DVD Charlie's Angels (Superbit Deluxe)
For every TV-into-movie success like The Fugitive, there are dozens of uninspired films like The Mod Squad. Happily--and surprisingly--this breezy update of the seminal '70s jiggle show falls into the first category, with Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore (who also produced), and Lucy Liu starring as the hair-tossing, fashion-setting, kung fu-fighting trio employed by the mysterious Charlie (voiced by the original Charlie, John Forsythe). When a high-tech programmer (Sam Rockwell) is kidnapped, the angels seek out the suspects, with the daffy Bosley (Bill Murray in a casting coup) in tow. A happy, cornball popcorn flick, Charlie's Angels is played for laughs with plenty of ribbing references to the old TV show as well as modern caper films like Mission: Impossible. McG, a music video director making his feature film debut (usually a death warrant for a movie's integrity), infuses the film with plenty of Matrix-style combat pyrotechnics, and the result is the first successful all-American Hong Kong-style action flick. Plenty of movies boast a New Age feminism that has their stars touting their sexuality while being their own women, but unlike something as obnoxious as Coyote Ugly, Angels succeeds with a positive spin on Girl Power for the new millennium (Diaz especially sizzles in her role of crack super agent/airhead blonde). From the send-up of the TV show's credit sequence to the outtakes over the end credits, Charlie's Angels is a delight. --Doug Thomas |
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Review(s): DVD Charlie's Angels (Superbit Deluxe) | |
| Once Upon a Time, there were 3 Little Girls... |
As much a tribute to pop culture as a big-screen version of the '70s
series, 'Charlie's Angels' has so much energy and tongue-in-cheek
charm that it DARES you NOT to root for its three young stars! And
while the film won't erase the images of Farrah Fawcett in a thin
tanktop on a very cold day, there is a wholesome sexiness and
accessiblity in Barrymore, Diaz, and Liu that none of the various
teamings of TV 'Angels' ever achieved! The pre-title sequence is
outrageous, and fabulous! ... Each Angel has a unique
backstory...Natalie (Diaz) is an ditzy, upbeat 'Soul Train'-dancing
wannabe who 'shakes her booty' at home in Spider-Man undies, looks for
'Mr. Right', and is a crack driver; Alex (Liu) is a 'leg waxer'/extra
on an action movie set, who is a lousy cook, sleeps with the film's
star (Matt LeBlanc, in a funny cameo), and is an expert in technology
and martial arts; Dylan (Barrymore) is an ex-high school 'bad
girl'/free spirit involved with a seedy, insecure hippie living in a
tugboat (humorously portrayed by Tom Green, Barrymore's real-life
boyfriend), is a master of disguise, and leads the trio. As in the
TV series, the Angels work out of the Townsend Detective Agency (still
located in the famous colonial brick building), and communicate with
the never-seen Charlie (voiced, as always, by John Forsythe) via the
telephone. As the trio's liason, Bosley, Bill Murray is simply
perfect, hilarious in his patented 'smarmy but lovable' persona!
The plot revolves around the kidnapping of a Bill Gates-type
computer genius (Sam Rockwell, 'The Green Mile'), and a technology
that can pinpoint any person's location, anywhere in the world. The
prime suspects are competitor Roger Corwin (Tim Curry, in a
delightfully wicked turn!), and his hitman, portrayed with kinky
relish by Crispin Glover. Hired by Kelly Lynch (who has a ball in the
role of Rockwell's partner!), the Angels embark on a case with all the
twists, betrayals, action, humor, and mayhem that a fan could ask for!
Loud, good-natured, and pulsating with a soundtrack of '70s-'80s
Top Ten songs, the film combines 'Matrix'-style freeze-frames and
slow-motion FX with a ton of Pop Culture references and a
swashbuckling sense of derring-do! The film literally rocks, and never
lets up! Is this 'Great Cinema'? Certainly not! But in its sheer
audacity, and sense of fun, no recent film can match it! And while the
original series teased with a visual sex appeal that was was largely
ignored in the storylines, the big-screen version has a 'if you got
it, flaunt it' attitude that is both refreshing and empowering! This
is a 'Girl Power' movie, in the BEST sense of the word! I HIGHLY
recommend it!
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| Pure Fun!!! |  |
With all the rumored problems on set, including the much talked about Lucy Lui-Billy Murray fued and an escalating budget, I didn't know what to expect from this update of the classic 70's TV show. I was pleasantly surprised.Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and of course, Lui are the perfect angels and they can definitely kick...!!! An unexpectedly entertaining blend of comedy and action, Charlie's Angels definitely doesn't fit the typical mold of a remake that never should have been made. Ultra-slick directing. Fun cameos. Cool dance sequences. Awesome stunts. It takes girl power, tosses in some Jimmy Bond, a little Mission Impossible spy mumbo-jumbo, three hot babes kickin' Matrix-type arse, a rockin' soundtrack, cool cars, a cold-cocking start, some fun credit outtakes, inside jokes left and right, and makes it all feel sooooo good. And the girls honestly seem to be having a great time here. Lucy Liu, rock solid as the most well-rounded angel of them all, smart as a whip, sexy as a vamp and tough as nails. Diaz, cute as a button, reminding everyone why we all fell in love with her in THE MASK, and Drew Barrymore, one girl who should be doubly commended for taking part in the production side of this fluffy gem as well. If you expect to take this movie seriously, stop right now and don't bother seeing it. This film is made for people who are looking for a punch-across-the-face kinda time, mixed in with a quick Tequila pick-me-up and a nice, thick, gooey wad o' cheese. This is a high-energy, action packed thrill ride. These angels deliver!!!!
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| Great xtra's. 22nd june 2004. | |
Far better than the video, and cheap in some places to buy. The featurettes are ace especcially the martialarts one. The film is unmissable and i can't get enofe of either of them. I love it.
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