Rating: NNNNN
New releases
angel eyes (2001, WB), dir. Luis Mandoki w/ Jennifer Lopez, Jim Caviezel. Lopez stars as a Chicago cop who falls in love with a mysterious man (Caviezel) with no memory. The problem with this lackluster drama doesn’t lie with Lopez’s performance — she’s appropriately spunky, with a butch edge — but with the script that telegraphs exactly what’s going to happen, so there’s no dramatic tension. Caviezel, who resembles a better-looking Anthony Perkins, does a solid zombie imitation. NN
Big-screen rating: NN (IR)
cats & dogs (2001, WB), dir. Lawrence Guterman w/ voices of Alec Baldwin, Sean Hayes. Cats & Dogs proves once and for all that Hollywood is run by dog lovers. This all-ages comedy has cats trying to steal a formula that would stop humans from becoming allergic to dogs. Of course, the cats are the villains, dogs are sweet, and the film could have been much more than just amusing. The high-tech spy world created for the animals is fun, but the filmmakers missed the chance to go all out spoofing the likes of James Bond and Austin Powers. Good voice work from Baldwin and Hayes (TV’s Will & Grace) as Mr. Tinkles, mastermind feline. NNN
Big-screen rating: NNN (IR)
chasing sleep (2000, TVA), dir. Michael Walker w/ Jeff Daniels, Emily Bergl. Chasing Sleep garnered positive buzz at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, but not enough for a distributor to open the film theatrically. Too bad. This solid, claustrophobic drama stars Daniels as a Seattle professor who wakes up one morning to find his wife missing. A one-time rising Hollywood star, Daniels needs to hitch his wagon to indie films like this that offer bigger, juicier parts, showcasing his everyman talents. NNN
Big-screen rating: N/A
the crimson rivers (2001, Columbia Tristar), dir. Mathieu Kassovitz w/ Jean Reno, Vincent Cassel. Two French cops travel to an isolated university town in the French Alps to stop a serial killer. The first hour is super-creepy, but the film falls off near the end and offers a surprisingly Hollywood-type finale. Be warned: both dubbed and subtitled versions are available, and although Reno and Cassel dub their own dialogue, they mumble, so it’s hard to make out what they’re saying. Rent the subtitled version. NNN
Big-screen rating: NNN (IR)
Also this week
Rat
Upcoming
October 23
Dr. Dolittle 2, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, Freddy Got Fingered
October 31
The Road Home, Shrek, Swordfish
DVD pick of the week
star wars: episode I the phantom menace (special edition) (1999, 20th Century Fox), dir. George Lucas w/ Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson. So it’s here. So it’s a subpar adventure story. So Ewan McGregor sports a ridiculous rat-tail. So Jar-Jar Binks. Nothing can dent the myth. Playing his fans like a Stradivarius, Lucas held back the DVD release, fed us VHS, and now comes out with this double-disc set. Of course, it’s packed with goodies, including more pod race.
Extras: commentary by Lucas and key technical crew, deleted scenes, one-hour documentary, Web documentary, behind-the-scenes featurettes, multi-angle storyboard-to-film feature, Duel Of The Fates music video, photo gallery, posters, trailers and more. 133 minutes. NNN
CAMERON BAILEY
