Park City's Flick Chick by Jill Adler
March 2005 - Lastest Movie Reviews in a Nutshell
Be Cool
Film Rating: R
I
must be the biggest loser in the West. I never saw Get Shorty;
and I won’t be able to compare Be Cool to the 1995 sleeper
hit that revitalized John Travolta’s sleeping career. But
that seems like a good thing. Apparently critics who loved the
former, hate this sequel. Not me. Loooved Be Cool. It had me howling
and shaking my head at the absurdly fun/obnoxious take on the
music biz. Vince Vaughn as Raji, a whiney Los Angeles record manager,
steals every scene as he desperately (and hysterically) tries
to Be Cool…and black. “C’mon, twinkle, twinkle,
baby,” he spews as he gestures in power fists and chest
pounds. Sin (Cedric the Entertainer), on the other hand, is black
but acts white – except when the Wharton-schooled music
producer hangs with his rap group that drives Hummers and stuffs
guns in the waistband of their exposed boxers. Both parties (as
well as the Feds and Russian Mafia) are after ultra-smooth Chili
Palmer (John Travolta) who uses his Mob background to steal a
singer (Christina Milian) from Raji and turn her into a star.
The weakest links are Travolta and Uma Thurman (as Edie, the head
of a sinking record label). Even the Pulp Fiction tango de je
vous feels misplaced. Engaging plot twists and witty dialog make
up for their lack of talent and chemistry.
Sideways
Film Rating: R
I
can see the pitch to the studio execs: it’s a road-trip
buddy movie about wine-tasting where grapes and wine are metaphors
for relationships! Sold. Miles (Paul Giamatti), a wannabe novelist
whose closet expertise in wine hides his borderline alcoholism,
drags his college buddy Jack (Thomas Haden Church), on a joyride
through wine country the week before Jack’s wedding. Once
again, Giamatti plays the classic depressed loser but this time
you feel for the guy. He plays his pain with touching sweetness.
Jack is an ass but a likeable one and Miles’ love interest
(played by Virginia Madsen) introduces a tenderness to this tale
that would have been sorely missed. This quirky, often hysterically
funny, Indie should be getting some Oscar nods. If nothing else,
you’ll love the crash course in wine appreciation you get
along the way. Keep your eyes peeled for more flicks by Alexander
Payne (Election, About Schmidt); he’s onto something.
Finding Neverland
Film Rating: PG
Though
nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best
Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing and Best
Writing (Adapted Screenplay), the only Oscar FN took home was
one for Best Music (Score). But that doesn’t mean this simple
tale about the whimsical creator of Peter Pan isn’t worth
watching. Bring the hankies, Ladies, for this Monet-like re-creation
of a time in the life of J. M. Barrie, played coyly by Jonny Depp.
(Yummy). Barrie can’t seem to get it right both in his plays
and his marriage. Then one day he meets a widow (Kate Winslet)
and her four boys. As he hooks on her family, he finds the spirit
and passion he lost and, in the process, helps Peter, the youngest,
to discover an imagination (eat your heart out Haley Joel Osment,
Freddie Highmore steals every scene). Oh yeah, and he writes a
classic play about the never-ending quest for youth and innocence.
Guys might be a bit bored with this one but chicks will dig it.
Kinsey
Film Rating: R
Laura
Linney lost out to Cate Blanchett for the Best Actress in a Supporting
Role Oscar but don’t you lose out and miss a second chance
to see Kinsey. It’s the 1940s and people believe that oral
sex leads to infertility. They also believe that women don’t
cheat, all men are heterosexual and there’s only one way
to “do it.” Alfred Kinsey (Liam Neeson) proved them
wrong, Thank God. Based on the true story of the Indiana University
biology professor whose 1949 book, Sexual Behavior in the Human
Male, revolutionized how America thinks about sex, Kinsey is riveting
and exceptionally acted, with kudos to Linney as Kinsey’s
wife and eternal supporter. Perhaps intentionally, the film creates
a detached, analytical portrait of a man who broke sex and love
down to a science. However, the flick’s timing is perfect.
No funding for high schools unless they only teach abstinence
in sex ed? What the hell is ugthat about? Neo-Puritanism is alive
and well all around us and Kinsey’s reports, whether 100
percent accurate, ought to be revisited.
