‘Identity’ takes aim at the psyche, ‘X-Men’ marks the spot

Many allegedly new movies repackage old formulas by stealing ideas

and plot devices from other films. “Identity” is that rare movie that

contains a hundred Hollywood cliches, but transforms and adds to them

to create something remarkable and impressive.

John Cusack and Ray Liotta are perfectly cast as the central

figures in this gritty psychological thriller and crime drama that

Alfred Hitchcock would have been proud to have directed.

The cliches are myriad: a cold and stormy night replete with

thunder, lightning and endless rain. Bridges, phones and power lines

go out.

A group of 10 seemingly unconnected travelers are all forced by

the storm to stay at the same isolated motel. A middle class couple

with a quiet child, a cop transporting a shackled killer, a movie

star with her limo driver, a hooker from Vegas and two young

newlyweds are thrown together for one night under the watchful eye of

the creepy motel clerk. One by one, untimely deaths befall the

travelers under increasingly bizarre circumstances to the sinister

musical score.

While this all sounds very familiar, Michael Cooney’s outstanding

screenplay takes these often used elements and tosses them with

enough mind-stretching twists and turns to catapult the viewer on a

roller coaster ride that had me jumping out of my seat more than

once.

This edgy thriller takes aim squarely at the psyche with

relentless suspense that throws into doubt all that seems obvious.

While there is violence, it’s mostly off-screen and used

appropriately to increase the tension of the tale.

Great direction by James Mangold creates an imaginative mystery

that requires intelligence and attention to detail to figure out. If

this kind of film is your cup of tea, and you have the emotional

stamina to ride it out, it’s a rollicking good time at the movies.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.

Singers’ ‘X2’ new and improved hero flick

When I was a little girl and my only concern was reaching the top

shelf where my mom hid the Baby Ruths and Butterfingers, I would sit

doe-eyed watching “Mighty Mouse.” I knew that he could do what I

couldn’t.

To this day I still love the larger-than-life characters that live

in the pages of comic books: the unusual heroes, born of humanity,

resembling you and me, but possessing extraordinary powers.

In their worlds, good triumphs over evil even against extreme

odds. And in these uncertain, turbulent times, everyone needs a hero

-- and sometimes -- only a superhero will do.

The innovative “X-Men” movie opened the door for future comic-book

based films. During its blockbuster-opening weekend, plans had

already begun for a sequel.

Sequels can be risky. Fans expect bigger and better, but most

sequels pale in comparison to their original prints. It’s a balancing

act: remaining true to the essence of the original film while making

improvements for the sequel.

I suspect that Bryan Singer, the director of “X-Men” and its

sequel, may be Mighty Mouse in disguise, streaking across the sky

proclaiming, “Here I come to save the day!” Pulling off a nearly

impossible feat, Singer’s “X2: X-Men United” is refreshingly new and

improved.

“X2” opens with the attempted assassination of the president and

the introduction of a new teleporting, devil-tailed, blue-hued

mutant, Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), who whooshes through walls,

leaving spectacular trails of smoke.

Once again, Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his band of

X-Men will battle against evil and protect the very mankind that

fears them. With their arch nemesis, the metal-manipulating leader of

the rebel group Brotherhood, Magneto (Ian McKellen), incarcerated in

a plastic bubble, there is a new villain to battle.

The president establishes a special task force, headed by the

military mad-scientist William Stryker (Brian Cox) to find the

assassin.

But Stryker has a personal agenda: to annihilate all mutants. He’s

able to control Magneto, extracting information that solidifies his

evil plan. When the telepathic Xavier is kidnapped, the X-Men must

form an alliance with Magneto to combat Stryker.

“X2” wastes little time in re-introducing the lead characters on

the odd chance that you didn’t see its predecessor. Reprising their

roles are the brooding, metal-clawed Wolverine (Hugh Jackman),

telekinetic Jean Grey (Famke Janssen), weather-manipulating Storm

(Halle Berry), fiery-eyed Cyclops (James Marsden), life-sucking Rogue

(Anna Paquin) and shape-shifting Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos).

New is Iceman, a.k.a. Bobby (Shawn Ashmore), Rogue’s new boyfriend.

Although “X2” easily stands on its own, like an episodic comic

book, there are insights to be gained from viewing “X-Men,”

especially about the subplots, love triangles and innuendos.

When Magneto snidely compliments Rogue on her striking coif, did

he simply wake up on the wrong side of the cell?

And the most pressing question of all: Will there be a third

“X-Men”? Considering the clues in “X2,” definitely. How does “X3:

Phoenix Rising” sound as the title for the next episode in mutant

mania?

* JULIE LOWRANCE is a Costa Mesa resident who works at a Newport

Beach overnight aircraft advertising agency.