July 2002 Volume 83 Number 7 "serving the protectors"
Edited by John Ballantyne

Anybody under 45 will remember Scooby-Doo, the canine star of the longest continually running cartoon series, which premiered in 1969.

The show was about a band of four teenagers who travelled around in a van, the Mystery Machine, running a private investigation business.

They specialized in ghosts and monsters – though the menaces usually turned out to be one of the supporting characters in a mask.

In the new movie – part animated, part live action – Scoobie and his cohorts are summoned to investigate a series of paranormal incidents at the ultra-hip holiday resort, Spooky Island.

Emile Mondavarious (comedian Rowan Atkinson) – the mysterious, eccentric owner of the island – is concerned that his tourists are being strangely affected when they visit.

The Mystery Inc. gang leader Fred is played by Freddie Prinze Jr.

Daphne (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) – familiarly attired in her purple go-go boots – was once the perpetual damsel-in-distress, but in our politically correct era has now been revamped and has become a black belt in martial arts.

The nerdish Velma (Linda Cardellini) – the undisputed brains of the gang – appears in her trademark thick glasses, orange socks and orange turtleneck sweater (which she even wears on a tropical island).

The unkempt Shaggy (Matthew Lillard, Scream) is Scooby’s best buddy and partner in cowardice and food consumption.

The undisputed star, of course, is Scooby-Doo himself. The producers have lovingly recreated all of his mannerisms – facial expressions, silly tittering laugh, and elongated dopey walk, not to mention his appetite for cheeseburgers, eggplant pizza with lots of hot sauce, and Scooby-Snacks.

The movie has a fair amount of off-colour toilet humour – which these days seems to be pretty standard fare in American comedies.

But apart from that, there are some good comic moments.

For the fans, of course, there are familiar catchphrases to listen out for (eg. the villain caught in the act, saying: “I’d have got away with it too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”).

Minority Report

The year is 2054. US police possess the technology to see into the future and prevent violent crimes before they are even committed.

Murder in Washington DC has been virtually eliminated as would-be killers are arrested and convicted before they can harm anyone.

Police Chief John Anderton (Tom Cruise) spearheads the special Pre-Crime division.

Anderton is heart and soul in favour of pre-emptive justice – especially after the tragic loss of his son six years previously.

The system, however, suddenly turns against him. He finds himself framed for the future murder of a man he has not even met yet.

Now a wanted suspect, Anderton has only 36 hours to solve the riddle of whom he is going to kill – and why – if he is to have any chance of altering the future.

This darkly mooded futuristic thriller – based on a story by famed science fiction author, Philip K. Dick (Blade Runner) – is the highly anticipated collaboration between superstar Tom Cruise and Oscar-winning director Steven Speilberg.

Max von Sydow plays the sinister administrator of the Pre-Crime division, and John Williams (Star Wars) provides the haunting music score.

Minority Report has many exciting plot twists, and is an original and clever vision of a nightmarish future.

Hart’s War

US Colonel William McNamara (Bruce Willis) is imprisoned in a World War II German prisoner-of-war camp.

As the camp’s highest-ranking American officer, he commands his fellow inmates, trying to maintain a sense of honour in the face of adversity – especially under the dangerous, ever-watchful eye of German SS officer, Werner Visser (Marcel Iures).

McNamara, however, never forgets for a moment that he is first and foremost a soldier. He bides his time, waiting for his moment to strike back at the enemy.

A murder in the camp gives him the chance to set a risky plan in motion.

A black lieutenant (Terrence Howard) is accused of killing a racist sergeant (Cole Hauser).

With a court martial to keep the German guards distracted, McNamara enlists the unwitting help of young Lt. Tommy Hart (Colin Farrell) – a recent Yale law student – to represent the accused.

Director Gregory Hoblit (Primal Fear) has produced a clever courtroom/POW movie, with intricate sub-plots and a serious message.

Molokai: The Story of Father Damien

This inspiring true story follows the epic life of Father Damien (Australia’s David Wenham), a Belgian-born priest, who in 1873 volunteered to care for lepers banished to the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

While the religious and political elites preferred to forget about the lepers, Damien devoted himself to drawing attention to their plight and improving their living conditions.

Nobody else was willing to go near the island.

Damien, however, was undaunted by the appalling conditions on Molokai – high mortality, food stolen from the sick, the weak forced into slavery, diseased girls forced into prostitution.

Like Mother Theresa of Calcutta, he heroically devoted his life to care for outcasts.

On his arrival at the quarantined leper colony, one of his first gestures was to embrace – literally – the sick.

Damien not only brought mercy and compassion to the lepers, but also did practical things, such as building houses and a hospital, as well as teaching the lepers to grow crops and give them some measure of dignity.

But the greatest challenge for Damien came when he caught leprosy himself.

A few years ago he was canonized a saint.

The film boasts a strong cast of well-known actors in supporting roles, including Peter O’Toole, Derek Jacobi, Kris Kristofferson, Sam Neill and Leo McKern.

Special Movie Offer

For your chance to win one of 15 double passes to Scooby-Doo, put your details on the back of an envelope and send it to Scooby-Doo Comp, SA Police Journal (168).

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