"Sam Rockwell Star on Video and At the Movies"
Sam Rockwell is getting great reviews for his performance as Nicholas Cage's sidekick in the film "Matchstick Men." For many this is their first view of Rockwell, or at least their first awareness of him. But several months ago Rockwell was the star of a major motion picture, "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind."
This film was directed by George Clooney and tells the story of Chuck Barris, the man behind "The Gong Show," "The Dating Game" and other TV shows. While Barris was creating game shows it seems he was also a hired assassin for the CIA. At least that is what he claims.
Drew Barrymore co-stars as Barris' girlfriend and Julia Roberts has a cameo appearance as another spy. She is wasted in the movie, but Rockwell and Barrymore shine. It is a comedy/drama that entertains but in a confusing way.
Another drama is "The Core." This movie is about a fault in the earth's crust that is causing earthquakes and other horrible natural disasters on the earth's surface. A team of scientists go into the earth's core to set off a nuclear device that hopefully will bring things back to order.
Aaron Eckhart and Hilary Swank are the stars of this film. They are okay but the real thrill of the movie comes from the special effects and "beat the clock" script. It is science fiction in a good way that entertains from start to finish. It's not a great movie but it is a good one.
Jamie Kennedy has a weekly show on the WB. He is a gifted comedian and seems to like off the wall humor. In "Malibu's Most Wanted" he plays the son of a politician living in Malibu. He has all the comforts of life but seems to identify most with the ghetto kids he knows. He has the hip-hop lingo down pat and is a "soul brother" with a white face.
The one joke premise of the movie wears thin but Kennedy manages to get a good bit of mileage from this story for his comedy. He milks it for all it is worth. Anthony Anderson and Ryan O'Neal co-star.
Gwyneth Paltrow tries her hand at comedy in "View From the Top," the story of a young woman who uses a career as a stewardess to reach her dreams. Christina Applegate, Candice Bergen and Mike Meyers co-star in this movie that has some laughs but not a lot.
With a cast of this caliber you expect great things but in "View From the Top" you don't get them. All of the jokes seem stale and all of the ideas seem flat. Paltrow and actor Mark Ruffalo try to be an engaging couple but they don't succeed.
Eddie Griffin uses a semi-documentary6 style to get his brand of comedy across. In "DysFUNKtional Family" he has some stand-up routines as well as some home movies to tell his story. All of it comes across as crude and obscene; and if you don't like this kind of humor then don't go near this video.
Griffin can be a funny performer but in this movie he just comes across as crude from start to finish. Beware!
One of the better movies of the week at your video store is "The Junction Boys." This is the story of Paul "Bear" Bryant during his early years of coaching. Tom Berenger gives depth and humanity to his performance as this celebrated coach.
Bryant is one of the legends in the coaching world and this film shows that legends start early. He made his mark on his career and on his players right from the start.
The story of Ernest Shackleton comes to life in "The Endurance." This movie stars Liam Neesom as the hardy explorer who took a crew to explore Antarctica. The travails they encountered make for a fascinating film.
Finally we have a new movie with the Australian group "The Wiggles." This is an animated feature called "Space Dancing" and it features lots of comedy and several new songs. Kids will love it! |
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