All articles by Jean Oppenheimer – Page 3

  • Reviews

    Bruce Almighty

    2003-05-29T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Tom Shadyac. US. 2003. 102minsThe triumvirate of actor Jim Carrey, director Tom Shadyac and screenwriter Steve Oedekerk struck box office gold with their first film together, 1994's Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. Ever since they have worked together in various combinations (for example Shadyac and Carrey with Liar, Liar). Finally ...

  • Reviews

    The Lizzie McGuire Movie

    2003-05-12T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Jim Fall. US. 2003. 93minsAfter three, wildly successful seasons on the Disney Channel, tween queen Lizzie McGuire has made the leap to the big screen. First introduced to US audiences back in 2000 (the live action/animated series only began airing in the UK and other international markets a year ...

  • Reviews

    It Runs In The Family

    2003-05-08T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Fred Schepisi. US. 2003. 109mins Three generations and four members of the Kirk and Michael Douglas clan get into the act in this comedy/drama about conflicted family relationships. The film is tough-going for the first hour due to slow pacing, awkward acting, abrupt editing - as if a ...

  • Reviews

    A Mighty Wind

    2003-04-25T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Christopher Guest. US. 2003. 92mins.Like the two earlier pictures which writer/director/actor Christopher Guest co-wrote with Eugene Levy - 2000's Best In Show and 1996's Waiting for Guffman - A Mighty Wind is a film with a premise but no plot. The concepts themselves - a folk music reunion, the ...

  • Reviews

    Basic

    2003-04-04T00:00:00Z

    Dir: John McTiernan. US 2003. 95mins In a rather odd coincidence of timing, US majors have released three military-themed thrillers in the space of a month: Tears Of The Sun, The Hunted and, now, Basic. More of a whodunnit than the previous two, Basic finds action-director McTiernan (Die Hard) ...

  • Reviews

    Willard

    2003-03-21T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Glen Morgan. US. 2003. 100minsEverybody has heard of Cinderella. She befriended the mice that lived in her attic bedroom and made them cute little outfits to wear. In return, they sang and danced and kept her company. Now comes Willard, who pals around with the rats that live in ...

  • Reviews

    The Hunted

    2003-03-20T00:00:00Z

    Dir: William Friedkin. US. 2003. 94minsWhen a government orders a man to kill, it is considered acceptable. When that same man, tormented by the violence he has perpetrated loses his grip and starts killing on his own, who is to blame' That is the question that should be central to ...

  • Reviews

    Tears Of The Sun

    2003-03-13T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Antoine Fuqua. US. 2003. 118mins Will they or won't they' Sony Pictures is denying a report in the Los Angeles Times that, due to the unusually high level of anti-American sentiment around the world, the studio plans to delay the international release of its new military-themed action/drama, Tears Of ...

  • Reviews

    Two Weeks Notice

    2003-01-10T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Marc Lawrence. US 2002. 102minsThe adorably klutzy Sandra Bullock and the self-deprecatingly charming Hugh Grant have always engendered enormous goodwill among movie-goers. That's lucky for writer and first-time director Marc Lawrence because without the couple's seemingly bullet-proof appeal, this predictable, utterly formulaic romantic comedy would be unbearable. The film ...

  • Reviews

    25th Hour

    2002-12-17T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Spike Lee. US 2002. 135minsA cautionary tale about the consequences of knowingly breaking the law, 25th Hour contains a commanding performance by the supremely-talented Edward Norton that is likely to generate an Oscar nomination for the actor but not greatly increase the box office. Spike Lee's films are always ...

  • Chicago
    Reviews

    Chicago

    2002-12-13T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Rob Marshall. US. 2002. 113mins

  • Reviews

    Chicago

    2002-12-13T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Rob Marshall. US. 2002. 113minsMoulin Rouge last year proved that there was box-office life in the movie musical. The eagerly anticipated Chicago should confirm that, at least in North America, where it opens on Dec 27, and other English-language territories. Buzz is furious on both coasts for the film ...

  • Reviews

    Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind

    2002-12-10T00:00:00Z

    Dir: George Clooney. US 2002. 112minsGeorge Clooney dons two hats for Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind - actor and director - but that's nothing compared to the double life that the film's real-life protagonist enjoys. If former TV game show creator Chuck Barris (The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, The ...

  • Reviews

    Eight Crazy Nights

    2002-12-02T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Seth Kearsley. US 2002. 71 minutesAdam Sandler has been extending his acting range recently but Eight Crazy Nights, an animated film in which he voices most of the key characters, is not likely to be confused with Punch Drunk Love. Comedies are always a tough sell abroad and Sandler ...

  • Reviews

    Solaris

    2002-11-27T00:00:00Z

    Dir: Steven Soderbergh. US 2002. 99 minutes For a film which purports to be about the deepest recesses of the human heart, this sci-fi romance is curiously lacking in emotion. It is a fatal flaw and, while the marquee value of international heartthrob Clooney and wunderkind film-maker Soderbergh promises encouraging ...

  • Reviews

    Kissing Jessica Stein

    2002-03-13T15:47:00Z

    Dir: Charles Herman-Wurmfeld. US 2001. 96minsHalfway into the gender-bending romantic comedy Kissing Jessica Stein, the 28-year-old, eponymous heroine describes herself as "a Jewish Sandra Dee". A more apt comparison might be Annie Hall, whose physical mannerisms and stammering speech patterns actress/writer Jennifer Westfeldt seems to have appropriated for her character. ...

  • Reviews

    Pinero

    2002-01-31T17:16:00Z

    Dir: Leon Ichaso. US. 2001. 99mins With his intense, charismatic performance in Pinero, Benjamin Bratt -best known for his tenure on US TV series Law And Order and a few tepid features - reaches a major turning point in his career. Displaying the kind of acting chops associated with the ...

  • Reviews

    I Am Sam

    2002-01-02T14:42:00Z

    Dir: Jessie Nelson. US 2001. 134mins.This film about a mentally-challenged father (Penn) whose seven-year old daughter is taken away from him by social workers is as cloying as they come and will try the patience of even the actor's most loyal fans. Certainly there is an audience for this type ...

  • Reviews

    Behind Enemy Lines

    2001-11-27T15:13:00Z

    Dir: John Moore. US 2001. 105 mins The US military couldn't have asked for a more effective recruitment tool than this rousing, high-concept action feature about a young navy pilot trapped behind enemy lines in Bosnia, who must outwit and evade his legion of pursuers until the Marines can arrive ...

  • Reviews

    The Simian Line

    2001-11-22T15:44:00Z

    Dir: Linda Yellen. USA 2000. 106mins The cast members in this uneven ensemble comedy might as well be in different pictures; in fact, it's a pity they're not since the film starring Lynn Redgrave is worth watching, while the one featuring William Hurt and Samantha Mathis is not. Given that ...