Blue
Crush (PG):
National, 191 screens. UIP. Comedy. 106 mins. Michelle Rodriguez,
Kate Bosworth, Matthew Davis, Faizon Love. D: John Stockwell (Crazy/
Beautiful). This is the story of two young women (Rodriguez, Bosworth)
working as hotel maids in a remote Maui community who have nothing else to do
with their time, so they surf, and become very good at it, eventually entering a
traditionally all-male surf competition. (aka Surf Girls of Maui). Bikini
girls.. nuff said.
The
Experiment (MA): Selected,
Sydney. Rialto.
Germany. Subtitled:- German. 120 mins. Thriller. Moritz Bliebtrue, Andrea
Sawatzki, Justus Von Dohnanyi, Maren Eggert, Christian Berkel, Edgar Selge,
Oliver Stokowski, Wotan Wilke Mohring. D: Oliver Hirschbiegel (debut). The movie
is based on the infamous "Stanford Prison Experiment" conducted in
1971. A makeshift prison is set up in a research lab, complete with cells, bars
and surveillance cameras. For two weeks 20 male participants are hired to play
prisoners and guards. And they released it as a TV show called Oz.
Ghost
Ship (MA):
National, 107. Roadshow. Julianna Marguiles, Gabriel Byrne,
Ron Eldard, Alex Dimitriades, Isaiah Washington, Desmond Harrington, Karl Urban.
D: Steve Beck (13 Ghosts). A boat salvage crew discovers the eerie
remains of a grand passenger liner, thought lost for more than 40 years, in a
remote region of the Bering Sea. Once onboard, the crew must confront the ship's
horrific past and face the ultimate fight for their lives. Or is that
careers?
Life
Or Something Like It (M): Selected, 5. Fox. Comedy/ Romance. Angelina Jolie,
Stockard Channing, Edward Burns, Melissa Errico, Tony Shalhoub, Christian Kane.
D: Stephen Harek (Holy Man). A reporter, Lanie Kerrigan (Jolie),
interviews a psychic homeless man (Shalhoub) for a fluff piece about a football
game's score. Instead, he tells her that her life has no meaning, and is going
to end in just a few days, which sparks her to action, trying to change the
pattern of her life... Hopefully the nudity isn't one of her bad patterns.
Possession
(M): Selected, 30. Roadshow. Romance. 100 mins. Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart,
Jeremy Northam, Jennifer Ehle, Toby Stephens. D: Neil LaBute (Nurse Betty).
Roland Michell is an American trying to make it in the difficult world of
British Academics. He has yet to break out from under his mentor's shadow until
he finds a pair of love letters in the textbook that once belonged to one of his
idols, a famous long dead Victorian poet. Michell, after some sleuthing around,
narrows down the suspects to a woman not his wife, another well known Victorian
poet. Roland enlists the aid of a Dr. Maud Bailey, an expert on the life of the
woman in question. Que late night, naughty, non-library based
research.
Project
Greenlight: Episodes 7-14 (M):
Selected, Melbourne. 93 mins. Buena Vista. Drama. The
film chronicles the friendship of Pete O’Malley (Adiel Stein) and Danny
Jacobsen (Mike Weinberg), two friends on a quest to change the world at age 8.
Most third graders spend their summers playing baseball and hanging out
by the pool. But when Pete’s
Catholic school teacher warns him to clean up his rambunctious act or risk the
wrath of his maker, he decides to embark on a mission to do good in his Chicago
community and prove his worthiness for entry into heaven. Also
includes the documentary featuring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck about the search
for the filmmaker.
Santa Clause 2:
The Mrs Clause (G): National, 226. Buena Vista. Comedy. Tim Allen, Elizabeth
Mitchell, Nicole Leroux, Judge Reinhold, Spencer Breslin, Wendy Crewson, Eric
Lloyd, Kevin Pollak, Molly Shannon, Jay Thomas, Aisha Tyler.
D: Michael Lembeck (debut). Scott
Calvin has been Santa Claus for the past eight years, and his loyal elves
consider him the best Santa ever. But Santa's world is turned upside down when
he's dealt a double whammy of bad news: not only has his son, Charlie, landed
on this years "naughty" list, but if Scott doesn’t marry by
Christmas Eve - just a month away - he'll stop being Santa forever. (Its right
in his contract - the "Mrs Clause").
Tadpole
(MA): Selected, 10. Buena Vista. Drama. Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Stanford, John Ritter, Bebe
Neuwirth, Robert Iler, Adam LeFevre, Peter Appel, Alicia Van Couvering, Kate
Mara, Hope Chernov, Debbon Ayer, Ron Rifkin, Paul Butler, Seth Cosentino. D:
Gary Winick (Sam The Man). A
coming-of-age story about a precious 15-year-old named Oscar Grubman (Stanford)
who comes home for Thanksgiving with big plans to pursue the love of his life,
his stepmother Eve (Weaver). Oscar is
certain that he could be a better mate to Eve than his father (Ritter), who he
considers too distracted by his work to be a successful husband.
Yesil
Isik
(M): Selected, Village Cinemas. South Asia Ltd. Subtitled. Drama. 102
mins. Turkey. Subtitled:- Turkish. D: Faruk Aksoy (debut). Hülya Avsar,
Kenan Isik, Haldun Dormen. A Turkish love story.
12
DECEMBER
8
Crazy Nights (M): National, 33. Columbia. Animated musical
comedy. V: Adam Sandler, Jackie Titone, Austin Stout, Tyra Banks, James Barbour,
Bobby Edner, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon, Rob Schneider, Cole Sprouse, Dylan
Sprouse, Travis Tedford. D: Seth Kearsley. Davey Stone, a 33-year old
party animal, finds himself in trouble with the law after his wild ways go too
far. In keeping with the holiday spirit, the judge gives Davey one last chance
at redemption - spend the holiday performing community service as the assistant
referee for the youth basketball league or go to jail.
Die
Another Day (M): National, 323. Fox. Action. Pierce Brosnan, Dame Judi Dench,
John Cleese, Halle Berry, Rick Yune, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Samantha
Bond, Will Yun Lee. D: Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors). A covert
operation in North Korea is compromised by a unknown traitor. Bond meets
up with a bevvy of beautiful ladies (of course) who help unmask the traitor and
prevent a war of catastrophic consequence. Bond finds himself in Iceland
where an amazingly powerful weapon and his latest adversary
lurks.
Hey
Arnold! The Movie (PG): National, 98. UIP. (Opens Brisbane & Adelaide 12th Dec; elsewhere Dec 19). UIP. Animated. 76 mins.
V: Jamil Walker Smith, Craig Bartlett, Olivia Hack, Spencer Klein, Justin
Shenkarow, Francesca Smith. D: Tuck Tucker (debut). Based on the kids TV
show. Arnold
is Nickelodeon's first-ever football-headed,
untucked-shirted, city-living, stickball-playing kid toon star. Arnold lives
in his grandparents' boarding house with a group of eccentric grown-ups who
don't always get along.
Spirited
Away (PG): Selected, 30:- Canb/ Syd/ Brisb/ Adel/ Melb/ Gold/ Perth . Niche.
124 mins. Animated adventure. Aka Sen to Chihiro
no kamikakushi. V: Daveigh Chase, Michael Chiklis, Susan Egan, Lauren Holly,
Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette, John Ratzenberger, David Ogden Stiers. D:
Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke). In the middle of her
family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world
ruled by witches and monsters, where humans are changed into animals. Don't say
Animal Farm.. a massive hit in its native Japan, can post S11 the Oriental
obsession continue?
Stolen
Summer (PG): Selected, 1- Melbourne. Buena Vista. Drama. Aidan
Quinn, Bonnie Hunt, Adi Stein, Kevin Pollak, Mike Weinberg. D: Pete Jones
(debut). Stolen Summer tells the story of an Irish catholic boy, Pete (Adi
Stein), growing up in 1976 Chicago. Pete becomes concerned that, as one nun at
school has repeatedly told him, he’s going to go to hell. He decides that the
way into Heaven is to convert Jews to Catholicism and makes that his mission.
The understanding Rabbi Jacobsen (Kevin Pollak) appreciates Pete’s interest in
religion and encourages Pete on his "quest". This is the film
resulting from the Project Greenlight project, either that or too much drugs.
Thunderpants
(PG): National, 96. Becker. 87 mins. Comedy. UK. Bruce
Cook, Ned Beatie, Simon Callow, Stephen Fry, Rupurt Grint, Joshua Herdman, Celia
Imrie. D: Peter Hewitt (The Borrowers). A
flatulent British schoolboy whose skill is harnessed by Nasa is the unlikely
premise for this beguilingly awful kids' film. Inside, you'll find Simon Callow
as a preening opera singer, Rupert Grint (Ron in Harry Potter) as an irksome
boffin and Ned Beatty issuing the immortal command, "Let's blow ass.". Destined
to go down in the anals of film history as a classic tale, or is it all
wind?
19
DECEMBER
Sweet
Home Alabama (PG): National, 247. Buena Vista. Comedy. 109 mins. Reese Witherspoon, Dakota
Fanning, Brandon Carroll, Sean Treadaway, Jen Apgar, Kena Allen, Suzi Bass,
Candice Bergen, Sharon Blackwood, Jeremy Carroll, Patrick Dempsey, Ethan Embry,
Courtney Gains, Jason Horton, Josh Lucas, Jean Smart, Katharine Towne. D: Andy
Tennant (Ever After). The story
of a young woman, Melanie (Witherspoon), from a “white trash” background who
runs away from her husband (Lucas) in Alabama and reinvents herself as a New
York socialite. When her Park Avenue boyfriend (Dempsey), whose mother (Bergen)
is the Mayor of New York City, proposes marriage, she returns home to tell her
parents and obtain a divorce from her husband. In doing so, she is confronted
with her past and must choose between the men.
26 DECEMBER 2002
8
Women (M): Selected, 18. Dendy. 103 mins. French/ Subtitled. Musical, crime,
comedy, mystery. Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Béart, Ludivine Sagnier,
Virginie Ledoyen, Fanny Ardant, Dannielle Darrieux, Isabelle Huppert, Firmine
Richard. D: Francois Ozon (Under The Sand). One murdered man, eight
women, each seeming to be more eager than the others to know the truth. (Opened
on the 25th.)
Adaptation
(M): Selected, 26- Capitals. Columbia. Drama. 115 mins. Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Chris Cooper, Jane Adams, Catherine Keener,
Ron Livingston, Tilda Swinton. D: Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich). An
account of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's (Cage) attempt to adapt Susan Orlean's
(Streep) non-fiction book The Orchid Thief, which is the story of John Laroche
(Cooper), a plant dealer who clones rare orchids then sells them to collectors.
We see the action of the book as we see Kaufman struggle to adapt it into a
movie. This is presumably a somewhat true story, as Charlie Kaufman is the real
life screenwriter of Adaptation. Coming soon:- Movie, the true to
life story of a movie-goer who trues to enjoy watching a movie in these
post-modern, too-smart-for-their-own-good times.
Bowling
For Columbine (M): Selected, 16- Capitals. Hopscotch. Documentary. 120 mins. D: Michael
Moore (The Big One). Filmmaker, author and pundit Michael Moore returns
with Bowling for Columbine, his fifth film. Focusing on the obsession with guns
and violence in the United States, the trademark humor in present in all of
Moore's films will certainly be present here. Seeing a Michigan bank advertise
an odd gift, Moore visits, opens an account, and walks out with a brand new
rifle. Moore also tracks down actor and National Rifle Association president
Charlton Heston for an interview.. and chases him with an armed
chimp.
Frida
(MA): Selected, 25- Capitals. Buena Vista. Drama/ bio-pic. 120 mins. Salma Hayek (Frida Kahlo),
Alfred Molina (Diego Rivera), Antonio Banderas (David Siqueiros), Ashley Judd
(Tina Modotti), Edward Norton (Nelson Rockefeller) (cameo), Geoffrey Rush (Leon
Trotsky), Roger Rees (Guillermo Kahlo). D: Julie Taymor (Titus).
The true life story of famed Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), and the
book, Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo, by Hayden Herrera. This is
the true story of Frida Kahlo and her husband Diego Rivera, the larger-than-life
painters who became the most acclaimed artists in Mexican history, and whose
tempestuous love affair, landmark journeys to America, and outrageous
personalities, and amazing mono-brows made them legendary.
Human
Nature (MA): Selected, 1- Sydney. Jan 16- Melb/ Brisb. Becker. Comedy. 96 mins.
Tim Robbins, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto, Robert Forster, Mary
Kay Place, Miguel Sandoval, Toby Huss, Peter Dinklage, Rosie Perez, Bobby
Harwell. D: Michael Gondry (The Letter). A philosophical burlesque, Human
Nature follows the ups and downs of an obsessive scientist, a female naturalist,
and the man they discover, born and raised in the wild. As scientist Nathan
(Robbins) trains the wild man, Puff (Ifans) in the ways of the world - starting
with table manners - Nathan's lover Lila (Arquette) fights to preserve the man's
simian past, which represents a freedom enviable to most.
The
Lion King (G): Selected, 1- Melb IMAX. Animated. Buena Vista. 89 mins.
V: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, James Earl
Jones, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Niketa Calame, Ernie Sabella, Nathan Lane,
Robert Guillaume
. Still the mightiest animated feature of them all and the undisputed
"king" of the box office, Walt Disney Pictures' The lion king roars
to life as never before with its dazzling large format debut. Reformatted
specifically for the giant screen from the film's original digital elements,
this special limited engagement offers moviegoers a chance to experience one of
the greatest animated adventures of all time on the most majestic canvas
imaginable and with a spectacular newly remixed soundtrack.
Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers (M):
National, 425. Roadshow. Fantasy. Elijah Wood, Sir Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Sean
Astin, Billy Boyd, Orlando Bloom, Kevin Conway, Hugo Weaving, Brad Dourif,
Martin Csoka, Bernard Hill, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo
Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, John Noble, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban. D:
Peter Jackson (Braindead). Frodo and Sam continue on to Mordor in their
mission to destroy the One Ring. Whilst their former companions make new allies
and launch an assault on Isengard.
Mostly
Martha
(PG):
Selected, 20- Sydney. UIP.
107 mins. Comedy.
Austria/ Germany. Subtitled:- German. Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, Maxime
Foerste, August Zirner, Ulrich Thomsen, Sibylle Canonica, Katja Studt, Idil Üner,
Oliver Broumis, Antonio Wannek, Diego Ribon. D: Sandra Nettelbeck (Loose Ends).
When her sister dies in a car accident, Martha has to care for Lina, her
eight-year-old niece, a girl who proves as resolute and single-minded as her
aunt. The orderly world of Martha's kitchen falls apart, and the owner brings in
a flamboyant, fun-loving Italian sous chef (Castellitto) to help her deal with
the pressure.
Satin Rouge (M): Selected, 2- Sydney. Melb: Jan 9. Potential Films. 99 mins. Musical/ drama.
Tunsia. D: Raja Amari (One
Evening In July). "Satin Rouge" is an obscure movie from Tunisia,
but well worth a look. The story has Hiyam Abbas as Lilia, a widowed seamstress
who breaks out of her shell and joins the glittery world of belly dancing. This
movie seems to catch the essence of the dancer, how Middle Eastern society views
her, and how she feels about the dance. It's all about the belly.
Treasure
Planet (PG):
National, 250. Buena Vista. Animated. 95
mins. V: Emma Thompson,
David Hyde Pierce, Martin Short, Brian Murray, Joseph Gordon-Levitt. D:
Ron Clements (Hercules), John Musker (Aladdin). Follows
fifteen-year-old Jim Hawkins' fantastic journey across a parallel universe
aboard a glittering solar space galleon in search of the legendary "loot of
a thousand worlds." Befriended by the ship's charismatic cyborg (part man,
part machine) cook John Silver, Jim blossoms under his guidance, and shows the
makings of a fine spacer as he and the alien crew battle supernovas, black holes
and ferocious space storms. But even greater dangers lie ahead when Jim
discovers that his trusted friend Silver is actually a scheming pirate with
mutiny in mind. And lots of hot alien robot sex.
The
Tuxedo (M): National, 141. UIP. Action. 99
mins. Jackie Chan, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Isaacs, Debi Mazar,
Peter Stormare, Ritchie Coster, Mia Cottet. D: Kevin Donovan (debut) . A
pitiful New York City taxicab driver named Charlie McCoy (Chan) is hired to be a
chauffeur for a mysterious man named Clark Devlin. When Devlin is hospitalised,
McCoy takes over Devlin's covert mission for the U.S. government: to uncover the
secret scheme of bottled water broker Diedrich Banning. Charlie also inherits
Clark's computerized tuxedo, which gives its wearer supernatural powers of
combat, camouflage and seduction.
MOVIES RELEASED DECEMBER 2002