Charlie's Angels
Chill Factor
Clubhouse Detectives
The Cure

*swoon*

Thanks. I needed that. I really like this woman. She went from child star to juvenile delinquent (same old story, sad to say), and completely turned herself around to become a star in adulthood. I truly admire that. That, and her charisma. And, of course, her savvy movie choices of late.

Charlie's Angels is the latest in her string of smart movie choices, and it's one heck of an adrenaline rush. Drew, Lucy Liu, and Cameron Diaz sizzle on the screen as Dylan, Alex, and Natalie, an "elite crimefighting team backed by an anonymous millionaire." (quote by Lucy Liu in the movie) They're hired to find a missing software genius (Sam Rockwell), who they suspect was kidnapped by rival mogul Roger Corwyn (Tim Curry). They "mix it up" with a Creepy Thin Man (Crispin Glover) a few times, and ultimately must save their boss from an evil plot.

Yeah, just another day in the life of an action hero team.

Let's get the formalities out of the way: NO. There is no "realism" in this movie. NO. There is no real thought provocation in this movie. YES. The plot is obvious and full of cliches. YES. The movie uses the sex appeal of all three of its stars to full advantage. And YES. I did enjoy it very much.

One thing I like about it is the fact that the women can kick booty. They are attractive, yes (and everyone will have their own favorite -- Drew is mine), and they use their feminine powers to distract and "overpower" men in places. HOWEVER, when it comes to crunch time, they have what it takes to punch, kick, and knock out any adversary that gets in their way.

Stuntwork is eye-boggling. Director McG (huh??) went for a "stylized" look to the film, taking tips from John Woo, by the looks of some of it. However, unlike the slo-mo in Mission: Impossible 2, it is put to good use here. The too-short fight scene between Glover and the Angels is probably my favorite scene in the film.

Look for a cameo by LL Cool J at the beginning, and an interesting, if typical, comedic performance by Billy Murray as Bosley. And, of course, don't forget to listen out for Charlie: John Forsythe.

This movie is rated PG-13 for violence, innuendo, and a scene or two of partial nudity.

SCORE: 8 Call me crazy, but I love these girls. An engaging-if-typical plot combines with some impressive action and heroines that rock. All in all a fun movie that doesn't take itself seriously at all. Recommended! Return to top

Can a movie full of plot holes and cliches be entertaining? A movie that offers few thrills and absolutely no surprises? Sure, if it's Chill Factor, starring Cuba Gooding Jr and Skeet Ulrich.

Ten years ago, a military operation went horribly wrong. A civilian scientist (David Paymer) had created a chemical weapon -- codenamed "Elvis" -- that detonated when it reached a temperature of 50 degrees. All indications were that a safe distance away from ground zero (for the amount being tested) would be 200 yards. Unfortunately, the destruction radius was about eight miles, and 18 soldiers lost their lives. The top military man on the project (Peter Firth) was blamed by a review board and sentenced to ten years at Leavenworth prison.

Present day: The man, Colonel Brynner, is released. Right away he plots to steal "Elvis". The operation goes smoothly, until it turns out the weapon's inventor, Doctor Long, is working an early shift at the lab that day. Brynner shoots him, but the scientist manages to escape and take "Elvis" with him. Long makes his way back to his hometown and to a convenience store / diner, where his young friend Mason (Ulrich) works. Before he dies, he tells Mason that he has to take "Elvis" to a nearby Army base before Brynner finds it.

I don't know about you, but I'd be first in line to say, "NO THANKS." (Of course, my life would make an extremely boring movie.) Mason hijacks Arlo (Gooding) -- you'd have to see the previous scene for yourself; it's so funny -- because he needs the ice cream truck to keep "Elvis" cold, and we're off on a merry chase full of explosions, gunfire, fight scenes, and blood.

As you can probably guess, Brynner figures out almost immediately where "Elvis" went, and goes after Mason and Arlo, with such original dialogue that you can almost say it -- word for word -- right alongside him. In fact, every plot "twist" is telegraphed and predictable. There might as well not have BEEN any. So what could make me say I enjoyed the movie?

Two words: Gooding and Ulrich. They make a great onscreen team, and it was worth sitting through a movie I've seen countless times just to see their interactions with one another. Gooding, especially, has a great sense of comic timing (like when Mason pulls a gun on Arlo, who screams, "You ain't taking my truck." When Mason cocks the gun, Arlo says, "How far you need to go?").

Here's how much of an impression the movie made on me: As I write this, it's been about two hours since I've seen Chill Factor -- I usually wait a day or two before even THINKING about writing a review. The names of the characters escape me. I've had to visit the IMDb and the official website twice just to remember some of the plot points. The only thing that springs immediately to mind when I think of it is the blue gelatinous "Elvis". Scary, ain't it?

I mentioned plot holes, didn't I? How about the fact that Mason and Arlo were up against seasoned professionals -- and managed to fight hand to hand in several instances successfully? On a more nitpicky note (something more for an error-spotting trivia book than a movie review, really), when our heroes fell into a river in a boat, the boat landed upside down... and then was suddenly upright when they were ready to get into it? And WHY, for the love of mike, don't the bad guys EVER SHOOT THE GOOD GUYS when they have them in their clutches???? Anyway...

I had fun watching it. I was able to shut my brain off for a couple of hours, so it was worth it to me. Cuba and Skeet made me laugh, some of the stunts made me say "ouch", and even though my stomach never tensed in anticipation, I came out of it thinking it wasn't nearly as bad as Knock Off.

This movie is rated R for violence and language.

SCORE: 6 Corny but fun to watch, if you don't think about what's happening. Gooding and Ulrich have a great rapport, with great timing. The plot was thin, suspense was absent, and resolution unlikely... but this is an escapist flick anyway. Good for killing a couple of hours, but not recommended. Return to top

Considering that Michael Galeota is famous for his TV role as CBS's Bailey Kipper, and that I found this direct-to-video movie in the Family section of my local video store, I was expecting a cutesy little kiddie film about some kids who start a little detective agency (a la Encyclopedia Brown) and perhaps stumble onto some much bigger case where the crooks turn out to be bumbling idiots (as per Home Alone). Talk about mislabeling!

What I got instead was a film about murder, friendship, and good people gone bad. Billy (Galeota) witnesses his neighbor kill someone, and no one believes him. He enlists the aid of his friends to prove that the murder did, indeed, take place. One thing leads to another, and pretty soon the murderer is after him! Sound pretty simple? It is.

Michael's younger brother Jimmy makes his film debut as Billy's brother Kade (that's a stretch!), the typical tag-along "wanna be with my big brother" kind of kid whose help is invaluable. Kade makes little comments that Billy later learns are dead-on (like "I'd hide the body in the freezer-- where the killer hid the body).

I wouldn't say this movie is a masterpiece by anyone's standards, but it is engrossing-- even suspenseful. The house searching (which leads to Billy's being trapped in the neighbor's house) was tense to say the least, and the resolution to the house mess (while it seemed to go just a tad long) was plausible.

Performances were about like I expected-- the Galeota brothers (Michael in particular) have the kid-actor charm that makes movies like this watchable, and the neighbor (Michael Ballam) was your run of the mill grown-up bad guy. A plus for him, though, was his singing, which was a very nice surprise.

The mystery was kind of interesting to watch as it unfolded, but it was linear. The characters (and, through them, the audience) knew from the beginning what had happened. They mystery, therefore, was how to prove it. Though a twist to the standard whodunit, this fact took some of the fun out of it.

This movie is rated PG for brief and very mild violence, and though there was no swearing that I can remember, much dialogue revolving around the murder.

SCORE: 7 I liked the suspense and Billy's determination, but the bulk of the real story was told at the beginning, leaving few surprises for the rest of the movie. Michael Galeota is charming, but I wanted a bit more for-- and from-- him than this movie provided. Enjoyable, but not recommended. Return to top

         Every so often a child actor comes along that makes you stop and take notice-- "Hey, I'm not just another cute face!" Joseph Mazzello is one of those young actors. Take a look at Radio Flyer, Shadowlands, and now, proudly, The Cure. This is a remarkable boy who has the ability to actually make you believe he is a child trapped by an abusive stepfather, whose mother is dying, who's dying himself! They say that the eyes are the mirror to the soul. The mark of a good actor is to be able to look into his/her eyes and see the emotion being portrayed. Joseph does it-- and how!

         The premise of The Cure is about the same as your average TV-movie. Dexter (Mazzello), a boy with AIDS, moves into a town and is scorned by the neighbors due to ignorance and hatred. Gladly, we don't see much of this on-screen, as this is actually a movie about friendship. The unlikely lad that befriends him is Erik (played by Brad Renfro of The Client), a ruffian of sorts with an abusive mother and an inability to "play well with others". Though the premise is one we've seen zillions of times, the writer of this excellent movie took it way beyond what you'd expect-- expecially from a movie about kids.

         After the initial uneasy meeting. Erik and Dexter engage in games of Battleship, Impale GI Joe, Capture the Frog, and other various "violent" boy games. Dexter finds a true friend, something he's never had, and Erik, in addition to finding the same, finds a mother's love in Dex's mom, played superbly by Annabella Sciorra. This laid-back woman, who keeps her fears bottled up inside for the sake of her son, "adopts" Erik in a way, providing the love that he never received from his own mother.

         Erik and Dexter read in a magazine (The Examiner, or Enquirer, or Scandals R Us, if you prefer) that a doctor in New Orleans has found the cure for AIDS, and after nearly poisoning Dexter with candy and leaves, embark on a journey to New Orleans in hope of convincing this doctor to give Dex the cure.

********SPOILER WARNING********

         Though I normally don't ruin the ending, I feel it's important to note something, thereby doing just that. This movie does NOT have a happy ending. If you have recently lost someone you love, this movie is not for you. I give this warning, because after discovering that the cure is, in fact, a hoax, Dex and Erik return to Minnesota (I believe that's where it takes place), where Dex falls ill and, unfortunately, dies.

         I had some vague idea of what I was getting into when I went to see it in theaters. So Dexter's death did not catch me off-guard the way Thomas Jay's death did in My Girl, hence the warning here-- I had gone to My Girl, needing an escape after my own best friend's death, and was instead heavily reminded of it. I still cry during the funeral scene... Still, the way it was presented in The Cure DID throw me for a loop, and I had to hold my breath until Annabella came into the room.

         The Cure brought back some memories for me. No, I do not, nor did my best friend, have AIDS. But we did meet in an unlikely -- almost accidental -- way, we quickly became inseparable, like Erik and Dexter, and he was taken from me unexpectedly, just like Dex was. We shared the same kinds of adventures, our moms were (excuse the term) interchangeable... we were like brothers.

****END OF MAJOR SPOILER****

         And it was that sense of being "like brothers" that made this movie so great. Though Renfro has never particularly impressed me, I found he worked well opposite Mazzello. Joseph, for his part, had that vacant look, blended with awe and admiration at his new friend, that totally intrigued and captured me. Sciorra is passionate-- it's obvious Linda loves her son, and has an almost equal affection for Erik. A line near the end of the film brings that point home. Erik's mother (did I mention she's played by Psycho III's Diana Scarwid?) discovers that he has disobeyed her-- again-- and visited the "AIDS house". She's infuriated, and begins to slap him around, making the mistake of doing so in front of Linda. Linda calmly takes her into the house (this is shortly after the spoiler), and pins her to the wall. "I have two things to say to you. The first is..." (I cannot tell you what she said, as it's related to the spoler.) She pauses here, as tears have overwhelmed her for the moment, but then her rage takes over again, and she tightens the hold on the other woman. "And the second is, if you ever lay a hand on that boy again, I will kill you."

         I believe that everyone should see this movie at some point, though you may want to wait until some of the wounds have healed before seeing it if you have lost someone close to you recently. It's a hanky movie if ever there was one.

This movie is Rated PG-13 for mature themes and language. Appropriate for many audiences, but would probably bore kids to tears (no pun intended).

SCORE: 10 Fantastic performances abound! Renfro is even good, and I'm not a particularly big fan of his. Mazzello gets even more praise as his Dexter shoots this movie into my top 10 with the "trillion miles away" monologue in the tent. However, as much as I adore Joseph, Annabella Sciorra steals the show as Dex's mom. Could have been written a little better, as some of the plot points didn't have much point, but then again, this is a film about life-- and enjoying it-- does it really need a point? See it! Highest Recommendation!
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