  |
|||
|
|
Page 3
If you can get past this central fallacy, then hang on for the cinematic ride of the year (that is, until The Phantom Menace opens). Morpheus and co., which includes the brooding Trinity (Carrie Ann Moss) and the oddball Cypher (Joe Pantoliano), among others, fight "computer agents," artificial intelligences pictured as secret service agents, that are lead by Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving), described in a rec.arts.movies.current-films post (by poster Ian McDowell) as a "bizarre combination between Rod Serling and Tommy Lee Jones." The rebel fighters use an arsenal of guns and some nifty kung fu moves (Reeves, Fishburne, and Moss all trained for four months with Woo-Ping Yuen, a top Hong Kong action director and martial arts choreographer) in their battles against the agents.
These action sequences and the very look of the movie suggest some strong Hong Kong action and Japanese anime influences. The gun battle near the end of the film is almost classic John Woo (why the rebel fighters need to use such obvious physical constructs in a virtual world is another problem with the script, but that's a nit-pick for another day) and sets us up for a stunning rooftop sequence. Familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, the Wachowski Bros.' The Matrix is a stunning achievement in special effects and science fiction action films. RATING: ***1/2
Comic goldmines Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn are reunited in director Sam Weisman's updating of the Arthur Hiller/Neil Simon 1970 comedy, The Out-of-Towners, which starred Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis. Unfortunately, somebody forgot to tell Martin and Hawn that they weren't too hot together in 1992's Housesitter, their one previous outing as costars. The current project doesn't fair much better. Martin is an Ohio advertising exec going to New York for a job interview. Hawn tags along, because she has nothing better to do - the Clarks are baby boomers facing an empty nest for the first time, and Nancy sees Henry's trip as a welcome diversion. Neither of them are ready for the series of mishaps - rerouted flight, missed train, missing baggage, mugging, homeless wandering, jail - that befall them enroute. What's unfortunate for the audience is that many of these mishaps are laugh-free.
The copyright of the article 10 Things I Hate About You | The Matrix | The Out-of-Towners - Page 3 in Movie Reviews is owned by Bruce Diamond. Permission to republish 10 Things I Hate About You | The Matrix | The Out-of-Towners - Page 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
||
|
|
|||
