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| Not a load of pants |
THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELLING PANTS - Directed by Ken
Kwapis
Certificate 15
THIS movie is predictable, sopping with sentiment and yet still
maddeningly effective.
Directed by TV/feature director Ken Kwapis (whom I have yet to forgive
for the appalling Vibes), this is a to-the-core drama about four
teenage females – archetypes of their age really – who
are united by a seemingly magical pair of jeans that fits all of
them.
Based on the popular novels by Ann Brashares, Carmen (America Ferrera)
claims to be the group’s spokeswoman although her role in this
drama is one of whining, crying and whingeing rather than actually
writing anything down. More appropriately, the recorder of this
magical summer of denim should have been Tibby (Amber Tamblyn),
a blue-dyed almost-goth with enough cynicism to start her own factory.
She works at a Walmart clone store where she is making a self-titled
‘suckumentary’ with all the people who work in her store
and hang out there – essentially a look at the local losers.
Meanwhile, Lena (Alexis Bledel) has been carted off to Greece to
spend the summer, no matter that she would rather never take off
her clothes even for a swim.
Then there’s the tall, athletic and over-confident Bridget
(Blake Lively) whose mother is dead and who knows how to get what
she wants – or so she thinks. While adults may scoff at some
of the broad lines of dialogue or the sloppy sentiments, the performances
from all the young stars involved are exceptional.
Sisterhood isn’t a film many will proclaim a masterpiece, but
it has heart to spare and it is perfectly suited as a weepy for
today’s issues.
Hazzardous to your funny bone
THE DUKES OF HAZZARD - Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar
Certificate 12A
THE Dukes of Hazzard are back and conquering the American box
office, whether you liked the TV series or not.
When it comes to being so dumb it hurts, it is hard to go further
than this – the cartoon ridiculum of those Hazzard kin. Directed
by Jay Chandrasekhar (who also gave us Super Troopers and the quite
nice Club Dread) from a script written by the same chap who did
Starsky and Hutch, this is a comedy without laughs.
It is actually a sort of primer for those who don’t know much
about the South (as in the Modern North American South) but are
willing to give themselves a couple of hours to learn. And so you
will learn the multifarious meaning of having a confederate flag
painted on the top of your hotrod; the meaning of kissing cousins
and why sheriffs must wear white suits.
Okay, that last one I made up. The Dukes of Hazzard is nothing more
than a happy, silly, frothy, fun, dusty and dumb retreaded redneck
adventure starring Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville, the
man from Jackass.
In the shorts-wearing, low-top sporting, sex-for-bait role we have
Jessica Simpson (pictured), who claimed the minute she got the role
as Daisy Duke she gave up chocolate cake. (Like the rest of womankind
needed to hear that.)
Kevin Heffernan does a fabulous job as the disgusting yet helpful
weirdo Sheev while Burt Reynolds (whose facelift has rested up some)
does his bit as the coolly evil sheriff who claims the Duke’s
farmland for his own use.
Lynda Carter (TV’s Wonder Woman in her second role this year
after Sky High) and Willie Nelson add big name clout of sorts.
But by far the most fun is had by Seann William Scott’s Bo
Duke, a man who professes to be in love with a girl his cousin has
already seduced but who really loves the orange Dodge Charger known
as General Lee more than anything.
Also showing
Pather Panchali
Released to commemorate its director’s death ten years ago,
this is Satyajit Ray’s lauded first feature which gave India’s
arthouse cinema a global profile. This story of an impoverished
Bengali family is the first in the Apu trilogy – a story which
was thought so unpopular that the director reportedly pawned his
wife’s jewellery to get it made.
Ravi Shankar’s score adds a haunting quality.
The Cave
It is rare when a similar setting (underground caves) and a similar
genre (horror) can come together twice in a year to produce good
films. The Cave, with centres on a group of experts explore a series
of caves in Romania, is very similar to The Descent. This one, however,
hinges on eco-science as well as things that go bump in the dark.
The Intruder
Claire Denis’s mysterious look into the inner life of an
amoral transplant recipient employs reverse time and circular plotting
to bring the main character’s isolation to the fore. A challenging,
profound story of morality, one’s past and a question of karma.
The Mighty Celt
Gillian Anderson and Robert Carlyle star in a kid and dog story
set against the Irish troubles.
Fascinated by greyhounds, a young boy works to make the animal a
race winner, with promise of ownership after three wins. Lovingly
crafted, this story nevertheless packs a nasty sucker punch.
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D
Director Robert Rodriguez’s imaginative spy adventure relies
on those good old 3D glasses to tell this tale of a boy uniting
forces on a planet he himself invented.
Ultimately, an endless stream of delicious if unnecessary visuals
for those in single digits.
No rest for the Brave
French director Alain Giraudie’s freakish and bizarre tale
of a teen certain that sleep will bring about his death. Blithely
dashing through genres after genre, this is a tale of the blurred
boundaries between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Pick of the indies
Frightfest 2005
Nicknamed ‘the dark heart of cinema’, the UK’s largest
and most attended fantasy and horror flm festival packs in twenty
new films over this Bank holiday weekend. Opening with Land of the
Dead, the fourth and some say best version of horror master George
A Romero’s famous zombie classic, it stars Dennis Hopper, John
Leguizamo and Asia Argento. Another offering is Wolf Creek, a deceptively
vicious serial killer tale based on true events down under concerning
the ‘Brat Pack Killer’ For anyone who truly wants to be
frightened, this film is your ticket but be prepared to have its
visuals stick in your memory for good.
• August 26-29
Odeon West End |
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