Betty Elms is a wide – eyed optimistic actress who arrives in Los Angeles looking for stardom on the big screen. She manages to stay at her famous actress aunt’s house and discovers a beautiful woman (The gorgeous Laura Elena Harring) who was in a car accident after an attempted murder. Together, the two will form a bond and attempt to unravel her identity, but… is everything in this tale as it seems, or is it simply a facade for the real story at hand? I must admit, upon first viewing I was ready to mercilessly bash this film left and right like a punching bag, but then I realized that this movie has not only left an impression on me but I’ve had so much fun trying to solve this confusing enigma of a tale that I’ve grown rather fond of it. I really like this film.
Tag Archives: Crime
The Bourne Identity (2002)
This is a long sweet breath of fresh air in the action genre, a genre I’m admittedly very tired of, and I welcomed this change of pace with an action film that has an actual plot. Adapted from the hit book by acclaimed author Robert Ludlum, this is an exciting and excellent spy-thriller starring the versatile Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, the amnesiac spy who must fight his way through CIA operatives, assassins, and French police. Until now, he’d usually done acclaimed dramas, but I must say that Damon handles this role very well.
Osmosis Jones (2001)
In the movie, Frank (Bill Murray Stripes, Caddyshack) is a mega-slob who really doesn’t care how he lives, but there lies a world in that greasy oily body of his. When he eats a hard-boiled egg that dropped on the floor, he accidentally eats a lethal Tony Montana-esque germ by the name of Thrax (Laurence Fishburne The Matrix). Now, a white blood cell named Osmosis Jones (Chris Rock SNL, Head of State) and a cold pill named Drix (David-Hyde Pierce Frasier) must stop the germ from killing Frank. But can they catch him in time?
Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Steven Soderbergh directs an all-star cast in this stylish and dazzling remake of the “Rat Pack” cult fav. In the movie, George Clooney takes over for Frank Sinatra and plays Daniel Ocean, an ex-con who just got out of the slammer; he reunites with his old friend Rusty, a card shark. Now, they attempting a huge casino robbery at the risk of being busted by Casino mob boss/guru Terry Benedict. Danny will assemble eleven of the most skillful and greatest criminals and corrupt the biggest casino and robbery in history. This is an excellent and (dare I say) superior remake to the classic movie of same name. We’ll start with Soderbergh’s directing style. Soderbergh has proven he is a film maker of many flavors in his directing power when directing movies.
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
“The Fast and the Furious” is a fun movie. The action and fast hot rods will get any viewer pumped up with very high adrenaline action scenes that are all excellent if a little farfetched. We get to see a lot of cool stunts performed with the great looking hot rods and they never fail to deliver with the engrossing hot rod action. One technique in this movie that I did enjoy was the way whenever a hot rod would rev up, we’d zoom through its engines to see it start. It was an unconventional plot element to bring us in to the moment, but very cool.
That said, “The Fast and the Furious” is a virtual “Point Break” Xerox copy replacing surfing with racing. We know the cop is going to fall in love with the girl, we know he’s going to get close to the leader of the gang, we know he’s going to find out, and we know in the end he’s going to let the leader get away. Star Paul Walker is also pretty stiff in his turn here. There’s also Vin Diesel who despite being a bit over the top at times is at least an intriguing villain and potential anti-hero. Diesel as character Dom is the coolest character in the entire film, and he steals a lot of scenes from co-star Walker.
Michelle Rodriguez who’s grossly underused but still manages to get her few moments in to the action and fights, and there’s Jordana Brewster who garners a shockingly compelling sub-plot with Diesel as his sister and potential love interest for Walker’s character. While I wasn’t terribly surprised or kept on the edge of my seat, “The Fast and the Furious” is at least good action fodder with it unabashed silliness at the surface of every racing scene and bit of dialogue. It’s a cheesy movie, but it’s a fun cheesy movie. Though flawed, “The Fast and the Furious” is a fun, dumb, action-packed piece of B grade genre fun.
Domestic Disturbance (2001)
At a running time of simply an hour and twenty-one minutes “Domestic Disturbance” speeds through its narratiuve, and never leaves times for suspense, tension, or even logic. If the director Harold Becker had added a half hour more to pad the story and fill in the gaps, there likely would’ve been some great stuff. But that’s only really wishful thinking as “Domestic Disturbance” seems to ride on the fact that it’s hopelessly silly and lacking in thrills. In a movie that casts as Vince Vaugn as its primary psychotic villain, it becomes plainly obvious that the studios just aren’t even trying.
From Hell (2001)
An adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore, and based upon the legendary serial killer “Jack The Ripper”, inspector Frederick Abberline investigates the mysterious murders of prostitutes within the White chapel district of London. Abberline who can sense when Jack the Ripper will kill someone. So he and the British police go on a manhunt to track him down and stop his terror once and for all. If anything, “From Hell” has great atmosphere.