22 October 1998 Edition
Cinema: Three to watch
BY MARTIN SPAIN
Small Soldiers
Elizabeth
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Small Soldiers (12s) is a hugely enjoyable family movie combining high-tech computer generated imagery with live action. The story begins when conglomerate king Denis Leary, who has just acquired a toy company to add to his myriad of other interests, demands that his designers come up with action figures that actually do what is claimed on the box. The result of this edict is the Commando Elite and the Gorgonites, the former a tough merciless crew reminiscent of action men, the latter a mixed bunch of peaceable monsters, prey for the commandos, who just want to find their homeland of Gorgon.
The inclusion of a state-of-the-art military computer chip in each toy, however, results in unforeseen and dangerous consequences. A batch of both sets of toys is delivered to a small toy store in the sleepy town of Winslow, Ohio, but once commando leader Major Chip Hazard, voiced by Tommy Lee Jones, is awakened, all hell breaks loose, as he and his men set about their mission of eliminating the Gorgonites and any humans who are deemed to be protecting them.
The special effects are amazing, the action is relentless, and the dialogue, particularly Chip Hazard's cliche-ridden exhortations, is often hilarious, as in ``I love the smell of polyurethane in the morning!'' when he is attacking by helicopter. All in all, a fun film with great effects.
Elizabeth, an account of the accession and early years in power of Queen Elizabeth I of England, is a gripping tale of power and intrigue, featuring a strong cast and many fine performances.
The movie begins in 1554 with Queen Mary I, a zealous Catholic, on the throne, and the life of her younger sister, Elizabeth Tudor, the Protestant heir apparent, is in grave danger. Elizabeth survives to take the throne, but with enemies within, chief among them the Duke of Norfolk, played by Christopher Ecclestone, and the threat of invasion from Catholic powers without, she must learn to act forcefully if she is to hold onto her throne and save her kingdom.
The strength of this movie lies in the development of Elizabeth's character. The film opens with her cavorting playfully with her lover, but almost immediately she finds herself at the very heart of a Reformation power game. Initially overwhelmed by her position, Elizabeth visibly hardens as the story progresses, growing stronger and more authoritative with each disaster and betrayal but at the expense of her personal needs. The high price of power is the ultimate message of this Machiavellian drama.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is the East End of London's answer to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. The production values may not bear comparison, and some of the acting talent on show is of less than Oscar calibre, but in terms of black humour and body count, it fits the bill all too well.
The film is notable for its inclusion of footballer Vinnie Jones in the role of hired thug, which must have been a real stretch for him. The plot is convoluted and fun, featuring lots of shootings, beatings, and black humour, as four friends, tricked into owing gangland boss Hatchet Harry £500,000, set about trying to raise the loot. Throw in a huge cannabis growing operation, two antique muskets, and two further gangs of savage criminals, and the thick plottens very quickly.
The movie bounds along, not taxing much except perhaps the sensibilities of the sensitive, and can be recommended as a good violent action flick, somewhat in the vein of those classic Sweeney episodes currently being repeated on TV3.
Small Soldiers
Elizabeth
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Small Soldiers (12s) is a hugely enjoyable family movie combining high-tech computer generated imagery with live action. The story begins when conglomerate king Denis Leary, who has just acquired a toy company to add to his myriad of other interests, demands that his designers come up with action figures that actually do what is claimed on the box. The result of this edict is the Commando Elite and the Gorgonites, the former a tough merciless crew reminiscent of action men, the latter a mixed bunch of peaceable monsters, prey for the commandos, who just want to find their homeland of Gorgon.
The inclusion of a state-of-the-art military computer chip in each toy, however, results in unforeseen and dangerous consequences. A batch of both sets of toys is delivered to a small toy store in the sleepy town of Winslow, Ohio, but once commando leader Major Chip Hazard, voiced by Tommy Lee Jones, is awakened, all hell breaks loose, as he and his men set about their mission of eliminating the Gorgonites and any humans who are deemed to be protecting them.
The special effects are amazing, the action is relentless, and the dialogue, particularly Chip Hazard's cliche-ridden exhortations, is often hilarious, as in ``I love the smell of polyurethane in the morning!'' when he is attacking by helicopter. All in all, a fun film with great effects.
Elizabeth, an account of the accession and early years in power of Queen Elizabeth I of England, is a gripping tale of power and intrigue, featuring a strong cast and many fine performances.
The movie begins in 1554 with Queen Mary I, a zealous Catholic, on the throne, and the life of her younger sister, Elizabeth Tudor, the Protestant heir apparent, is in grave danger. Elizabeth survives to take the throne, but with enemies within, chief among them the Duke of Norfolk, played by Christopher Ecclestone, and the threat of invasion from Catholic powers without, she must learn to act forcefully if she is to hold onto her throne and save her kingdom.
The strength of this movie lies in the development of Elizabeth's character. The film opens with her cavorting playfully with her lover, but almost immediately she finds herself at the very heart of a Reformation power game. Initially overwhelmed by her position, Elizabeth visibly hardens as the story progresses, growing stronger and more authoritative with each disaster and betrayal but at the expense of her personal needs. The high price of power is the ultimate message of this Machiavellian drama.
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is the East End of London's answer to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. The production values may not bear comparison, and some of the acting talent on show is of less than Oscar calibre, but in terms of black humour and body count, it fits the bill all too well.
The film is notable for its inclusion of footballer Vinnie Jones in the role of hired thug, which must have been a real stretch for him. The plot is convoluted and fun, featuring lots of shootings, beatings, and black humour, as four friends, tricked into owing gangland boss Hatchet Harry £500,000, set about trying to raise the loot. Throw in a huge cannabis growing operation, two antique muskets, and two further gangs of savage criminals, and the thick plottens very quickly.
The movie bounds along, not taxing much except perhaps the sensibilities of the sensitive, and can be recommended as a good violent action flick, somewhat in the vein of those classic Sweeney episodes currently being repeated on TV3.