"This is not vengeance. No, not vengenace. Punishment."

(Sorry, there are no funny lines in this film.)

The Punisher really wants to be taken seriously. It certainly takes itself seriously. But while there are undeniable traces of merit in this action-drama, it is hindered by an awful script that all-but-ruins the promising story.

In a certain sense, The Punisher is crap. It wants you to think, but spends very little time thinking itself. It wants you to be affected, but gives no time for any effect to sink in. It shows amazing restraint in the scenes with the most potential and no restraint in the very worst scenes. It casts an unknown in the lead (and one very suited to the role, thankfully), but spoils itself by casting John Travolta as the villain.

Not that anyone could have made that villain work. He is like a mixture of all of Travolta's worst roles, rolled into one persona who is then handed a very, very bad script and asked to growl every now and then. Travolta is less a villain and more a running gag.

Jane is perfect for the title role, both physically and theatrically. A very nice choice. He builds a strong character out of very little, and for that he deserves a lot of praise.

Unfortunately, he's forced to show hate for some of the most proposterus, one-dimensional goons in the history of cinema. And that's saying a lot. It's not possible for anyone to take these characters seriously, so they become little more than walking targets, who will sooner or later be Punished, aka shot.

He's also forced to play against awfully sterotypical next-door neighbours characters: the obligatory misunderstood nerd, the obligatory fay guy and the obligatory young girl who teaches him to feel again. They're mildly entertaining and serve as comic relief, but ultimately they serve no purpose. Feel free to breath a sigh of relief when we come to the final battle, in which they have no involvment.


However, there is quite a bit that is good about this film. The idea of a 'superhero without superpowers' is good pedigree for an action film, but this film tries to be much more than that, and it's in that aspect that it is so surprising.

The handling of the beginning segment of the film, after a decent but slightly pathetic opening, is graceful and effective. Here, Hensleigh definitely knows what he's doing. He builds up tension to the inevitable tragedy, and even when it comes, he pulls away and lets us watch, from afar, Castle's final scene with his family. It has a definite impact.

Then there's a moment which I loved - Castle sees his family's killers returning, and suddenly his face changes. Throughout the film, it never goes back to the way it was. Jane creates a realistic but not over-the-top alteration in character between the first segment of the film and the rest of it. Once he was happy, now he might as well be dead. Tragic it is. It's also a perfect example of how much potential this film had.

The action is very entertaining. There are plenty of fun shoot-outs and clever moments, there's no shortage of explosionsm, and the final gunfight is fun, but also surprisingly low-key in its approach to the meeting of Castle and his nemisis Saints (Travolta). Castle wastes no time talking to Saints. There's no heartbreaking monlouge. He just shoots the bastard. Personally, I found this quite refreshing.

Ultimately I kinda liked The Punisher. I really didn't expect to, but I did. However, I don't think it's really deserved of the sequel that's apparently coming our way in 2006.

"An unmanned piano!"

Since this was recieved negatively on its theatrical release, I viewed it not expecting much more than some great musical numbers. What I got makes me wonder exactly what the bashers had wrong with it on its original release. De-Lovely is a fantastic film, working as a tribute to Cole Porter and as a musical love story, with joyous performances, both musical and theatrical.

Kline is on best form, giving a fabulous performance that really made me believe he was Cole Porter. But it was much more than an impression - it was a complete embodiment, from Porter's glory days right up to his gruffer later days. Kline's singing voice is deliberately imperfect but still exquisite, and he is a joy to listen to in all his singing scenes.

Judd's voice is more questionable - in fact, I doubt she could have even held a tune on her own if she had been required to - but she does very little actual singing, so that wasn't much of a problem. Her performance is very good, the character's love and fondness for Cole coming through at all times, even when she's pissed off with him.


At the various parties and clubs that appear throughout the movie, several popular singers belt out one of Porter's tunes. Thankfully Winkler doesn't let their appearances steal the limelight from the story. Mostly they are a pleasure to listen to, especially Robbie Williams and Diana Krall's renditions.

De-Lovely never lets up on the pace, spending just enough time on one segment for it to be effective, but not so much that it becomes boring, before moving on. Most biopics can't manage this balance - De-Lovely manages it perfectly.

And now we come to the ending. Possibly the most fun, touching and effective ending of 2004 - I have to admit, it almost brought me to tears, it was so well handled. While my fellow viewer was already talking about the problems with the film, I was completely entranced by Kline and Judd's final number. I simply don't understand how anyone could not be.

Be Cool

Be Cool has its moments, but it inevitably suffers by comparison to its predecessor, Get Shorty, an infinitely better movie. While Get Shorty was a refreshingly smart and non-pretentous comedy, relying as much on plot as laughs, Be Cool feels more like a succession of simple minded gags strung together in a weak attempt to form a plot. Some moments do show comedic merit, such as the Mongolian food scene, but these moments (though undeniably funny) can't make up for the overwhelming crapness of the whole experience. The fault can be layed directly at the feet of director F. Gary Gray, who relies too much on close-ups and fast cuts, instead of just letting the scenes run. **1/2 out of 5.