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Matthew Chong
Reviews
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Professional Hit
Straightforward auctioneer that's not over-indulgent or fantastic. Having read Ludlum's commercial pot-boiler as in the early 80s as a kid, I expected possibly a louder B-grade flash-bang version of the dull 1988 TV movie starring Richard Chamberlain and Jaclyn Smith. I'm glad to say that the film is better although there are many changes to turn it into a "blockbuster" action show. It delivers a quite consistent level of well shot action/violence (Frankenheimer's excellent Ronin with its European setting comes to mind) and easy-to-understand intrigue. No Bond gadgets, John Woo bullet ballets or gangsta pansy posing. People complaining about it lacking the depth of the book can't seem to understand the book-to-film transition, and that this is no classic literary tome in the first place.
Despite Damon's natural easy-going boyish charm, his character remains a cold professional throughout, curt in speech and clinical in action, commanding authority even when he decides to bang the chick. It could have been a Talented Mr Ripley conflict of coldness and vulnerability, but Bourne comes across in the end as lacking any strong characterisation, probably quite apt for a professional killer. This opens the film to arguments that the characters are never fleshed out properly, which is not important here. The female interest (Franka Potente) grows increasingly irritating as Lola becomes tired of Running.
Being released in competition with another actioneer with a European setting, the flashy xXx with Vin Diesel, the Bourne Identity delivers a professional Hollywood job with a Euro feel, despite the indie roots of the director (Doug Liman). Probably won't win any Oscars but it sure wins a place in my shortlist for DVD buys. Well made watchable entertainment.
The 6th Day (2000)
Totalled and Recalled Too
OK. its not that bad, but this Arnie vehicle on the Case against Human Cloning (copyright Religious_Fundamentalists.con) has some good ideas that are simply not brought to fruition, let down by a poor all-round implementation from acting to direction.
The notion that Man can become immortal through cloning oneself when the old(er) body wears out is sadly relegated to a videogame means of `respawning' a `game character' after he gets killed (only costs US$1.2mil per prototype clone says a Movie Bad Guy. that's the pre-mass market release price).
As an effects showcase, some cool tech bits like the hologram billboards, the opening CGI scene with the helijets. are pasted on a decidedly low-budget backdrop of contemporary urban streets, plasma TVs, cars with cruise control etc
For an Arnie show, the crap props are unforgivable, forcing the viewer to focus more attention to the big guy's wooden acting. Best utilised as a cool-looking ubermann mumbling cynical one-liners while dishing out Red Heat, Arnie delivers double-vamdammage here with two versions of himself. True to B-movie script, the semantics are squeezed into a few scenes, the main editing leaving us a disjointed series of the Running Man escaping the End of his Days as the terminators seek to Erase him. For a supposedly regular working family man, Arnie's character displays Commando instincts, more Predator than prey, taking delight from killing while hamming up `Aw-shucks' Kindergarten Cop scenes. While it not fair to dump on what is essentially an action flick, it is a bit of a Raw Deal for the paying viewer, as the endless violence we seek by watching an Arnie show is not as polished here.
Minority Report (2002)
Movie Magic Masterclass
The movie is a masterclass of how stupid improbable ideas can be designed to look great and realistic (`pre-crime' psychic-palm reader bollix, retina-activated ads wasting ad budgets on a passing guy instead of the crowd around him, updatable newspapers that have to be held up with both hands like old newspapers taking up two seatwidths, doing tiring aerobics/music conducting just to open an Email, telling everyone in the room your password just to utilise voice-activation tech, `skyway-hiways' driving skyscraper residents mad, etc) - give me a break. sexy looking though. Unlike most sci-fi movies, this one has been hyped for its tapping of the ideas of futurists and product designers, who unfortunately are usually more concerned with how fantastic their own visions in their own fields are than whether these are possible in the greater future reality. Hence, one has to take issue with this aspect for MR more than the out-and-out fantasies that are Star Wars, Superman or Pretty Woman.
Unlike the beautiful snooze-fest A.I. (.also my exclamation after enduring to the end of that film), MR is a proper effects masterpiece with the classiness no George Lucas directed show can come close to. Cruise is a De Niro of action stars, his very presence in a scene oozing charisma, be it as a part of an emsemble, an action sequence or a wordless close up. SS is der ubermann of Movie Magic. I'm putting more cash in his offshore accounts when the DVD comes out.
What Planet Are You From? (2000)
More Shandling than Mike Nichols
You have to be a fan of Garry Shandling's type of cynical-neutral emotion humour to like/appreciate this film. A little too uncomfortable for many adults who can recognise many of the aspects of the procreation process that is one of the main drives of human life, it uses the vehicle of a non-emotional alien master race that sends a procreation scout to impregnate a human while studying the notion of emotion.
Light, intelligent humour that is easy to follow without being an Adam Sandler torturefest... unfortunately meaning that it is rather dilute light comedy. Fine for dates or discussion over a post-viewing diner without fear of big arguments.
Victory (1981)
war flick!... WW2 flick!... John Huston WW2 flick!...John Huston WW2 flick with football!!
Stallone as Commando captain! Rocky punching out crosses as goalkeeper! Caine as himself! Bobby Moore not being England Captain! John Wark looking more miserable! Pele being allowed to do a Jesse Owens before the Hun! The ugliest papier mache model ever to fool camp guards! Football being a game where 22 men chase a ball... and the Germans don't win in the end!
John Huston directed The Maltese Falcon as his first film... and made Annie and Prizzi's Honor after this 1981 show. Wow.
The Sopranos (1999)
A top-notch mix of gangster show, sit-com and the angst of urban American life.
Joe 'Donnie Brasco' Pistone, the legendary FBI undercover agent who spent 6 years among the Mafia, rates this (in a 2001 magazine review) as closer to what Mafia life is like than the romantic style of The Godfather. Tony Soprano's boorish pragmatism as family boss and gangster Big Brother makes him more real and empathetic to viewers than the larger-than-life Corleone types. Constantly on the lookout for scams and cash-making opportunities, they show that low-life scum have their worries and families to look after too. A top-notch mix of gangster show, sit-com and the angst of urban American life. Too violent or vulgar for general viewing? It's for grown-ups! Furget-about-it!
Mystery Men (1999)
They spent US$70,000,000 on this rotter??
Great cast of talent, huge budget, good possibilities for satire/parody/dumbfun... instead, we have this irritating provocation. I'm a couch potato type who can watch most things on screen/TV, be it Hindi comedy, Islamic prayers, Hong Kong "God of Shaolin Soccer/Gamblers/CashPig/Stockbroker/Pretentiousness", party political broadcasts, Michael Bay films... A B-film at best, the terrible waste of the comedic and acting talent, and their apprant willingness to allow themselves to crawl at such a level, is topped by the alleged budget for this failure. I watched this 'movie' on HBO with an open mind, never having heard of it previously, and set time aside based on the synopsis and the big name stars it featured. I was so p***ed off with deciding to persist to the end of the show that I actually watched an episode of "Walker Texas Ranger" and appreciated its better quality. 5/10 if it was a low-budget straight-to-video no-name cable movie. 0/10 for the enormous consumption of the Earth's resources it actually is.
Three Kings (1999)
Classy war/political/cultural satire
Entertaining sophisticated blockbuster without being pretentious, irritating or sleep-inducing. The straightshooting viewpoint of the absurdity of war and America's role as World Boss Number One is mixed with Catch-22 stylised touches/juxtaposition. The 'Audience Applause' cue-scenes are light-handed and well paced. The limited caricatures displayed by the distinct characters (US, Eye-rackees, civvies) interact well in the tight script, from the NRA-associate hickster to the logical/widower gentleman/psycho Iraqi officer to Major "Necessity". Despite a simple plot, the interesting things are in the details and in the excellent execution of the script. Even the technical details, from the military actions to Arab-looking people (unlike True Lies etc) and authentic looking gold bars (they look like real gold-plating) help to maintain a sense of quality in throughout the movie. Classy work.
Fever Pitch (1997)
Enjoyable for the sports fan in all of us. More so for Gooners.
A neat well-paced romantic tale about an Arsenal fan-atic discovering that there is love other than that for his team. Unlike Hollywood sports films, which are either propaganda-like 'epics' or kiddie fantasies, Fever Pitch is told in the restrained manner characteristic of many 'small' independant movies, which hence does not mask the irrational behaviour of the die-hard fans. It may have all the corny dated touches, from the school team scenes to the celebrations in the end, but they only enhance the charm of this story.
A classic for any Gooner (as in 'Gunner' - anyone associated with 'Arsenal' FC), and not for Liverpool (nor 'massive Spurs') supporters. May 26 1989 remains one of the most dramatic last minutes to a football season, headed of course by the injury-time ten years later (May 26 1999) at the Nou Camp (2 goals and a Treble for the World's Greatest Team).
Starship Troopers (1997)
Almost a modern day Nazi propaganda film
Paul Verhoven's crudely Neo-Fascist and fast-paced war show is an entertaining test of your new home theater system. Almost like a modern day Nazi propaganda film in most areas, it celebrates the triumph of the Master Organism, Man, over the vermin bugs and their socialist system.
To qualify as a True Citizen, our heroes must prove their mettle by serving the Federal Reich, in the face of the gathering hordes of unter-life loitering towards the East (at least on the 'space maps' depicted in the movie). From kids to Citizens, the heroes and heroines transform from model students and join different arms of the Federal Wermacht.
The rich kid star athlete discovers the purity of hard work and earned respect, his brainy sweetheart finds her true calling in the Fleet/Kriegsmarine, the genius geek becomes a decision-making leader in the honourable trench-coated Gestapo. Michael Ironside and Clancy Brown provide the craggy experienced soldier-types who impart wisdom and courage, and teach our heroes the meaning self-sacrifice and of reaching the goals, whatever the costs.
The inferiority of the Enemy is proven by the instant improvisation of our saviours in the heat of battle, and the folly of the commune-based hierarchy is shown up with the capture of the 'Superbrain' bugs/commissars. As a 'great leader' once remarked on the eve of Barbarossa: "Kick the door in and the whole rotten structure will come crashing down".
This flick won't try to question the meaning of life nor make any attempt at pushing the boundaries of human relationships, but its good subversive fun, especially if you've always wanted 'them vermin to come git some'.