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REVIEWSPREVIEWS
I Heart
Huckabees
The comedy in I Heart Huckabees lands up embellished with a lot of philosophy, which may leave viewers scratching their heads.
The hard-to-understand plot of I Heart Huckabees is about two ‘existential detectives,’ Vivian and Bernard Jaffe (Lilly Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman), both husband and wife, who help solve peoples’ crises. Their first client is an environmental activist, Albert (Jason Schwartzman) who is going through a lot of soul-searching because of his position in Huckabees, a chain of famous retail stores. While they are investigating Albert, they meet another client, Brad Stand (Jude Law), Albert’s co-worker and rival.
Going further, they take on Dawn Campbell (Naomi Watts), a TV model who is working in Huckabees’ commercials. Away from the Huckabees chain of clients, the detectives have another client, Tommy (Mark Wahlberg), a fire-fighter, whose wife leaves him and is inspired by the theories of an author, Catherine Vauban (Isabelle Huppert), whom the detectives hate.
Viewers will at least have to go half way through to understand the hour-an-a-half long puzzling plot. Although the film’s amusement potential is undeniable, the audience will have to bear the coarse script full of abuses. The hilarious performance by the detectives puts the film one step above the average stuff out there. —Aftab Borka
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Beyond
the Sea
Beyond the Sea is one of those films which could’ve been made better then it really is. It’s a biopic about sixties crooner Bobby Darin, who tragically died at the age of 37 after a lifelong illness.
The film takes us through the life of Darin in such a way that we feel we have missed something. It vaguely tells us about how he lived and how he overcomes his illness with the help of his mother (Brenda Blethyn) and gets to the top.
Along comes Hollywood and Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth) on the set of Come September, whom he falls for with opposition from her mother who wants her to show more attention to Rock Hudson (hah!). They get married and start having trouble for no solid reason. An Oscar nomination follows, coupled with depression and another rise to the top of the music heap.
Sharing the writing and producer credit as well as directing, Kevin Spacey makes his singing debut as well. Walking towards the stage with Brian De Palma trademark shots, he makes a big entrance as Bobby Darin, swinging and singing like you have never seen or heard him before.
This film is more pleasing to the ear than the eyes. No doubt Kevin Spacey is one of the best actors of our time, but he is no magician. Sure he looks a little like Darin, but nothing can make us believe that he is a teen idol. The film could’ve been better if it was made with more compassion and more chemistry between the main leads. —Farheen Jawaid
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Coach Carter
Perhaps the most appealing thing about this movie is that apart from being a dynamic sports drama, it is inspired by a true story. The film is based on controversial high-school basketball coach Ken Carter, whose decision concerning his team in 1999 made national news and earned him both high praise and condemnation.
The movie starts with the Richmond High school team giving a pathetic performance. The disorganized and disillusioned team gets a firm and disciplined coach in the form of Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), a former basketball star at the school, when he accepts the part time job to coach them. Carter aims to rein in the unruly and ill disciplined boys by making them sign a contract that pertains to a minimum required academic performance in addition to vigorous athletic training for the upcoming season.
The team soon realizes that their coach isn’t one to be messed with. A tough taskmaster who punishes every form of bad behaviour, dealing with him means abiding strictly by the rules. The boys eventually rise to the occasion and their hard work starts bearing fruit as the team starts winning game after game. However, all this excitement comes to a standstill with the shock of the coach finding his rules being systematically violated by most of the team.
The combination of believable ball play, solid performances and hard-nosed inspiration makes for worthwhile entertainment. For those in need of an uplifting story, Coach Carter is a slam dunk. —Humna Ishtiaq
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01 |
The Ring Two |
| 02 | Robots |
| 03 | The Pacifier |
| 04 | Ice Princess |
| 05 | Hitch |
| 06 | Be Cool |
| 07 | Hostage |
| 08 | Million Dollar Baby |
| 09 | Diary of a Mad Black Woman |
| 10 | Constantine |
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