Tomb Raider

What better movie to end Angelina Jolie month on than the one that made her a house-hold name. A film that was met with predominantly negative reviews but nevertheless put Miss J on the Hollywood A-list. To conclude AJ month, the 2001 video game adaptation of Tomb Raider.

Directed by Simon West (The Mechanic, The Expendables 2), Tomb Raider stars Noah Taylor, Iain Glen, Daniel Craig and Jon Voight. Based on the hugely popular video game series of the same name, the movie follows the feisty archaeologist Lara Croft as she searches for a, what else, a hidden artifact. Computer game adaptations, by and large, completely suck, primarily because they have nothing to do with the game. But this film, while silly and over the top, does maintain many elements from the Tomb Raider series. But is it a good movie? Well let's see what we're dealing with.

The movie opens with Lara Croft (Jolie) in an Egyptian Tomb, fighting off a killer robot while trying to find a hidden treasure. After a pretty cool action scene, we find that the battle, in fact, took place in her home, where her assistant Bryce (Taylor) had programmed the robot to face her.

The movie is set during an apparent solar alignment, where a secret society called the Illuminati, let by a man called Powell (Glen) are looking for the pieces of a 'Triangle Of Light', which must be joined before the alignment ceases.

While mourning the death of her father (Voight), Lara discovers a clock in her house that has only just begun to tick. Receiving a letter from her father, which was meant to arrive at the beginning of the alignment, she discovers that the clock she possess is critical to locating the 2 halves of the Triangle. Unfortunately armed commandos storm Lara's house and steal the clock.

Her fathers letter reveals that the Triangle is an ancient device that grants the user power over time and space. As such, he urges her to find and destroy the 2 halves before the Illuminati find it, because anyone who has seen Angels & Demons knows that the Illuminati are not to be trusted. But then again, when did you last see a movie that featured a shady society that COULD be trusted?

From there, Lara does pretty much what she does in the games. Goes to tombs and ancient ruins where she shoots and steals things. In a sense, this is one of the best video game adaptations I've ever seen. It has so many aspects from the game that it manages to stay true to the source material. She battles a power crazy megalomaniac, visits Venice, goes to a Buddhist Monastery, fights supernatural creatures, steals enigmatic antiquities, performs death-defying stunts, and shes does all this while sporting short shorts, a tank top and a pair of pistols. How much more perfect an adaptation can you get? Granted none of the game involved looking for a 'Triangle Of Light', but that's not such a big deal, considering how diverse her range of pilfered treasures was.

The main problems this movie has is a pretty nonsensical story, an abundance of unnecessary side characters, a hammy, cliched villain, and some pretty goofy moments. But on the plus side, a lot of the action scenes are a great deal of fun. There's a real spirit of adventure & discovery, and it has Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. That is, undoubtedly, one of the best casting choices in movie history. When Tomb Raider was first released, Croft became probably the computer world's most sought-after sex symbol, and she's portrayed in the movie by Angelina Jolie, one of the real world's most sought-after sex symbols. How can you argue with that? The film may be pretty absurd at times, but what do you expect from the guy whose directorial debut was Con Air? It's fast, fun, mysterious, and for those who love the game (myself included), it will give you just what you are looking for.

So that's it for Jolie Month; hope you enjoyed it. As before, normal service is resumed next week.

The Bone Collector

Slight change of tone from last weeks review, as we look at one of Jolie's darker films and, in my opinion, one of her best. It's not big or brash, or filled with special effects. Instead, it's calm, cool and clever. It's none other than the crime thriller The Bone Collector.

Released in 1999, the year Jolie would win her first, and so far only, Academy Award, The Bone Collector is directed by Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games), and starts Denzel Washington and Queen Latifah. Based on the Jeffrey Deaver novel of the same name, the film features a NYC Police Detective (who was the central character in a series of books by Deaver), who teams up with a hot-headed beat cop to catch a killer who is on the loose in New York. It's a pretty simple mismatched buddy cop movie, but their hunt for the killer is intense, intelligent and keeps you guessing all the way.

Lincoln Rhyme (Washington) is a quadriplegic forensics expert in New York City. An accident involving falling rocks has left him bed-ridden, where is he cared for constantly by his home nurse Thelma (Latifah), but remains an active member member of the police force, but suffers sporadic strokes, one of which will one day leave him in a completely vegetative state. Fearing this most of all, he has made arrangements to be terminated if this should happen.

Amelia Donaghy (Jolie) is a patrol cop who is having difficulties dealing with the loss of her father (also a policeman) and her current relationship. One day while on duty, she comes across a man buried beneath a railroad bed, with some clues left very conspicuously at the scene. Recovering these, she is brought to meet Rhyme, who, impressed with the way she handled the crime scene, says she has an instinct for forensics, and offers for her to join him and hunt for the killer together. Reluctantly, she agrees, and she becomes his eyes and ears, looking over the crimes scenes of the killer's future victims, describing what she finds, and following Rhymes instructions on how to process the crime scene and collect the necessary evidence.

What we get is 2 individuals, different in background, attitude and beliefs, uniting to stop a serial killer who always seems to be one step ahead of the game. It's a pretty old formula (see every mismatched cop movie ever made) but that doesn't stop it from being any less enjoyable. We see the natural antagonisms Amelia feels towards Rhyme, since she was close to taking a desk job to avoid the fate that befell her father. But as the movie goes on, and the bond between them develops from a mutual understanding to something more personal, they form a formidable duo. While the supporting cast aren't given very much screen time, they all play their parts well. One of the elements I hate most is Michael Rooker as the cliched douchebag Police Chief who meddles in EVERYTHING Rhyme and Amelia do to solve the case. Always have to despise the one who's right don't they.

A friend of mine has actually read the book, and says it's better than the movie, like most novels are. But if you take for what it is, a well-constructed, race-against-time crime thriller, you're sure to enjoy it.

Gone In 60 Seconds

Next up on the list of Miss Jolie's cinematic appearances was released, believe it or not, over 10 years ago now, making it older than most of Jolie's children. It's the millennium car-jacking extravaganza, Gone in 60 Seconds.

Appearing on the big screen in the year 2000, Gone in 60 Seconds was directed by Dominic Sena (Swordsfish), and stars Nicholas Cage, Robert Duval, Vinnie Jones, Giovanni Ribisi, Delroy Lindo and Christopher Eccleston. It concerns a retired car-thief being forced back into action, and pulling off the biggest boost of his life to save his little brother. Most people dislike this film, but I really enjoy it. Before I explain why, let's check out the plot in a little more detail.

The movie opens with Kip Raines (Ribisi) and his crew stealing a Porche from a showroom. Unfortunately, in the exuberant drive back to the warehouse where they are stashing the cars for a boost, they attract the attention of the police, who storm the warehouse.

W discover that Kip was stealing 50 cars for a British crime boss called Raymond Calitri (Eccleston), but since he failed, Calitiri ropes in Kips brother Memphis (Cage), a renowned car thief, and informs Memphis that he will kill Kip if he doesn't agree to boosting the 50 cars. With no choice but to come out of retirement, he assembles old team, including Donny, Otto (Duvall), Sphinx (Jones), former girlfriend Sway (Jolie), and, reluctantly, Kip and his crew, who have some highly desirable skills.

Unlike Kip's attempt at the boost, where the cars are stolen over a period of several days with 'shadow games', Memphis plans to use his old technique, whereby he discovers and scouts the location of the cars (or 'ladies' as they are referred to in the movie), and plans to have them all jacked in 1 night. The idea being that, while it may be dangerous and with little room for error, once the first car is reported stolen, all the cars have been acquired and are ready to be shipped.

But, much to Memphis' chagrin, he is being watched by detective Castlebeck (Lindo), who previously had the chance to arrest him during a prior boost, but never managed to apprehend him, and has held a grudge against him ever since. On top of this, one of the cars on the list, a 1967 Shelby GT-500, dubbed 'Eleanor', is one Memphis has never managed to successfully steal.

                                                                         Eleanor

So that's it for the synopsis, so why do I enjoy it? Well I think most of all, is it's so easy to watch. Very simple, very linear, but with a lot to offer along the way. I love the wit of many of the characters, particularly Donny. I love the build-up to the boost, the gathering of the characters, some of which leads to several unwanted conflicts, both verbal and physical. I think the bond between Kip and Memphis is pretty well developed, as we see the increasingly perilous risks Memphis takes in order to save his brother's life. Finally, we have the movie's climactic car chase. Many critics referred to it as boring, but personally, it features some of the coolest driving I've ever witnessed in a motion picture.

Rather worryingly, while doing some research for this review, I discovered that the man who directed this film also directed the God-awful 'Season Of The Witch', which starred none other than Nicolas Cage, in one of his most shameful roles to date. But 60 Seconds is one of the good films on his resume. It's well paced, has great action scenes, and never tries to insult your intelligence.

Hackers

Oscar-winning Actress, Movie Star, Director, Humanitarian, Commercial Spokeswoman, International Sex Symbol, Bizarre Tattoo Advocate, Culturally Diverse Adoption Wild Child, one of the most recognised celebrities on the planet, it's the one and only Angelina Jolie. Whatever you think about her, there's is no doubt that here professional and personal life (mainly the latter) has had, and continues to have a huge impact on contemporary culture. When was the last time you seen a Woman's Interest magazine that didn't have her on the cover? Yes, she's been through 2 failed marriages, yes she's covered in nonsensical inkwork, yes she has a thing for 3rd world adoption, yes her weight is up and down like Tiger Wood's trousers, but one thing that cannot be taken away from her is her acting talent, and that's what I'm going to celebrate this month. I'm going to review 4 Angelina Jolie movies, beginning with one of here first forays into cinema, Hackers.

Directed by Iain Softley (K-PAX, The Skeleton Key) and released in 1995, Hackers stars Johnny Lee Miller, Matthew Lillard, Renoly Santiago, Laurence Mason and Fisher Stephens alongside Miss Jolie. It concerns, if you hadn't guessed from the title, computer hackers, who become embroiled in a corporate extortion conspiracy, a dilemma that I'm sure many hackers round the world face everyday. Visually it's impressive, in other categories, it leaves a bit to be desired. But lets not jump the gun, let's have look.

The film opens in 1988, where Dade Murphy (Miller), under his hacker alias Zero Cool, crashes 1,507 computers and buggers up the new York Stock Exchange. As a result, he is baned from using computers until his 18th Birthday.

Cut to, coincidentally, Dade's 18th birthday, where, having apparently not learned his lesson, he hacks into a computer network. Unfortunately, another hacker know as Acid Burn is hacking into the exact same network. After giving himself a new handle, Crash Overrride, Acid Burn cuts him out.

After enrolling at his new school he meets the smoking hot Kate Libby (Jolie of course), who turns out to be Acid Burn. Upon revealing that he is Crash Override, they begin to argue over who is the superior hacker. To determine who is truly the nerd of the century they have a computer hacking contest. Yes, I'm dead serious. Their 'assignment' is to make life a pain in the neck for a US Secret Service Agent called Richard Gill, who arrested one of their friends called Joey, who hacked into a Gibson Supercomputer to prove he was 'elite'. The judges of this computer duel are The Phreak (Santiago), who's a weirdo, Cereal (Lillard), who's an idiot, and Nikon (Mason), who, kinda looks like Ving Rhames. In fact, when I first saw the film, I though it really WAS Ving Rhames.

Moving on, Dade and Kate decide to unite and find out the truth behind Joey's arrest and the disk which he used to copy files onto from the Gibson, forgetting that, you know, they hate each other, and were engaged in a head-to-head technobattle just a few days ago.

The story after this is pretty difficult to follow. It helps if you know a little computer jargon, but even then you'll feel pretty lost. The group are essentially fighting a guy called The Plague (Stephens), who is planning to extort millions of dollars from an oil company, plant a virus in the system and then attempt to blame the whole thing on the hackers. I guess it's more interesting than trying to take over the world.

If you've never seen his movie, then you're not really missing much. It's not one of those 'make a point of watching it' kind of films. The plot is messy and at times downright ridiculous, the dialogue is cheesy, the villain is lame, and the characters are pretty generic. With that aside, the visuals are, at times, really damn good. Sometimes the movie will actually give us the impression that we've entered a computer, and this is where the film stands out the most. Clearly more effort was spent on giving that technology a visual style all to itself. Seeing the interactive elements within the machines almost makes it seem like an organic life form.

When all is said and done, it's not a great movie. in fact in a lots of regards it's not even a good movie. But as a piece of pure aesthetics, it's a nice little piece.