Bovie Movie

Upgrading the motion-capture animation process that Robert Zemeckis pioneered in The Polar Express, first-time director Gil Kenan creates an animated comedy horror with terrific success. Executive produced by Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg, it’s a fun and thrilling ride for kids, full of smart jokes for adults, and with tons of sharp, imaginative detail to delight both. As Halloween approaches, youngsters DJ (Mitchel Musso), Chowder (Sam Lerner) and Jenny (Spencer Locke) must unlock the secret of a creepy haunted house before it swallows the neighbourhood’s trick-or-treaters. The traits of these friends echo the successful formula of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter stories: a boy, his gawky best friend and their studious female companion. But more interesting are the clever visuals that reference horror classics like Freaks and Quatermass and the Pit. With its unique, distinctive storybook-look that utilises new technology, Monster House is an unforgettable and irresistible adventure. 

In light of 2001’s Pearl Harbor, this megabucks popcorn-spiller from producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay is revealed to be a witty, postmodern exercise (by comparison anyway). There’s a meteor “the size of Texas” heading for Earth — as indeed there was in Deep Impact, released the same year — and it’s up to Bruce Willis and his motley oil-drilling gang (“the Wrong Stuff”) to blast off and save us all. In hallmark Bruckheimer style, it’s flashy, overwrought and excessive, but there’s a knowing irony in the committee-written script and in the performances of Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Steve Buscemi. The love subplot is a low point but, within such an expert thrill ride, it’s not the end of the world. 

Following on from The Rock, this was the film that cemented Nicolas Cage’s reputation as one of Hollywood’s most unlikely action heroes. It’s a top-notch thrill-athon, with Cage as an ex-Army Ranger jailed for a murder he committed in self-defence, whose release is interrupted when his flight home is hijacked by a bunch of America’s most dangerous felons. Cage’s impossibly cool macho posturing is irresistible, as is John Malkovich’s sneering, tongue-in-cheek turn as super-criminal Cyrus “the Virus” Grissom. John Cusack and Ving Rhames lend snappy support, while Steve Buscemi steals nearly every scene he is in with an inspired pastiche of Hannibal Lecter. Armed with an entertaining script by Scott Rosenberg, director Simon West has delivered a dynamic debut that’s nearly impossible to dislike. The public certainly found it a winning formula — it went on to take more than $200 million around the world. 

Japan’s long-running computer-game franchise provides the bare, thematic bones for this 100-per-cent computer-animated movie, which was released hot on the heels of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. Directed and co-written by the game’s creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, with new characters and story, the film follows the quest of brilliant young scientist Dr Aki Ross (voiced by ER’s Ming-Na) to find a peaceful end to the ongoing war between mankind and invading “phantoms” in 2065. The goodies are Dr Sid (Donald Sutherland) and a military squad straight out of Aliens (including light relief Steve Buscemi); the baddie is hawkish General Hein (James Woods). The story is simple sci-fi stuff, even a little off-puttingly “touchy-feely” at times, but it’s strong and intelligent enough to prevent the film from being merely an expensive ($140 million) exhibition match for the US-Japanese animators. That said, it’s a truly state-of-the-art display — so realistic at times, you wonder why they animated it at all — although there’s a rubbery quality to the human characters, who still can’t mouth dialogue convincingly. 

Computer animation pioneers Pixar (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life) continue their exploration of magical worlds that keep themselves hidden from human eyes with this frantic, funny and very furry animated feature. This time the focus is on the creatures that lurk inside the bedroom closets of children and who venture out to terrify their human prey when the lights are off. Creatures such as towering fluffball Sulley (voiced by John Goodman) and malevolent chameleon Randall (Steve Buscemi) are employees of Monsters Inc, a power provider for the city of Monstropolis, which is fuelled by the screams of human children. But Monstropolis is facing an energy crisis. Youngsters are getting harder to scare and, to make matters worse, Sulley accidentally lets a little girl into a realm where kids are believed to be highly toxic. Packed with the sort of artistry and storytelling panache we’ve come to expect from Pixar, the film creates a believable monsters’ universe full of colour, energy and amusing creatures — especially the two horned, one-eyed joker known as Mike (voiced by Billy Crystal at his wisecracking best). The attention to detail is as staggering as ever, right down to the subtle movements of Sulley’s rippling blue fur. A genuine monster smash. 

Two straight, single Brooklyn firefighters (Sandler, James) pretend to be a gay couple in order to receive domestic partner benefits.

Comedian Adam Sandler apparently made this comedy for his late grandmother, because his father told him she “would’ve liked it”. Indeed, what better way to honour granny than to remake her favourite film, Frank Capra’s Mr Deeds Goes to Town? Well, the moral of this short story is that good intentions don’t make good films. Sandler takes on the Gary Cooper role of the country bumpkin who inherits a business empire, goes to the big city and becomes the unwitting target of a scandal-seeking reporter (Winona Ryder) trying to get the goods on him, as well as a scheming executive (Peter Gallagher) who’s just trying to get the goods. Whereas Cooper was an everyman, Sandler is just the man in the street, and director Steven Brill is no Capra — he has replaced wit with smut and sentiment with saccharin. Even the most indulgent grandmother would have to pass on this travesty of an American classic. 

Brenda wears comfortable, cotton panties; Nikki wears shear, lacy thongs. Richard Cooper is in the middle, with a good job in Manhattan, a house in the suburbs, and two cute children with Brenda, his intelligent, good-looking wife, who’s a teacher. But there’s no sex in this seven-year marriage, so Richard’s bored. Into the mix walks Nikki, a sexy, sassy, single friend he’s not seen in years. Nikki has problems and finds a reason to stop at his office every day. He tries to help, they have some fun, and he doesn’t mention Nikki to Brenda. His work and reputation suffer. Is he about to scratch the seven year itch? What choices does Richard have?

This “adoption-by-proxy” comedy is a perfect example of how a sparkling central performance can make even the most crudely sentimental fluff hilariously palatable. Thanks to Adam Sandler and his infectious goofball sweetness, this film works like a charm, even though the story springs few surprises. Sandler doesn’t stray far from his slacker persona here, playing a lazy loafer who takes his flatmate’s love-child under his wing. They bond, and, thanks to parental responsibility, he’s a changed man, even attracting the interest of Miss Right, Joey Lauren Adams. Yes, it’s contrived, mawkish and manipulative, but Happy Gilmore director Dennis Dugan’s effortless handling of the tale and Sandler’s confident puppy-dog demeanour ensure that it delivers huge laughs. Sandler haters beware, however, he alone gives Big Daddy its big heart. 

The quirky no-budget charm of El Mariachi may have gone, but director Robert Rodriguez here clearly revels in the chance to splash out with the backing of a studio to remake his modest debut feature effectively. Antonio Banderas assumes the mantle of the mysterious guitar-playing stranger who arrives south of the border seeking vengeance against an evil drugs baron, and keeps his tongue wedged firmly in cheek as he carries out his acrobatic slaughter of hordes of bad guys. Add to that a smouldering early appearance from Salma Hayek, sharp cameos from Quentin Tarantino and Steve Buscemi and a rootsy rocking soundtrack from Los Lobos, and you end up with joyfully mindless mayhem.