146 - A Time To Kill

Connection To S*P*Y*S - Donald Sutherland.

In my opinion the most engrossing John Grisham adaptation, that's not to say it's without faults - it's just the one I'd pick off a shelf to watch - A Time To Kill takes the story of a father gunning down the two men who raped his young daughter - and adding race into the mix.

And that's really it's selling point - because it's set in the Deep South, so yeah race is really an issue - which is where one of the films tensions comes from even bringing in the KKK - while the scenes are well done you can't help but think it overflows the film a bit including threats and attacks to the characters linked to Matthew McConaughey's young lawyer who takes the case.

Of course the other tension is related to the trial of Samuel L. Jackson which does end up including the films most famous line ("YES THEY DESERVE TO DIE AND I HOPE THEY BURN IN HELL!") which I think with the subject matter would have made an interesting film on it's own (as in only seeing the trial). 

There's quite a cast of familiar faces including Sandra Bullock, who is not bad in the movie but in a lot of ways is a character not needed for the film at all - but I guess she's there to add star-wattage.

One thing I noticed about the film is how sweaty it is - most noticeable with Ashley Judd (who plays McConaughey's wife). This is not a complaint just a statement.

The thing I had most trouble with is the ending and the final argument by McConaughey - it's a great heartbreaking speech but I failed to make the leap of why it would get Jackson off with the murders.

Overall overlong and too many plot strands but very watchable with a good cast and a main story you are interested in, so I would air on the side of recommended.

2 - Batman & Robin

Connection To BATMAN FOREVER - what's the connection? let me think... 

Batman & Robin - a name that strikes fear into cinema-goers and Batmaniacs (is that the term for them, I have no idea) the world everywhere with garish sets, stupid set pieces, constant (and mostly stupid) one-liners and of course BAT NIPPLES (except on Alicia Silverstone, where of course it would be most welcome) - at least those things are my overriding memories of the film.

Like Batman Forever in writing this I am watching B&R for the first time since the 1990's and a lot of what's wrong with the movie is apparent in it's first 10 minutes - unnecessary close up of Bat butt (and Robin's as well) and three of Mr. Freeze's first four lines are literally ice puns (The Iceman Cometh etc.) and the fourth is also a reference to ice (talk about obsession), B&R fight Mr. Freeze and his mooks for a while including a silly ice-hockey scene with a crystal before Mr. Freeze has a chance to kill Batman but literally says he'll kill him next time (would kind of end the movie way too early though)

We then get the origin of Poison Ivy when John Glover thinks he's killed her off when she spots him injecting men with super-strength syrium and sells them off to the highest bidder, she comes back all Ivy like and thus we get the main villains for the film - her partner in crime or big lackey is Bane - a man that was injected with that syrium. One major weakness of the film is that Bane is relegated to being the lackey, Bane here is played by Jeep Swenson, a professional wrestler who died a few months after the film came out, though it's no stretch to say Arnold Schwarzenegger had more impact on wrestling then Swenson ever did.

I won't bore with the plot points, but performance wise of the villains gone are the enjoyable OTT performances of Forever and are left with weak performances, Schwarzenegger we always knew wasn't exactly Daniel Day Lewis but Uma Thurman is just weak here, there's no sexiness here, which is a shame because she has been so enjoyable in other movies.

Chris O'Donnell is still weak for me and if anything a bit more whiny this time and Alicia Silverstone as Barbara Gordon Pennyworth is nothing to write home about but at least she was at her peak hotness, also there is a line about her being schooled in England and her being Alfred's niece, it would make you thinks he would have some Englishness in her accent - whilst there is none at all.

The previous mention of Alfred brings me to my next thing, one of the films postives the scenes between Clooney and Gough (as Alfred), who is suffering from the entirely made-up McGregor's Syndrome are the only scenes that have any heart. Clooney is decent enough as Batman overall but really doesn't have the material to work with.

Overall I sort of enjoyed the film, the trainwreck of a movie that it is somehow makes it watchable for me, whether it's way too much going on or the dumb one-liners I wasn't bored watching this.