Film reviews

This week:
  -Hidalgo
  -50 First Dates
  -Taking Lives


Hidalgo

"Hidalgo" might look big, but it's actually an immensely small film. The year is 1890 when Frank Hopkins (Viggo Mortensen), once a horserace champ, now a drunk, decides to give life another go. He travels to Arabia with his beloved horse Hidalgo in the hope of winning a 3,000-mile desert horserace. This is no "Lawrence of Arabia." Both story and action fail to engage, and "Hidalgo" is trivial where it wishes to be profound. Though the odd bit of cheesy humor brings the film back down to earth, it's not enough to make the audience warm to the film. The grandeur portrayed on screen leaves the viewer feeling indifferent, and Mortensen could die a gruesome death out in the desert for all we care. At least that would be an end to it. *1/2

Julie Vinten

This flick is an exotic adventure about a man and his feisty horse named Hidalgo (T.J.). Yes, apparently a cowboy named Frank Hopkins (played by Viggo Mortensen) actually did exist at the turn of the last century. Nonetheless, some preliminary research reveals that the real-life Hopkins was a spinner of tall-tales who never set foot outside the U.S.A. Director Joe Johnston ("Jumanji") liberally exaggerates to create a pseudo-historical epic about a race across the Arabian Desert. Plodding along at the slowest, most boring pace possible, "Hidalgo" needs crisp, tight editing. T.J. (the horse) cleverly steals every scene he's in, outdoing most of the actors, including film veteran Omar Sharif. Nevertheless, the likable Mortensen gives him a run for the money. ***

Laimons Juris G

50 First Dates

Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler somehow make a really cute couple, although their first onscreen get-together in "The Wedding Singer" was way superior to this film. Henry (Sandler) falls in love at first sight with Lucy (Barrymore), but there is the little hitch that she suffers from short-term memory loss, and Henry has to make her fall in love with him every single new day. With this Groundhog Day premise, "50 First Dates" is utterly improbable, but definitely romantic - a truly good-hearted and sweet film. It's sometimes funny too in a charmingly silly and juvenile way. Its problem is that it has no bite and struggles with a thin story that causes some rather boring and repetitive sequences. Still, it's a joyful experience if you are just out for something romantic and easygoing. **1/2

Julie Vinten

This reviewer is not exactly an enthusiastic Adam Sandler fan. However, the usually bad-mannered comic is genuinely funny in this confectionery fluff of fun, foible and frolic. Sandler is once again aided and abetted by the lovely Drew Barrymore, who turns on her ancestral charm to pull this romantic comedy out of the doldrums. Generally, Sandler's humor is hostile, aggressive and crude. In "50 First Dates" a streak of tenderness prevails, similar to that found in "The Wedding Singer." In both films, Barrymore is the proper sweetener for making pleasantly watchable entertainment. Crazy Rob Schneider and a buffed-up Sean Astin (better known as Sam, a pudgy hobbit) supplement a superb supporting cast. The soundtrack is another plus, featuring golden oldies, including an original song sung by Sandler. *** 1/2

Laimons Juris G

Taking Lives

Trumpet-mouth Angelina Jolie is a top FBI profiler who goes to Canada to help on a case where a serial killer takes over the identities of his victims. This film hardly presents a challenge for Jolie, but she gets to take her clothes off and hurrah for that. "Taking Lives" tries to sell the ending as an "Oh-my-goodness-that's-a-surprise!" experience but is in fact more likely to get a "What?! That's it?!" sort of response. This film has nothing to offer anyone except those who have lived in a cave for the last 10 years. The rest of us are left to wonder when the world will be rid of this kind of lousy thriller. Did its makers really believe we have forgotten there was a certain film back in the 1990s called "Se7en?" *1/2

Julie Vinten

There is no denying it, Angelina Jolie is one hell of a delectable actress who can act her way out of any mundane role. Ethan Hawke co-stars, but there is absolutely no chemistry between him and Jolie. She has more rapport and sparks flying with Olivier Martinez, in a lesser role. It's nice to see Gena Rowlands, even briefly. Though billed third, Kiefer Sutherland's character appears for only three minutes on screen - a lucky break for this movie. The first half of this suspense thriller is actually quite interesting. It is the ineffectual and flimsy conclusion that stretches the imagination beyond belief, and ruins what could easily have been a really good movie. If you want to watch Jolie play detective, rent a copy of "The Bone Collector" instead. ** 1/2

Laimons Juris G