Screen Scenes

  Lions Gate Films Milla Jovovich and
Jeremy Davies star in "The Million Dollar
Hotel."

“The Million Dollar Hotel” Starring Bono,
Mel Gibson and Milla Jovovich Directed by Wim Wenders

Bono, the lead singer of U2 and co-writer of “The Million
Dollar Hotel” once quit a job at a gas station because too
many cars started lining up for gas. Throughout his career, critics
would criticize Bono and his band for being too serious and too
political. And nobody can deny that Bono wears those goofy,
oversized sunglasses way too much. He should know by now that too
much of anything is never good. Once again, he has failed to learn
from his mistakes when creating the storyline for the film
“The Million Dollar Hotel.” The film’s
overabundance leads to its ultimate lack of focus. Too many themes,
too many subplots, too many crazy characters and just too much
absurdity in the movie result in a somewhat convoluted and
confusing story. “The Million Dollar Hotel” is a dark,
mysterious comedy directed by Wim Wenders, an accomplished
independent film director who had success with such movies as
“The Buena Vista Social Club” and “The End of
Violence.” The story takes place in a run-down hotel in
downtown Los Angeles that is essentially a loony bin for a motley
group of disturbed individuals. Each character seems to have a bit
of personal flair, with a cast consisting of such famous and
talented actors as Mel Gibson, Jeremy Davies, Milla Jovovich and
Jimmy Smits. There are so many characters, however, that not one of
them is truly well-developed. The viewer only scratches the surface
of the personalities of what could have been a very interesting
cast of characters, had a lesser amount been developed more
thoroughly. Two of the most developed characters in the movie are
Tom Tom (Davies) and Eloise (Jovovich). Tom Tom is an adorable
“idiot” whose childish behavior and innocent
expressions add a cuter element to this otherwise dark movie.
Meanwhile, Eloise is a quiet, bright, young woman who was molested
as a child and is now called the “slut” by the others
living in the hotel for her promiscuous behavior. The two make the
oddest of couples. They are perfect foils ““ one is naïve
and outgoing while the other is intelligent and introverted. Their
eventual love for one another is as heartwarming as it is
paradoxical. Yet the existence of so many other characters and
subplots cuts short what could have been a truly touching story. In
the mystery subplot of the movie, Gibson plays a stiff,
self-absorbed detective who is hired by the rich and powerful
father of the young man who died after falling from off the top of
the hotel. Did he jump or was he pushed? In yet a third
underdeveloped plot, the numerous crazies living in the hotel
attempt to get rich from the incredibly odd artwork of the
deceased. The group consists of a sweet old lady who frequently
uses obscenities, a Latino who is convinced that he is a Native
American, and an old, disillusioned ex-songwriter for the Beatles.
This wild medley of comical loons creates comic relief, but adds
little else to the movie. The characters, themes and plots of the
movie are all very interesting, but none of them are developed
enough to be entertaining. Thus, the movie slowly draws out its
numerous under-developed plots in order to showcase too many
characters and too many themes at the same time. This convoluted
story line will thoroughly confuse viewers and ultimately drive
them as crazy as the onscreen lunatics they observe.

Suneal Kolluri Rating: 4

“Two Ninas” Starring Amanda Peet, Cara Buono
and Ron Livingston Directed by Neil Turitz

One lonely man and two beautiful women ““ this combination
could lead to a major disaster. And it almost does. “Two
Ninas” is a romantic comedy about the wonderful and woeful
moments of dating two women at the same time. The premise of the
movie, however, is cliché. The story about a guy who tries to
go out with two girls at one time and then gets caught up ““
it’s been done one too many times now. Marty (Ron
Livingston), is a smug, twenty-something single whose love life and
career seem stagnant. He left his small hometown for an exciting
new life in Manhattan. Unfortunately, New York wasn’t
everything Marty expected. He can’t get a literary agent to
read his book and he can’t get laid. Marty just can’t
seem to get a break. But just as he thinks so many things are going
wrong, too many things at one time finally go right. First, Marty
meets Nina Cohen (Cara Buono), a very attractive and intelligent
brunette. She makes Marty comfortable ““ like they’ve
known each other for years. While rollerblading down a busy street,
Marty crashes into the door of a taxicab that had just been flung
open by Nina Harris (Amanda Peet). Harris is a good-looking, fun
blonde who sweeps Marty off of his feet. So, Marty now has two
women. Cohen and Harris are both very different, but they both make
Marty feel alive. Marty simply cannot make up his mind, so he
continues dating both of them at the same time. Many times,
however, Marty’s juggling almost ends up slapping him in the
face. He often shows up at the wrong Nina’s apartment for a
date, get conversations mixed up, or coincidentally has both Ninas
end up at the same place at the same time. Marty’s mix-ups
and mistakes are the funniest parts of the movie. “Two
Ninas” is only 88 minutes, but feels more like 288 minutes.
The events occur too slowly. Not to mention, the love Marty has for
the two Ninas is not convincing. Livingston lacks chemistry with
both Buono and Peet. Perhaps the relationships would be more
believable if the story was told from Marty’s point of view
so that the audience would be able to hear Marty’s inner
monologue. The movie lacks a new and creative premise as well as
convincing acting from the cast. Moviegoers should not get their
hopes up for this movie.

LiLi Tan Rating: 4