The World’s Fastest Indian (2005)

Here’s a movie you won’t easily find in theaters. You probably won’t see it released on DVD either, unless you specifically search for it online. Yet it’s a great, simple film that will inspire you to aim higher, and live a little larger. This flick has been going from festival to festival, and unless a big studio exec picks it up and spins it, people won’t know what they’re missing. This summer’s lacking in good entertainment, find this film and see it with your family.

The movie is about a man and his motorcycle. Sounds plain, but this simplicity keeps everything accessible and likable. There’s no plot twists and no special effects – we follow a man on his journey. Anthony Hopkins engages us from the first few minutes as an aging man who’s been tweaking his 1920s Indian motorcycle, and dreams to race it at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats. He’s a New Zealander (kiwi), and does not have a lot to his name. It doesn’t stop him from mortgaging his land and his belongings to finance the trip across the ocean, to be plunged into a completely different culture in LA, to travel by car to Utah, and compete with “the big boys” on their turf.
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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Remake films always have it tough – the audiences don’t want a different take on a familiar story; the cast and crew are either following someone else’s footsteps or are trying too hard to steer away from it. And then there’s the story itself – some movies get stale and outdated when they’re remade (what were they thinking); while others – are timeless tales, and will flourish in capable hands. This remake is such a story – it worked in early 70s with Gene Wilder, and it works just as well with Johnny Depp, no doubt benefiting from the wild imaginations of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp.

Burton’s films have a quality about them – at their worst you can just hit mute, sit back and soak up all the visuals – the sets, the costumes, the long shots, and the digital trickery. When I say “their worst” I mean “Planet of the Apes” and “Mars Attacks”. Great, entertaining films that could have used a better script and possibly better cast. Everything else Tim touches – is pretty much priceless. Not always understood, but definitely memorable. So here’s my bias, and I bet I’m not alone in this admiration. If you thought for a second that original Batman was a marvel, despite the darkness; that Edward Scissorhands was infinitely tragic despite “Avon lady” sugary tone; that “Big Fish” is a film for all fathers and sons to cherish – you will agree that Burton is a guy with a solid vision. And the fact that almost every one of his movies has a fantasy/magic theme only makes this choice of movie better. Burton is great at telling us fairy tales, especially dark ones, so why not explore the corners of Roald Dahl’s book?

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Be Cool (2005)

Not cool, but funny. Not original but sincerely trying to fill big shoes. And very entertaining if you loved the first movie (Get Shorty). I liked all the references, and in-jokes, all the while wondering what would newbies think of them. Without the first movie they lose all meaning, but if you happen to watch the two flicks back to back, the sequel works on many more levels and keeps the “Chili Palmer” universe intact. As a stand-alone – I’m afraid this movie is not cool.

I skipped this flick in theaters – something about it opening small and later closing within a couple of weeks kept me away from the big screen. Plus, what a wasted opportunity – this flick should have been released around Valentine’s Day (look at how well Hitch did, just because of the timing), instead of late March break. Who watches movies during March break? Besides, it didn’t help that many beloved characters (actors – Rene Russo, Gene Hackman, even Dennis Farino) did not show up even for a cameo.
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Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Recently it has become very difficult to go see a movie without bringing in a prefabricated bias. The scandals, the scoops, the marketing campaigns trying to capitalize on the fame of leads are becoming confusing (let alone tiresome). Although I can avoid the gossip pages, or ignore the constant attentions big stars get these days, I could not help being influenced by the Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie romance that came roaring into the media this past spring. Since I wanted to see the movie regardless of their relationship, and went into the theater anyway. I know I was ready to hate the flick, but no matter how hard I tried – I did not succeed. The movie is fun, smart, and is very sexy – almost despite all the mindless marketing that preceded it. Good for the actors, and the creative team – they managed to put together a great film and to hell with gossip rags. Kudos!

The movie reminded me of True Lies in many respects – a husband and wife lead secretive lives – and eventually are forced to open up and work together in a “bigger lie” from everyone else. That dynamic immediately creates “love-hate” possibilities, that were well done in True Lies, and are taken even further in this movie. The old “I loved you until I found out who you really are” step in a relationship is played straight, and with an unusual further development. It takes guts to push a good, reliable idea even further, and avoid the cliche.
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James Doohan (Star Trek’s Scotty) has passed away

Rest in peace, Scotty. We have grown up with you at the control panel as Ster Trek’s most memorable engineer. You may have been typecast after the three-year long run with the original series, but boy, what a character you created. When the ST universe came back in late 70s in a series of movies, and throughout the 80s and 90s (including the guest-star appearance in “Relics”, an episode of The Next Generation) you have been the highlight of any plot, and stole every scene with your burly tone and Scottish accent. Thanks for every line of dialogue, and may your journeys continue beyond this world.

The Cat In The Hat (2003)

I admit I did not see the Grinch. There weren’t too many movies in 2000 I bothered to see. But I know it had mixed reviews and those that hated it really hated it. I was hoping to see The Cat In The Hat when it was out. I wanted to when I first saw the trailer in the summer. And then of course with all the advertising and commercialism (It’s so shameless you gotta love it.) I was really tempted to see it. I thought it would be funny and interesting. Interesting, yes. Funny, that’s debatable. A good movie, far from it. If I can sum it up in one sentence, I’d say ‘blasphemous to Dr. Seuss’.

All I can say is those that still remember the book will be disappointed. If there’s one thing I give them credit for it’s giving the kids character, as well as the mother, and even adding in a story line. But as for the Cat, I have to say I’m ashamed of Mike Myers. A lot of the jokes ended up coming as either dumb or unfunny. The cat playing the pinata was one dumb scene. Plus that tennis thing near the end was dumb. The one thing of Mike’s I did like was when the Cat does his Carmen Miranda number. Plus the two things acted completely out of whack, like they were on speed.
Above all the worst thing about the humor, or attempt at it, was that it was more adult-oriented, basically jokes only adults can get. Like the cupcake maker being one example, another example being the hippie asking for Quinn’s signature on a petition. Plus a lot of jokes completely not for kids, like the mother’s photo becoming a centerfold or even the ‘dirty hoe’ scene. Plus the cat being hit in the testicles by a baseball bat. Plus that ‘fix it’ guy disguise. I felt like going up to Mike and asking “Did you forget what your core audience is supposed to be?”
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Battlestar Galactica

Battlestar Galactica is back with season two this week. Start your weekend early, and get glued to TV screen every Friday at 10pm on Sci-Fi (Space in Canada). NBC will be rerunning some of the season 1 highlights, and new episodes as well. If you’re not familiar with the show, here’s a brief story:

Battlestar Galactica is an old 70 miniseries that had a makeover in 2002 with a little TV movie. The reviews were spectacular, the people loved the new look and new arc, and so the creative team came back with a full season (actually only 14 episodes), and are now coming back with more. In the miniseries the cylons (robots, banished by people into space) come back with a vengeance. They take over communications and military and literally nuke the planet, and every ship in orbit. One old military battlestar survives – partly because it lacks the latest techno gizmos, and partly because its commander is more trusting of his officers than some computers or robots. OK, that establishes contrasting attitudes towards technology.
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War of the Worlds (2005)

Death and destruction everywhere. Steven Spielberg sheds the usual cutesy antics. The typically warm fuzzy feelings we associate with “his” aliens are gone out of the theater with the first strike of lightning. And there’s quite a lot of lightning in the movie. What you’re witnessing is an invasion. What will follow is a story of a small family, trying to survive, trying to out-run, to stay alive. Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins and Miranda Otto scream and claw their way out of imminent obliteration by aliens.

This is not your Star Trek universe with almost-communistic moral values. This is not the everyone-for-himself universe of Farscape or Andromeda – which were more brutal but still offered regular comic relief and self-parody. This is not “Mars Attacks” – with green, bug-eyes short little creatures running around and zapping everything in their path. Well, the zapping is still there, but it’s done by huge, screaming machines, and it’s done in a more malevolent way. At some point a character in the movie says “this is not a war, this is extermination”. Precisely. Hence the name – War of the Worlds. It’s massive and overwhelming right from the start.
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Rescue Me Premiere (FX)

FX network is bringing back one of its best shows of 2004. Dennis Leary has been trying to get a regular TV gig for quite some time. This time, I think he’s here to stay. A brutally honest, in-your-face drama about NYC firefighters in a post-9/11 world, where being a public hero is a weight not everyone can bear. Personal demons, workplace conflicts, and family complications make this job an needed escape, even though the job itself entails facing death every day.

This show came out of nowhere in 2004, got a couple of reruns on FX later in the fall (it only had 12 episodes), and finally was picked up for a second season. It’s very similar to Leary’s last project – “The Job”, which ironically, lasted for two seasons at ABC. Remember those golden ABC days when every show was given a matter of weeks before it was dumped into trash? Well, even though Leary lasted two seasons, I guess it was not to be at a squeaky-clean network. “The Job” was about the harsh realities of NY cops – dealing with dysfunctional families, walking the line of crime world, facing death, and escaping into work, even if it could be your last day. Sounds familiar?
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Batman Begins (2005)

The franchise that was successfully squandered by a well known director (see Joel Schumacher) gets a well-deserved reboot in this origin story. Directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia), and written by David S. Goyer (Blade, Dark City), this film is a prequel that sets up all adventures to come. Darker, more violent, even scarier than any of Tim Burton’s noble early films, Batman Begins is a return to stylish, sensible comic-book adaptations. No flash, no rubber nipples, no awful one-lines (anyone remembers Mr. Freeze?)

Usually I review movies and point out the inconsistencies, flaws and downright insults that some of today’s films fling in their audience’s faces. This time, I’m afraid it’s going to be all praise. No, I’m not schilling for a studio (unlike many movie reviewers online these days). I have seen the film, will see it again, and would recommend people to go and see it. And guess what – in a few months when it comes out on DVD, I will snap a few copies – for myself, and a few like-minded people. The movie is great – by itself, and as a reboot of a once-popular franchise. It works for people who are just looking for an action flick, and it also satisfies die-hard fans who have the comic-books memorized start to finish.
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