Hey folks, Harry here. I remember quite some time ago, some folks were quite up beat about this film, TAKEDOWN... I guess we computer folk, keep hoping that someone out there in Hollywood will finally get what it is our culture is like... What this computer world really feels like. Now the most... 'intriguing' manner is by playing up the underground flair of the net's Hackers... However... In the tradition of the long line of REALLY BAD net films... it seems, according to Capone, that TAKEDOWN is one of the lame ones... Ugh... Oh well... Here he is with this review, and later on... reviews of JESUS' SON and ALL THE RAGE.... Enjoy another great sampling of Capone baseball bat....
Hey Harry, Capone in Chicago here with my review of review of director Joe (PHANTOMS) Chappelle's latest TAKEDOWN.
TAKEDOWN chronicles the pursuit and capture of the master computer hacker Kevin Mitnick, who was tracked down with the help of computer genius Tsutomu Shimomura and eventually arrested by the FBI in 1995. This movie (said, in the credits, to be "adapted from a true story") is yet another lame attempt to make hacking and hackers look sexy (HACKERS anyone?). I realize I may incur the wrath of a thousand geeks by saying this, but it seemed utterly ridiculous that every computer whiz in this movie is good looking, has a good-looking girlfriend, and is usually engaged in some sort of sex scene, car chase, or fight along the way. Skeet Ulrich plays Mitnick and provides us with no insight into his personality, motivation, or inspiration behind his acts. Russell Wong (who I think was in PROPHECY 2) plays Shimomura to now considerable ends. The visuals here are dumbed down faux computer graphics (remember THE NET?). Naturally every computer whiz shown here lives in a state-of-the-art apartment with lights that emit colors not found in real life. Other b-list talents the clutter this film include Tom Berenger and Chris McDonald played cookie cut-out FBI agents. McDonald even has a big stoggie jutting from his squared jaw at all times. Angela Featherstone plays Shimomura's hottie girlfriend. And master thespian Master P has a supporting role as one of Shimomura's flunkies. The techno-babble and more intricate details of the real story are dumbed down and it's a huge mistake; the four screenwriters credited with TAKEDOWN should be beaten with a modem. There are a few moments where Mitnick cons his way (using non- computerized means) into office buildings or into receiving secret codes that are sort of interesting, but did he do that in real life, or is this another completely fictionalized account?
So much of this movie feels fake, and if you can't get the little stuff right (or can't be bothered to), why should we care at all? A documentary detailing the actual events in this case would have been 10 times more dramatic and interesting (and thus believable) than this trumped up fluff. I'm not sure if TAKEDOWN will ever be released in theatres; it'll be lucky to get a direct-to- video or cable premiere. Shit like this pisses me off.
Capone
and next Capone hijacked and screened JESUS' SON and ALL THE RAGE... I tell ya... Racketeering never goes out of style!!!
Hey, Harry. Capone in Chicago here with reviews of two films that probably aren't opening until next year, but I figured people might be interested.
The first is called JESUS' SON (for those who saw DOGMA in the theatres, you probably saw a trailer for this one), which follows a young drifter's (Billy Crudup) journey from drug dependency and petty crime to a life redeemed (somewhat) by his startling discovery of compassion. The setting is 1970's Iowa, and our hero, known only as Fuckhead, or FH (that's what they call him because everything he touches turns to shit), meets an equally self-destructive junkie named Michelle (the incredible British actress Samantha Morton). FH is driven to help people despite his constant failures, but his own dependency keeps him from being effective in any way. FH has many adventures (some with Michelle, some not) as he travels across the country, meeting some seedy characters (including Denis Leary, a transcendent Jack Black, Will Patton, and Dennis Hopper). JESUS' SON has some nice moments but it's mostly disjointed and meandering. There are some very nice, sweet scenes near the end of the film when FH meets Holly Hunter at an AA meeting. She's not actually an alcoholic, but she goes there for the support; she has a history of hooking up with men who end up dying in horrible ways through no fault of her's; obviously this phenomenon has made her a bit punchy and guy-shy, to say the least. It's a small part, but there's more felling in Hunter's few minutes on screen than I've seen from her in a long time. In other words, the film isn't a complete wash. This movie may be worth going to just to see Samantha Morton, who is by far my favorite Brit actor right now.
The other film is ALL THE RAGE. Let me start this review by simply listing the cast: Joan Allen, Andre Braugher, Josh Brolin, Jeff Daniels, Robert Forster, Anna Paquin, Giovanni Ribisi, David Schwimmer, Gary Sinise, and Bokeem Woodbine. Quite a line-up, right? How could you go wrong? They come pretty close here.
Based on a play that I saw in Chicago a few years back at the Goodman Theatre, ALL THE RAGE is about suburban America's growing obsession with guns, but it's not really about that. It's not really about anything. First-time director James Stern has fashioned an ensemble piece that he probably thought would bring to mind SHORT CUTS, but it doesn't. As timely as the issue may be today, the writing and social commentary feels dated and done-and done better. The people here are Characters speaking Dialogue, and no effort has been made to alter the stagey dialogue into more realistic-sounding human-speak. Having said that, there are some great performances that pole-vault over the material. The heart of the film lies in Joan Allen as the only character that comes close to thinking, talking, or acting like a real human. She's married to Jeff Daniels, who opens the film by shooting his business partner in his home because he thinks the partner is sleeping with his wife. Soon we meet Braugher's character, a police detective investigating the shooting; Forster plays his partner; Schwimmer plays Braugher's other "partner" at home. Anna Paquin is essentially playing the same character she played in last year's HURLYBURLY, except she's not officially a hooker in ALL THE RAGE; she just dresses and acts like one. Ribisi plays her crazy brother who's just gotten out of prison. The reason I'm using the word "plays" a lot is because it's so easy to spot the "Acting" here. And except for Allen, there's no real character to attach yourself to emotionally to get into this story (what there is of it). Everybody here owns a gun, and you know it's just a matter of time until we find out who shoots first.
Surprisingly, the worst performance is put in by Gary Sinese and the stereotypical "eccentric computer mogul," who hires personal assistants to delete his e-mails and voice mails so he doesn't have to deal with them. Boy, that's funny. Storylines converge but with no sense of irony or purpose. Chalk this film up as a footnote in the careers of the actors listed above.
Capone
