Catwoman (2004)
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Trailer : http://catwoman.warnerbros.com/cmp/trailer.html?id=trailer
Synopsis:
Catwoman is the story of shy, sensitive artist Patience Philips (Halle Berry), a woman who canÂ’t seem to stop apologizing for her own existence. She works as a graphic designer for Hedare Beauty, a mammoth cosmetics company on the verge of releasing a revolutionary anti-aging product. When Patience inadvertently happens upon a dark secret her employer is hiding, she finds herself in the middle of a corporate conspiracy. What happens next changes Patience forever. In a mystical twist of fate, she is transformed into a woman with the strength, speed, agility and ultra-keen senses of a cat. With her newfound prowess and feline intuition, Patience becomes Catwoman, a sleek and stealthy creature balancing on the thin line between good and bad. Like any wildcat, sheÂ’s dangerous, elusive and untamed. Her adventures are complicated by a burgeoning relationship with Tom Lone (Benjamin Bratt), a cop who has fallen for Patience but cannot shake his fascination with the mysterious Catwoman, who appears to be responsible for a string of crime sprees plaguing the city. -
The New Paper - 18 Aug 2004
Sex symbol shows her claws
By Jeanmarie Tan
[email protected]
CATWOMAN Halle Berry isn't the only survivor on the prowl these days.
After her own personal and professional setbacks, '90s sex symbol Sharon Stone is also back in the spotlight.
Twelve years ago, she became a global sensation in Basic Instinct as Catherine Tramell, the icy blonde murderess who uncrossed her legs in that steamy interrogation scene.
But of late, it seems Stone is rolling downhill.
In January, she divorced San Francisco Chronicle editor Phil Bronstein after a five-year marriage. The couple share custody of their adopted 4-year-old son, Roan Joseph.
Last year, the 46-year-old actress suffered a frightening brain haemorrhage which almost ruined her declining Hollywood career, already blotted by flops like Cold Creek Manor, The Muse and Sphere.
But Stone is looking better than ever in her comeback movie, Catwoman.
In the big-budget action blockbuster, she plays villainess Laurel Hedare, a former supermodel/lady boss of a cosmetics company who's obsessed with eternal youth and will stop at nothing to halt the ageing process.
She has also generated heat by stripping for a sexy pictorial in Rolling Stone magazine, and starring in a sequel to Basic Instinct.
Looks like Stone has finally realised the public prefers her as a baddie.
In an e-mail interview, she said: 'I think they (the movie studios) should just call me all the time and say, 'Come over here and kick some ass!'
'I like doing it, I'm good at it. I like fighting for the bad parts.'
But Stone is also quick to remind us that she's a 'supporting player' in Catwoman and that the movie really belongs to co-star Halle Berry.
She said: 'I love that now I'm in this part of my career where I'm interested in not always being the lead but I can support someone who I think is very special.'
Stone admitted that her health scare is responsible for her new attitude towards her profession.
She added: 'I've had that period in my life where all that was really fascinating to me and I thought that was all fantastic. And I thought I was amazing. Now, I'm over me.'
Even the star's perception of beauty, fashion and body image is now 'different'.
She said: 'I loved doing the whole glamorous thing. I would go to the Oscars in 1938 West Berlin (style) and (study) some of the beading patterns on the dress and how people did their nails. We went through these incredible lengths and hairstyles from the period and updates to be modern.
'That was a great period and that was then, but if I did it now, I would look like I'm in Madam Tussaud's (wax museum)! I can't imagine having all the hairdo and a bunch of US$70,000 jewellery!' Not that Stone's stripped-down, low-key and mature persona has stopped tongues wagging about her legendary prima donna behaviour.
It was reported that Stone's ego went out of control on the Vancouver set of Catwoman. She allegedly demanded more glamorous costumes, ordered last-minute script rewrites, walked off the set to make a phone call in the middle of a shot, and basically screamed and yelled if the slightest thing wasn't to her liking.
And when Stone was approached for Basic Instinct 2, her outrageous list of demands - including provisions for a round-the-clock armed bodyguard, two assistants, a chef and three nannies - nearly ruined the project.
When asked about her diva-like conduct, Stone said: 'When women stand up for their rights or want to achieve something in the world, they are usually called bad names.
'When men (do the same), they are called thoughtful, level-headed, confident figureheads.
'Interestingly enough, I was called bad names and I achieved things.'
In Catwoman, Stone's character is the face of the company until, at 40, she is considered too old to represent the beauty business and is replaced by a younger spokesmodel quicker than you can say botox.
Has Stone herself ever felt threatened by starlets half her age who have become Hollywood's darlings?
The touchy question was left unanswered, but she signed off with a catty word of advice for her 20-something peers.
'Aids, war, cancer exist in a certain way,' she said.
'It's important sometimes to let young people who have power know that they have that opportunity to use (that) to save lives and make an effective difference in the world... instead of throwing it all out at the Skybar (famous Hollywood celebrity club).
'You don't have to. It's not your job and it's not your obligation.
'But here's a look at the world, just wanted you to know.'
Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved. -
The New Paper - 18 Aug 2004
This Catwoman's got no meow at all
By Jeanmarie Tan
[email protected]
Catwoman
Starring: Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt, Lambert Wilson
Director: Pitof
Rating: **
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BAD, bad kitty!
Well, we all knew this mangy stray was going to stink. But meow-ouch! Did it have to be so painful too?
A US$100 million ($172m) hairball coughed up by French filmmaker Pitof, this latest attempt at comic book franchise-dom is proof that Hollywood's bad ideas have at least nine lives.
That Catwoman is such a sloppy, schlocky piece of work shouldn't come as a shock - the negative buzz it's generated in recent months has been nearly as intense as the marketing blitz surrounding Halle Berry's leather-clad bod.
Borrowing a template from the superior Spider-Man 2, the first half of this catatonic retelling of the Catwoman tale - stripped of all relation to Bob Kane's Batman comics - dwells on the dweebish alter ego of the title character.
Berry stars as Patience Philips, a mousy graphic designer who works for a cosmetics empire run by the diabolical husband-and-wife team of George (Lambert The Merovingian Wilson) and Laurel Hedare (Sharon Stone, literally living up to her name).
Patience is murdered when she accidentally stumbles upon the company's dastardly scheme: To sell to vain women anti-ageing products that are addictive, toxic and definitely not cruelty-free!
But she receives her mouth-to-mouth rebirth at the paws of an Egyptian Mau, transforms into a feline fatale, handy with a whip and more, and goes claw-to-claw with her killers.
And there you have it: A big-budget, high-profile summer movie where our heroine's only mission is to save the world from killer skin cream.
What could be more ironic than using one of the faces of Revlon to do it?
But, seriously, was Pitof making a camp comedy? A comic-book adventure? A satire about society's obsession with youth and beauty? A chick flick about female empowerment?
Well, you'll be too busy taking a catnap to care.
Catwoman is a taxing and laughable animal which seldom finds its rhythm, boasting soulless direction and a screenplay that's like a worn-out scratching post of superhero cliches.
FAILS ON ALL LEVELS
It just isn't dark, smart or riveting enough to succeed on any level.
Pitof is mostly known for his work in digital visual effects, but Catwoman has none of the stylistic flair of Alien Resurrection or The City Of Lost Children.
Instead, the sets look cheap and clumsily-assembled, and the CGI sequences are on par with a low-budget video game.
But there's still pussy galore.
Berry gives a performance nearly as exaggerated as the one on Oscar night, and whoever handed her that dated S&M-inspired catsuit and a script full of kitty litter-worthy lines should get smacked on the nose with a rolled newspaper.
Trying hard to imitate a dime-store dominatrix, Berry's vampy catwalking and baddie-bashing comes across as more silly than sexy.
The revealing costume flatters Berry - she just lacks conviction in it, like 'a little girl playing dress up' indeed.
Apart from cleverly ordering a White Russian ('no ice, no vodka, hold the Kahlua'), watching the superstar hiss at dogs, chow down sashimi, and rub catnip all over her face is downright embarrassing.
Looks like Michelle Pfeiffer is still the No 1 cat's meow, who managed wounded, wicked and slinky all in one PVC-latex package.
As Catwoman is the star of her own show (no Batman, no Robin, not even Penguin), nobody else registers - be it the useless detective/love interest (Benjamin Bratt), eccentric cat lady (Six Feet Under's Frances Conroy), and even Stone herself, whose basic instinct is to act ridiculously over-the-top.
Berry has indicated interest in appearing in a sequel, but whoever lets this cat out of the bag again, prepare yourself for another roadkill.
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FAST FACTS
MOST of the 60 cats used in the making of Catwoman came from animal shelters.
In addition, three rare Egyptian Mau show cats were used to play the omnipotent Midnight, and trainers spent four months preparing them.
Another cat named Fig Newton lived with Halle Berry for much of the production and served as her in-house cat movement model.
Berry's catsuit is made of a combination of leather and a brand new silicone fabric created just for it.
As for the 10 'diamond'-tipped claws, 800 individual crystals mounted on sterling silver settings were used.
Hawaiian stuntman Nito Larioza acted as Berry's body double in most of the daring scenes, like the one where Catwoman backflips off a wall.
He had to shave his whole body, and the visual effects crew had to enhance his chest and butt during post-production.
Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved. -
kinda glad i decided to give it a miss
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harnor. I'm shocked that this is a failure. The trailer looks good.Originally posted by the Bear:kinda glad i decided to give it a miss -
some trailers look great but the movie itself was bad.. real bad
movies like Pearl Harbor, Helsing, Armageddon come to mind...
and some really understated ones were real gems... like Lost in Translation
Originally posted by Honeybunz:harnor. I'm shocked that this is a failure. The trailer looks good. -
wont be long b4 people start asking
spiderman vs catwoman, who will win?