Holiday 99:The Bone Collector
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By Shelby J. Jones
The
Bone Collector: 6:30pm Crampton Auditorium,
Howard University.
I was thrilled when Dr. Morris
Hawkins, an HU Medical prof, informed me of
the advanced screening. I thought "cool." HU
babee. I was educated at the University of Maryland but in many ways HU
was always a surrogate home for brothers and sisters attending Maryland,
GW, Georgetown, Catholic and American. I arrived on campus at 6:00pm after
work dressed in a suit and immediately realized that HU is still a beautiful
educational scene. I felt old and out of place,
kids looked at me like I was a professor. The experience was sobering. The Bone Collector started and the crowd
jumped into the film. As soon as Denzel appeared on screen, the undergrad
girls went crazy - screaming like Denzel is still da man. The Bone Collector
turned out to be an ok film but by no means is this Denzel's best work.
It had some scary moments and super-intense scenes from which your emotions
could not escape, but The Bone Collector missed getting an A by being
a little too predictable. Nevertheless, watching it with that crowd was
part of the entertainment experience and for a moment I reminisced and
wondered where my dorm room was. Peace to the HU crew.
SYNOPSIS
THESPIANS
With an array of talent Denzel does an acceptable
job as a super-hot crime fighter confined to bed. While sometimes it
was a little silly of his character to be so thrilled about little things
then later wishing himself dead. Denzel consulted with Christopher Reeve
while preparing for this role and it pays dividends as Denzel's character,
dispite some weaknesses, is believable. Oscar caliber? No way. Solid
work for Denzel? Yes. Angelina Jolie who has Hollywood all a buzz about
her probable rise to the top of the heap with respect to leading women
is nice to look at and shows some backbone in this role. Playing opposite
Denzel is tough but she manages to hold her own and win acceptance from
the audience. The HU crew flexed at first but they later accepted her
love interest in Rhyme. Queen Latifah has certainly been working hard.
New talk show and more films on the slate. The Queen is soon to be the
queen bee. She plays a care-taker and makes the character unassuming
and calm until she must bolt into action to save Rhyme from near death
seizures. The rest of the ensemble played well - Ed O Neill, John Benjamin
Hickey, Leland Orser, Luiz Guzman, Mike McGlure and Michael Rooker.
CRITIQUE
I liked The Bone Collector. I see movies
as a grand attempt at achieving a high level of human art through words,
pictures and computers crystallizing with the manipulation of emotions.
So with some cool electronic gadgets, good actors and a story that managed
not to completely fall apart while keeping you a little scared, The
Bone Collector comes off as a decent flick. The problem with the film
is that while it aimed for suspense, fear and intellectual problem solving,
it simply does not grab you like it should have. Go see it and make
up your own mind. If it has legs, I would be surprised.
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