Universal Pictures Sam Neill, playing
Dr. Alan Grant, faces a group of velociraptors in "Jurassic Park
III."
“Jurassic Park III” Directed by Joe
Johnstone Starring Sam Neill, Tea Leoni and William H.
Macy The sharp-toothed and computer-generated dinosaurs of
“Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World” are
back for Joe Johnstone’s “Jurassic Park III.”
Possibly the best of the trilogy, this movie will definitely make
viewers clutch their seats in suspense. New Zealand actor Sam Neill
slips effortlessly back into the role of congenial Dr. Alan Grant
from “Jurassic Park.” He and his heartthrob assistant
Billy (Alessandro Nivola) are forced to accompany a divorced couple
(Tea Leoni and William H. Macy) in a search for their missing son.
Dr. Grant soon finds himself marooned on the dinosaur-infested
island that he’d just sworn “no force on heaven or
earth” would get him near. Of course, in the quest to escape
the island a soppy love story evolves as the couple reunites. The
merciless creatures hunting the group, however, are not your
ordinary dinosaurs. Instead of the once mighty T-Rex, the foes of
this movie are the even more threatening spinosaurus and
pteranodons. The tense, breathtaking dinosaur attacks and plane
crash sequences are wonderfully filmed with quick edits, eerie
foggy backgrounds, underwater scenes, reverberating growls and
magnificent flying camera shots. Johnstone makes the fear more
psychological by providing only fleeting glimpses of the dinosaurs.
The film does have one major failing ““ the ending. After
frightening and fast paced action, the low-key and almost spiritual
ending is disappointing. But if this plot flaw is ignored, the
claustrophobic human escape drama will make even the bravest
viewers jump at the appearance of a jaw-snapping velociraptor.
William Flockton Rating: 7
“The Score” Directed by Frank Oz Starring
Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, Angela Bassett and Marlon
Brando After tallying up the points in “The
Score,” it is clear that the big loser is the audience that
paid $9 to watch this tired and repetitious film. Director Frank
Oz, of Muppet puppeteering fame, appears to have regarded
originality as a deadly disease to be avoided at all costs in
“The Score.” The film opens with distinguished thief
Nick Wells, played by the omnipresent Robert De Niro, nearly
getting caught stealing a valuable set of family jewels. Although
he is successful, the close call serves as a signal that it is time
for him to get out of the business, and retire to his day job,
owning a Montreal jazz club. But, as in every heist movie, good or
bad, Nick must complete just one last job before he can quit. Bored
yet? Going on in any more detail about the film would mean possibly
revealing one or both of the two “surprises” that wait
in store for those audiences members so unfortunate as to wander
into this film. Marlon Brando makes an appearance as Nick’s
boss, Max Baron, who talks him into getting involved in the heist
of a jeweled scepter worth millions of dollars. Brando provides his
physical presence and nothing more to the movie, although if
lumbering around and breathing hard can be considered acting, then
perhaps the Academy will be giving him a nod. To complete the job,
Max brings in the man on the inside, Jackie, played by a
surprisingly uninteresting Edward Norton. Jackie has infiltrated
the stronghold by pretending to be a mentally disabled janitor, a
role in which Norton does not appear to be entirely comfortable. A
key problem is that Oz is unaware of what kind of movie he is
making. If it is supposed to be a thinking man’s crime drama,
there needs to be at least some use of logical thought involved.
The most the film provides is an occasional unintelligible and
uninteresting explanation of how to break into a high security
vault, and then a few contemplative glances between Nick and
Jackie. Nor can the film be ranked among the high-octane action
films of the summer. No major explosions and little gunfire keep
the movie dragging through its pit of muddy boredom. The final
heist sequence is filled with tension, but not excitement. By the
time the robbery rolls around, the audience is in such a state of
boredom that no amount of action can rouse them from their
semi-conscious state. After “The Score” is in, it is
clear that only the summer expanse of films could be proud of a
movie that squanders so much acting and directing potential away on
a disgustingly simple plot.
David Holmberg Rating: 3
“Hedwig and the Angry Inch” Directed by and
starring John Cameron Mitchell Disappointed movie viewers
take solace: there is a good summer comedy out there. “Hedwig
and the Angry Inch,” written/directed by, and starring John
Cameron Mitchell, is a non-stop delight. Perhaps the most original
film of the summer, the dark comedy tells the story of Hedwig, an
East Berlin man who had a botched sex change operation to marry an
American soldier (the unsuccessful operation leaves the
“angry inch” of the title). Once he finds himself alone
in America, dressing in women’s clothing and using his
mother’s name, he focuses on his love for music and starts an
“internationally ignored” rock band. The film shows a
series of Hedwig’s performances, along with flashbacks to his
life in Berlin and his previous relationships. The screenplay was
taken from the off-Broadway rock opera of the same name, and the
theatrical aspect works to its advantage. The songs fit smoothly
into the plot, as they are all sung at the band’s shows,
mostly to an audience of rather shocked, conservative looking older
couples. Hedwig’s songs are the best part of the movie. They
give insight into his lifelong search for love and some are
accompanied by charming animation. Mitchell’s performance as
Hedwig, stuck halfway between man and woman and falling in and out
of love, is another treat. He is funny without being slapstick, and
tragic without being pathetic. What is refreshing about this film,
though, is that it is a comedy that doesn’t try to gross-out
its viewers, using sharp writing instead of the obvious and trite
fare to which lesser writers would have resorted.
Mary Williams Rating: 9