back-up singing gig for no-talent, good-looking up-and-comer Sylk. Needing the money, the 3 take the job, and the producer finds Mariah's... er... Billie's voice completely spellbinding - and chooses to use her voice instead of the God-awful voice that the main singer is belting out.

A recording of a song entitled "All My Life" is handed to a Club DJ - DJ Dice to be exact (British actor Max Beesley who puts on a 'wigga' accent - sometimes really good, other times really bad) who plays it and instantly falls in love with the vocals. Upon discovering that the vocal used is in fact Billie's he instantly wants to be her producer (of course her beautiful looks have nothing to do with it!). So, makes a deal with her old producer Timothy (Terrence Howard) to take the gorgeous Billie and her back-up singing, loud-mouthed friends and take them under his wing - for the reasonable (!) price of ONLY $100,000! So the Dice & Billie end up becoming good friends and record a song, "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On", and it is played for music executives, and before you can change the butt groove in your seat, Billie is signed to a major record label.

Of course, the road to musical superstardom is not an easy one and Billie has several troubles - the video director for her first single "Loverboy" wants her to parade around in nothing but a piece of string (Billie minds, Mariah wouldn't) and there's also the little problem of her undeniable attraction to Dice. The two become an item and she even moves into Dice's modern, typically New York apartment. Billie's first single unsurprisingly tops the U.S. chart - for ten weeks, at which point the record company are eager to release her first album which they want full control over - p***ing off both Billie and Dice.

Our star-crossed 80's lovers start fighting as her career begins to blossom. She's invited to all the right parties and invited to guest on all the right talk shows - a dream she's had for many years, but amist all of the amazing goings-on, her two best friends are seeing less and less of her and Dice is becoming a drag - she even has to bail him out of jail before an appearance on a show. The two have a massive fight, leading Billie to move out (and Girl Power-ly slap his face). Her attempts at tracking down her addicted biological mother fail as the adoption agency have lost contact with her. Also during this time, she records a single with pop singer Rafael (Halle Berry's musician hubby Eric Benét). The duet, titled "Want You" is another number one for Billie, and her biggest dream is about to come true - she's about to play at Madison Square Garden.

The day of the concert arrives and Billie returns to Dice's apartment to find him not there. Unfortunately Billie's day won't exactly go as planned - it seems, achieving your dreams sometimes means that you'll lose the ones you love. And with that, I won't go into the final minutes' in detail, but I'll just say that is very emotional.

So that's the story, but were the performances any good? Well yes and no. Mariah Carey (although despite what you've no doubt heard) is a promising actress. Her acting isn't brilliant (yet) - there are times when you feel she goes overboard (especially in the emotional bits). I've found that her most convincing scenes (and therefore best ones) are where she gets angry. Her stereotypical best friends are good too and add a needed comical element. Beesley as DJ Dice is good, although he sometimes seems very fake. Anyone else worth noticing is probably OK.

The soundtrack is brilliant. Carey's 9th studio album is a pop/r&b LP with great recordings. From the pumping 80's tracks (Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, Didn't Mean To Turn You On, All My Life) to the gorgeous Mariah-like ballads (Lead The Way, Reflections and especially Never Too Far) plus the Eric duet 'Want You' and the Ja Rule infected 'If We' - it's just as good as her previous efforts.

Overall, 'Glitter' IS a film that the troubled songbird should be proud of. It is a drama, though - and watch that, don't think it'll be laugh-a-minute. It's emotional, passionate and with Carey in the lead - it's one rollercoaster ride you'll like at the time and will leave you wanting more. Recommended definetely... Go Mariah!

I had been waiting for this movie for so long that when it finally came out, I went on the opening night! Basically it's the 'Scary Movie' for all the teen films that have plagued the cinema for the last 20 years. Movies like 'She's All That', 'The Breakfast Club', 'Can't Hardly Wait', 'Cruel Intentions' and 'Never Been Kissed' are mimicked - and mocked - to complete hilarity. Some of the humor is blindingly obvious and way-too-stupid and gross, but this is what makes it funny. Chyler Leigh (That 80's Show), Chris Evans, Lacey Chabert (Party Of Five) and Deon Richmond (Scream 3) are the most memorable characters, plus the sexy foreign exchange who prances around the set in nothing more than her smirk. Plenty of great scenes - too many to mention - and if you watch it with your immature mates then you'll no doubt have one hell of a time! 8/10

After the phenomenal success of Bruce Willis' partnership with a young boy, Disney came up with an idea of teaming the Hollywood superstar with a new talent - the lispy Spencer Breslin - as his younger self. But this isn't a supernatural thriller like the awesome 'Sixth Sense' was, this is a family comedy. Unfortunately, there's too much family and not enough comedy. Although Breslin's attempts at mirroring Willis are very good for someone his age, and that also Willis is good too, these 2 things aren't enough for me to really like this film. One for the youngsters - but even they could get confused by the time-lapsing conclusion. 4/10

OK I wasn't expecting much. But couldn't they have given me *anything?* I did enjoy the first film - it had plenty of action, a good-working whodunnit, lots of humour and a very-cool conclusion sequence. What more could you want in a horror film? Although this film isn't all bad - the first REAL killing is wicked - I can only assume the creators who neglected this sequel took most of the storyline, good acting and urban legends with them.

NO scary moments. NO budget. No murders. No fun!

First there was Ace Ventura. Then there was Billy Madison... then Happy Gilmore... Austin Powers. And now, here comes the next main-character-named-comedy-feature starring MTV's Chris Kattan as the ever-smiling, constantly happy Corky Romano! A trainee vet that can barely administor two braincells must go undercover as an FBI agent to retrieve and destory a casefile that the FBI have made against his shady father!

Although it was critically panned right from the opening credits (which themselves are amusing anyway), Corky Romano features the normal slapstick humour one would expect to see in a Jim Carrey film. Granted, Jim Carrey is undeniably more talented and effective in his roles, but Chris Kattan shows promise as a physical comic. The situations are also pretty mediocre and unoriginal, but if you're in the right mood and viewing it with the right people, it's still funny and very watchable.

It made more than double it's production cost in U.S. grossings alone, so you need not worry about not seeing Kattan on the big screen again (a sequel is probably already in the works), and if you take along a bunch of immature friends you're bound to have a good (not great) time! 5.5/10

Flashy fictional disco piece about Shane O'Shea (Ryan Phillippe) who heads to New York and finds himself with a bartending job at the (non-fictional) infamous Studio 54 club. Phillippe's take as Shane is passable, as are supporting roles from Salma Hayeck, Breckin Meyer, Heather Matarazzo and Neve Campbell (how many seconds *was* she on for?), but by far the most memorable performance is from Mike Myers. A far cry from his Austin Powers persona, Myers plays the (real-life) gay owner of the club.

The movie does a good job of capturing the club's no-holds-barred feel and the set is very impressive, but it just seems like the producers could have come up with something more - after all, Studio 54 is the most famous and mysterious club of all time!

A young seventeen year old sets out to become the next BIG thing (um yeah, that was me being funny again...). Mark Wahlberg (The Big Hit, Planet of the Apes) plays Eddie Adams a.k.a Dirk Diggler who longs to be famous in the late 1970's. His wish comes true when a top-class porn-film director discovers the young talent with the 13-inch penis and before long, Dirk becomes the lead in many adult-orientated films.

Wahlberg throws in a performance worthy of a Golden Globe nomination - he's a charismatic lead that can hold humour and tragedy with one hand, and is backed up by awesome performances by Julianne Moore (The Lost Word, Hannibal), William H. Macy, Burt Reynolds, John C. Rielly (Never Been Kissed) and Dan Cheadle (Ocean's Eleven). One of the more memorable characters is that of Rollergirl, portrayed by the uninhibited and highly under-rated Heather Graham.

As the film progresses, you get caught up in all the characters and wonder how each one will end up (at 2½ hours there's definetely enough time to change your mind). The club scenes where Wahlberg, Moore and Graham get down with their bad selves and "boogie" are particularly entertaining, and whether you like porn or not (there's plenty of it here) there is something undeniably attracting about "Boogie Nights" - something even the most prudish can't deny. 9/10