Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle

Tags

2000's, Action, Bernie Mac, Cameron Diaz, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Comedy, Crispin Glover, Demi Moore, Drew Barrymore, John Cleese, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Luke Wilson, Matt LeBlanc, McG

Film Title

Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle

Director

McG

Starring

• Cameron Diaz as Natalie
• Drew Barrymore as Dylan
• Lucy Liu as Alex
• Bernie Mac as Bosley
• Demi Moore as Madison Lee
• Justin Theroux as Seamus O’Grady
• Crispin Glover as The Thin Man
• John Cleese as Mr. Munday
• Matt LeBlanc as Jason
• Luke Wilson as Pete

More sassy attitude, kicking ass and sex appeal adorns Full Throttle, the sequel to the entertaining first film. Like its predecessor, it’s completely brainless and illogical but so watchable due to that very fact, it’s difficult to not enjoy it.

The Angels( Natalie, Dylan and Alex) return to fight crime and go undercover to thwart dastardly plans. We pick up with the girls as they rescue a US Marshall from captivity in Mongolia. Returning to America, the girls are informed of what their latest mission will entail. This time the unseen Charlie sends them to recover a pair of titanium rings. Encoded in these rings are the names and real identities of everyone in the Witness Protection Program. It appears that someone wants to sell the rings to the highest bidder; which just so happens to be any of the major crime outfits in the world. Gearing up for action with an array of costumes and skills, the girls encounter former Angel Madison Lee, who has clearly turned her back on the side of good and definitely has something to do with the plot. Added to the mix is Irish mobster Seamus O’Grady, who happens to be Dylan’s former boyfriend who she put away in prison years ago before changing her identity. This revelation hits Dylan hard as she fought so hard to escape her past, only for it to now resurface. From fast car chases to martial arts fighting, The Angels are back doing what they do best; stopping bad and shaking things up.

McG is back making things bigger and employing his music video skills for the montage heavy and frankly ridiculous movie. Once again, it’s a movie that doesn’t take itself seriously and on more than one occasion, rips itself off. The plot is essentially a riff on the first movie yet is a little tighter( I say little because it’s still pretty all over the show but still highly fun). The plot is the least of anyone’s concerns when the action and innuendo filled lines hit override. That’s where the fun begins as the gorgeous girls go from a dirt biking race to performing in strip club, all in the name of stopping crime. Various sub-plots of their love lives are superfluous and don’t go anywhere, the colourful fights and array of disguises is where the film is at. Like the title says, Full Throttle is what it gives in terms of silliness and amusing sequences that are pure ludicrous and candy coloured from head to toe. The film can best described as the equivalent of a sugar rush. You know you shouldn’t enjoy it, but the sweetness is difficult to resist. And even though it is a major rehash of the first film, is anyone actually paying that close attention? The soundtrack is lively and pumping, granted there is nary a second music isn’t playing.

Cameron Diaz, with her mega watt smile and perky energy, is delightfully goofy and animated in the best possible way. Drew Barrymore stands out the most as tough chick Dylan, who has to deal with the ghosts of the past. The film is hardly deep at all but the little bits of drama that reveal more of her( whenever the chance is given) are played remarkably well by Barrymore. Lucy Liu provides many laughs and feistiness as the brainbox of the troika, who can really deliver Once again, the three share a good rapport and have sparkling levels of energy. Some actually effective laughs come courtesy of Bernie Mac playing Bosley; his loud and frequently hysterical outbursts are just what the doctor ordered in this fizzy cocktail of a movie. Demi Moore, looking gorgeous and acting diva like, has fun as the vampy former Angel now on the side of evil and taking no prisoners. She seriously has a good time as the villain of the bunch and suits the over the top nature of the film. Justin Theroux, though underused, is pretty menacing as Dylan’s psychopathic ex who wants revenge on her for turning him in. Crispin Glover returns as the inherently creepy Thin Man, unfortunately he is ill-served by the film that doesn’t make the most of his unusual appearance and mannerisms. In support, John Cleese gets a few good moments Alex’s oblivious father. Once again, Matt LeBlanc and Luke Wilson are not really necessary or well used in the film and their parts could have easily been trimmed.

 

Virtually a variation on the first film with more explosions and killer stunts thrown in, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is guilty pleasure viewing of the highest echelon. You wouldn’t tell a friend you like this movie, but you’d secretly bask in its sheer dumbness when you needed a popcorn movie.

Charlie’s Angels

Tags

2000's, Action, Bill Murray, Cameron Diaz, Charlie's Angels, Comedy, Crispin Glover, Drew Barrymore, Kelly Lynch, Lucy Liu, Luke Wilson, Matt LeBlanc, McG, Sam Rockwell, Tim Curry

Film Title

Charlie’s Angels

Director

McG

Starring

• Cameron Diaz as Natalie
• Drew Barrymore as Dylan
• Lucy Liu as Alex
• Bill Murray as Bosley
• Sam Rockwell as Eric Knox
• Kelly Lynch as Vivian Wood
• Tim Curry as Roger Corwin
• Crispin Glover as The Thin Man
• Matt LeBlanc as Jason
• Luke Wilson as Pete

Based on the hit 70’s show of the same name, Charlie’s Angels is not the kind of movie you go to watch for deep, introspective lessons. It’s all about the action, silliness and sexiness of which it provides a slick and entertaining package.

The Angels of the title are goofy Natalie, sarcastic Dylan and knowledgeable Alex; three beautiful and strong women who work as private investigators for the unseen Charlie. He communicates with them via voice messages and agency handler Bosley. Getting out of scrapes and risking life and limb is what they’re good at, as well as doing it with some serious style and kick ass moves. Their latest case involves rescuing electronics millionaire Eric Knox, then finding his valuable software. The software is state of the art voice recognition that uses phones as its main communications base. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, it could be used to end basic privacy through the usage of satellites and put tens of thousands in mortal danger. The main suspect appears to be a rival businessman by the name of Roger Corwin, whose known to be very ruthless when it comes to getting his hands on the much moneymaking thing. Cue much action, chases and sexy outfits and it’s another day at the races for the Angels. But something more sinister may in fact be right under their noses and ready to strike.

From the get go, director McG, who used to be a prominent stylist of music videos, lets us know that this film is one to just sit back and bask in with his brash use of colour and tongue in cheek humour. He isn’t trying to be intellectual in the slightest and that very approach makes Charlie’s Angels a big guilty pleasure. It’s a pastiche and ode to glamour of the past( the original theme tune and voice of Charlie remains the same) and modern technology that bathes in its own craziness. I mean how can any of the film be taken seriously when you have these ladies defying gravity with their karate moves and changing clothing at lightning speed, in between disposing of bad guys? And yet, that is where the fun lies, in the sheer implausibility and fantasy of it all. None of this is rooted in the real world and doesn’t try to be; it just wants you to have a blast on the action score and comedy and not aspire for anything else. With colourful splashes of quick editing and slow motion for sensual purposes, the film whizzes along at such a rapid rate that you don’t have to think about a single thing, just being thrilled and excited is the response that will most likely garner. Watching the sexy trio move from one outrageous situation to the next is fun enough in itself as they kick serious ass and showcase bountiful sex appeal. Laughs and naughtiness go hand in hand( watch as Alex dresses up dominatrix style to infiltrate a corporate facility and causes every male worker to be her slave.) High energy and a prominent soundtrack ensure that Charlie’s Angels is a kinetic ride that doesn’t require brain power, yet wants you to just surrender to its frequently goofy content.

The gorgeous trio of Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu contribute significant fun and sexy prowess to match. It helps that they look like they’re having a really fun time playing the glamorous crime fighters, who get to raid the dress up box frequently and dispatch sassy one liners. That enthusiasm( from Diaz’s ditsy but sometimes very resourceful Natalie, Barrymore’s sassy, attitude heavy Dylan and Liu’s sophisticated and poised brainiac Alex ) is the key to the enjoyment of Charlie’s Angels as they sell the silliness all the way. Bill Murray is hilarious as the occasionally bumbling and sardonic Bosley, with his knack for humour in high supply and an utter delight to watch. Sam Rockwell is pretty eye-catching as the man supposedly in trouble, who might be quite different from the geeky persona he projects. Kelly Lynch is much the same as his partner who just know is dodgy from the moment she appears. Tim Curry does what he can with his ludicrous material and is quite amusing, while Crispin Glover is ideally unusual and freaky as an assassin known as The Thin Man. Matt LeBlanc and Luke Wilson on the other hand, come off as rather superfluous when playing two unsuspecting boyfriends of two of the Angels. Considering the cheesy script, the cast is mostly competent, particularly the sexy Angels.

It’s scattershot at best and virtually devoid of any real plot, but Charlie’s Angels delivers the fun and sassy goods, bolstered by the energy of the three women at the front of it. Defiantly ridiculous and outrageous, it’s best enjoyed as cheesy fodder and sexy fun.

Kill Bill Vol 1

Tags

2000's, Action, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Kill Bill Vol 1, Lucy Liu, Martial Arts, Michael Madsen, Quentin Tarantino, Revenge Drama, Uma Thurman, Vivica A. Fox

Film Title

Kill Bill Vol 1

Director

Quentin Tarantino

Starring

• Uma Thurman as The Bride/Black Mamba
• David Carradine as Bill
• Lucy Liu as O-Ren Ishii/Cottonmouth
• Daryl Hannah as Elle Driver/ California Mountain Snake
• Vivica A. Fox as Vernita Green/ Copperhead
• Michael Madsen as Budd/Sidewinder

Quentin Tarantino’s fourth movie is an action packed, blood soaked revenge tale told with stylish panache and various references to other genres. From samurai movies to anime and western, Tarantino fashions all of these into this wildly entertaining action with a breakneck pace and a seriously kick ass heroine.

Left for dead on her wedding day, a woman, known only as “The Bride” eventually awakens from a four-year coma after a mosquito bites her. In non-linear fashion, we are informed of her origins and what led to her near death experience. She was once a member of The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, an elite group of skilled assassins under the charge of the eponymous Bill. She went by the codename Black Mamba whilst working for the squad. The Bride, who was also pregnant was attacked by the other members on her wedding day and Bill put a bullet in her head. After waking from her coma and realising her baby is now gone, The Bride’s rage begins to manifest and she swears a brutal revenge. Escaping hospital, she quickly makes a list of the members of the assassination squad who she intends to kill one by one for their part in her brutal attack. Vol 1 deals with The Bride tracking down two of the members on the list, the fierce Vernita Green and the powerful O-Ren Ishii. And so begins a wildly entertaining revenge saga that is daring, über stylish and full of bloody violence and action. As the proverb at the beginning of the film states “Revenge is a dish best served cold”. Or in Tarantino’s case, cold and covered with lashings of blood.

Tarantino should be praised for the way he manages to incorporate so many disparate influences into a seriously entertaining though brutal film. From utilising music from classic westerns and featuring a startling anime sequence, he definitely knows how to keep you watching. The kinetic editing is superb in capturing The Bride’s one-woman mission to annihilate those who have caused her great pain. Special notice must go to the fighting choreography which really is something to behold. The biggest highlight is The Bride’s blood soaked duel with the Crazy 88, hitmen for O-Ren. Cutting between colour and black and white gives the scene a thrilling and daring quality that is hard to not appreciate. Some may complain that the film is an example of style over substance, but if that is the case you have to admit that the style is certainly entertaining nonetheless. As is the case with most of Tarantino’s movies, the soundtrack is an eclectic listen, this time featuring music from Spaghetti Westerns, old samurai movies and thrillers.

The cast of the Kill Bill Vol 1 all deliver memorable work. Heading the cast with a searing performance is Uma Thurman as The Bride. She encompasses the pain that gives way to unleashing her inner rage and physical strength on those who betrayed her with fearless ability. The Bride is one seriously kick ass character who you really don’t want to mess with. Although his face isn’t seen, David Carradine manages to make Bill a menacing character just with the sound of his voice. He is cloaked in enigmas as the story unfolds and The Bride makes it her priority to kill everyone before reaching the traitorous Bill. Out of the other members of the assassination team, which includes Vivica A. Fox and Michael Madsen, Lucy Liu and Daryl Hannah make the biggest impacts. Lucy Liu embodies the fierce violence within O-Ren which stems for a childhood in which she witnessed her family’s murder. Her duel with The Bride is a visually spectacular highlight as they fight with katanas in the snow. Daryl Hannah makes quite an entrance as the one-eyed Elle Driver. Strutting into hospital dressed in white while whistling a chilling song and planning The Bride’s death, she is most certainly an interesting creation from Tarantino.

Ultra violent, daring and stylish, Kill Bill Vol 1 isn’t for the faint of heart. But it will appeal to those who get the various genre references and who want to witness the excellent and hypnotic work from Quentin Tarantino.