More Films of 2001

This is a collection of short reviews for more films that were released during 2001. Due to time constraints or other reasons I was unable to write reviews for them immediately after viewing. I hope this is adaquate for those who have wondered my opinion on these films. It's also possible that I will expand upon these summations and produce a full length review for these films at some point. These reviews are unedited and uncut, so try to ignore the grammatical mistakes.

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America's Sweethearts

Displaying a fantastic cast that should have featured some of the best chemistry of the year, this romantic comedy was a heart-wrenching disappointment. None of the primary cast members come off as likable, and the actors all look like they're groping about in a character-free void. Julia Robert's whining quickly becomes irksome, Catherine Zeta-Jones is beautiful but infuriating, and John Cusack looks like he's never been as bored. The film's attempts at comedy rarely come across as anything remotely resembling funny, and the love-trianble is an uninteresting mess. Billy Crystal fares slightly better, but is hindered by a script that rarely succeeds in its to make characters that have identifiable characteristics..

The conclusion of the film contains the only geniunely humorous part of the entire film and it's all because of Christopher Walken's performance as a maniacal film director. The finale contains a slightly barbarous look at the inner working of Hollywood and film criticism, and easily registers as being the film's highlight, however predictable it might have been. But that's honestly not saying much. America's Sweethearts ain't no sweetie, don't make the mistake of hugging this one tight.

On a scale of 1 to 10 ego trips : 4

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Blow

The third harrowing film about drugs in the last two years, Blow successfully completes the trifecta. While clearly not reaching the insurmountable heights of Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream or Soderbergh's Traffic, Ted Demme's Blow is another good film about the effects of drug consumption. But instead of being about the unrelenting depths that addiction can drag you into, or the questionable way in which the United States has fought against drug use, Blow is a biographical account of the life a very successful drug dealer. George Jung, perhaps the most famous drug dealer in U.S. history had quite the monopoly on cocaine and marijuana during the mid-70's. The film is an interesting testimonial to the life of a unlikable figure that becomes oppressively rich. While he's obviously a deranged human being for selling drugs to so many people and destroying so many lives, the film does an admirable job of turning Jung into a character that demands sympathy. In that way the film could be viewed as repulsive, but I found it invigorating. It's nice to see a film take a stance that most others do not; these are human beings, not monsters.

Director Ted Demme does an admirable job of handling a capable cast, including Johnny Depp in the main role, Franka Potente as his first wife, Penelope Cruz as the (psychotic) woman who marries him, then proceeds to screw up his life, and Ray Liotta as the ever-loving father. It's stylistically a very good film, featuring voice-overs in the vein of Goodfellas, and color correction, cinematography and lighting schemes that also make one think of Scorsese's gangster opus. It's clear that Demme was modeling his film after the acclaimed mobster film, and its not a bad film to emulate. The film as a whole registers as being quite enjoyable, but its beginnings are definitely its highpoint. Once the double-crossings start twisting their way around the characters, it becomes mildly confusing, but remains interesting. Blow is a fine film that will entertain and educate, even though its hero is a man who makes a living by killing the brain cells of teenagers.

On a scale of 1 to 10 dope fiends : 7

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Cats and Dogs

I was looking forward to seeing high tech stunts involving animals, neato gadgetry, and cute and likable main characters. The trailers promised this. I believed them. What a mistake.

Cats and Dogs is a pointless mess that achieves little of what it wanted to. It should have been more fast-paced. It should have been cuter. But above all, it should have been more funny. Unfortunately, there are very few moments in this film worth remembering. What was supposed to be one of the highlights of the summer turned into one of the bigger disappointments. Plausibility is thrown right out the window the instant the cats and dogs start talking (but that's expected), but so is intelligence. A great premise for the film is almost completely wasted. The eternal struggle between dogs and cats will never be entirely understood, but it could make for some fun film fodder. Cats and Dogs doesn't take advantage of any of this mysterious, raw tension between the two animals. The film's best trait is its premise, but it's woefully underutilized and therefore a mind-numbing bore.

On a scale of 1 to 10 tree-climbers : 4

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The Deep End

Quiet thrillers are a rare breed of film. The Deep End falls into this small category. Majestically shot and masterfully acted, the film is a sumptuous, but harrowing look at small town life. The film takes no prisoners, prompting its characters to make unwise decisions that dictate over its pitiless proceedings. The Deep End is not an enjoyable watch, but it makes for a unique one.

However, the film moves agonizingly slow. A deliberate pace is perfectly acceptable, but this film moves at slightly more than a snail's pace. There are several special individual scenes, often of startling effectiveness, but those specific instances are too few and far between. Keeping things semi-interesting is the performance of Tilda Swinton as a mother put in precarious situations to save her son. Her performance is simply one of the year's finest.

Thoughtful but painfully slow, The Deep End is an art film to the core. Now I just wish more thought had been put into the editing room.

On a scale of 1 to 10 secret vids : 6

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Dr. Dolittle 2

This was one of those films that I didn't write a review for immediately after seeing it for one reason: I wanted to forget about it. But here I am, months later writing about this truly painful experience, re-living the horrible attempts at humor, the plastic characters, the bad acting by the entire ensemble, the lazy direction... I could go on and on and on...

But I won't waste your time.

All you need to know is this: Dr. Dolittle 2 is horrible. Boring. Repetitive. Completely lacking in imagination. Just plain bad.

On a scale of 1 to 10 silly silly bears : 3