22 Jul 2003

Smith Can't Rescue "Bad Boys II": Also, "How to Deal" and "Johnny English"

By Mike Schulz

Martin Lawrence and Will Smith in Bad Boys IIBAD BOYS II

Near the climax of Bad Boys II, Detective Mike Lowrey (Will Smith), leading a high-speed chase involving dope-runners and the Cuban military, turns to his car's passengers and barks, "Everybody start shooting somebody!" One can imagine the same command being issued from the mouths of director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer.

01 Jul 2003

These "Angels" are a Joyously Ridiculous Spectacle: "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle," "28 Days Later," and "From Justin to Kelly"

By Mike Schulz

Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore in Charlie's Angels: Full ThrottleCHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE

Everything I loathed about the original Charlie's Angels movie - the Matrix-as-shampoo-commercial direction of McG, the beyond-senseless plotting, the "Are we hot or what? " imperiousness of Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu - is back in spades in the franchise's sequel Full Throttle, but this time, it worked for me.

07 Nov 2000

Sleepy and Dopey: "The Legend of Bagger Vance" and "Charlie's Angels"

By Mike Schulz

Will Smith and Matt Damon in The Legend of Bagger VanceTHE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE

The Legend of Bagger Vance, Robert Redford's golfing fable, isn't a work of any depth, and there's precious little intelligence on display, but it sure looks pretty - so pretty, in fact, that audiences might not realize that the movie itself is a dud. From the golden-hued cinematography of the great Michael Ballhaus to the stunning, Depression-era costuming and production design, it's clear that the film has been made with the utmost care and a real attention to physical and aural beauty; if you didn't understand a word of English, you might find it a masterpiece.

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