Movie reviews - 2004-04-15

Something's Gotta Give
Director: Nancy Meyers

Erica (Diane Keaton) is a playwright who, after years of only making love to her work, suddenly finds both her grownup daughter's 63-year-old boyfriend and his young doctor courting her. Director Nancy Meyers has, once again, made a predictable romantic comedy with stereotypes for characters and sitcom humor, which pretends to have heart and depth. Some gags do work, some don't, but they are all equally repeated over and over again, making two hours and eight minutes in the company of this film a quite tedious matter. Keaton has a somewhat frantic charm as Erica, but Jack Nicholson's womanizer is particularly unattractive in this film, making it difficult to believe that Erica, or any other woman, younger or older, would fall for this character. I 3/4
Julie Vinten

This reviewer had almost given up on romantic comedies, when up pops director Nancy Myers' delightful film featuring more than just pretty faces and senseless words. Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Frances McDormand, Amanda Peet and Keanu Reeves flawlessly utilize every ounce of talent they've got in their collective hearts and souls. The results are sincere entertainment combined with substance, style and some truly superb performances. This is the first time that the great Nicholson actually plays someone close to his own notable self - an aging Casanova in his 60s who only dates young women under the age of 30. Playing parts written specifically for them, Keaton and Nicholson shine convincingly, proving what classy cinema artists they truly are. "Something's Gotta Give" is fluff at its finest. IIII

Laimonis Juris G

Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Director: Robert Rodriguez

Robert Rodriguez's earlier films "El Mariachi" and "Desperado" were entertaining in their recklessness. But now the young, uncontrollable filmmaker act is nothing new, and it disappoints this fan that Rodriguez hasn't managed to evolve. It seems that while small budgets pushed him to be inventive, he doesn't know how to put a bigger budget and a star cast to good use. He never was good at storytelling, and abandoning his usual raw and simple narrative for this film's epic scale story is something he can't handle - not even through tongue-in-cheek humor. Where his early films lacked structure, Rodriguez had cool characters and inventive action to make good with, but here the actors seem unenthusiastic, and the action rarely shows any new sides to Rodriguez's talent. II
Julie Vinten

This flick is a camp hodge-podge filled to the brim with confusion, mayhem and more than a fistful of violence. One ruthless reviewer even claims to have counted 400 killed by the end of the whole thing. No one can possibly take this B movie Western seriously. Despite the presence of Antonio Banderas, Willem Dafoe, Mickey Rourke, Salma Hayek, other familiar faces and a cast of thousands; the whole kit and caboodle is just barely saved by the wonderfully flexible Johnny Depp. The Baltics' favorite actor simply gets better and better in each role he takes on. Director Robert Rodriguez goes whole-hog wild in the third installment of his "El Mariachi" trilogy. Fervid fans of Rodriguez' work will undoubtedly be writhing on the floor in rapturous throes of ecstasy. III
Laimonis Juris G

City of God
Director: Fernando Meirelles

This marvelous film is about life and death in the brutal slum of Cidade de Deus (City of God), a neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. It convincingly portrays the dog-eat-dog world where nearly every kid carries a gun and is lucky to live past the age of 18. The film's look is inventive, and its structure and flow are close to flawless. The energetic opening sequence alone demonstrates the director's smashing skill for cinematic storytelling. It's a fast-paced film, jumping in time and places, but its depiction of characters is thorough and deep. The casting and acting are excellent, with most of the cast coming from the slums of Rio de Janeiro, which only adds to the stunningly raw and real style of the film. (No English subtitles in Riga). IIIII

Julie Vinten

The old saying that truth is stranger than fiction certainly applies to this powerfully bewitching film. Director Fernando Meirelles, working with co-director Katia Lund, bravely delves into the depths of the human condition. The movie is inspired by the shocking but real-life stories of the favela (slum) gangs, which evolved in the suburbs surrounding Rio de Janeiro in the 1960s. Watching in horror, the heart-wrenching tale unfolds. You follow two friends who grow up together in a place where one achieves status at the ripe old age of eight as a mass murderer. The other tries to break free from the depravity with his photo camera. By the 1980s this Brazilian ghetto had achieved international recognition as the most dangerous place on the planet. After viewing "City of God" you will understand why. IIIII
Laimonis Juris G

Pulp royale
Quentin Tarantino is reportedly lobbying to direct the next James Bond film, which will be actor Pierce Brosnan's fifth and final outing as 007 under his current contract. The Pulp Fiction director wants to adapt Ian Flemming's "Casino Royale," which was made into a spoof spy film starring David Niven in the 1960s. Tarantino has promised to stick to the tried and tested Bond formula, saying that he won't "do anything that will ruin the series." It could be an intriguing film if it goes ahead. Perhaps Pierce will discuss European fast food on his way to work.

What a story. A retired schoolteacher goes to Atlantic City, sticks $3 into a slot machine, and gets a payoff of $2,421,291.76. Guadalupe Lopezs hefty jackpot set a new record for the Borgata Hotel Casino, which paid her $121,000 up front, and will pay her the remainder in installments over the next 19 years. However, it's hard not to feel that this divine stroke of luck was a little misdirected, as Ms. Lopez is the mother of a certain Jennifer, or J-LO, as she's known to her bank manager.