Inside Man (2006) - Lee's delicious heist thriller

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Text and small, slim stills at slanted angles upon a white background make up this poster for Spike Lee's Inside Man

An elaborate bank heist takes place in New York by a mysterious team of robbers, who take the staff hostage, while a police negotiator tries to get the criminals out without any bloodshed, and the bank's founder hires a fixer to make sure his vault's secrets are not stolen.

Inside Man is written by Russell Gewirtz (Blind Justice (2005)) and directed by Georgian master filmmaker Spike Lee (Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983)), whose 20th feature it is.

It it an intelligent and very well carried out thriller and an unusual Lee 'joint': He did not participate in its writing, as he is wont to do, and it is a more 'straight' genre picture than most of his films. But Inside Man still has the Lee touch: It is rife with buddy mood, and Denzel Washington (The Hurricane (1999)) is terrific as the 'small-time New-Yorker' who saves the day. 

The story is captivating, and the performances are way above the standard in most thrillers, most prominently Washington, but Jodie Foster (The Brave One (2007)) is also good as the frightening fixer, and so is Christopher Plummer (Starcrash (1978)) as the conscience-plagued bank founder. There's a keen double-meaning to the movie's title.

 

Related posts:
 
Spike Lee: The day after the day after ... the 2019 Oscars

She Hate Me (2004) or, Champion of the Lesbians 

2002 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
Top 10: Best crime movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
25th Hour (2002) or, Taking a Second Chance 

1998 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess  

He Got Game (1998) - Lee's basketball classic 

 

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 45 mil. $
Box office: 186 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 4.13 times its cost)

[Inside Man was released 16 March (Netherlands) and runs 129 minutes. Shooting took place from June - August 2005 in New York. The film opened #1 to a 28.9 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#4), grossing 88.5 mil. $ (47.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 14.4 mil. $ (7.7 %) and France with 9.3 mil. $ (5 %). The film won an AFI award, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 2.5/4 star review, translating to 2 notches under this one. The film additionally made an estimated 38.6 mil. $ on home video sales in North America alone. Lee returned with 4 TV and short projects prior to his theatrical return Miracle at St. Anna (2008). Washington returned in Deja Vu (2006); Clive Owen (Killer in Red (2017, short)) in Children of Men (2006); and Foster in The Brave One (2007). Inside Man is certified fresh at 86 % with a 7.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Inside Man?

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000) - Murphy brings down the house

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Star Eddie Murphy as five laugh-inducing Klump characters on the poster for Peter Segal's Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

Sherman has fallen in love with another professor, but he is still haunted by the uncouth, harassing voice of Buddy Love. To gain momentum in his endeavor to score, he invents an elixir for rejuvenation.

 

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps is written by Barry W. Blaustein (Coming 2 America (2021)), David Sheffield (Boomerang (1992)), and Paul and Chris Weitz (Antz (1998), both), with Steve Oederkerk (Smart Alex (1987)) contributing story elements, and directed by Peter Segal (Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994)). It is the sequel to The Nutty Professor (1996), itself a remake of The Nutty Professor (1963) with Jerry Lewis.

There are many loosely connected and barely comprehensible plot elements here in this colorful sequel, but the main thing is that it results in many laughs and a once again very enjoyable time in the company of Eddie Murphy's (Metro (1997)) wacky-vulgar Klump family. His multiple performances here are incredible; Janet Jackson (Poetic Justice (1993)) is sweet; and the film is a genuine shot of low-brow great spirits.

The buffet scene is priceless. There seem to possibly be less (but still funny) fart jokes here than in the predecessor, as well as some good fantasy sequences. This is for the silly-minded comedy fans.

Related posts:

 

Peter Segal: Get Smart (2008) - Segal presents another commercially mandated rehash

The Longest Yard (2005) - A few laughs register in shallow, overlong MTV-produced sports comedy remake

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 84 mil. $

Box office: 166.3 mil. $

= Big flop (returned 1.97 times its cost)

[Nutty Professor II: The Klumps premiered 24 July (USA) and runs 109 minutes. Murphy was paid 20 mil. $ + reportedly 20 % of the gross for his performance in the film; Jackson 5 mil. $. Murphy's deal may have made it the most profitable film for him in his career, possibly netting him more than 60 mil. $. Shooting took place from October 1999 - February 2000 in California, including Los Angeles. It opened #1 to a 42.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#5), grossing 123.3 mil. $ (74.1 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, equal in rating to this one. Segal returned with Anger Management (2003). Murphy returned with a voice performance in Shrek (2000) and physically in Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001). Nutty Professor II: The Klumps is rotten at 26 % with a 4.50/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Nutty Professor II: The Klumps?

Flightplan (2005) - Foster rules in well-shot, uneven plane thriller

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Jodie Foster looks very intense and has freakishly bright-blue eyes on this poster for Robert Schwentke's Flightplan

A woman flies from Berlin to New York with her newly deceased husband's body and their young daughter. But the girl disappears in the 400+ seat plane, and the question gets raised as to whether she was even on the plane in the first place?

Flightplan is written by Peter A. Dowling (Stag Night (2008)) and Billy Ray (Overlord (2018)) and directed by Robert Schwentke (RED (2010)). 
Jodie Foster (Kansas City Bomber (1972)) is fascinating, giving a magnetic performance as the mother who fights for her daughter, and she is the main reason to watch Flightplan. SPOILER Unfortunately Peter Sarsgaard (The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)) gives a stiff and unexciting performance as the terrorist villain, and the climax arrives rather flat.
Flightplan is a pressurized plane-set thriller, which also manages its cabin-restricted visuals very well, (cinematographer Florian Ballhaus (The Book Thief (2013))).

Related post:

Robert Schwentke: RED (2010) - Schwentke's utterly hollow comic book adaptation

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 50 mil. $
Box office: 223.3 mil. $ 
= Big hit (returned 4.46 times its cost)
[Flightplan premiered 22 September (Serbia and Montenegro, Israel and Syria) and runs 98 minutes. Dowling got the idea for the film in 1999, and Ray later influenced the script after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Filming took place in Germany, including Berlin, and in California, including Los Angeles, in and around September 2004. The interior plane cabin set was built from scratch, inspired by the Airbus A380. The film opened #1 to a 24.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it stayed #1 for another week and in the top 5 for another 2 weeks (#2-#4), grossing 89.7 mil. $ (40.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Japan with 25.7 mil. $ (11.5 %) and Germany with 14.5 mil. $ (6.5 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to two notches higher than this one. The film also made a reported, whopping 79.2 mil. $ on DVD rentals alone, which, if added into the calculation, would change its status to that of a 'huge hit'. Schwentke returned with an episode of Lie to Me (2009, TV-series) and theatrically with The Time Traveler's Wife (2009). Foster returned in Inside Man (2006). Flightplan is rotten at 37 % with a 5.3/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Flightplan?

Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) - Powerhouses Carrey and Leoni buoy Parisot's uneven farce

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+ Best On-Screen Couple of the Year: Téa Leoni & Jim Carrey

Perhaps just in case anyone doubted which genre was up here, this unsubtle poster for Dean Parisot's Fun with Dick and Jane spells out FUN in letters so big that they have to appear vertically to fit

Dick Harper gets a top job at the corporation GloboDyne, but as the company crashes soon thereafter, he and his wife are forced to sell everything they own, and they resort to robberies in order to make ends meet.

Fun with Dick and Jane is written by Judd Apatow (Love (2016-18)) and Nicholas Stoller (Storks (2016)), remaking the same-titled 1977 hit comedy by Ted Kotcheff, which starred George Segal and Jane Fonda. The new version is directed by Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest (1999)).
Jim Carrey (Horton Hears a Who! (2008)) and Téa Leoni (Madam Secretary (2014-19)) make an odd, endearing couple, and they are a joy to see clown around. Their robbery scenes are particularly funny. But the ordeal here is generally not as smartly devised or engaging as, for instance, Barry Levinson's heist comedy Bandits (2001), although Fun with Dick and Jane, with its focus on the upsetting life of poverty, does have some timeliness to it. But it is a very light thematic fencing with few laughs overall.

 

Related post:

 

2005 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch the two stars shine as only two major comedic talents can in this genuinely funny clip of one of the film's robbery scenes here

Cost: 100 mil. $
Box office: 202 mil. $ 
= Flop (returned 2.02 times the cost)
[Fun with Dick and Jane was released 21 December (USA) and runs 91 minutes. The Coen brothers as writers, Barry Sonnenfeld as director and Cameron Diaz as co-star all left the project before production. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles, in and around September 2004, with 2 weeks of reshoots later. The film opened #3, behind holdover hits King Kong and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, to a 14.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#3-#4) and grossed 110.3 mil. $ (54.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 12.2 mil. $ (6 %) and Australia with 8.6 mil. $ (4.3 %). Roger Ebert agreed with me in giving the film a 2.5/4 star review. Parisot returned with 6 TV credits before a theatrical return with RED 2 (2013). Carrey returned in The Number 23 (2007), Leoni in You Kill Me (2007). Fun with Dick and Jane is rotten at 28 % with a 4.9/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Fun with Dick and Jane?

EDtv (1999) - Phenomenal cast shine in Howard's witty mega-flop

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+ Best Mega-Flop Movie of the Year + Best Satire of the Year

This eye-catching poster for Ron Howard's EDtv conveys the intrusiveness of cameras that the plot centers around

A major reality TV channel launch their new venture: 24 hour a day covering of one person's life. That person is 30 year-old Ed, who works in a video store and is falling for his brother's girlfriend.

EDtv is written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (Robots (2005), both) and directed by great Oklahoman filmmaker Ron Howard (Cocoon (1985)), based on the Canadian film Louis, 19, King of the Airwaves/ Louis 19, le Roi des Ondes (1994).  Howard plays the material broadly, and he continually brings us audiences into Ed's drama along with the TV audiences by their screens, which is a little unengaging and a bit depressing as well, because it puts us in the same boat with the TV audiences who are content to completely pause their own lives in order to follow Ed's...
Luckily, EDtv has some really funny lines and situations, and the cast is phenomenal, filled with endearing personalities: Ellen DeGeneres (Finding Dory (2016)), Woody Harrelson (After the Sunset (2004)), Matthew McConaughey (Fool's Gold (2008)) and Jenna Elfman (Damages (2012), TV-series) are good in big parts, engaging and funny; Rob Reiner (The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)) as the cynical TV channel boss and Martin Landau (Firehead (1991)) as the wheelchair-bound stepfather are both perfect. Dennis Hopper (River's Edge (1986)) is icing on the cake in some of the more emotional scenes.
EDtv is a good movie that seems in some way to participate in the reality TV wave of the late 1990s while also criticizing it some.

Related posts:

Ron Howard: Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011) - Stapleton's Corman doc. is among the year's best films (interview subject)
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Top 10: The best biopic movies reviewed by Film Excess to date 
A Beautiful Mind (2001) - John Nash given the Epic Treatment  

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 
Backdraft (1991) - Howard's giant, stupid Chicago-set firefighter movie 
American Graffiti (1973) or, Cruisin' Modesto '62 (actor) 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 80 mil. $
Box office: 35.2 mil. $
= Mega-flop
[EDtv  was released 26 March (USA) and runs 123 minutes. Shooting took place from March - July 1998 in California and Florida. The film opened #3 behind hold-over hits Forces of Nature and Analyze This to an 8.3 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it left the top 5 in its second week and grossed a paltry 22.4 mil. $ (63.6 % of the total gross). Roger Ebert gave the film 2.5/4 stars, translating to a notch harder than this review. The film bears a striking resemblance in plot to Peter Weir's highly successful The Truman Show (1998), starring Jim Carrey, which revolves around a reality TV show about one person's life, lived in an artificial world only he doesn't know is a huge set. While Howard's career could take a hit and was fast back on track, (with How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000), starring Carrey, and possibly his career's best, Oscar-winner A Beautiful Mind (2001)) the incredibly over-budgeted, hugely expense flop EDtv marked a more severe downwards turn career-wise for McConaughey, who mostly starred in smaller and lower quality films for the following decade before beginning his come-back to form in 2011 with Bernie and Killer Joe. EDtv is fresh at 63 % with a 6.3 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of EDtv?

Robin Hood (2010) - R. Scott's grand film of the English legend

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1 Film Excess nomination:

Best Production Design: Arthur Max (lost to Boardwalk Empire S1)

 

Russell Crowe looks like a distinctly different kind of Robin Hood than we have seen before on this poster for Ridley Scott's film of that legend

 

This review is based on the director's cut edition of the film.

 

In the late 12th century, Robin Hood serves under the war-mongering King Richard Lionheart, but when he gets killed, Robin escapes for home with a group of soldiers. In England, the throne now goes to the idiotic John.

English master director Ridley Scott (Gladiator (2000)) and the producers get an incredible lot out of their admittedly gigantic budget here: Robin Hood is a fiercely handsome, modern swashbuckler with beautiful sceneries and a luxurious cast to suit it: Russell Crowe (No Way Back (1995)) and Cate Blanchett (Hanna (2011)) are sweet together. Danny Huston (Children of Men (2006)), Léa Seydoux (Traceless (2010)), William Hurt (The Host (2013)), Mark Strong (Fever Pitch (1997)), Mark Addy (The Full Monty (1997)) and Max von Sydow (Pelle the Conqueror/Pelle Erobreren (1987)), in the touching part as the father of the fallen Loxley, complete the ensemble.

Robin Hood is a heady mix of strong fight scenes, romance, excitement and fun. Only its climax isn't right; it doesn't feel like a part of the rest of the film: The Troy/Saving Private Ryan-like CGI-heavy invasion from the sea and overly bloodthirsty Hood of the finale somehow wasn't how the film was supposed to end. Also, Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)) isn't altogether confident as the villainous John; plus he looks outlandish with blue contact lenses.

Still, Robin Hood, which is written by Brian Helgeland (A Knight's Tale (2001)), is still a thoroughly enjoyable, grand piece of entertainment.

 

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Ridley Scott:  Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

American Gangster (2007) - Great American - now black - gangster picture
A Good Year (2006) - Ridley Scott likes Provence

Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date  
Blade Runner (1982) director's cut - Visual extravaganza, great SF 
Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News 

Listen to a part of the film's score here

Cost: 200 mil. $

Box office: 321.6 mil. $

= Big flop

[Robin Hood premiered May 12 (UK and Ireland) and runs 140 minutes, with a director's cut edition of 156 minutes. The spec script that Helgeland took story elements from was bought for a 7-figure amount in 2007. Crowe was paid a hefty 20 mil. $ against 20 % of the gross. Scott was not happy with any of the previous Robin Hood adaptations and got Helgeland involved to rewrite the script. Production was delayed due to writers and actors strikes. Filming took place in England and Wales from March - August 2009. The film opened #2, behind holdover hit Iron Man 2, to a 36 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it fell out of the top 5 after 4 weeks and grossed 105.2 mil. $ (32.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 23.1 mil. $ (7.2 %) and France with 18.2 mil. $ (5.7 %). Roger Ebert was critical of the film, giving it only 2 stars, equal to two notches harder than this review. Robin Hood is rotten at 43 % with a 5.4 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Robin Hood?

Bowfinger (1999) or, Making Chubby Rain

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+ Best Big Flop Movie of the Year + Best Los Angeles Movie of the Year + Best Parody of the Year

Two of Hollywood's biggest comedy stars meet for the first time in what appears a simple con plot on this poster for Frank Oz's Bowfinger

 
Steve Martin (iThree Amigos! (1986)) plays Bowfinger, a man who desperately wants to make a Hollywood movie hit. With a persevering team of amateurs, one involuntary, unknowing major star, Kit Ramsay, and Ramsay's unknown, dim-witted brother, Bowfinger somehow succeeds in creating the action science fiction film, Chubby Rain.

 
Bowfinger is written by writer/co-star Steve Martin (L.A. Story (1991)) and directed by Frank Oz (The Dark Crystal (1982)). 

While the film might be no major laugh fest, it works wonders as a major enjoyment for lovers of classic comedy and the Hollywood movie business, which it parodies gleefully. It is entertaining and very agreeable and a somewhat nostalgic trip to a way of making comedies that's not being done much anymore, (regrettably.)
The pairing of Eddie Murphy (The Golden Child (1986)) and Martin, two of big screen comedy's biggest stars in the preceding decades, is a merry success.
Bowfinger is a funny film with a slew of good supporting actors as well: Heather Graham (Wander (2020)), Christine Baranski (The Bravest Knight (2019, TV-series)), Adam Alexi-Malle (Hidalgo (2004)), Terence Stamp (Unfinished Song (2012)) and Robert Downey Jr. (Only You (1994)) are all very good.

Related posts:

Frank Oz:  Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) - Despite stale romance and Anakin, Episode II excites (voice actor) 

Top 10: Best Hollywood-set movies

1999 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

Cost: 55 mil. $
Box office: 98.6 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.79 times its cost)

[Bowfinger was released 13 August (North America, Switzerland) and runs 97 minutes. The enormous cost is likely to be ballooned by sky-high fees for Murphy, Martin and Oz, but they are regrettably unreported. Shooting took place from June - September 1998 in California, including in Los Angeles. The film opened #2, behind hold-over hit The Sixth Sense, to a an 18 mil. $ weekend in North America, where it spent another 4 weekends in the top 5 (#2-#4-#4-#5), grossing 66.3 mil. $ (67.2 % of the total gross. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to a notch over this one. Oz returned with The Score (2001). Murphy returned in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000); Martin in The Venice Project (1999). Bowfinger is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Bowfinger?

American Gangster (2007) - R. Scott's great American gangster epic, the first of its kind about a black American

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+ Best Gangster Movie of the Year + Best Epic Movie of the Year + Best New York Movie of the Year

Black, white, and a line of blood are the sole colors on the classic poster for Ridley Scott's American Gangster

American Gangster is English master filmmaker Ridley Scott's (Gladiator (2000) best movie since Black Hawk Down (2001). It is written by Steven Zaillian (Moneyball (2011)), based on Mark Jacobson's 2000 New York magazine article The Return of Superfly. It is Scott's 17th feature.

Frank Lucas from North Carolina is a central gangster in late 1960s Harlem, New York, where he rises to be the top dog, responsible for vast heroin smuggling, extortion and violence, among other crimes, - but detective Richard Roberts is on his heels.

Goodwill and excellent craftsmanship is put into American Gangster from several sides: The recreation of 1970s Manhattan is impressive (production design by Arthur Max (Robin Hood (2010))), and the funky, eclectic music (original tracks and the score by Marc Streitenfeld (Poltergeist (2015)) are mixed effectively) works perfectly in getting us into this other time and place. There's top-shelf acting from Denzel Washington (Flight (2012)), Russell Crowe (The Mummy (2017)), and Ruby Dee (Cool Red (1976)) as Mama Lucas. - All of it is a joy for the movie-lover.
SPOILER Great, memorable scenes in the film include the one where Lucas is arrested by Roberts outside of the church to the sounds of Amazing Grace, as well as the final scene, in which he is let out of prison to a changed city to the tunes of Public Enemy.
Despite the depiction of its its real-life characters' actual actions in the film being greatly contested, American Gangster is a great film and a riveting piece of American history.

Related posts:

Ridley Scott:  Prometheus (2012) or, Even Then, Space Eggs Were Bad News

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess

Robin Hood (2010) - R. Scott's grand film of the English legend 

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

A Good Year (2006) - Ridley Scott likes Provence

Top 10: The best big flop movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Blade Runner (1982) director's cut - Visual extravaganza, great SF 
Alien (1979) or, Space Eggs Are Bad News 

 

Denzel Washington gives an interview about the movie here

Cost: 100 mil. $
Box office: 266.4 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 2.66 times its cost)
[American Gangster premiered 19 October (Harlem, New York) and runs 158 minutes. Universal bought the rights to the New York magazine article in 2000, and Scott circled the project, which eventually began development with Antoine Fuqua directing and Washington and Benicio Del Toro starring. Concerns about direction and budget led to Fuqua's getting fired in 2004 and the production cancellation, which initially cost the studio 30 mil. $ of which 20 mil. were for Washington and 5 mil. for Del Toro, who had so-called 'pay-or-play' contracts, securing them payment in case of cancellation. Will Smith was in talks to star, until Scott returned to the project and re-teamed Washington and Crowe, who had starred together previously in Brett Leonard's Virtuosity (1995). Washington and Crowe both met with the real people their characters are based on prior to filming, which took place in New York and Chiang Mai, Thailand from July - November 2006. The film opened #1 to a 43.5 mil. $ first weekend in North America, the biggest opening up to that point in Washington and Crowe's careers. It stayed in the top 5 for another 2 weeks (#2; #3) and grossed 130.1 mil. $ (48.8 % of the total gross) domestically. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 19.8 mil. $ (7.4 %) and Italy with 15 mil. $ (5.6 %). It was the 19th highest-grossing film of the year domestically and worldwide. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. Both Lucas, Roberts and other central people who were involved with the actions shown in the film have commented that the film makes up a lot for dramatic effect, and two former DEA agents sued Universal Pictures for defamation, which was eventually dismissed by a US district judge. The film was nominated for 2 Oscars: Best Supporting Actress (Dee), lost to Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton, and Art Direction, lost to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It was also nominated for 3 Golden Globes, 5 BAFTAs, a Grammy and many other awards. It topped the home video and rentals charts and was the 14th best-selling DVD of 2008 in North America, though its gross here is unreported. Scott returned with Body of Lies (2008). Washington returned in The Great Debaters (2007), Crowe in Body of Lies. American Gangster is certified fresh at 80 % with a 6.99/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of American Gangster?