Quick Takes
Scary Movie 2: The poster bills it as “More shameless,” but maybe a better way to say it would have been “More-onic!” Granted, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the original film, which took a good premise and injected every bodily fluid known to man, but I just couldn’t watch this mess all the way through. The premise shifts from serial killers to a haunted house, but sadly, the bodily fluids continue to flow. Director Keenan Ivory Wayans and his SEVEN screenwriters seem to be in desperate need of someone who can write and execute a joke. It’s just not funny.
With a Friend Like Harry: Okay, it’s in French, but subtitles never hurt anyone. Consider it a shift back to the golden heyday of the late 80s and early 90s when films like Hand That Rocks the Cradle, Pacific Heights, Fatal Attraction and The Temp made everyone describe movies with the words “It’s about the <blank> from HELL.” Harry is the story of a man trapped in the boring rut of husband and father who is liberated from his slumber by a classmate he cannot remember. Inviting him to go on holiday with his family, things go murderously wrong. Repeat after me: “There is nothing wrong with subtitles.”
The Anniversary Party: Actors Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming co-star and make their directorial debut with this dramady about a Hollywood couple, recently reconciled, who throw themselves a small gathering to honor the occasion. Things start out fine, but then Gwyneth Paltrow breaks out the Ecstasy and all hell breaks loose. Any film that uses Rob Lowe’s famous phrase from St. Elmo’s Fire “It’s not a party until something gets broken,” as its tagline gets props from me. The top draw cast includes Paltrow, Kevin Kline, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Beals and (at long last!) Phoebe Cates, who is still da shit! Be warned: While there are some big laughs to be had here, don’t believe those newspaper ads that make this out to be a comedy. It is most definitely not the laugh riot those ads would have you believe.
Memento: This wonderful film from the Spring is still chugging away out there, so go see it by all means.