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REVIEWS PREVIEWS: Swept Away
By now we all know that Madonna can’t act so there is no need to rush off to see a new release of hers. Still, curiosity gets the better of a person each time and one ends up watching her movies anyway. Her latest venture, Swept Away has been directed by none other than her hubby Guy Ritchie, but that doesn’t help either because he is not much of a director himself.
The movie, basically a remake of an old classic, is about the taming of a rich shrew by a rustic fisherman. Madonna plays Amber Leighton, an ultra-rich socialite married to a wealthy but boring man, which leaves her quite bitter. As a consequence she is very arrogant and runs down everyone in sight.
On a cruise with her husband (Bruce Greenwood) and some other couples, Amber is at her bitchy best, particularly with Giueseppe (Adriano Giannini) who is a sailor-cum-fisherman. She makes him the target of her special scorn but gets a taste of her own medicine when she becomes stranded on a deserted island with him.
All through the movie one is too conscious of Madonna being the superstar that she is, and the singer is not able to grow out of that superstar mould and into the character she is playing. When she is shown as mean and snobbish, she appears expressionless and wooden. Madonna comes across simply as a showpiece, displaying her famous figure as much as possible. As for Giueseppe, his savagery and macho style is just a means to highlight his costar’s sculptured body. Swept Away is yet another wasted effort from Madonna.—AS
Abandon
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Katie Holmes of Dawson’s Creek plays irresistible Catherine “Katie” Burke, a sweet soft-spoken and very meticulous business student in the final stages of her college life. With exams looming, a thesis to be submitted and jobs to be searched for, pressure is mounting on Katie especially when Detective Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt) shows up at her doorstep asking questions about Embry (Charlie Hunman) — the old boyfriend she had been enamoured with who vanished two years ago.However, life takes a strange twist for Katie when Embry — who was presumed dead by this time — suddenly comes back. Startled by his return, Katie wants an explanation from her elusive ex but no clear answers are forthcoming. What follows is a bizarre thrill-ride with Handler as the clueless cop caught right in the middle of all the confusion. He is so clueless that he forgets the basic taboo of all investigating officers: Never get involved with the people you’re questioning in a murder investigation.
With a considerably predictable twist in the end, Abandon should be viewed as an exercise in escapism — nothing more. It will be enjoyed by fans of the Urban Legends genre of movie. Rated PG.—Ayesha Suboor
The Transporter
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The Transporter is a hardcore action flick that establishes Frank Martin (Jason Statham) as a smooth operator who excels at transporting anything without asking a question. He lives by three rules, one of which is to never look inside a package. At one point, he breaks this imperative rule that jeopardizes his career.Frank is hired to deliver a bag to Wall Street. Along the way, Frank notices that the bag is moving. Curiosity gets the better of him and upon opening it, he is startled to see Lai Kwai (Qi Shu) gagged inside. Frank soon finds himself believing her story and joining forces with her to bring Wall Street to justice. The road to that end, however, is paved with enough blood, gore, and action to give Stallone and Schwarzenneger a run for their money!
The Transporter offers a middling story with unimposing dialogues. However, the action sequences are quite brilliant and have been so ingeniously orchestrated that one has the urge to reach for the rewind. Jason Statham delivers an impressive performance due to his commanding screen presence. He seems like a strong contender for the newest action pinup!
All the action hinders one from looking for a deep performance, a strong story, and memorable dialogues. The Transporter effortlessly establishes the dictum that actions speak louder than words!—Jawad Daud
Santa Clause 2
Kids will have a great time watching this movie. The Santa Clause 2 is a little cartoonish and its main message has to do with the spirit of Christmas. Couple these two factors and that adds up to pure fun.
Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has thoroughly enjoyed being Santa Clause for the last eight years. His elves love him and as Santa’s number one elf Bernard (David) points out, “the kids are 83 per cent happier since he’s been Santa.” But apparently there’s another clause to being Clause. Scott has to find a wife in the 28 days before Christmas or he will have to relinquish the Santa throne. This is revealed to him on the same day he finds out his son Charlie (Eric) has made the ‘naughty’ list. Scott has to leave the North Pole to help his son and find the perfect Mrs. Clause. Can Scott settle with Charlie and win the heart of his son’s beautiful school principal? You’ll have to watch the movie to find out.
This flick is a great gift for those kids who celebrate Christmas, so enjoy watching this over the holidays.—Nazia Mirza
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