MOVIES OCTOBER 2001 AUSTRALIA 

 

4 OCTOBER

America's Sweethearts (M): National.  Col Tristar. Comedy. (Advanced screenings 28-29 Sep)  Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, John Cusack, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Hank Azaria, Seth Green. The ending was re-shot due to poor testing, but by the sound of things, it didn't help. A unremarkable trailer won't get 'em in, but the star factor will anyway.  Its not actually too bad, its soft stuff but its pretty enjoyable anyways. 

Lantana (M): Selected, Capitals: Adel, Bris, Can, Melb, Syd.  Beyond/Palace. Previews 28-30th.  Thriller. Geoffrey Rush, Barbara Hershey, Anthony LaPalia, Kerry Armstrong, Rachael Blake, Glen Robbins.  Directed by Ray Lawrence, first movie for him in 15 years (since Bliss) Decidedly unconventional Australian movie with a huge cast, is all about issues of life, love and the threat of loneliness apparently. Mixing yet intertwining storylines, along the lines of Robert Altman and PT Anderson if such crude comparisons are necessary. ( October 18th: Cairns, Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast, Hobart, Noosa  & more (eventually opening at every cinema in Oz actually).

Our Lady of the Assassins (MA): Selected. Drama. Syd.  UIP. Germán Jaramillo, Anderson Ballesteros, Juan David Restrepo, Manuel Busquets. Columbia set epic following murders, revolution and no doubt sex.  ( October 11: Melb; other states TBA.)

The Town Is Quiet (MA): Selected, Syd/ Melb. Gil Scrine.  France. Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin.  

 

 

11 OCTOBER 

Everybody Famous (Iedereen beroemd!). (M): Selected. Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide) l states except NSW (opened Aug 16) Col Tristar. Comedy. Josse De Pauw, Eva van der Gucht, Werner De Smedt, Thekla Reuten. *subtitled*. About a factory workers dream to make her daughter famous.  

Kiss Of The Dragon (MA): National. Fox. Action. Jet Li, Bridget Fonda, Tcheky Karyo, Laurence Ashley. The story centres on a Chinese intelligence officer sent to Europe to help French policemen nab a wanted drug dealer. Featured players include Bidget (A Simple Plan) Fonda, Tchecky (The Patriot) Karyo and Jet Li as the cop who goes to Paris and winds up embroiled in a deadly conspiracy. Jet Li's "not for children" action flick turns out also not for those that like good movies, too.  

Legally Blonde (M): National. (Marathon Screening 30th September, previews 4th-6th). Fox.  Comedy. Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis.  A young girl goes to Harvard law school to prove to her ex-boyfriend that she's not so stupid. Hopefully the filmmakers will show that they aren't so stupid either, and include one of those... you know.. plots? Witherspoon shows she can shake it as a major studio pic, and get the dough.   

Mamadrama (G): Selected- Melbourne. November- Syd.  Sharmill Films. Documentory. Lainie Kazan, Paul Mazursky, Paul Bogart, Larry Peerce, Michael Medved.  Profiles the mothers of the Jewish stars of the 20's and 30's, covering Israeli cinema in a way not done before.  

Purely Belter (M): Selected ;Newtown,  Syd Opera Quays, Brisbane and Melb Kino  Dendy. Chris Beatty, Greg McClane.  British flick about a couple of likely lads that must raise a whole lotta cash quick so they can see their favourite footy team.  A bit of a comedy thing in the vein of the Full Monty then.  

 

 

18 OCTOBER

Anniversary Party (MA): Selected. Roadshow. Alan Cumming, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Cates, John C Reilly. A fading movie star and her writer husband bring together a collection of their Hollywood friends to celebrate their wedding anniversary and their reunion after a trial separation.  As you'd expect, it denigrates into a mess of drugs, confrontations and revelations.   Lots of relationship problems & philosophy and all that hokum.  Hopefully not too pretentious.  Co-directed by Leigh and Cumming.  

The Glass House (MA): Selected. Col Tristar. Diane Lane, Leelee Sobieski, Stellan Skarsgård, Rita Wilson, Michael O'Keefe. An orphaned teenager is taken in by a Malibu couple, but finds out they aren't what they seem.  Their new home, a luxury greenhouse is the scene of numerous sinister goings on. 

Lets Get Skase (M): Selected, Capitals. Roadshow. Comedy. Lachy Hulme, Alex Dimitriades, Bill Kerr, Adam Haddrick, Torquil Neilson, Craig McLachlan. Directed by Matthew George.  Looking at an attempt to kidnap Skase and cash in a reward for his return to Australia, a man does what he can for the nation.  Silly film that hopefully won't seem nasty in the light of Skase's death, although to be fair the movie doesn't actually have all that much to do with him.  He's there, but he's not exactly the focus, the team who are after him are.   

Ring II (M): Selected, Syd/ Melb. Horror *subtitled*. Top horror action about a video that ensures death to every viewer. Did someone say Adam Sandler? Top Japanese horror, critically acclaimed, first film was released on September.   Apparently DreamWorks has optioned a re-make. 

Scary Movie 2 (MA): National. Buena Vista. Comedy. Sean Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Tori Spelling, Anna Faris.  A year after Doofy Gilmore killed several dumb teenagers, a new killer returns to kill Cindy and some more dumb teens.  Expect about as much originality as the first, but fans shouldn't be too disappointed.  Its a spoof on all those house-based horror movies, but with a few other modern hits through in too.  Expect so little that you walk out before the opening credits and you'll probably think its the best movie you've seen in ages.   

Tigerland (MA): Selected, Syd Opera Quays, Brisb AND Melb Kino.  Fox. Colin Farrell, Matthew Davis, Clifton Collins Jr., Tom Guiry. Independent thriller that's been getting good notices for acting.  A group of recruits go through Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana's infamous Tigerland, last stop before Vietnam for tens of thousands of young men in 1971. From the director of Batman & Robin but don't hold that against it.  After all, I make this site and I actually do some pretty decent work elsewhere.  

 

 

25 OCTOBER

Don't Say a Word (MA): National. Drama. Roadshow. Michael Douglas, Famke Janssen, Lorli Villanueva, Sean Bean, Jennifer Espositoa. Why not? When the daughter of a psychiatrist is kidnapped, he's horrified to discover that the abductors' demand is that he break through to a catatonic young woman who knows the location of a stolen diamond.

Enigma (M): Selected. REP. Thriller. Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam, Saffron Burrows, Michael Apted. A young genius tries to crack an enemy code and solve a mystery surrounding the woman he loves. 

Ghosts of Mars (MA): National. Col Tristar. Sci-fi. Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Pam Grier. Set on Mars, obviously, and a rescue mission is needed when people become possessed by Martian ghosts. Its actually John Carpenter's Ghost Of Mars, but just directing a film does not give you the right to take credit for everything about it.  Besides, Carpenter sometimes doesn't deliver anymore, bless his wacky heart, but he doesn't.      

Malena (M): Selected; Syd, Melb. November 8: Perth, Adelaide.  Brisbane: Nov 22. Buena Vista Int. Drama. Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana. A sad story of a beautiful married woman told by her secret admirer, a 12 year old boy. Subtitled.  

Man Who Sued God (M): National. Buena Vista Int. Oz comedy. Billy Connolly, Judy Davis, Colin Friels, Vincent Ball, Billie Brown, Wendy Hughes, John Howard. Directed by Mark Joffe. When lightning strikes Steve Myers' (Connolly) boat, and the insurance company decides not to pay for the damages declaring it an "act of god", he decides to sue the insurance companies, the church.. and God!  The film manages quite a light mood despite addressing quite important issues- and it manages to stick it to insurance companies, journalism, religion and the legal system...