Bovie Movie

Star Wars meets Ben-Hur in director Danny Cannon’s imaginatively over-the-top science-fiction rendering of the celebrated 2000 AD comic-strip hero. In the future, the world has formed into densely populated Mega Cities with the Cursed Earth being the uninhabitable region lying between them. Law and order is maintained by a fleet of elite officers who are judge, jury and executioner rolled into one, and Judge Dredd (Sylvester Stallone) is the most prolific of the brigade. This is how fans like their Stallone served up best — without subtlety, monosyllabic, biceps bulging and in constant action. Judge Dredd is easily the actor’s best role since Rocky, and Cannon blends him into the futuristic frenzy with satisfying skill. Diane Lane as Judge Hershey, the romantic judge with a conscience, has some excellent moments, and Armand Assante puts in a fine performance of manic evil as a villain with a secret. Cannon continually accents the spark and humour of the comic, while ensuring the visuals are always spectacular and epic. Frequently stunning and always exciting, Judge Dredd is an underrated fantasy gem, full of flash, plenty of bang and packing a considerable wallop. 

Directed by Michael Mann, this crime thriller about a cop (Al Pacino) and a robber (Robert De Niro) is epic in both scale and length, clocking in at just under three hours. Though punctuated by bursts of virtuoso action, including a running battle in downtown LA that ranks as one of the best action scenes ever filmed, it is the unusual emphasis on character that impresses most. De Niro is in fine form as the calm, methodical loner whose life is arranged so that he can abandon everything in 30 seconds when the heat is on, including his sidekick, Val Kilmer. Pacino, by contrast, is more of a cliché, angst-ridden and on his third marriage. We’ve seen it before and catch Pacino acting all the time, especially in his set-piece meeting with De Niro. It’s also a pity that after so much brilliance Mann should succumb to a derivative ending — an airport chase, à la The Killing and Bullitt, and a tidy if bloody resolution in which the wrong man gets killed. 

It was dismissed by many critics as a noisy, scary and utterly worthless excuse for some ingenious computer effects, but as empty experiences go this fantasy adventure is absolutely exhilarating. Toddlers, as well as pre-teens, will be held spellbound by the marauding wildlife that is unleashed when Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce rescue Robin Williams from the sinister board game in which he’s been trapped for 26 years. Any film where the action is determined by a roll of the dice is bound to be episodic, but this hardly detracts from the enjoyment as one spectacular set piece follows another. The result is wonderful, escapist family entertainment. 

Combining culture-clash comedy with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids-style special effects, this assured version of the Lynne Reid Banks novel from director Frank Oz is low-key fantasy with a high-grade impact. A young boy discovers that an old cupboard given to him on his birthday can animate his playthings in this enchanting family fable. Ultimately he must learn responsibility when he brings his toy Indian (well played by rap artist Litefoot) to life and starts treating him like a human Action Man. Muppet maestro Oz and his screenwriter Melissa Mathison never get too heavy, condescending or cloying with their sweet-natured message, and the results are funny, inspiring and moving. A wondrous and winning experience that every age-group can share. 

Mel Gibson directs this 13th-century saga of Scottish revolt against English tyranny with a claymore-like flourish, defying the criticism that there are moments as bogus as plastic haggis. He also stars, portraying William Wallace as a medieval, woad-smeared Mad Max-like hero, a rebel leader and rabble rouser, an intrepid champion from the mould of Hollywood heroes, made believable by the grace of the star. However, if he’s a wartime resistance leader in the style of Robin Hood with a comely Maid Marion in the shape of Sophie Marceau then Patrick McGoohan as the villainous King Edward “Longshanks” is a jeering, sneering cliché too far — the Sheriff of Nottingham with his own portable torture chamber. As director, Gibson’s control over thousands of extras, in the swift succession of gruesome hand-to-hand battles, is as effective as anything in Laurence Olivier’s Henry V. But when the action moves in for the emotional kill, the film loses credibility — Wallace’s disdain at his own disembowelment being a prime example. Yet, for all its stereotypes and disparities, there is a nicely judged air of political cynicism, as noblemen switch allegiances as easily as horses. It succeeds in bringing to life the reality of Scottish patriotism and brilliantly captures the spirit of revolution. Little wonder it won an Oscar for best picture. 

Probably the most lightweight of Lawrence Kasdan’s movies, this is bit of a disappointment if judged in comparison with his other films. However, if you manage to banish The Big Chill and The Accidental Tourist from your mind, you can still enjoy the amiably fluffy confection. Meg Ryan, in her trademark “ever-so-ditzy” mode, sets off for France to reclaim wandering fiancé Timothy Hutton, only to find herself stuck with slobby French thief Kevin Kline. The latter’s role was reported to have been created for Gérard Depardieu, but Kline acquits himself well as the Gallic rogue, and the chemistry between him and Ryan is spot-on. 

The title gives you some idea of the level of sophistication of this instantly forgettable vehicle for Damon Wayans. He plays an aggressive marine given the job of knocking the useless new junior recruits into shape at a military academy. Although no one can accuse Wayans of not giving the role his all (he’s an even nastier version of Louis Gossett Jr in An Officer and a Gentleman), watching him spout abuse at a bunch of misfits is not great entertainment. Some occasionally funny dialogue and the star’s enthusiastic sadism keep it just about watchable. 

Michael Bay obviously likes blowing things up. In Armageddon, the young director destroys Paris; in The Rock the notorious prison Alcatraz goes up in smoke; here, in his debut, he has to settle for demolishing large chunks of Miami real estate. See a pattern emerging? Yes, Bay is the action-meister of Hollywood, and his motto seems to be “If in doubt, hit the plunger”. Of course, there is more to Bay than just an affinity for explosives and Bad Boys is a perfect example of his slick directorial abilities. In fact, this is probably the best buddy movie in years, with Bay’s eye for inventive destruction and cool ultra-violence being further enhanced by the inspired double-act of a pre-Independence Day/Men In Black Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, at the time best known for his supporting turns in such films as House Party and Boomerang. Indeed, such is the impact of Smith and Lawrence, it is hard to believe that Sylvester Stallone was rumoured to be linked with the project. The plot revolves around the audacious robbery of a huge cache of heroin, stolen almost literally from under the noses of the police (the drugs were being held as evidence). Enter our two heroes: Smith as the womanising bachelor and Lawrence as his married strait-laced partner, who, in the only really fresh spin on the buddy format, are forced to swap lifestyles to fool the only witness to the crime (Téa Leoni). However, the plot and characterisation are largely irrelevant — just sit back and feast on the adrenalin-pumping action and the live-wire banter of the two stars. 

Accountant Johnny Depp is told he has 90 minutes, and six bullets, to murder the governor of California or his daughter will be killed, in director John Badham’s weak Hitchcockian suspense thriller. Supposedly playing out the shock predicament in real-time, with lots of close-ups of clocks — it clearly isn’t real-time, however — Badham consistently fluffs the tension by accenting the preposterous plot contrivances rather than creating any real empathy with the plight of the characters. Even the usually engaging Depp can’t rescue this thriller. 

When Mr. Dashwood dies, he must leave the bulk of his estate to the son by his first marriage, which leaves his second wife and three daughters (Elinor, Marianne, and Margaret) in straitened circumstances. They are taken in by a kindly cousin, but their lack of fortune affects the marriageability of both practical Elinor and romantic Marianne. When Elinor forms an attachment for the wealthy Edward Ferrars, his family disapproves and separates them. And though Mrs. Jennings tries to match the worthy (and rich) Colonel Brandon to her, Marianne finds the dashing and fiery Willoughby more to her taste. Both relationships are sorely tried. But this is a romance, and through the hardships and heartbreak, true love and a happy ending will find their way for both the sister who is all sense and the one who is all sensibility.