This report contains full movie reviews of The Punisher, Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius and Stander. As well as a bunch of teasers on Spiderman 2.

I love March. Not only is it a great time for college basketball and the
start of the Major League Baseball season (I'm such a guy), but more
importantly, it's the month that provides me the opportunity to travel out
to Sin City to experience the excitement that is ShoWest.

ShoWest is an annual convention held to showcase all the latest in movie
theater hardware (i.e. projection equipment, the latest in theater comfort,
and the newest snack bar supplies).

In addition, the studios are always on hand to unveil product reels giving
brief glimpses at the numerous films opening in the coming months, and in
many cases, entire movies are screened weeks (sometimes months) before their
release dates. Last year, we got an extremely early look at Pixar's amazing
Finding Nemo, a film that would go on to be one of 2003's big hits.

Before I get to the report, I'd like to give a special thanks to Vicky Eguia
and Bob Sunshine of Showest for their hospitality. This year's convention
was outstanding. I'd also like to offer up a thank you to Michael Dequina of
moviepoopshoot.com and movie-report.com for helping show me the ropes in
recent years. And, of course, my gratitude to the fine folks at Westates
Theatres.

This year (my fifth), I would have the pleasure of traveling to Las Vegas
with my good friends at Westates Theatres. Not surprisingly, we got a late
start. While ShoWest started early Monday morning, we didn't make it there
until Monday evening. Thankfully, we arrived in time for A Night of
Independent Film at the New Orleans Hotel - barely.

There were a total of five films playing. Each movie would show twice
meaning we could pick two movies to view. Our choices were Metallica: Some
Kind of Monster, Danny Deckchair, Baadasssss!, Bobby Jones: Stroke of
Genius, and Stander.

I was pretty sure that I wanted to see Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius because
it was directed by Rowdy Harrington, a film maker I have a real soft spot
for. And initially, I figured I'd follow Bobby Jones up with the Metallica
documentary. I'm not a huge fan of the metal band mind you, but the buzz on
this picture was quite strong at the Sundance Film Festival, and I was
unable to squeeze it in there due to a crammed screening schedule. This is
to say nothing of the fact that I own a CD store and felt a certain
obligation to see it a ShoWest. Ultimately, I decided that Metallica is one
of the biggest rock bands in the world. Their film would, no doubt, get a
pretty big release. I opted to see Stander instead, mainly because it was
being released by Bob Bernie's Newmarket Films, my new hero among movie
studios. Mr. Bernie has a kind of energy and fearlessness that is extremely
refreshing. True, he does give a chance to films that other studios don't
seem to want to touch (Monster, The Passion of the Christ etc.), but my love
for this studio goes beyond that. It is simply Bernie's love of good movies
(and provocative ones) that I admire.

First up was a screening of Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius. Upon entering the
screening room, I bumped into my good friend and fellow movie guru Michael
Dequina. This guy has been reporting for a long time and I always read his
stuff. He's the founder of <a href="http://movie-report.com">movie-report.com</a> and is also a contributor to
Kevin Smith's outstanding <a href="http://moviepoopshoot.com ">moviepoopshoot.com</a He took
in a screening of Mario Van Peebles' Baadasssss! while myself and the
faithful Westates crew decided to see Bobby Jones. We would, however, meet
up later on for a screening of Stander.

BOBBY JONES: STROKE OF GENIUS
Starring Jim Caviezel, Claire Folani, Jeremy Northam, and Malcom McDowell

I've seen many films about golf. Some exciting and witty (Tin Cup), some
goofy and hilarious (Happy Gilmore) and some just sappy and overrated
(Legend of Bagger Vance). Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius shows a side of the
sport I've never seen before. The physically and mentally exhausting side of
it.

This film is based on the true story of Bobby Jones, an Irish amateur golfer
who played for the love of the game, despite a spinal cord disease that
made the sport much more of a challenge for him.

Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius was directed by Rowdy Herrington which really
took me off guard. This is the same guy that made Roadhouse and Gladiator
(I'm speaking of the underground boxing film with Brian Dennehy), so I was
quite surprised by the tender, unassuming nature of this well intentioned
movie.

Jim Caviezel (fresh off a star making turn in The Passion of the Christ)
plays the sickly Jones to a tee, but his performance as a whole is surprisingly dull. It's just too low key. I would have preferred a more lively approach. Claire
Forlani is sweet and pure as the woman of Bobby's affection. Aidan Quinn
shows up in a tiny role as a pro golfer, and while this part is minuscule,
the actor does a terrific job at making us believe that, in a sense, he's
envious of Jones. It's not that he necessarily feels that Jones is a better
player, but he admires why he plays the game. The strongest performance in
the film is undoubtedly the one given by Jeremy Northam who excels as Bobby
Jones' golfing adversary Walter Hagen. It's a fun, droll turn, and while he
is a antagonist of sorts, he's the best kind. The scenes in which he eggs Jones
on are priceless, and it is apparent upon watching the movie that Hagen was
instrumental in helping Jones achieve greatness.

The version of Bobby Jones we saw was the first screened to an audience and
featured a temp score (mostly pieces from Braveheart and Field of Dreams).
James Horner is currently finishing up the score for the picture which
should be released by May.

Director Herrington has done a decent job here, although there are certainly
moments in which the film is a tad overly sentimental and a little slow, and
I grew a bit tired of the golf ball P.O.V. shots (which seemed much more
effective in Happy Gilmore because that picture was a comedy). And sadly,
the movie is not quite as epic as it aspires to be. The film opens with
Bobby as a child and spans several years, but somehow, the movie was too
fragmented. I couldn't help but feel that important parts of Jones' life
were skipped over.

Still, Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius is well intentioned and it manages to
inspire without being cheesy and over the top. And I loved the little jabs
taken at professional sports which are more relevant now then ever. There
used to be a time when professional athletes played for the love of their
particular sport (as Bobby did), but nowadays, many athletes are more
interested in the almighty dollar. Not all, mind you, but the majority to be sure. When an athlete demands a 100 million dollar contract for two years for something they claim they love doing, there's something seriously wrong. I'm all for anyone being paid well for what they do, but some of these deals are
beyond ridiculous.

Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius is a good movie but not a great one. I enjoyed
much of it as I watched it, but it didn't leave as much as an impression on
me as other sports pictures. But I do have to admit, nothing Rowdy
Herrington had done led me to believe he was capable of something so sweet.
My golf cap goes off to him.

Grade: B-

In between screenings, ShoWest attendees were treated to free food in the
Orleans lobby. And surprisingly, there were many more film makers and
performers in attendance thaen in years past. In a span of about ten minutes,
I got to meet Thomas Jane (of Stander and The Punisher), Bob Berney (head of
Newmarket Films, and Mario Van Peebles (director of Baadasssss!). It was
reported that Jim Caviezel would be on hand, but alas, he was unable to make
it. The evening was chalk full of Jesus references. It really would have
been cool to see him, because his work in The Passion of the Christ was
extraordinary.

So following a nice mingling session and some fine food, it was off to a
screening of Two new Thomas Jane vehicles - Stander and Marvel's The Punisher.

At ShoWest 2003, Warner Brothers gave us an advanced screening of Dreamcatcher, a film that would go on the grace several worst of 2003 lists. The reason I bring it up is because that picture starred Thomas Jane. I couldn't stand him in that film. I thought his performance was absolutely laughable (most notably, the sequence in which he contemplates suicide). Suffice it to say, I wasn't all that jazzed to see a Thomas Jane double feature at this year's convention, but that's exactly what happened. Happily, things weren't as bad as I was expecting.

STANDER
Starring Thomas Jane, Deborah Unger, and Ashley Taylor
Released by Newmarket Films

God bless Newmarket Films. The newer kid on the film distributing block really takes chances and I applaud them for it. Not only is their upcoming film Stander hip and entertaining, it also features the best work of Thomas Jane's career.

The sly thriller Stander features Jane as Andre Stander, a South African homicide/ robbery police captain on the edge. Following the tragic outcome of a local riot, Stander slips into a funk that he can't seem to shake. He begins to question the very fabric of society and before long, he spontaneously engages in something that no one ever would have suspected.

I'm not going to reveal what he does because that would take away from the fun and interesting surprises of this movie. I will say that Stander is unpredictable and while it does have serious moments, it's also lively and quite funny.

Thomas Jane is outstanding. He's much more charismatic here then anything we've seen him in before and he absolutely nails the South African accent. Stander relies on his performance because the audience needs to believe that Andre would actually do what he does in this movie. It isn't a rational choice he makes, but in a strange way, it really works. And as a result of his choice, he sort of becomes the ultimate anti-hero. And did I mention that the happenings in Stander are based on true events?

Stander certainly wasn't the type of film I was expecting from the director of Forces of Nature and Harriet the Spy. Brownen Hughes has definitely switched gears for this project, and I have to admit, I had a really good time. Stander is slick, funny and alive, although it does drag a tad in the mid section, and the first ten minutes of the picture feature far too many shots of Thomas Janes' bare bottom. One shot of a naked Deborah Unger would have been nice.

Still, Stander was a most unexpected gem thanks mostly in part to an energetic turn by Thomas Jane whose high-voltage, unpredictable Andre always remains a sympathetic human being. This was an entertaining movie.

Grade: B

THE PUNISHER (R)
Starring Thomas Jane, Samantha Mathis, John Travolta and Will Patton
Released by Lions Gate Films

Marvel's famed Punisher gets the big screen treatment for the second time (he first graced theaters in the form of the silly, misbegotten actioneer starring Dolph Lungren back in 1989) and while this comic book adaptation is far more gritty than many audiences will be accustomed to, it still offers up familiar themes.

Thomas Jane is Frank Castle, a highly decorated cop who winds up on the hit-list of mob boss Howard Saint (played by John Travolta) after a sting operation gone bad claims the life of one of the villain's sons. In an eye for an eye type of scenario, Saint takes out his vengeance, but Castle goes him one better turning it into an eye for an eye for an eye proposition.

The Punisher is a hero of sorts, but ultimately, this is a story of revenge and a blood-soaked one at that. This film is incredibly violent and extremely ugly, but it's also stylish and pulsating with a wicked sense of humor. The fashion in which Castle takes his revenge is rather creative. The Punisher has no interest in putting a bullet in Saint's head. That would be far too easy - the Punisher's methods are far more elaborate.

Jane was much more charismatic in Stander (See Showest Report #1) but Frank Castle is a much different character. This is a man who has everything taken away from him and Jane plays him as a brooding, vengeful, soft spoken individual with a heart like a bottomless black pit, without a shred of mercy.

John Travolta tries his hand at villainy again (you may remember his bad guy roles in Face Off, Broken Arrow and Swordfish) with mixed results. While understated, I don't know that I ever fully bought into this nasty new character. He always came across as Travolta playing s bad guy - it never really worked for me.

I really liked Will Patton (so good in No Way Out) as Saint's right hand man. I've always liked this actor. He has a quiet, unassuming nature, but you know that at any given moment, he's fully capable of something incredibly ruthless.

Rebecca Romijn-Stamos aquits herself surprisingly well as a woman with an unfortunate habit of becoming involved with all the wrong men. Castle also has two hilariously offbeat neighbors, whom offer moments of comic relief to an otherwise dark and heartless film.

The Punisher was directed with visual flair by Jonathan Hensleigh (he's the screenwriter who penned screenplays for Die Hard With a Vengence and The Saint). It's clear that he's most interested in blowing the audience to the back of the theater with bullets and explosions. My favorite sequences here involves a hilariously cruel torture scene in which Castle tries to intimidate a slimey weasel into giving up information on Saint and his whereabouts, and a bloody, ultra-violent fist fight between The Punisher and a bulky, towering bad guy who talks with his fists of steel.

Much of The Punisher reminded me of the outstanding, underrated Mel Gibson movie Payback with it's in your face violence and dark sense of humor, granted I enjoyed that particular movie much more because it had stronger dialogue, plausible circumstances and bigger surprises.

I think what really turned me off in The Punisher was the dumb, uninteresting dialogue and the rather unrealistic actions and behavior of so many of it's characters. The Punisher is pretty creative in exacting his revenge, but far too often the plot would set-off your internal "Yea Right?" button. I didn't for a second buy into the ways in which Castle managed to turn some of these evil criminals against each other. These villains were all aware that Castle was out there somewhere, and certainly they would have been a little more cautious and smart in their actions. Suffice to say that The Punisher asks you to suspend disbelief a little to frequently, and the film suffers as a result.

On the other hand, if it's action you want, it's action you're going to get. As silly as The Punisher is, it is fast-paced and incredibly violent. If you're looking for mindless fun and you're a fan of Marvel, you may just have a good time. And if the ending of this picture is any indication, a sequel is already in the works.

Grade: C+

SONY PICTURES' SPIDERMAN 2 PRESENTATION

Man, those guys over at Sony Pictures sure know how to throw a party. Upon entering the theater at the Paris Hotel, it was clear that these guys spared no expense. Each attendee was treated to a gift bag filled to the brim with goodies. Included was a Spider-Man 2 hat and Spider-Man and Dr. Octavius action figures.

As we entered the dark screening facility, I immediately noticed Spidermen hanging from the rather high ceiling, twirling about. The whole scene had a kind of Cirque Du Soleil vibe. After sitting down, Jeff Blake from Sony Pictures hit the stage to tell us what we were about to see.

Up first was the brand new Spider-Man 2 trailer which is slated to hit theaters sometime in April. The trailer was very exciting despite a couple of unfinished effects shots. After the trailer, the real excitement began as we were treated to a seven minute action sequence from the film. And let me stress to you that this was no tease. This wasn't a dialogue scene. This was full blown action, and I was quite surprised that the fine folks at Sony allowed us to see this much of the movie.

The sequence starts atop a clock tower and features a bout between Spidey and Dr. Octavius. After taking several swings at each other several stories above the city, the two heavyweights fall from the clock and land on top of a moving train.

Then the sequence really kicks into high gear as the two fight while on top of a subway car. A couple of moments reminded me of that Mission Impossible climax in which Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt pursues Jon Voight on top of a bullet train, only here, these fantastical happenings are far more believable because we're dealing with the Marvel universe.

The entire sequence was high energy and completely alive with that hyper kinetic sensibility that Sam Raimi is known and loved for. It should be noted that the sequence was far from finished. There were many storyboard inserts and some roughly animated portions, but the flow was there. It really was breathtaking to watch.

I hate spoilers so I'm not going to ruin a couple of key surprises we saw in the piece, but I will say that the sequence was capped off by a moment that was a tad cheesy. Still, it was exciting stuff. Simply put, this sequel looks bigger than the first. I should also point out that the presentation was awesome. It was projected digitally and the sound in this joint was absolutely stellar.

And to make things even cooler, Sam Raimi, Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire were all there and talked to the crowd for a few moments. Oddly enough, during Tobey Maguire's speech, the massive Sony banner crashed to the stage nearly scaring Dunst out of her shoes. At first, the audience thought it was part of the presentation but as it turned out, it was some weird malfunction. The crowd really got a kick out of Dunst's reaction.

Anyway, Sony really brought the house down with an outstanding event. I wasn't a huge fan of the first Spider-Man movie. I enjoyed it but I certainly didn't love it. This one looks to blow the first away. Even though we were only treated to a mere seven minutes, it's was stronger visually then anything in the first film, and the Sam Raimi touch was evident in every frame.

And at the end of the presentation, Jeff Blake made the announcement that Spider-Man 3 was slated for a 2007 release. By the look of things, Dunst and Maguire appeared to be a little surprised by the announcement.

Well that's about it for my first report check back tomorrow for more tantalizing tid-bits on Shrek 2, Spider-Man 2, The Day After Tomorrow, I, Robot,
and reviews on The Notebook and Ella Enchanted.