Author Archives: Dennis

Daredevil [2003

Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Actor: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Colin Farrell, Michael Clarke Duncan, Jon Favreau, Joe Pantoliano

Though I enjoyed the movie, I only did so on a very superficial level. It seems to ride on the coat-tails of X-Men, like so many other films. I had the same problem with this film as I did with Spiderman, which was enjoyable, just a bit too comic-book-ee.

Ben Afleck does things well, though he seems to have lost a bit of maturity that he did have in other films, and that he could definitely have used in this film. Jennifer Garner was finally someone whose on-screen presence didn’t make me flinch, like it happened so often while watching Alias. Colin Farrell plays Bullseye, one of the bad guys with quite a bit of style, and I don’t know if I’m super-biased towards this guy, but I thought he brought life, flair and a bit of well-needed humour to the film. John Favreau seems to get heavier and heavier with every film, while his roles become lighter and lighter, and Michael Clarke Duncan was just plain fucking scary. I don’t think they could’ve found a better person to play Kingpin, even though he’s black. Oh, yeah, Joe Pontaliano…he really doesn’t add much to the film.

The Recruit [2003]

Director: Roger Donaldson
Actor: Al Pacino, Colin Farrell

This is a nice little film in which Colin Farrell plays a rather angsty, but likable guy who, with his extra-ordinairy wit and ingenuity gets recruited to come and work for the CIA. Being as good as he is he gets involved in a nasty piece of business under the tutelage of his recruiting officer, played by Al Pacino.

A rather predictable film, and not exactly either lead actor’s best, but enjoyable. Eva remarked that she thought that Al Pacino was all out of “Whoohaa!” and this film certainly seems to prove that, though I am not ready to give up on him yet.

Punch-Drunk Love [2002]

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Actor: Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzmán

Weird. Weird. Fecking weird. One of the best performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman I’ve seen so far, though.

Dog Soldiers [2002]

This film is really, really good. British production, and fairly low budget, but the results are astounding. The plot’s good, the acting’s good, the tension and pace is good, directing and cinematography is good. It’s a good film.

A squad of soldiers are dropped in the Scottish highlands for a routine excercise where they square off against a group of special forces soldiers. Once they make first contact they find the entire group of special forces mutilated, bar one; their leader, who is badly injured. They realise that they are up against an unknown enemy and the special forces leader refuses to talk about it, claiming secrecy is of utmost importance.

Half an hour later it’s dark and the moon comes out, together with their enemy, which turn out to be a pack of werewolves. The squad retreats as fast as they can but get picked off one at a time. The remaining soldiers, and their sergeant – meanwhile injured during a run in with one of the werewolves – together with the special forces leader run into a Zoologist, a woman who lives in the area. She has a jeep and she takes them to the nearest farm, isolated for miles around, but the only place where they can take care of their injured and make a stand.

What follows is a nightlong stand off with the werewolves, who keep throwing themselves up against the house, over and over again, killing soldier after soldier. Meanwhile, they’re trying to keep themselves sane, alive and they try to figure out what the hell is going on.

The movie is very good, although it got some bad reviews. Why it did is a mystery to me. And though there is a lot of violence in the film, it is still very Lovecraftian in feel.

Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle [2003]

Director: McG
Actor: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Crispin Glover, Bernie Mac, Demi Moore, Robert Patrick, Justin Theroux, Matt LeBlanc, Luke Wilson, John Cleese, Bruce Willis

This is a movie that doesn’t bother you too much with plot. Seriously. I saw it with Eva and I was constantly asking her if she had any idea as to what the fuck they were up to, because I sure as shit didn’t know (nor cared too much.)

The acting is actually surprisingly good. Except for Drew Barrymore, who couldn’t act herself out of a paper bag. Ms Diaz was showing herself to be a very good comedienne, at a certain point going undercover as a feminist forensic’s detective and doing it with such incredible talent that I was startled. She’s more than just an aging ex-model-gone-slapstick-actress. Lucy Liu wasn’t really required to do a lot of real acting, but her absolutely stunning appearance makes me reconsider taking Salma’s title as most desirable Hollywood woman and giving it to this foxy chicklet.

Bernie Mac looks weird when he’s smiling all the time. I just kept wondering when he’d break out in some psychotic rant. :)

Crispin Glover is doing his thing. The thing he’s done in some for or another in all his films. Back to the Future, At Close Range…you name it. He does it well.

And then…Justin Theroux, as Seamus O’Grady. Absolutely my favourite of the film. Well, maybe after Crispin Glover. He’s already proven himself to be a good actor as Adam in Mullholland Dr. but here you see him as a psychotic Irish Mobster out to take revenge like Bobby deNiro in Cape Fear. Good shit.

Oh, and I almost forgot…Demi Moore. She’s beautiful in this film, and she’s a good, good actress. She’s proven it before, and she’s proving it now.

So yeah, plot; uber-thin. Acting; rather good. Overabundant use of wires in action plots.

But the most important part of this movie that added to my enjoyment, the director and cinematographer did an excellent, truly superb job in capturing the scenes, visually. It’s a beautiful movie.