vjoyce

Summer has started. What a surprise. This is a good movie.

Here comes Vin Diesel in a sequel that doesn't know it's a sequel.' If you missed `Pitch Black,' don't worry. `The Chronicles of Riddick' is sparse on the words, big on vision, with flashy mechanics, a soulful cast and somber in tone, showing tremendous restraint on action, violence and digital effects. Cool.

Vin may run for Governor of California some day. His lines in this are Terminator-lite. It looks like 85%Vin Diesel lines are looped. Often he's shown from the back or side. You don't see his mouth move. Not a bad looking guy, if you like bald guys but it's those pipes, baby. The voice is marvelous. John Wayne monotone and deep like Paul Robeson, `a place where deep bells ring.'

Like Judy told Liza, it's OK to steal, just steal from the best. That's what these filmmakers did here. Mad Max, Blade Runner, Terminator and High Noon are clear influences. Nearly pronounced dead, futuristic Sci-Fi has has gotten so heavy handed and done-to-death with the Star Wars and Treks. Not here. This movie is refreshing. Not only does the cast have dimension and depth, so do the action sequences - sensible fight scenes that are involving with beginnings, middles and ends. True dimension, texture, style and oomph. Clearly, there was someone with science and math involved. The dynamics make sense to the eye. The swooping spaceships are thick with vapor trails. When stuff explodes people die. Costumes and make up are sleek, stylish and move well with the actors. Matrix meets Blow Up. I never expected brains in a Diesel film.

And no stupid aliens, either. Thank you very much. The actual plot is a little muddled and at times and difficult to follow. A little layered and labored - coming off a little like Dune. Invading armies with great looking armor and matching space ships. (Love the look of this movie. Kinda Goth-Deco.) Lords, ghosts, prophecies, unfaithful queens and warring races. And Religion. Hey, what's a war without religion anyway? Favorite scene: the Lord and Master of the Necromongers (very Borg-like) grabs a guy by the throat and rips out his soul. Needless to say, the rest of the captives bow down to the new boss in town. Enter Diesel, the last of his kind, a Furian to fight the good fight. Very `Good, Bad and the Ugly.'

Excellent cast includes; Judy Dench, Colm Feore, Thandie Newton, Keith David and (our fave) Nick Chinlund.

After the very disappointing Van Helsing which was Show Girls dumb and Space Balls silly with uneven dialog that couldn't decide what century or what continent it was in or from this movie is like a breath of fresh air laden with a whiff of popcorn.

The Los Angeles opening of `Made Up' on February 6th garnered a screening with director, star and writer in attendance for a Q & A. The Arclight does this kind of thing well. There was even rumor of a little party after. That made things irresistible, being that it was Tony Shalhoub, Brooke Adams and Lynne Adams who work out to be director-actor-husband, actress-producer-wife, writer-actress-sister-producer. Almost more hyphens than even we can stand. And this is Hollywood.

A festival darling (Santa Barbara, South by Southwest to name a few) is finally in theaters on an independent and limited run. Great reviews on both coasts, in both Times, are furthering the buzz.

Clever and cute, in the vein of `Best of Show,' this mock-umentary is a film about making a film. Turning the mirror on yourself to look inside and check your lipstick. How to age gracefully, get a make over from your rebel grrrrrl daughter, finish the project, get the deal, make the ex-husband jealous and spoil the trophy wife's homeless woman art exhibit, not drink and do cartwheels.

Playing roles that they live each day, Brooke Adams is the actress, Lynne Adams is a film maker and newcomer, kick-in-the-pants, Eva Amurri plays the actress' daughter. Little Eva made her film debut as a sick kid in the hospital in her step-dad's directorial debut, `Bob Roberts.' Let's hope this kid can keep her mojo working and Tony Shalhoub's first at-bat behind the camera will lead to more.

The post film forum revealed one of the director's greatest challenges was to light his leading lady with an un-flattering light. `I mean, just look at this,' meaning Brooke. It got a nice 'ahhhhhh' from the audience. This made up for the evening's intro by an Arclight staffer, who expressed admiration for Mr. Shalhoub's role on TV's `Wings.' `I grew up watching this man.' That got an 'oooohhh' out of the audience. (`What? That was '97?')

A way-cool website will give you step by step instructions on the Tivey Facelift Kit (as seen in the film). Your cost? Seventeen cents!

The Writer's Block got a treat. The LA organization played host to a screening of `The Station Agent' at the Directors Guild on the last September Monday with the help of Miramax, the distributor of this Sundance darling. (Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award)

A beautiful film. Lovely and amazing. I'll prove it. The young African American actress from that film, Raven Goodwin is in this. `A forty year old in the body of a girl!' laughed Peter Dinklage describing her during an insightful Q&A that followed the screening.

Peter is the star of the film and follows his inheritance of a train depot (he's a train nut – so get ready for a whole New World to be opened up) and the surrounding residents of a small New Jersey town called Newfoundland. Nice name.

Reminiscent of ‘The Pawn Broker,' the story centers around isolation and loneliness bringing people into relationships and entanglements with the price paid for both sides. Patricia Clarkson is her usual brilliant self.

TV's Third Watch is where you know Bobby Cannavale's work from, but that is about to change. If this film breaks through, it could be Oscar time for this guy. Swear to God. Half his scenes are with his phone. `The cel phone was another character,' Bobby chuckled, `Tom made sure of that.'

And Tom is Thomas McCarthy, the writer and director. You know him from his recurring role on TV's `Boston Public.' How and where did the film come from? `It started with the depot. And I knew the actors. Mostly from New York. We would get together and read the script from time to time.' Sounds simple, doesn't it? Another question from the audience `what was the budget?' `Five hundred thousand,' brought applause. `Yeah, and I had to raise that!' Tom had a big old smile on his face. Like a proud papa.

Getting lots of great buzz on the Festival circuit and multiple awards, even more nominations, vote for this film ‘most likely to break through.'