Newspaper Page Text
(7!P('X Mirusstim 3Himtr i
(line .ijmmtal
’ THURSDAY,
JULY 24, 2003
'Bad Boys ¥ better than T
Movie Review
“Bad Boys II”
(Columbia Pictures)
By Jackie K. Cooper
HHJ Entertainment Editor
It has been eight years since
Will Smith and Martin
Lawrence thundered on to the
screen in “Bad Boys.” Now in
2003 the “boys” are back in
town and ready to rock. In the
eight years since the original
Smith has perfected his leading
man charm and Lawrence has
become a more accomplished
comic.
“Bad Boys II” is bigger,
boomier and even better than
the original. The setting is still
Miami, but this is not Miami
nice. This is a town where bul
lets fly in the streets and drugs
are on every corner. In other
words a great place to visit but
you wouldn’t want to live there.
New Mandy Moore movie flawed
Movie Review
“How To Deal”
(New Line Cinema)
By Jackie K. Cooper
HHJ Entertainment Writer
Pop singer Mandy Moore
follows up her tragic role in “A
Walk To Remember” with a
new story of teen love and life
titled “How To Deal.” This
film puts the life of a teen-age
girl under the microscope and
comes up with a tale of finding
love, losing love, and having
faith in love restored.
Halley (Moore) is the teen
age girl who is the focus of the
story. She lives with her moth
er Lydia (Allison Janney) and
her sister Ashley (Mary
Catherine Garrison). As the
film opens her mother and
father (Peter Gallagher) are
getting a divorce so he can
marry his much younger girl
friend. Seeing her parents go
through all of this disillusions
Halley about love.
Her best friend Scarlett
(Alexandra Holden) is her
complete opposite. She is
madly in love and having a
wonderful time. She encour
ages Halley to date school odd
ball Macon (Trent Ford). They
do start dating but Halley is
wary of getting serious.
Later in the movie there is
an unplanned pregnancy, an
on again off again wedding,
and a new affair by one of her
parents. These elements and
occurrences help the young
Halley grow up a bit.
Young teen-age girls should
love this movie. It is giggly
and silly and in some ways
romantic. Moore makes an
Sandford master of genre
Book Review
“Naked Prey”
by John Sandford
(G.R Putnam’s Sons)
By Jackie K. Cooper
HHJ Entertainment Writer
John Sandford is the master
of the mystery thriller genre in
books. He can move his plot
along with a steady, even pace
and hold you in the palm of his
hand for the duration. His lat
est novel “Naked Prey” proves
his point as Lucas Davenport
solves another crime in
Minnesota.
This time around Lucas and
his partner Del go to a town in
the northernmost part of
Minnesota to investigate a
crime. A dual lynching has been
discovered by a 12-year-old girl.
The two naked bodies, a white
woman and a black man, were
discovered hanging from a tree.
The governor sends Lucas up to
make sure the crime is treated
as a murder and not a lynching
as he wants to sidestep the
racial overtones.
Lucas and Del arrive and
start their investigation. They
do it methodically and with
skill. Still they are unable to
I am sure the Miami Chamber
of Commerce is not happy with
this depiction.
Marcus (Lawrence) and Mike
(Smith) are still on the police
force and fighting crime. Lately
though Marcus has been won
dering if he and Mike should
stay partners. Marcus is a fami
ly man and doesn’t like running
the risks that Mike thrives on.
But before he can voice any con
cerns about this to Mike they
are off and running to try and
capture Johnny Tapia (Jordi
Molla), a drug kingpin who is
bringing the drug Ecstasy into
the city by the boatload.
To complicate the plot
Marcus’ sister Syd (Gabrielle
Union) is in town and working
undercover as a DEA agent.
Marcus fears for her safety
while Mike fears Marcus will
learn he and Syd have become a
twosome. Marcus does not feel
jl.l « ms
New Line Cinema
Allison Janney and Mandy Moore in ‘‘How to Deal. ”
attractive heroine, but she
doesn’t display a large amount
of acting talent. Ford is
scruffily charming as Macon
but he too has limited appeal.
Janney and Gallagher have
thankless roles as Halley’s
parents, but Nina Foch man
ages to steal every scene she is
in as Halley’s pot smoking
grandma. She is too talented
to be overcome by the burden
some script.
The movie is rated PG-13
prevent other murders from
occurring, and an attempt being
made on the life of Letty, the
twelve-year-old witness.
You know from the start that
Lucas and Del are going to solve
the crime. The fun is in getting
there. It is also enjoyable to visit
with Lucas, Del and the other
characters we have come to
know from the previous “Prey”
books. The characters stand the
test of time and have not worn
out their welcome in any sense
of the word.
Sandford knows what his
readers like and what they want
from one of his books - and he
delivers. You get to know the
characters who are introduced
and either like them or hate
them, depending on which side
of the crime they are on. In this
story there is a mother/son
team of killers who makes your
flesh cringe and your blood boil.
Waiting for them to get what
they are due makes for interest
ing and enjoyable reading.
“Naked Prey” is a stand-alone
book. You will enjoy it more if
you have read all the other sto
ries that have preceded it, but
you can still get the impact even
if this is your first taste of
Entertainment
Mike is proper boyfriend mate
rial for his baby sister.
Of course the safety of Syd,
the capture of Johnny, and the
conflicts between Marcus and
Mike all come together in a
bombastic battle that leaves a
mansion demolished and the
three leads in jeopardy.
The movie certainly delivers
on its promise of more bang for
the buck. The budget for the
film seems to have gone mostly
for special action sequences and
a lot of explosives. A car chase
through Miami is one of the
most spectacular stunts of this
sort you have ever seen.
The only thing going against
the movie is its hard R rating.
This is the most profane, crude,
graphically violent movie that
the summer has produced. Both
Smith and Lawrence toss off
four letter words with ease
while causing cars to explode
along with bodies. This is defi-
for profanity and drug use.
“How To Deal” will be no
big deal to most people. It has
a fairly interesting story but
no major plot occurrences.
The cast does what it can with
the script but generally is
beaten down by its trite dia
logue and inane plot twists.
This will lead most people to
take one look at this movie
and say “deal” me out.
I scored “How To Deal” a
trumped 4 out of 10.
JOHN
SALFORD
Sandford. Now that takes skill!
The story takes place in the
dead of winter so it is a chilling
book, both literally and figura
tively, to read during the hot
summer months. So grab a glass
of iced tea, settle down and have
a visit to Sanford-land. It is a
great place to visit, but I would
n’t want to live there!
“Naked Prey” is published by
G. P Putnam’s Sons. It contains
359 pages and sells for $26.95.
nitely not a movie for the kids.
The movie is also just a tad
too long. If they had trimmed
maybe twenty minutes off the
running time of two hours and
fifteen minutes it would have
been a tighter, better movie.
But this is a mild complaint as
the movie races from scene to
scene, crash to crash, bomb to
bomb.
Smith and Lawrence are the
perfect buddy team and Union
matches them in the action
department. She is one bad girl!
The language and the vio
lence are excessive, but the
thrills are better than ever.
Smith and Lawrence provide
the laughs and charm while
director Michael Bay delivers
the firepower. This sequel can
truly be said to be one bad boy
of a movie.
I scored “Bad Boys II” bad to
the bone 7 opt of 10.
'Johnny English' a spoof without chant
Movie Review
“Johnny English”
(Universal Pictures)
By Jackie K. Cooper
HHJ Entertainment Writer
Rowan Atkinson stars in the
James Bond spoof “Johnny
English.” This is a film that
rests its acceptance purely on
how well an audience can toler
ate Atkinson. He is an acquired
taste and one that many have
not been able to acquire (myself
included). If you like him you
will have some fun with the
film. If you don’t then stay far,
far away from theaters where
the movie is playing.
In the film Johnny English
(Atkinson) is an underling at
the headquarters of the British
Secret Service. One of his duties
is to prepare some weaponry for
the top agent to use on a secret
mission. While on the mission,
one of the weapons fails and the
agent is killed.
Later in England, Johnny is
assigned the responsibility for
security at the agent’s funeral.
He fails again, and all the other
agents of the Secret Service are
killed in a bomb explosion while
attending the funeral. This
leaves Johnny English as the
only candidate to find out who
has stolen the crown jewels of
England.
As you expect Johnny is inept
at every aspect of spying. He
does have an able assistant
named Bough (Ben Miller) who
gets him out of some scrapes.
' Together they manage to track
down the thief and he is
wealthy prison owner Pascal
Sauvage (John Malkovich). He
is working on a scheme by
which the Queen will abdicate
and he will be named to the
throne.
All of this silliness makes up
TV series deals with early days of forensics
TV Review
“Peacemakers”
(The USA Network)
By Jackie K. Cooper
HHJ Entertainment Writer
Tom Berenger stars in the
new original TV series
“Peacemakers” on the USA
Network. This is a show about
the early part of the twentieth
century when new types of
forensic tests were being discov
ered. In other words this is
“CSI: The Early Years.”
This show is also a western,
with Berenger playing Federal
Marshall Jared Stone. In the
opening episode there is a mur
der of a wealthy land baron.
The killing occurs in a railroad
car so a Pinkerton Detective is
sent to help Stone with his
investigation. The detective’s
name is Latimer Finch (Peter
O’Meara) and he is up to date
on all of the newest forensic
techniques.
Stone and Finch make a good
team with each one playing an
equal role in the investigation
and solution of the crime. Stone
is middle-aged and grizzled
ifiPi
, ** ~ CljyW v"
ColutT|a Pictures
Martin Lawrence, Gabrielle Union and Will Smith in “Bid Boys
11.
the plot and it drones on for a
mercifully shortninety minutes
or so. By that rime many will
have had their ibsolute fill of
Atkinson, and aho of Malkovich
who mocks his talent by being
absurd in a throvaway role.
Singer Natalie Imbruglia is
also in the movfe. She plays
Lorna, an American agent
hunting for Sauvafe. Imbruglia
comes across as a ooor substi
tute for Elizabeth Turley who
made a role like L>rna enjoy
. \K &>■ t
-1 ■•f > y I
\
£ I- 1| <•
Universal Pictures
Rowan Atkinson and Natalie imbrugh) in ‘‘Johnny English.
while Finch is young and ener
getic. There is also a female
undertaker named Katie (Amy
Carlson) who looks too be a
future love interest for Finch.
Having Berenger as the star
of this series is a plus. He is a
competent actor with an abun
dance of charm, sort of like
James Garner in his younger
days. O’Meara appears to be
someone who will grow on you.
He isn’t instantly likeable but
by the show’s end he is more
appealing.
i m \
WA Network
Tom Berenger in “Peacemakers”
PAGE 8A
able in the first Austin Ewers
movie. Imbruglia isn’t tilt tal
ented.
The film is rated PG fo brief
nudity and violence.
“Johnny English” is a spoof
without charm; a comedy with
out jokes; and a showcase for
Atkinson who doesn’t djserve
the attention. In Europj this
movie is a runaway hit God
save the Queen!
I scored “Johnny Engliih” a
revolutionary 3 out of 10.
The fitting of the show is in a
frontientown where there are
differentcultures and different
classes ofpeople. There are out
laws and law-abiding citizens,
and there are scoundrels and
there are heroes. It appears that
each week we will get a differ
ent look at one inhabitant or
another whotakes part in a new
crime which must be solved.
“Peacemakers” premieres at
10 p.m. Wednesday, July 30th
and will be seen weekly at that
time on the USA Network.