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Movie Review: 88 Minutes

Eric Emin Wood — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 03:20:26 +0000

On any given night, whatever’s on television is better than what’s at the multiplex. I know it, viewers know it, distributors pretend not to know it. 30 Rock and The Office are funnier than anything not produced by Judd Apatow, 24 packs more action (and a better plot) than any non-Asian film which doesn’t star Clive Owen or Jason Statham, Heroes and Lost are as exciting as the best installments of X-Men and Spider-Man and The X-Files (which I’ve been re-watching on DVD recently) remains creepier than any American horror film to hit screens in the last nine years.

Which is why, when writing a film review for andPOP, in addition to gauging how successful a movie is at accomplishing whatever it sets out to do and considering which details to share with readers so they know whether or not they’d enjoy it, I keep in mind whether I’d pay good money to see it. In the case of 88 Minutes, the answer is a definite no. It’s a decent movie, but like many police procedurals it’s not as good as an equivalent episode of Law and Order, CSI, or Without A Trace – an observation that has always baffled me, since television’s primary advantage over film is deeper characters, and none of these shows are character-driven to begin with.

The setup is simple: in 1997 (a time period established by the Backstreet Boys on the soundtrack) forensic psychiatrist Dr. Jack Gramm (Al Pacino) offers a testimony that puts accused rapist/murderer John Forster (Neil McDonough) on death row. Nine years later (the movie takes place in 2006, when it was originally supposed to be released) Forster is twelve hours away from execution when a similar murder happens and Dr. Gramm receives a phone call (complete with the sardonic “tick tock” Forster whispered before being led away) informing him he has 88 minutes left to live.

No, the film does not take place in real time, though I believe it tries. The talented cast is hobbled by tacky cinematography (which I’ll get to in a moment) and a heavy-handed screenplay filled with unnecessary flashbacks, characters who announce their past deeds and relationships to each other without a moment’s thought, and plot holes you could drive a truck (or at least a minivan) through.

I’m probably reading too much into it, but there’s a misogyny to 88 Minutes that I didn’t like. Granted, the supporting cast is primarily women, but they’re either victims, bitches, or a lesbian (and in retrospect there’s five male and six female supporting characters, plus two victims and Pacino, so this is really just an illustration of how used we are to seeing men dominate the screen). The female lead is named Kim Cummings – I’d love to hear screenwriter Gary Scott Thompson explain that.

Then there are the murders. Not only is the murderer’s method – hoisting his victims by one leg so they hang upside-down with their legs splayed open – vile, but so is the movie’s approach to photographing them. The cinematography always focuses on the victim’s pose (which early on is duplicated by a live woman, naked) then their midriffs as the murderer cuts them, then their upper bodies. Then again, this is a procedural, many viewers enjoy such lurid details, and rapist/murderers exist in real life, so make of that what you will.

As Roger Ebert once observed, there’s a fascination to watching Al Pacino play law enforcement agents or criminal types, since he (the same can be said of Robert De Niro) has been doing such roles for over 30 years now. Real cops and criminals have grown up on Pacino’s mannerisms, and it’s difficult to believe he couldn’t tackle an actual case. As a professor and forensic psychiatrist, Pacino once again appears to be a professional playing himself. Like so much of his recent work, however, the supporting material lets him down.

Pacino: ‘I’d Consider Going On Dancing With The Stars’

andPOP Staff — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 00:59:30 +0000

Legendary actor AL PACINO would consider appearing on reality TV show DANCING WITH THE STARS if he was invited to do so.

The Oscar-winning Godfather star, who famously danced the tango with actress Gabrielle Anwar in 1992’s Scent Of A Woman, believes he’s a good dancer but would be too shy to go on the show.

He says, “Actually, I would consider it. All due respect and trying to be as modest as I can be, I am a dancer.

“But I don’t think I would be on Dancing With The Stars mainly because I would be too shy.”

Pacino To Play Dali

andPOP Staff — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 00:57:04 +0000

AL PACINO is set for one of his greatest acting challenges after signing on to play eccentric artist SALVADOR DALI in a new biopic.

The acting great will reteam with SIMONE director ANDREW NICCOL for DALI & I: THE SURREAL STORY.

Shooting on the project is planned for this summer in New York and the late Dali’s native Spain.

Trio Joins Pacino in Real-Time Thriller ‘88 Minutes’

Eva Lam — Tue, 11 Oct 2005 12:22:32 +0000

Leelee Sobieski, Alicia Witt and Neal McDonough have been added to the cast of ?88 Minutes,? a real-time crime drama starring Oscar winner Al Pacino.

Pacino, 65, plays a college professor/FBI forensic psychologist who is told he will be killed in 88 minutes.

Sobieski (?The Wicker Man?) will play one of Pacino?s students, while Witt (?The Upside Of Anger?) will play a teaching assistant and the romantic interest for Pacino?s character. McDonough (?Minority Report?) will portray a death row inmate whom Pacino?s character suspects is the puppet-master behind his imminent murder.

The movie will be directed by Jon Avnet, the man behind the popular 1991 comedy-drama ?Fried Green Tomatoes,? reports Daily Variety.

Principal photography begins Saturday in Vancouver.

Those who can?t get enough Pacino can catch him in theatres now as a hotshot sports gambling consultant in ?Two For The Money.?

DVD Review: Merchant of Venice

Adam Gonshor — Fri, 27 May 2005 12:19:58 +0000

Al Pacino shows exactly why he is an acting legend in William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, now on DVD.

Pacino plays Skylock, who agrees to lend Antonio money as long as he is willing to give up a pound of his flesh if he is late in his repayment.

Antonio gives the money to Bassanio who needs to travel to woo the lovely Portia.

Director Michael Radford had a problem: how does one make a movie about a story that has been retold and redone countless times? To his credit, he left the story almost exactly as it is told by Shakespeare. His movie sticks out because of its acting. Jeremy Irons as Antonio is superb. Pacino could not be better.

The DVD is worth watching just to see Pacino at his finest.

There are few extras on the DVD: a behind-the-scenes feature and commentary, but the DVD is solid with just the movie.

3.5*/5*