HOWARD THE DUCK

The "Dark Overlord" about to strike

HOWARD THE DUCK (1986). Director: Willard Huyck.

Due to experiments involving a "laser spectroscope" conducted by Dr. Walter Jenning (Jeffrey Jones), an innocent fellow named Howard (Ed Gale, Chip Zien and others), who lives on a world where ducks are intelligent and capable of speech, is sucked out of his universe and into ours. There he tries to find his way in a strange new world of "hairless apes" while befriended by rock singer Beverly (Lea Thompson) and observed by wannabee scientist Phil Blumburtt (Tim Robbins of Mystic River). Unfortunately Jenning tells them all that his laser beam has also swept up a horrible creature called a Dark Overlord of the Universe, who takes over Jenning's mind even as it hopes to take over the world. Will anyone survive? Well ... Howard the Duck is based on a satirical Marvel comic book and it could easily be dismissed, as it was, as utter schlock were it not for the fact that it has some genuinely amusing moments, good FX, and some good acting from the principals, especially Jones in a funny turn as the possessed, hostile Jenning. The first half of the film, once you get used to the main character being a little guy in a duck outfit, has some minor whimsy to it (as well as a cute scene when a job counselor tells Howard she'll get him a job no matter how weird he tries to look), there's a fairly exciting sequence with Howard and Phil trying to fly off in an odd homemade contraption with wings, and the stop-motion effects [Phil Tippett of Starship Troopers 2] of the giant, slithering, creepy, scorpion-like Dark Overlord are excellent. Unfortunately, this just doesn't add up to a very good movie, and it's often more loud and busy than entertaining. Jorli McLain has a nice bit as a waitress in a diner. John Barry's [Goldfinger] score, including a memorable heroic theme, is better than the movie deserves. Howard was created for the comics by writer Steve Gerber.

Verdict: You want to like it but ...  **.

ANTITRUST

ANTITRUST (2001). Director: Peter Howitt.

Milo Hoffman (Ryan Phillippe) is drafted by Gary Winston (Tim Robbins), head of the NURV technology company, to work on a major new project called Synapse, which will somehow link all communications networks together. Milo has decided to go with a big company while his other buddies still work in their garage, but it's clear they are on to something nonetheless when one of them, Teddy (Yee Tee Tso), is murdered. Was Teddy getting too close to solving the problems with Synapse-like technology  and beating Winston to the punch? A paranoid Milo sneaks around NURV trying to get incriminating information as he dodges the security force and breaks into buildings -- but will he stay alive long enough to learn anything? Antitrust is a minor but entertaining flick with two good lead performances, as well as good work from a supporting cast that includes Claire Forlani as Milo's girlfriend, Alice, and Rachel Leigh Cook as Lisa, a fellow employee who decides to help him. Fittingly, considering the movie's title, the script plays around with exactly whom Milo can trust and whom he can't, and there are a couple of surprises in that regard. The movie is undeniably suspenseful, occasionally tense, and has a very satisfying wind-up.

Verdict: Is Big Brother watching you? *** out of 4.

GREEN LANTERN (2011)

GREEN LANTERN (2011). Director: Martin Campbell.

"I've seen you naked. You think I wouldn't recognize you because your cheek bones are covered?" -- Carol Ferris. 

The super-hero Green Lantern of the "silver age" first appeared in comic books in the late 1950's. In this big-screen adaptation, somewhat flighty [pun intended] test pilot Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds) is chosen by a dying alien named Abin Sur (Temuera Morrison) to be his replacement in an Intergalactic policing force known as the Green Lantern Corps. Jordan not only has to prove to some skeptical colleagues, including the obnoxious drill instructor Kilowog [voice of Michael Clarke Duncan] and the slightly bitchy Sinestro (Mark Strong), that he has the right stuff, but also himself -- as he doesn't exactly see himself as someone "without fear." In the meantime, the alien blue-skinned Guardians, who formed the Corps, learn that one of their number has been mutated into an evil and monstrous being known as Parallax -- and it's pissed off and coming to Earth. Other characters include Hal's sort of girlfriend, Carol Ferris (sexy Blake Lively), the parrot-like corpsman Tomar-Re (voice of Geoffrey Rush), smarmy Senator Hammond (Tim Robbins), and his weird son Hector (Peter Sarsgaard), who is becoming mutated and dangerous himself after examining the body of Abin Sur. Green Lantern takes a while to get going, looking too much like a video game in the beginning, but once Jordan puts on the uniform it kicks into high gear and becomes quite exciting and entertaining. The cast is quite good, with Reynolds sheer perfection as our hero, although he gets a lot of competition from Strong as an impeccable Sinestro. Great scenic design. 68-year-old Campbell also directed the 2006 Casino Royale, the earlier Bond film Goldeneye, and Criminal Law, among many others. [Moral: You don't have to be a comparative kid to handle a trendy big-screen action flick.] NOTE: You can read more about the early comic book adventures of Green Lantern, Sinestro [originally a bad guy], Tomar-Re and the rest in The Silver Age of Comics.

Verdict: It's great fun watching GL do his "ring thing." ***.

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005)

THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (2005). Director: Steven Spielberg.

I've never been overly impressed by most of Spielberg's films, but I have to admit he knocked one out of the ball park with this impressive adaptation of H. G. Well's wonderful novel. This compares favorably to George Pal's 1953 version. Updated to modern times, this details what happens when meteors fall all over the Earth and unleash tripods [with martians inside] that destroy or capture human beings. Ray Ferrier (Tom Cruise) does his best to protect his daughter, Rachel (Dakota Fanning) as some truly horrifying events, including an attack on a boat full of people, happen all around them. There are excellent special effects and also some pretty creepy and scary aliens on view. Well-acted [by Cruise, Tim Robbins in a supporting part, and others] and very well-directed by Spielberg. My only quibble is that some may feel that two hours of a little girl being terrorized doesn't add up to entertainment, but Spielberg always feels compelled to put children in danger in his movies.

Verdict: Eye-popping, thoroughly absorbing, and highly intense.***1/2.

MYSTIC RIVER

MYSTIC RIVER (2004). Director: Clint Eastwood.

Since he's always been perceived as a Hollywood conservative it's amusing that Eastwood teamed up with two famous Hollywood liberals, Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, to make this acclaimed but disappointing feature. Three little boys playing in the street are interrupted by an intense fellow whom they imagine is a cop. He takes one of the three into his car and the boy isn't seen until he escapes from the creep three days later. Flash forward to when all three men are grown and the daughter of one of them – Sean Penn's character – is found murdered in a park. That same night Tim Robbins – he was the boy who was kidnapped and molested years earlier -- comes home to his wife covered in blood. Much of what happens next is quite predictable, and the script offers few real surprises to a wide-awake viewer. Eastwood directs with professional assurance if not a lot of inspiration; mostly he just lets the actors do the work. Tim Robbins is simply superb, completely losing himself in his tormented character, but Sean Penn, generally one of our best actors, is getting sloppy. Penn never seems to get a handle on his character and falls back into a standard bag of tricks that are highly unsatisfying. Kevin Bacon is okay as the third grown-up kid, now a homicide investigator. Mystic River is an awkward blend of mystery with mobster drama and doesn't quite work as either despite some interesting moments and performances from Robbins and a generally fine supporting cast. The ending of this film should horrify, sadden and appall, but it does none of those. Apparently Eastwood is another one of these directors who wrongly fears that emotional intensity reduces a film to a mere soap opera.

Verdict: Mystic River isn't much of anything. **.