Mark Schaefer

Guts and gory, July 4 2004

Does anyone still believe WWII was the good war, and that cynicism, spin control and U.S. brutality were born in Vietnam? If so, Steven Spielberg's visceral re-creation of the Secend World War experience will be a shocker: The film's battle scenes are anarchic, bloody, frenzied and studded with atrocious acts. Screenwriter Robert Rodat's script (based loosly on an actual incident and heavily indebted to historian Stephen Ambrose), however, sticks to familiar ground. Battled-scarred Captain Miller (Tom Hanks) is sent on a special mission to retrieve one Private Ryan (Matt Damon), who merits heric efforts because he's the sole survivor of four enlisted brothers, and his safe return is… Read more

Earth vs. the flying saucers, Jun 30 2004

Finally, science fiction the way it used to be: rousing, cosmically xenophobic and ferociously patriotic. Forget E.T. and his cuddly ilk. INDEPENDENCE DAY's Bellicose aliens want our Earth and intend to squash us like bugs--Bugs!--to get it. It's up to a ragtag band of can-do-Americans, ranging from the President (Bill Pullman) to a druncken crop-duster pilot (Randy Quaid), to rally our spirits and save our bacon.

An engaging of second-tier-talent--Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith, Judd Hirsch et al.-- is on hand, and the lack of superstars works to the picture's advantage. Whereas Arnold, Tom or Sly would have to make it out alive, these journey men could bite the dust at any moment, and a… Read more

Mercy, Jun 30 2004

Slick psychological thriller about the high-stakes cat-and-mouse game between a ruthless businessman and the kidnappers holding his son for ransom. Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson) is the self-made head of a major airline who wears his aw-schucks affability like a suit of silk chain mail. When his boy (Brawley Nolte) is snatched by a gang of mercenary lowlifes, His true nature comes to the surface: Ignoring his tearful wife (Rene Russo) and the seasoned FBI agent (Delroy Lindo) assigned to the case, Mullen starts messing with the kidnappers, convicing that only he has the cojones to get his son back. Until the disappointingly conventional ending, in which the dad and the head baddie (Gary Sinise) go… Read more