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Post by Naj on May 9, 2005 8:25:03 GMT -5
By Michael Rechtshaffen LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Plucked from those famous Miramax/Dimension deep shelves at the eleventh hour, "Mindhunters" arrives in North American theaters a couple of years after its initial planned release date. Having already played in a number of overseas territories, the British/Dutch/Finnish-American co-production can't help but carry a certain DVD-ready stigma, and that's probably where it will be doing its greatest business in this neck of the woods. While the premise is intriguing -- a group of young FBI profilers is being systematically and gruesomely eliminated during what is supposed to be an elaborate training exercise -- director Renny Harlin's take on Agatha Christie's versatile "Ten Little Indians" is total B-movie swagger in all its unsubtle glory. Taken for what it is, along with the clunky dialogue, cardboard-cutout characterizations and eardrum-pounding orchestral blasts, the picture is not without its occasional cheap thrills, which should prove to be more cost-effective in the form of a video store rental. After an audience-tease of a prologue, "Mindhunters" gets down to the business of plopping its group of FBI Investigative Support Unit would-be profilers in the middle of a remote island that looks like a Main Street USA studio backlot that has seriously gone to seed (it actually was filmed in the Netherlands). It is there that leader Rafe Perry (Val Kilmer) has orchestrated a murder scene simulation of a final exam designed to weed out the weaker links, but it quickly becomes apparent that the theoretical serial killer they're attempting to profile is the real thing, and, with each subsequent murder, it's looking more and more like the perpetrator is among them. Although the script, credited to Wayne Kramer and Kevin Brodbin, works overtime attempting to evoke early John Carpenter, some of the nasty demises, no matter how illogical, have their seriously twisted allure, and while Harlin amps everything up to the extreme, the results are at least livelier than his version of "Exorcist: The Beginning," which he took on after "Mindhunters." The cast -- also including Christian Slater (sharing the name J.D. with his "Heathers" character), LL Cool J, Kathryn Morris, Jonny Lee Miller, Eion Bailey and Clifton Collins Jr. -- do what they can with the hokey dialogue until visual effects supervisor Brian M. Jennings gets around to creatively putting them out of their misery. Cast: Gabe Jensen: James Todd Smith a k a LL Cool J; Lucas Harper: Jonny Lee Miller; Sara Moore: Kathryn Morris; Nicole Willis: Patricia Velasquez; Vince Sherman: Clifton Collins Jr; Bobby Whitman: Eion Bailey; Rafe Perry: Will Kemp; Jake Harris: Val Kilmer; J.D. Reston: Christian Slater. Director: Renny Harlin; Screenwriters: Wayne Kramer and Kevin Brodbin; Story by: Wayne Kramer; Producers: Jeffrey Silver, Bobby Newmyer, Cary Brokaw, Rebecca Spikings; Executive producers: Moritz Borman, Guy East, Nigel Sinclair, Renny Harlin; Director of photography: Robert Gantz; Production designer: Charles Wood; Editors: Paul Martin Smith, Neil Farrell; Costume designer: Louise Frogley; Music: Tuomas Kantelinen. Reuters/Hollywood Reporter review here
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Post by TVFan on May 9, 2005 10:29:25 GMT -5
Not the best reveiw, but I have been hearing mixed things about the movie. I think it looks very good, and I've also found that some of the most critcally panned movies end up being some of my favs. I guess we'll see this weekend.
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Post by Ryebeach on May 9, 2005 17:04:28 GMT -5
I often read movie reviews but seldom agree with their observations. I'll have to see it for myself this weekend.
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Post by Naj on May 12, 2005 7:30:53 GMT -5
“Mindhunters” — Director Renny Harlin (“Exorcist: The Beginning”) ratchets up the gore factor in yet another twist on the traditional Hollywood slasher flick — this time set in an abandoned Navy SEALs training complex on a remote island where a group of eight FBI serial-killer profilers prove their investigative skills to sadistic training supervisor Val Kilmer. The group — featuring Christian Slater and LL Cool J, among others — progressively dwindles at the unseen hand of a psychopath, unfolding a who-done-it murder mystery lavished with meticulous texture and attention to detail. The film offers a claustrophobic thrill to audiences willing to go along with knowing visual winks and a convoluted storyline. (R) *** — C.S. review here |
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Post by Naj on May 12, 2005 7:40:07 GMT -5
Going Mental
Mindhunters is truly stupid fun.
BY LUKE Y. THOMPSON
luke.thompson@newtimes.com picture of cast Any of you could die at any time. Mindhunters
Opens Friday. Rated R.
Film Director: Renny Harlin
Starring: Christian Slater, LL Cool J, Kathryn Morris, and Clifton Collins Jr.
Written By: Wayne Kramer and Kevin Brodbin, from a story by Kramer If you're expecting a psychological thriller out of Mindhunters, and you buy a ticket for the movie, you will almost indubitably feel cheated. But break down the film's title to its most literal sense -- hunting for a mind, presumably because those involved were out of theirs -- and you'll know exactly what to expect. This is, after all, a Renny Harlin film, which means it'll be bad. The only question is will it be goofy, nacho-cheese bad like Deep Blue Sea and The Adventures of Ford Fairlaine, or just plain old godawful-bad like Driven or Cliffhanger? Thankfully, the former. And how could it not be when the film is more or less a remake of Deep Blue Sea, minus the sharks? There's the computer-generated, isolated-island lab; a demographically mixed group of victims who will be picked off one by one; the sense that all these deaths are the result of government irresponsibility; and even a sudden, shocking celebrity death scene, mirroring Deep Blue Sea's most memorable moment. All that, and LL Cool J too. Oh, and the movie opens with images of deep water, and someone drowning -- this will later prove to be of minor importance in a key scene. Following the credits, we pick up with FBI trainees Christian Slater and Minority Report's Kathryn Morris (looking here like Ellen DeGeneres, strangely enough), on the trail of a serial killer through fake-looking snow. Like every serial killer imagined by screenwriters nowadays, this one is clearly a goth who owns a large old house full of doll parts, music boxes, and dead animals. But things are not as they appear: A rather obvious "surprise" occurs, and in short order our profilers-in-training are being reprimanded by teacher Val Kilmer, whose casting feels like a deliberate tipoff that his character may be insane. Slater's and Morris's characters are part of a larger class who, for their final exam, are to be shipped off to a remote island that has been tricked out as a sort of CSI-themed Disneyland infested with stray cats, which are all the better to create cheap shocks with, à la Alien, or kill for cheap gross-outs, à la Gummo. Somewhere in this new environment lies a staged crime scene, clues to the nature of which could be anywhere and everywhere. Among the stranded: LL Cool J as a last-minute government liaison, Jonny Lee Miller as an annoyingly fake Southerner (even his Trainspotting costar Ewan McGregor does better American accents), big-screen newcomer Will Kemp as a spunky Brit (standout line: "'E just pulled that gun ou' of 'is arse!"), Clifton Collins Jr. as a surly gun nut in a wheelchair, and Patricia Velasquez as -- surprise! -- a hot-tempered Latina. A strangled cat with a broken watch in its guts kicks off the excitement, as the group splits into teams of two to find their assignment. No sooner is it found than a preposterously elaborate and easily escapable death trap activates, claiming a life at exactly the time shown on the broken watch. The rest of the movie is basically a series of repetitions of this action, as Rube Goldberg-esque devices proceed to claim one life at a time, always at exactly the hour specified on a conspicuously placed broken clock. It is determined via infrared rays that no one else is on the island with the group, so one of them is most likely the killer, adding to the paranoia. In other words, this is a slasher movie. It's not about the characters, or the dramatic tension, or any kind of believability. It's about how cool the death scenes are, and on that score, Harlin is a champ. Recalling the gory grotesque kills he devised for Freddy Krueger back in A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4, he has invested most of his time and energy on Mindhunters into creative, gruesome demises. But they're not entirely random: When the pattern behind the killings is finally revealed, it adds a nice touch to the proceedings. Props to screenwriter Wayne Kramer (The Cooler) for that, and for not telegraphing exactly whose time is up next -- when anyone can die at any time, it's a good recipe for suspense. Regarding that, though, it does tend to undercut the suspense when one is saddled with a majorly crappy score (credited to Finnish composer Tuomas Kantelinen) that vacillates from mediocre hard rock to intrusive orchestral without any apparent regard for what's actually onscreen. It's also lame when a climactic confrontation suddenly devolves into sped-up kung fu, especially since neither participant looks all that well versed in the martial arts. Of the cast, only Collins delivers a memorable performance with the sort of energy and intensity this film needs; Kilmer is good too, but basically a glorified cameo. Despite all its flaws -- and there are enough to render Mindhunters indefensible on most purely cinematic levels -- there are times when certain moviegoers just feel the need to stare far-fetched, blood-drenched death in the eye and laugh. It's here, so have at it. review here
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Post by Naj on May 12, 2005 7:53:18 GMT -5
Pop, Pop, Fizz, Fizz
A group of FBI profilers turn into the ones being profiled in the thriller "Mindhunters"
Richmond.com
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Watching "Mindhunters" is like playing Russian roulette with a shaken six-pack of soda. Grab a can, pop the top and get ready to get smacked in the face with a cool sudsy blast. That's like the first third of "Mindhunters" – it's surprisingly thrilling yet safe. The only problem is that the last two thirds are flat, lackluster and laughably lame.
Maybe the reason for "Mindhunters'" jolting jumpstart is because the flick's veteran actors, Val Kilmer and Christian Slater, come out firing with a fury in the flick's opening stanza, but then disappear to collect their paychecks and let the nearly anonymous worker bee actors carry the movie home.
Kilmer is Jake Harris, an unorthodox teacher for the FBI's Investigative Support Unit, or in slang, Mindhunters. This is where the best of the best, the cream of the crop and the king of the clichés train to become FBI profilers, the type who study and predict the patterns of serial killers. As part of the trainees' final assignment, they're dropped off on a secluded island that's used for Navy S.E.A.L. training. Built as a lifelike simulation of your average city, the people on this island are all made of plastic, which means it's kind of like Hollywood or Miami, without the NBA groupies.
Unfortunately, there are so many damn trainees it's hard to keep track of who is who and who said what, especially the four or five metrosexual dudes (Pop quiz: You're training to become an FBI profiler and are stranded on an island for your final assignment: How much hair gel should your stuff in your man purse???). There just isn't enough time to build any of them into developed characters. That's why the script has to resort to cheap identification tricks, like making one guy British, putting one in a wheelchair, giving one a beard and so on.
It's time to meet your Mindhunters trainees. J.D. Reston (Slater) is a natural-born leader who packs confidence and machismo. He likes long walks by the beach, foreign films and women who are easily impressed. Sara Moore (Kathryn Morris) is a skittish blonde still reeling from a past tragedy. And Gabe Jensen (LL Cool J) is an observer who's come to the island with a dirty little secret. OK, if we introduce every character, this bad boy will be longer than a James Joyce book, so let's stop there.
So here are these one-dimensional profiler wannabes gathered on an island. And before you know it, someone starts picking them off one at a time. This secret assassin drops off watches to let the trainees know when someone is going to die, then sets off elaborate booby traps a la "Goonies" to take them out with a little style. These scenes are pretty clever and reminiscent of a similar gimmick in "Final Destination," but it's tough to suspend your disbelief enough to fathom one person setting up these ridiculously intricate death traps.
One of "Mindhunters'" biggest problems is its super cheesy special effects. Take a scene where one of the would-be profilers gets his legs frozen; his flesh chatters and crumbles like a tipped-over Jenga set. It's laughably bad. On top of that, the filmmakers try so hard for a surprise ending that they totally screw it up, giving us a confusing climax that's more disappointing than the Shoney's dessert bar.
I guess "Mindhunters" is like the nice yet husky kid trying to make the high school cross country team. You root and wave in the beginning with high hopes and indispensable optimism. But after the first 100 yards, you give up hope and head toward the finish line to try to help him pick up the pieces—and convince him to join the bowling team.
"Mindhunters" is rated 'R' and opens Friday, May 13.
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Post by Naj on May 12, 2005 7:56:13 GMT -5
Mindhunters
Opens Fri., May 13, at Meridian and others
It's been ages since director Renny Harlin stomped in from Finland to give Hollywood action flicks a revivifying jolt of his rakish whimsy. Now he's just a sad old Hollywood hack. He refreshed the conventions of Elm Street and Die Hard, but his talent never recovered from Cutthroat Island. His update of 1945's And Then There Were None is about as fresh as 60-year-old lutefisk. Agatha Christie's original 1939 novel, inspired by the murderously racist 1869 music-hall song "Ten Little blacks," which ripped off the racist 1868 American song "Ten Little Indians," was a masterpiece —you couldn't guess the killer, only admire the aptness of the deaths, rooted in each character's idiosyncratic sin.
The sin of Mindhunters is that it doesn't give a s*** about the characters. It's a reversion to the original song's contempt for the individual. Val Kilmer, another once-rising talent slumming for a quick paycheck, plays a gonzo trainer of FBI serial-killer catchers. As a truly final exam, he sends his students to a remote island, where there's a movielike set of a small town rigged with booby traps—dummies that pop up without warning, forcing students to make split-second decisions. Did you just shoot a bad guy, or an innocent child? Turns out the booby traps are actually rigged to kill the students one by one. If you're a smoker, you're ill-advised to use the island's cigarette machines; if you're afraid of water, be very afraid of pools on the island.
Christian Slater, ER hunk Eion Bailey, Kathryn Morris of TV's Cold Case, LL Cool J, and some lesser actors go through their paces efficiently enough, and many will find this a serviceable exercise, in a video-game-like way. They won't mind that when one character gets frozen and falls into three parts, it's cheesier than any special effect you'll see on Mystery Science Theater. But the absence of character matters, and there's no tension in the travesty of Christie's plot. Only Harlin's reputation gets a really dramatic snuffing. (R ) TIM APPELO
seattleweekly.com
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Post by Naj on May 13, 2005 17:59:03 GMT -5
Mindhunters Rated R for violence/strong graphic images, language and sexual content; 106 minutes; opening today everywhere. The premise for this overheated thriller, about FBI profilers-in-training being murdered one-by-one on an island, is supposed to play like "Ten Little Indians" for the "CSI" crowd. But director Renny Harlin (who had this in the can before he did "Exorcist: The Beginning") ignores logic or coherence, intent on stylishly showing people dying in the most creatively gruesome ways possible. (The winner: freezing a body with liquid nitrogen, then watching it shatter.) The cast, led by LL Cool J and "Cold Case" star Kathryn Morris (who looks like a younger, hotter Ellen DeGeneres), is blandly attractive and unable to keep moviegoers' minds from wandering. www.sltrib.com/themix/ci_2731711 |
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Post by Naj on May 13, 2005 18:00:38 GMT -5
'Mindhunters' fits the profile of a fun, well-made frightfest
Friday, May 13, 2005
Julie E. Washington
Plain Dealer Reporter
"Mindhunters" belongs to that subgenre of horror films that puts a group of people in an isolated situation and lets an unseen bugaboo pick them off. If done poorly, this kind of movie can be excruciatingly bad. At its best, it can be sensational. Think "Alien."
"Mindhunters" gets it right, with plenty of paranoia, tension and misdirection to keep audiences guessing up to the final twist.
A group of FBI agents is undergoing training to be profilers - investigators who get into the minds of serial killers and learn to think as they do. Instructor Jake Harris, played by Val Kilmer, is a nut job who enjoys setting up extremely twisted fake murder scenes to challenge his students.
For the final test, the group is flown to a remote and uninhabited island owned by the government. The island features a creepy, simulated Main Street USA, full of fake people shopping in fake stores and sitting in motionless cars.
The FBI agents, led by J.D. Reston (Christian Slater), are unsettled when Gabe Jensen (LL Cool J) unexpectedly joins them on the island.
They get even more worried when FBI agents start dying in gruesome ways. Someone in the group is a killer, using his or her knowledge of the team members' personalities to lure them into deadly traps.
"Mindhunters" has fun dabbling in the disgusting and macabre. It even borrowed "organ-cams" from "CSI" to take us into a victim's racked body.
Rounding out the ensemble cast are Kathryn Morris (television's "Cold Case"), Clifton Collins Jr. ("Traffic") and Patricia Velazquez ("The Mummy" and "The Mummy Returns").
This Miramax film is one of the movies affected by the departure of Miramax co-chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein from Disney. According to a New York Times article, the movie was finished two years ago. It finally got a release date because the Weinstein brothers are purging movies they produced or acquired from Miramax's shelves before the new managers take over later this year.
"Mindhunters" is no "Shakespeare in Love," but it didn't deserve to gather dust.
This is one seriously twisted - and delicious - creepfest.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
jwashington@plaind.com, 216-999-4539
cleveland.com
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Post by Naj on May 13, 2005 18:06:43 GMT -5
ENTERTAINMENT Fri, May 13, 2005
Sheer idiocy conquers all in ridiculous Mindhunters
JIM SLOTEK, SUN MEDIA
Some immigrants learn the language from watching TV. I'm convinced that Finnish-born Hollywood-schlockmeister Renny Harlin did it by absorbing movie cliches. His first two words in English may have been "red herring."
Exhibit A for this theory is Mindhunters, an ankle-deep lost opportunity of a thriller in which characters are not so much people as plot devices. It is, in fact, merely a slasher film with clueless, young, pretty FBI agents instead of clueless, pretty teens, bickering as they get picked off one by one.
How do you keep this limiting dynamic going for the hour and a half-plus apparently required by law? Simple. You switch the focus of suspicion every few minutes, only to reveal that your latest suspect himself has been killed. If this sounds funny, it often is. What worked a long time ago in Ten Little Indians is pure comedy gold in the hands of hacks.
Mindhunters, which has been "on the shelf" for a while, opens with young serial-killer profilers-in-training getting raked over the coals by their eccentric instructor, Harris (Val Kilmer). It should be noted that the marquee names in the movie, Kilmer and Christian Slater, are there for about 10 minutes each - not a good sign.
The gang includes an easily frightened blond (in slasher films she'd be Jamie Lee Curtis) named Sara (Cold Case's Kathryn Morris), a Texan (Jonny Lee Miller), a tough guy in a wheelchair (Clifton Collins) and a fiery Latina (Patricia Velazquez). With their evaluations on the line, the gang is sent to an island the FBI shares with the Navy, to go through their paces in serial-killer set-ups (and joined by a mysterious cop, played by LL Cool J).
Within minutes of their first "drill," one of their number is killed. Our little law-enforcement Breakfast Club is thus forced to "profile" their stalker to save themselves. The problem is, there's little brain on display. For the most part, they holler and point guns at each other. In the end, old-fashioned guns and punch-ups are the crime-stoppers of choice. And, of course, no ostensible bad guy goes down without getting up again. In the end, idiocy conquers all.
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MINDHUNTERS
STAR QUALITY: Val Kilmer, Kathryn Morris, LL Cool J.
BEHIND THE CAMERA: Renny Harlin (Cliffhanger, Deep Blue Sea).
NOW PLAYING: North Edmonton Cinemas, Gateway, SilverCity.
RATING: 18A (Gory violence).
SUN RATING: 1 1/2 SUNS (out of 5)
canoe.ca
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Post by Nikki B. on May 15, 2005 22:20:14 GMT -5
I saw this movie yesterday. I thought it was pretty good.
I can't really say anything else about it cause I don't want to spoil it.
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