Archive for January, 2005

Hide and Seek

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted January 28, 2005 at 12:24 am

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Rating:Rated R for frightening sequences and violence 
Starring:Dakota Fanning and Robert DeNiro 
Directed By:John Polson 

Final Grade: 

I don’t normally like to give away the big plot points of movies in my reviews. I like my audiences to go enjoy the thrills, the twists and the turns the same way I do: with as little knowledge as possible. But in order to really talk about what bothers me with this film, I am going to have to give away the big twist to Hide and Seek. So, if you want to see Hide and Seek and not know any huge spoilers, then do not read My Review. It should be noted that I do not recommend that anyone on this planet ever view Hide and Seek, ever. With that Being Said, let the reviewing begin.

Hide and Seek is the formulaic tale of Psychiatrist David Callaway (Robert DeNiro) and his Daughter, Emily (Dakota Fanning) When David’s wife kills herself, he decides to move with his daughter to a large country home as a change of pace. Thinking this would help ease the pain for both himself and his daughter, David quickly learns that his daughter is taking the loss of a parent pretty badly. Suffering from post traumatic stress, Emily tells David that she met a new friend named “Charlie.” At first David found this harmless, but Emily’s new imaginary friend starts to become an outlet for Emily’s supressed anger towards her father, who she believes contributed to her mother’s suicide, and towards other people in her new surroundings. As time passes, David starts to question, just who exactly is Charlie, is he really real or imaginary and why does “Charlie” have it out for him?

Hide and Seek had two things going for it. Robert DeNiro and Dakota Fanning. DeNiro is a great actor, who unfortuanately has decided to slum it the last few years churning out a crapfest of mediocre cinema. The actor must have developed poor taste with age, because Hide and Seek should not be a film that should taste good on anyone’s cinematic pallet. Dakota Fanning who is that cute little obnoxious girl in every film is a great little actress with a bright career ahead of her. While this child actress has the potential to become the next Drew Barrymore, there is something about her that charms you on the big screen. Hide and Seek doesn’t let her charm us at all though. Instead it just makes you wonder, why is she in this film?

The plot (once again Spolier alert) is the most predicatable things I have ever seen. They try to throw this huge shocking twist at us, but anyone who didn’t see it coming is living in a dream world the entire film. What makes it even funnier is that watching the opening credits they give you clues towards the major plot points. Certain letters are accecented in child like hand writing. Words like “DeNiro – Its Me, Cat, woman, and red all be found if you have an attentive mind. If you haven’t figured it out (for the 3rd time: Huge Spoiler!) The secret is multiple personality disorders! Gasp! I swear I will tear out my own eyes if I have to watch one more film where they try to pull the “Ah HA! I bet you didn’t guess Multiple Personalities Routine!” one more time. It’s over played, over done and not even original anymore. Somewhere after the film Identity played in 2003 all suspense writers must have signed a pact that said “I will make a multiple personality disorder film in the next few years.” Now I know that the multiple personality film has been around for years, so I can’t say this is a new thing. Even classic Hitchcock (Psycho) dealt with the issue. But for the love of god guys! Give it up! It’s old! It’s annoying and it’s just plain dumb!

DeNiro stumbles though this shoddy film with ease and one can’t but help to think of Cape Fear by the end of the film. In fact watching DeNiro search for Emily at the end of the film had me near rolling with Laughter because I could not stop thinking of that great scene in Cape Fear where Max Cady (DeNiro) is calling out Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) in the parking lot. “Counsellor…come out come out where ever you are!” DeNiro uses the same tone of voice and everything. The only difference was, Cape Fear was a great thriller. This was just annoying.

This film relies on bad cheap pops, bad characters, bad plot, bad twists and bad directing to give us a great film. It doesn’t work at all (Gee I wonder why.) I love DeNiro, but I want my time back. Hide and Seek is a great example of the crap movies Hollywood Churns out in January and February. Avoid this film like the plague. You’ll Be Glad you did. 

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Filed under: Movies, Suspense

Coach Carter

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted January 23, 2005 at 12:15 am

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson
Directed By: Thomas Carter
Rated: PG13 for Violence and Lanaugage and Other Evil things like that

Final Grade:

I never checked this film out in theaters, since I didn’t think it really looked worth my time. Paramount prescreened this film months before it came out, and it didn’t seem to make anyone any more excited about this flick. Add that in with a mediocre trailer and this film seemed doomed from the get go. It was getting great reviews from people at the local Boys and Girls club and from Youth and Shelter Services people while it played at my theater, and seemed to be the troubled teen movie of the week. Still I did not go see it. The other night I picked it up off a rental shelf and figured I’d give it a try. What I got was something far more than I expected. This basketball tale was everything that I thought Director Peter Berg was going for in his football tale, Friday Night Lights. The difference was I found enjoyment in this one, whereas Friday Night Lights I wanted to gouge my eyes out. This is a story of some young athletes who learn that there is more to life than sports, and that winning and losing a simple sports game doesn’t make or break a man for life. Sam Jackson was outstanding in this flick. Playing real life Coach Ken Carter, Jackson is both one of the most caring and most intimidating men on the planet. His role as a coach who sees potential in his team far beyond their performance on the basketball court is very well played. Sam Jackson alone kept me enteratiained for the 2 hours. If I had to say something bad about the film, it is that we’ve seen this story before, a group of losers who find their inner talent both on and off the court and make it to the big game. But then again, people like to see the tales of winners who achieve this through hard work and dedication, and a little coaxing from a great coach. After all who wants to see a team make it to the big game because they won a Coin toss….(oops…Sorry Odessa Texas!) Many of the same elements were in this film that were in Friday Night Lights, it’s just this one played out far better, and better developed characters and showed us all the hard work they put in. This is an Excellent flick and the flick that I wanted Friday Night Lights to Be. If you missed this in the theaters, go pick it up as rental. You won’t be sorry you did.

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Filed under: Drama, Movies, Sports

In Good Company

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted January 14, 2005 at 12:41 am

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Rating:Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and drug references. 
Starring:Topher Grace, Dennis Quaid 
Directed By:Paul Wietz 

Final Grade: 

It’s the little sleeper hits in Hollywood that are sometimes the most fun to watch. Maybe that is because you get a great little flick that sneaks up and takes you by surprise. 2004 finished off it’s year with “In Good Company,” A great little sleeper film that turned out to be a great little end of the year delight.

Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansen team up to bring audiences the story of an advertising firm that is going through some big changes. After years of being head of advertising, Dan Foreman (Quaid) is being replaced by a young hotshot named Carter Dureya (Topher Grace). Carter is alone and confused in this new business world and tries to recruit the at first reluctant Dan to be his “awesome wingman.” Since he can’t afford to lose his job Dan accepts Carter’s offer. Carter begins to latch on to Dan because he admires Dan’s balance between his work and his family life at home. After inviting himself over for dinner one night, Carter finds himself falling in love with Dan’s daughter. In Good Company tells the tale of two men, one young, one old who learn a lot from each other about what really makes you a success in life.

Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace did an excellent job in this film. Dennis Quaid has had a big year in 2004 finding his way into roles in the Day After Tomorrow, Flight of The Phoenix and In Good Company. If you want an A list actor for a low price Dennis Quaid is the way to go. He proves time and time again that he is a great actor who is a recognizable name without the big pay. His Co-Star Topher Grace finds is the star of “That 70’s Show” and is quickly becoming a rising star. It just proves that while “That 70’s Show” may have given us Ashton Kutcher, it balances out by giving us Topher Grace. The actor has a bright future a head of him.

The story flows well from point to point and doesn’t really turn out to be the story book cookie cutter tale you expect it to be. As an audience member you connect with the characters and quickly warm up to this lighthearted tale. The film flourishes because of it’s great cast, great little story and great dialouge all packaged up in one nice little feel good package.

All in all, I’ll make this review short and sweet. In Good Company is a fun little flick that fits nicely with the end of the year flicks. It’s a well-crafted flick that may not get any Oscar attention and doesn’t tout a all star cast but it does what it is designed to do, it entertains. But all in all this is a film that would have the same effect on TV in your own homes as it does on the big screen. While I suggest it’s worth checking out, it’s more of a rental flick than something to rush out to theaters to see. 

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Filed under: Comedy, Drama, Movies

Million Dollar Baby

  • Written by Box Office Boredom
  • Posted January 5, 2005 at 5:48 pm

A Film Review By Jason L. King

Rating:Rated PG-13 for violence, some disturbing images, thematic material and language.
Starring:Hillary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman
Directed By:Clint Eastwood

Final Grade:

One of the joys of being a film critic and having free passes is getting the chance to watch the good and the bad films. After viewing so many bad films each year it makes you appreciate some of the great ones that come out in late November and December. No matter how many bad movies you watch earlier in the year, it’s nice to know that the years goes out with a bang and as a critic you get to see some of the best performances during the dreary winter months.

Hollywood Icon Clint Eastwood bring us Million Dollar Baby this year as he once again enters the Oscar race in multiple categories. Directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, Eastwood tells the tale of Maggie Fitzgerald, an aging female boxer (played by Hillary Swank) who won’t take no for an answer. She pesters an aging trainer named Frankie Dunn (Eastwood) and his right hand man Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupis (Morgan Freeman) to train her to become the next women’s boxing champion. Though reluctant at first, Frankie finally takes Maggie up on her offer. As the two become learn how to cope with each others pigheaded natures each of them learn a lot about themselves and the inner demons that affect their everyday lives.

I waited and waited for this film and even refused to do my year end best list for this film. And now that I have, all I can say is I am glad I did. Eastwood delivers another knockout blow with Million Dollar Baby, only one year after giving us the fantastic Mystic River. Eastwood has a knack for finding great scripts and bringing them to life in a way that makes you care about the characters, and actually makes you feel like an actual part of the film. His directorial style focuses more on well-crafted and great dialogue and wonderfully crafted cinematic work. The Camera work is amazing at times and may be quite easily the best cinematography I have seen this year. Eastwood once again sticks to his “gray tinted” grainy tone and uses great uses of light and shadowing to help bring the characters to life.

Although the film is cinematically great, the film also packs a punch with great acting. Eastwood is spot on, and even though he is 70 years old, the Hollywood Legend shows us that even though his character can be a man of few words, he can still say so much without saying much at all. Eastwood’s grizzled, gruff character mixed with a great performance by Hillary Swank (who plays White Trash to a near perfection) make this story work. But the real star of the show is Morgan Freeman, who narrates the film as well as has some great scenes with Clint Eastwood.

The film is well written with enough drama to make the story believable, and enough comedic elements to give the audience a good chuckle. While reflecting back on some of the best parts of the film, a scene involving Eastwood pestering a preacher about the Holy Trinity and Morgan Freeman and Eastwood debating holes in Freeman’s Socks. Mix that in with a boxer who has the heart of a champion, but the talent of a loser named “Danger” and you have enough comedy to make the film feel not nearly as heavy as it could be.

Although many have heard the twist of the film, I will not give it away in my review. There is a certain plot point that drives the film in a whole new direction. It tackles a touchy subject in a great way. It feels a little heavy throughout the second half but all in all it is still great.

If I had to make any real solid complaints about Million Dollar Baby, my main complaint would be a little bit of a length issue. It really feels to drag a little bit late in the second half, but I think the film wouldn’t have the same effect if scenes had been cut. I also found Maggie’s white trash family a little too white trashy. They seemed like a family that the producers of COPS would love to meet, and was so over the top I felt as though they were not even believable. Eastwood made sure that they covered every cliché in the White Trash Dictionary right down to the cheating on welfare, the son in prison and dirty scummy trailer park.

All in all like I said before the performances are great, the cinematography is wonderful, and the directing is outstanding. Eastwood scores again with Million Dollar Baby. Eastwood never really ceases to amaze me. As I look back on Million Dollar Baby there is a lot to digest after seeing this flick; it is a great story. While I truly enjoyed this film I feel as though I should really like it more than I actually did. Something kept me from thinking this film is perfect, but no matter how long I have been thinking about it, I can’t put a finger on it. But none the less, This is one of the best films this year. Get out to theaters and check it out. You’ll be glad you did.

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Filed under: Drama, Movies, Sports
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