Feldman @ the flicksPeter Feldman10/30/2008 08:28:15 
Copyright Artslink.co.za 1997-2008 Feldman @ the flicks A busy week with new movies from Jason Statham, Ryan Phillipe, and comedy man Seth Rogan. Death Race Cast: Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Ian McShane, Tyrese Gibson, Natalie Martinez, Max Ryan Director: Paul W.S. Anderson Jason Statham appears top have found his movie niche. This Briton is an extremely skilful and courageous driver, talents which have been put to excellent use in the "Transporter" series and is now once again in evidence in "Death Race." Statham fans will have a field day in this exercise in cars and carnage. It`s paper-thin storyline and it`s weak, under developed characters are aspects that simply do not impede director Paul W.S. Anderson in inject as much death and raw action into his mind-numbing sequences as he can. I was shocked to see a serious actress of Joan Allen`s ability cast as the ice-cold villain, a super-bitch who heads a maximum security prison in which death races are staged. She certainly imbues the role with a certain style, but this is wasted by the poor plotting. This production`s premise, which borrows liberally from Roger Corman`s classic 1975 cult flick, "Death Race 2000," is simplistic. Prisoners of Terminal Island, lorded over by Warden Hennessey (Allen) participate in the Death Race, where the winner takes a step toward freedom. Freedom means that if you win five races you earn a Get Out of Jail Free card. Losers end up dead. The most famous participant in the race is Frankenstein, but the problem is he`s dead. In order to keep the legend alive, Hennessey has the Statham character, a professional racer named Jensen, framed for wife`s murder. He ends up on death row and is forced to race to secure his freedom. But to Jensen it becomes more than a race for freedom it become a serious matter of revenge. On Jensen`s team are the coach (veteran Ian McShane) and a hot "navigator" (Natalie Martinez). Adrenaline junkies may find something to lick their lips over in an extended video game where logic is not one of the characteristics Anderson worried about when putting this one together. Stop-Loss Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Channing Tatum, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt Director: Kimberly Peirce "Stop-Loss" is yet another perspective of America`s military engagement in Iraq. It concentrates on the substantial fall-out experienced by its soldiers and how they try to cope with these emotional scars. Kimberley Peirce has put together an often touching account of the trauma various characters suffer after returning to civilian life – but it does have flaws. It simplistic and preachy and makes no bones about the facts that war is hell, the US government is deceitful and that many soldiers emerge from war as wrecked human shells. So what`s new? After a strong build-up, which engages the viewer with its Iraqi battle sequences, "Stop-Loss" loses direction and gets bogged down by its melodramatic meanderings. Ryan Phillippe (Brandon) and Channing Tatum (Steve) play childhood friends who have survived Iraq and have returned home to a heroes` welcome. The men that Brandon lost in an ambush in Iraq weighs heavily on Brandon`s conscience, but he shows a brave face to his Mom (Linda Emond) and father (Ciaran Hinds). Steve, meanwhile, embraces his fiancée, Michele (Abbie Cornish), and tries bravely to expunge the ugliness of the recent past. The revelry does not last long, however because, against Michele`s wishes, Steve decides to re-enlist and attend sniper school. Brandon`s discharge is waived; he has been stop-lossed and will be sent back to Iraq. Unwilling to accept this decision, he goes AWOL and, in Michele`s company, embarks upon a road trip to find some way, whether it`s an intervention by a Washington big wig or a Mexican border crossing, to avoid another tour of duty. The road trip allows Brandon to spend more time with Michele, but there is no romantic attachment here. One aspect of the trip that does sear the soul is a short visit to one of Brandon`s army buddies in hospital, a man who remains cheerful, despite the loss of two limbs and his eyesight, If there is a message about the futility of war, it comes across forcefully in these few illuminating minutes on screen. Fugitive Pieces Cast: Stephen Dillane, Rade Serbedzija, Rosamund Pike, Ayelet Zurer Director: Jeremy Podeswa "Fugitive Pieces" is an interesting but unremarkable film based on the novel by Anne Michaels. It spans a period of about 35 years, beginning with the Nazi occupation of Poland, and ending in the late `70s. Jakob (Robbie Kay) is a nine-year-old Jewish boy in Poland who watches from his hiding place as his mother and father are butchered and his sister is abducted during a Nazi raid. He is later saved by the scholarly Athos, (Rade Sherbedgia), a Greek archaeologist who brings him up as his own on the island of Zakynthos. The story then follows Jakob (Stephen Dillane), now an author, into adulthood in Canada and his attempts to eradicate those tragic memories and live a normal life. After Athos`s death, Jacob marries the vivacious Alex (Rosamund Pike), hoping that she will provide the spark he needs to find happiness. But his obsession with the past destroys their union. She remarks after reading his diary that "to live with ghosts requires solitude." Jakob`s life changes when he meets Michaela (Ayelet Zurer), a gentle soul who understands – and accepts – his pain. There are good performances from Rade Sherbedgia, as Athos, and surprisingly Rosamund Pyke, but these cannot redeem the production. "Fugitive Pieces" is a dry and ponderous production and Stephen Dillane`s uninspired, low-key input hardly helps raise one`s pulse. One never gets to know the man, or feel his inner pain, and this is a fatal flaw in the film`s make-up. There have been many powerful films about Holocaust survivors and how their traumatic experiences have shaped their lives. This, unfortunately, is not one of them. The Band`s Visit Cast: Tarak Kopty, Sasson Gabai, Saleh Bakri Director: Eran Kolirin "The Band`s Visit," a quirky, feel-good Israeli comedy, was hailed as a triumph in promoting Arab-Israeli relations and won a special prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year. This is a touching tale of an Egyptian police band which is lost in Israel on the eve of the biggest concert of their careers. With not one familiar name in the cast, this production is a delightful and charming look at the idiosyncrasies of people from countries with different political and cultural viewpoints and how they react in each other`s company. It begins as the Alexandra Ceremonial Orchestra arrives in Israel to play at the opening of an Arab Cultural Centre. Dressed in full regalia and observing all of the military police protocols at the behest of their stoic conductor, Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai), the members of the band are all very excited about the trip. However, things begin inauspiciously when, upon arrival at the airport their hosts and transportation fail to show up. Determined that things should proceed regardless of this setback, Tewfiq goes to the ticket office where he purchases bus tickets to their place of destination. But, upon alighting from the bus and watching its trail of dust disappear into the distance, it dawns on them that they are not in the right place at all. They have travelled to entirely the wrong town and now find themselves in a dusty desert town that is so far off the beaten track that it doesn`t even boast a hotel. But they meet the locals and, before long, both the Egyptians and the Israelis begin to gain some personal insights on each other cultural identities. Pineapple Express Cast: Seth Rogan, Amber Heard, James Franco, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez Director: David Gordon Green (Not seen) "Pineapple Express" is said to be a gloriously funny comedy caper about drugs and druggies. It is noted for it comic timing and smart humour. Seth Rogan plays Dale Denton whose job is serving people with summonses. His idea of a good day is to deliver some, smoke a few joints, and spend a few minutes with his high school girlfriend, Angie (Amber Heard). Dale isn`t what one calls a social guy - his best friend is his drug dealer, Saul (James Franco). One unfortunate evening, while on his way to deliver a summons, he witnesses a murder. The killers, a drug lord (Gary Cole) and a crooked female cop (Rosie Perez), now see a need to eliminate Dale. After obtaining a roach he leaves behind at the scene, tracking him becomes simple. His marijuana of choice is called "Pineapple Express" and there`s only one dealer in the area: Saul. Pretty soon, Dale and Saul are on the run from a group of not-too-bright hit men. Nights in Rodanthe Cast: Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Scott Glenn, Christopher Meloni Director: George C Wolfe (Not seen) Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane), a woman with her life in chaos, retreats to the tiny coastal town of Rodanthe, in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, to tend to a friend`s inn for the weekend. Here she hopes to find the tranquillity she so desperately needs to rethink the conflicts surrounding her - a wayward husband who has asked to come home, and a teenage daughter who resents her every decision. Almost as soon as Adrienne gets to Rodanthe, a major storm is forecast and Dr. Paul Flanner (Richard Gere) arrives. The only guest at the inn, Flanner is not on a weekend escape but rather is there to face his own crisis of conscience. Now, with the storm closing in, the two turn to each other for comfort and, in one weekend, set in motion a life-changing romance that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives. One critic said he could see how this would work as a novel, where bad dialogue and idiotic plot contrivances don`t seem as painful and obvious. But this production, he added, suffers from flat performances, lifeless direction and a script that rushes through key moments. Scar 3D Cast: Angela Betts, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Devon Graye Director: Jed Weintrob (Not seen) "Scar 3D" is a horror story based on the legend of creepy Ernie Bishop, the undertaker in a small Colorado town of Ovid, who stashed teenage prisoners in the basement of his morgue and kept them tied up in cabinets meant for dead bodies. He had become a scar on the community. He cut, scarred, and tortured his unsuspecting victims and then showed them the damage to their own bodies with a small mirror. One of Bishop`s victims, sixteen-year old Joan Burrows, cut herself free from her bondage and killed Bishop, thus ending this reign of terror and becoming a local hero. When the film opens Joan, who had left town after this incident, returns to Ovid for the first time in 16 years to see her niece, Olympia, be crowned Prom Queen. Strange murders begin to occur in the already battered town. Teenagers - specifically Olympia`s friends - are being abducted and gory `clues` are being left behind. At first, Joan fears that Bishop has come back - and, as a result, worries that she`s losing her mind. But when Olympia goes missing, Joan starts to go after the killer on her own. After a number of coincidences, the cops target Joan as their prime suspect and incarcerate her. Joan is able to break out of jail in a last attempt to save Olympia. High School Musical 3: Senior Year Cast: Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale Director: Kenny Ortega (Not seen) Disney`s big hit for the younger generation will please those who have followed the trials and tribulations of these teenagers, but according to one noted critic even though the leads have charm, director Ortega buries them in formula dancers, forgettable tunes and dialogue that makes "Grease" sound like a Greek tragedy. Though the previous two instalments were made specifically for television, "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" finds the mega-hit franchise moving to the big screen. Kenny Ortega, the director and co-choreographer of all three pictures, has a background in theatrical features. As choreographer he worked on "Xanadu" and "Dirty Dancing." The key performers (Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale) have become megastars to the tween set, complete with real-world scandals and gossip. The story deals with the senior year where there`s a show to be staged, colleges to apply to, and decisions to be made. * Listen to Peter Feldman on 1485am Radio Today for his movie and theatre round up on Sundays at 11am and a re-broadcast on Mondays at 10am. Copyright 1997-2008, Artslink.co.za. All rights reserved. This article may not be copied, reproduced, published, uploaded, posted, "mirrored" or included on your own server or publication, re-used, transmitted or distributed to others, without the express permission of Artslink.co.za. 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