Reykjavík Grapevine - 13.06.2003, Síða 13

- the reykjavik grapevine -12 may 15 - may 29, 2003 - the reykjavik grapevine - 13may 15 - may 29, 2003
Jack Nicholson now seems to have
officially become the greatest ac-
tor of his generation, after De Niro
decided to stop making good mov-
ies about ten years ago. With an
all-star support cast, including two
of the best bit part players in the
business, John Turturro and Harry
Dean Stanton, and co-starring Adam
Sandler, who has never again really
scaled the heights of his first two
comic masterpieces, Billy Madison
and Happy Gilmour, but one lives in
hope, a good time seems to be in
order. However, you get the feeling
everyone is breezing through this
on his day off. It can be fun in a
laid back sort of way, but no one
is really trying too hard or doing
their best. Some good jokes are
served up along with a fair number
of painfully bad ones. It starts off
quite well with a satire of post 9/11
paranoia in the airplane rage scene,
and keeps up the pace in portraying
a society were common sense has
been thrown out in favour of profes-
sional analysis. But sadly, by the
second half it slips into your typical
nice-but-shy-guy learns to intimidate
and beat up people, which leads to
him becoming a success in society
and get the girl. Is smashing up
your boss´ office with a golf club
and punching out your girls´ best
friend really what it takes? The film
is best left 15 minutes early, so
you´ll miss the grand finale where
our hero learns to make out with
his girlfriend in public at Yankee Sta-
dium. Inevitably, it is Rudy Giuliani
who saves the day by encouraging
him to french kiss (liberty kiss?) her.
And so satire has turned to tearjerk-
ing patriotism. The plot “twist” is
particularly annoying, apart from
being posted with a neon sign a mile
off, we actually get a flashback to
see how they “tricked” us. Jack can
get away with this every now and
then, he can still charm us just by
raising an eyebrow, but lets hope
he doesn´t do it too often. Now,
if only Meet the Parents had been
the worst De Niro film of the past
decade, rather than the best...
VG
ANGER MANAGEMENT
CINEMA LISTINGS
The following cinema listing is for date of publication (June 13th).
Expect some changes in the next two weeks.
Several outcomes could be ex-
pected from viewing the new Matrix
film. An post-modern state of the
world address, a thrill ride without
equal in modern cinema, or a huge
disappointment were all expected
outcomes. The one outcome
that was unexpected, though, is
that you would sit there just plain
bored. Which is exactly what hap-
pened. The first indication was the
title. Who do they think they are?
Metallica? Tom Jones? How about
just plain Matrix II, roman numerals
and all.
A promising opening action scene
soon turns into that lamest of plot
twists: “it was all just a dream.” An
hour elapses until we get to see any
more action. In the meantime, we
find ourselves in Zion, which looks
like the set of a Star Wars film be-
fore they add all the fancy effects.
As it is announced that the inhabit-
ants have but a few hours to live
because the enemy is on its way,
a spontaneous rave breaks out, as
is wont to happen in such circum-
stances (strangely, instences of this
behaviour among the inhabitants of
Baghdad go unreported). Appar-
ently, ugly people are barred from
entering as if this were a Moscow
nightclub, unless, of course, only
beautiful people are rescued from
the Matrix, due to some Strangelo-
vian reproduction logic.
Every sentence uttered
seems like a random quote from a
beginners course in postmodern-
ism. The only attempt at charac-
terisation is to demonstrate that
all these people are sex crazed,
which hardly makes them more
sympathetic. Finally, after an hour
of this, the action cuts in, and you
hope all will be forgiven. It is not.
The reason for this is partly that the
first Matrix film is one of the most
influential films of recent years, so
everyone has been copying the ac-
tion sequences. In order to stay
ahead, the Wachowskis would have
to present us with something new.
Instead, they do what most sequels
do, and give us more of the same.
A lot more, in fact, apparently opt-
ing for quantity over quality. Neo
fights a hundred Agent Smiths
before flying off, which makes you
wonder why he didn’t just fly away
to begin with. What was the point
of this whole exercise, unless Neo
in fact needed the exercise. It didn’t
really serve any plot purpose, nor
does the river dance fight scene
with the chinaman or any other ac-
tion sequence for that matter. And
they’re not even any more impres-
sive than most computer games
these days. The action is a lot like
the philosophy, they’re constantly
throwing things at you hoping some-
thing will stick. Very little does.
Amazingly, they even manage to
make an encounter with the Creator
of the Universe dull. And would you
really betray your friends for one
kiss with Keanu Reeves? Particularly
annoying was the love conquers all
ending. Didn´t they do this one be-
fore? If they didn´t, someone did. In
fact, when Neo comes flying to the
rescue, you sort of expect his to
start spinning the world on its axis
to turn back time in order to save
his beloved. Instead, he opts for the
less dramatic method of picking the
bullet out of her body.
Before the film was over I found
myself rooting for the machines,
not just for wanting to waste these
smug cooler-than-thou know it alls,
but, really, if reality is such a bitch,
and the pretend world is consider-
ably better, isn’t it better to live in
the illusion. The computers even
tried to make the perfect world, in
so far the Almighty’s speech made
any sense, but, as usual, ungrateful
man wouldn’t have it.
Perhaps this will all make sense
when the last film comes out. As for
me, I no longer care.
VG
MATRIX RELOADED
premiers June 20th
Agent Cody Banks 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 pm.
Anger management 6, 8, 10 and 12pm.
Dumb and Dumberer premiers June 20th
4, 6, 8 and 10 pm. 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 pm.4, 6, 8 and 10 pm.
Identity 6, 8 and 10 pm.
View from the Top 6, 8 and 10 pm.
Dumb an Dumberer premiers June 20th
Phone Booth premiers June 27th
Identity 6, 8 and 10 pm.
X-Men 6, 8 and 10 pm.
Dumb and Dumberer premiers June 20th
Phone Booth premiers June 27th
4, 6, 8 and 10 pm.
Smáralind phone: 564 0000 www. smarabio.is Hverfi sgata 54 phone: 551 9000 Laugarás phone: 553 2075
4, 6, 8 and 10 pm.