20th Centrury Fox Elizabeth Hurley and
Brendan Fraser star in the movie "Bedazzled."
“Bedazzled” Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley While a
trident, a pair of red horns and a black cloak have always been a
popular staple of the Halloween costume scene, most guys would,
without a doubt, rather see the Devil in a red dress if the Devil
looks anything like Elizabeth Hurley. While the British beauty
appears even more shagadelic than in “Austin Powers,”
Hurley strays as far as possible from being prim and proper. And
thank goodness, because she is a helluva lot more fun to watch.
Since it is a comedy, Hurley’s interpretation of Hell’s
number one angel is not the grotesque and deep baritone spirit
you’d expect out of “The Exorcist.” Instead, she
plays the seductive Satan as a mischievous trickster whose antics
amuse herself and the audience. As the Princess of Darkness scans
her radar screen for the next soul to swindle, she comes across
Elliot Richardson (Brendan Fraser). A San Francisco computer tech
counselor, Elliot is the quintessential office geek. His co-workers
can barely stand to be in the same room with Elliot and all his
lame jokes and chit-chat. Although Elliot looks like the definition
of dorkdom, he is a good guy at heart. And this boy scout quality
is exactly why the Devil singles him out. When a despondent Elliot
gets the brush-off from the woman of his dreams, a beautiful
co-worker named Allison (Frances O’Connor), a sexy Satan
appears out of thin air to offer aid. In exchange for his soul,
Elliot gets seven wishes. Much like Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus,
Elliot goes on a binge of indulging his vanity and insecurities.
What he doesn’t bargain on is that the Devil can twist every
wish into a bizarre nightmare. The movie is not so much a romantic
comedy as an amusing morality tale. Unlike Dr. Faustus, Elliot
realizes in time that he still has control over his soul. Thus, the
humor in this primarily feel-good flick isn’t particularly
sharp or biting except when Hurley steps in to stir things up.
Fortunately, the movie also benefits from the charms of cutie
patootie Fraser. Normally, a character with Elliot’s
the-glass-is-half-full outlook might make some people put a finger
to their throat. But in spite of a farfetched premise and cheesy
ending, Fraser is winning in his geniality. While he can make women
go ga-ga, Fraser also seems like the kind of guy other men would
just want to pal around with. It’s quite a spectacle to see
how he transforms physically and mentally as he goes from wishing
to be a basketball of totem-pole height to a sophisticated and
overachieving party boy. Despite a campy fireball scene where the
film looks more like an episode of “Xena,”
“Bedazzled” makes for a cute and playful diversion. But
in the realm of comedy, it just doesn’t quite earn its
wings.
Terry Tang Rating: 6
“The Yards” Directed by James Gray Starring
Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix and James Caan While
“The Yards” makes going straight look like a walk in
the park, excellent direction and an artistic look doesn’t
make up for the improbable action of a weak script. James
Gray’s new film stars Mark Wahlberg as Leo, a recently
released convict who is placed on restrictive parole. He wants
nothing more than to be a productive citizen and help out his
long-suffering and ailing mother (Ellen Burstyn). Nevertheless, Leo
still refuses to accept his corrupt, but well-intentioned,
uncle’s (James Caan) offer to help with trade school.
Instead, Leo is carried into a shady world of payoffs and vandalism
by his best friend, Willie (Joaquin Phoenix). In the vandalism
scene, Leo’s choices take a rough turn when the yard master
calls for the police and Leo panics and beats up a cop. He could
have run! Wahlberg plays his part with a boyish flair that is
supposed to endear him to the audience but comes off less than
convincing. Phoenix puts in a great performance as the sleazy, but
confused friend, Willie. Charlize Theron, as Willie’s
girlfriend, Erica, gets an opportunity to do some good acting since
her character also turns out to be Leo’s first cousin and one
true love (a twisted and undeveloped side plot). Faye Dunaway plays
Erica’s mother and Leo’s aunt and doesn’t have
enough lines to warrant having cast such a talented actor.
“The Yards” provides a less than suspenseful journey
that ends with a completely predictable twist that should have been
concluded in one scene but nevertheless drags on three scenes after
the audience is ready to go home. The art direction, which used
meticulously planned camera shots, also superbly highlights colors
of green, gold and brown reminiscent of watercolors. So if you feel
like an unchallenging plot that feels like an art film, “The
Yards” would be a good choice.
Carolyn Brown Rating: 6
“One” Directed by Tony Barbieri Starring
Jason Cairns and Kane Picoy Prison can really transform a
man. Just released from jail, Charlie O’Connell finds a new
lease on life. His long time best friend Nick Razca, however, is
still living in the past and wasting away his days. The story of
“One” highlights the friendship between two young men
with equally troubled pasts. As they choose divergent paths in
life, the film asks the question, can people change? More
significantly, the movie explores what happens to the people who
refuse to change and are ultimately left behind. Nick (Kane Picoy)
is a talented baseball player who destroyed his chance to play in
the big leagues by striking his manager. His stubbornness heightens
his profound disappointment and frustration, and he becomes
complacent wasting away his athletic gift while working in city
disposal. Nick gets Charlie (Jason Cairns) a job working with him
in the mornings as a garbage man. Charlie, however, discovers a new
sense of self-worth, and he decides to take some classes at a
community college after work. The new value he places on learning
is revolutionary for Charlie, who, as a child, slept more in class
than in his own bed. Additionally, he has to fulfill 100 hours of
community service as part of his parole. He finds a job delivering
medical supplies to residential facilities that care for the
mentally disabled. Even after his hours have been filled, he
decides to stay as a volunteer. The self-motivated and responsible
Charlie soon catches the attention of his boss, the compassionate
Sarah Jenkins (Autumn Macintosh). Their romance further divides the
two friends, and Nick ultimately finds himself alone. Without
gratuitous sex or violence, the only thing that is left to
mesmerize audiences is director Tony Barbieri’s artful camera
work. Long shots capture the characters’ physical and
emotional distance from one another. Always observing from a far,
the audience can almost feel the tension between the two friends
who can’t communicate anymore. Barbieri brings the audience
into a voyeuristic relationship with the characters, making it
uncomfortable at times to watch their awkward interactions. This
character-driven movie may seem a little slow at times for
mainstream movie goers accustomed to fast-pasted blockbusters.
However, “One’s” life-affirming story might be
good for a change.
Emilia Hwang Rating: 7