Mite walks the walk The Green Mile kv ak (out of 5) Directed by _ _ Frank Daraboat. .. . Starring Tom Hanks, Michael Ciarke Duncan, David Morse and Bonnie ‘Hunt. . . dutie Crawford : Filn Reviews SNEAKING in just before the Oscar dead- line, The Green Mile is sure to grab a few stat- “yettes next March. ‘Tt has all the elements ~ that appeal to the Academy: a few big names, some big laughs and a lot of tears. There’s also a litle bit of the ‘supernatural thrown in for good measure, ‘Comparisons to director Frank Darabont's other film, ~ The Shawshank Redemption is inevitable. Also based on a Stephen King story, The Green. Mile takes place on Edgecomb, a kinder, gentler breed of prison guard. — espite his inmates’ heinous crimes ‘and the sentence that its them, Paul tries to ing calm and dignity to the 7 mile (so nicknamed ecause of the limestone hue f the floor)... ; For the most part his guards share his philosophy: runis Howell (David , nek Dean Stanton (Barry er), Terwilliger 1a rey ‘DeMuna) and Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison). Percy is the wildcard: the hew of the governor's _ ife; a cushy job at the near- y mental hospital awaits m. He’s just killing time Friday, December 10, 1999 — North Shore News ~ 21 RUSSELL Crowe stare as Cr. Jefirey Wigand in ‘he insider, now shewing at North Vancouver’s Esplanads 6. fe insil Julie Crawtord Stl Reviewer THIS wasn’t a stellar year for movies. It was tough to come up with 10 stand- outs, but there weren’t many at the bot- tom of the barrel either. Call 1999 the year of pre-millennium medioc- tity, and Keep your fingers crossed for the next cen- ‘the mile'so he can.see an: 9 execution up close. ° Despite Percy’s unpre- table brutality, things go fairly smoothly until the ival of prisoner John ffey, (Michael Clarke ncan), whose massive belies his gentle - atires John is accused of the rutal murder of two little s, but asks Paul to leave a t on because he’s afraid the dark. . . : That’s not all that’s odd bout the. new arrival. He. ems to have. mystical pow- ers too. Soon, Paul is con- ced that a man capable of miracles can’t be guilty. Tom. Hanks does his al goad-job in the every-. man roie he perfected in ‘Private Ryen and Apollo 13, ut another Oscar. nomina- tion would be redundant and clipse saperior work by other actors this year.: If any Academy hardware is given it should go to’ ‘Michael. Clarke Duncan for his' moving portrayal as the haunted, as man with ce magi rae The performances are seamless, but the film is*hot without its flaws. Its running time, for one, is too long. At ‘See Plot Page 26 Top Ten of 1999 1. The Insider — The true story of tobacco researcher Jefircy Wigand, who blew the whistle on tobacco giants. Big business court cases and journalistic integrity for sale makes for a surprising- ly gripping two and a lialf hours, thanks to intense ‘lenswork by Dante Spinotti and great perfor- mances ivy Af Pacino and Russell Crowe. One of “the few. must-sees of the year. :. ;. 2. American Beauty — Family dysfunction and self-loathing, American-style. Impeccable. perfor- mances all round by Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, ~ and newcomer Wes Bentley are sure to turn the ‘aged heads of the Academy this year. . 3. October Sky — An “All The Right Moves” for gecks, October Sky is the true story of Homer Hickam Jr., who escaped the poverty of his coa¥ mining town, not by getting a football scholarship, . but by winning a science fair. No big names or car chases, just excellent writing and moving perfor- mances, particularly the relationship between. Homer (Jake Gyllenhaal) and his dad (Chris Cooper). ‘Che perfect antidote for Cruel Intentions “(see below), 4. Fight Club — Yes, it’s violent, but Fight Clab _mnakes a strong statement about man at the turn of the century. It is also innovative, thought-provok- ing, and has a clever twist at the end reminiscent of another big money-maker this year, The Sixth Sense. Edward Norton turns in an excellent performance, as does his doppelganger Brad Pitt. ; 5. Th General — John Boorman’s black and white film about Irish thug Martin Cahill makes us fer tops criti root for the bad guy. Great perfor- mances by Brendan Gleeson, . © Adrian Dunbar and John Voight, among others, thanks to compisx, multi-faceted characters rarely seen in mainstream cinema. “6. Lock, Stack and Two Smoking Barrels — A slicker, funnier Pulp Fiction, from first-time director Guy Ritchie. Tight, cohesive writ- ing monsges to.stay afloat in a sea of nervy camera effects — siuw motion, freeze frame and variable . speed shots. Most of the film’s vio- fence occurs offscreen and doesn’t detract from the plot: Tarantino, take notice. 7. The Green Mile - Similar in style to his other film, The Shawshank Redemption (reviewed at . left), director Frank Darabont weaves a spell- binding tale of magic and compassion on death row in 1935. The Green Mile makes the list because of its attention to detail and moving perfemances by an ensemble cast including Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Doug Hutchison and Michael Jeter. The three hours fiy by. 8. The Blair Witch Project — The convincing doc- umentary-style thriller is proof positive that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to scare a lor of people, and that what you cau’t see is more frightening than sraphic gore. Sure, those three bickering amateur filmmakers were annoying, but their excellent acting had many of us convinced it was for real. 9. An Ideal Husband — More biting than your average period piece, thanks to Oscar Wilde’s sar- donic wit. Seduction, greed and political ambition at the turn of the last century, made relevant and accessible to 1999 audiences. Proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same. 10. Office Space — Hardly a work of great cine- matic art, more of a comic strip stretched over 90 minutes, but Office Space touched a nerve in the professionally depressed everywhere. Viewers living a cubicle existence praised it as right on the money; those who hadn t had the pleasure ran _ Screaming from the prospect of it. Worst of 1999 Worst Horror: ; . The Haunting — What was Liam - ~ Neeson thinking? Basically a. » Scoobi-Doo episode with some . really big effects, The Haunting. °- disappointed with lacklustre act-.”-: ing, a script full of holes, and ‘ over-the-top computer efiects. It _> garnered record-breaking...” : DreamWorks profits nonetheless. Worst Action: ene a veneaee Wila Wild West -— Another’ ; « beloved.’60s TV show massacred in the name of big. blockbuster- ‘ism. Director Barry. Sonnenfeld. thinking he could puli off another. Men i Black, casts Wili Smith as James West, then proceeds to waste the talents of Kevin’ Kline (as partner)” Artemus Gordon), Kenneth Branagh (the villain) and Salma Hayek (the babe). A slappéd-together -; attempt to cash in on Smith’s reputation as king o the summer blockbuster. cote Worst: Drama: ; ae Tae Story of Us — More the stuff of a TV movie than a feature film, The Story of Us presented a1 year-marriage at a crossroads. The writing was superficial, the characters uninspiring. ¥ felt like I was in the theatre longer than they. were married. The bickering between Michelle Pfeiffer and Bruc Willis was just plain annoying, and their lack of |. : chemistry meant that we didn’t really care wheth the marriage survived or not. ~~ Cs Worst Teen Flick: . | ft Cruel Intentions — Unlike their Dangerous Liaisons predecessors, these spoiled rich kids were cruel without being clever, bitchy without being - witty. Alot of cleavage and gratuitous boinking ~- lured teens into the Fim, which had litte more; than that to offer. Ryan Phillipe’s sudden redemp- , -. tion at the end was comical; the mevie in gene was insulting. ; - ne Worst Romantic Comedy: . . Notting Hill — Hugh Grant played his usual stammiering, awkward self; Julia Roberts struggled to come up with her portrayal of a spoiled starlet. “| There was no discernible romantic energy between the two, who lodked like they just wanted to move on to their next multi-million dollar project. And 3... Julia Roberts’ “I’m just a girl” line was too much ©: to take. oa ~ :