in Dark Blueunited artists
Film ClipsCL's capsule reviews are rated
on a four-star rating system.BY MATT BRUNSON
CURRENT RELEASES
DAREDEVIL In the introduction to the 1975 compendium Son of Origins of Marvel Comics, Stan Lee admitted that of all the superheroes he ever created (including Spider-Man and the X-Men), his favorite was the blind crimefighter who practiced law by day as attorney Matt Murdock and donned the red tights by night as Daredevil. Yet even though Lee himself makes a cameo appearance, I'd be hard-pressed to believe that Daredevil will emerge as his favorite Marvel movie. Like Green Lantern over at DC Comics, Daredevil has always been more a favorite of the cultists than the general population, and it's a shame that this film version doesn't honor that distinction by serving up something truly unique. Instead, this live-action epic, directed by Grumpy Old Men scripter Mark Steven Johnson, is all over the map -- it's by turns affecting, exciting, contemplative, heavy-handed, cheesy, and downright ludicrous. Ben Affleck fares better than expected, and he establishes a nice rapport with Alias star Jennifer Garner, cast as feisty love interest Elektra. And while Michael Clarke Duncan is serviceable as the imposing Kingpin, Colin Farrell (The Recruit) adopts the right manic tone to play the egocentric assassin Bullseye and runs away with the film. But although there's plenty to like in Daredevil, there's almost as much to dismiss, including a heavy dependence on subpar CGI effects, reams of lead-footed dialogue, and a climactic showdown that's about as exciting as a documentary on aglet production. 1/2
DARK BLUE James Ellroy wrote the novel L.A. Confidential while David Ayers penned the screenplay for Training Day; small wonder, then, that this collaborative effort between the pair gleefully snatches elements from both earlier works, placing a charismatic yet corrupt cop at the center of a drama in which the city of Los Angeles is set to explode. Using the LA riots of 1992 as the factual backdrop, the movie then proceeds to bog down in every by-the-book cop cliche known to man, resulting in a police procedural even more tired than the recent Narc. This one's primary selling point is Kurt Russell, whose multi-faceted performance as a tainted cop at least keeps the film watchable. The rest of the line-up -- Ving Rhames as an incorruptible officer, Lolita Davidovich as Russell's unhappy wife, Scott Speedman as his wet-behind-the-ears partner -- don't fare as well with their stock characters, although director Ron Shelton (Bull Durham) tries to keep matters moving swiftly enough so we don't have to dwell on the thudding dialogue.
DELIVER US FROM EVA When constructing a romantic comedy, it's not a good idea to make your central character so odious that audience members won't care whether he or she finds romance or not. Yet that's the case with Deliver Us From Eva, a clumsy effort in which an intelligent, beautiful woman named Eva (Gabrielle Union) rules over her three younger sisters with an iron fist, much to the consternation of the siblings' male companions. In an effort to get Eva's nose out of their daily affairs, the three guys decide to hire a smooth-talking ladies' man (LL Cool J) to woo her, but matters become complicated once the player falls in love with his mark. Clearly, we're meant to thaw toward Eva as she thaws toward the idea of romance, but as harshly written by writer-director Gary Hardwick and his co-scripters -- and as broadly played by Union -- the character doesn't smack of The Taming of the Shrew's Katherine as much as such unrepentant characters as Alice In Wonderland's wicked Queen or one of Bette Davis' ice queens. Not that any of the other characters present humanity at its finest: The sisters can't think for themselves, their men are ineffectual weaklings, and the women's local hangout, a beauty salon, is run by a foul-mouthed, sex-crazed manhunter ("I can't keep my legs together!" she declares after ogling a hunk). Only LL Cool J's considerable charisma keeps this from completely sinking. 1/2
EVELYN With each passing film, it's becoming more and more apparent that Pierce Brosnan isn't the mannequin-model many of us had pegged him for but rather a capable actor who can more than hold his own on the big screen. Belying looks that would make him a natural in a shaving cream commercial, Brosnan has delivered perfectly tuned portrayals in films like The Thomas Crown Affair and The Tailor of Panama (not to mention settling down in the franchise role of James Bond). He's just as impressive in Evelyn, a "based on true events" yarn that relates an inspiring story without being particularly inspired itself. Set in 1953 Ireland, the picture finds Brosnan playing Desmond Doyle, a loving father whose children are taken from him after his wife abandons the entire family. His abilities as a parent aren't really what's in question -- the law states that these children must be placed in orphanages -- but rather than accept this state-mandated decree, Doyle takes his case all the way to the Irish Supreme Court, with a trio of savvy lawyers (Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea and Alan Bates) by his side. Adults might find the movie on the slight side, though it's a good choice for family night viewing. Incidentally, the title refers to one of Doyle's three children -- she's winningly played by 9-year-old Sophie Vavasseur. 1/2
HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS Julia Roberts had her Pretty Woman, Sandra Bullock had her While You Were Sleeping, and, if it becomes a box office hit, Kate Hudson will have her How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days to turn her into America's latest A-list sweetheart. Yes, she received an Oscar nomination for Almost Famous, but there's always been something a little unformed about Hudson, who has failed to locate the same sort of sparkle that propelled mom Goldie Hawn to stardom back in the late 60s. But this one marks the first time that Hudson has been able to command the screen: She's utterly winning as a women's magazine columnist who, for the sake of a story on what females shouldn't do when dating, hooks up with a guy with the intent of driving him away within... well, check the film's title. She settles on a slick ad man (Matthew McConaughey, easier to take than usual), unaware that he's made a bet that he can get any woman to fall in love with him within the same time period. For a film that wallows in the usual male-female stereotypes, this one's light on its feet, thanks in no small part to its well-matched leads. Alas, the third act follows the exact pattern as almost every other romantic comedy made today: The deceptions become unearthed, the pair breaks up, some soul searching takes place, and bliss arrives after a madcap chase. Leave before this excruciating finale and you should have an OK time. 1/2
THE LIFE OF DAVID GALE An anti-death penalty screed disguised as a thriller, this one's a complete mess, a movie so inept that it will doubtless anger viewers on both sides of the debate. It's the sort of sanctimonious, holier-than-thou claptrap that gives liberalism (especially Hollywood liberalism) a bad name, yet what's astounding is that the movie shoots itself not only in the foot but in the bleeding heart as well, offering a series of predictable plot twists that completely undermine every point that director Alan Parker and debuting screenwriter Charles Randolph were trying to make. Kevin Spacey stars as the title character, a former college professor and capital punishment opponent in Texas who's now on Death Row, set to be executed for the rape and murder of a fellow advocate (Laura Linney). Gale summons a news magazine reporter (Kate Winslet) to hear his story, maintaining his innocence and hoping that she'll be able to unearth the real culprit. The incessant proselytizing is wearying enough, but, as stated above, what's especially dumbfounding about this film is the manner in which Parker and Randolph weaken their own arguments by ultimately painting their heroes as irrational zealots who just might have deserved what was coming to them. With friends like these, who needs George W. Bush?
OLD SCHOOL Laugh-out-loud moments have become such a scarce commodity in most comedies these days -- usually, filmgoers have to settle for a steady succession of smiles, with maybe a couple of chortles thrown in -- that it's almost tempting to recommend a whole movie on the basis of one such instance of pure unbridled seat-shaking. Old School offers such a moment: It involves a concrete block, a long rope, and a part of the male anatomy that should in no way be involved with a concrete block and a long rope. It's a wickedly funny bit in the best There's Something About Mary tradition, and it's just too bad that this otherwise lackluster picture doesn't offer more sequences like this one. Not that it doesn't try. It's been a full quarter-century since National Lampoon's Animal House set the standard for a certain brand of anarchic, T&A-fueled "slob" comedy, and here's yet another challenger to the throne, casting Luke Wilson, Will Farrell and Vince Vaughn as three 30somethings who end up starting their own fraternity in an effort to tap back into the party-hardy attitude of their youth. This is a formless mishmash of Animal House, Back to School, PCU and other like-minded works, and it's tolerable enough to just skate by with a "C" average.
THE QUIET AMERICAN With apologies to Jack Nicholson and Daniel Day-Lewis, it's fellow Oscar nominee Michael Caine who deserves the Best Actor trophy for delivering not only the finest male performance of 2002 but also one of the best of his entire career. In this adaptation of a Graham Greene novel whose ideas seem perpetually topical, Caine stars as Thomas Fowler, a London Times journalist stationed in Saigon in the 1950s. His strong relationship with a gorgeous Vietnamese woman (Do Thi Hai Yen) encounters some unexpected turbulence with the arrival of Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser), an idealistic American who makes no bones about the fact that he's fallen in love with Fowler's woman. Director Phillip Noyce, who was two-for-two in 2002 (having also helmed Rabbit-Proof Fence), has crafted a smart piece of entertainment that works well on both the personal and political fronts, placing a complex love triangle at the center of a sobering dissertation that boldly questions the US's continuous policy of meddling in foreign affairs. Fraser provides his character with a superficial sheen that pays off as the movie progresses, yet it's Caine's towering work, as a man who might not be as cynical as he thinks, that gives this movie its booming voice.
SHANGHAI KNIGHTS If you're gonna insist on making a formulaic sequel to a formulaic comedy, then this might be the way to go, by overstuffing it with so much nonsensical material that some of it is bound to charm through sheer willpower. Its 2000 predecessor, Shanghai Noon, ranked as one of the weaker "odd couple" comedies of late, with Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson going through the paces in a dull action romp set in the Old West. Knights is an improvement, with Chan and Wilson heading to London to solve the murder of Chan's character's father. The villains are uninteresting and the central plot thread is dopey, but it's what's around the edges that makes this painless entertainment. Writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar find clever ways to incorporate historical figures into their storyline (best of all is the use of Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle, winningly played here by Thomas Fisher), and they also pay tribute to practically every notable screen comedian this side of Cheech and Chong (Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin and the Hope-Crosby team are among those honored). The anachronisms make Oliver Stone's dramas seem like cinema verite documentaries by comparison, yet it's a perverse pleasure to hear The Who's "My Generation" and "Magic Bus" in a film that's set in 1887. 1/2