Here’s a vote for the new and improved Candidate
Remakes are a tricky proposition, particularly when the original
is highly regarded. In that sense, director Jonathan Demme has performed a cinematic
miracle: His revamped version of the 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate
is a superb and well-thought-out political thriller, superior to the creaky
original in every way imaginable.
Demme has updated the story: Instead of brainwashed Korean War veterans, we
get Gulf War vets fitted with implants; instead of malevolent killer Communists,
a much more threatening corporate conglomerate, Manchurian Global, is attempting
to seize power. Denzel Washington plays Maj. Ben Marco, a career soldier who
is haunted by bizarre nightmares of lab experiments related to his platoon’s
supposed capture by Iraqi soldiers. In the original, crooner Frank Sinatra played
Marco, but Washington is a much better actor, and his stronger screen presence
gives the remake a more solid foundation. Liev Schreiber is Raymond Shaw, the
role played by Laurence Harvey the first time around, and his character undergoes
the most changes. As in the original, Shaw served in Marco’s platoon, but now,
instead of being the son of a vice presidential candidate, he is the
candidate. Meryl Streep is Eleanor Shaw, Shaw’s domineering mother. Like Angela
Lansbury, who played the role in the original, Streep will likely receive an
Oscar nomination.
The insidious plan to commandeer the White House is more logically mapped
out in the remake, and the switch to corporate villainy should resonate better
with contemporary audiences angered by the antics of companies such as Halliburton,
Enron, and WorldCom. Demme’s work has been hit-or-miss in recent years, but
The Manchurian Candidate easily ranks beside his best-known film, The
Silence of the Lambs, as a classic thriller. (MS)
News flash: Potheads get the munchies and act stupid!
Harold (John Cho) toes the line at his entry-level corporate job, lacks confidence,
and is afraid to take a chance on anything. Kumar (Kal Penn) is his opposite,
a complete slob who takes for granted all he’s been given and fails to live
up to his potential at every turn. But Kumar is a master at getting high and
never misses a chance to use this talent. On a Friday just like any other, Kumar
tokes up and convinces weak-willed Harold to join him. The munchies ensue, a
commercial for White Castle hamburgers airs on TV, and the two underachievers
decide to locate the nearest purveyor of sliders.
Naturally their quest for small, greasy, square burgers turns into an odyssey
of self-discovery in which the two friends deal with a raccoon, perform emergency
surgery, meet a misshapen freak with a fashion-model wife, face off with out-of-control
rednecks, and end up in jail.
Admittedly a stupid and unfocused comedy burdened with dumb sex gags and infantile
humor, Harold & Kumar does have some bright spots when it skewers
ridiculous government anti-drug campaigns and other social conventions. Writers
Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg must also be commended for bringing to the
fore the abusive and prejudicial treatment their protagonists and many other
minorities face, especially in the post-9/11 era. (CK)
What other critics are saying…
Anchorman [PG-13] Will Ferrell is a pompous newscaster in the ’70s
who is matched with an ambitious and talented female colleague. “It’s a cute,
silly, likable movie without much weight or intensity, but it’s also pretty
funny.” (Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune) ShowPlace West, ShowPlace
East
The Bourne Supremacy [PG-13] The second of the planned trilogy based
on Robert Ludlum’s novels about a CIA agent (Matt Damon) with a secret identity.
The Chinese vice premier is assassinated by someone using the agent’s cover
name, Jason Bourne, and the agent must find the real killer to prevent a war
between the U.S. and China. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
Catwoman [PG-13] Halle Berry stars as Patience Philips, a graphic artist
who is murdered when she discovers secrets about the cosmetics company she works
for, which is a front for a criminal organization. Brought back to life, she
seeks revenge. This is essentially a different character from the one played
by Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns. Parkway Pointe, ShowPlace
East
A Cinderella Story [PG] Routinely mistreated by her stepmother, Sam
Martin (Hilary Duff) looks forward to meeting her Internet beau at a Halloween
dance. “Give this wannabe Cinderella a big Bibbitti Bobbitti Boo.” (Susan Walker,
Toronto Star) Parkway Pointe, ShowPlace East
De-Lovely [PG-13] Kevin Kline plays celebrated songwriter Cole Porter,
whose turbulent career is anchored by his wife and muse, Linda (Ashley Judd).
Film features original performances of Porter’s songs by Alanis Morissette,
Robbie Williams, Sheryl Crow, and Elvis Costello. “Spike Jones or ‘Weird Al’
Yankovic could scarcely have been more jarring than the gaggle of preening pop
stars invited to camp on the classics.” (J. Hoberman, Village Voice)
ShowPlace West
Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story [PG-13] Vince Vaughn leads a group
of friends to a dodgeball competition in Las Vegas to save their favorite gym.
Ben Stiller leads the corporate team. Reviewed this issue. “Not sure where the
producers get off implying that this sports-movie satire is in any way true,
but it’s so preposterous, few are likely to be confused.” (Luke Y. Thompson,
New Times newspapers) White Oaks
Fahrenheit 9/11 [R] Michael Moore (director of Roger & Me,
Bowling for Columbine) looks at the Bush Administration’s response to
the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack. “What’s remarkable here isn’t Moore’s political
animosity or ticklish wit. It’s the well-argued, heartfelt power of his persuasion.”
(Desson Thomson, Washington Post) Parkway Pointe
Garfield [PG] The famous cartoon cat finally comes to the big screen
in a mix of live action and CGI animation. Bill Murray seems the ideal choice
to voice the cat with an attitude. “I sure wish someone remembered to change
the litter box on this stinker before it was released.” (Jeffrey Lyles, Maryland
Gazette) White Oaks
I, Robot [PG-13] Set in the year 2035, Chicago police detective Del
Spooner (Will Smith) investigates a murder that may have been committed by a
robot. “A high-tech thriller that really works — both because of its eye-popping
visual feats and the ideas and humanity behind them.” (Michael Wilmington, Chicago
Tribune) ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
King Arthur [PG-13] A less mystical, more historical account of King
Arthur, who reigned in Britain as the Roman Empire was collapsing. “Overall,
Arthur fails to stir the spirit; its constant talk of freedom seems hollow.”
(Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News) Parkway Pointe
The Notebook [PG-13]Two young lovers from different
backgrounds are separated when the U.S. enters World War II. Seven years later,
she is engaged to a soldier when she discovers the whereabouts of her first
true love.“Mercilessly plodding pacing, problematic character motivations
and a fundamental lack of chemistry between the two star-crossed lovers.” (Michael
Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter) Parkway Pointe
Spider-Man 2 [PG-13] Peter Parker still has personal problems, while
Spider-Man is forced to confront Doctor Octopus. “Spider-Man 2 is that
rare thing, a thoroughly successful sequel.” (John Anderson, Newsday)
ShowPlace West
Thunderbirds [PG] Live-action version of the popular British science-fiction
series featuring marionettes as a family of rescuers. Bill Paxton is the patriarch
of the Tracey family, who use various ships and rockets called the Thunderbirds,
and Ben Kingsley is the villain, known as the Hood. Parkway Pointe
The Village [PG-13] M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable),
the director who brought intelligence and thought to the horror and science-fiction
genres, is back with a period tale about a tiny village in 1897 Pennsylvania
that is surrounded by a forest hiding a group of mythical beasts. ShowPlace
West, ShowPlace East
This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 4, 2004.
