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james l . brooks , one of the developers of the simpsons and director of broadcast news , returns to the big screen with this entertaining , if slightly flawed comedy . nicholson plays melvin udall , probably the most horrible person ever on the screen . he 's racist , homophobic , and never has a good word to say to anyone . so , nobody talks to him , except waitress carol conelly ( t . v sitcom star hunt , who was last seen in twister , 1996 ) . naturally , udall , conelly and gay neighbor simon bishop ( kinnear ) who nicholson hates , all hit it off in the end . like good will hunting ( 1997 ) and titanic ( 1997 ) , even though the outcome is completely obvious , as good as it gets is an enjoyable , funny and warm comedy . nicholson is hilarious as melvin , churning out insults with superb relish . only nicholson could get away with the lines that melvin delivers . hunt is also good as waitress carol , and easily rises to the challenge of nicholson . there 's also ( thankfully ) a bit of chemistry between them . kinnear , as the gay neighbor , seems to have a slightly underwritten role , he 's more of a plot convience than a character . although his performance is good , his character just seems to exist to help melvin and carol come together . in fact , the scene stealer is simon 's dog , who is funnier than nicholson . but then again , pets are always cute on screen . providing solid support is cuba gooding , jnr ( jerry maguire , 1996 ) and yeardly smith ( who is the voice of lisa simpsons in the simpsons ) although gooding is n't as good as is character in maguire , he is still fun . he overacts a little , but not so much as to be annoying . smith is also good , although she has a fairly small role . even director lawrence kasdan ( body heat , 1981 ) makes an appearance as a doctor . but this is primarily nicholsons film , and every scene he 's in , he 's steals it . he 's character is so hateful , though , it 's amazing that anyone talks to him at all , especially carol . and this is the films main problem . it 's totally unbelievable that carol would ever consider liking melvin . she does n't fall in love with him naturally , the film forces her to fall in love with him . also , melvins character seems to go too nice , too quickly . i would doubt anyone with a character like melvins would be able to turn back to a nice , loving person . it would take a helluva long time , much longer than this film would like to make out . brooks direction is good , though , if a bit average , but he usually manages to get an emotion out of the audience . he handles the comedy scenes better than the sentimental ones ( he tends to pile on to much schmaltz ) but generally he 's good . there 's also a nice soundtrack by veteran composer hans zimmer . but , generally , as good as it gets achieves what it sets out to do , which is to make the audience feel good by the end of the movie . the movie is a bit overlong , but nicholson is such good fun that the running time passes by pretty quickly . overall , as good as it gets is a fun movie , even though it may be unbelivable , and certainly worth seeing ( if just for jack nicholsons performance . ) not quite as good as it gets ( pardon the bad joke ) , but still good fun .

1POS

broadcast news , returns to the big screen with this entertaining , if slightly flawed comedy . nicholson plays melvin udall is completely obvious , as good as it gets is an enjoyable , funny and warm comedy . nicholson is hilarious as melvin , churning out insults with superb relish . only nicholson could get away with the lines that melvin delivers . hunt is also good as waitress carol , and easily rises to the challenge of nicholson . there 's also ( thankfully ) a bit of chemistry between them . kinnear , as the gay neighbor , more of a plot convience than a character . although his performance is good , his character just seems to exist to help melvin but not so much as to be annoying . smith is also good , although she has a fairly small role . even he tends to pile on to much schmaltz ) but generally he 's good . there 's also a nice soundtrack by veteran composer hans zimmer . but , generally , as good as it gets achieves what it sets out to do , which is to make the audience feel good by quickly . overall , as good as it gets is a fun movie , even though it may be unbelivable , and certainly worth seeing ( if just for jack nicholsons performance . ) not it gets ( pardon the bad joke ) , but still good fun .

after a stylistic detour with mrs . parker and the vicious circle ( which , despite its uncomfortable tone , was close to being a conventional movie ) , director alan rudolph has returned to his unique brand of film making with afterglow , a romantic black comedy about love , betrayal , and self - absorption . while these may not be the most unusual themes to fashion into a motion picture , rudolph 's atypical approach to the characters and their situations makes for an intriguing , if not always pleasant , movie . it is said that rudolph is a polarizing director ? meaning that most viewers either love his work or hate it . until mrs . parker , i had not been overly impressed by his movies . i found equinox , his last pre- mrs . parker effort , to be irritating and frustrating . i was somewhat surprised , therefore , to discover that i liked afterglow . there are several reasons for this , but the paramount one is that rudolph seems to have muted some of the most strident , mannered aspects of his approach . the characters here are more like real people with genuine problems , the story is absorbing , and the acting is top - notch . in short , rudolph has created a world that it 's worth spending two hours in . afterglow introduces us to two unhappily married couples . jeffrey byron ( jonny lee miller ) is a cold , seemingly - heartless businessman who is sexually indifferent to his young wife , marianne ( lara flynn boyle ) . for her part , marianne is so obsessed with having a baby that she never attempts to interact with her husband on a human level . all she 's interested in is seducing him during those few days when she 's ovulating . after he refuses to make love , she decides to find someone else to play the role of sperm donor . the other couple , lucky ( nick nolte ) and phyllis mann ( julie christie ) , are an older pair , but they 're no more content than jeffrey and marianne . a mysterious fracture in their past relationship has driven them apart . they remain married as a matter of convenience , but , since phyllis wo n't allow lucky to touch her , they have an unspoken agreement whereby he can fool around as much as he wants provided that no lasting bond is established as a result of these affairs . the landscape of emotional pain between them is palpable . the four characters begin interacting when marianne hires lucky as a handyman to fix up the inside of the apartment she shares with jeffrey . the two of them are immediately attracted to one another , and it does n't take long before they 're lounging together , naked , in her pool . meanwhile , jeffrey , who is captivated by older women , runs into phyllis in a hotel bar , is smitten , and invites her to accompany him on a weekend retreat to the mountains . the romantic couplings of the characters are interesting in that they illustrate the multiple faces of love . sex means something different to everyone ? to jeffrey , it 's an unpleasant chore , a loss of control ; to marianne , it 's a means to a maternal end ; to lucky , it 's an enjoyable distraction that blocks out his marital troubles ; and to phyllis , it 's a method of establishing or denying emotional closeness . ultimately , none of these characters appears to love anyone else as much as they love themselves . the greatest strength of the film lies not in the script , but in the performances . jonny lee miller is perfect as the selfish , callous , suit - and - tie businessman . those who recall him as sickboy in trainspotting will find that he is almost unrecognizable here as the image of conformity . lara flynn boyle , who was n't impressive in rudolph 's equinox , is greatly improved , making marianne a jumble of sexiness and vulnerability . nick nolte is delightful as the uninhibited lucky , and he manages to deliver some of rudolph 's most pregnant lines with practiced ease . the clear standout , however , is julie christie , who is nothing short of delicious as the world - weary phyllis . her often wry , occasionally cutting asides are the source of much of the film 's humor , and there 's hardly ever a moment when she does n't steal the spotlight from her co - stars . i do n't know if afterglow is the film to convert rudolph- detractors , but it seems that this movie is a little more accessible than some of the director 's earlier productions . enough of his trademark style remains , however , to reassure his supporters . afterglow is basically a four - pronged character study . the plot is not especially compelling , but the character interaction is , and that 's the real reason to see this motion picture . rudolph has painted an able picture of the non - romantic side of love -- the one that has more to do with tolerance and familiarity than with affection and attraction .

1POS

being a conventional movie ) , director alan rudolph has returned to his unique brand of film making with afterglow , a romantic black comedy atypical approach to the characters and their situations makes for an intriguing , if not always pleasant , movie . it is here are more like real people with genuine problems , the story is absorbing , and the acting is top - notch . in short , rudolph has created a world that script , but in the performances . jonny lee miller is perfect as the selfish , callous , suit - and - tie , who was n't impressive in rudolph 's equinox , is greatly improved , making marianne a jumble of sexiness and vulnerability . nick nolte is delightful as the uninhibited lucky , and he manages to deliver some of rudolph 's most pregnant lines with practiced ease . the clear standout , however , is julie christie , who is nothing short of delicious as the world - weary phyllis . her often wry

" the fugitive " is probably one of the greatest thrillers ever made . it takes realistic , believable characters and tells an exciting story that 's totally believable throughout . this is n't an over - the - top action flick for the sake of action , this is an intelligent adventure story with a real sense of mystery to it and it works perfectly . harrison ford stars as dr . richard kimble , a man who is wrongly accused and convicted of murdering his wife . the entire premise of the story revolves around this murder , but is not told in a straightforward manner . we constantly see flashbacks to the murder from kimble 's perspective . hints are dropped from various times of the night kimble 's wife , helen ( sela ward ) was murdered . we do n't get to see who the killer is until much further into the story . in fact , we might even have a little doubt about kimble 's innocence ourselves . the film does n't spend much time on the details of kimble 's trial and conviction as it is not the point of the story . one of the greatest action scenes ensues as we get a botched escape attempt by his fellow inmates which leads to a fantastic train wreck . but it does not at all seem gratuitous or formulated , it is actually suspenseful to watch . this movie is so incredible because it 's able to take elements like these and make them wholly original and believable . tommy lee jones almost steals the show as deputy sam gerard , a u . s . marshall who is an expert in hunting fugitives . from the moment he appears we know a huge game of cat and mouse is about to occur . kimble and gerard are equally matched as there is no way to tell how one is going to outsmart the other . most of the film deals with richard 's complex investigation as he tries to find the one - armed man who killed his wife . ford does not have a lot of lines here , so it is stuart and twohy 's script and davis 's outstanding direction that make the film as great as it is . just watching richard use his keen intelligence and wits , disguising himself , and doing his own detective work is very interesting . we know just as little as he does as to why his wife was killed , so as he learns more so do we . meanwhile gerard and his staff are using all their skills to hunt him down . at one point they run into each other and a great chase ensues , but richard is just too smart for them . he leaves clues for gerard to show his innocence and to help him solve the mystery . one of the greatest charms to the film is its sense of humor . there is a great sense of comradeship between gerard and his two closest deputies cosmo renfo ( pantoliano ) and biggs ( roebuck ) . they are trying to catch what they believe to be a dangerous murderer , yet they constantly start up small talk with each other , making funny wisecracks and one - liners , but not in any kind of distracting manner . the final act concludes with another terrific chase . richard figures out who the killer is and confronts him , and although we get a typical fight scene , the case is far from solved . the man who ordered the murder has been under our nose all along , and we do n't realize this until the end when both richard and gerard put the pieces together . maybe the finally scene is a bit much , but it still has a believable atmosphere to it . we 're so relieved when justice is served . it 's not the plot is that makes " the fugitive " great , it 's all the motions the characters go through to make for an intriguing story . watching a seemingly average man go through as much as this is what makes the movie so adventurous . if only hollywood could produce more movies like this . ( 10/31/96 ) ( 1/29/97 ) ( 6/13/97 ) [ see also : " nick of time " ]

1POS

" the fugitive " is probably one of the greatest thrillers ever made . it takes realistic , believable characters and tells an exciting story that 's totally believable throughout . this is n't an action flick for the sake of action , this is an intelligent adventure story with a real sense of mystery to it and it works perfectly . harrison ford stars as dr . richard kimble , as it is not the point of the story . one of the greatest action scenes ensues as we get a botched escape attempt by his fellow it is actually suspenseful to watch . this movie is so incredible because it 's able to take elements like these and make them wholly original and believable . tommy lee jones almost steals the show as deputy , disguising himself , and doing his own detective work is very interesting . we know just as little as he does as his innocence and to help him solve the mystery . one of the greatest charms to the film is its sense of humor . there is a great sense of comradeship between gerard and his two closest deputies cosmo renfo ( in any kind of distracting manner . the final act concludes with another terrific chase . richard figures out who the killer is and confronts 's all the motions the characters go through to make for an intriguing story . watching a seemingly average man go through as much as this is what makes the movie so adventurous . if only hollywood could produce more movies like this . ( 10/31/96 ) ( 1/29/97 ) ( 6/13/97 )

i think that any competent member of the human race who 's ever seen a movie -- any movie -- could probably predict just about every turn in the wedding singer . even though i try very hard to not predict films as i 'm watching them ( especially not romantic comedies ) , the plot of this particular film just advanced before me seconds , and sometimes minutes , before i actually saw it happen on screen . but i do n't care . not even a little . my reasons for this are simple : 1 ) adam sandler is great . 2 ) drew barrymore is great . 3 ) the movie is so funny . there are parts that left me gasping for air because i was laughing so hard . i have n't laughed this hard in a movie since austin powers . sandler plays robby hart , a wedding singer who once had dreams of being in a rock band and writing his own music . in the opening scenes , he seems like a happy - go - lucky wedding singer , at least partially enjoying his profession and doing a rather good job of talking down a really drunk individual ( steve buscemi ) who decides that his brother 's wedding is a good place to tell the whole world that his life , up to that point , was utter pointlessness . a week later , at his own wedding , he is left standing at the altar by his ex - fianc ? e , linda ( angela featherstone ) . with his life in complete disarray , he meets julia ( barrymore ) , a waitress . she is engaged to glenn ( matthew glave ) , and is to marry him in about three months . julia and robby become good friends when she enlists him to help with the wedding plans . soon ( and predictably ) it becomes pretty clear that glenn is a jerk , and that robby and julia really love each other . oh sure , it 's trite . and if anyone making this film expected us to , like , feel suspense or something while watching the wedding singer , then they truly underestimated their audience . what makes the story bearable , aside from the terrific costumes and 80s music , are the performances . barrymore is simply adorable here ( i 've never seen her look so close to the way she did in et ) . not only is she pleasant to look at , but her acting job here really is a good one -- and it does n't hurt that the character is likable and adequately well - written . and the jerk , played in full - force by graves , is just as despicable as any villain in any romantic comedy i 've ever seen . naturally , the true star here is sandler . i think the guy is flat - out hilarious . he can say something that just is n't funny , and his delivery makes me laugh . his comedic performance here equals that of happy gilmore , but in this film he goes much further and proves to me that he can , indeed , hold his own as a leading man in a romantic comedy . whereas his roles in his previous films kind of had sandler playing sandler , the wedding singer gives him a character that , for the first time , he actually has to fit into . as far as i 'm concerned he succeeded , and this film is testimony that he does , in fact , have some range in his talents . and the movie is just so funny . perhaps the best moment is when he sings a song for julia that he claims is a little uneven because he began writing it while in a good mood and finished it after his fianc ? e abandoned him . this is the part that literally had me groping for a breath of air . and while the film , like all romantic comedies , takes a hiatus from laughs towards the end because the plot has to finish up , there are more than enough truly hilarious moments in the first hour that make up for any slumps in progress during the second half . my formal complaints for the wedding singer are n't very important . the film is predicable , but who cares ? the characters are extremely likable , the movie is ridiculously funny , and the experience is simply enjoyable . in addition to this , i ca n't imagine anyone seeing the preview and not wanting to see the film . in that order , i conclude that it is pointless for me to even have written this review . i just want everyone to know that i laughed . a lot .

1POS

for this are simple : 1 ) adam sandler is great . 2 ) drew barrymore is great . 3 ) the movie is so funny . there are parts that left me gasping for air because i was laughing so hard . i have n't laughed this hard in a movie audience . what makes the story bearable , aside from the terrific costumes and 80s music , are the performances . barrymore is simply adorable here ( i 've never seen her look so close not only is she pleasant to look at , but her acting job here really is a good one -- and it does n't hurt that the character is romantic comedy i 've ever seen . naturally , the true star here is sandler . i think the guy is flat - out hilarious . he can say something that just is n't funny , and his delivery makes me laugh . his comedic performance here equals that of happy gilmore and proves to me that he can , indeed , hold his own as a leading man in a romantic comedy . whereas his roles in his film is testimony that he does , in fact , have some range in his talents . and the movie is just so funny . perhaps the best moment is when he sings a is predicable , but who cares ? the characters are extremely likable , the movie is ridiculously funny , and the experience is simply enjoyable . in addition to this , i ca n't imagine this review . i just want everyone to know that i laughed . a lot .

based on the boris karloff 's classic by the same name , the mummy starts off with the high - priest of osiris , imhotep , who murders the pharoah for his mistress and is punished by being mummified in the most horrifying way possible -- bandaged up , having his tongue removed , and being covered in flesh - eating scarab beetles , then entombed . . . all while still alive . recap a few thousand years later , where a soldier named rick ( played by brandan fraser ) aids a young historian named evelyn ( played by rachel wiesz ) and her brother , jonathan ( played by john hannah ) in finding the book of amon ra , in the process inadvertently freeing the mummy . problem is that the mummy wants to revive his mistress , using evelyn as a sacrifice . . . walking in with relatively low expectations , i thought this movie was actually pretty good . the visuals and cgi are astounding , and obviously not cheaply done at all . they pack a ton of detail into the images , especially during scenes involving mummies rendered completely by cgi . the computer special effects makes for some brilliant scenes , such as unnerving moments involving flesh - eating scarab beetles and moments where the mummy goes after the people who freed him ( after all , those who took his artifacts are cursed ) . unfortunately , the film attempts to be way too much in such a short span of time , becoming a tug of war for control between genres . on one hand , it is a fast paced action film . on the other , it 's a frightening horror film . and on the side , it 's a hilarious comedy . ideally , for it to be successful , the film would have to focus on one the more action oriented aspect , with one character serving as the comic relief ( that would be johnson ) . the problem with this film is that it has at least three characters serving as comic relief , with rick occasionally delivering his witty one - liner . if they were trying to make a horror - action - comedy , it would have helped if it were established early on in the film , but unfortunately , with the backstory of imhotep 's entombment , that would be impossible . and then there 's the slapstick fight scene between a sword - wielding rick and an army of mummies . while really well done , it had the feel of slapstick comedy . replace the sword with a chainsaw and you 'd effectively have ash fighting zombies in army of darkness . while entertaining and funny , it feels really out of place . but at least it 's a break from the naive heroes that brendan fraser has been playing a lot of . on the whole , the movie is pure popcorn fare from beginning to end , entertaining the audience . but i must end my review with a plea to movie theatre owners . . . turn the sound down ! while a lot of theatres have good sound systems , my ears were almost ringing as i walked out of the theatre ( the sound is particularly irritating and will make you crap your pants if you 're not careful ) . when they were showing the trailer for the upcoming schwarzenegger film , " end of days " , it was so loud i could n't make anything out .

1POS

. walking in with relatively low expectations , i thought this movie was actually pretty good . the visuals and cgi are astounding , and obviously not cheaply done at all . they pack a ton of detail into the images , especially during scenes involving mummies rendered completely by cgi . the computer special effects makes for some brilliant scenes , such as unnerving moments involving flesh - eating scarab it feels really out of place . but at least it 's a break from the naive heroes that brendan fraser has been playing a lot of . movie is pure popcorn fare from beginning to end , entertaining the audience . but i must end my review with a plea

on re - watching italian writer / director dario argento 's much lauded murder mystery tenebrae , i was struck more than anything else by how many sins he commits as a storyteller and manages to get away with . in emphasising style over matters of plot argento is somewhat notorious in cult film circles , but some aficionados still praise tenebrae as the greatest of his " giallo " murder mysteries . while it 's certainly not perfect , repeated viewings reveal it to be nonetheless a densely plotted and terrifically stylish thriller . the story follows a promotional visit to rome by famous american mystery novelist peter neal ( anthony franciosa ) where he discovers that a serial killer is on the loose inspired by his latest book " tenebrae " . with the police on his back for leads , he decides to take a personal interest in the case and he soon becomes drawn into a mystery where all is not as it seems . the film benefits enormously from a fine central performance by franciosa . he brings grace , charm and a deceptive benigness to his character which provides an interesting foil to both the violence of the books he writes and the unfolding real - life horror around him . the film is awash with a fascinating psychosexual tension . argento peels back the facade of showbiz and jetset lifestyles to reveal an amoral , ambivalent , shadowy world where desire in all its forms has become a dangerous business . tenebrae is perhaps the most multi - layered of argento 's scripts to date and there is much bubbling underneath the surface here . it may take at least two or three viewings to appreciate all the psychological themes at play . in that respect it strongly recalls his previous giallo deep red / profondo rosso ( the full - length italian language version ) and fans will enjoy spotting the recurring themes . needless to say for argento fans , there is no denying the director 's brilliance as a stylist . many of the action and murder sequences are directed with his characteristic finesse and feature plenty of intriguing camerawork . they are all the more impressive for the fact that in this film argento creates mood by filling his scenes with light , rather than the dark shadows and deep rich colours of earlier works like deep red and suspiria . instead , tenebrae 's set design and lighting paints a sleek , clinical , chilly vision of a vaguely futuristic urban world . and the soundtrack 's mix of electronic atmospheres and gothic rock by frequent argento collaborators goblin is the perfect accompaniment . so tenebrae has much to recommend it , no question . still , constantly nagging at the back of this viewers mind is several lumps in the narrative . some critics argue that logic does n't matter in argento films , but damnit , it matters in all films to the point where viewers do n't deserve to feel cheated . by the way , if you do n't want to know the solution to the mystery then skip the next three paragraphs . about an hour into tenebrae the story takes an unexpected twist which , properly handled , could have proved ingenious . we witness the murder of the serial killer himself by a man who , we later discover , is none other than the author peter neal . he is insane , apparently . the murders then continue for the remainder of the film as neal decides it 's time to settle some personal business involving his neurotic wife . he is finally revealed to us as this " second killer " in the film 's bloody climax . but argento muffs the twist , both technically and narratively . you see , we are supposed to be tricked into thinking that during this scene peter neal is actually an innocent witness who was crouching in the bushes nearby the whole time and spying on the killer 's house . but thanks to poor editing , its had to believe neal could have murdered the killer anyway . bad cutting puts the timing way out . in other words , he 's almost in two places at once . during this crucial scene we are also thrown a ridiculous red herring . by the film 's end you realise that for the sake of an alibi neal must have self - inflicted a nasty injury in this earlier scene to make it look like he was attacked by a fleeing assailant . the injury ? he banged himself on the head with a bloody great rock ! thus , the revelation of the " hero " as a killer ( and anti - hero ) in the final scenes may still prove shocking , but its all somewhat implausible by the time the end credits have rolled . helpfully , in the end we do learn that the bizarre flashbacks of personal humiliation and murder that have permeated the film belonged to neal all along . but there too is a problem , as the explanations offered for his motivations are psychologically fuzzy to say the least . the story owes us a better understanding of franciosa 's mind , his concealed madness and his sudden murderous rampage . tenebrae is also marred by annoying little inconsistencies . for instance , a teenage boy and girl leave a hotel room and minutes later we see the girl riding off on the back of a motorbike . we would assume the rider is the same boy , but it turns out to be some male character we are n't even introduced too ! that 's careless filmmaking , pure and simple . why , you may ask , do i go on about the story 's flaws ? because when it comes to visuals and set pieces , argento is one of the most exciting filmmakers in the world . take one of the extended scenes in tenebrae . an upset girl wandering the streets at night needlessly taunts a guard dog to the point where - almost unbelievably - it jumps a high fence and chases her across town . finally , as she desperately seeks escape from this crazed canine , she accidentally stumbles on the serial killer 's lair . it 's an absolutely masterful sequence , tense and exciting , and communicating a wealth of information through visuals alone . and that 's exactly the kind of thing that makes the flaws so frustrating . too often , it seems , argento 's films as a whole are less than the sum of their impressive parts . mind you , if you love murder mysteries then tenebrae is still worth a look . and if you 're a fan of argento 's unique style of giallo thriller then it 's essential . see the uncut widescreen version if you can and drink in some of the wonderful cinematography by luciano tovoli . it 's a stylish , great - looking and quirky film despite the problem narrative . a shame , because it does n't have to be that way . take argento 's more recent stendhal syndrome ( 1992 ) , where with the aid of co - writer franco ferrini he fashioned a solid storyline without sacrificing any of his surreal weirdness or visual panache . proof that he can do it , if he tries . . .

1POS

benefits enormously from a fine central performance by franciosa . he brings grace , charm and a deceptive benigness to his character which provides an interesting foil to both stylist . many of the action and murder sequences are directed with his characteristic finesse and feature plenty of intriguing camerawork . they are all the more impressive for the fact that in this film argento creates mood electronic atmospheres and gothic rock by frequent argento collaborators goblin is the perfect accompaniment . so tenebrae has much to recommend it , no stumbles on the serial killer 's lair . it 's an absolutely masterful sequence , tense and exciting , and communicating a wealth of information through visuals alone widescreen version if you can and drink in some of the wonderful cinematography by luciano tovoli . it 's a stylish , great - looking and quirky film despite the problem narrative . a shame , because it

as any sociologist will attest , your childhood and the types of parents that you have will heavily influence your happiness as an adult . parents that are supportive and environments that are nurturing will yield children who will embrace the values and norms that can allow them to live healthy and productive lives . but if your upbringing is marred with violence , hate and dysfunctionality , then your journey towards a happy adulthood will be saddled with psychological obstacles almost too great to overcome . ` affliction ' explores how a man never truly escapes the grip of an unforgivingly nightmarish childhood . the man in question is wade whitehouse ( nick nolte ) . here is a man who is like any other citizen on the surface . he is a productive member of the community and goes about his daily routine much like you and me . but as you scratch beneath the surface , something scary and evil begins to rear its ugly head . we see that he is a mean - tempered person . he has a hard time taking control of his emotions , which usually gets the better of him . he is quick to apologize for his actions and wants to be a gentle person , but something is sparking a tendency towards violence . he also has tremendous problems with relationships . he is divorced and his only connection to love is his daughter . but his bearish persona and stature alienates her . he is visibly shaken by her rejection even though she says that she loves him . his demeanor also puts his relationship with a local townsgirl ( sissy spacek ) at risk . she tries to remain true to him and supportive , but for women unlucky enough to attach themselves to this kind of person , relationships will ultimately end like sentences ending with an exclamation point . finally , he is spiteful and vindictive . as a rejected father , he initiates a custody battle that seems hopeless . as the town 's only police officer , he issues a speeding ticket to a man whose father has just died . we can see that this is a man that is both afflicted and living with pain . he is a prisoner and a slave to it . he is moving towards a level of madness and insanity that defies comprehension . what kind of force can move a man to the edge of his emotions and beyond the reach of people who genuinely care for him ? we learn that the answer is his father ( james coburn ) . this is the kind of father that every son would be ashamed to have and that any woman would be afraid to meet . he is an overbearingly misogynistic and frequent drunk who rules with an iron fist . we see his tyrannical behavior through flashbacks . to heighten the father 's churlishness , the flashbacks are shown as home video footage taken by a very frightened person . very effective . today , wade 's dad is quite elderly , but still manages to instill fear into a grown man . the influence that the father possesses is inescapable , and its unsavory effect clamps down hard on the tortured wade . the result is every son 's nightmare ? becoming like the father that one has always dreaded to be . this is a terrifically presented piece of psychological drama , and nolte turns in a strong performance as a man whose pain seems to become a detriment as well as a necessity . he 's a hulking person who is still reduced to whimpers when in the presence of his father . coburn displays heft as the bitter dad . but , it 's most certainly not saturday - night - friendly fare . there 's nothing light or fluffy about this film . that may turn many moviegoers away . but it 's certainly worth noting that this is a well - acted drama showcasing nolte 's and coburn 's raw acting talents .

1POS

home video footage taken by a very frightened person . very effective . today , wade 's dad is quite elderly , that one has always dreaded to be . this is a terrifically presented piece of psychological drama , and nolte turns in a strong performance as a man whose pain seems to become a detriment whimpers when in the presence of his father . coburn displays heft as the bitter dad . but , it 's most moviegoers away . but it 's certainly worth noting that this is a well - acted drama showcasing nolte 's and coburn 's raw acting talents .

is evil dead ii a bad movie ? it 's full of terrible acting , pointless violence , and plot holes yet it remains a cult classic nearly fifteen years after its release . explaining why this movie stands out from others with similar plots ( including the original evil dead ) is extremely difficult . ` well what 's it about ? ' ` five people stranded in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere struggling to survive vicious attacks from a variety of ugly , hairy , wart covered monsters . ' ` come on i saw a movie just like that on monster vision last week . why should i see it again ? ' ` no evil dead ii is different , it 's funny . ' ` it 's funny to see people die ? are you sick or something ? ' maybe i am and maybe director sam raimi is as well to create such an enigma of a movie . his unique execution is as sarcastic as subtle , as disturbing as it is hilarious . an example of raimi 's odd approach : a monster ( formerly protagonist ash 's girlfriend of all people ) is cut in half by a chainsaw and a tidal wave of blood comes from the open wound . sure it 's over - the - top , but it is so over - the - top that it is laugh out loud funny ; just try watching ash with a straight face as he unexpectedly is showered with ten gallons of blood , staining his face and knocking him back a few feet . the whole movie is like this , watch ash get beat up , watch ash defeat the monster , watch ash get beat up again by another even zanier monster . the more repetitive and unrealistic the movie gets , the more amusing it becomes . no matter how sick it may sound , it is funny to watch bruce ampbell 's ash get his butt kicked every five minutes . and raimi takes advantage , he has ash tormented by the head of his girlfriend , by the body of an old lady , even by his own right hand . like the less superior idle hands , we watch ash uncontrollably hit himself over and over again until he is forced to cut off his own body part . but it does n't end , ash now has to fight his severed hand which now moves with the same celerity as thing from the addams family . all of these events , thrown at you from minute one with roller coaster- like camera movements , at first become shocking , then inexplicably funny . raimi expects the audience to laugh and as the film progresses , he seems to be enjoying himself even more by borrowing the classic mirror scene from the marx brothers ' duck soup , then bringing more characters into the picture to comically kill them off . with a running time of less than an hour and a half , raimi gets away with the impossible , making a horror film with more gore than plot and intentionally more laughs than scares . ending evil dead ii with an opening for the third film in the series , raimi obviously had a lot of fun making this movie and could n't wait to make it 's sequel .

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classic nearly fifteen years after its release . explaining why this movie stands out from others with similar plots ( including the original evil . the more repetitive and unrealistic the movie gets , the more amusing it becomes . no matter how sick it may sound , it is funny to watch bruce ampbell 's ash get his butt kicked every five

it 's rather strange too have two computer animated talking ant movies come out in a single year , but that is what disney and pixar animation ; s latest film represents . while a bugs life is n't nearly as deep as it 's predecessor , dreamwork 's antz , it is just as funny . a bug 's life centers , appropriately , around the life of an ant , named flik . flik , cutely voiced by newsradio 's david foley , hates sticking too tradition and attempts too find new ways of harvesting food and other task . when one of his inventions causes the offering too be completely lost , the leaders of the colony send him out on a mission too get him out of the way . the offering is food that a vile group of grasshoppers force the ants too harvest for them . the leader of the grasshoppers is hopper , who is fiendishly voiced by oscar winner kevin spacey . when the offering is lost hopper is very upset and he vows to return shortly too retrieve double the amount of food . when the leaders of the ant colony send flik out on his mission , they never dream he will be successful , they just hope they can get him out of the way so they can harvest the extra food . flik 's mission is too hire some warrior bugs too fight off the grasshoppers when they return . instead flik accidentally hires circus performing bugs , who he mistakenly assumes are warriors . when he returns with the ` warriors ' , the town is ecstatic until they find out the truth about their heroes . a bug 's life has animation that is simply stunning . the sheer uniqueness of the day to day bug life is very imaginative . together with the great voice acting , this film is the perfect holiday family film . its main weakness is that it could n't beat antz to the theaters , making it seem like stale material .

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deep as it 's predecessor , dreamwork 's antz , it is just as funny . a bug 's life centers , appropriately , around life of an ant , named flik . flik , cutely voiced by newsradio 's david foley , hates sticking too tradition the truth about their heroes . a bug 's life has animation that is simply stunning . the sheer uniqueness of the day to day bug life is very imaginative . together with the great voice acting , this film is the perfect holiday family film . its main weakness is that it could n't beat

not since oliver stone 's natural born killers has there been a movie this incendiary , and not since david cronenberg has a so - called mainstream director been this willing to repeatedly tiptoe the fine line between pointed social commentary and outright social irresponsibility . while fincher 's films have never suffered from a lack of shock value ( his major character killings in both alien 3 and seven are fine examples ) , fight club marks the distillation of his pitch - black comedic sensibility ( see 1997 's the game ) into something like a definitive statement . jack ( norton , acting as both narrator and protagonist ) is your typical cubicle clone , whose disillusionment is amplified by a seemingly incurable insomnia . on the offhand advice of a doctor , he sits in on group - therapy sessions for everything from blood parasites to testicular cancer . here he meets bob ( marvin lee aday , aka meat loaf ) , a cancer - emasculated eunuch with profound gynecomastia . strangely , the release he finds while sobbing on bob 's breasts allows him to sleep at night , at least until a fellow group - therapy " tourist " named marla singer ( carter ) comes along to ruin things for him , forcing a grudging compromise that recalls monty python in its dark hilarity . later , he meets tyler durden ( pitt ) , a soap salesman with a decidedly subversive outlook on life . one night , after his ikea- furnished condo explodes ( do n't ask-- you 'll just have to see the movie , awright ? ) , he is goaded by tyler into a fight , and damned if it does n't feel good . it is pure , raw existence , a brief moment of clarity and purpose that makes his dreary workaday life pale in comparison . he moves into tyler 's squalid abandoned mansion , and they form the titular organization , an underground therapy group where men bond with bare - knuckle savagery and very few rules , the first two of which are " do n't talk about fight club . " armed with charisma and an attractive anti - corporate philosophy , tyler assumes leadership of the burgeoning membership of white - collar slaves and dead - end mcemployees . resentment creeps into jack 's heart , made worse by the fact that tyler is also regularly and noisily boffing the hated marla . funded by a frivolous lawsuit , tyler begins molding his devotees into an army dedicated to mischief and mayhem . their initially juvenile pranks ( like pissing in food and putting spike belts on roads ) quickly evolve into something more like sedition , and jack fears that things have gone sour . it is after this point , when you are plenty uncomfortable and wondering just how far fincher will go to say something original , that the film uncorks a disappointing plot twist . it is so contrived-- and so conventional compared to what precedes it-- that everything which follows ( including the ending ) becomes far less interesting . it 's a major ( though not fatal ) flaw , and for a director as notoriously unpredictable as fincher , it feels like a cop - out . fight club is going to be misconstrued by a great many people . in the early going , it has a downright dangerous feel ; it seems to be saying that violence and civil disobedience are good for the soul , and this is undoubtedly the message that a few moronic punks are going to take from it . i 'll be mightily surprised if imitation fight clubs do n't spring up here and there , and i 'll be even more amazed if fincher is n't vilified for it by the same humorless witch - hunters that are currently after oliver stone . they need n't bother , because fight club is less a message movie than fincher 's elaborate attempt at a joke . tyler durden , for all his dionysian allure , is really nothing more than the logical ( and far less hypocritical ) extrapolation of all those self - help gurus who constantly show up on oprah to preach their me - first gospel of self - actualization . in this context , the joke works , but like the latest columbine joke , some people will get it and enjoy a good laugh , and others wo n't . hopefully , though , their silly moral outrage wo n't spoil the joke for the rest of us .

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3 and seven are fine examples ) , fight club marks the distillation of his pitch - black comedic sensibility ( see 1997 's the game ) into something like a definitive statement . jack ( norton , acting as both narrator and gospel of self - actualization . in this context , the joke works , but like the latest columbine joke , some people

plot : a bunch of bad guys dressed up as elvis impersonators rob a vegas casino during a presley convention . the boys eventually get together to split the money , but as plans change , double - crosses occur , dealing and wheeling goes down and the crew set up for the road . who 's on the up and up , who 's the real bad guy and who 's gon na get to bang courteney cox are just a few of the questions which will be answered by the rest of this movie . critique : the funnest movie that i 've seen so far this year ! it 's got style , it 's got tough guys talkin ' shite and it 's got plenty of bullets to go around . a definite hunk - a - hunk - a burnin ' adventure ! a guy 's guy movie through and through , and one that 'll set your jollies to high if you dig on the rough stuff . it 's not very original , it goes on for a little too long , but costner and russell make it happen , as two shite - kickin ' elvis lovers , who do n't stop till they , more or less , drop . this movie 's got some pretty intensive shoot - out scenes , one of the coolest robbery scenarios that i 've ever witnessed , featuring several elvises with guns a blazin ' and the king 's music playing in the background , and a decent helping of double - crosses , sharp dialogue and funny moments . in fact , even though the cast is filled with many name actors ( b - actors as they might be for the most part ) , most of them do their bit and succeed well in passing the torch onto the next victim . but the true glue that holds this film together , other than the spirit of elvis himself , is costner and russell , who play their badass characters to the t . sure , russell 's been down this road before , but costner surprised me with his nastiness . i guess he 's pissed at all the box - office bombs that he 's been in of late , but he sure played a great unstable elvis impersonating robber here . in the end , the bottom line with this movie is having fun , kickin ' ass and making sure there 's enough bubblegum around to chew afterwards . and smoke 'em if you got 'em , folks ! there is also this one really great show - down scene between costner and a cop , that 'll have you crackin ' up and lovin' it all at the same time . the violent scenes in this movie are violent and the entire film is wrapped in a soundtrack that 'll kick your arse from this end of the theatre to the next . it should actually come to no surprise to anyone that the director of this movie comes from a music video background , with plenty , and i mean plenty , of camera tricks , cuts and edits , but for this kind of flick , it actually works . the film is not perfect though , it starts off with a pretty big bang , but then pulls a way of the gun on us , and slows the pace down somewhat in the middle , while characters intermingle and disperse . i was personally kept in the game despite some soft spots , and enjoyed the overall ride for what it was as well . and did i mention that courteney cox looked mega - hot in the movie ? no . . . okay , well i just did ! i coulda done without her whole " romance " angle , but to be honest , it does n't take up much of the film , which is generally covered in blood , explosions , guts and elvis nods . try to see how many " inside " connections to the king you can guess . of course , it 's no secret that i am quite a big elvis fan myself so please take this whole review with that grain of salt in mind . i also like these types of " guy " movies a lot , and even though the film does n't bring much originality to the table , it does offer a pretty coherent story , some nice twists and turns , humor and a big ol' helping of whoop - ass coming straight from costner and russell 's respective boots . probably not a film for everyone , but definitely for those who enjoy the guns , the charismatic bad guys and a fun , if entirely disposable , adventure . now see how many elvis songs i 've used to pun my way through this phony review below . the elvis songs also recommend this movie ! so whether you 're lonesome tonight or any other night , remember to pack the teddy bear with bullets , leave your little sister at home , bring your bossa nova baby and rock out of that jailhouse , cause this movie ai n't one to return to the sender . i really beg of you , whether you 're stuck in the ghetto or crying in the chapel , to slap this cinematic ring around your neck and love it tender . and no suspicious minds either , folks , cause i got stung by this movie , i mean it really shook me up , and unless you 're the devil in disguise himself , i think you wo n't be able to help falling in love with this lucky charm either . so do n't be cruel , do n't turn away , do n't curl up with your latest flame tonite ( whether she be a hard - headed woman or not ) and surrender to the hound dog of movies that is this film . it 's now or never , folks . trust me , i did it my way and the heartbreak hotel of crappy movies that i 'd seen so far this year is far behind me . joblo has now officially left the sanity of his mind and this building . thank you . . . thank you very much ! ! where 's joblo coming from ? get carter ( 7/10 ) - heat ( 8/10 ) - honeymoon in vegas ( 9/10 ) - payback ( 8/10 ) - reindeer games ( 5/10 ) -reservoir dogs ( 9/10 ) - way of the gun ( 6/10 )

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answered by the rest of this movie . critique : the funnest movie that i 've seen so far this year ! it 's got style , it 's got tough guys talkin ' shite and guy movie through and through , and one that 'll set your jollies to high if you dig on the rough stuff . it 's for a little too long , but costner and russell make it happen , as two shite - kickin ' elvis lovers , 's got some pretty intensive shoot - out scenes , one of the coolest robbery scenarios that i 've ever witnessed , featuring several elvises with guns a blazin ' and , and a decent helping of double - crosses , sharp dialogue and funny moments . in fact , even though the cast is filled got 'em , folks ! there is also this one really great show - down scene between costner and a cop , that 'll have you through this phony review below . the elvis songs also recommend this movie ! so whether you 're lonesome tonight or any other nova baby and rock out of that jailhouse , cause this movie ai n't one to return to the sender . i really beg of you , whether you 're you 're the devil in disguise himself , i think you wo n't be able to help falling in love with this lucky charm either . so do n't be cruel , do n't turn

> from the commercials , this looks like a mild - mannered neil simonesque tale with mary tyler moore baring her bra touted as the highlight . instead it turns out to be a hilarious film running in high gear from beginning to end . the concept is deceptively pedestrian . an adult adopted son is looking for his biological parents and encounters eccentric characters along the way . the movie demonstrates just how far a good script and actors can take a mundane idea . the son and his wife take off on the search accompanied by a woman from the agency who located his parents . following one dead end lead after another , each funnier than the previous , they eventually end up in new mexico with his real biological parents : alan alda and lily tomlin . it 's difficult to condense the mile - a - minute plot . seemingly hundreds of scenes jump on top of each other without giving you a chance to recover from the last one . without giving too much away , one of the better episodes involves a gay federal alcohol , tobacco and firearms agent attempting an arrest while tripping on lsd as his bi - sexual partner is upstairs licking the armpit of a woman while her husband is in the next room seducing their traveling companion . and it 's all done in a fairly clean , almost ( well , maybe not exactly ) family fare manner . a grand cast ( tomlin , alda , moore , ben stiller , patricia arquette , tea leoni , george segal ) interacts in a seamless parade of laughs . drawing from a more hyper woody allen style , the film succeeds beyond expectations .

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as the highlight . instead it turns out to be a hilarious film running in high gear from beginning to end . the concept is deceptively pedestrian . an adult adopted along the way . the movie demonstrates just how far a good script and actors can take a mundane idea . the son and his well , maybe not exactly ) family fare manner . a grand cast ( tomlin , alda , moore , ben stiller , arquette , tea leoni , george segal ) interacts in a seamless parade of laughs . drawing from a more hyper woody allen style , the film succeeds beyond expectations .

i 'm not quite sure how best to go about writing this review . i must admit that i was a little disappointed by barry levinson 's political satire " wag the dog , " but in retrospect , this has less to do with the film itself than with false expectations i had going into it . quite a few of the reviews i have read led me to believe that this film was absolutely hilarious and would make me laugh out loud the whole way through , and it did n't do that . they also led me to believe that it would deliver a vicious and all - too - true attack on the way the american political media works , and it did n't quite do that either . a few of them even suggested that it would prove a worthy successor to stanley kubrick 's " dr . strangelove " in the tradition of political black comedy , and it most definitely did n't do that . that said , " wag the dog " is actually a very clever satire on the shady manipulations of political figures and those who assist them . the story revolves around the attempts of political spin doctor conread brean ( robert deniro ) to distract the american public from the accusations that the president , who is up for re - election in two weeks , sexually harassed a young girl in the oval office . the accusations , the script suggests , are probably untrue , but as brean so pointedly puts it , that is n't particularly relevant : the scandal is likely to derail the president 's campaign regardless of its truth or falsehood . brean , along with his assistant ( anne heche ) , decide to contact hollywood producer stanley motss ( dustin hoffman ) to enlist his help in concocting enough propaganda and special - effects trickery to make it appear that the u . s . is going to war with albanian terrorists and thus propel the president to victory on a wave of patriotic fervor . as i said , " wag the dog " is not quite as laugh - out - loud hilarious as i had expected , but there are some genuinely funny moments to be found here , such as when , in an echo of a familiar movie clich ? , the camera pans out over an urban sunset to the strains of uplifting , inspirational music , then cuts to a studio to reveal that the singing is coming from a group of musicians whom motss has assembled to perform " we have the right to fight for democracy . " another scene shows us how , with modern editing equipment , an actress running across a sound stage with a bag of potato chips can be turned into a frightened young girl and her kitten fleeing a terrorist attack on her village . the most consistently effective gag revolves around the propaganda team 's attempt to forge a fictional war hero out of sgt . william " old shoe " schumann ( woody harrelson ) , an ex - military officer who turns out to be a first - class psycho . of course , not everything goes as planned ; the cia , for example , realizes what 's going on and strikes a deal with the president 's electoral opponent to report to the media that the " fighting " has ended , forcing motss and brean to come up with a new angle on the supposed albanian crisis . still , even with the cia 's involvement , the film falls a little short in terms of making this scenario believable . regardless of the official word from the president or the cia , would n't the major media outlets have eastern european correspondents who could verify that there is , in fact , no fighting going on in albania ? the film never addresses this question , nor does it show the reactions of the american public to the news of the apparent war except for a few scenes which border on the farcical , such as when basketball fans litter the court with shoes in support of the aforementioned sgt . schumann ; we are apparently meant to assume that everyone is buying it . there was also an instance , towards the end of the film , in which one of motss 's forced reinventions of the story seems to contradict what he and brean had been selling to the public thus far and could conceivably have given the game away . with these plot holes , " wag the dog " does n't quite work as a satire of american politics , but it does send up the mentality that might lead to these kinds of machinations in the first place . brean and his advisors never seem concerned that what they are doing is unethical ; rather , they worry about how convincing it will be and whether or not they have enough money to pull it off . the film takes a decidely dark turn towards the end , as we learn how far they are willing to go in order to keep the propaganda campaign a secret . motss and his hollywood buddies , meanwhile , seem completely out of touch with the rest of the world and just see this undertaking as another creative project . in fact , one of the sources of conflict in the film is motss 's increasing restlessness with the idea of not being able to take credit for producing the fake war ; in his mind , it is the greatest work of art he has ever created . i think it 's fair to say that " wag the dog " underachieves a little bit : more attention to the public reaction and tighter plotting might have made this into a four - star film and a classic satire . still , the issue of an american president using war and patriotism to distract from scandals or domestic unpopularity is a very real one . wag the dog takes the issue one step further and asks , what if the war was n't even real ? with this premise and the talented cast , the film still delivers more consistently than most , whatever its flaws .

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that said , " wag the dog " is actually a very clever satire on the shady manipulations of political figures and those who out - loud hilarious as i had expected , but there are some genuinely funny moments to be found here , such as when , in her kitten fleeing a terrorist attack on her village . the most consistently effective gag revolves around the propaganda team 's attempt to forge a unpopularity is a very real one . wag the dog takes the issue one step further and asks , what if the war was n't even with this premise and the talented cast , the film still delivers more consistently than most , whatever its flaws .

the sheer horrific audacity of the nazi plan to exterminate the jews of europe is almost incomprehensible . people may make documentaries about it for another hundred years and still not understand the organized , methodical hatred . five concentration camp survivors from the last days of world war ii tell their stories in the last days , the first documentary from steven spielberg 's survivors of the shoah visual history foundation . the five interviewees are linked by their hungarian ancestry . as the introduction explains , even as germany started to lose the war , the nazis stepped up their extermination of the jews in europe . in 1944 , hungary had the last big population of jews within germany 's reach , and they became the last target of hitler 's " final solution . " each of the five tells his or her story . their stories are intercut chronologically , starting from normal life in pre - war hungary . they recall the nazi invasion of hungary , being sent to " work " camps and their realization that they were actually in death camps . they recall their horrible , precarious lives in auschwitz and buchenwald ; the deaths of their family and friends ; their loss of hope . each recalls his or her unfathomable , eventual liberation . and finally , the last days shows their cathartic , pained , modern - day return to their old homes and the camps . needless to say , their stories are horrifying , amazing , and emotionally draining . by themselves , the stories would be forceful testaments , but by cutting them in parallel , their impact is multiplied by five . the last days is a talking - heads style documentary -- it 's mostly pictures of people telling their stories , intercut with period photographs and newsreel footage . in this kind of movie it 's almost impossible to get archival pictures from the same time and place being discussed on - screen , but director james moll made a better effort than most at finding specific , or at least relevant , images to go with his subjects ' narration . the liner notes ( one of the many nice features of this dvd ) indicate that there is some never - before - seen historical footage in the last days . it 's not clear which scene it is . it could be one of two that i had n't seen before , both powerful . one is rare color footage , shot by an american , of piles of victims in cattle cars . there is something jarring , something unsettling about seeing the pictures in color , when so much of the footage from world war ii is in black and white . another segment shows walking skeletons ; survivors who are so starved that they hardly look human anymore . there has been a glut of holocaust movies and i was skeptical that a new documentary would have anything new to say . but by focusing on hungarian jews during the last days of the war , moll told a specific part of the story in a new way , in greater detail . and i 'm glad he did because his careful filmmaking stands up well compared to other movies on the same subject . the transfer to dvd is rich and beautiful . x - mozilla - status : 0009f words for a holocaust documentary , but some of the interviews take place in europe in late spring , when skies are blue and trees are green . also , the movie was shot on 35 mm film ( and not video ! ) , so the richness and detail are impeccable . the dvd 's features are plentiful and well - chosen . there is a theatrical trailer for the movie , which is a great introduction to the subject matter . there are about fifty still photos , both from the production crew and from the private collections of the survivors . also , the disc has two complete versions of the movie ( widescreen and full screen ) , both on the same side . one of the more interesting dvd features is an outtake segment for each of the survivors ( plus one for the crew ) . you 'd think outtakes would be inappropriate in a holocaust documentary , but they 're not bloopers . instead , they are solid , moving segments that were probably cut from the film only for length . one of them continues a confrontation that was only touched on lightly in the film . renee firestone ( one of the five ) spoke on camera with dr . hans m ? nch , a german doctor who ran the medical clinic at auschwitz . firestone was aggressive , questioning the doctor about what his children thought . the doctor was evasive and clearly uncomfortable . another of the outtakes showed bill basch saying a prayer for his dead friends at auschwitz . he ends his prayer by saying " . . . forgive me for surviving . " it 's ambitious to shoot a documentary on 35 mm film . it 's ambitious to make it on a subject that has saturated cable , television , and movies . it 's ambitious to make it 54 years after the events it covers . but the last days handles all these potential obstacles very well . it 's only fitting that the dvd , with its wealth of interesting and relevant features , would also be ambitious and successful .

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one of two that i had n't seen before , both powerful . one is rare color footage , shot by an specific part of the story in a new way , in greater detail . and i 'm glad he did because his careful filmmaking stands up well compared to other movies on the same subject . the documentary , but they 're not bloopers . instead , they are solid , moving segments that were probably cut from the film only for length after the events it covers . but the last days handles all these potential obstacles very well . it 's only fitting that the dvd , with

it is easy to label something sentimental or tear jerking when one has not experienced the heartache of losing a child ? whether that may be in life or in death . after having said that , i will also say that this movie does all of the above very well . one gets that choking sensation in the throat ( because of grief ) when one brother forgives another for a costly mistake , or when a husband hugs his wife after a long estrangement . there is no ocean , no drownings and it does not conjure up memories of yet another ? ordinary people ' . in fact the only thing remotely connected to the ocean is probably tap water and the toilet flushing ( not that this literally happened in the movie ) . so what are the lessons learnt : 1 . do n't take your children to class reunions . 2 . do n't leave them alone in the lobby , not even for a second . michelle pfeiffer once again plays the role of a highly - strung wife and mother , a trend that started with ? a thousand acres ' and ? one fine day ' . my comment is that she is exceptionally fine strung in this movie , so much so that when she has a nervous break down , the veins on her temples bulge impressively . whoopi golberg also puts in an understated performance , playing a lesbian cop , with a name that makes one want to reach for a lollipop . lastly , who are the ideal companions for this sort of movie ? my grandmother comes to mind .

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said that , i will also say that this movie does all of the above very well . one gets that choking sensation in the throat ( veins on her temples bulge impressively . whoopi golberg also puts in an understated performance , playing a lesbian cop , with a name that

i know that " funnest " is n't a word . " fun " is a noun , and therefore can not be conjugated like an adjective . but that 's the word that came to me right after viewing " chicken run . " no wonder : this is the kind of movie that reduces you to childish expressions , like " that was the funnest movie i 've ever seen ! " so to hell with webster 's -- " chicken run " is one of the funnest movies i 've seen in a while . i ca n't remember the last time i 've seen anything funner . the chickens at tweedy 's farm are up to something . living in a concentration camp - like atmosphere , they are led by one plucky hen called ginger ( voice of julia sawalha ) who continually comes up with plans for escape -- and always gets caught , subsequently spending day after day in the coal box . one night , a brash american rooster flies in over the fence , calling himself rocky ( mel gibson ) , famous flying rooster and circus performer . rocky promises to teach the chickens how to fly , and the situation grows more desperate as the nefarious mrs . tweedy ( miranda richardson ) decides to abandon the farm 's egg - selling plan for a pie - selling plan . she orders a huge pie - making machine , cackling , " chickens go in ; pies come out . " what sort of pies ? chicken pies , of course . co - director nick park and his studio , aardman animation , produced three oscar - winning short films : " creature comforts , " " the wrong trousers , " and " a close shave . " the latter two were the second and third installments of a trilogy starring the delightful team wallace & gromit , a man and his dog famous for getting themselves into increasingly peculiar adventures . part of what made the " wallace " films brilliantly entertaining was park 's uncanny ability to make an old story seem new . " the wrong trousers , " for example , pulled out a lot of old hitchcockian suspense tricks , and " a close shave " owed a great deal of inspiration to classic detective stories . but in the hands of park and his team , the stories felt fresh and inspired , and not the least bit contrived . now teaming with co - director peter lord , park has created a similar creature in " chicken run . " the plot is largely lifted from " the great escape " ( watch for a quick reference to the ball - bouncing scene ) , with some spielberg - inspired action sequences providing the excitement . thing is , the film does n't feel like it 's been lifted from somewhere else ; " chicken run " feels fresh , alive , like nothing else ever done . part of it is the original idea : who in the world came up with the idea to make a prisoners - of - war movie starring chickens ? park and lord milk the incongruity for all it 's worth : the characters treat their situation as if it were dead serious , and to them , it is . but they 're * chickens * , so it 's funny to us . another thing that helps " chicken run " ( and most of park 's films ) succeed is the animators ' subtle way of giving nods to the very films they 're cribbing . there are references to " the great escape , " obviously , and " stalag 17 . " the chase sequence inside the chicken grinder parodies both " raiders of the lost ark " and " indiana jones and the temple of doom . " there 's even a nod to " the blues brothers , " if you can believe it , and the filmmakers even get in a little light - hearted ribbing at the expense of their star voice actor , taking a couple of very subtle jabs at mel gibson 's nationality and film history . the " braveheart " reference is a hoot if you catch it . when you consider just how fine a line resides between a funny parody and a redundant one , " chicken run " is downright brilliant in its execution . consider this : since july of last year , i 've seen dozens upon dozens of " blair witch project " parodies , on television , on the radio , and online . out of all those , maybe one or two were amusing , the rest tiresome . why ? because once you got past the thought that " they 're parodying that&#8216 ; blair witch ' movie , " most of the parodies had nothing to offer -- no insight , no original idea , no greater purpose . they were only funny if you had seen the movie ; otherwise , you got nothing . conversely , " chicken run " does n't lean on its parodies -- the film references are never the sole focus of any scene . if you 've never seen " indiana jones , " the chase sequence is still fun . even if you have no idea who mel gibson is , rocky remains an interesting character . park , lord , and screenwriter karey kirkpatrick realize that an audience does not need a parody shoved in their faces before it 's understood , and as a result , " chicken run " is filled with visual and verbal jabs that are never too obvious , but not quite vague either . enjoyment of this movie does n't require knowledge of film history , but if you 've got it , " chicken run " is that much richer . the voice cast turns in uniformly lively performances , and the characters they play are given so many subtle nuances that it 's hard not to fall in love with every one of them . ginger is perfect , spunky and opinionated , but with a soft heart that forbids her to leave her companions behind , and julia sawalha ( known as the cute mousy girl on " absolutely fabulous " ) nails it . she has warm , human chemistry with gibson , whose rocky hides his personal doubt under a brash gung - ho veneer . the characters ' inevitable romance does n't feel contrived , but sweet . poor mr . tweedy ( tony haygarth ) suspects the chickens are organizing in some way , but his limited intellect prevents him from figuring things out , and his overbearing wife certainly is n't any help . jane horrocks delivers a lovely voice characterization as tragically optimistic babs ( a hen that runs away with most of the best one - liners , all while perpetually crocheting a sweater ) , and two supply - trading rats that seem to have walked straight out of a monty python sketch nearly steal the show during the lively central swing - dancing sequence . they even come up with an inspired riff on something that 's baffled scholars and theologians alike for decades : the chicken vs . egg dilemma . one might have expected this inevitable joke to come off as wearisome , but as with most of " chicken run , " it comes as a delightful surprise . the film manages to cross all barriers ; it should be accessible to both children and adults , brits and yanks , rats and chickens . the animation is first - rate . remember that this was all done the old - fashioned way , with actual humans moving clay figurines around on a tiny set bit by painstaking bit , and you see just how truly remarkable " chicken run " really is . this movie possesses that same quality that makes pixar studios ' animation great : precise and unwavering attention to detail . as in such top - notch family fare as " a bug 's life " or " toy story 2 , " " chicken run " has something to offer in nearly every frame . certainly a passive viewer can enjoy it as a straightforward story with a worthwhile moral and some surprisingly touching scenes , but a active , attentive viewers will enjoy it even more because they 'll catch all the details . anyway , the movie 's just a boatload of fun . funnest damn movie i 've seen all year .

1POS

hell with webster 's -- " chicken run " is one of the funnest movies i 've seen in a while . i ca n't remember the last time i 've been lifted from somewhere else ; " chicken run " feels fresh , alive , like nothing else ever done . part of it is the original idea : who is . but they 're * chickens * , so it 's funny to us . another thing that helps " chicken run " ( nationality and film history . the " braveheart " reference is a hoot if you catch it . when you consider just how parody and a redundant one , " chicken run " is downright brilliant in its execution . consider this : since july of last year , if you 've never seen " indiana jones , " the chase sequence is still fun . even if you have no idea who mel gibson is , rocky remains an interesting character . park , lord , and screenwriter karey kirkpatrick realize run " is that much richer . the voice cast turns in uniformly lively performances , and the characters they play are given so many but as with most of " chicken run , " it comes as a delightful surprise . the film manages to cross all barriers ; it should be accessible to both children and adults , brits and yanks , rats and chickens . the animation is first - rate . remember that this was all done the old - bit by painstaking bit , and you see just how truly remarkable " chicken run " really is . this movie possesses same quality that makes pixar studios ' animation great : precise and unwavering attention to detail . as in such top - notch family fare as " toy story 2 , " " chicken run " has something to offer in nearly every frame . certainly a passive viewer can enjoy it as a straightforward story with a worthwhile moral and some surprisingly touching scenes , but a active , attentive viewers will enjoy it even more because they 'll catch all the details . anyway , the movie 's just a boatload of fun . funnest damn movie i 've seen all year .

capsule : a short punchy action sequel to the two dinosaur films made by steven spielberg . joe johnston directs a straightforward story of an excursion back to the island of the dinosaurs . it lets us see some new dinosaurs ( is that an oxymoron ? ) and gives us a nice and generally reasonably written adventure . the film is neither ambitious nor pretentious . i had a good time . , low +2 ( -4 to +4 ) here goes my credibility . this is a film on which i expect to be in a minority . i liked the third jurassic park film . i even liked the second jurassic park film . in a lot of ways jurassic park : the lost world was a creative three - way braiding together of michael crichton 's novel the lost world , arthur conan doyle 's novel the lost world , and the classic silent film version of the doyle . jp2 was an adventure , as doyle said , " for the boy who 's half man or the man who 's half boy . " that is what all the jurassic park films are . expecting them to give the viewer insights into the human condition is like expecting your car to vacuum your house . the classic adventure films like gunga din or king solomon 's mines had under - written characters also . jurassic park iii is an all out adventure on an island inhabited by dinosaurs . the characters are a little more complex than they at first appear to be , and even that is a little more complex than i was expecting . some of the characters who start out looking stupid and useless prove to be neither as the film proceeds . that degree of complexity combined with those very realistic looking dinosaur effects is just about as much as i require . i feel i got my money 's worth . the story opens with eric ( played by trevor morgan ) and friend parasailing near the forbidden island of isla sorna off costa rica . this was the research island where the dinosaurs were created for the now defunct jurassic park . they hope , no doubt , to get a look at the island 's dinosaurs from a safe height . the height is safe , but driving the boat in the water is not . the two soon find themselves in trouble and have to ditch their parasail onto the island where they do indeed get a better look at the dinosaurs than they had intended . flash to the united states and someone is offering to fund paleontologist alan grant ( sam neill ) in his research if he will go and fly over isla sorna and act as a guide . he has said that no force on earth or heaven could get him back near real dinosaurs . but again money convinces him to drop what he is doing and go . doing the convincing is a wealthy and eccentric couple ( william h . macy and tea leoni ) who has been just about everywhere else in the world and wants the adventure of seeing real dinosaurs . they too plan to see the island from a safe height grant is relieved to learn . he will fly over this island at a safe altitude just this once . right . guess what happens next ? jp3 probably functions better as a sequel than jp2 . first it has alan grant and ellie sattler ( laura dern ) back rather than the much less appealing ian malcolm . sattler has a much smaller part in jp3 , but is still present to tie this story to the first . curiously each film seems to arrange to have a signature scene with characters holding on to some large metal object that is about to fall some great distance . one thing that does not quite fit with the earlier films is just as grant discovers that raptors may be able to talk to each other , suddenly they seem to be doing it all the time . they did not appear to be conversing in the previous films . of course , these raptors look a little different also , so perhaps they are a different related species . not only are they more intelligent than in the past films , they are also more sympathetic . in this story they are not just killing machines , they have reasonable motives for what they do beyond nutrition . this time around they may be a little too anthropomorphized . each new film in the series introduces us to some new dinosaurs , of course . in this film a major threat is from a spinosaurus , not as common or as popularly known as a tyrannosaurus , but larger and presumably more nasty . it has a crocodile 's head and the body that looks like a dimetrodon walking upright . perhaps as an economy measure or just to create a mood the visual effects team frequently obscures our view of the dinosaurs . sometimes they just move too fast to see . occasionally darkness or fog obscures our vision . a few times we get unconvincing matte shot , particularly of the laboratory . but there is less money on the screen in terms of dinosaur effects than in the two previous films . the musical score by don davis borrows heavily from john williams 's score for the first film . joe johnston , who directs , already has to his credit two very good films i recommend the rocketeer and october sky . a team including alexander payne and jim taylor known for election writes the screenplay . the film they have made is a long way from great cinema , but it still is fun . if you get a thrill from seeing what look very much like live dinosaurs alive today , the film is for you . i rate it a 7 on the 0 to 10 scale and a low +2 on the -4 to +4 scale .

1POS

adventure . the film is neither ambitious nor pretentious . i had a good time . , low +2 ( -4 to +4 ) here effects is just about as much as i require . i feel i got my money 's worth . the story opens with eric ( played by trevor made is a long way from great cinema , but it still is fun . if you get a thrill from seeing what look very much like live dinosaurs alive today , the film is for you . i rate it a 7 on the 0 to

just look back two years ago at the coen brothers ' comedic gem the big lebowski , change the actors , take away the bowling alley , add a record store , and you 've got high fidelity ( or maybe the other way around since nick hornby 's novel high fidelity came first ) . either way , it 's been done before , a trio of losers cracking jokes and complaining about their failed romances , yet it remains consistently funny . why is this ? maybe because you know your life is much better than this , you know these guys are more pathetic than you are , and you know its ok to laugh at them because they 're fictional . director stephen frears , possibly not intentionally , has created a movie that makes you feel good about yourself and even that ostensibly no good uncle who watches television twenty four hours a day . when watching high fidelity , expect to laugh at someone else 's pain , realize what you are laughing at , and then laugh again . i laughed at dick ( todd louiso ) , the shy , timorous , steve buscemi character of lebowski , who seems to know what he is talking about but either ca n't put it into words or is harshly rejected by his friends . i laughed at the john goodman character barry ( jack black ) , an exact replica of the comic bookstore owner on the simpsons , pudgy , egotistic , and obnoxious at the same time . and i laughed at rob ( john cusack ) , the jeff bridges type , whom the story revolves around . rob is the character easiest to relate to , but he is nothing like you at all . he uncontrollably cheats and lies , then is unable to realize why he can not hold onto a woman . and like his other miserable friends , pop music is where he inevitably goes for comfort . he spends the afternoons at his job quizzing his coworkers with obscure trivia or listening to new music and either deriding it or praising it . whatever human emotions the clash , aretha franklin , and bruce springsteen records hold , rob and co . grasp them and help fill voids in their social lives . rob has built an extensive collection in his record store as well as his home and he organizes them depending on what mood he is in . during this confused stage of his life in which the movie focuses on , rob is trying to cope with numerous rejections over the years by visiting past girlfriends and eventually asking why they dumped him . but these are n't any girlfriends ? these girls made the all time top five break ups in the history of rob ( rob 's incessant use of lists show how pop music has played a major role in his life ) . the plot in three words is : women and music . the approach director stephen frears takes by having the charismatic rob speak directly to the camera is very effective . it gives high fidelity a quickly paced , informal structure , adjectives which perfectly parallel rob 's own lifestyle . it also helps open the viewer 's eyes as to how annoying barry is . jack black steals the show with a hilariously realistic performance as a total sleaze ball . just listening to him speak for five minutes makes the audience immediately sympathetic for rob , who must work with him every day of the week . what frears does so well is that he makes us feel sorry for rob while laughing at his misfortunes . john cusack plays his character convincingly but it is the strong supporting cast , consisting of big stars and character actors , that really defines rob . now instead of rob just talking to the camera , after he explains something , the remaining cast members physically and humorously create what he is trying to say . the only problem with high fidelity is that it does n't end when it should have ended . instead the movie goes on for a torturous twenty minutes that seem a lot longer than that . also bruce springsteen is completely wasted in a brief cameo halfway through the movie . high fidelity is a cheerful , old fashioned comedy with a voluminous soundtrack and as many laughs . i just hope hollywood keeps creating losers on the big screen , they make everyone look and feel great .

1POS

cracking jokes and complaining about their failed romances , yet it remains consistently funny . why is this ? maybe because you know your fictional . director stephen frears , possibly not intentionally , has created a movie that makes you feel good about yourself and even that ostensibly no good uncle who watches television by having the charismatic rob speak directly to the camera is very effective . it gives high fidelity a quickly paced , informal eyes as to how annoying barry is . jack black steals the show with a hilariously realistic performance as a total sleaze ball . just listening to him with him every day of the week . what frears does so well is that he makes us feel sorry for rob while laughing at his misfortunes . john cusack plays his character convincingly but it is the strong supporting cast , consisting of big stars and character actors , that a brief cameo halfway through the movie . high fidelity is a cheerful , old fashioned comedy with a voluminous soundtrack and as many laughs . i just hope hollywood keeps creating losers on the

plot : a human space astronaut accidentally falls upon a planet ruled by apes . he is taken prisoner along with some other humans , and tries his best to escape his simian captors . oh yeah , and did i mention that the apes can talk ? kewl ! critique : despite this film not looking like a " tim burton movie " or its lead human character showing any signs of being a human being himself , i did find myself generally entertained throughout most of this film and do recommend it as fun , summer fare . although the thing that sets this movie apart from all others is definitely its incredible ape make - up jobs and characterizations . i mean , i was completely convinced that every single one of these apes was for real ! i also have to " give it up " to all of the actors inside the costumes , not only for waking up at three in the morning every day to get make - up slobbered all over them for 2 - 4 hours , but for coming through their costumed exteriors and selling us their characters on the screen as well . i especially enjoyed bonham carter 's performance , who i believed to be the most developed character in the entire film ( human or ape ) and tim roth 's bad guy , who chewed up scenery and oozed evil in every scene in which he took part . plot - wise , i liked the beginning of the film , the whole build - up once wahlberg got into the village , the escape and most of the fight scenes , but once things got out into the deserted area ( and the final battle sequence ) , i kinda lost a bit of my interest . i was much more intrigued by the interactions between the characters and the whole idea of " human beings as animals " then i was about the end battle sequence , which just seemed a bit too typical for this kind of film . i also hated the " kid " character who just got on my nerves and did n't really care for the way that the battle sequence was resolved ( i wo n't ruin it here but c'mon guys . . . you coulda thought of something a little more plausible than that , no ? ) . but the thing that held this movie back more than anything else was its lead character , his cold demeanor and the zero chemistry that he shared with either one of his inter - species love interests . this dude did n't seem to give a rat 's ass about anyone but himself and i ultimately did n't really care about what happened to him either . now i 'm not sure if this was the fault of the actor or the script , but the film suffered because of it . visually , the movie was also nice to look at ( especially the apes ! ) , but i definitely expected greater coolness from tim burton . the " surprise ending " that highlighted the original planet of the apes film back in 1968 , felt a little tacked on here , and despite being interesting , did n't really make all that much sense to me ( unless you look at it from a sequel point of view ) . so overall , i loved the whole " feel " of the planet , the apes that ruled it , the manner in which they treated the humans , screamed , shouted and reverted the entire evolution chain , but did n't appreciate the film 's lack of human character development ( why was kris kristofferson even in this movie ? ) and the fact that its lead male and female humans were just plain boring . but i would still recommend this film as a fun , summer movie with laughs , creepiness and a really cool premise . ps : for anyone who has seen the original , i can not believe that they did n't at least bring back the scene in which the lead human character ( in this case , mark wahlberg ) goes nuts at the world in which he 's suddenly been thrust ( " this is a mad house ! " - type of thing ) . the guy in this film barely seems to be " put off " by the fact that he 's surrounded by apes who can speak english ! ! where 's joblo coming from ? the arrival ( 8/10 ) - battlefield earth ( 7/10 ) - godzilla ( 4/10 ) - instinct ( 6/10 ) - mission to mars ( 3/10 ) - pitch black ( 7/10 ) - ( 1968 ) planet of the apes ( 9/10 ) - sleepy hollow ( 8/10 )

1POS

showing any signs of being a human being himself , i did find myself generally entertained throughout most of this film and do recommend it as fun , summer fare . although the thing that sets this movie apart from all others is definitely its incredible ape make - up jobs and characterizations . i mean , i was completely convinced that every single one of these apes was for real ! i also have to " give it up " to all of the actors inside the costumes , not selling us their characters on the screen as well . i especially enjoyed bonham carter 's performance , who i believed to be in which he took part . plot - wise , i liked the beginning of the film , the whole build - up once wahlberg got into but the film suffered because of it . visually , the movie was also nice to look at ( especially the apes ! ) , but i definitely a sequel point of view ) . so overall , i loved the whole " feel " of the planet , the apes that ruled it , male and female humans were just plain boring . but i would still recommend this film as a fun , summer movie with laughs , creepiness and a really cool premise . ps : for anyone who has seen the original

disaster films have a tendency to be very formulated and very cliched . to see a disaster film with actual originality , or at least a decent plot twist , would definitely be a welcome surprise . unfortunately , folks , it 's not likely . dante 's peak is cliched , and at times corny , but also pretty decent . to be honest , i was n't very interested in seeing this film , and word of mouth , as well as several reviews , did n't make it sound promising . so i was pleasantly surprised that to find that this movie was n't bad at all . it 's pretty run of the mill , but it 's not something i would say is merely " ok " to watch . in case you do n't know , dante 's peak is about a volcano and the city which lives in it 's shadow , dante 's peak ( who would 've guessed , eh ? ) . pierce brosnan plays the volcanologist sent to study the volcano and , perhaps more by hunch than actual scientific proof , is determined that the volcano will be arupting in the very near future . due to the lack of more substantial evidence , nobody warns the small town , and when they finally do , it 's in the middle of the town meeting that the volcano finally blows . brosnan , all around good guy , will , of course , save the day . . . or at least the mayor of dante 's peak ( linda hamilton ) . naturally the two will become infatuated with one another . ( if you think i just ruined a plot development , you have n't seen very many movies ! ) there 's also the virtually neccessary kids and pet dog to tug at your heart strings . and of course , the kids or the dog ( at least one or the other ) will do something heroic . . . but hey , i do n't want to ruin all the surprises ! if there was a part of you that was hesitating seeing dante 's peak merely because it was rumored to be a waste of time , i urge you to watch it and decide for yourself . it 's not brain food , but it succeeds at what it 's meant to be . . . an enjoyable , suspenseful movie about the fury mother nature can unleash !

1POS

peak is cliched , and at times corny , but also pretty decent . to be honest , i was n't very interested reviews , did n't make it sound promising . so i was pleasantly surprised that to find that this movie was n't bad at all . it 's pretty run of the mill , but it was rumored to be a waste of time , i urge you to watch it and decide for yourself . it 's not brain food , but it succeeds at what it 's meant to be . . . an enjoyable , suspenseful movie about the fury mother nature can unleash !

in brief : best bleak comedy film since heathers . full of wonderful swipes at the fifteen minutes of fame mentality that feeds so much of modern american pop culture . go see it ! so , i prepared for this film by watching a moving interview on " hard copy " with pam smart , the new hampshire media teacher who was convicted of engineering the death of her husband back in the 1980 's . " hard copy " 's diane diamond asked smart what she thought about nicole kidman 's fictionalized portrayal of her in the new film to die for . smart replied that she thought kidman 's character came off as a dumb , vicious tramp and she thought that the publicity the new movie generates might just hurt her chances in her latest court appeal . ( smart was convicted and given a life sentence for her part in the murder of her husband . ) smart 's got a point . it would n't be the first time that the public took the better scripted and well - acted movie version of an event as the absolute truth over the duller and far less artistic real life version . however , given a choice between the mass media ' happening ' of the real event and the fictionalized movie , i would definitely opt for the later . real murderers rarely have dialogue as witty as what buck henry has written for this movie and smart , while pretty and alluring , is no match for the cinematic charms of nicole kidman . to die for begins in a town called little hope , new hampshire , the archetypal dry and intellectually barren american suburb . the story concerns the ambitious suzanne stone and how she tackles the obstacles between her and her life long ambition of being ' on tv . ' of course , one of those little obstacles turns out to be her dull and unambitious husband larry , played by matt dillon . but , with a little imagination , some charm and raw sex appeal and a rather novel approach to junior achievement , our heroine manages to overcome the nay - sayers in her life , at least temporarily . kidman triumphs in the trashy role of suzanne . i have never really been all that fond of this actress but she shows a wonderful flair for comedy in this picture . her portrayal of the incredibly shallow and dumb femme fatale resonates . kidman knows a star - making role when she sees it and she plays the conscience - deprived suzanne as the ultimate career driven , post - feminist uber - temptress from hell . she is ably abetted by wonderfully demented comic dialogue , which kidman delivers in a unselfconsciously funny way . at one point suzanne is expounding on her knowledge of world events to her future husband and sister - in - law . " you know , " she knowingly exclaims , " gorbachev would still be the leader of russia or whatever , if he had just had that ugly purplish thing removed from his head . " her husband beams at suzanne 's profound knowledge of world politics and then proudly proclaims that this qualifies her to be the next barbara walters . this is very close to pop culture bashing heaven , folks . the other standout performance in the film is delivered by joaquin phoenix . he plays jimmy , a burned out teenager who becomes addicted to suzanne 's sexual favors . kidman 's character , vapid though she is , is a sort of suave beacon of success to jimmy and his lost friends russell and lydia , winningly portrayed by casey affleck and alison folland . phoenix looks like the very embodiment of gen - x slackerhood ( as envisioned by tabloid tv , of course ) . his jimmy has the dead eyes and demeanor of a kid who knows that he ai n't going anywhere , ever . phoenix reacts to the sexy suzanne with a sort of obsessed amazement and he makes us believe that a loser character like jimmy really would be willing to kill for someone like suzanne , someone who actually noticed him . gus van sant ( drugstore cowboy , my own private idaho ) direction is first - rate . he keeps the pacing in this not - quite - thriller snapping along . van sant rightly keeps the focus of this movie on the amoral suzanne and does n't stop to proselytize the audience about the rightness or wrongness of her actions . van sant trusts his material and trusts his audience to ' get it ' without stopping to explain what is funny about this all - american story . the screenplay , by buck henry , is absolutely great and includes some of the best bleakly comic lines i 've heard since heathers . henry 's story is a blast against the shallowness of the american media and the mindlessness of fame , yet the screenplay delivers this sharp message by focusing on just a few characters . henry ably manages to avoid diluting his story by aiming at too many targets and the result is a crisp and funny mini - classic . danny elfman did the original music for this movie and he delivers another eccentric , loopy score that strongly echoes his themes for edward scissorhands . either film score would make wonderful background music for halloween trick - or - treat parties . all - in - all , a wonderful production , well worth your seven bucks ! to die for : a columbia pictures release directed by gus van sant . written by buck henry score by danny elfman starring nicole kidman , matt dillon , joachin phoenix based on the book by joyce maynard . rated r - for language and mature themes . ( respect the r , not for under 14 's ) rating ----- stars . go see it .

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in brief : best bleak comedy film since heathers . full of wonderful swipes at the fifteen minutes of fame mentality that feeds so much of modern american pop culture . go see it ! so , i prepared for this film by watching a would definitely opt for the later . real murderers rarely have dialogue as witty as what buck henry has written for this movie and smart , while pretty and alluring sayers in her life , at least temporarily . kidman triumphs in the trashy role of suzanne . i have never really been all that fond of this actress but she shows a wonderful flair for comedy in this picture . her portrayal of the incredibly shallow ably abetted by wonderfully demented comic dialogue , which kidman delivers in a unselfconsciously funny way . at one point suzanne is expounding on her knowledge this qualifies her to be the next barbara walters . this is very close to pop culture bashing heaven , folks . the other standout performance in the film is delivered by joaquin phoenix . he sant ( drugstore cowboy , my own private idaho ) direction is first - rate . he keeps the pacing in this not - quite - thriller snapping along . van sant rightly keeps the focus of this movie on the amoral suzanne and does n't american story . the screenplay , by buck henry , is absolutely great and includes some of the best bleakly comic lines i 've heard since heathers . henry 's story is a blast against message by focusing on just a few characters . henry ably manages to avoid diluting his story by aiming at too many targets and the result is - treat parties . all - in - all , a wonderful production , well worth your seven bucks ! to die for : a columbia pictures release directed by not for under 14 's ) rating ----- stars . go see it .

i relish those rare opportunities when a talented screenwriter can make me feel like a fool . i spent the first hour of forces of nature slowly stewing over its grim attitude towards marriage , grousing to myself about its transparently planes , trains and automobiles plot machinations , and waiting for the inevitable hollywood denouement . this was a mass market romantic comedy , after all , a genre which has been taken over by teenagers and , even in its best days , worked hard to perpetuate the romance = infatuation paradigm . then marc lawrence did something wonderful , something which made the entire film click into place : he showed me a comic love story about grown - ups . it certainly did n't look that way from the outset , which introduces groom - to - be ben holmes ( ben affleck ) at his bachelor party , surrounded by friends and family whooping over his " last night of freedom . " ben loves his fiancee bridget ( maura tierney ) , but the doom - and - gloom pronouncements of everyone around him have him questioning the meaning of this ' till death do you part business . then , on an ill - fated flight from new york to his wedding in savannah , ben meets sarah lewis ( sandra bullock ) , a free - spirited woman with a string of failed careers and relationships behind her . as transportation troubles thwart them at every turn , ben and sarah begin a three - day southward journey in which their connection grows ever stronger , ben seeing in sarah the chances he 's never taken and sarah seeing in ben the stability she 's never had . forces of nature gets off to a solid enough start , setting up the characters and the situations with plenty of witty dialogue . ben is an ideal role for affleck 's easy - going charm , and he plays the straight - laced straight man without forced exasperation . sandra bullock , for her part , is more loose and appealing than she has been in her last half - dozen films combined , avoiding her recent habit of playing any semblance of character depth as moping . the two performances -- part of a great top - to - bottom cast -- are effective and connected from the start , yet the script 's apparent sympathy with the marital horror stories ben hears makes it difficult to enjoy the romance completely . lively and funny though it may be on a consistent basis , forces of nature leaves a bitter taste that feels like self - justification . the kicker is that those acidic anecdotes serve exactly the opposite purpose , leading to a surprisingly emotional resolution . forces of nature is n't about a man developing a fear of commitment ; it 's about a man learning what commitment means _ to him _ , learning that it 's not what he thought it was . lawrence 's script feints and dodges before reaching its happy ending , an ending which is happy because people make the choices that make the most sense . earlier scenes that might have felt like throwaways take on more resonance , and that bitter taste sweetens into something fresh and genuine . though one too many plot contrivances keep ben and sarah together through the film , and they do exchange the obligatory mutual character analysis of bickering screen couples , forces of nature wraps up so perfectly that you 'll end up remembering the humor and the simple wisdom . that is , provided you 're not put off by the ridiculously busy direction of bronwen hughes . for a brisk romantic comedy , forces of nature comes loaded with some of the most over - directed scenes of the year : teetering hand - held shots , why - not low or high angles , sweeping pans . occasionally the hyper - real approach works , with cinematographer elliot davis creating a world of fantasy romance ; far more often , hughes refuses to let a scene be what it is , covering it with flourishes so thick you almost ca n't find what 's underneath . a script this smart and mature deserved a more restrained director , but even hughes ' excesses ca n't spoil this unique concoction . forces of nature may restore your faith in romantic comedy as something with the power to enchant , something that can make you happy to be proved wrong when you expect a tale for and about adolescents .

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perpetuate the romance = infatuation paradigm . then marc lawrence did something wonderful , something which made the entire film click into place : he showed me a comic love story about grown 's never had . forces of nature gets off to a solid enough start , setting up the characters and the situations with plenty of witty dialogue . ben is an ideal role for affleck 's easy - going charm , and he depth as moping . the two performances -- part of a great top - to - bottom cast -- are effective and connected from the start , yet the script 's apparent sympathy with the marital hears makes it difficult to enjoy the romance completely . lively and funny though it may be on a consistent basis , forces of nature leaves a bitter taste that feels thick you almost ca n't find what 's underneath . a script this smart and mature deserved a more restrained director , but even hughes ' excesses ca n't spoil this unique concoction . forces of nature may restore your faith in romantic comedy as something with the power to enchant , something that can make you happy to be proved wrong when you expect a tale for

warning : this review contains some spoilers for the 1964 film " fail - safe . " if you have n't seen the film yet , proceed with caution . nutshell : a relevant , intelligent , suspenseful drama . still powerful today , even after the end of the cold war . -------------------- " fail - safe " ( usa , 1964 ) drama , 111 minutes screenplay by walter bernstein based on the novel by eugene burdick and harvey wheeler produced by max e . youngstein directed by sidney lumet review by jamahl epsicokhan -------------------- the most ironic aspect of nuclear war is that it does n't have a winning side and a losing side . in a nuclear confrontation , everybody loses , and the aftereffects have devastating effects that impact the entire world -- assuming the world survives . the idea -- and perhaps the only real option -- is to avoid war at all costs . this is the theme of sidney lumet 's " fail - safe , " a fictional drama based on the novel by eugene burdick and harvey wheeler . " fail - safe " takes place during the heart of the cold war ( the actual film was released two years after the cuban missile crisis ) , when the united states and the soviet union were in static discord over an issue that can be summarized in a single word : communism . the premise centers around a combination of accidents and operation flaws . five u . s . bombers carrying nuclear warheads are ordered to set a routine course for moscow after an unidentified aircraft is spotted heading toward america . the unidentified aircraft turns out to be a commercial airliner , but a mechanical failure strikes the military base that commands the bombers . suddenly out of contact , and with standing orders to remain on course until receiving new directives , the bomber pilots can not be recalled , and they proceed to moscow with the intention of destroying it with a nuclear strike . a great deal of " fail - safe " 's plot follows various characters as they attempt to devise ways of stopping the u . s . bombers from reaching russia 's borders -- at any cost . the plot is compelling , and the story creates urgency and dread by painting the grimmest of worst case scenarios . the reality sets in quickly as one attempt to turn the bombers after another fails . general bogan ( frank overton ) , taking orders directly from the president of the united states himself ( henry fonda ) , is powerless -- the fate of the world lies in the hands of an automated , pre - programmed system that may not be stoppable , simply because the creators of the war machines were too efficient in their task to make a no - win situation winnable . the events in " fail - safe " are fascinating because they 're anything but predictable , but the real reason " fail - safe " works is because it understands more about nuclear war than what exists within the confines of its plot . a key ingredient to the film is its ability to create an ongoing polemic about nuclear war , communism , the cold war , and the united states ' role in all of it . most of this is through the film 's use of the character groeteschele ( walter matthau ) , an arrogant civilian theorist of nuclear weapons use who , incidentally , is on the president 's advising staff for analyzing the statistical plausibility of waging a nuclear war . many of the film 's most pointed messages arise from discussions where groeteschele is one of the key voices . early in the film , he hosts a dinner party where he explains the importance of " strategy " in a nuclear assault to " minimize " casualties . " what 's the difference between 60 million and 100 million dead ? " a guest asks impatiently . " forty million , " groeteschele responds wryly . the problem with groeteschele 's mindset is that he * believes * nuclear combat to be a viable method of war . the only difference to him between nuclear armageddon and conventional warfare is the raw data and the casualty totals . groeteschele realizes that these weapons can destroy the world several times over . yet his answer to the arms race is not to slow down and try to cool the situation off , as general black ( dan o'herlihy ) has often recommended . on the contrary -- according to groeteschele , that would lead to russia having * more * nuclear weapons than the u . s . , which would clearly put america at a disadvantage . such a stance was perhaps the central paradox and misguided practice of the arms race . " fail - safe " clearly sees it as one of the central issues of the cold war , and , likewise , it becomes a central theme in the film . why continue to build such machines of mass destruction while already possessing enough of them to destroy the world several times over ? is it wise ? is it even logical ? no , not really . although " fail - safe " is more about the issue of nuclear weapons than it is about the political ramifications of communism , there is a scene in the film that deals with communism in an intentionally superficial , one - sided sort of way . again , this is achieved through groeteschele , who is easily the film 's most important character in terms of the larger - theme significance . in addition to providing the central " pro - nuclear war " voice that the film warns against , he also makes key remarks about communists that show just how much fear and resentment people of the period were prone to when it came to communism . the context the film uses suggests that this hatred was often glib . one of groeteschele 's " logical " trains of thought ventures so far into fantasy theoretical prediction that it 's merely absurd . he labels the average marxist an " unfeeling , calculating machine " that will do whatever it takes to preserve itself . groeteschele takes it so far as to say that if the u . s . drops the warhead on moscow , the soviets will * instantly * surrender , for to retaliate would invite counter - measures that would further destroy russia 's home soil -- which must be preserved at all costs . groeteschele seems to forget these people are human beings with emotions ; general black quickly reminds him that the soviets would attack out of revenge -- as any normal person would . the irony here is groeteschele 's own mechanical theorizing . he is so quick to judge the enemy that he does n't even realize his own seemingly programmed thought patterns . once the film makes it evident that turning the u . s . bombers will be impossible , the question becomes what the * consequences * of destroying moscow will be . just how will the soviet union 's leader react , and what can the president do to convey his best intentions ? ( just * how * does one pass off the deaths of millions of people as an * mishap * ? ) with the help of his translator buck ( larry hagman ) , the president negotiates at length with the soviet leader , in scenes that prove amazingly taut and powerful in their simplicity , with lumet 's long takes of fonda and hagman in the same frame , exchanging the dialog between the president and the soviet leader . without getting into too much detail , i will say that the compromise they ultimately reach is very costly , yet necessary and as sensible as possible under the circumstances . ( that is , as sensible as a nuclear " incident " can probably be . ) it does accomplish what it must : it avoids an all - out war , something that simply is n't possible because of its all - too - real consequences . dramatically , the ending is quite powerful , and the use of o'herlihy 's character as the symbolic " matador " ( providing a bookend to the film by ending the story while tying into his dream sequence from the film 's opening ) , is particularly appropriate . " fail - safe " is a production of a major hollywood studio ( released by columbia pictures ) , and it has the structure of a high - tension suspense thriller that one might expect from a hollywood film . nevertheless , under lumet 's direction and walter bernstein 's intelligent adaptation of burdick 's and wheeler 's novel , the film continues to have a lasting effect even after the events on screen have unfolded . the film often warns that the automation of war is something that may make nuclear holocaust an unintentional consequence of such mass arming . but it was the conscious , human choice to * initialize * this automatic arming that " fail - safe " also finds dangerous . in retrospect , the arms race seems to be one of the most puzzling exercises in futility of the century . it 's just fortunate that both sides were finally able to come to their senses and slow down , rather than continuing groeteschele 's dangerous approach of speeding up and causing a possible meltdown .

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the film yet , proceed with caution . nutshell : a relevant , intelligent , suspenseful drama . still powerful today , even after the end of the cold war . from reaching russia 's borders -- at any cost . the plot is compelling , and the story creates urgency and dread by painting its all - too - real consequences . dramatically , the ending is quite powerful , and the use of o'herlihy 's character as the dream sequence from the film 's opening ) , is particularly appropriate . " fail - safe " is a production of of burdick 's and wheeler 's novel , the film continues to have a lasting effect even after the events on screen have unfolded . the

andrew lloyd webber 's musicals , preferably his early work with lyricist tim rice , present a musical which is totally unlike any musical before its time . webber and rice do not subscribe to the gaity of such musicals as " oklahoma ! , " or the slapstickness of shows like " a funny thing happened on the way to the forum . " they instead tackle hot issues from our past , and view them differently , and pack them together with redundant , catchy music , as well as thoughtful lyrics . like " jesus christ superstar , " which examined the rise and fall of jesus in his last days from a fame perspective ( in the cool tune " superstar , " a dead judas comes back from the dead to ask jesus why he did n't spread his message wider ) , " evita " takes an inventive stance on its topic , this time being the famed wife of argentinian dictator , juan per ? n , eva , who slept her way to the top and became famous chiefly because she got attention , much like the woman playing her : madonna ( although i think madonna did rise to the top for her musical talent , among other things ) . " evita " deals with the rise and fall of eva per ? n , a woman who captured the heart of the nation after marrying juan ( jonathan pryce ) , then died at the young age of 33 , creating an international stir of mourning not unlike that of princess di ( the two do share a bit in common , although it was n't like di slept to " the top " ) . webber and rice sure chose bizarre topics for their musicals , but they always have a point for doing it . here , they wish to expose her for what she is , but still show that despite all of her many drawbacks , her lying , and covering up for her fascist husband , but show that she was still a good woman with fairly good intentions , and her death was very sad . it 's also a musical , with almost no words not unsung . the film plays like a rock opera , much like their " jesus christ superstar , " with many giant musical sequences just like the old musicals , even if they do possess very intelligent lyrics , which create not only an intellectually enlightening experience , but also a very entertaining one . after all , this is a musical , and webber 's musicals never undermine this . they are a balance of energy and intellectual depth , walking on a fine line between the both , and never stumbling on either side . this is why the beginning of " evita " is kind of a let - down . okay , it is a let - down . i 'm not saying the opening moments are bad , because they 're pretty good . but what comes after is a lifeless , un - entertaining , and totally unrewarding sequence where she cons a singer ( jimmy nail ) into taking eva to buenos aires after a one - night stand . in the musical , it 's a fun , energetic sequence , culiminating in the show stopper , " buenos aires , " which is also lifeless . then a punch is pulled as we see eva being screwed over by the singer , instead of her leaving him , where she ends up singing the sad tune , " another suitcase in another hall , " which was meant for a later character , screwed over by eva . the portrayal of eva in the beginning is too soft , seeming like parker and oliver stone , who adapted it for the screen , are afraid to present her for what she is , even while it 's being narrated by a hater of eva 's , the omnipotent ( antonio banderas ) , who presents her in a negative light . for a while , it looks like alan parker ca n't pull it off . however , the film pulls itself together in a flash , and after that song is over , and the giddily nihilistic song " goodbye and thank you , " where we see eva go through a long line of lovers who help her ascend , is magnificent , darkly comical , and just gleeful . from this point on , the film is hypnotic , satisfying , and satirical . no more punches are thrown , and the basic outline of the original musical are in tact . we see eva woo and marry juan , get him out of jail , rise to stardom , falter a bit , come back , and then gradually die of cancer ( i think it was because of cancer ) . more importantly , many of the themes from the musical carry on with this , as well as some filling - in - the - gaps reconnassaince work . juan , who is pretty underwritten in the musical , is given some extra scenes , and exposed as what he was for eva : an accessory . a muted scene where he tries to visit her respective room but is shunned allows us to learn more about juan , and understand his sadness more than we did before . > from the " goodbye and thank you " number on , the film shows eva trying to cover up for the horrible government by doing cheap and petty things which wooed a nation , and saved a government , even while it left the nation 's people downtrodden . but despite this , the nation still loved eva , and when she slipped into death , the world mourned her because she was a star . that 's when our narrator , ch ? , comes out to show that she was n't the great woman she really was , and expose her fame . describing this character is difficult , mainly because he has no real realistic background ( he 's said to be based on the revolutionary ch ? guevera , but the two probably could have never met , like they do in the film ) , but he serves as a perspective on eva , but even his perspective ca n't help us from feeling bad when eva dies a pathetic death . alan parker , no stranger to bizarre musicals ( he 's done " fame , " " the committments , " " bugsy malone , " and " pink floyd the wall " - the latter which is absolutely brilliant ) , nails the film , exposing everything for what it is . we cry for evita at the end because we feel we should , by the way it is presented . his direction is manipulative for a reason : to show the mourning for what it is . and there is energy throughout , with lots of bright colors , and scenes which are cinematically entertaning , as well as enriching and deep , such as the balcony scene where she sings " do n't cry for me , argentina , " and her death sequence , which is poignant becuase of how sad it is . madonna 's golden globe winning performance is much like the movie : starts kinda downhill then goes up quickly , remaning there for the rest of the film . at the beginning , she looks like she 's too busy concentrating on her singing to act , but she eventually gets it right , though never really getting the presence of , say , patti lupone ( who did the role in its american premiere back in the late 70s ) . her death , though , is brilliant . her singing could be better though . i know she took lessons to improve her range and all , but it still sounds like she 's trying to hard . she sounds way too soft in several places where she should be comanding ( like . . . patti lupone - i heard her sing on an old " evita " cd , and you could just feel her stage presence without even seeing her ) . but it 's generally very good , although not up to the brilliance the role really requires . antonio banderas , who is almost like a guilty pleasure these days ( i 'm one of the few people who thinks he rocks ) , is extremely comanding in his performance , presenting a lovable narrator . his singing is very good , though nothing compared to the original , mandy patinkin . he does have a pretty good singing voice , and a great range . and jonathan pryce is pretty awesome , although very brief at times , in his role as juan , seeming to put on a poker face for his melancholy facade . although it gets off to a rocky start ( " rocky " 's polite for what it really is ) , it soon picks up and becomes a wonderully poignant musical . like the other musical released in ' 96 ( woody allen 's " everyone says i love you " ) , it 's a reminder that the hollywood musical may be dead , but it can come back every now and then for a brief performance .

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do possess very intelligent lyrics , which create not only an intellectually enlightening experience , but also a very entertaining one . after all , this is a musical , and a one - night stand . in the musical , it 's a fun , energetic sequence , culiminating in the show stopper , " buenos aires , " which is also lifeless alan parker ca n't pull it off . however , the film pulls itself together in a flash , and after that song is over , and the , and just gleeful . from this point on , the film is hypnotic , satisfying , and satirical . no more punches are thrown , and the basic " - the latter which is absolutely brilliant ) , nails the film , exposing everything for what it is . we cry to show the mourning for what it is . and there is energy throughout , with lots of bright colors , and scenes which are cinematically entertaning , as well as enriching and deep , such as the balcony scene where she sings " its american premiere back in the late 70s ) . her death , though , is brilliant . her singing could be better though . i know her stage presence without even seeing her ) . but it 's generally very good , although not up to the brilliance the role really the few people who thinks he rocks ) , is extremely comanding in his performance , presenting a lovable narrator . his singing is very though nothing compared to the original , mandy patinkin . he does have a pretty good singing voice , and a great range . and jonathan pryce is pretty awesome , although very brief at times , in his role

there 's more to a quilt than fabric and thread -- each patchwork design has its own unique story ( or stories ) to tell . in how to make an american quilt , the first hollywood release from australian director jocelyn moorhouse ( proof ) , we come to understand how the tales of the seven makers imbue their creation with passion and vitality . all the sorrows , joys , longings , sufferings , and loves of these women are sewn into their quilt and , as their bittersweet memories are given expression , one young woman applies these lessons of the past to her own uncertain future . motion pictures are filled with male bonding rituals ; how to make an american quilt presents a distinctly feminine alternative . the " quilting bee " consists of seven members : sisters gladys ( ann bancroft ) and hy ( ellen burstyn ) ; sophia ( lois smith ) , a woman known for frightening children ; emma ( jean simmons ) , the timid wife of a perpetually unfaithful man ; constance ( kate nelligan ) , who has been having an affair with emma 's husband ; anna ( maya angelou ) , the leader of the group ; and marianna ( alfre woodard ) , anna 's daughter . the project they 're busy with is the wedding quilt for hy 's granddaughter , finn ( winona ryder ) , who has just become engaged . she 's spending the summer with hy and gladys , and away from her fiance , to decide whether a lifelong commitment is really what she wants , and whether it 's better to marry a friend or a lover . one of the greatest pleasures of how to make an american quilt comes from watching an array of fine performances by an impressive ensemble cast . from winona ryder , ann bancroft , ellen burstyn , and maya angelou to minor players like rip torn , claire danes , and kate capshaw , this film is overflowing with realized talent . the performances are good enough , in fact , to cover up many of the script 's weaknesses . how to make an american quilt is basically an unremarkable , if affecting , tale of love across the generations -- a sort of truncated american version of the joy luck club , with a dash of fried green tomatoes added . there are probably too many characters . so , instead of really getting to know a few of them , we are presented with quick glimpses into a single defining event in each of their lives . we learn about the root of the smoldering resentment between gladys and hy , and are told the reasons why emma stays with her husband and sophia is so irascible . there are other episodes as well : the love of anna 's life , marianna 's soul mate , and a look at the reasons why constance entered into an affair with her friend 's husband . the sum total of these tales is meant to provide the framework for finn 's story : whether to go forward with her marriage or dally with a hunky stranger . there is no emotional epiphany in how to make an american quilt . the stories are all well - told , but it 's difficult to really connect with the characters -- their moments pass so quickly . while we certainly feel something for each of the eight principals , our emotional investment is tenuous . there is n't enough depth to pull the viewer in all the way , and many of the personalities and relationships feel half- formed , like a quilt with patches missing . to put it bluntly , while i enjoyed watching this film , it did n't " do much " for me . on the whole , how to make an american quilt is a nicely - understated drama that has a lot to say about love , passion , and monogamy in relationships . finn 's segment is by far the most compelling , because she 's the focal point : her actions are shaped by everyone else 's experiences . the other patches of this american quilt are successful only to varying degrees . if there 's a disappointment here , it 's that the script does n't have more resonance , but the privilege of seeing such a fine cast in top form allows a viewer to enjoy this picture even if the story is somewhat conventional .

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of how to make an american quilt comes from watching an array of fine performances by an impressive ensemble cast . from winona ryder , ann bancroft , ellen burstyn rip torn , claire danes , and kate capshaw , this film is overflowing with realized talent . the performances are good enough , in fact , to cover up many of the script 's weaknesses . how to make emotional epiphany in how to make an american quilt . the stories are all well - told , but it 's difficult to really connect with the the whole , how to make an american quilt is a nicely - understated drama that has a lot to say about love , passion , and monogamy in relationships . n't have more resonance , but the privilege of seeing such a fine cast in top form allows a viewer to enjoy this picture even if the

mimi leder is probably best known for her stunning work as a director of the hit tv - show er . her mast famous episode , " love 's labour lost " , dealt with the ordeal of doctor mark greene as he tried his best to save the life of a pregnant mother and her child . the way she moved the camera and created tension throughout every scene was amazing . there was more excitement and adrenaline rushed suspense than just about any of hollywood 's big blockbuster movies . so it 's only natural that leder would get to direct her very own hollywood blockbuster . and i have to say , after a shaky beginning , she does not disappoint . peacemaker deals with the theft of nuclear weapons by terrorists , which is obviously nothing new . the first half hour goes into detail , way too much detail , about how the weapons are stolen . despite a few good images , including a train collision and a very impressive explosion , none of this was very coherent . it 's long and drawn out , and i would have settled with a more implausible beginning that would have moved the story along better . once george clooney and nicole kidman enter the picture , it begins to take off . george clooney is an air force colonel with connections all over the world . he has a nice sarcastic wit and the rough edges that you expect from most clooney characters . nicole kidman is head of a white house team on weapons smuggling . there is the usual flirtatious banter between the two , but that is dispensed with quickly . the story takes clooney and kidman across the globe , trying to figure out who has the weapons and where they are going with them . clooney goes through bouts of sarcasm , frustration , determination , and revenge while kidman works against her own insecurity and self - doubt . this is when leder starts to show her true stuff . she starts us off with a nifty little car chase as an appetizer . then we get clooney doing heroics in and out of a helicopter . then that leads us to the brilliant final showdown on new york city 's crowded streets , and a madman with a nuke walking among them . mimi leder is a natural at creating suspense . she reminds me of wolfgang petersen in her ability to make the most routine action sequences exciting and breathtaking . nicole kidman is an intelligent female action hero . you 're not gon na find her falling down so clooney can come back to save her . george clooney is a real movie star . many of you may have hated him as batman , but this guy is for real . he has a natural screen presence , and an ingratiating personality . he 'll be around for a while . dreamworks is off to a satisfying start with peacemaker .

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i have to say , after a shaky beginning , she does not disappoint . peacemaker deals with the theft of nuclear weapons by detail , about how the weapons are stolen . despite a few good images , including a train collision and a very impressive explosion once george clooney and nicole kidman enter the picture , it begins to take off . george clooney is an air force colonel with connections insecurity and self - doubt . this is when leder starts to show her true stuff . she starts us off with a nifty little car chase as an appetizer . then we get clooney doing heroics out of a helicopter . then that leads us to the brilliant final showdown on new york city 's crowded streets , and a with a nuke walking among them . mimi leder is a natural at creating suspense . she reminds me of wolfgang petersen in her ability to make the most routine action sequences exciting and breathtaking . nicole kidman is an intelligent female action hero . you 're not gon na find her falling down can come back to save her . george clooney is a real movie star . many of you may have hated him as batman , but this guy is for real . he has a natural screen presence , and an ingratiating personality . he 'll be around for a while . dreamworks is off to a satisfying start with peacemaker .

i have to say it . tim burton 's retelling of planet of the apes is more fun than a barrel of monkeys . ok , that 's off my chest . no more monkey puns , i promise . seriously , though , planet of the apes is one rip - roarin ' summer outing , filled with thrills , action , adventure , wit and bits of funny ( dare i say , monkey ) business . i know , i know , i promised . and for those film buffs who are fond of the original , burton 's version includes a couple tips of the hat to that movie . mark wahlberg stars as capt . leo davidson , a deep - space pilot whose ship gets drawn into a magnetic field and hurled into the future . he crash lands on a planet where apes are the dominant species and humans are hunted , captured and sold into slavery . despite being darker than the original , burton 's film is not as heavy handed nor as sanctimonious . some of the movie 's flashes of humor are surreal as well as typically burton : an organ - grinder ape with a midget or an elderly ape taking off a wig and removing false teeth as he prepares for bed . then there are the parents who buy a little girl as a pet for there young daughter . the seller advises the parents to get rid of the girl before she reaches puberty : " one thing you do n't want in your house is a human teen - ager , " he says . you do n't have to be an ape to realize the truth in that statement . touches such as these are what stamps this movie with burton 's brand . lines that hearken back to the original movie are sprinkled throughout : the first words spoken by an ape to davidson as the astronaut is regaining consciousness and grabs the simian 's foot to try righting himself are : " take your stinking hand off of me , you damned , dirty human . " anyone familiar with the first version of the film will , of course , recognize the irony in that piece of dialogue . another of burton 's in - jokes is to have charlton heston , star of the original , play the chimpanzee father of tim roth 's gen . thade . the young chimp goes to visit his dying father . both have one thing in common , a hatred of humans . with his dying breath , the elder spews out his vile : " damn them , damn them all to hell , " he says before expiring . that is the famous line heston 's taylor shouted at the conclusion of the original after discovering the planet 's terrible secret . the performances throughout are top - notch . wahlberg plays davidson not as some gung - ho hero , but as a confused and somewhat frightened explorer who only wants to return home . he is reluctant to lead the human rebellion ; his only objective being to find a way off this upside - down planet . this hesitation is what makes his character believable and vulnerable . roth is ferocious , cunning , cruel and savage as the fascist chimp who wants to rid his planet of all vestiges of humanity . he leaps and bounds as if he had springs on his feet . it is a masterful turn . helena bonham carter is ari , the chimp who believes that apes and humans can live in peace and as equals . hers is a smart , compassionate characterization . michael clarke duncan is big and brutal as attar the gorilla aid to thade who blindly follows his leader until his faith is shaken . a fine comic outing is given by paul giamatti as limbo , the ape slave trader making a living off the misery of the humans he captures . as the battle between apes and humans looms , the cowardly limbo pleads , " ca n't we all just get along , " echoing the words of rodney king . much of the success of planet of the apes goes to burton 's technical crew , especially production designer rick heinrichs and the legendary rick baker who created the ape makeup . burton 's musical collaborator , danny elfman , provides another fine score , though it is not as memorable as his work on batman or sleepy hollow . the movie 's only letdown comes at the very end where burton tries to outshock the finale from the 1968 original . he comes close , but falls short . otherwise , planet of the apes is what a summer movie should be : an amusement park ride filled with lots of action , stunts and a few laughs . this is one feature in which the expectations lived up to the pre - release hype .

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. tim burton 's retelling of planet of the apes is more fun than a barrel of monkeys . ok , that 's off my chest . no . seriously , though , planet of the apes is one rip - roarin ' summer outing , filled with thrills , action , adventure , wit and bits of funny ( dare i say , monkey ) business . i the original after discovering the planet 's terrible secret . the performances throughout are top - notch . wahlberg plays davidson not as some gung - ho bounds as if he had springs on his feet . it is a masterful turn . helena bonham carter is ari , the chimp who 's technical crew , especially production designer rick heinrichs and the legendary rick baker who created the ape makeup . burton 's musical collaborator , danny elfman , provides another fine score , though it is not as memorable as his work the apes is what a summer movie should be : an amusement park ride filled with lots of action , stunts and a few laughs . this is one feature in which the expectations lived up to the pre - release hype .

urban legend surprised me . based on the last few films the genre has produced ( including but not exclusive to the likes of i know what you did last summer , disturbing behavior and the disappointing halloween : h20 ) , i was positive that i was in store for another mildly entertaining but silly and ultimately boring rehash of the scream phenomena . thankfully , legend rose above it 's soggy premise to become not only a hip , scary and stylish entertainment , but also what will probably become one of the best films of the year . you 're all familiar with the plot ; a bunch of overly horny teenagers get systematically slaughtered by a masked maniac who 's identity is not revealed until the closing moments of the film when it turns out to be , you guessed it ; everybody 's favorite veteran of the whodunit flicks . . . the only person you did n't suspect ! however , just because legend does n't really break any new ground as far as literary or even technical achievements go does not mean that it ca n't qualify as first - class entertainment . it was , believe it or not , one of the funnest times i 've had at the movies all year . the thing is , i 'm not really sure what made this particular stab ( pardon the pun ) at the genre seem so fresh and alive . maybe it was the above - par performances by the movie 's two leads ( jared leto and " cybil " actress alicia witt ) . or , it could have been the on- target direction by jamie blanks . more likely , though , it was because of the inspired premise . i do n't think i need to tell you that a killer hacking people up ala urban folklore is much more frightening than a killer fisherman . urban legend begins with a sequence that reminded me of the classic scream opener , not so much in plotting as in attention to detail that makes for an absolutely chilling teaser for the rest of the film . a pretty young coed is driving down a deserted road when ( gasp ! ) a gas problem ( hee - hee ) forces her to stop at an equally deserted gas station for a refill . one problem , though . would you want to stop at a station run by brad dourif ? i thought not . predictably , the attendant ends up coaxing her into the main building to sort out a problem with the credit card company . it 's odd , though , when you pick up a phone to realize that nobody 's on the other line . naturally , the potential victim escapes into her car and drives off . and the when we least expect it . . . whack ! ! ! a decapitation . it turns out that the creepy looking attendant was just trying to warn her about the maniac in the back seat of the car . so who is it this time ? the obvious candidate is the slightly off - kilter professor at the college the girl went to ( none other than freddy kruger himself , robert englund ) , who teaches a class on urban legends . a - ha . or could it be the fame - hungry local journalist ( leto ) looking for a meaty story to put on his resume ? like all movies of this nature , one of the chief pleasures is trying to guess whodunit . and it turns out to be , of course , the one you did n't suspect . i 'm not going to pretend urban legend is anything more than it is , but i must give credit where credit is due . and this flick definitely deserves credit for being what not many other recent horror films have been . . . fun . * complimentary movie ticket courtesy of valley cinemas in lodi , ca

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boring rehash of the scream phenomena . thankfully , legend rose above it 's soggy premise to become not only a hip , scary and stylish entertainment , but also what will probably become one of the best films of the year . you 're all familiar with the plot ; a entertainment . it was , believe it or not , one of the funnest times i 've had at the movies all year . the thing is , genre seem so fresh and alive . maybe it was the above - par performances by the movie 's two leads ( jared leto and witt ) . or , it could have been the on- target direction by jamie blanks . more likely , though , it was because of the inspired premise . i do n't think i need to tell you urban legend is anything more than it is , but i must give credit where credit is due . and this flick definitely deserves credit for being what not many other recent horror films have

capsule : the verma family is having a wedding and all the relatives will come for the multi - day festivities . mira nair 's film is pleasant enough with a little human drama , a few family secrets , some sadness and some happiness . you have seen it all before , but perhaps not from india . the photography is colorful and the music is very agreeable . , low +2 ( -4 to +4 ) mira nair previously directed salaam bombay and mississippi masala . her newest film , written by sabrina dhawan , is very similar to previous films like betsy 's wedding but it is set in new delhi . a wealthy family is having a wedding . an indian wedding is a multi - day affair as much a family reunion as a nuptial . even more than in the us , it is an excuse for a lavish and extravagant family get - together . the film shows us what the family does together and at the same time follows several family members ' individual story lines . aditi verma is marrying hemant , an indian engineer working in the us . she had previously had a relationship with vikram , her supervisor . latit , her father ( played by naseeruddin shah ) , is juggling many problems , not the least of which is worrying about the caterer has hired pk dubey . dubey is a rather eccentric man with a taste for eating the marigolds he uses for decoration . even dubey will soon be romantically entangled when he becomes interested in alice , one of the family servants . several family members arrive giving rise to several plotlines involving sex , family secrets , or both . there are heartbreaks and there are people falling in love . some of the subjects covered are probably near taboo for indian films . western audiences will appreciate a look at unfamiliar indian customs like women painting their hands with henna . on the other hand it was not clear ( to me at least ) if scenes like the family singing together are typical of indian culture or if they are a convention of indian musical films . this seems a particularly westernized family with the father wearing american designer sweaters and the family speaking mostly english . the latter will , however , help with an international release . sabrina dhawan 's screenplay is vibrant with witty dialog . we have seen films with plotting very much like this , but the indian setting makes a great deal of difference . director mira nair calls the film an affirmation of life . i rate it a 7 on the 0 to 10 scale and a low +2 on the -4 to +4 scale .

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it all before , but perhaps not from india . the photography is colorful and the music is very agreeable . , low +2 ( -4 to +4 ) mira with an international release . sabrina dhawan 's screenplay is vibrant with witty dialog . we have seen films with plotting very much like this , but the indian setting makes a great deal of difference . director mira nair calls the film an affirmation of

the love for family is one of the strongest driving forces in any man 's life , especially for those who have fostered their family under precarious circumstances . thematically in cinema , love for family has been used frequently and emphatically to highlight more abstract aspects of characters ; it is rare , however , for it to develop as outstandingly as it does in roberto benigni 's neo - classic drama , life is beautiful . through a central cast of father , mother , and son , benigni demonstrates the wonderful , undying love that a family shares in the best of times and the worst of times . life * is * beautiful for guido orefice ( roberto benigni , directing himself here for the sixth time in his career ) , an italian jew , master con man , and aspiring waiter extraordinaire . living in 1930 's italy , he lives a carefree life of good fortune ; it is made even better when he happens upon a pretty schoolteacher named dora ( nicoletta braschi ) . although dora is already engaged , guido manages to sweep her off her feet and persuades her to marry him instead ; the two have a child named joshua ( giorgio cantarini ) . unfortunately for the happy family , the third reich and its nazi minions occupy italy and imprison all jews in work camps . it is after the movie takes this dramatic turn that the movie 's theme of family love becomes the strongest . although prior to this turning point benigni plays guido with a sort of goofy charm , he relaxes the role to ensure his son 's happiness . now , instead of awkwardly seducing the sweet dora , he constantly reassures his son that everything will be all right . benigni 's performance is truly a well - rounded one , and certainly one of the more fluid turns all year . the supports are all strong as well , but the movie truly excels in its script . life is beautiful is a self - proclaimed fable , one which tells its story in grand , two - part fashion . in certain parts it manages to sink to the level of a " saturday night live " spinoff -- a number of humorous skits connected by a token plot -- but in the movie 's second half the script 's circular nature becomes admirably obvious . characters make reprise appearances in fine form , and certain events which are intially curious become critically linked to the plot 's outcome . in all , fans of foreign film will see this as a memorable motion picture , and novice movie - watchers may take this opportunity to see their first " artsy " film . life is beautiful is an artsy movie by convention but easily accessible to everyone , and above all is a fine thematic picture .

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and emphatically to highlight more abstract aspects of characters ; it is rare , however , for it to develop as outstandingly as it does in roberto benigni 's neo - classic son that everything will be all right . benigni 's performance is truly a well - rounded one , and certainly one of the more fluid turns all year . the supports are all strong as well , but the movie truly excels in its script . life is beautiful is a self - proclaimed fable all , fans of foreign film will see this as a memorable motion picture , and novice movie - watchers may take this opportunity life is beautiful is an artsy movie by convention but easily accessible to everyone , and above all is a fine thematic picture .

while watching wes anderson 's rushmore , it may be surprising to think that the role of max fischer , the film 's anti - hero , was not written with jason schwartzman in mind . the young actor , making his film debut as a 15 year old student at the exclusive rushmore academy is so perfect in the role that it comes as a shock that anderson auditioned some two thousand other prospective stars before discovering schwarztman . schwartzman plays max , a student who is more interested in his extra - curricular activities ( such as writing edgy plays like " serpico " and being president of the rushmore beekeepers ) but sees his grades suffer as a result . on the brink of being thrown out , he lands himself in even more hot water when he falls for first grade teacher rosemary cross ( olivia williams ) and enlists the help of millionaire acquaintance herman blume ( the great bill murray ) to build an aquarium ( on rushmore 's baseball field ) in her honour . unfortunately for everyone involved , blume finds that he has feelings for miss cross as well , which gets in the way of max 's plans to woo her . max is one of the best - written characters we 've yet seen in the 90s , and schwartzman plays him to perfection in one of the finest comedy performances ever given by someone of his age . as everyone else has probably already pointed out , he is reminiscent of a young dustin hoffman ( although i was reminded more of paul from " the wonder years " , from a visual standpoint , at least ) . hopefully , if he avoids typecasting as weird , quirky loner - types he should earn himself a good career . bill murray is his equal as blume , displaying a depth we have n't yet seen from him . while this is n't his best performance ( that honour goes to groundhog day ) he is still terrific here . williams is n't given much to do except react to schwartzman and murray , but still does fine work . rushmore seems to go just a little too long but , while it is n't a perfect film , it is a definate must - see for anyone who wants to see that rarity , an american coming - of - age film that actually works well without an excessive amount of sentimentality . anderson has created a modern classic with a star who should , with any luck , rise to even greater success .

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15 year old student at the exclusive rushmore academy is so perfect in the role that it comes as a shock that anderson auditioned some career . bill murray is his equal as blume , displaying a depth we have n't yet seen from him . while this is n't his best performance ( that honour goes to groundhog day ) he is still terrific here . williams is n't given much to do except react to schwartzman and murray , but still does fine work . rushmore seems to go just a little too long but , while it is n't a perfect film , it is a definate must - see for anyone who wants to see that rarity , an american coming - of - age film that actually works well without an excessive amount of sentimentality . anderson has created a modern classic with a star who should , with any luck ,

no , i did not read the novel by thomas hardy , " jude the obscure , " his final novel ( final because this film created such an outrage that he never wrote again - see : i did do some research on it ) about a man who is plagued with bad luck throughout his entire life . but , after watching the movie , i can imagine how incredibly depressing it is . " jude " is a satirical film from start to finish about society 's way of spitting out and chewing up those unwanted in its system , but what 's remarkable is how timeless this film is . the film takes place in the late 19th century ( or early 20th - was n't really sure ) , but its story could even be retold today in modern form , although it 'd be kinda different ( a given ) . it tells the story of jude ( christopher eccleston - the psychotic accountant from " shallow grave " ) - a simple , dim - witted young man with big dreams . in its bleak , foreboding opening , shot in grainy black and white , he gets a lesson from phillotson ( liam cunningham ) , his teacher : as they stand upon a mountain , looking upon a city in the distance , he says all you have to do is work hard and you can have anything in the world . after marrying and divorcing an immature woman named arabella ( rachel griffiths ) because they frolicked in the hay ( literally ) but did not ultimately share anything in common , he moves away to a town with a giant university , with a chance to learn more , and get ahead in life . taking a welding job , he works hard while studying constantly for his college bars , reciting latin over and over again , and training himself . but when he sends his application for the school in , he is bluntly told to just remain a worker . another reason for going to this town was because someone in his family lives there : sue ( kate winslet ) , his cousin and a very intelligent but kinda mischevious young woman who wants to be a school teacher . she and jude click eventually and become very endearing friends , so much that when she spends the night at his flat after running from her apprentice teacher job ( for none other than phillotson at the local school ) , there are rumors that she and jude did some nasty business ( nudge nudge ) . several twists turn in the storyline , and eventually jude and sue do do some nasty business ( an interesting scene , to say the least . . . ) , and are soon born into a controversial non - wedlock , as she eventually gives birth to their baby , and jude inherits his son from arabella , who turns up again after awhile . because they are n't married , and because they 're cousins , they run into problems with every place they go to , carrying around two children everywhere , and only staying in lodges for a very brief period of time , then moving on . if you did n't think this was harsh enough , wait till you see what happens later on . . . the sad truth is that jude is one of the miserable people who can never get any luck in this world . he will never gain any true happiness , and any happiness that happens to him will be fleeting , and will probably bring more horrible instances to his life . part of it is his fault - he 's too optimistic , and too gullible . but society has a way of taking these people , and hurting them until their death . the ending of " jude " is bleak because it has to be ( although i hear the ending of the novel is even worse - guess i 'll have to read it now ) . " jude " offers a satirical view on society 's cruelties , but shows no way of curing this , and thank heavens it does n't . there 's no way to relinquish the selfishness of society , and any solution would be too small to cure such a mass problem . satire has always been one of the few ways of changing certain people 's minds , and that 's what " jude " is . sure , it 's one hell of a downer , but it needs to be . the film also posesses two fantastic performances from its two leads , and some good supporting work along with it . christopher eccleston ( slightly resembling richard edson with his new look and dumb expression ) plays jude wonderfully , sometimes bringing a big dumb smile to his face , and making him kind of child - like at other times . kate winslet , in a pre- " titanic " performance , is brilliant , nailing every psyche of her character , and creating someone who 's troubled but very seductive with her personality . kate may be the best actress in her age group ( if you do n't believe me , see " titanic , " branagh 's " hamlet , " " sense and sensibility , " and " heavenly creatures , " the latter one being my favorite performance of hers ) . in the supporting roles , liam cunningham is a wonderfully flawed teacher , exposing all his bad parts , but ultimately being a pretty good person ; and rachel griffiths is wonderfully immature as jude 's wife , whom he never divorces . " jude " moves at a very slow pace , and keeps taunting its viewers with chances of happiness for its protagonists , which would drive some people nuts . but those who appreciate good social commentary with their films , no matter how slow or downright depressing they are ( this one is both ) will appreciate " jude , " though i doubt anyone truly enjoys it .

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and chewing up those unwanted in its system , but what 's remarkable is how timeless this film is . the film takes place in the late 19th century , but it needs to be . the film also posesses two fantastic performances from its two leads , and some good supporting work along with it . christopher eccleston ( slightly resembling richard edson with his new look and dumb expression ) plays jude wonderfully , sometimes bringing a big dumb smile to his face , in a pre- " titanic " performance , is brilliant , nailing every psyche of her character , and creating someone who 's troubled but very seductive downright depressing they are ( this one is both ) will appreciate " jude , " though i doubt anyone truly enjoys

quaid stars as a man who has taken up the proffesion of dragonslayer after he feels he is betrayed by a dragon early in the movie . he runs into the last dragon in existence , and there is a genuinely amusing battle between the two which results in a standoff where quaid is in the dragons mouth , but has his sword pointed at the dragons brain . eventually , they decide to call a truce , and they work out a deal . since he is the last dragon , he will pretend to die and quaid will be able to get paid for it . their scam works at first , until they come to a town without any money . instead the town sacrifices a girl to the dragon , but of course , draco is a nice droagon , so he wo n't eat her . there is however a very amusing scene where draco is hitting on the young girl . of course , as you can probably tell by the plot , this is a silly movie , but it does know when to take itself seriously at the right times , unlike eddie , which was serious all the time . you could probably call this a medieval comedy , because there are more laughs here than in eddie and spy hard combined . dennis quaid makes a fine hero . pete posthlewaite provides some ghreat comedy as a monk who journeys with them . dina meyer is appealing as the sacrificed girl . but lets face it , the movie is really about the dragon , and what an amazing creation he is . connery 's voice and ilm team up to provide us with a truly magnificent dragon . so , if you are going to see this movie for a strong hard core medieval epic , you are going to the wrong movie . if you are going because of the dragon , you will not be dissapointed , and you will be provided with plenty of laughs that smooth out the boring parts in the script .

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than in eddie and spy hard combined . dennis quaid makes a fine hero . pete posthlewaite provides some ghreat comedy as a monk who journeys with them . dina meyer is appealing as the sacrificed girl . but lets face it , the movie is really about the dragon , and what an amazing creation he is . connery 's voice and ilm team up to provide us with a truly magnificent dragon . so , if you are going to see this . if you are going because of the dragon , you will not be dissapointed , and you will be provided with plenty of laughs that smooth out the boring parts in the script .

it has been 20 years since a terrence malick film hit theaters . his new film , the thin red line , is a strange , beautiful , enigmatic mess of a movie . the first thing that jumps out to one when they see the advertisements for this film is the huge cast . it is filled with above - the - title stars . the cast , for the most part , gives great performances . john travolta , whose role is nothing more than a cameo , seems not to have attacked his performance with that much verve . george clooney , whose role became a cameo in editing , gives a strange performance . one wonders if he knew that his performance would become the object of ridicule through a character 's narration . the rest of the cast , especially nick nolte and elias koteas , are unambiguously fantastic . these actors ( and they are , with two exceptions , men ) were lured by the name of malick . terrence malick is a cinematic legend . he has often been called " the j . d . salinger of cinema . " his two previous films , badlands and days of heaven , are spectacularly beautiful and obscure motion pictures . after he made them , he disappeared for 20 years . this film marks his return . what he 's made with the thin red line is a film that seems less concerned with plot than with the emotion of the moment . the narration which fills the film ( and perplexes many ) not only lets us hear the narrators ( the characters themselves ) pontificate , but also lets us hear such of - the - moment thoughts as " i 'm scared . " the rather simple plot of the thin red line is used as a canvas on which many stories are painted . the plot couldly simply be boiled down to an assault on a hill . a plot synopsis for the thin red line is difficult , because the story is fractured . many stories are here , from the clash between the lieutenant ( elias koteas ) and the savage colonel ( a voracious nick nolte ) to the private ( ben chaplin ) who uses his love for the woman he left behind to keep him going . the fracturing of the story is ultimately a fault . it is as if an artist spent an incredible amount of time artfully sculpting tiny statues and then threw them into a box , shook the box , and poured the results onto a table . this basically creates a mess , but the stories can be discerned and enjoyed . i 'm not declaring that the film has no structure . while saving private ryan used warfare to bookend the plot , malick uses reflection and glorious shots of nature to bookend about 90 minutes of combat . the battles in the thin red line are astonishing and display a mastery of filmmaking . the astounding cinematography in this film must also be given notice . this film uses color and light in such a fantastic way , that it will be sad to see it degraded when it has to bee transferred to video . ultimately , malick has crafted a film that is a movie that enjoys looking through the treetops more than regarding the war that rages below them . the film is filled with nature photography and the regarding of nature . while some have said that the anti - war message and pro - nature tubthumping was juvenile , it was done with so much complexity and thought , that it can not ever honestly be called childish . after seeing the thin red line , i was haunted by it and am quite ready to see it again .

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stars . the cast , for the most part , gives great performances . john travolta , whose role is nothing more than the cast , especially nick nolte and elias koteas , are unambiguously fantastic . these actors ( and they are , with two of combat . the battles in the thin red line are astonishing and display a mastery of filmmaking . the astounding cinematography in this film must also be given notice . this film uses color and light in such a fantastic way , that it will be sad to see it degraded was done with so much complexity and thought , that it can not ever honestly be called childish . after seeing the thin red line , i was haunted by it and am quite ready to see it again .

" stuart little " is one of the best family films to come out this year . it 's a cute , funny and very good - natured film that has nothing for parents to squirm over except a few mild cusswords . though i read the book a long time ago and i really do not remember what it was about , i do know that this film does not disappoint . finally a movie gets released that is as good as the trailer makes it to be , with a few surprising twists , some very funny moments , and a few sentimental moments all mixed in to one great little movie . stuart little is a mouse . he has finally gotten a new home after being put up for adoption , he now lives with the littles . a nice little ( no pun intended ) family that lives in their apartment next to central park in new york city . they have a little boy george ( played by the adorable jonathan lipnicki ) and now they have a new son . at first stuart takes a while but he finally adjusts to being part of the family and even getting along with the pet cat . george does n't take too well to having a mouse for a brother at first , but once the two play together they instantly bond . stuart however is missing something , and he wants to know who his real parents are . the littles try and find his parents and one day they show up on the doorstep wanting stuart back . hesitating the littles know what 's best for stuart and so does snowball the pet cat , he and his friends try to get stuart but in the end we find out the truth about stuart 's past ending up to a sentimental and very heart - warming ending . one thing i noticed about the film instantly was the fantastic special effects . just like in " star wars : episode 1 - -the phantom menace " stuart little and his family are all computer generated and they look fantastically real . from the detail of their fur , to the detail of the way the walk ; the special effects team put a lot of time and effort on this $ 90 million dollar film and it shows . another movie that this has in common with is " babe " with it 's talking animals and people understanding them . it has a family friendly atmosphere and is never really scary or suspenseful enough to even scare the youngest of kids . michael j . fox does the voice of stuart himself and just like in the " homeward bound " movies does a fantastic job and brings more out of stuart than anyone else could . he to me fits the character perfectly and ends up making stuart even more lovable . another gem of the film is nathan lane as snowball . when he was timon in 1994 's " the lion king " i would have sworn he was a comedian , and now in " stuart little " he brings the most out of snowball and makes him one of those characters we love to dislike . for the human actors geena davis who never gives a bad performance does not disappoint here as well . she fits nicely in her character and there is a good chemistry between her and hugh laurie who plays mr . little . both make us believe they are happily in love and married and jonathan lipnicki as their song is even more adorable than he was in 1996 's " jerry maguire " . even though stuart little is completely cgi , the human characters and stuart have a nice chemistry together and even makes us believe they really do care for each other . " stuart little " is ideal family entertainment for this holiday season and will not disappoint youngsters or adults for that matter . we get entertainment , laughs , cries and more fun at the movies this season than probably any other movie . its nice to see a pg rated movie out at christmas that everyone can see . even though it has a $ 90 million dollar budget i 'm sure it will make over that or just below it respectively . for all you parents out there trying to find a good family movie , i have yet to see bicentennial man as i write this but as far as i know " stuart little " and " toy story 2 " are by far the best family films this year . a winner . ?

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" stuart little " is one of the best family films to come out this year . it 's a cute , funny and very good - natured film that has nothing for parents to squirm over except a remember what it was about , i do know that this film does not disappoint . finally a movie gets released that is as good as the trailer makes it to be , with a few surprising twists , some very funny moments , and a few sentimental moments all mixed in to one great little movie . stuart little is a mouse . he has finally . one thing i noticed about the film instantly was the fantastic special effects . just like in " star wars : episode 1 stuart little and his family are all computer generated and they look fantastically real . from the detail of their fur , to the detail of the way the walk ; the special effects team put a lot of time and effort on this $ 90 million dollar film and it shows and just like in the " homeward bound " movies does a fantastic job and brings more out of stuart than anyone else could . he to me fits the character perfectly and ends up making stuart even more lovable . another gem of the film is nathan lane as snowball . when a bad performance does not disappoint here as well . she fits nicely in her character and there is a good chemistry between her and hugh little is completely cgi , the human characters and stuart have a nice chemistry together and even makes us believe they really do care for each other . " stuart little " is ideal family entertainment for this holiday season and will not disappoint youngsters or adults for that matter . we get entertainment " and " toy story 2 " are by far the best family films this year . a winner . ?

as with his other stateside releases , jackie chan 's latest chopsocky vehicle , mr . nice guy , is contrived , blockheaded , and lacking in narrative logic . but also like those other films , it is a highly enjoyable ride . once again , chan 's screenwriters ( here edward tang and fibe ma ) have taken the easy way out and named their star 's character simply jackie , with no last name . this jackie is a world - class chef who co - hosts a popular cooking show on australian television . of course , jackie also happens to be a talented martial artist , and these skills come in handy when he becomes involved in an ambitious reporter 's ( gabrielle fitzpatrick ) expose of a drug dealing ring . other plot details , involving a videotape and a biker gang , are irrelevant ; in fact , as is the case with most chan films , the plot itself is just about irrelevant . the sole purpose of mr . nice guy 's existence are chan 's comic fight scenes , and those here do not disappoint . director samo hung ( who has a cameo role ) , a longtime collaborator of chan 's , does not waste any time putting chan in action , diving head - on into a wild chase / fight / shootout after a brief cooking show prologue . other impressive set pieces follow , most notably a chase in a mall , which directly leads to some frenzied , if cliched ( can you say fruit cart ? ) , business involving a runaway carriage ; and an extended late - film sequence at a construction site , in which a hilarious pursuit through a maze of blue doors culminates in some exciting fights involving boards , cement mixers , and a deadly buzzsaw . none of the action sequences in mr . nice guy are as spectacular as supercop 's thrilling helicopter - train finale or rumble in the bronx 's daring leap between two buildings ; nor is anything as inventive as the ladder fight or air tunnel climax in first strike and operation condor , respectively . but the action delivers , even if the energy peters out before the film 's end ( the finale , as spectacular as it is , is a letdown for fans of chan 's athletic prowess ) . filmed almost entirely in english ( even so , the voices of some english - speaking actors are laughably dubbed ) , mr . nice guy hints at jackie chan 's latest transition to hollywood productions ( he made ill - fated attempts with 1980 's the big brawl and 1985 's the protector ) ; next in the pipeline is rush hour , a stateside production co - starring chris tucker . hopefully that film will be a mere diversion in tinseltown , and chan will continue with exuberant hong kong productions such as mr . nice guy , for his unique charm and reckless abandon are sure to be diluted by american hands , much like they have been before .

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. but also like those other films , it is a highly enjoyable ride . once again , chan 's screenwriters ( here edward fight / shootout after a brief cooking show prologue . other impressive set pieces follow , most notably a chase in a mall , which film sequence at a construction site , in which a hilarious pursuit through a maze of blue doors culminates in some exciting fights involving boards , cement mixers , and a deadly buzzsaw in first strike and operation condor , respectively . but the action delivers , even if the energy peters out before the film kong productions such as mr . nice guy , for his unique charm and reckless abandon are sure to be diluted by american hands , much

the premise of wag the dog is so simple that it 's adequately explained by the commercials . with 11 days to go until the election , the president ( who we never see ) calls in political dirty - tricks artist robert deniro to distract attention from a burgeoning sex scandal . deniro enlists hollywood producer dustin hoffman to produce a " pageant " , a phony war against albania , fought on the blue screens of hollywood and the recording studios of nashville , with woody harrelson as the reluctant , psychotic hero . and if there was n't anything more to the movie than this , it would be a second - rate heist comedy at best , enlivened by great actors -- like sneakers goes to washington . ( a heist comedy ? yup . deniro and hoffman are " stealing " the election , so to speak , and the movie is more about how they do it -- and the fun they have doing it -- than anything else . ) wag the dog succeeds because it 's based one great truth : the american people are stupid . ok , maybe it 's not " love thy neighbor as thyself " or even " two plus two makes four " , but a truth nonetheless . ( any average person who thinks that they 're really smart about the two things this movie satirizes -- moviemaking and the political process -- is invited , nay , challenged , to spend a week either watching a movie actually being made or 48 hours straight watching c - span when the house is in session . ) and because we 're so utterly , predictably stupid , hollywood knows that a certain percentage of us will go see hard rain or magoo , washington knows that we wo n't notice a few million dollars spent here and there on porno art grants and cigar subsidies -- and deniro 's character knows that american geography skills are so weak that we wo n't be able to locate albania on the map . the beauty of wag the dog is that it is n't a light , meaningless comedy about politics ( like speechless , the michael keaton - geena davis picture ) or from the level of light - hearted politcal satire to near - greatness . nor is it a hard - edged cynical look at the manner in which a morally - deprived , ethically challenged baby - boomer connives his sleazy way into the white house ( like primary colors -- and yes , i am a little disappointed in the way the last two elections turned out , thanks for asking ) . instead , david mamet 's script strikes that delicate balance between comedy and cynicism needed for satire . it does this by keeping us in a fantasy world where most of the schemers ' schemes come off beautifully , and fail only in entertaining and humorous fashion . deniro is playing a variation on his al capone character from the untouchables , without any of the violent rages . it 's all : " what do i love ? what is it that brings me joy ? baseball , " minus the savage bloody beating with the bat . he threatens a lot of people , mind you , but he 's doing it in a very nice , polite way . it 's a very mellow , restrained performance , which fits in with the air of gamesmanship in the script . hoffman , on the other hand , is giddy , exuberant and joyous . this kind of thing is what his character lives for , and he 's so excited that he ca n't even shut up . even on the edge of disaster , he 's bright - eyed ( behind oddly tinted sunglasses ) and positive . insiders note that he 's basing his character on some powerful - but - anonymous producer -- which may or may not be true , but hoffman still exudes the kind of lets - put - on - a - show electricity that you figure a producer needs to have . the best part and the most frustrating part of wag the dog is in the supporting cast . the characters are so well drawn and so well acted that we want to see more of them , listen to them talk in that wised - up mamet dialogue , get to know them better -- which we do n't . anne heche , is dead - bang - on in her portrayal of a political press aide -- cool and composed on the outside , panicked and frenzied on the outside . denis leary ( one of my favorite actors -- see the ref ) is the " fad king " , who handles the profitable " back - end " -- t - shirt tie ins and shoe contracts and other creative , innovative ways to separate a fool from his money . they could make a whole movie , just about the fad king , and i 'd go see it . willie nelson and merle haggard handle the musical end of things fabulously , from the upbeat gospel chorus theme song , to the weepy country waltz , to the hilarious " ballad of the green berets " parody . woody harrelson has a brief , but memorable part as the overmedicated " hero " of the albanian conflict . craig t . nelson , as the opposition candidate , and the ever - reliable william h . macy , as a wacky cia agent , are given surprisingly short shrift . ( one of my small gripes is that we never see what the spin doctors on the other side are doing . ) wag the dog is a funny movie about serious problems : the trivialization of american politics , the role of the press in dumbing down the issues , the impact of hollywood in creating campaign commercials , the reduction of all things political to soundbites and sidebars -- the list goes on . we can solve most of these problems by taking a greater role in our national life and educating ourselves as voters and citizens . wag the dog reminds us of what can happen if we do n't .

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for asking ) . instead , david mamet 's script strikes that delicate balance between comedy and cynicism needed for satire . it does script . hoffman , on the other hand , is giddy , exuberant and joyous . this kind of thing is what his character lives supporting cast . the characters are so well drawn and so well acted that we want to see more of them , listen 'd go see it . willie nelson and merle haggard handle the musical end of things fabulously , from the upbeat gospel chorus theme song , to other side are doing . ) wag the dog is a funny movie about serious problems : the trivialization of american politics ,

as the film opens up , expectant unwed mother sally ( played by drew barrymore ) encounters her baby 's father in a fast food drive - through window . after he gets his milkshake , he drives off , only to be pursued by a military helicopter . from this moment forward , you know that this is n't going to be your run - of - the - mill romantic comedy . home fries tells the tale of the relationship between sally and dorian ( played by luke wilson ) , a helicopter pilot who has a different kind of connection with sally . . . more than he would care to admit ( hint : it has something to do with the father of sally 's unborn child ) . after taking a personal ( and professional ) interest in her , he finds work at the local fast food restaurant at which she works , and the fun goes on from there . this movie is a lot of fun . it is comedic on two levels , as a romantic comedy and a dark comedy . the romantic moments are sweet , yet not sappy . one of the more poignant moments is when dorian accompanies sally to lamaze classes . however , the dark comedic moments are more memorable . this is also a tale of revenge , and a funny one at that . the father of sally 's unborn child also happened to be a married man , whose wife is played by catherine o'hara . she does a wonderful portrayal of a jealous wife who is targeting the person who had an affair , and is not above getting other people to do her dirty work . ( my apologies if this sounds cryptic , but there is too much of the plot to give away ) . rounding out the cast are jake busey as angus , dorian 's overzealous brother and daryl mitchell as roy , dorian 's trainer at the fast food restaurant . the dialogue is sharp and not filled with sappy overtones , even with the romantic nature of the plot . if there are any complaints , it is over drew barrymore 's performance . while she does light up the screen , there are moments when she does n't seem all that convincing . the movie was filmed in texas , and most of the characters have southern texan accents . drew barrymore 's accent tends to come and go ( luke wilson does n't seem to have this problem ) . as well , she seems awfully agile for a woman that is eight months pregnant . still , this movie is one that will please many viewers . with plot twists galore and hilarious dark moments , this is sure to entertain .

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and the fun goes on from there . this movie is a lot of fun . it is comedic on two levels , as a romantic comedy and a dark comedy . the romantic moments are sweet , yet not sappy . one of the more poignant moments is when dorian man , whose wife is played by catherine o'hara . she does a wonderful portrayal of a jealous wife who is targeting the person who , dorian 's trainer at the fast food restaurant . the dialogue is sharp and not filled with sappy overtones , even with the , it is over drew barrymore 's performance . while she does light up the screen , there are moments when she does n't seem all a woman that is eight months pregnant . still , this movie is one that will please many viewers . with plot twists galore and hilarious dark moments , this is sure to entertain .

the second jackal - based film to come out in 1997 ( the other starring bruce willis was simply entitled the jackal ) , this one stars aidan quinn and donald sutherland , and is directed by a man who hailed from joblo 's own alma matter , concordia university in montreal , canada . the story is based on the exploits of the real terrorist known as the jackal , but does not pretend to be 100 % factual . plot : naval officer ramirez ( quinn ) gets called upon by the cia to impersonate the international terrorist known as the jackal , in order to put an end to the actual militant 's radical activities . he is chosen for this role because he physically resembles the real terrorist to a tee . ramirez reluctantly agrees to take part in this " assignment " , and soon finds himself wrapped up in a true web of international terrorism , intrigue and double - personality syndrome ( which does not sit well with his uninformed wife and kids back in the states . ) critique : great premise is executed with enough style and thrills to keep the piece interesting throughout its close to two - hour runtime . admittedly , i was n't a huge fan of any of the main actors in this film , and did n't expect much from this movie beforehand , but surprisingly it did have its thrilling moments , as well as a mostly plausible and absorbing story line . the first hour is mostly just a build - up of things to come , and does offer a great characterization of the jackal , but the second hour is the one that really cranks in the cool scenes and a sweet ending . quinn was adequate in both roles as naval officer ramirez and the real jackal , but did n't offer anything extraordinary , in my opinion . sutherland and kingsley seem to be playing the same role that they 've played in both of their respective careers of late , but nonetheless , appeared to relish the cold - heartedness of their chosen characters . i did n't like performance put forth from quinn 's wife in this flick , but then again , she does n't show up in most of the film , so that was n't so bad . i did however enjoy director duguay 's interesting style and cinematic vision . this thriller could easily have been boring during many sequences , but duguay always seemed to find something interesting to show the viewer . i thought that was neat . having said that , i did n't think the first hour needed to be as long as it was , and the film did have me tinkering on the bridge of believability when the " fake " jackal met with the " real " jackal 's girlfriend without much retrospection on her part , but all in all , not too many complaints in a movie that could easily be enjoyed by all those who take pleasure in the spy and terrorist thriller genre . little known facts : ben kingsley 's real name is krishna banji , he stands 5 " 8 , was born in scarborough , england , and won the best actor honor in 1982 's academy awards presentation for the title role he portrayed in ghandi . many scenes from this film were actually shot in montreal , canada ( joblo 's haven of restfulness ) . donald sutherland has fathered actor kiefer sutherland , is canadian , and apparently still owns a place in the north of montreal .

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and kids back in the states . ) critique : great premise is executed with enough style and thrills to keep the piece interesting throughout its close did n't expect much from this movie beforehand , but surprisingly it did have its thrilling moments , as well as a mostly plausible and absorbing story jackal , but the second hour is the one that really cranks in the cool scenes and a sweet ending . quinn was adequate in both the film , so that was n't so bad . i did however enjoy director duguay 's interesting style and cinematic vision . this thriller could easily have been boring during many seemed to find something interesting to show the viewer . i thought that was neat . having said that , i did n't think the

one of the last entries in the long - running carry on series , carry on behind is very similar to carry on camping in that it involves a group of holidaymakers descending on a ' caravan ' site . professors anna vrooshka ( elke sommer ) and roland crump ( kenneth williams ) and a group of archaeology students stay in the caravan site owned by major leep ( kenneth connor ) so that they can explore the nearby roman settlement remains . anna has a little trouble understanding english and sometimes people get the wrong end of the stick : - for instance , when anna is asking for ' scrubbers for dirty caravan ' , she means that she wants a scrubbing brush to clean the caravan ! arthur upmore ( bernard bresslaw ) and his wife linda ( patsy rowlands ) take her mother daphne barnes ( joan sims ) and her minah bird on holiday with them . mother - in - law jokes prevail . furthermore , the trouble that joe and norma baxter ( ian lavender and adrienne posta ) have with their large irish greyhound allows for some comical moments between the two families . fred ramsden ( windsor davies ) and ernie bragg ( jack douglas ) leave their wives ( liz fraser and patricia franklin ) behind for a fishing holiday . however , they have more in mind than fishing when they catch sight of two young girls , sandra ( carol hawkins ) and carol ( sherrie hewson ) . the story involves the disruption caused by the archaeological professors of the day - to - day running of the camp , the search for the minah bid and greyhound , the major , fred and ernie 's desperate need of a woman , a misunderstanding leading to a striptease at the caravan park 's pub , and a shock in store for daphne . the partnership between sommer and williams is very effective and amusing . this is what binds the movie together . joan sims stands out as the demanding mother - in - law , bernard bresslaw and patsy rowlands work well together as husband and wife , and carol hawkins and sherrie hewson are a welcome addition to the cast . on the other hand , there are low - key performances from kenneth connor and peter butterworth as barnes the handyman , and there are very poor performances by windsor davies and jack douglas who spend far too much time on the screen ! even though there is no real plot to speak of and the jokes are getting bluer due to the new scriptwriter dave freeman , there are enough truly comical moments and bright and breezy performances to lift this carry on above many of its predecessors . although the regular cast is depleted , the ones that remain show that they can still make a good carry on film . a relative flop at the cinema , this movie deserves a lot more recognition .

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pub , and a shock in store for daphne . the partnership between sommer and williams is very effective and amusing . this is what binds the movie together . joan sims stands out as the demanding mother - in - law , bernard bresslaw and patsy rowlands work well together as husband and wife , and carol hawkins and sherrie hewson are a welcome addition to the cast . on the other hand , there are low - getting bluer due to the new scriptwriter dave freeman , there are enough truly comical moments and bright and breezy performances to lift this carry on above many of its predecessors . although the regular cast is depleted , the ones on film . a relative flop at the cinema , this movie deserves a lot more recognition .

the cryptic teaser trailer has been unspooling in moviehouses for quite sometime now : " it mu5 t be found . " so what , exactly , is the fifth element ? after seeing luc besson 's ambitious , much - shrouded - in - secrecy science fiction fantasy , i could not help but be let down by the actual answer , which is not nearly as exciting nor clever as one would think . but what is far from a letdown is the film as a whole , a wildly imaginative feast for the senses that does what all the best science fiction films do -- create a universe unlike any other presented on the silver screen . the biggest irony of the fifth element is that the one thing that has been kept under such tight wraps -- the actual storyline -- is the most conventional , dismayingly so , element ( pun intended ) of the film . speaking in the vaguest possible terms , the basics of the plot are as follows : in the year 2259 , a great force of evil threatens to consume the earth , and only the four elements -- earth , wind , fire , and water -- united with a fifth element can stop it . figuring into all of this are new york cabbie korben dallas ( bruce willis ) ; a shady , southern - drawling entrepreneur by the name of zorg ( the hilariously hammy gary oldman , picking up where he left off in besson 's the professional ) ; a priest ( ian holm ) ; and a mysterious creature named leeloo ( milla jovovich ) . all of the pieces come together in a tidy and somewhat underwhelming -- and unsurprising -- fashion , but there is no denying that this basic story holds some intrinsic interest . what remains interesting and exciting , however , after brief glimpses is the fascinating world besson has created with production designer dan weil , director of photography thierry arbogast , visual effects supervisor mark stetson , and the crew at digital domain . the look is absolutely mesmerizing right from the opening moments to the last . the frenzied cityscape of new york , with its vibrant day - glo colors , tall buildings penetrating high into the clouds , and the swarm of cars , cabs , and other vehicles flying through labyrinthian skyways , is absolutely breathtaking to behold , especially in a wild car chase sequence early on in the film . but it would not have been a completely captivating vision if the people inhabiting the settings were n't equally as interesting , and are they ever . in addition to the exotic menagerie of alien creatures that populate this world , from bulky robots to dog - like mangalores , the humans are outfitted in costumes by eccentric designer jean - paul gaulthier , best known for creating madonna 's pointy bustier get - up in her blonde ambition tour . gaulthier 's outlandish creations , such as a number worn by leeloo made entirely out of white straps , feel more at home in besson 's futuristic vision than on any fashion runway in the world ; they add to the sense of otherworldliness about the film . while besson 's bold vision is the biggest virtue of the film , it also could be its biggest obstacle to reaching a mass audience . for all its imagination , certain things about the film may be a bit too quirky and bizarre . i really do not know what middle america will make of the most outrageous character of the film , ruby rhod ( chris tucker ) , a flamboyant disc jockey who makes dennis rodman look conservative -- he makes a raucous entrance dressed in an animal print dress , sporting a blonde hairdo in the shape of a hair dryer , speaking in high pitches at rapid fire speed . at first this character 's hyper energy is funny , but the act wears out its welcome very quickly . not irritating , but just as strange , is a musical number by blue - skinned alien chanteuse diva ( maiwenn lebesco ) , who sings -- and dances -- an aria that is an unlikely blend of classical opera and techno . the tune , as with the entirety of longtime besson collaborator eric serra 's innovative score , is haunting , but it is also completely jarring . then there are the campy touches of humor besson and co - scripter robert mark kamen sprinkle throughout , which too often are silly and forced ; a comic sexual encounter between ruby rhod and a flight attendant is highly distracting and not very funny , to boot . the story 's weakness shines through in the climax and conclusion of the fifth element . while still visually and aurally spectacular , the events detailed are not as exciting nor powerful as they should be . the big , serious dramatic climax was met with more than a few snickers , and it ambitiously strives for a profundity which the film had not even begun to work toward . as such , at the end there is a sense that there was something bigger at work here , that there was still more left to be said about this story and these characters . this suspicion was confirmed by besson himself , who told me in the lobby following the screening ( imagine that , the filmmaker watching the film with the " enemy " --the critics ) that what had made it to the screen was really just the first half of the lengthy original fifth element screenplay and that the second half -- now titled mr . shadow -- is still waiting to be made . still , despite the story problems , the fifth element is an artistic triumph for luc besson ; rarely does a filmmaker 's original vision come to the screen in all its audacious , undiluted glory . it is a fascinating example of how of one artist 's fervid imagination can transport an audience into an intoxicating fantasy world generally seen only in dreams .

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from a letdown is the film as a whole , a wildly imaginative feast for the senses that does what all the best science mark stetson , and the crew at digital domain . the look is absolutely mesmerizing right from the opening moments to the last . the cabs , and other vehicles flying through labyrinthian skyways , is absolutely breathtaking to behold , especially in a wild car chase sequence early on sense of otherworldliness about the film . while besson 's bold vision is the biggest virtue of the film , it also could be its biggest obstacle to reaching the climax and conclusion of the fifth element . while still visually and aurally spectacular , the events detailed are not as exciting nor powerful , despite the story problems , the fifth element is an artistic triumph for luc besson ; rarely does a filmmaker 's original the screen in all its audacious , undiluted glory . it is a fascinating example of how of one artist 's fervid imagination can transport

" very bad things , " is the most delightfully morbid film of the year , a movie that goes so far over the deep end with its outrageousness and violence that i could n't help but be won over by the material . the film starts off with five friends leaving their homes in los angeles for a bachelor party in las vegas . the groom - to - be is kyle fisher ( jon favreau ) , who is about to be married to the controlling , wedding - obsessed laura ( cameron diaz ) . the other friends are real estate agent robert boyd ( christian slater ) , quiet charles ( leland orser ) , and brothers , michael ( jeremy piven ) and family man adam ( daniel stern ) . after a wild night of gambling , boozing , and drugs , a stripper ( carla scott ) who was paid for by robert comes into their hotel room , but after a freak accident , to everyone 's terror , she is killed . as robert puts it : " there are two options : go to the police and go to prison , or bury her out in the desert where no one will ever find her . " after a security guard enters into the hotel room unexpectantly and sees the body , robert is forced to kill him as well . " okay , there is only one option now . you can forget about calling the police , " he says . by the time the five friends return home and as the wedding draws nearer , most of them are overcome with guilt , which sets off an even more elaborate series of event , that includes much , much more murder , double - crosses , and the inevitable wedding from hell . " very bad things , " which is actor peter berg 's feature film directing debut , is the shockingly perverse and wicked comedy that , " there 's something about mary , " wanted to be . it pulls out all the stops to create something fresh , original , and hilarious , even if that requires surprisingly graphic violence , gore , and a slew of truly hateful characters that all get what they deserve by the end . the screenplay , also written by berg , is , to put it mildly , very funny and courageous . during the second act of the film , some of the fun was beginning to slightly dwindle due to so much death , which was beginning to undermine the humor , but it eventually recouped itself with a climax that has to be seen to be believed . the dialogue is edgy and inventive , and this film proves that a movie does n't necessarily require likable character to be extremely enjoyable . there 's more fun , i think , in showing ignorable people getting their just desserts . cameron diaz gives her best performance to date here , and has a lot of fun in playing the hateful laura , who eventually turns out to be more crazy than any of the five male friends . diaz puts so much overblown energy to her character that i really do think she deserves a supporting actress oscar nomination come next january . by the time she is beating someone to death with a coat hanger , and reciting lines like , " stuff him in the crapper and get your ass upstairs , " i could n't help but crack up at how " balls - to - the - wall " this film had become . jeanne tripplehorn creates another character original , as daniel stern 's wife , who late in the picture , we discover , is a tough kick - boxer that should not be messed around with . it is at this level that , " very bad things , " was so entertaining and surprising . just when you thought you could predict what was going to happen , there would be a little twist involving the characters that would be absolutely wacky . the last sequence was perfect and managed to go even further over - the - top . although i enjoyed the film immensely , let me make this clear : " very bad things , " is not a movie for everyone . it is more tasteless than anything i have ever seen , it is more violent and bloody than a r - rated film usually is , and it is offensive . luckily , these are elements that i would prefer in a comedy , since it clearly shows the filmmakers were set on making a no - holds - barred , politically incorrect comedy . the fact that this film slipped through the cracks of the usually mainstream and " safe " wide - releases coming out lately , still gives me hope for the hollywood film industry .

1POS

" very bad things , " is the most delightfully morbid film of the year , a movie that goes so far 's something about mary , " wanted to be . it pulls out all the stops to create something fresh , original , and hilarious , even if that requires surprisingly graphic violence , gore by berg , is , to put it mildly , very funny and courageous . during the second act of the film , some undermine the humor , but it eventually recouped itself with a climax that has to be seen to be believed . the dialogue is edgy and inventive , and this film proves that a movie does n't necessarily require likable character to be extremely enjoyable . there 's more fun , i think , in showing ignorable people getting their just desserts . cameron diaz gives her best performance to date here , and has a lot of fun this level that , " very bad things , " was so entertaining and surprising . just when you thought you could predict what was twist involving the characters that would be absolutely wacky . the last sequence was perfect and managed to go even further over - the - top . although i enjoyed the film immensely , let me make this clear : " very bad usually is , and it is offensive . luckily , these are elements that i would prefer in a comedy , since it clearly shows the filmmakers were set on

it is hard to imagine that a movie which includes abortion and incest as prominent plot devices could be so sensitive , so delicate , so insightful and yes , even so enjoyable . somehow , the cider house rules manages to keep an even keel in the face of the harsh subject matter and allows a substantial amount of heart to shine through . set in the 1940 's , the film tells the story of a unique young man named homer wells ( tobey maguire , ride with the devil ) . an orphan , twice rejected as an infant by possible adoptive parents , he grows up in the care and under the tutelage of dr . wilbur larch ( michael caine , little voice ) , father figure to the orphans of st . cloud , obstetrician or abortionist to the unhappily pregnant women who come there seeking his help . figuring that as long as homer was going to stay at the orphanage , he might as well be of use , dr . larch begins teaching him all he knows about obstetrics . soon homer is delivering babies like a professional . he refuses to perform abortions , instead wondering why the couples just did n't behave more responsibly . larch , too old and experienced to have such youthful ideals , marvels that homer " continues to have such high expectations of people . " such is the result of an insulated upbringing . though skilled in certain medical procedures , homer remains woefully naive and ignorant about most everything else . he finally figures that in order to find his place in the world , he must go out into it . befriending a young couple who had come to see dr . larch , he hitches a ride with them and parlays that into landing a job as an apple picker with a group of black migrant workers at the orchard where they lived . thus , homer begins his worldly instruction , with new friend candy kendall ( charlize theron , the astronaut 's wife ) a willing tutor . tobey maguire is well cast yet again as an inherently good man who is seeking answers to life 's questions . . . many of which he was unaware needed to be asked . he demonstrates a quiet strength and thoughtful curiosity that is both warm and appealing . michael caine is , in a word , brilliant as the caring caretaker of these orphans , many of whom he helped to bring into the world . calling them " princes of maine , kings of new england " in his ritualistic goodnight , mr . caine manages to communicate the love and commitment larch has towards these children without becoming maudlin or saccharine . delroy lindo ( a life less ordinary ) has many powerful moments as mr . rose , the strong and charismatic leader of the apple pickers whom homer joins . director lasse hallstrom ( what 's eating gilbert grape ? ) and screenwriter / novelist john irving ( the world according to garp ) , who adapted his own work for this movie deserve much of the credit for the balanced approach to the sensitive subject matter . regardless of one 's personal stand on the divisive matter of abortion , it is hard to imagine anyone becoming offended by the evenhanded treatment used by these filmmakers . the title is a reference to a list of rules posted in the quarters of the illiterate apple pickers . figuring the rules did n't apply to them since they did n't have a hand in writing them , they decide to ignore the list and make up their own rules as they go along . dr . larch , in his own way , acts similarly . there is a danger in that line of reasoning . god has also given us a set of rules . unlike the list posted in the cider house , god 's rules , if followed , promise us benefits beyond our imagination . and yet , many continue to ignore his " rules " preferring to make up their own as they go through life . " trust in the lord with all thine heart ; and lean not unto thine own understanding . " proverbs 3 : 5 [ kjv ] just as a builder follows a designer 's blueprint or a conductor follows a composer 's score , why should n't we follow the rules of life given to us by life 's architect for our own blessing ?

1POS

includes abortion and incest as prominent plot devices could be so sensitive , so delicate , so insightful and yes , even so enjoyable . somehow , the cider house rules manages to keep an even keel in the face of the harsh subject matter and allows a substantial amount of heart to shine through . set in the 1940 's , the film tells astronaut 's wife ) a willing tutor . tobey maguire is well cast yet again as an inherently good man who is seeking answers to appealing . michael caine is , in a word , brilliant as the caring caretaker of these orphans , many of

known as the most successful , highest - grossing romantic comedy in history , director garry marshall apparently struck gold with " pretty woman , " which opened quietly during the summer of 1990 but , thanks to positive word - of - mouth , was able to reach upwards of $ 175-million in theaters alone . the question of why it worked so well lies directly with the film 's two charismatic stars , richard gere and julia roberts , since the story itself is none too original or even believable . the other winning element that makes " pretty woman " so entertaining is its genuine sweetness and innocence , which is rarely as palpable in today 's films as it is here . edward lewis ( richard gere ) is a suave , extremely wealthy business mogul who , at the start of the picture , breaks up with his girlfriend over the phone after a nasty argument , and abruptly takes his friend 's car and gets lost on hollywood boulevard while trying to find his hotel . stopping the car along the street , he asks a woman , obviously a prostitute , for directions . agreeing to get in his car and show him for ten bucks , edward ultimately accepts , they strike up a conversation , and before long she has been asked up to his penthouse room on the top floor . this meeting does not lead to sex , however , as edward confides that he 'd rather just have someone to talk to , and offers her $ 300 to spend the night . just as well , since the hooker , named vivian , is a beautiful , generally upbeat young woman who is the type of person that can lend an understanding ear . the meeting between these two completely opposite people does not end the next morning as planned , when edward finally offers to pay vivian three - thousand dollars if she will stay with him for six days and nights while he is in the area , keeping him company and acting as his companion to business dinners and get - togethers . since vivian firmly tells edward at the beginning that she will do anything with him except kiss him on the lips , which always leads to unwanted intimacy when dealing with her customers , the obligatory rule of the genre says that by the third act , edward and vivian will finally , truly , kiss . allegedly planned as a grim , downbeat drama until garry marshall came on board as director , " pretty woman " has been transformed in all senses of the word into a classic fairy tale , a la " cinderella . " the premise is hardly believable and its portrait of prostitutes hanging out on the streets of hollywood boulevard is just about the most idealized portrayal that there could have possibly been . you honestly do n't need a high - iq ( or any iq , for that matter ) to guess how the film will end , and the story is as old as my great great grandma bertha . the supporting characters are almost all sketchily written and less - than - gratifying , and the screenplay is no award winner . and yet , amidst all of these qualms and flaws , " pretty woman " is an astoundingly charming motion picture , and it is definately easy to see why it became such an overnight sensation with moviegoers . you 'd actually be amazed how far bemusement can go , and there are a few select moments ( not even whole scenes , mind you ) that are as romantic as anything i 've seen on film in the 1990 's . additionally , the film belongs , and its success can be attributed , to two people and two people only , and they are richard gere and julia roberts . playing sex symbols throughout the ' 80s with such pictures as " american gigolo " and " an officer and a gentleman , " gere branches out here to play a more quiet , almost shy , but still alluring , character that believably could sweep julia roberts off her feet , and vice versa . julia roberts , in her breakthrough role after 1988 's well - received " mistic pizza " and 1989 's " steel magnolia , " for which she was nominated for an academy award , is radiant and funny as the wordly vivian , who surprisingly could be a role model for impressionistic viewers , not for her line of work , but more for her sheer intelligence . it would have probably been easy to have written vivian as merely a flake , but screenwriter j . f . lawton clearly cared too much about his central characters to do such a thing . after " pretty woman , " roberts , along with meg ryan , became the reigning queen of romantic comedies ( with her latest being the just - released " runaway bride , " which repairs gere and roberts together once again ) , and no wonder . roberts has continually proven to not only be a strong actress with a flare for comedy , but also one who can efficiently do drama , and in almost every film she appears in , it is difficult not to fall in love with her along with her male co - star . an especially strong scene that gere and roberts do together takes place after edward foolishly tells one of his co - workers that vivian is actually a prostitute , and he then approaches her , making sexual advances . no only does this make vivian feel cheap , especially since she had previously been posing as a more professional , eloquent young lady , but it also maddens her that edward would demean and betray her in such a way , and ultimately causes her to question where exactly her life is leading , and if she likes this particular path . on the more dreamy side , the film is filled with romantic scenes that are simply effervescent to behold , especially one in which edward enters into the hotel 's lounge to see vivian turn around and not only reveal her marvelous cocktail dress , but also her inner ( and outer ) glowing beauty . another subtle moment has vivian lovingly blowing a kiss to edward , who is asleep , and placing it on his lips , since she still is unsure if she should be getting attached to this man who may very well be out of her life forever in a short couple of days . " pretty woman " does not blatantly step wrong until the very last scene , which is a happy ending ( as you 'd expect , and would n't have it any other way ) that somehow does not work , perhaps because of its undeniable contrivances . this one misstep does not put a damper on the rest of the film , though , because there is just far too much magic at work here to disaffirm such a petty problem . helped along by a warm , memorable supporting performance from laura san giacomo , as vivian 's best friend and roommate , and a fabulously catchy soundtrack , in which all of the songs prominently aid in the movie 's overall fulfillment , " pretty woman " is a sparkler of a motion picture , and has what it takes to act as a blueprint on how to make the quintessential romantic comedy .

1POS

known as the most successful , highest - grossing romantic comedy in history , director garry marshall apparently struck gold with " pretty woman , " which opened quietly during $ 175-million in theaters alone . the question of why it worked so well lies directly with the film 's two charismatic stars , richard gere and julia roberts , since the story itself is none too original or even believable . the other winning element that makes " pretty woman " so entertaining is its genuine sweetness and innocence , which is rarely as palpable in today 's films has been transformed in all senses of the word into a classic fairy tale , a la " cinderella . " the premise is these qualms and flaws , " pretty woman " is an astoundingly charming motion picture , and it is definately easy to see why it became such an overnight sensation with moviegoers . you 'd actually be amazed how far for which she was nominated for an academy award , is radiant and funny as the wordly vivian , who surprisingly could be a a flare for comedy , but also one who can efficiently do drama , and in almost every film she appears in , on the rest of the film , though , because there is just far too much magic at work here to disaffirm such a petty problem . helped along by a warm , memorable supporting performance from laura san giacomo , as vivian 's best friend and roommate , and a fabulously catchy soundtrack , in which all of the songs prominently aid in movie 's overall fulfillment , " pretty woman " is a sparkler of a motion picture , and has what it takes to act as a blueprint on how to make the quintessential romantic comedy .

the dramatic comedy cousins has all the necessary ingredients : a witty and whimsical script , inspired performances , a great sense of humor , a large and wonderful cast , and the beautiful scenery of vancouver . it 's a movie of weddings , marriage , family , infidelity , and -- oh yes -- love . like 3 men and a baby , cousins is an americanized version of a french film : 1975 's cousin , cousine . the plot is complicated , but it goes something like this . larry and tom are cousins , each of whom is not - so - happily - married . tom starts an affair with larry 's wife , tish , and to get even , larry and tom 's wife , maria , pretend to have an affair of their own . soon the pretending turns to love and cousins is off and running . cousins is populated by a wide assortment of interesting characters and caricatures . the acting is first rate down to even the smallest supporting role , and virtually every performance deserves mention . ted danson ( in his first starring film role ) finally gets to play a character with some depth and sensitivity . while larry may be confident and charming like sam malone on " cheers , " he is also complex and vulnerable , with more between his ears than empty space . as maria , isabella rossellini is a joy to watch ; she is shy , sensuous , and immensely alluring . sean young is perfectly cast as larry 's picture perfect wife , tish , a superficial and trendy make - up consultant . keith coogan , from adventures in babysitting , is wonderfully weird and eccentric as larry 's rebellious son , mitch . and finally , lloyd bridges in a tour de force performance is mitch 's rambunctious grandfather ; he provides some of cousins ' best lines and laughs . like moonstruck , cousins is a mix of drama and comedy . the film is larger than life and has a keen sense of the absurd . it understands human nature extremely well and milks it for every possible laugh and heart - tug . how often do you see a movie where you believe that two characters truly and sincerely care for and love each other , as friends and as lovers ? well , to its credit , cousins is just such a movie . let 's hope the french continue to provide us with the inspiration to make films like cousins

1POS

the dramatic comedy cousins has all the necessary ingredients : a witty and whimsical script , inspired performances , a great sense of humor , a large and wonderful cast , and the beautiful scenery of vancouver . it 's a movie of weddings , by a wide assortment of interesting characters and caricatures . the acting is first rate down to even the smallest supporting role , and virtually every performance deserves mention . ted danson ( in his first starring film role than empty space . as maria , isabella rossellini is a joy to watch ; she is shy , sensuous , and immensely alluring . sean young is perfectly cast as larry 's picture perfect wife , tish , a son , mitch . and finally , lloyd bridges in a tour de force performance is mitch 's rambunctious grandfather ; he provides some of a mix of drama and comedy . the film is larger than life and has a keen sense of the absurd . it its credit , cousins is just such a movie . let 's hope the french continue to provide us with the inspiration to make films like cousins

this remake of " la cage aux folles " features a gay couple pretending to be straight in order to pull the wool over the eyes of their son 's future in - laws . the couple ( robin williams and nathan lane ) are about as archetypal , or as the less kind might put it ? stereotypical , gays possible . williams owns a nightclub featuring drag queens where his partner performs as the featured star . they live above the club in what could not possibly be mistaken as a heterosexual abode . williams is excellent as should be no surprise . gene hackman as right - wing potential father - in - law is refreshing in one of his few comedic roles . the real star is lane . his attempted transformation from one of the most obviously gay men in the world to the straight - shooting uncle is hilarious . perhaps it is a personal failing on my part , but the crying and screaming drag queen faux high drama just grates on my nerves and the first few minutes of this film are filled with it . luckily ( for me at least ) , it does n't last long and the rest of the story focuses on the relationship between the men , their son and the deception . the question of stereotypes is a touchy one . these guys personify the homophobic gay image . you can almost hear the swishing . if you think that they are supposed to be representative of every gay man in the world , you 'll be outraged . but if you can accept the view is that this is a movie about gay individuals , you 'll love it . your choice .

1POS

could not possibly be mistaken as a heterosexual abode . williams is excellent as should be no surprise . gene hackman as right - wing potential father - is refreshing in one of his few comedic roles . the real star is lane . his attempted transformation from one of the in the world to the straight - shooting uncle is hilarious . perhaps it is a personal failing on my part few minutes of this film are filled with it . luckily ( for me at least ) , it does n't is that this is a movie about gay individuals , you 'll love it . your choice .

seen may 19 , 1999 at 5 p . m . at the crossgates cinema 18 ( guilderland , n . y . ) , theater # 1 , with my brother john for $ 8 . 50 . [ theater rating : * * * * : excellent seats , sound and picture ] ( critic 's note : this review is the longest i 've ever written and still only scratches the surface . i 'd recommend this be read only by those who have seen the film as a form of critical analysis . ) as my friend and fellow film critic ted prigge said in his review of ` the phantom menace ' - how do i even write this review ? never mind the fact that i 've been waiting for a new ` star wars ' movie since i was seven years old . never mind the fact everyone on the internet had already dissected and discussed the movie before it was even released . never mind that there 's so much going on in this movie in terms of plot , action , special effects and long - term story that to analyze every aspect would take a lot of time and energy and still would n't cover everything . and also like ted does in all of his reviews , i 'll try to review this in a way different from my usual reviews and instead write as casually as possible as if i was talking directly to you , the reader . before we can begin analyzing the specific aspects of the film , many of the most general and most significant factors must be considered ( to get the specifics of the film , skip this and the next four paragraphs ) . as has been made obvious for the last several years , another trilogy of films will be produced to account for the [ missing ] initial three installments of the ` star wars ' series ( the first of the films was actually episode four , not one ) . george lucas , the creator of the series , has probably just assumed most people know the first - produced trilogy ( ` star wars , ' ` the empire strikes back ' and ` return of the jedi ' ) is actually the second trilogy , chronologically . in media interviews in the past he has explained why the movies were made out of order , but i ca n't recall his reasons . with this new film he as writer and director has also assumed viewers are at least vaguely familiar with the storylines and significant plot points of the first trilogy ( err . . . second trilogy . . . well you know what i mean ) . and in order for this review to be thorough many of those significant points must be mentioned which , unfortunately , may serve as spoilers so proceed with caution . [ critic 's note # 1 : it is one my personal policy not to intentionally analyze spoilers because i would like my reviews to be able to make sense to the reader both before and after viewing the film reviewed , but it would be nearly impossible to do the film justice here without breaking the rule . critic 's note # 2 : reviewing this film also breaks the universal critics ' law of reviewing movies , which as roger ebert coined , ` it 's not what a movie is about , but how it is about it . ' because so many outside factors come into play in the film 's plot and significance as part of a trilogy , and just considering modern society , it again would be difficult , if not impossible to simply review the film as a completely autonomous story . ] first of all we have to catalog what we know about the film before even going into it . we know that young anakin skywalker will grow up to become the evil ruler darth vader who is also the father of luke skywalker , who will lead a successful revolution against him and his empire . we know obi - wan ` ben ' kenobi was the trainer of anakin in the ways of ` the force ' in attempts to become a jedi knight , but would fail and thus anakin would fall to the ` dark side . ' we also know something about ` the force ' itself , that it is some kind of universal force which determines fate and can be manipulated by those whose minds are expanded enough to believe in it and feel it ( the jedi ) . what we do n't know for sure is the history of the ruling of the galaxy , which is most likely much longer and more complex than any government we have had here on earth . to me , this was one of the most fascinating aspects of the first three films because there seemed to be a subtle , definite order to all the complexity . also , it seems that we 're supposed to be familiar with a few other details about the story which have come out of the thousands of comic books and paperbacks published in the years since the movies ended . most notably , details regarding the emperor from ` empire ' and ` jedi , ' and that he was once a senator and his last name is palpatine . for those who have n't kept up with all the ` star wars ' paraphernalia over the years , there is still a way to know these details simply by recognizing an actor ( or his voice at least ) . with ` the phantom menace ' being the first chapter of a long saga , one would assume the basic groundwork would be laid , including the history behind all the major factors of the series , especially ` the force ' and the jedi knights . unfortunately , this film does more of the opposite as it simply builds on top of what must be a history so long and detailed it could never be explained . i did n't liked that aspect to this film and is one of the reasons it falls just short of greatness . if you 're going to tell a story from the beginning - tell it from the beginning ( is it possible that after this trilogy is complete there could be another trilogy of episodes -1 through -3 to clarify the back story even further ? ) . but i digress . i 've said so much and yet i have n't even touched on the specifics of the film itself . all these necessary ` disclaiming ' elements should go to show just how vast the story of the ` star wars ' series is and this individual film itself . what we get here is a movie not unlike any of the other three we 've come to know and love since the late 1970s . its similarity to the other films helps to keep the spirit of the series familiar , but at the same time seems to be a flaw in the filmmaking process itself since it sometimes rings of unoriginality . the basic story is rather sorted , complex and even confusing at times . we 're told that an army known as ` the trade federation ' has set up a blockade around an seemingly insignificant planet called naboo . we 're not given too many details to clarify the back story of what the federation is and what their purpose is , instead the film opts to get its story moving quickly . we 're introduced to two jedi , the master qui - gon jinn ( neeson ) and his apprentice obi - wan kenobi ( mcgregor ) . the two are acting as ambassadors of some sort in hopes of ending the obvious hostility between the federation and the planet 's queen , amidala ( portman ) . the leader of the federation , an alien called viceroy , is following the orders of a strange , mythical character - an older human man whose face and body are covered and shadowed by the black robe and hood he wears . he is referred to as lord sidious but considering his appearance , and especially that creepy evil voice of his , he is a obviously one of the most significant characters in the series . sidious communicates to viceroy only through digital transmissions and never in person . clearly his actual whereabouts are something he wants to keep secret because that would also reveal his identity ( which is never openly revealed in the film , but should be clear to most viewers . i have a feeling we 'll delve into his background in the next two films ) . but it does n't take the film long to spring into action and within minutes our hero jedi are fighting for their lives and the film 's story begins to move along . the film does n't have one specific plot and works in the same manner as the other films in the series where as what we get is one mini - plot and adventure on top of another . there are so many of these mini - plots - within - plots in this film i would not describe them all because it is what gives the movie its hook . the other films have relied on this type of storytelling , but because of the limits of the technology at the time , the films ' screenplays were also limiting . the sense of limitlessness here is what gives ` the phantom menace ' its unique traits . as we already know , the film takes place at least a generation or two before the original ` star wars ' trilogy which means a lot of the background which was unclear and/or unexplained may be cleared up here as it is the beginning of the vast epic story . and here the most significant storyline is that involving the discovery of 10-year - old anakin skywalker ( lloyd ) , by qui - gon jinn and his introduction to the jedi council . to briefly summarize the story , jinn stumbles upon skywalker in an attempt to buy parts for queen amidala 's spaceship which was damaged in efforts to free her from the federation . their meeting on tatooine is mostly chance but of course jinn chalks it up to the will of the force . jinn can feel that skywalker has a great natural power in the force , and through another sub - plot involving a bet on skywalker in a fantastic race he will enter , more and more details of his significance begin to reveal themselves . this also provides for a new elaboration and explanation of the force which has never been mentioned before . in fact , it seems to be something so important it is upsetting it has never been mentioned before . the element seriously undermines the mystical aspect of the force and transforms it into something more physical and scientific which is completely unnecessary . by the film 's third act all the major significant elements become tied together in a rather familiar execution of the plot . it 's funny how the reality of the ` star wars ' world seems so embedded in mythology , new age - like philosophy and religion and yet the solution to all the major conflicts in the series has been violence . not that this technique has n't been used in movies and in real - life situations countless times throughout history . and at least it 's all in the spirit of the ultimate powers of good versus evil in a fun and exciting matter . it does border of the cartoonish sometimes , but that 's just the film appealing to our inner child , which is the basic reason the entire saga exists and has become such a big part of our modern society . ` the phantom menace ' delivers exactly what you 'd expect from a ` star wars ' film which is why it succeeds as well as it does but is always why it never truly achieves greatness . so many things in the film we 've seen before and done with more heart because the filmmakers concentrated just a bit more on story and character because they were limited . but this film is far from bad because it at least embraces the spirit of sheer fun at the movies .

1POS

from a ` star wars ' film which is why it succeeds as well as it does but is always why it never truly achieves greatness . on story and character because they were limited . but this film is far from bad because it at least embraces the spirit of sheer fun at the movies .

the story of us , a rob reiner film , is the second movie this fall that touches the viewer in a way they are rarely touched by a film , as they can see their everyday lives in the usually once in a year films . well , 1999 has two of them , the other being the instant classic about a very dysfunctional family , american beauty . the story of us , a film about the highs and lows of marriage and family , is a well written , heartbreaking and insightful film that made the majority of the audience , including myself , cry . the story of us tells the story of ben ( bruce willis ) and katie ( michelle pfeiffer ) jordan , and asks the question , " can a marriage survive 15 years of marriage ? " the film is about two individuals who have come together , spent a good chunk of their lives together , and shows when our main characters are " him " and " her " ( during the bad times ) , and when they are " us " ( during the good times ) . the story of us is about their entire 15 years of marriage that is collapsing day by day . ben and katie now only see and live with each other because they do n't want to devastate their children with the fact that their parents no longer , or at least say they do n't , love each other anymore . ben , a cartoonist , and katie , a crossword puzzle writer , have grown apart during their fifteen years of marriage , as they have grown to follow different views on life , family , and marriage . katie is the more organized , sophisticated type , who wants to plan everything out , while ben is a spontaneous , adventurous individual who does n't mind doing things differently than they were planned . the story of us plays out nicely , as the film opens with ben sharing his story with a therapist , told to the viewer through flashbacks . as the film progresses , it switches between ben and katie talking to their therapist , with their stories being told with flashbacks of their marriage . this method is highly effective , as we see the characters changing from year to year , slowly growing apart . through the flashbacks , we get to see the story of them through both of the character 's eyes , and this gives us a strong sense of what their characters are really like , as the story of us has three dimensional , believable main characters . the screenplay , written by jessie nelson ( stepmom ) and alan zweibel ( dragnet ) , is a touching , down to earth work that hits a chord within the viewer , much like another one of nelson 's films , stepmom . the script has an open honesty and outlook on life , one that is so realistic , you feel uncomfortable at many times , because so many situations the characters are in are undeniably familiar , as most families these days most go through the hard times , as ben and katie must . if it was n't for the first 15 minutes that the writers wrote , which are rugged and certainly flawed , the story of us would have been this year 's best picture . bruce willis , a usual action / adventure star , has certainly turned himself around in the past year- he went from being a man who was being typecast to the same role in action movies , to a distinguished , sophisticated actor , as in last summer 's the sixth sense ; and now in the story of us , willis shows the world what he can really do if he is fed a good script . although i would n't pick willis as the choice actor for ben jordan , willis handles himself nicely , and shines in a few of the film 's most powerful scenes , enough that make his performance a definite contender comes awards season . where to start about michelle pfeiffer ? pfeiffer 's performance is spellbinding and ultimately strong , as she brings her character to life with such charisma and emotion , you wonder how , how it is possible for someone to portray a real person with such realism . pfeiffer 's performance is one that if not recognized by the academy next spring , will be in the heart 's of any viewer that has watched this moving film . the story of us is one of 1999 's most real , yet funny films , as the razor sharp script evens out the laughs and the tears to keep the viewer hooked . superb acting , direction , writing , story , and soundtrack that always sets the mood for the film , which is beautifully composed by eric clapton and marc shaiman , make the story of us a touching , unforgettable motion picture that will touch the hearts of viewers across the country- and will certainly become one of the most talked about movies of the fall . the film 's major high points are the fights between ben and katie , as the two constantly accuse of each other of whose fault it is that their marriage has collapsed , and although they also say things like " it 's over , " or " i hate you , " you can tell the two still share a deep connection , and that inside , somewhere , they are still an " us . " the bottom line : a wonderful , enchanting , and heartbreaking film . one of the most realistic , heartbreaking films in recent years .

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reiner film , is the second movie this fall that touches the viewer in a way they are rarely touched by a film , as they can see their everyday the highs and lows of marriage and family , is a well written , heartbreaking and insightful film that made the majority of the audience , including myself differently than they were planned . the story of us plays out nicely , as the film opens with ben sharing his story characters are really like , as the story of us has three dimensional , believable main characters . the screenplay , written by jessie nelson ( stepmom ) and alan zweibel ( dragnet ) , is a touching , down to earth work that hits a chord within the viewer , much like another one of nelson typecast to the same role in action movies , to a distinguished , sophisticated actor , as in last summer 's the sixth sense ; and now in the story of us , willis shows the world what he can really do if he is fed a good script . although i willis as the choice actor for ben jordan , willis handles himself nicely , and shines in a few of the film 's most powerful scenes , enough that make his performance a definite contender comes awards season . where to start about michelle pfeiffer ? pfeiffer 's performance is spellbinding and ultimately strong , as she brings her character to life with such charisma and emotion , you wonder how , how it is possible for that if not recognized by the academy next spring , will be in the heart 's of any viewer that has watched this moving film . the story of laughs and the tears to keep the viewer hooked . superb acting , direction , writing , story , and soundtrack that always sets the mood for the film , which is beautifully composed by eric clapton and marc shaiman , make the story of us a touching , unforgettable motion picture that will touch the hearts of viewers across the country- and will certainly become one of the most talked about movies of the fall . the film 's major high points still an " us . " the bottom line : a wonderful , enchanting , and heartbreaking film . one of the most realistic , heartbreaking films in

warren beatty returns to the screens in the funniest , craziest and hard hitting movie in his career . based on a story concocted by himself , and also written by beatty , bulworth gives a good insight of what beatty thinks of the american government system . beatty stars as senator jay bulworth , who 's going through a nervous breakdown . after hiring someone to kill him , he completely changes his campaign strategy and tells the honest truth about what 's _ really _ happening in american politics , much to the annoyance of assistant dennis murphy ( platt . ) instead of everyone hating him , the american public love him . however , inside his party , more people want to kill him than just the hired assassin . and he also strikes a relationship with black girl nina ( berry . ) it 's remarkable that this film was released at all . much more open than the rather subdued primary colours , bulworth barely gives the american politic system a good name . the outrageous remarks bulworth makes to his potential voters are very funny , and also somewhat true . it 's great that beatty is n't afraid to let loose on a subject . talking of beatty , he 's excellent in the role of the demented senator , clearing having fun . and seeing warren beatty have fun is a rare sight indeed . even in dick tracy , he was the most straighten face actor . ( then again , he was the only characters face we could completely see . ) the film gives an opportunity for the 61 year old beatty to indulge in some rapping , which he does with gusto ( and also quite well . ) and seeing beatty as a ' homeboy ' has to be seen to be believed . it 's nice to see that beatty can laugh at himself . second best is oliver platt as the flustered , coke snorting assistant , who goes over the top when he finally snaps . halle berry is fine , and sexy , as the intellectual nina , who comes to like the senator . also popping up in the supporting cast is paul sorvino wit h a strange accent , laurie metcalf as the exact same characters she 's also played , and christine baranski of cybill fame as bullworths wife , who all contribute to the fun . and , this being a political film , the ubiquitous larry king makes an appearance , as , * shock * , himself . the writing and directing , both by beatty , are above par . the direction is very nearly sitcom like , but suits the film perfectly , and both the politics are gangland parts are handled well . the script is funny , and the raps are actually well produced and humorous , and quite clever . they 're not cringe inducing , at least . the script makes many points about society in america today , and is n't afraid to make any bold statements about what is a flawed system . best of all , the film is thought provoking , but directed and written in such a way that the film feels as light as a feather , and is very entertaining . there 's also a great rap soundtrack with some well chosen tunes . bulworth is a film with many advantages , and few flaws . perhaps it could be somewhat embarrassing to see a 61 year old man rapping , but beatty does it so well it 's irrelevant . in fact , there 's very little against bulworth , except for the language which is very heavy , but then again it should be expected . bulworth , then , is well worth watching . a david wilcock review ? 1999 " you know , for kids " - norville barnes

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warren beatty returns to the screens in the funniest , craziest and hard hitting movie in his career . based on a story concocted by let loose on a subject . talking of beatty , he 's excellent in the role of the demented senator , clearing having fun . and the top when he finally snaps . halle berry is fine , and sexy , as the intellectual nina , who comes to like christine baranski of cybill fame as bullworths wife , who all contribute to the fun . and , this being a political film , the appearance , as , * shock * , himself . the writing and directing , both by beatty , are above par . the direction is very nearly sitcom like , but suits the film perfectly , and both the politics are gangland parts are handled well . the script is funny , and the raps are actually well produced and humorous , and quite clever . they 're not cringe inducing , at least . any bold statements about what is a flawed system . best of all , the film is thought provoking , but directed and film feels as light as a feather , and is very entertaining . there 's also a great rap soundtrack with some well chosen tunes . bulworth is a film with many advantages , and few flaws . perhaps it could be somewhat again it should be expected . bulworth , then , is well worth watching . a david wilcock review ? 1999 " you know

the long and illustrious career of robin williams , which has included both forgettable turns like mrs . doubtfire and flubber , was punctuated with the actor 's first academy award in 1998 for his role in good will hunting . it was his first truly dramatic role since 1989 's dead poets society , and critical remarks were unanimously positive . his next role , that of a deceased pediatrician in what dreams may come , was unfortunately lackluster . and so , after a six - year stint as a comedic actor , the proof on whether or not williams can cut it in the dramatic league has come down to patch adams . williams is the title character , hunter " patch " adams , sporting scruffy facial hair that falls between the clean - shavenness of dreams and the grotesque hairiness of will hunting . we 're introduced to patch as he commits himself to a mental institution because of his suicidal tendancies . it 's at the institution , however , that he discovers a latent talent for relating to people . he removes himself from the institution and enrolls at the university of virginia 's medical college , where he finds that medical doctrine is a calculating , impersonal trade . his attempts to inject humanity into the profession result in several bouts with expulsion , and the movie climaxes with patch 's appearance before the state medical board . the characters are well - defined in an oscar - worthy sense . although the script does not perform well as a narrative -- there 's little story to be told outside of patch 's skit - length experiences -- the script does go a long way toward building the relationships of characters . at medical school , patch meets up with truman schiff ( daniel london ) , an outsider like himself who relishes patch 's zest for humanity . the two instantly become the best of friends , and it 's easy to see why . monica potter plays patch 's love interest , a young woman who personifies the things that patch hates about medical school . for some reason he 's attracted to her , and although it never gets said , the audience understands from an intrinsic point of view . the script -- based on hunter adams ' own story -- works well this way . the rest of the cast , bob gunton as the villain professor in particular , is solid . director tom shadyac ( liar liar ) leads us in and out of patch 's life in a sound , intentional manner ; combined with williams ' presence on screen , the movie rarely becomes boring . patch adams ' lack of purpose is its major shortcoming , and for the first ninety minutes out of two hours , there 's little feeling of continuity or the passage of time . nevertheless , it 's an emotionally moving picture , and patch adams looks to be one of the more memorable of the holiday season . it succeeds at everything it tries , and only fails at the stuff it does n't try in the first place . by and large there may be another oscar nomination herein for williams , but more importantly , it 's entertainment for the entire family .

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script -- based on hunter adams ' own story -- works well this way . the rest of the cast , bob gunton as the villain professor in particular , is solid . director tom shadyac ( liar liar ) leads us in and out of patch 's life in a sound , intentional manner ; combined with williams ' presence on screen , the movie rarely becomes boring . patch adams ' lack of purpose is its major or the passage of time . nevertheless , it 's an emotionally moving picture , and patch adams looks to be one of the more memorable of the holiday season . it succeeds at everything it tries , and only fails at the stuff it does n't try in the first place . by and large there may be another oscar nomination herein for williams , but more importantly , it 's entertainment for the entire family .

in recent years , harrison ford has been such a grave screen presence , scowling through the likes of tom clancy 's jack ryan series , _ the_fugitive _ , and last year 's smash _ air_force_one _ , that one wonders if the rogue charm that made him such a superstar had been completely drained from his system . apparently , it was just lying dormant . with ivan reitman 's enjoyable romantic comedy / adventure _ six_days , _ seven_nights _ , the lovable scoundrel is back , giving audiences a fresh reminder of why ford is one of the most enduring and popular modern screen icons . ford plays quinn harris , a carefree and slightly slobby ( endearingly so ) pilot in the tropics whose broken - down plane crashes in a storm , stranding him and his charter , new york magazine editor robin monroe ( anne heche ) , on a deserted island . of course , the sophisticated robin and the salt - of - the - earth quinn are at odds long before the plane goes down , and all manner of hostile repartee is exchanged between the two from their first meeting . while some of the lines fall flat , the formulaic motions work because of the unexpectedly electric chemistry between ford and heche . both actors , who have largely done serious works as of late , seem liberated by the lack of dramatic weight on their shoulders , and they deliver their zingers , as weak as they sometimes are , with beguiling abandon . naturally , there 's nothing like a life - threatening crisis to bring two people together , and quinn and robin 's warmup to each other is sped up even further by the arrival of some bloodthirsty pirates . granted , some conflict needed to be introduced on the island , but this tacked - on development from writer michael browning is a bit too obviously thrown in for the purpose of adding gratuitous action scenes . but the point is to get the two together , and their newfound affection causes complications for both , but mostly robin , who came to the islands on a vacation with her fiance frank ( david schwimmer ) , who frantically awaits her return on the home island . reitman , and old , reliable hand at breezy comedies , keeps the pace brisk and capably handles the more action - oriented sequences . his big accomplishment , however , is bringing the old , smiling ford back . as appealing and charismatic as he always is , ford has n't been quite this charming and affable in years ; he 's obviously having a blast , and the audience can not help but have one along with him . holding her own is heche , whose scrappy character never becomes the screaming ninny she initially promises to be ( as the plane goes down , she frantically pops stress pills ) . she can take her lumps , physical and otherwise , just as well as quinn , making her a formidable foil and ideal match . formulaic and light as a feather , _ six_days , _ seven_nights _ could be cited as a classic example of the summer " popcorn " movie season 's lack of substance . it 's certainly fluff , but it 's unpretentious , undemanding , and -- most importantly -- fun fluff that goes down as easily as a frothy pina colada on a balmy tropical beach . pass the popcorn .

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it was just lying dormant . with ivan reitman 's enjoyable romantic comedy / adventure _ six_days , _ seven_nights _ , the lovable scoundrel is back , giving audiences a fresh reminder of why ford is one of the most enduring and popular modern screen icons . ford plays quinn harris , a carefree and slightly some of the lines fall flat , the formulaic motions work because of the unexpectedly electric chemistry between ford and heche . both actors , who have their zingers , as weak as they sometimes are , with beguiling abandon . naturally , there 's nothing like a life - her return on the home island . reitman , and old , reliable hand at breezy comedies , keeps the pace brisk and capably handles the more action - oriented sequences . his big accomplishment , however , is bringing the old , smiling ford back . as appealing and charismatic as he always is , ford has n't been quite this charming and affable in years ; he 's obviously having a blast , and the audience can not help but have one along with him . holding her own is heche , whose scrappy character never becomes the screaming otherwise , just as well as quinn , making her a formidable foil and ideal match . formulaic and light as a feather , _ six_days substance . it 's certainly fluff , but it 's unpretentious , undemanding , and -- most importantly -- fun fluff that goes down as easily as a frothy pina colada on a balmy tropical beach . pass the popcorn .

near the end of 1996 , analysts remarked that the year would be the last in which disney would stand alone as the animation king . the following year , 1997 , saw the first sleeper entry into the genre from a studio other than the magic kingdom : twentieth century fox gave baronial russia to the masses in the form of anastasia . at best , that 's all it was -- a sleeper hit , designed to surprise but not shake the industry . in 1998 , however , things have been decidedly different . there have been a number of pushes on disney 's death grip on the market , and fifty - one weeks into ' 98 , a new champion has emerged . dreamworks ' the prince of egypt succeeds where all of the other conventionally animated products have failed . the other two contenders , warner brothers ' quest for camelot and disney 's own annual entry , mulan , lacked inspiration and drive respectively . although camelot was borderline - abysmal , and ca n't really be considered a shot at the title , mulan had the makings of winner . unfortunately , it was saturated with traditional , disney - cute animation , and lost points against the rapidly - changing face of the competition . in making the prince of egypt , dreamworks has strayed from all of these hallmarks and created a genuinely unique product . the animation is flawless , and , aside from a bug 's life , is the best - looking movie to date . the animators have nimbly mixed both flat and spatial effects , and the 2d/3d combination is something that artists from disney and fox have heretofore struggled with . the key to success , however , was that the visuals were used not just because they looked cool but also as a method of advancing the plot . namely , some of the most important action sequences ( like the parting of the red sea ) were done almost entirely in 3d . dreamworks is the first studio to prove that they 've got the stuff of success , and that they 're capable of challenging disney . the story is also well - written , and the characters voiced with talent . for the most part , the plot follows its source material -- the book of exodus -- although only in the most general sense . the writers took a few creative liberties , and most do not damage the story in any way . in fact , the shakespearean relationship between moses ( val kilmer ) and the pharaoh rameses ( ralph fiennes ) makes the story more interesting if anything . moses , a hebrew , is saved from the slaughter of the firstborn sons by his mother when she sets him in a basket on the nile ; he floats into the pharaoh seti ( patrick stewart ) 's palace and is taken in by the royal family . moses grows up but learns of his heritage and flees into the desert , where he discovers the burning bush and is commissioned by god to return to egypt and free the slaves . by this time , rameses is now pharaoh , and the two brothers , now on opposite sides of the line , face off in a battle of wills and divine intervention . the cast of voices is most impressive , and also includes such noteables as sandra bullock , jeff goldblum , danny glover , and steve martin . the script does not have a lot of one - liners in it , and god is reduced to a voice that might well be mistaken for the same one that spoke to kevin costner in field of dreams , but overall the story is exciting and interesting . it 's decidedly for an older crowd , and the tykes who have n't had a few years of religion class will be hopelessly lost . but for those who make the bid , the prince of egypt can be a great watch .

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, and fifty - one weeks into ' 98 , a new champion has emerged . dreamworks ' the prince of egypt succeeds where all of the other conventionally animated products have failed . the other two contenders , warner brothers ' quest , dreamworks has strayed from all of these hallmarks and created a genuinely unique product . the animation is flawless , and , aside from a bug 's life , is the best - looking movie to date . the animators have nimbly mixed both flat and spatial . the key to success , however , was that the visuals were used not just because they looked cool but also as a method of advancing the plot . namely , some of the most important action sequences 3d . dreamworks is the first studio to prove that they 've got the stuff of success , and that they 're capable of challenging disney . the story is also well - written , and the characters voiced with talent . for the most part , the plot follows its off in a battle of wills and divine intervention . the cast of voices is most impressive , and also includes such noteables as sandra bullock , jeff goldblum , danny glover , to kevin costner in field of dreams , but overall the story is exciting and interesting . it 's decidedly for an older crowd , and those who make the bid , the prince of egypt can be a great watch .

capsule : a rock and roll fable , indeed . like a hubert selby , jr . novel filtered through equal parts damon runyan and bruce springsteen , and a ton of fun . streets of fire bills itself as " a rock and roll fable " , and the description is perfect . this is a stylish , great - looking , and breezily enjoyable movie that feels like a hubert selby , jr . , novel with a damon runyan rewrite , irected by bruce springsteen . noir is one of the few truly american movie genres , aside from the hollywood musical and the western . this is post - wwii brooklyn noir , for lack of a better label , with a generous injection of rock ' n roll and an all - around confrontational attitude . it all works . the plot is simplicity itself : rocker ellen aim ( diane lane ) is kidnapped by a vicious street gang , led by a bloodthirsty fellow named raven ( willem dafoe , very nasty ) . her old soldier flame ( played by michael pare ) comes back into town to save her , but does n't count on a whole bunch of things going askew . that 's about the entire plot , save for the spats with ellen 's manager ( a hilarious rick moranis ) , an encounter with a doo - wop group that winds up becoming ellen 's supporting act , and a whole gang of other fun little touches . but in movies like this , when is the plot important ? the movie is all style , all visuals and attitudes , quotable lines and posturing -- and it delivers all those things consistently and with great brio and pacing . no surprise that it was directed by walter hill ( 48 hrs . ) , who understands this kind of macho romanticism perfectly , and has put together a movie that 's a mixture of times and sensibilities , but perfectly unified in tone . when was the last time you could say something like that about a movie , especially a movie where it seems like someone gets decked on the jaw ( * and * passes out ) every 2 . 63 minutes on cue ? streets of fire is n't the greatest movie ever made , but it occupies a totally unique little niche , and enjoys the position it has . anyone with a weakness for doo - wop , neon , motorcycles , rainy streets , the el , studebakers , gang pictures , lonely heroes , and a great - looking gal giving the microphone both lungs will eat this movie up . i did .

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through equal parts damon runyan and bruce springsteen , and a ton of fun . streets of fire bills itself as " a rock " , and the description is perfect . this is a stylish , great - looking , and breezily enjoyable movie that feels like a hubert selby , jr . , n roll and an all - around confrontational attitude . it all works . the plot is simplicity itself : rocker ellen aim movies like this , when is the plot important ? the movie is all style , all visuals and attitudes , quotable lines and posturing -- and it delivers all those things consistently and with great brio and pacing . no surprise that it was directed by walter hill ( 48 hrs . ) , who understands this kind of macho romanticism perfectly , and has put together a movie that 's a mixture of times and sensibilities , but perfectly unified in tone . when was the last time you fire is n't the greatest movie ever made , but it occupies a totally unique little niche , and enjoys the position it has . anyone with a weakness for doo - wop , a great - looking gal giving the microphone both lungs will eat this movie up . i did .

jack nicholson has a funny way of playing characters with very few redeeming qualities , but whom you end up liking anyway . in as good as it gets , the character in question is melvin udall , a successful novelist with obsessive - compulsive disorder who seems bent on having as little contact with people around him as possible , except when he feels like being a royal pain in the you - know - where . he 's mean . i mean really mean . the opening scene shows him shoving a little dog down the trash chute of his manhattan condominium . every day , melvin eats at the same cafe , sits at the same table , and gets served by the same waitress . you can tell that this is his favorite place to be a vicious nuisance , when his waitress carol ( helen hunt ) tells him he can just go sit in another section , and all the other waitresses just cringe . one day , melvin makes a comment that goes to far , and carol , genuinely hurt , comes down on him like a ton of bricks . at that point we find that she is not only the only person who can put up with him as a matter of course , but is also the only person who can get to him , too . another person who often crosses melvin 's sights is simon ( greg kinnear ) , an artist who lives on melvin 's floor . aside from the fact that he lives near the terror of the city , simon has the added benefit of being gay , making him a prime target . simon 's friend frank ( cuba gooding , jr . ) , also gay , does not fare much better . when simon walks in on a pair of men robbing his apartment , he is brutally beaten and sent to the hospital , and frank , who has grown tired of seeing his friend take the verbal abuse dished out by his neighbor , intimidates melvin into watching after simon 's dog while he convalesces . this is the same dog melvin had earlier shoved down the garbage . an interesting thing happens when melvin takes this dog in : melvin gets to like the dog , and the two develop an attachment which is the catalyst to melvin 's softening up to the world around him . it does n't happen overnight , but throughout the film , he bites his tongue here , cares a little there , and most miraculously , falls in love . one of the best elements of this film is watching melvin try to express feelings which are not the usual negative ones he so often shares with others . he 's traveling terra incognita here , and it shows . good performances are turned in by all principal players in this film , especially by nicholson and hunt . they play well off of each other and have a genuine chemistry which makes it a pleasure to watch them on screen . greg kinnear , who is becoming known for his supporting film roles , is also very good at playing the vulnerable simon . he gives a short monologue about what it means for him to be an artist , and delivers it with such inspiration and conviction that you actually get to feel some of what he feels . cuba gooding jr . performs with a hyped - up level of energy which contrasts nicely with that of kinnear , and comes through with a near constant comic performance . the screenplay , by mark andrus and james l . brooks , is clever , touching , and funny . the best part about it , however , is that it is filled with characters we care about because they are actually interesting . melvin is a man we ca n't quite figure out , but whose mannerisms and quirky qualities capture our attention . carol is a working woman living with her mother , trying to take care of a child with a debilitating respiratory problem . simon is a man who is a success in his circle of peers , but who is still not accepted by much of society . combined with the talent of the actors , these characters make the film . the one noticeable area where the film is lacking , however , is the absence of cuba gooding , jr . through the second half . his character makes an exit which is supposed to be temporary , but the film ends before his return , leaving his relationship with simon and melvin unresolved . i would have liked to have seen more of his character in general , in addition to a part in the film 's conclusion . there 's one actor , who will probably not be recognized by any awards , but who contributes greatly to many of the movie 's best scenes and who deserves mention . this is that little dog . he plays such a pivotal role to melvin 's character development , actually serves to forward the plot , and has some absolutely scene - stealing moments , that it is hard to believe he is simply an animal . award or no , however , when even the dog puts in a good performance , you know you 've got an outstanding movie .

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there , and most miraculously , falls in love . one of the best elements of this film is watching melvin try to express feelings 's traveling terra incognita here , and it shows . good performances are turned in by all principal players in this film , especially by nicholson and hunt . they play well off of each other and have a genuine chemistry which makes it a pleasure to watch them on screen . greg kinnear , who is becoming known for his supporting film roles , is also very good at playing the vulnerable simon . he gives a short it means for him to be an artist , and delivers it with such inspiration and conviction that you actually get to feel some of what he , by mark andrus and james l . brooks , is clever , touching , and funny . the best part about it , however , is that it is filled with characters we care about because they are actually interesting . melvin is a man we ca n't quite figure who is still not accepted by much of society . combined with the talent of the actors , these characters make the film . the one noticeable area where the film is lacking who deserves mention . this is that little dog . he plays such a pivotal role to melvin 's character development , actually serves to forward the plot , and has some absolutely scene - stealing moments , that it is hard to believe he is simply an animal . award or no , however , when even the dog puts in a good performance , you know you 've got an outstanding movie .

" i 've been told by several people , ' you 're old fashioned . you want to do everything by hand , ' " topiary gardener george mendonca complains , defending his continued resort to hand shears in trimming his intricately privet - sculpted animal creations . " this is the only way you can do it and do it right . " snip , snip . " some people believe that we are gon na replace ourselves by building these machines , and that may be , " muses mit robot scientist rodney brooks , who builds robots that run on instinct . " there may not be a place for humans in the future , if we 're really successful . " " you feel that there 's a and looking directly into errol morris 's camera . " i know you are . you know i am . " in some ways the slickest film yet from nonfiction auteur morris ( the thin blue line , a brief history of time ) , fast , cheap & out of control is reportage of the highest order . journalism students should dream of making connections like these . cross - cutting among interviews and filmed segments , morris traces the lives of four disparate professionals who seem to share nothing but an immersion in their work , and then threads them around one another in an intricate quadruple helix . the fun is settling into your theater seat and wondering just what the hell one story can possibly have to do with the other . what morris manages is something akin to an intellectual magic trick , an interrogative sleight of hand . one of the things that feels different about an errol morris documentary -- besides the always - striking visuals -- is the interview style , where subjects seem to look directly at the viewer . weary of pressing his cheek against the camera lens to get this effect during conversations , morris developed an elaborate double - camera gadget he calls , half - jokingly , the interrotron . through a rig that uses a pair of teleprompters to project video images of the interviewer for the subject and vice versa , these folks talk , startlingly , right to the camera -- to the video image of morris , and by extension to the audience . the gardener wonders whether , after his death , anyone will be interested in maintaining the garden that he 's devoted half his life to tending . the robot scientist is more than a little pleased to note that his creations may be primal examples of what an insect or even an animal is -- a complicated set of sensory receptors . the mole rat specialist is delighted to catalog the ways in which these vermin animals behave like insects , and notes that they may be more suited to long - term survival than people . and the circus trainer pines for a long - lost ideal that was exemplified by world - renowned trainer and showman clyde beatty , who starred in such serials as zombies of the stratosphere ( excerpted at some length here , with affection ) . starting to detect the patterns ? fast , cheap & out of control contains a multitude of parallels and tiny intersections , culminating in what feels like an elegy ( the film is dedicated to morris 's late mother and stepfather ) . the film is balanced on that airy precipice dividing the already musty past from the alternately exhilarating and terrifying space that is the future . ( the title is taken from brooks ' wish that nasa would send a payload of hundreds of expendable robots to scurry about the martian surface , creating a sort of road map for the terrain -- fast , cheap , and out of control . ) with able assists from editors karen schmeer and shondra merrill and cinematographer robert richardson ( oliver stone 's longtime collaborator ) , this becomes a cinematic contraption that 's a wonder of narrative divergence and coherence . ( further enhancing the picture 's wacky intellectual mood is the playful score by alloy orchestra founder caleb sampson . ) different story threads inform and comment on one another with the serene inscrutability of a kieslowski film , or a surrealist dream . by cobbling together out of these motley musings a thesis on the nature of craftsmanship , invention , and existence itself , morris reveals the presence of cosmic themes -- creation , evolution , death -- in earthbound lives . at the same time , and just as significantly , he pays tribute to a consuming passion for one 's work . this breakdown of the dichotomy between the everyday and the extraordinary is likely as profound as anything you 'll encounter in pop culture this year , and the visuals cry out for the big screen . do n't miss it . -------------------------------------------------------------- directed by errol morris edited by karen schmeer and shondra merrill cinematography by robert richardson music by caleb sampson u . s . , 1997 --------------------------------------------------------------

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. you know i am . " in some ways the slickest film yet from nonfiction auteur morris ( the thin blue line , a brief ) , fast , cheap & out of control is reportage of the highest order . journalism students should dream of making connections like these . cross - cutting among interviews and filmed segments , them around one another in an intricate quadruple helix . the fun is settling into your theater seat and wondering just what the to do with the other . what morris manages is something akin to an intellectual magic trick , an interrogative sleight of hand . one of the things that feels different about an fast , cheap , and out of control . ) with able assists from editors karen schmeer and shondra merrill and cinematographer robert ( oliver stone 's longtime collaborator ) , this becomes a cinematic contraption that 's a wonder of narrative divergence and coherence . ( further enhancing the picture 's wacky intellectual mood is the playful score by alloy orchestra founder caleb sampson . ) different story the dichotomy between the everyday and the extraordinary is likely as profound as anything you 'll encounter in pop culture this year , and the visuals cry out for the big screen . do n't miss it . -------------------------------------------------------------- directed by errol morris edited by karen schmeer

the deer hunter , directed by michael cimino , is truly one of the greatest movies ever made . a captivating drama about the lives of a group of friends from a small russian - american pennsylvania community , the deer hunter promises to be one of those movies that you will never forget . in this academy award winner for best picture of 1978 , outstanding performances are turned in by all actors , and cimino 's brilliant directing provides the perfect vision into the character 's lives . the first act of the film provides us with an inside look into the lives of a group of men from a small community who work and hang out together . michael , portrayed perfectly by robert de niro , is shown early on as the natural leader of the group . after a days work , the men leave their jobs at a factory to head down to the local bar , where john ( george dzundza ) works . three of the men , michael , steven ( john savage ) , and nick ( christopher walken ) will be leaving shortly for vietnam , but not before steven gets married . after the marriage , the group , including axel ( chuck aspegren ) , spend one last day on a hunting trip , one of their favorite past - times . this sequence of events enables us to view the lifestyle of a normal group of men , who will be suddenly and permanently affected by the ravages and separations of war . the wedding scenes , although criticized by many as being quite long , actually enhance even more the purpose of the first act . the outstanding performances by de niro , walken , streep , savage , and cazale , who died very shortly after the filming of the movie was completed , really begin to shine through and promise not to halt in the near future . the second act of the movie begins with the trio of men on the front lines in vietnam , stationed in a south vietnamese village being attacked by the viet cong . the men are eventually captured and held in a floating prison on a river . this prison , run by the v . c . , initiates the horrifying scenes in the movie , where the prisoners are forced to play russian roulette against each other . steven , who is emotionally marred by this turn of events , is secluded in a tiger cage with water up to his face when he refuses to participate . michael shows his leadership again by convincing nick that the only way that steven will survive is if the two friends play against each other , and moreover , they must play with 3 bullets in the gun . personally , i felt that de niro 's absolutely gripping portrayal really was displayed in a brilliant way in these and the following scenes . the men are eventually able to escape , but are separated . michael is able to get steven , who ends up losing his legs , to medical care , while nick finds his way to saigon and a u . s . army hospital . michael returns home and does not feel at all like a hero . he wants to avoid the celebrations and recognition that his friends would like to bestow upon him . he assumes that nick is still lost in vietnam . the third act concentrates more on walken 's character , who eventually stumbles upon a small gambling operation where the game is , again , russian roulette . only in this game , you play for money . michael has learned that nick is possibly still alive and returns to saigon to attempt to find him . the two narrowly find each other at the russian roulette games , but do not link up until michael discovers nick participating in the games and tries to bring him home . a very emotional , and , for many , a very disturbing movie , the deer hunter is a truly magnificent movie that should not be missed . the greatest performances possible are turned in by all actors , and cimino 's directing , which is considered to be at his all - time best in this film , is equally dazzling . do not miss this film , it will captivate and astound you .

1POS

deer hunter , directed by michael cimino , is truly one of the greatest movies ever made . a captivating drama about the lives of a group of friends from a those movies that you will never forget . in this academy award winner for best picture of 1978 , outstanding performances are turned in by all actors , and cimino 's brilliant directing provides the perfect vision into the character 's lives . even more the purpose of the first act . the outstanding performances by de niro , walken , streep , savage , after the filming of the movie was completed , really begin to shine through and promise not to halt in the near future . the second act of the movie begins with the gun . personally , i felt that de niro 's absolutely gripping portrayal really was displayed in a brilliant way in these and the following scenes . the men are , a very disturbing movie , the deer hunter is a truly magnificent movie that should not be missed . the greatest performances possible are turned in by all actors , and cimino 's directing , which is considered to be at his all - time best in this film , is equally dazzling . do not miss this film , it will captivate and astound you .

with storytelling this compelling , who needs books ? based on the book by author james ellroy , l . a . confidential is probably one of the best piece of work produced by hollywood in recent years . together with director curtis hanson ( the hand that rocks the cradle , the river wild ) whom ellroy corroborated closely throughout the shooting of the film , resulted in a movie with a plot and and script so tight , an atom would have to squeeze itself through . set in the 50s , the story revolves around 3 policemen of vivid personalities . jack vincennes ( spacey ) is the cop who is more concerned on busting with fame and stardom ala hollywood style , concentrating heavily on work which will attract him media attention . there is also the young hot - shot rookie , ed exley ( pearce ) , fresh out of the academy and all - out to carve a name for himself in the footsteps of his legendary cop father . the tough and unnerving bud white ( crowe ) , a cop who believes in justice , the swift and violent way . 3 policemen , distinct in their characters and paths but all of them working in a place where there is no real distinction between good and evil . when his partner is murdered on the day of his resignation , bud sets out to find the people responsible but unwittingly delved himself into something more than just a simple robbery murder . even after exley receives a promotion for his work on the murder case , happenings began to link itself to the murder . the 3 eventually reach a point of convergence when what actually began as a personal investigation turns out to be an uncovering of a complex web of organised - crime in hollywood . the last time i remember a film so clever and compelling was when i watched the usual suspects . in l . a . confidential , you do not get the shock and cleverness as the former but it has a lot more of ` story ' going for it . there is not a single moment in the film in which i felt was slow at all . surprisingly , though spacey did a very convincing job as the street - wise vincennes , the movie was carried mostly by the two rather ` unknowns ' , pearce and crowe . pearce 's exley is cool and calculative in his actions and there is a slight hint of val kilmer in his appearance . crowe 's bud white is the most impressive of all ; head - strong and temperamental , he should obtain some sort of recognition for his work here . superb acting . , wonderful storytelling and one of the best climaxing gunfights ever . easily the best hollywood piece for 1997 .

1POS

with storytelling this compelling , who needs books ? based on the book by james ellroy , l . a . confidential is probably one of the best piece of work produced by hollywood in recent years . together with director - crime in hollywood . the last time i remember a film so clever and compelling was when i watched the usual suspects . in l lot more of ` story ' going for it . there is not a single moment in the film in which i felt was slow at all . surprisingly , though spacey did a very convincing job as the street - wise vincennes , the movie was kilmer in his appearance . crowe 's bud white is the most impressive of all ; head - strong and temperamental , he should obtain some sort of recognition for his work here . superb acting . , wonderful storytelling and one of the best climaxing gunfights ever . easily the best hollywood piece for 1997 .

synopsis : committed to an asylum , the marquis de sade ( rush ) continues to publish pornographic literature , aided by young maid madeleine ( winslet ) . abbe coulmier ( phoenix ) , who runs the hospital , disapproves of the stories , but humours him in the hope of achieving a cure . de sade 's craft and life are threatened when the emperor dispatches dr royer - collard ( michael caine ) to stop the marquis ' work , permanently . review : " quills " is an exploration of the marquis de sade : his madness , his cruelty and his perversion , his obsession with sex in any form , no matter how obscene . but " quills " also details the marquis ' determination : to write in spite of the obstacles put in his path , and to propagate his words to the masses . the extent to which de sade is willing to go to practise his trade is amongst the movie 's most intriguing elements , as when de sade scribes a story in his own blood , or narrates a tale via of a chain of fellow inmates , cell to cell . to provide a contrast with the marquis , wright involves him with two very different characters . one is the abbe , a handsome , charming and kindly man whose desires are stymied by his oath to god . the abbe lusts for madeleine , but it is the wizened marquis who is able to have her . and then there is royer - collard , a hypocrite who in truth is as sadistic as any of the marquis ' motley creations . rush is splendid as de sade , utterly inhabiting the character . kaufman 's direction is fine , and he is able to bring a sense of bizarre humour to the grim proceedings . the plot itself is rather mundane and plays out unsurprisingly , but this is virtually unimportant . for two hours , " quills " acquaints us with the marquis de sade -- and , more frightening still , allows us brief insight into his scatological soul .

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sade is willing to go to practise his trade is amongst the movie 's most intriguing elements , as when de sade scribes a story in his any of the marquis ' motley creations . rush is splendid as de sade , utterly inhabiting the character . kaufman 's direction is fine , and he is

with more and more television shows having gay characters , and even the infamous " ellen " sitcom being centered on the life of a lesbian , the movie industry too seems to be gaining more and more homosexual based plot lines . the birdcage was critically acclaimed , as was this years chasing amy . then along came in & out , and all three of these films are on my top ten list for the years in which they were released . it 's also noticeable that this " alternative lifestyle " becomes less and less taboo as the years go by , and it seems that using comedy as a medium is proving a worthwhile effort . while it 's a very serious issue to many , it is the comedies that people are flocking to see and that are gaining notoriety . but the way we 're using comedy to present homosexuality is also changing quite dramatically . while the gay community was once very stereotyped and used to laugh * at * , it is more and more becoming something we laugh * with * , and when a movie like in & out comes along , it is something that both heterosexuals and homosexuals should be able to thoroughly enjoy . it does n't poke fun at the lifestyle , it simply uses it to all it 's comedic capacity , just as love , sex , marriage , birth , death , and anything else has been . the idea for in & out was born the day tom hanks won his oscar for portraying an aids - afflicted gay man in philadelphia . if you remember , during his acceptance speech , hanks gave a highly emotional tribute to the gay community , and even sighted a former gay teacher of his as a major inspiration in his life . it 's a serious and touchy subject , but producer scott rudin viewed it as the setting for a potentially hilarious comedy , and pitched it to screenwriter paul rudnick . it 's true that if this same film had been written by a heterosexual , it may have been more controversial , but because it was written by an openly gay writer , the prerogative was set . kevin kline , who only seems to become more and more acclaimed , stars as howard brackett , a high school english teacher in the small , picturesque town of greenleaf , indiana . after a three - year engagement to fellow teacher emily montgomery ( joan cusack ) , a wedding date has been set , and the hubbub surrounding it is almost as big as that surrounding another huge story - greenleaf high graduate cameron drake ( matt dillon ) is up for a best actor oscar . the small town eagerly awaits both events , and both seem quite astronomical , but little does anyone know how much one will affect the other . when cameron drake is announced the winner , the excitement is heightened as he pays tribute to his high school english teacher , mr . brackett . everyone is cheering back in greenleaf - that is until cameron tacks on those three calamitous words , " and he 's gay . " the town becomes silent as the entire population joins in a simultaneous jaw drop . the thing is , nobody , including howard , can understand how cameron came to that conclusion , and such wild and unexpected news can only wreak havoc in such a conservative american haven such as greenleaf . naturally the questions pour from howard 's fiancee , parents ( debbie reynolds & wilford brimley ) , students , and the high school 's principal , tom halliwell ( bob newhart ) , and the evidence starts to become more and more obvious : howard is clean , neat , honest , sincere , a romantic , and perhaps the most incriminating fact , he loves barbara streisand . the frenzy is n't helped any when camera crews from every conceivable news magazine and " entertainment tonight " wannabe show up at greenleaf high the very next morning . one particular reporter is peter malloy ( tom selleck ) of " inside entertainment " , who unlike the collage of other reporters , wants to spend a whole week in the life of howard brackett , including coverage of his wedding . the intrusion is all but welcome by howard , who is going more and more out of his mind with each passing minute . it seems that no matter where he turns , a camera is being shoved in his face and questions regarding homosexuality are being tossed to him like frisbees . the dominoes begin to tumble as howard 's closest friends begin acting different and principal halliwell hints at a possible termination of employment should howard indeed be gay . it all sounds very devastating , and it would be if it were n't presented with near - perfection by one of this year 's most delightful ensemble casts . kline seems only to improve with age , and he is downright perfect here . the great thing about this film is that every single character has a moment to shine , and they use it wonderfully . every single actor turns in one of their best performances ever . dillon has never been so likeable , cusack has never seemed so perfect for a role , and brimley , reynolds , and newhart all provide huge laughs when they 're up to bat . rudnick 's script is heavily laced with wit and humor , and you 'll likely find yourself laughing out loud for a solid ninety minutes . while in & out does n't carry enough to give it four stars , it remains one of the best done films of the year , all - around . the script is exuberant , the actors are absolutely top- notch , and we 're allowed just the perfect blend of heart - tugging so as not to bog down the laughs . it remains a solid comedy throughout its entirety , yet we 're still allowed a sappily touching ending . despite it 's subject matter , and one scene that comes almost too close for comfort on explaining gay sex , this is a movie that everyone could , and should , enjoy . frank oz , best known as a voice talent for muppets , directs this film quite delightfully , using all the potential rudnick 's script has to offer , which turns out to be quite a bit . check this one out . you 'll have a gay old time .

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in & out , and all three of these films are on my top ten list for the years in which they were released . it devastating , and it would be if it were n't presented with near - perfection by one of this year 's most delightful ensemble casts . kline seems only to improve with age , and he is downright perfect here . the great thing about this film is that every single character has a moment to shine , and they use it wonderfully . every single actor turns in one of their best performances ever . dillon has never been so likeable , cusack has never seemed so perfect for a role , and brimley , reynolds , and newhart all provide huge laughs when they 're up to bat . rudnick 's script is heavily laced with wit and humor , and you 'll likely find yourself laughing out loud done films of the year , all - around . the script is exuberant , the actors are absolutely top- notch , and we 're allowed just the perfect blend of heart - tugging so as not to bog down the laughs . it remains a solid comedy throughout its entirety , yet we 're still allowed a , best known as a voice talent for muppets , directs this film quite delightfully , using all the potential rudnick 's script has to , which turns out to be quite a bit . check this one out . you 'll have a gay old time .

with his last two films - shine and snow falling on cedars - australian director scott hicks has proven his cinematic flashbacks to be some of the best out there , and his latest , hearts in atlantis , is no different . its structure - beginning and ending in present day with one long flashback in the middle - is similar to the green mile , which is a bit ironic considering both were based on stephen king books . the parallels do n't end there , either . atlantis was adapted by william goldman , who had previously penned the big - screen version of misery and is in the process of working on the script for king 's dreamcatcher . even the film 's content is a bit reminiscent of mile . in fact , it 's the perfect blend of the feel - good ' 60s nostalgia of stand by me ( also by king ) and mystical power hokum of mile . king 's atlantis is a book comprised of five related short stories , but the main focus here is on the first ( and longest ) tale , called low men in yellow coats ( the film 's title comes from the second chapter ) . it 's set in 1960 harwich , connecticut , where 11-year - old bobby garfield ( anton yelchin ) lives in a boarding house run by his cold , self - centered mother elizabeth ( hope davis , joe gould 's secret ) , who seems to care more about her wardrobe than her son . bobby spends his time with his two closest friends , john sullivan ( will rothhaar ) and tomboy carol gerber ( mika boorem ) , who become something like the kevin , paul and winnie of harwich . when a new tenant moves into the vacant room , the fatherless bobby finds a male role model in ted brautigan ( anthony hopkins , hannibal ) , a mysterious stranger who is vague enough about his past to make bobby 's mom suspicious enough to at least momentarily turn her head away from the mirror . ted teaches his young neighbor about the wonders of literature ( after his cheapskate mother gives him a library card for his birthday ) , dispenses prophetic words of wisdom and even pays bobby one dollar a week to read him the local newspaper and keep his eyes peeled for the low men , a group of people chasing ted to exploit his special powers . i wo n't go into what these powers are , but they 're considerably toned down from the book ( and do n't involve black stuff flying out of ted 's mouth , a la mile ) . atlantis ' present - day setting which bookends the film is based on the novel 's final chapter , titled heavenly shades of night are falling , and features david morse ( in yet another connection to the green mile ) as a married , middle - aged bobby who learns of the death of both of his childhood friends and returns to the dilapidated boarding house in which he spent his formative years . atlantis is nowhere near as flashy as hicks ' cedars , which is disappointing but understandable considering the switch from the completely amazing robert richardson to the occasionally amazing piotr sobocinski , the oscar - nominated cinematographer behind krzysztof kieslowski 's red . the acting is solid from everyone , including hopkins , who never once makes you think of dr . lecter . most impressive are youngsters yelchin and boorem , who both had tiny parts in along came a spider . while i did n't really have much of a problem with goldman 's screenplay , i do need to point out at least one inconsistency . goldman , for those of you who do n't read premiere , writes what seems like an annual criticism of everybody else 's films , carefully explaining why they all suck , make no sense and insult their audiences , while somehow failing to mention the crap that he 's penned ( like the general 's daughter ) . it 's mean - spirited but fun to read , mostly on account of nobody else in hollywood having the balls to say anything remotely negative about anybody else in the business ( including michael jackson , o . j . and robert blake ) . in atlantis , which is supposed to be told through the eyes of young bobby , one would assume he would have to be in each scene in order to have the memory to which to flash back . well , he 's not , and it does n't make sense . 1 : 41 - pg-13 for violence and thematic elements

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and snow falling on cedars - australian director scott hicks has proven his cinematic flashbacks to be some of the best out there , and his latest , hearts in atlantis , is oscar - nominated cinematographer behind krzysztof kieslowski 's red . the acting is solid from everyone , including hopkins , who never once makes you think of dr . lecter . most impressive are youngsters yelchin and boorem , who both had tiny parts in

corey yuen 's latest film , " hero " is notable on two fronts . first this is the film to bring back the shaw brothers studio back to the forefront of film production . secondly , the film is the re - discovery of yuen biao . the film opens around the end of the qin dynasty , when many immigrants were making their way to shanghai . poverty and crime rule most of china . a young man , ma wing jing and his brother enter the fabled city and become laborers at the pier . tam see is the most powerful gangster in town , having control of the center of the city and having an alliance with the british army . wing jing and see become friends during a confrontation . their friendship grows as both men start to realize their dreams , wing jing 's to be a powerful and wealthy man , and see to settle down with a woman he can truly love . wing jing meets the singer at the club ( jessica hester ) and falls in love with her , not realizing that she is the star attraction . after stealing her picture from a display , wing jing and his brother plot to impress her . first they rob two foreigner 's of their money and cloths , and set up a midnight rendezvous . unfortunately , wing jing has run afoul of a rival gangster , yeung seung who has bribed the police in an effort to gain control of see 's night club . the two bothers are arrested and held until they manage to escape just before dawn . jessica , having waited outside in the cold with her manager all night , gives up and returns home . see decides to retire , he gives the night club to wing jing , as repayment for saving his life during an attempted murder . see arranges the trade and ask his lover ( valerie chow ) to take care of wing jing . unfortunately , she has sided with yeung seung . the performances in the film are all top notch , with fine turns by takeshi kaneshiro as ma wing jing and jessica hester and valerie chow . the comic turn by yuen wah , previously known as the mad vietnamese in samo hung 's " eastern condors " , is a marvelous surprise . his gift for comedy is marvelously understated and hilarious . the stand - out is by yuen biao who returns to the screen after a string of disappointments , with a stellar performance . his tam see is a triad boss who knows that his time is coming to an end but still has the cunning and craft to uphold his pride . his gangster is almost non - violent , in that he only retaliates , never instigates violence . but when the time comes to fight , yuen biao has never looked better . corey yuen directs the film with a maturity and a sense of pacing that has been lacking in hong kong movies as of late . the lighting , cinematography and staging of the film are beautiful to watch . the action scenes do not disappoint either . this is the most aggressive and inventive martial art choreography i 've seen in some time , actually surpassing jackie chan 's work in both ' rumble in the bronx ' and ' first strike ' . the special effects team deserves praise for a fantastic job of making the impossible look possible . an early fight between takeshi kaneshiro and yuen biao on the back of a horse is to be seen to be believed . also noteworthy is the score for the film , done in a marvelously lush orchestral style , not representative of most hong kong fare . i would dare to say it ranks as high as the scores for both " titanic " and " rosewood " as best of the year . all in all , " hero " marks a grand return to filmmaking for shaw brothers . this is the film that gives us faith that hong kong cinema is alive and flourishing .

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corey yuen 's latest film , " hero " is notable on two fronts . first this is the film to bring back the . unfortunately , she has sided with yeung seung . the performances in the film are all top notch , with fine turns by takeshi kaneshiro as ma wing jing and jessica hester in samo hung 's " eastern condors " , is a marvelous surprise . his gift for comedy is marvelously understated and hilarious . the stand - out is by yuen biao who returns to the screen after a string of disappointments , with a stellar performance . his tam see is a triad boss who knows but when the time comes to fight , yuen biao has never looked better . corey yuen directs the film with a maturity and a sense of pacing that has been lacking in hong kong movies as of late . the lighting , cinematography and staging of the film are beautiful to watch . the action scenes do not disappoint either . this is the most aggressive and inventive martial and ' first strike ' . the special effects team deserves praise for a fantastic job of making the impossible look possible . an early fight between takeshi kaneshiro and yuen biao on the back of a horse is to be seen to be believed . also noteworthy is the score for the film , done in a marvelously lush orchestral style , not representative of most hong kong fare . i would dare to say it ranks as high as the scores for both " titanic " and " rosewood " as best of the year . all in all , " hero " marks a grand return to filmmaking for shaw brothers . this is the film that gives us faith that hong kong cinema is alive and flourishing .

note : some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers . be forewarned . on december 20 , 1996 , amidst all the year - end oscar bait releases from the major studios , miramax 's genre label dimension films quietly released a sly little ensemble slasher flick titled scream . although the teen horror market had been given up for all - but - dead in recent years , the film shocked industry observers by scoring consistently high box office returns , eventually topping $ 100 million domestic and becoming one of the most successful films of its type in history , while delighting audiences by finally presenting a set of knowing slasher flick protagonists who were aware of the all the standard cliches associated with the genre . the sleeper success of scream sent shockwaves through the industry -- suddenly , everybody was looking for hip , inexpensive fright films that might be able to reap similar fortunes . the strategy of casting young tv stars to draw the youth demographic was given a boost . scream director wes craven , previously best known as the creator of new line 's a nightmare on elm street film series , was thrust back into the limelight . and scream 's rookie scribe , kevin williamson , burst onto the film scene in stunning fashion . it 's hard to understate this last point . mr . williamson has , based upon his produced screenplays as of this writing ( scream , i know what you did last summer from october 1997 , and now scream 2 ) , enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame , quickly become the most well - known screenwriter amongst the entertainment weekly - reading , box office figure - watching youth culture since -- well , since that quentin tarantino guy ( whom , it is said , has also achieved some renown as a director ) . indeed , in a singularly freakish oddity , it is the screenwriter , mr . williamson , and not the director that has been receiving the lion 's share of acclaim for the success of scream , and the print advertisements for scream 2 's theatrical release are similarly indicative of his increasing prominence : while the traditional " a film by wes craven " drapes the film 's title in the ads , right below it ( in equal sized font , yet ) reads " written by kevin williamson " , an affirmation of the screenwriter 's contribution to the project which may be unprecedented . ( i can envision the board of wga , licking their chops at this coup and counting the days until their goal of " a film by " is attained . ) and , much like mr . tarantino 's screenwriting , mr . williamson 's work is vaguely unconventional , incorporating both contemporary pop culture references and allusions to other films into the dialogue of his characters . in scream , they satirically discussed other horror films ; here in the sequel , the characters discuss the relative merits of film sequels . scream was written in 1995 during the infamous bob dole rampage against hollywood , and mr . williamson 's rejection of this tirade clearly influenced the writing in both that film and this sequel . while the sequel was planned from the outset -- a treatment of scream 2 was included when mr . williamson sold the screenplay for scream -- the basic premise for the film and the reunion of the surviving characters nevertheless seems extremely artificially contrived , and it 's only at about the film 's midway point when it becomes engaging . like its predecessor , scream 2 opens with a splashy , eye - grabbing prologue which only vaguely ties into the film 's principal narrative ; this time around , we 're following the exploits of a young couple ( jada pinkett and omar epps ) attending a riotously gleeful sneak preview screening of stab ( a running film - within - a - film gag where the " true life " events behind the first film has been turned into a movie ) . however , although it tries hard and has some good ideas -- the nightmarishly enthusiastic audience in the film vaguely reminded me of the one i was sharing the theatre with , and i was certainly thinking about gutting the overly - noisy person a few seats away myself after about fifteen minutes -- the prologue is a pale imitation of the bravura opening sequence in the original with drew barrymore ( where her performance not only convinced me that she * could * act , but was so good that it would rank among the best performances in a horror film that i 've ever seen ) . there are too many knowing , hip pop - culture references crammed into the scream 2 sequence , and the setup is n't nearly as cleverly frightening as scream 's ; while the first film 's preface dizzyingly built up to a final shot that was exhilaratingly terrifying , the payoff here is almost campily theatrical . flash to the campus of a smalltown ohio college , where returning characters sidney ( neve campbell ) and randy ( jamie kennedy ) have relocated for their studies and to escape the notoriety from the events in the first film . the murders which open this film result in reuniting the survivors -- single - minded tabloid tv reporter gale weathers ( courteney cox ) roars into town to cover the breaking story , while ever - awkward former deputy dewey riley ( david arquette ) flies in to protectively guard over sidney . they 're joined by cotton weary ( liev schreiber ) , who was falsely accused of homicide in a cameo appearance during the first film ; his role here is significantly expanded . the film incidentally provides surprisingly little backstory , although i suppose a good case can be made that it really is n't necessary -- not because so many people have seen the first installment , but because this is , after all , a sequel to a slasher film : what do you * think * happened to these characters in the prior movie ? there 's a lot of new faces on the scene too : sidney 's new boyfriend , derek ( jerry o'connell ) and her new roommate hallie ( elise neal ) , randy 's fellow film student mickey ( timothy olyphant ) , gale 's newly - assigned nervous cameraman joel ( duane martin ) , omnipresent local journalist debbie salt ( laurie metcalf ) , co - ed cici cooper ( ms . buffy herself , sarah michelle gellar ) , and a pair of simpering sorority sisters ( rebecca gayheart and sirens ' portia di rossi ) . any of these characters could be the killer -- or for that matter , could be the next victim . as is seemingly becoming a regular staple of a kevin williamson screenplay , the narrative is once again framed around the increasingly - flimsy premise of a whodunit . one problem that scream did n't have was keeping you interested in the identity of the killer . here ( and to some extent in i know what you did last summer ) , mr . williamson 's screenplay seems slightly hampered by trying to turn the identity of the killer into a mystery . the film occasionally becomes so bogged down with misdirection that you can sense it straining at the seams to try and drop red herrings left and right at the expense of its thriller elements . ( it does n't help matters any that the killer 's alter - ego is fairly obvious from the get - go . ) indeed , the finale plays as full - out camp when the villain is finally unmasked , frothing at the mouth with glazed eyes . this is one of those cases where the villain goes on such an endless diatribe about their machinations , scheming , and motivation , that you actually get bored listening and just want them all to get on with it . while the basic setup and premise for the film is fairly contrived , the aspect where it 's head - and - shoulders above its predecessor is in its suspense sequences . they 're staged much more imaginatively here ( save for the first post - prologue murder , which is handled in such a mediocre , conventional fashion that it seems to be culled directly from the predictable 1980s slasher flicks that the first film satirized ) , and are much more fun to watch . it 's hard to hold back a smile during a giddy scene where sidney and her companion have to climb over the incapacitated killer in order to escape from a car wreck , and a cat - and - mouse chase involving gale and dewey in a campus sound lab is very nicely staged , although its ultimate resolution is hilariously overblown . in terms of its characters , the strong part of the film is the interesting relationship between gale and dewey ( who ambles onto the screen accompanied by his very own theme music ) . their verbal sparring at the outset provides much humour -- an exchange where dewey defensively rebukes charges of a perceived aura of incompetency is well - written -- and there 's a curiously endearing aspect about their relationship amidst all the mayhem and bloodshed . on the other hand , sidney is pretty dull here . she does n't have any compelling presence , and there 's nothing particularly interesting about her this time around to make us care about her other than that she 's the returning heroine . given this , and the fact that there 's no strong second banana character for sidney ( elise neal 's role is n't nearly substantive enough to adequately fill rose mcgowan 's shoes ) , it 's no wonder why the roles for gale and dewey have been significantly augmented for this installment of the film . what surprises me the most about scream 2 is its zealousness in decimating its cast . the film 's mounting body count bears out the fact that * no * character is safe ( well , * almost * ) ; while in principal i applaud this bold policy , at some point you 've got to be wondering about just how many characters will make it to the next sequel . ( i was particularly surprised with the untimely demise of one in particular , whose casting for the next installment of the series would 've seemed obvious . ) but hey , as rose mcgowan 's character said in the first film : " no , please do n't kill me , mr . ghostface -- i want to be in the sequel ! " look what that got her .

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returns , eventually topping $ 100 million domestic and becoming one of the most successful films of its type in history , while delighting audiences by finally presenting a set of knowing slasher flick protagonists shoulders above its predecessor is in its suspense sequences . they 're staged much more imaginatively here ( save for the first post - prologue murder , flicks that the first film satirized ) , and are much more fun to watch . it 's hard to hold back a smile during is hilariously overblown . in terms of its characters , the strong part of the film is the interesting relationship between gale and dewey ( who

note : some may consider portions of the following text to be spoilers . be forewarned . it 's startling to consider that it was only a few years ago that film distributors would worriedly rearrange their summer release schedules in order to give the annual disney animated feature juggernaut a wide berth . the lion king had just cracked $ 300 million domestic in gross to become one of the most profitable ventures in film history , continuing to build on a sturdy base left by prior flicks aladdin and beauty and the beast . since then , though , disney 's animated features have shown an unbroken string of diminishing returns , with pocahontas , the hunchback of notre dame , and this year 's hercules successively proving less and less potent . with the once seemingly - impregnable disney stranglehold on the market share suddenly looking mighty vulnerable , and faced with their first serious competition in the animated film market from fox 's anastasia , disney has brought xmas home early by dusting off the feature which sparked the modern revival of feature animation , the little mermaid . while the animation for the film is , as is typically the case for disney films , unquestionably top - notch , the magic in the little mermaid is not its animation , but the wonderful innocence of its story and its rousingly superb music . the film 's storyline is fairly straightforward -- young teen falls for handsome man , father disapproves and assigns hapless chaperone to his daughter , teen disobeys father and goes to desperate lengths to win her man -- except in this case , the chaperone is a crab , the teen is a young mermaid , and the object of her desire is a human prince . what makes the little mermaid so affecting and so emotionally resonant is the richness and charm of its characters and the sheer clarity and honest simplicity of their emotions . from the moment mermaid ariel lays her eyes on prince eric , she 's resolutely smitten , and she 's such a pure and endearing character that one ca n't help but invest their heart with her . this simple but touching love story , coupled with a healthy dose of smart humour , makes the little mermaid a remarkably captivating picture . one of the interesting things about the little mermaid is something which now curiously dates it : the voices cast for its motley crew of characters . this film was produced just before the distracting concept of using celebrity voices became in vogue , which started to a certain degree with beauty and the beast and was irrevocably exacerbated by robin williams ' much - heralded turn in aladdin ; by the release of the lion king and henceforth , the majority of characters in the animated films were voiced by celebrities . while it 's understandable that animated features lacking the name - recognition or drawing power of disney ( say , balto 's use of kevin bacon and bridget fonda , or even anastasia 's showcasing of meg ryan and john cusack ) would be forced to turn to this strategy in order to hype their products , it 's unfortunate that even disney has embraced this policy . do we really need to hear , say , demi moore as esmerelda in the hunchback of notre dame ? is the film 's entertainment value really augmented by hearing a recognizable voice , rather than a voice which best suits the role ? ( i 'm not exactly on the edge of my seat for eddie murphy in the upcoming mulan . ) fortunately , the performers who voice the characters in the little mermaid , although perhaps more obscure , are impeccably cast . chief among them is jodi benson , a 1992 tony nominee for her stage work in crazy for you , who voices the film 's heroine ariel to perfection ; with a wonderfully expressive speaking voice full of youthful vigor , and gorgeous singing voice , ms . benson provides a most engaging anchor for the film . ( she 's the only reason i 'd even consider catching flubber . ) similarly , samuel e . wright is terrific in the showy role of sebastian , the weary guardian crab . he easily milks his lovable character 's comic moments for all they 're worth , and his rendering of two of the little mermaid 's big tunes -- " under the sea " and " kiss the girl " -- have become the stuff of legend . pat carrol is deliciously villainous and vampy as the evil sea - witch ursula , while kenneth mars ' booming voice conveys the stern yet affectionate authority of ariel 's father , king triton . in large roles and small ( edie mcclurg as dotting busybody carlotta is ideal , and rene auberjonois has great fun with his exuberant french chef ) , the little mermaid is impeccably cast . of course , the little mermaid will probably be best remembered for its remarkable collection of songs composed by the songwriting team of alan menken ( music ) and howard ashman ( lyrics ) , who had created little shop of horrors and would go on to compose beauty and the beast and aladdin for disney before mr . ashman 's untimely death . not only are mr . menken 's tunes unbearably catchy , but mr . ashman 's charming lyrics are fully integrated into the film 's storyline so that the songs are a virtual extension of the character 's dialogue , and consequently work wonderfully within the context of the film . mr . menken 's score for the film is equally top - notch ; the sequence where eric ( voiced by christopher daniel barnes ) and ariel tour his kingdom in a horse - drawn carriage becomes magical and wondrous with mr . menken 's fine score . it appears that most people prefer the delightfully colourful production number for the calypso - styled " under the sea " as joyfully crooned by mr . wright , which won the academy award and golden globe awards for best song -- indeed , one of the many little joys in screening the film during its re - release was listening to children scattered throughout the audience singing along with the tune -- but my favourite is ms . benson 's heartfelt rendition of the ballad " part of your world " , an achingly beautiful tune of yearning and hope ( wonderfully lyricized by mr . ashman ) which , accompanied by the film 's most dazzlingly polished animation sequence , packs an emotional wallop which literally brought tears to my eyes . during the song 's reprise , which builds to a crescendo with ariel arching on a rock as a wave crashes in , the cumulative effect is nothing short of breathtaking , and one becomes acutely aware that this single instance is one of the finest in animation history . as of this writing , november 1997 has come to an end , as has disney 's limited 17-day re - release of the little mermaid . there 's no question that the primary motivation for , if not the film 's reissue itself , at least its timing , was to reinforce disney 's dominance in the animation market and provide direct competition to fox 's costly new upstart animation division and their first major venture , anastasia . in every respect , the re - release of the little mermaid appears to be a success -- the film 's 1997 grosses have pushed its cumulative domestic gross over the magic $ 100 million mark ; the little mermaid proved to have remarkably strong drawing power for a film initially released only eight years ago and in many homes on video , pulling in close to $ 10 million in its opening weekend ; and although nobody could possibly expect the little mermaid to possibly defeat the aggressively - marketed anastasia in head - to - head competition , it siphoned enough from the fox film 's opening weekend totals to keep anastasia from the coveted weekend leader spot , allowing for disney 's odious flubber to sweep in on the subsequent week and wrestle the family demographic market share away . but although disney 's motives in the reissue of the little mermaid were self - serving and protectionist , the real winner is the public . any reason to put this film back into theatres is a good one , and it 's a true joy to see this heartwarming gem back on the silver screen . the little mermaid is the best film to come out of the disney 's modern animation renaissance , and one of the greatest animated films ever made .

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brought xmas home early by dusting off the feature which sparked the modern revival of feature animation , the little mermaid . while the animation for the , as is typically the case for disney films , unquestionably top - notch , the magic in the little mermaid is not its animation , but the wonderful innocence of its story and its rousingly superb music . the film 's storyline is fairly straightforward -- young healthy dose of smart humour , makes the little mermaid a remarkably captivating picture . one of the interesting things about the little mermaid in the little mermaid , although perhaps more obscure , are impeccably cast . chief among them is jodi benson , a 1992 for her stage work in crazy for you , who voices the film 's heroine ariel to perfection ; with a wonderfully expressive speaking voice full of youthful vigor , and gorgeous singing voice , ms . benson provides a most engaging anchor for the film . ( she 's the only reason catching flubber . ) similarly , samuel e . wright is terrific in the showy role of sebastian , the weary guardian the sea " and " kiss the girl " -- have become the stuff of legend . pat carrol is deliciously villainous and vampy as the evil sea - witch ursula , while kenneth mars ' booming voice conveys the stern yet affectionate authority of ariel 's father his exuberant french chef ) , the little mermaid is impeccably cast . of course , the little mermaid will probably be best remembered for its remarkable collection of songs composed by the songwriting team of alan menken ( music 's tunes unbearably catchy , but mr . ashman 's charming lyrics are fully integrated into the film 's storyline so that virtual extension of the character 's dialogue , and consequently work wonderfully within the context of the film . mr . menken 's score for the film is equally top - notch ; the sequence where eric ( voiced by christopher daniel of the ballad " part of your world " , an achingly beautiful tune of yearning

this christmas , little ralphie parker ( peter billingsley ) wants nothing more than a red ryder bb gun under the tree . although cautioned by many that he will ? shoot his eye out ' , ralphie remains optimistic , conjuring up a detailed scheme to get on the good side of his parents and teachers . it could be possible that no one has ever wanted anything with more passion than ralphie wants this bb gun , and the story of his eternal struggle is a charming one . ` a christmas story ' is a favorite among many during the holiday season , and boy , it is certainly easy to see why . ralphie 's endless desire for the bb gun may transport you back to your childhood , when you were craving a certain gift for christmas and the anxiety was almost indescribable . evoking pleasant childhood memories is only one of the many things ` a christmas story ' does so well . here are a few features that make this film such a charming little package for everybody during the holiday season : 1 ) period detail . this film is based on the memoirs of late humorist jean shepard , who shares his experiences as a young boy living in the 1940 's with loving detail . shepard narrates from a first person point - of - view , divulging his various adventures one snowy december , in which visions of taking aim with his new bb gun replaced that of sugarplums dancing in his head . shepard 's first - hand commentary of several situations is not only downright hilarious , but also witty and warm , with various metaphorical meanings that ring perfectly with the essence of comic timing . on top of that , young billingsley 's stupefied reactions to each predicament is absolutely perfect in contrast with the narration . director bob clark captures the look and feel of the era with wonderful technicality . i can hardly imagine a more accurate depiction of what christmas for young ralphie must have been like . 2 ) mom and dad . both melinda dillon ( as mom ) and darren mcgavin ( as ? the old man ' ) are perfect in their roles . it 's hard to fathom a more agreeable pair for the requirements of a story like this one , with each possessing at least one memorable trait that instantly separates them from the wooden caricatures that could have been featured . for instance , he is a bloodthirsty turkey hound , and she is forgiving and understanding when it comes to some serious issues . in portraying the writer as a persistent but mild - mannered young lad , peter billingsley has struck quite the chord . his performance is richly textured , making all of the humorous situations he stumbles into radiate with flavor and enjoyment . which brings us to . . . . 3 ) the comic situations . there are plenty of memorable moments in ` a christmas story ' . moments that undoubtedly will improve in comic potency upon each new viewing , with so much more to explore and to cherish . i am particularly partial of the ? f - word scene ' , in which ralphie blurts out the shocking four - letter obscenity while helping the old man in the yard . again , shepard 's method of handling this amusing scenario is nothing short of comic wizardry . the numerous sequences that stick in one 's mind include , of course , the famous department store santa scene - in which billingsley has some problems in telling old saint nick what he wants under the tree . i could go on , but i 'll finish on this note : ` a christmas story ' is a standout among holiday movies , because it captures so much in a meager 90 minutes . not only is it funny , it 's often genuinely hilarious . . . . not to mention warm , fluffy and touching in all the appropriate places . i plan on making ` a christmas story ' a christmas tradition . why do n't you ?

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a charming one . ` a christmas story ' is a favorite among many during the holiday season , and boy , it is certainly easy to see why . ralphie 's endless desire for the bb gun may . here are a few features that make this film such a charming little package for everybody during the holiday season : 1 ) period first - hand commentary of several situations is not only downright hilarious , but also witty and warm , with various metaphorical meanings that ring perfectly with the essence of comic timing . on top of , young billingsley 's stupefied reactions to each predicament is absolutely perfect in contrast with the narration . director bob clark captures the look and feel of the era with wonderful technicality . i can hardly imagine a more accurate depiction of what christmas for young ralphie must have been like mcgavin ( as ? the old man ' ) are perfect in their roles . it 's hard to fathom a more agreeable pair persistent but mild - mannered young lad , peter billingsley has struck quite the chord . his performance is richly textured , making all of the humorous situations he stumbles into radiate with flavor and enjoyment . which brings us to . . . . 3 ) the comic situations . there are plenty of memorable moments in ` a christmas story ' . moments that undoubtedly , shepard 's method of handling this amusing scenario is nothing short of comic wizardry . the numerous sequences that stick in one 's mind finish on this note : ` a christmas story ' is a standout among holiday movies , because it captures so much in meager 90 minutes . not only is it funny , it 's often genuinely hilarious . . . . not to mention warm , fluffy and touching in all the appropriate places . i plan on making ` a christmas story '

in intolerance , d . w . griffith told four different historical stories at the same time , cutting from one to the other . each of the stories builds to a fast - paced climax . in magnolia , paul thomas anderson tells several stories each just tangentially connected to the others . yet the stories and where they are going are all independent . what is strange about these stories is that they are all synchronized . each story builds to a tense moment ( or what appears to be intended to be a tense moment ) but then lets the tension dissolve . while the tension dissipates one character starts singing a song and in each plotline the major characters sing along , even though they are not in the same scene . then toward the end the stories each build to a tense moment again . it is almost as if the characters are somehow psychically linked . this creates some strange effects . the stories are about empty desperate people with dysfunctional relationships . the strands have varying degrees of bizarre content . we have the story of a dying man earl partridge ( jason robards ) wanting to get in touch with his son and make amends . phil parma ( philip seymour hoffman ) is his nurse who is frantic to help partridge achieve his final goal . partridge 's young wife linda ( julianne moore ) is getting more and more anxious as partridge dies , but for an unsuspected reason . frank mackey ( tom cruise ) runs the kinds of self - help seminar that businesses like so much , but he aims his at teaching disaffected men how to be real shit - heels in dealing with women in an angry backlash to women 's lib . officer jim kurring ( john c . reilly ) is a patrolman who has a need to feel he is making the world a better place . jimmy gator ( philip baker hall ) hosts a popular children 's tv quiz show that really exploits and destroys children as we see from the stories of current quiz kid stanley spector ( jeremy blackman ) and former quiz kid donnie smith ( william h . macy ) . the film juggles all these stories for over three hours , but even after all this time not one story is resolved satisfactorily . each story moves toward a single bizarre common climax , but it is not one that seems to do much but derail each story . the common climax itself is ambiguous in many ways and it fails to really tie up any of the stories . the film seems to be built around strange events and weird history , but it really has little to do with the content of the stories , though they all are connected in part by one weird event . magnolia will probably bring some much deserved attention to paul thomas anderson , though in my opinion his two previous films , hard eight and boogie nights were better told stories . it is interesting that one starts to look forward to actors from anderson 's company . john c . reilly seems to be a standard fixture . particularly notable is philip baker hall who gave a mesmerizing performance from the first scene of hard eight . here he several of the characters are mesmerizing , but that characteristic is not really used . as studies of characters these stories are each worth following . as well - rounded stories with a beginning , middle and end , they leave something to be desired . but the film is willing to do the unexpected and that helps make the film worth sitting through . i rate it a 7 on the 0 to 10 scale and a low +2 on the -4 to +4 scale . heavy spoiler . . . heavy spoiler . . . heavy spoiler . . . heavy spoiler . . . during the strange climactic event of the film we get multiple messages from the filmmaker that the event we are seeing really does happen . and in actual fact , it does . since biblical times rains of frogs have been interpreted as signs of displeasure of the gods . it is , however , a perfectly natural , if somewhat unnerving , phenomenon . the cause is associated with whirlwinds . we know that tornadoes over land can rip up land and even objects of some size from the ground and hurl them into the air , holding them aloft . the reader may remember the unfortunate cow in twister . smaller objects can be hurled high into the atmosphere and then be kept aloft by the updrafts for surprisingly long periods of time much as hail and chunks of ice are . when the whirlwind is over water , animals near the surface , frequently fish and frogs , may suffer the same fate . essentially they are vacuumed up by the whirlwind , held aloft by updrafts , and finally dropped elsewhere . so while the rain is possible , some doubts do creep in . the rain of frogs depicted in this film may be of greater scale than i had pictured for a rain of frogs . it seems unlikely the frogs would still be alive when dropped . it is not clear that geographic conditions are right for los angeles to have this sort of phenomenon . ( frankly i have no idea on these points . ) otherwise the event was quite believable . what we see in this film is much more credible than the phenomena we saw in volcano . in the film it is left ambiguous if the rain is a sign from god since there are many references to exodus 8 : 2 . " and the frogs shall come up both on thee and upon thy people , and upon all thy servants . " however a rain of frogs , though it feels biblical , is most definitely not a biblical portent . note that the previous verse says " and the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly which shall go up . . . , " so the bible is referring not to a rain but to an infestation from the river . the only other reference to frogs in the bible is as a symbol for uncleanness in revelation 16 : 13 .

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, but even after all this time not one story is resolved satisfactorily . each story moves toward a single bizarre common climax are connected in part by one weird event . magnolia will probably bring some much deserved attention to paul thomas anderson , though in my opinion his standard fixture . particularly notable is philip baker hall who gave a mesmerizing performance from the first scene of hard eight . here he not really used . as studies of characters these stories are each worth following . as well - rounded stories with a beginning , i have no idea on these points . ) otherwise the event was quite believable . what we see in this film is much more credible than the phenomena we saw in volcano . in the

contact is the 1997 movie i 've seen the most - five times to be exact . four of those times were on the big screen , but even on a tv , it 's a very impressive film . the same ca n't be said for films like independance day , but that 's because contact is a rare example in sci - fi filmmaking where the story is treated more importantly than the special effects , and all of us know looking back that id4 did n't offer much outside of some one - time delightful eye candy . contact 's wonderfully presented story deals with ellie arroway ( jodie foster ) , a radio astronomer whose preference of study involves the outdated technique of " merely listening " to sounds out in space . her interest in the field of astronomy developed at a very young age , encouraged by her loving father , ted ( david morse ) , who let ellie use a small ham radio to pick up on frequencies and communicate with people as far away as pensacola , fl ( that was , of course , before the days of internet chat rooms ) . while everyone else uses modern technologies to aid them in the search for extra - terrestrial intelligence ( of which the program seti is an acronym for ) , ellie prefers to pop on a pair of headphones and see what she can pick up on , keeping the youthful magic and intrigue strongly alive . ellie 's strong scientific basis essentially makes her an atheist , a belief likely influenced by the death of her father while she was still quite young . in puerto rico , she meets palmer joss ( matthew mcconaughey ) , a writer examining the effects of technology on the world 's overall happiness ; a one- time seminary student who describes himself as " a man of the cloth , without the cloth " . despite the vast differences in opinion regarding a " supreme being " , ellie and palmer hit it off , and even take the time to sleep together . it 's a weak and hurried relationship , but director zemeckis needs it to add to the plot later on . meanwhile , dr . david drumlin ( tom skerritt ) , who has authority over seti but finds the program a frivolous waste of time and money , is ready to pull the plug on any and all seti funding . this leaves the passionate ellie searching for new sponsors , eventually finding a setup in new mexico and leaving palmer with no explanation , and only a one night stand to remember . it is in this nm city where , several months later , ellie finally picks up on a strong signal from outer space , perhaps the most profound discovery in the history of science . when the signal is closely examined , many new developments spring up , and before long , drumlin is stepping in to take over the operation he once scoffed at . eventually , it is concluded that information in the signal may be blueprints for a transportation device used to teleport an earthling to vega ( where the signal seems to have originated ) . the media swarms , fanatics go further off the deep end , scientists clamor for new information , politicians huddle in discussion of appropriate actions to take , and presidents are morphed into a celluloid reality ( remember when zemeckis could n't get enough of this in forrest gump ? ) . as if that were n't enough , ellie 's discovery leads her to the nation 's capital where she again runs into palmer . contact is based on the novel by carl sagan and deals heavily with the subject of science vs . religion . the impressive thing is how well both aspects are presented , with no signs of bias . arguments for both sides are intelligent , solid , and thought - provoking . when palmer joins a selection committee to choose an ambassador to vega ( of which ellie is a leading candidate ) , personal convictions play a more important role than love interests . the question is , can a person who does n't believe in god truly be the best representative of earth when 90 % of the planet * does * believe in a higher power ? even when the film wraps up , it 's uncertain whether it 's meant to play as an advocate for religion , science , both , or even neither , and in our modern day society where " right and wrong " is only opinion ( at least speaking " politically correctly " ) , the ambiguity is an incentive . do n't get me wrong . as much as it sounds like it , contact is n't merely a theology class rolled into a reel of film . it 's a * highly * enjoyable two and a half hours . despite its seemingly heavy issues , it 's not a tedious undertaking to watch this film . the special effects are outstanding , though ( warning ! ) highly depreciated on the small screen . even so , some of the subtle visual effects ( that will likely go unnoticed by many ) are even more impressive than ones more recognizable as " sci - fi " . the storytelling is rich and complete , and although there are moments in the film that feel quite pretentious ( and at times , even hokey ) , it 's easily one of the best 1997 films , and one of the best sci - fi films i 've ever seen . this is zemeckis ' best since back to the future , and for those of us who actually know that forrest gump was astronomically overrated , zemeckis now has real reason to boast .

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the big screen , but even on a tv , it 's a very impressive film . the same ca n't be said for films like a theology class rolled into a reel of film . it 's a * highly * enjoyable two and a half hours . despite its seemingly heavy 's not a tedious undertaking to watch this film . the special effects are outstanding , though ( warning ! ) highly depreciated on the effects ( that will likely go unnoticed by many ) are even more impressive than ones more recognizable as " sci - fi " . the storytelling is rich and complete , and although there are moments in the film that and at times , even hokey ) , it 's easily one of the best 1997 films , and one of the best sci - fi films i 've ever seen . this is zemeckis ' best since back to the know that forrest gump was astronomically overrated , zemeckis now has real reason to boast .

roberto benigni is a clown in the tradition of chaplin and keaton . this italian film star , best known in the united states for the poorly received son of the pink panther , has done the near impossible by creating a comic fable about the holocaust . but benigni 's life is beautiful ( la vita e bella ) is not so much a story of the holocaust as it uses that monstrous outrage against humanity as a backdrop to tell a story of familial love , devotion and sacrifice . the movie starts out as a typical slapstick farce with benigni 's guido arriving in the small tuscan town of arezzo in 1938 to fulfill his dream of owning a bookstore . like many of the slapstick clowns who preceded him , most notably the almost - forgotten harry langdon , benigni 's guido has a childlike innocence . he ignores the growing anti - semitism of the fascist government . instead , guido ardently falls in love and persues dora , a local school teacher who already is engaged to a local fascist official . in benigni 's tightly wound script this is the same fascist official with whom guido had an earlier unfortunate - yet slapstick - encounter . guido wins dora . they marry . fast forward about five years . guido , dora , and their 5-year - old son , giosue ? ( giorgio cantarini ) are a happy family . guido has finally fulfilled his dream of opening a bookstore . but racial and anti - semitic tensions are on the rise in italy , and guido has determined to do his best to shield his son from these harsh realities . the task becomes even the more difficult when the family is deported to a concentration camp . here , guido must use all his skill and imagination not only to shield his son , but to keep him from being exterminated . it is at this juncture in life is beautiful may tend to offend those whom the holocaust has touched . for the scenes in the concentration camp lack the horror , the pain , the unimaginable suffering of a schindler 's list . true , many italian jews were not deported until the war was nearly over , and most were not sent to the death camps , but to work camps where they were used as slave labor . unlike steven spielberg , benigni is not out to tell the story of the holocaust . his story is about family and the lengths a parent will go to protect a child . for guido , to save his son , transforms the entire experience into an elaborate game . giosue ? must follow the rules without question to amass 1 , 000 points . the winner takes home a tank . therefore , guido tells him , he must remain hidden in the barracks . he can not make a sound nor allow the guards to see him . guido explains this during a hilarious sequence when a german guard barks the camp instructions to the newly arrived inmates . guido , lying that he understands german and can translate for his fellow prisoners , instead lays down the rules for his son to allow him a chance to survive . throughout their imprisonment , guido 's quick thinking continually keeps his son from harm 's way . ultimately , the allies rescue the camp . in a poignant scene , giosue ? comes out of hiding just as an american tank rolls into the compound . the boy goes wide - eyed with wonderment and delight , thinking he has won the game . the price for his victory is most high . benigni has succeeded in using the blackest moment in human history to prove that even in hell , a ray of hope and salvation can penetrate the darkness . life is beautiful is a fantasy , a fable . it is not to be taken as a record of the holocaust . those who object to it are missing its point . and that is simply where there is hope , where there is life and where there is love , the spark of humanity will never be extinguished . committed to lifelong learning through effective communication

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for the poorly received son of the pink panther , has done the near impossible by creating a comic fable about the holocaust . but . the price for his victory is most high . benigni has succeeded in using the blackest moment in human history to prove

larry flynt is a self proclaimed smut pedlar and the owner / publisher of the multi - million dollar hustler publications company . the people vs . larry flynt is the story of larry flynt 's fight for the freedom to circulate and sell his pornographic magazine , hustler . based on a true story , the film is almost a documentary in that it 's a very vivid and detailed look at larry flynt 's life . woody harrelson gives an excellent performance . he conveys flynt 's peculiarities and his character with depth and focus . by the end of the film the audience actually finds themselves , somewhat grudgingly , liking larry flynt . this is some feat given flynt 's apparent lack of any morals or ethics and his extremely smutty and childish behaviour in court . however , flynt has a number of things going for him , he 's rich , he 's funny , and most importantly , he says exactly what he means . larry flynt 's wife , althea leasure is played by courtney love . larry meets althea at one of his clubs , and they fall in love ( a very sexual and open love ) . both of them indulge in a world of too much sex , and eventually too much drugs . flynt had been taking an excessive amount of pain killers after being paralysed from the waist down ( which was especially upsetting for him ) by an assassin . althea had joined him in taking the drugs . following an operation flynt decides to stop taking drugs , althea does not have any such plans , nor the determination to follow them . as the film progresses we see her become increasingly frail and sick . courtney love obviously has a great understanding for althea 's situation , as she is brilliant in portraying althea in every respect . it 's extremely sad to watch althea literally wither away . edward norton plays flynt 's lawyer , alan isaacman . again , this is a solid performance . the audience finds it easy to sympathise with isaacman who somehow puts up with flynt 's courtroom antics . flynt is not only childish in the courtroom , but downright rude to the judges , and lands himself in a lot of trouble ( and even in a mental institution ) because of it . isaacman is very easy to like , and great at proving ( in quite clever ways ) his points to the court . milos forman has done a great job in directing the people vs . larry flynt . it is not really an exciting or thrilling film , but instead a highly interesting portrayal of a true story . due to larry 's character it is also , at times , a very funny film . however , it is much more than that . it is about the fight for freedom of speech , anti - censorship , and the right to be able choose for oneself what to see and buy . an excellent look at flynt , his life , and his story . keep a look out for the real larry flynt who makes a cameo as judge morrissey .

1POS

detailed look at larry flynt 's life . woody harrelson gives an excellent performance . he conveys flynt 's peculiarities and his character with see her become increasingly frail and sick . courtney love obviously has a great understanding for althea 's situation , as she is brilliant in portraying althea in every respect . it 's extremely sad to watch althea literally wither plays flynt 's lawyer , alan isaacman . again , this is a solid performance . the audience finds it easy to sympathise with isaacman ways ) his points to the court . milos forman has done a great job in directing the people vs . larry flynt . it is not really an exciting or thrilling film , but instead a highly interesting portrayal of a true story . due to larry 's character able choose for oneself what to see and buy . an excellent look at flynt , his life , and his story .

virtual reality is a topic that has almost defined its own genre . since ' dark city ' ( 1998 ) , films about alternative universes and parallel worlds have been coming one after another . the most popular and original of them all has been the matrix . all the films released after it , have been less successful . david cronenberg 's existenz , released only a couple of months after the matrix , was accepted and even appreciated ( by some ) , but the hype was gone . and when ' the thirteenth floor ' aired this fall , it was completely overseen and ignored . i admit that this issue has become something between tiring and annoying , feeling like eating the same meal over and over again . it was therefore i was less than excited , when i went out to see to ' the thirteenth floor ' . however , i was positively surprised by josef rusnak 's latest picture . matrix was an entertaining thrill ride through dreams and reality , combining the best of hollywood 's action and effects with an intelligent story . existenz was a violent , gory and unsettling journey through reality and virtual reality , ending in blood and madness . ' the thirteenth floor ' is somewhere in between . instead of going after the crowds - the action audience ( like the matrix ) , or aiming at the horror fans ( like existenz ) , ' the thirteenth floor ' presents a more intelligent plot , witch will provide a less entertaining and more serious experience , that the true science fiction lovers will find rewarding . in a near future . . . on the thirteenth floor of a classified building , a genius scientist , hannon fuller , has created a simulated world , his personal dreamworld , where every inhabitant is a complex , selflearning program that only believes it is real . right after the first testing of this world , fuller ( ) is found murdered . douglas hall ( ) , his closest friend and business partner , immediately becomes the prime suspect and must enter through the thirteenth floor in search of the truth . a beautiful woman ( gretchen mol ) who suddenly appears on the scene may hold the key to the mystery , which might unravel the horrifying truth about his own existence . the first " download into simulation " is impressive . it is the creator 's first visit to his world , his creation . in order to enter this virtual universe , you have to take over someone 's identity , become another person . this is called conciseness transfer , and this is part of the tragedy in the film : people " wake up " in unknown places and strange things start happen . they start to doubt in their own sanity . these innocent people pay for the mistakes of their " users " and creators with their sanity and their lives . it is a frightening reality ; the fact that all the people in the simulation ( the program links ) are living out their lives , oblivious , not knowing that they are puppets in someone 's fantasy . with an appealing ( " blade runner " - type ) of detective story , this film presents the beauty and possibilities of virtual reality and the lurking danger that is always present . our modern world is metal and glass -- cold , unfriendly , impersonal . the thirties are different -- colorful , beautiful , elegant , virile . this contrast demonstrates a wish for change . virtual reality is here portrayed as a magical , enchanting power that seduces you into its endless possibilities . to some it is just a journey to their personal paradise , to some a personal playground -- a life without any consequences . for others - a way to start over and " correct " their mistakes , by living in an illusion of their past . virtual reality is a wizard that transforms your hopes , dreams and fantasies to life . at least that 's how it is all beginning . but when you 're waking up from your dream , the real world seems worthless and unreal and all you can think off is returning to your personal paradise . this , almost narcotic effect , soon turns into confusion and ultimately madness . some important and interesting philosophical questions are raised -- what is real ? what is thought ? who are we ? if these were answered , this film would be the greatest science fiction ever made . they are off course not answered , but posed in an intelligent manner . the visual aspect of the film is one of the key elements , since it portrays the contrast between these computer - simulated universes . kirk m . petrucelli has done a marvelous job with the recreation of the thirties with its glamour , grace and color ; and setting this world in opposition to our own -- an almost caricatured recreation of the nineties . there are some honest and decent performances by an almost unknown cast and harald klose 's moody musical score that is at in right place at the right time . a rather unusual thing about'the thirteenth floor ' is the almost complete lack of special effects . there are no cgi animated creatures , no bullets in slow motion . this is a more philosophical approach , reminding about the european way of filmmaking . this is off course a major disappointment to the audience that is used to endless gunfights and mutated amphibians , but the more serious science fiction buffs and ' dark city'-fans will be pleased . this film is interesting and inspiring . it has everything existenz does n't , but it lacks the immediacy and intensity of the matrix . and then there is a happy end which , like in ' dark city ' , completely alienates it from the rest of the story and context . the plot itself is not as original as the filmmakers want us to think , since they have virtually sucked out all information from the best science fiction classics , including blade runner and ' dark city ' . with this in mind , ' the thirteenth floor ' does n't make an oscar candidate or a film that will be remembered a year from now , yet this is a beautiful , elegant and intelligent take on virtual reality .

1POS

see to ' the thirteenth floor ' . however , i was positively surprised by josef rusnak 's latest picture . matrix was an ( like existenz ) , ' the thirteenth floor ' presents a more intelligent plot , witch will provide a less entertaining and more serious experience , that the true science fiction lovers will find rewarding . in a near future . . . on the made . they are off course not answered , but posed in an intelligent manner . the visual aspect of the film is one of these computer - simulated universes . kirk m . petrucelli has done a marvelous job with the recreation of the thirties with its glamour , the more serious science fiction buffs and ' dark city'-fans will be pleased . this film is interesting and inspiring . it has everything existenz does n't , but it that will be remembered a year from now , yet this is a beautiful , elegant and intelligent take on virtual reality .

i do n't know what movie the critics saw , but it was n't this one . the popular consensus among newspaper critics was that this movie is unfunny and dreadfully boring . in my personal opinion , they could n't be more wrong . if you were expecting airplane ! -like laughs and agatha christie - intense mystery , then yes , this movie would be a disappointment . however , if you 're just looking for an enjoyable movie and a good time , this is one to see . honest , it is . this story is about a 4th network , wbn , taking to america 's airwaves in 1939 . penny henderson ( mary stuart masterson ) , the station owner 's secretary , must deal with her overbearing boss , an unimpressed sponsor and writers ready to quite on a moment 's notice , partly due to the fact that they have n't been paid in weeks . among the mayhem , she must also deal with her soon - to - be ex - husband , roger ( brian benben ) who desperately wants her back . unfortunately , her problems only get worse as the night goes on and the body count rises without explanation . while trying to woo penny back , roger must deal with the police and try to find the killer that lurks at wbn . mary stuart masterson does well in her role as penny ( i 'm trying to be unbiased so i wo n't tell you how amazing she looked ) , although brian benben gets most of the screen time . along with the two leads , are several recognizable faces , including corbin bernsen ( l . a . law ) , michael mckean ( laverne & shirley ) and bobcat goldthwait . the special effects are amazing , and fooled me ( which some may argue is n't very difficult to do ) in many scenes . although the movie sometimes goes overboard with the physical comedy , it more than makes up for those mistakes throughout the movie . overall , i gave it , or an , depending on what system you use . some comments collected from friends :

1POS

unfunny and dreadfully boring . in my personal opinion , they could n't be more wrong . if you were expecting airplane ! -like laughs and looking for an enjoyable movie and a good time , this is one to see . honest , it is . this story is about the killer that lurks at wbn . mary stuart masterson does well in her role as penny ( i 'm trying to be unbiased so i wo n't tell you how amazing she looked ) , although brian benben gets most of the screen mckean ( laverne & shirley ) and bobcat goldthwait . the special effects are amazing , and fooled me ( which some may argue is

it was with great trepidation that i approached + mary+ , the farrelly brothers+ latest film . i knew the film would be funny -- the trailer alone had me laugh harder than the actual comedy i went to see . but i also knew the film would be an equal - opportunity offender , attacking the sensibilities of the politically correct with reckless abandon . i figured the film would be raunchy , maybe another lucky escapee from nc-17 hell . i may laugh , but would i feel better in the morning ? i needn+t have worried . + mary+ is the sweetest , warmest , all - out laugh - and - grossfest this side of _ animal house _ . surprisingly , the farrelly brothers have walked that very tight line of making a touching romantic comedy on the side , and filling the details with five or six outrageous howlers . they make laughter , the toughest job for a filmmaker to do , look easy . the plot is typical . thirteen years ago , geeky ted ( ben stiller ) lucked out in having dazzling mary ( cameron diaz ) go with him to the senior prom . as luck would have it , on that very day , he was hospitalized . why , i shall not tell , but i assure you , it isn+t pretty . he hires a private investigator to find her : pat healy ( matt dillon ) . he becomes one of the great comic villains . upon finding her , he too is lovestruck , and so pursues her , lying about his occupation and getting his teeth capped . it is only a matter of time before ted finds out that he had been double - crossed , and goes to get her for himself . would the geek get the girl ? puh - lease . the ending is pure hollywood ; no surprises there . but the absolute joy in this film is how this simple premise allows for humor in zippers , hair gel , the mentally disabled , the physically handicapped , interracial marriages , homosexuals , skin conditions , serial killers , tanning , and drugged - up dogs . the dog on speed sequence alone is worth the price of admission , and belongs in the film comedy hall of fame . and yet , for all the targets that are hit , the film maintains its sweet tone . mary , playing the straight role , is as sweet and caring as she is beautiful . she is totally devoted to caring for her mentally handicapped brother , warren ( w . earl brown -- miles away from the cameraman in _ scream _ ) . mary+s sunniness carries the film here -- it compliments the below - belt gags that come at you . cameron diaz makes her totally charming , and the audience respects her , even though women in general do not usually undress before an open window . ben stiller also fares very well , totally changing his image from his _ reality bites _ and _ flirting with disaster _ straight men to being a , ( how to say it ? ) , a complete loser . braces , greasy long hair , not too bright , and very very funny . dillon is exceptionally creepy , especially with his capped teeth . and rounding out the cast is ted+s friend dom ( chris elliot ) , tanning addict magda ( lin shaye ) , modern troubador / greek chorus ron lichman , and mary+s sweet mom , markie post ( where has she been ? ! ) . not everything works . chris elliot+s role , skin blemishes and all , becomes merely tasteless and boring . there+s lousy dialogue about eight - minute vs . seven minute exercise tapes . and there are long stretches without much going on . but the wait is worth it . when those extraordinary sequences hit , the entire theater erupted with howls , tears . belly - aches , that in some sequences carried over to the following scene . the farrelly brothers have finally done it . yes , there are some raunchy bits , but when it is all over , it+s not nearly as bad as it could have been . while tasteless , it didn+t cross any lines , at least not with me . while raunchy , it wasn+t nearly as bad as _ porky+s _ or _ boogie nights _ . and it is sweet enough to be considered a date flick . after the funny but sour _ kingpin _ left a negative aftertaste in my palate , comes the funniest sex farce since _ a fish called wanda _ . approach this with an open mind , and you will reap the benefits hugely .

1POS

morning ? i needn+t have worried . + mary+ is the sweetest , warmest , all - out laugh - and - grossfest this side of _ animal house _ . surprisingly , filling the details with five or six outrageous howlers . they make laughter , the toughest job for a filmmaker to do , look easy . the plot is typical . thirteen years ago , ending is pure hollywood ; no surprises there . but the absolute joy in this film is how this simple premise allows for - up dogs . the dog on speed sequence alone is worth the price of admission , and belongs in the film comedy hall of fame . and yet , for all the targets that are - belt gags that come at you . cameron diaz makes her totally charming , and the audience respects her , even though women usually undress before an open window . ben stiller also fares very well , totally changing his image from his _ reality bites _ left a negative aftertaste in my palate , comes the funniest sex farce since _ a fish called wanda _ . approach this with an open mind , and you will reap the benefits hugely .

a standoff . a man holds a woman , a diplomat 's daughter , hostage in his embrace , a gun pressed to her head . a cop , impaired by drink due to his wife 's philandering , trains his gun on the man 's nether regions , threatening to shoot . another cop holds his gun to his partner 's temple , forcing him to disarm . the scene unfolds like a foursome bidding in bridge -- upping the ante , signaling tacitly , going for game . the second cop retrieves the first cop 's weapon , the suspect lowers his , and the woman caught in the middle moves -- in slow motion -- to safety . it is then that the intoxicated officer makes his move , grabbing for the assailant 's gun . the room turns upside down , a shot rings out , a cop is down . shot in the back and paralyzed for life . the young man who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time is sent to prison for six years for a crime he did n't commit . storytelling has always been one of pedro almod ? var 's greatest gifts and in " live flesh " he gives us a twisting , turning , compelling tale peppered with well - written , colorful characters . characters who find themselves , more often than not , in carefully - constructed scenes like these . characters played by actors we might not know , but who look strikingly familiar nevertheless . take the ruggedly handsome victor plaza ( liberto rabal ) , for instance . before he gets out of prison he could easily be mistaken for that almod ? var favorite , antonio banderas . when we first meet elena ( francesca neri ) , the woman in the middle of the nervous shakedown , she looks like spice girl barbie with her frizzy shock of orange hair , but later tones down her look sufficiently to pass for juliette lewis . elena 's husband david ( javier bardem ) is the cop crippled in the shooting and he wears david schwimmer 's bemused expression throughout . playing the inebriated cop and his cheating wife are jos ? sancho and angela molina -- no lookalikes spring to mind , but they round out the excellent cast . it 's a credit to almod ? var 's craft that these five individuals cross paths and intertwine with such credulity . " live flesh " begins and ends with a live birth and the film 's contradictions come almost as often as the contractions . between the two childbearings , coincidence , irony , and a hefty dollop of sex form the key elements of this thoroughly entertaining film . although based on a ruth rendell story , " live flesh " is brimming with the acclaimed spanish director 's high - heeled flourishes . women are at times alluring and repulsive , their extravagant hairdos and animal print coats providing colorful highlights to the intricately - woven drama , an eye bruised by an abusive husband here , a mouth bloodied by an impromptu delivery there . while in prison , victor learns bulgarian from an inmate and learns to love the bible , quoting from deuteronomy thereafter not unlike the way by which david and sancho refer to themselves as " guardians of a sick flock . " victor 's pre - fab inheritance is a shambles in a slum resembling sarajevo . " dear son , i got cancer " his mother writes to him in jail . she dies before he is released and it 's at the cemetery that victor is reacquainted with elena -- redemption , ultimately , substituting for revenge .

1POS

six years for a crime he did n't commit . storytelling has always been one of pedro almod ? var 's greatest gifts and in " live flesh " he gives us a mind , but they round out the excellent cast . it 's a credit to almod ? var 's craft that these five individuals cross paths and intertwine with such credulity . " live flesh " begins and ends with a a ruth rendell story , " live flesh " is brimming with the acclaimed spanish director 's high - heeled flourishes . women are at times alluring and repulsive , their

with stars like sigourney weaver ( " alien " trilogy ) and academy award winner holly hunter ( the piano , raising arizona , etc . ) together in a single hollywood production , one would immediately identify the film as a potential academy award hot shot . sadly for copycat , though tightly scripted and nicely plot , is still at heart , a typical hollywood thriller . helen ( weaver ) , after a traumatic near death encounter with a serial killer , darryl ( harry connick jr . ) , has developed a phobia for being outdoors , so to speak . incidentally , helen is also an expert on the subject of serial killers , which make her a juicy target for serial killer wannabes . a year has passed and strange deaths begin to terrorise the city of san francisco . detective monahan ( hunter ) and getz ( mulroney ) , baffled by the unorthodox methods of killing used by the killer , seeks the professional help of helen , who , as expected was reluctant at first . copycat " borrows " a lot from silence of the lambs and in most cases , it did work . but copycat tries to be a little bit more by immersing the audience into the lives of its main characters to give them more believability , this was rather unnecessary as the scenes seem to disrupt the mood of the entire film and also . . . much of the time wasted could 've been used to build up the suspense and injected with drama . even so , weaver and hunter act very well in their own departments . . . weaver being the vulnerable yet strong - within character ( as in aliens ) and hunter being the short , tough , texan speaking cop ( as in raising arizona ) . harry connick jr . , a very good jazz singer , shines as the imprisoned serial killer a la hannibal lecter . which comes to the moment of judgement ( drum roll please . . . ) . copycat is a good thriller . although the plot is highly predictable and one can actually predict the rest of the movie after about 45 minutes into the show , copycat survives from the moments of anticipation where the audience are held on to their seats , in anticipation of the killers next immediate move . this worked pretty well and will offer audiences a couple of unexpected jolts . nice movie to bring your girlfriend to . . . .

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from silence of the lambs and in most cases , it did work . but copycat tries to be a little bit more injected with drama . even so , weaver and hunter act very well in their own departments . . . weaver being the in raising arizona ) . harry connick jr . , a very good jazz singer , shines as the imprisoned serial killer a la hannibal lecter . drum roll please . . . ) . copycat is a good thriller . although the plot is highly predictable and one can , in anticipation of the killers next immediate move . this worked pretty well and will offer audiences a couple of unexpected jolts . nice movie to bring your girlfriend to . . . .

no , it is not a bad film , in fact it is so good in achieving its purpose , i actually wished for the film to end itself quickly . event horizon is not your run - of - the - mill sci - fi film , i 'm sure many who have watched this will agree with me . it is not even original in that sense , and it does borrow heavily from films like alien , hellraiser and even blade runner . the magic of this film lies in its unorthodox setting and methodical build - up that makes it wonderfully horrifying . the story brings us to the year 2050 , where space travel have since enormously progressed . the event horizon is actually a ship built for a secret experimental purpose ; it has the ability to fold time and space thus making it possible for travelling distances not reachable in a man 's lifetime . the ship disappeared as soon as it went into operation but after 7 years , it reappeared again within the orbit of neptune . a search and rescue team led by miller ( fishburne ) is given the task to check for survivors of the event horizon . the designer of the ship , dr . weir ( neill ) follows along to satisfy his curiosity on what actually happened to his otherwise technologically impressive ship . event horizon is a sci - fi horror film , much truer to the word than say , alien would ever be . while in alien , the crew has to cope with a ferocious creature while encased within tight spaces , in event horizon , the forces which goes against the crew is undefined but yet so powerful and horrifying . the story unfolds itself slowly and the suspense buildup is superb , up till the point where i really felt like saying out loud ` enough ! i ca n't stand this anymore ! ' . there are more than enough jolts to send your adrenalin pumping overtime . the story in itself is not exactly something very exciting and also , the acting is only at most , average by most commercial standards . even so , the essence of horror is carried out very well in this film , thanks to its well - paced storytelling , disturbing set designs and some really gory sequences ( which incidentally , has been quite generously removed by our censorship board ) . director paul anderson ( who did mortal kombat ) and his team of ` atmosphere ' creators have done well in keeping event horizon within the bounds of the term ` horror ' . this picture did not do very well in the us box - office most probably for the dread - factor impact it has on most audiences ; people will not see it again and not many would recommend their friend to watch this . although on the face of it , event horizon is mostly molded for mass - entertainment ; many thrills , spills and suspense to keep audiences in focus . however , the offbeat horror element which it ultimately convey audiences is very disturbing . my friend and i could not say a word to each other for quite a while after going through the ` experience ' of event horizon . i guess it was just the immense feeling of dread which the film had cast upon us . be forewarned , this film is not for the faint - hearted nor for pure entertainment . be prepared to be disturbed if you should decide to watch this film ! event horizon is highly recommended ? ? but at your own risk ! it has been a long time since good - horror embraced the big screen , and event horizon is one .

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, it is not a bad film , in fact it is so good in achieving its purpose , i actually wished for the film to end itself films like alien , hellraiser and even blade runner . the magic of this film lies in its unorthodox setting and methodical build - up powerful and horrifying . the story unfolds itself slowly and the suspense buildup is superb , up till the point where i really felt like standards . even so , the essence of horror is carried out very well in this film , thanks to its well - paced storytelling , disturbing set designs and some really gory sequences ( kombat ) and his team of ` atmosphere ' creators have done well in keeping event horizon within the bounds of the term should decide to watch this film ! event horizon is highly recommended ? ? but at your own risk ! it has

capsule : earthy , experimental , difficult , shockingly frank ( even for 1997 ! ) , and ultimately refreshing story of a black man on the run from the cops . the first few minutes of sweet sweetback 's baad asssss song ( yes , i checked -- that 's the correct number of ss ) are without dialogue , just eerie montages of sounds . a young boy , obviously malnourished , is taken in and fed up by several loving mother - surrogate figures . then one of them takes the boy to bed for a sexual initation ( underneath the title credits ) that 's far more confrontatory and shocking than any ten basic instincts -- probably because it has the directness and clumsiness of real life , something we 're not used to seeing on screen . this is one tough movie to swallow , no matter who you are , but that probably reflects more on how pallid and unchallenging movies have gotten lately . ( i suspect the sex scenes in movies like el topo and salo would probably melt the synapses of most modern audiences . ) the plot is simple but not simpleminded . sweetback , hassled by two white cops who are apparently just looking for an excuse to beat up on a black man , breaks his bonds and runs like hell . along the way he moves through a good many of the kinds of environments that we are only just now being seen in a more serious light in the movies -- or at all , for that matter : the slums , the missions , the ghetto . in other , lesser , movies , sweetback would be machine - gunning everything in sight and the end credits would roll over a pile of bodies ; in this one , we get taken on a kind of a tour of the depressing and anarchic world that sweetback takes for granted . ssbas first appeared in 1971 and was promptly rated x ( " by an all - white jury " , as director melvin van peebles crowed in his legendary ad campaigns ) , and it 's hardly surprising why . there 's a good deal of sex in the movie , but it 's handled in a way that 's unsettlingly frank -- a frankness that spills over into the rest of the movie . in one scene , sweetback visits a friend 's house in the hope of getting sanctuary there , and the other man chats him up while on the toilet . we 're not used to coming this close to people in real life , let alone in the movies -- especially not people who are not made out to be glamorous . the movie is also full of experimental stylistics that are relatively unused today , but probably because of that seem curiously fresh and new in van peebles ' hands . one scene , in which a man is interrogated by the cops , is loaded full of menacing energy as they fire off a gun inches from his ears , and suggest his deafness through a cleverly edited soundtrack . another note : ssbas is not so much anti - white ( that would be too easy ) as anti - authority , and as the movie goes on to demonstrate , authority exists in many forms -- governments , churches , and even the paranoid inside of one 's own mind . ssbas is ultimately about thirsting for freedom -- and it looks like we could use a little more of that in our movie diet , god knows .

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shockingly frank ( even for 1997 ! ) , and ultimately refreshing story of a black man on the run from the cops . ssbas is ultimately about thirsting for freedom -- and it looks like we could use a little more of that in our movie diet , god knows .

a fully loaded entertainment review - website coming in july ! i did n't really expect very much when i rented stuart saves his family . the movie bombed at the box office , and i had never really liked the saturday night live sketch on which the movie was based . my real concern , though , was the general reputation of snl - related movies translating to the big screen with less - than - stellar results ( half - baked , anyone ? ) i was surprised to discover a truly entertaining , often hilarious yet also touching little film . it is an al franken production through - and - through , who not only created the title character but also wrote and starred in the picture . for those of you who do n't know , al franken plays a guy named stuart smalley , who has a really annoying show on a public - access station about increasing your self - esteem , etc . although not a licensed therapist , stuart smalley is , as the program proudly boasts , " a graduate of several 12-step programs . " stuart is doing well enough with his tv show , but he keeps getting distracted by family troubles . stuart 's relatives are a mess : his dad and brother ( harris yulin and vincent d'onofrio , respectively ) are alcoholics , his sister is overweight and getting over another divorce , and his mom is in constant self - denial and solves all perceived problems by baking . then , disaster strikes . stuart accidentally insults the manager of the station and gets his show revoked . he is forced to move back in with his family after he can no longer support himself , and there the comedy truly picks up . franken wrote all of the characters not just as cliches or stereotypes , but as sharply - drawn , real people . although smalley 's dad has always imbibed too much , stuart can still recall times when his father seemed like an okay guy . also , after an accident towards the end of the movie , both stuart and the audience learn that there is more to his mother than previously thought . although filled with small , very funny scenes , stuart saves his family also has its share of dramatic moments , especially towards the conclusion . for a lightweight comedy , it handles these scenes especially well , often better than many so - called " serious dramas " of today . all the more amazing is that such a movie comes from a saturday night live sketch that is essentially a one - joke bit . if you feel like renting a comedy , and you have n't seen this film , i definitely recommend you try this one out . you 'll laugh . . . you 'll cry . . . . it 's all there .

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baked , anyone ? ) i was surprised to discover a truly entertaining , often hilarious yet also touching little film . it is an al franken production through - and is more to his mother than previously thought . although filled with small , very funny scenes , stuart saves his family also has its share of especially towards the conclusion . for a lightweight comedy , it handles these scenes especially well , often better than many so - called " serious dramas " of today . all the more amazing is that such a movie comes from a saturday night

" oh my god , i sounded just like a mother ! " mrs . pascal , played with devilish wickedness by genevieve bujold , tells her son . " did n't i sound just like a mother ? " " you are a mother , " her son marty tells her disgustedly . " i know , but i still ca n't believe it . i look at you people and wonder , how did you ever fit in my womb ? " marty , you see , is a grown - up twin . although his sister , who thinks she is jackie - o , is certifiably insane , marty fits right in with the rest of this highly dysfunctional family in the witty black comedy the house of yes . mother and daughter , played in a brilliant performance by parker posey , are both varying degrees of wacko . most dysfunctional families in the movies are more angry and mean - spirited than diabolically abnormal as this one is . the daughter 's fantasy of being jackie - o is probably the most sane part of her being . mrs . pascal is the sort that will not let jackie - o keep a hairbrush downstairs since food is kept on that level . she explains to marty 's new fiancee , lesly ( tori spelling ) , soon after their first meeting that jackie - o was holding marty 's private part when she came out of the womb . the dialog by wendy macleod , based on the play by mark waters , is so sharp and biting that it seems in danger of cutting through the celluloid at any moment . the script , reminiscent of a david mamet play , flows smoothly with its fast paced intelligence and mesmerizing set of bizarre characters . the exaggerated setup has lesly and marty arriving at the family 's out of the way mansion during a thanksgiving day hurricane . in this storm are two sane individuals . the fiancee is a giddy , school - girl type , embarrassed by everything , a complete contrast to her rival jackie - o 's bitter pseudo - sophistication . as the two twins ' younger brother , anthony , freddie prinze jr . plays the all - america boy type whose only foible is his explicit obsession of bedding his brother 's fiancee that night . " we all have our secrets , " jackie - o tells her potential sister - in - law , and boy , does she have a few . this is a house filled with them . ( when lesly calls it the family 's " home " to mrs . pascal -- they 've never had a visitor before lesly -- mrs . pascal becomes discombobulated until she realizes that lesly is talking about their " house . " ) in a film that gives new meaning to the phrase , " made for each other , " the twin 's biggest , but not their only secret , is that they 've had a long - term incestuous relationship . they do n't like to discuss it , although they are not particularly ashamed of it . perfect for viewers who can appreciate perverse comedy , this story never pulls its punches . jackie - o tries in many ways , few subtle , to show that she is a better match for marty than that ditzy fiancee of his . in one scene marty and lesly are playing chop sticks together on the piano when jackie - o pushes her aside and starts playing a challenging classical piece for four hands . marty joins her as his fiancee looks on with envy . the chemistry between parker posey and josh hamilton is nothing short of amazing . they put down their little brother and most of the other sane people in the world . their ripostes are engaging filmmaking at its best . director mark waters keeps the show 's energy level high and lets the leads sling zingers at each other at a furious pace . his crisp direction ensures the movie has nary an ounce of fat on it . jackie - o is temperamentally incapable of being nice . and being jealous , she cuts lesly down mercilessly . " were you poor ? " jackie - o asks her when she finds that lesly committed the crime of growing up impoverished . " did you eat pies ? chicken pot pies ? " " pancakes actually , lots of pancakes , " lesly replies with her usual sincerity . " a donut king , so is she like the queen ? , " jackie - o cattily inquires of marty when she learns that lesly works at a donut king . " are we entertaining royalty ? " with rolfe kent 's whimsically sinister music it never seems clear where the story is headed . will it end in a big emotional explosion , a murder , people slowly cutting each other up with words , a familial catharsis , a weather disaster or what ? the emotionally charged play is clearly going somewhere , and the engaging characters captivate the audience with their spell . i 'll not say more except that the ending is perfect and a bit of a surprise . the house of yes runs a blazing fast 1 : 25 . it is rated r for sexual situations and conversations , mature themes , violent overtones and some profanity . the movie would be fine for older and mature teenagers , i . e . , treat the movie as it were rated nc-17 .

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comedy the house of yes . mother and daughter , played in a brilliant performance by parker posey , are both varying degrees of wacko , based on the play by mark waters , is so sharp and biting that it seems in danger of cutting through the celluloid the script , reminiscent of a david mamet play , flows smoothly with its fast paced intelligence and mesmerizing set of bizarre characters . the exaggerated setup has lesly and , although they are not particularly ashamed of it . perfect for viewers who can appreciate perverse comedy , this story never pulls envy . the chemistry between parker posey and josh hamilton is nothing short of amazing . they put down their little brother and most of other sane people in the world . their ripostes are engaging filmmaking at its best . director mark waters keeps the show 's energy level their spell . i 'll not say more except that the ending is perfect and a bit of a surprise . the house of

i do n't know how many other people have had the idea cross their mind that their life could be an ongoing television show watched by another world of people , but it 's something i used to wonder about when i was younger . i ca n't decide if i first thought it because i watched a lot of tv or because my brother hit me in the head with a baseball bat , but i 'm pretty sure andrew niccol , screenwriter for the truman show , has had the same curious thought . the truman show is about a man ( jim carrey ) whose entire life has been engineered by a corporation and marketed to the public . since birth , he 's been living in the fictional island town of seahaven , fla . , which actually exists as a giant domed set just beyond the hollywood sign . all the people in truman burbank 's life are actors , and the anonymous townfolk paid extras . people watch truman 's life 24 hours a day , live , with no commercial interruptions . revenue comes instead from product placement , a staple of contemporary hollywood , with truman 's friends and relatives describing their consumer items in cheerful and optimistic tones . the sun rises and sets on cue and everyone likes everyone else . even if you have n't seen the truman show , you 've probably learned most of the crucial details from the commercials , the trailer and other promotion blitzes . if anything i 've written so far is a surprise to you , then i pity you for making me a primary source for your entertainment news . either way , you should probably know the premise of the truman show going into it , because otherwise you 'll probably think it sucks . it begins with jim carrey looking into a mirror , reciting the crucial " eat me " scene from alive , wishing his neighbors a good day , afternoon and evening , and living in domestic bliss with his wife ( laura linney ) . but weird things start happening . a stage light comes falling out of the sky , truman hears people tracking his movements on the radio and he swears he sees his dead father . we learn through a flashback that his father drowned when truman was a child , sailing through a rainstorm . the death was staged by director christof ( ed harris ) , who wanted to put a fear of water into truman to keep him from leaving the island . similar cruel manipulations keep him from stumbling upon the truth , not the least of them truman 's best friend marlon ( noah emmerich ) , who assures him he 's not in on any conspiracy because the last thing he 'd ever do is hurt him . as truman 's trusting eyes tear over , christof fades up emotional synthesizer music for a worldwide audience of people who apparently never watch anything else . there 's even a daily behind - the - scenes update from harry shearer that captures the highlights of truman 's existence . the key to a movie like this is in finding the right balance between humor and drama , because a premise like this has its obvious implications in both directions . and it all hinges on carrey , who has to balance comic naivet with a real sense of longing and drive to find out what the hell is going on . he 's come a long way from talking butt cheeks in ace ventura . most fundamentally , it 's just plain interesting to follow along as director peter weir shows us just how they can capture a person 's life without the person realizing it -- how they coordinate extras , hide cameras and feed automatic lines to actors . the most interesting thing about the truman show is that most of us can probably imagine some ambitious director pitching a show like this . sure , the most interesting tv genre of the ' 90s has been reality programming and jerry springer 's popularity is through the roof , but those people deserve to be humiliated for turning their intimate details over to the airwaves . and when news shows use hidden cameras , it 's done in the name of the greater good , not entertainment . but merge the two and you 've got the truman show . right now , it 's implausible -- i mean , the fcc wo n't let you say the s - word on the air ; do you think they 'd let you broadcast every detail of a man 's life to the entire world without his consent ? one day , though , it could happen . and , even though it would mean the end of privacy , people would eat it up . you know they would .

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. the key to a movie like this is in finding the right balance between humor and drama , because a premise like this to find out what the hell is going on . he 's come a long way from talking butt cheeks in ace ventura . most fundamentally , hide cameras and feed automatic lines to actors . the most interesting thing about the truman show is that most of us can

no filmmaker deconstructs a story as well as atom egoyan . i 'm referring , specifically , to the narrative form . in the sweet hereafter , egoyan tells his story in a similar framework to his exotica or the adjuster . said story , of a fatal school bus accident in the small town of sam dent , british columbia , that shatters the morale of the locals , is told in a most unstraightforward manner . when the film opens , the accident has already happened , and stephens ( the wonderful holm ) , a polite ambulance - chaser , has arrived with the promise of a lawsuit that will eek out the truth of what really occurred that fateful morning . throughout , we get to meet the parents of the dead , broken souls who follow stephens like " the pied piper " ( passages of which are read during the film ) . but there is one living passenger , the paralyzed nicole ( polley ) , whose dark secrets of a life before the accident may affect her decision to testify . we finally do see the accident , about three quarters into the film , which is a stunning visual effect . a horrific long take that shows the bus sliding , then stopping , then collapsing into a frozen lake , is the best digital trickery in any movie this year and , perhaps , ever , in a motion picture . the fractured narrative also intercuts a preoccupied stephens on an airplane , traveling to meet his hiv - positive runaway daughter , as well as glimpses of the artificially happy lives these people led pre - accident . i have a problem not with the story or story structure , but with egoyan 's heavy- handedness behind the camera . for the first hour or so , i can quite honestly say i was on the verge of tears ; these are miserable , miserable people . but that 's just the problem : so anguished are these folk that sympathy wanes after a while , when a lot of sadness becomes too much . also , a subplot involving incest rings untrue . perhaps it would n't feel so contrived if it were n't shot in such a tasteful manner . there are two characters who are father and daughter ; when they first appeared i thought they were lovers . i was half - right . nevertheless it 's worth - seeing . the delightful critic geoff pevere recently wrote that " american films are about action , canadian films are about consequences , " hence a recent wave of films about the effects of shock and death from toronto directors , including crash and kissed . the sweet hereafter is much better than either of these two films , simply because it 's not boring or , in the case of kissed , afraid of its own material ( necrophilia ) . egoyan is a fine , fine , postmodern storyteller , whose work is entertaining , edgy and smart , if a bit too intellectual at times . though i harped on the weightiness of the material , i was always absorbed , engrossed , and surprised by the sweet hereafter .

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no filmmaker deconstructs a story as well as atom egoyan . i 'm referring , specifically , to then stopping , then collapsing into a frozen lake , is the best digital trickery in any movie this year and , perhaps , ever , in a motion picture they were lovers . i was half - right . nevertheless it 's worth - seeing . the delightful critic geoff pevere recently wrote that " , including crash and kissed . the sweet hereafter is much better than either of these two films , simply because it 's not boring or , in the case of kissed , afraid of its own material ( necrophilia ) . egoyan is a fine , fine , postmodern storyteller , whose work is entertaining , edgy and smart , if a bit too intellectual at times . though i harped on the weightiness of the material , i was always absorbed , engrossed , and surprised by the sweet hereafter .

i know what i would do with $ 4 . 4 million if i found it in a previously undiscovered airplane crash site , especially if i were with jacob and lou . ( huh ? ) well , in any event , that is the situation hank ( paxton ) finds himself in . he and his dim - witted brother jacob ( thorton ) and tubby friend lou ( brent briscoe ) come upon a large bag of cash inside a plane wreck . against his better judgement , hank decides to go along with the idea of keeping it rather than going to the authorities . the rest of the film is a question of who is going to die to keep this a secret , and is it worth it ? a simple wish lies along the lines of very bad things , clay pigeons and even fargo , and is kind of wrapped all into one little dark bundle . oh , and its much better than any of those . sam raimi took a departure from his normal freak - show horror - monkey films and made this stylish and intriguing picture . he really lets the audience sit back and watch the events unfold rather than force them down our throats as many directors prefer to do . i think raimi knew he had a winner on his hands and decided to direct the picture on a natural flowing course . one of the film 's components can be linked to a recurring theme in terrence malick 's the thin red line . in malick 's three hour bore - a - thon , he makes an interesting attempt to link mother earth to his war story . it seemed nothing more than an occasional pretty cut to a field of flowing grass , a small bird , or a flowing body of water . sure , there were obvious metaphorical connections , but there was no subtlty to his efforts . raimi does a fine job of tying in a fox in a chicken coop and birds of prey to signify the future of the characters . i think most viewers may miss the comparison , but it is a very intriguing ingredient in the film . and then there 's billy bob thorton , who is proof that the independent film industry is vital to the life blood of hollywood . if it can continute to produce people like thorton , hollywood will be ok . he gives a fantastic and devastatingly deep performance here . it is not as engrossing as his carl childers character in slingblade , but is is just as complex , if not more so . jacob is slow and simple , and yet we so often see him deep in thought . i wondered if he was thinking about things that he would never say ( or did n't know how to say ) or if he was just taking a long time to think about the thing he just said . here he really proves his worth as one of the best character actors in the industry . though the plot is somewhat unoriginal , it has a very appealing new twist in its characters . paxton gives one of the better performances of his career as the straight and serious leader of the group ( a far cry from chet in wierd science ) . perhaps bridget fonda is miscast as his advice - giving wife , but she certainly does n't do anything ruin the picture . a simple plan can be included in the group of recent small hollywood films that is just dark and pretty un - redeeming . but at least this one has an important message , unlike so many of its counterparts .

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wrapped all into one little dark bundle . oh , and its much better than any of those . sam raimi took a departure from his normal freak - show horror - monkey films and made this stylish and intriguing picture . he really lets the audience sit back and watch many directors prefer to do . i think raimi knew he had a winner on his hands and decided to direct the picture on a natural flowing but there was no subtlty to his efforts . raimi does a fine job of tying in a fox in a chicken coop and produce people like thorton , hollywood will be ok . he gives a fantastic and devastatingly deep performance here . it is not as engrossing as his carl childers to think about the thing he just said . here he really proves his worth as one of the best character actors in the industry . though the plot is somewhat unoriginal , it has a very appealing new twist in its characters . paxton gives one of the better performances of his career as the straight and serious leader of dark and pretty un - redeeming . but at least this one has an important message , unlike so many of its counterparts .

i saw simon birch in a basically sold out theater , on a sunday afternoon . when the movie was over and the audience was exiting , i did n't hear one negative comment , and i did n't have any to offer . simon birch is primarily about the friendship of two twelve year old boys , simon ( ian michael smith ) and joe ( joseph mazzello ) , and what destiny holds for both of them . simon is a dwarf , who was not supposed to last through the night after birth due to a weak heart . surprisingly , he does , and now constantly reminds everyone that he is a living miracle . simon thinks god has a plan for him , a purpose for his life , and his condition , he just does n't know what . joe is an illegitimate child ( referred to both comically and dramatically throughout the film as a bastard ) , who 's mom ( ashley judd ) wo n't tell him who his father is . simon has more than just dwarfism as a problem , the people in the town do n't really like him , because he is n't " natural " . even his own parents do n't care about him , and are disappointed they did n't have a " normal " son . he is also harassed in church by the local pastor , rev . russell ( david strathairn ) and simon 's chain smoking sunday school teacher played by jan hooks . the only person , other than joe , that really cares for simon is joe 's mom , who he also looks up to as a mother . it would be just simon 's luck , that he would accidentally kills joe 's mom , something you are told at the beginning of the movie . joe , now motherless as well as fatherless , feels the need to find out who his real father is . with the help of ben ( oliver platt ) , the local drama teacher and joe 's mom 's current boyfriend ( before her death ) , he will attempt to locate his dad and get in a little trouble on the way . most of this trouble is laugh out loud funny , although not all of it is . simon will also look for god 's plan for him , although he loses a little faith along the way . starring in the first ( and last ) five minutes of the film is hollywood 's newest dramatic actor , jim carrey . jim plays the adult version of joe and does a impressive job starting the film off , and then tying it up just right . this is the first character jim has played that is not over the top in anyway , and he does a commendable job . simon birch is written and directed by mark steven johnson , this is his first film as director , but he has written several films , including the grumpy old men series . he does an outstanding writing and directing job here , the film 's structure is flawless and its flows together perfectly . the dialog goes from extremely funny to morose without missing a beat . the cast is excellent . joseph mazzello gives the stand out performance . joseph is outstanding for someone of any age , not alone someone who just turned 15 . ian michael smith , in his film debut , has such a strong physical presence that you believe he is simon without any hesitation . other great performances are turned in by the rest of the supporting cast . i loved this movie , it is far and away one of the best films i have seen all year . take your whole family to see simon birch , it is a magnificent film- an american masterpiece .

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the movie was over and the audience was exiting , i did n't hear one negative comment , and i did n't have any to offer . simon birch is primarily about the friendship of two carrey . jim plays the adult version of joe and does a impressive job starting the film off , and then tying it up that is not over the top in anyway , and he does a commendable job . simon birch is written and directed by mark steven several films , including the grumpy old men series . he does an outstanding writing and directing job here , the film 's structure is flawless and its flows together perfectly . the dialog goes from extremely funny to morose without missing a beat . the cast is excellent . joseph mazzello gives the stand out performance . joseph is outstanding for someone of any age , not alone someone who just turned 15 . ian michael smith , in his film debut , has such a strong physical presence that you believe he is simon without any hesitation . other great performances are turned in by the rest of the supporting cast . i loved this movie , it is far and away one of the best films i have seen all year . take your whole family to see simon birch , it is a magnificent film- an american masterpiece .

the saint was actually a little better than i expected it to be , in some ways . in this theatrical remake of the television series the saint , and its series sequel the return of the saint , val kilmer plays simon templar , an elusive thief who makes a living by stealing things from others for others . this movie closely resembles a james bond flick . it has the classic bond symbols : a man who can do just about anything and get away with it , a woman whom the man persues , a villain out to achieve something for himself who kills anyone to reach this goal . kilmer actually provides a rather good role in this movie , although at times you are left to ponder how he actually gets out of the many tight situations . the movie begins in his childhood in a strict school run by catholic priests . as a young boy , kilmer 's character enjoyed magic and would often journey away from his schoolwork . that is until his school teacher finds him reading a book and demands that the young boy proclaim his name , that of a catholic saint . he refuses to do so and instead announces who he wishes to be . this leads to a devestating mistake , which is something that will stay in his mind throughout his life . kilmer 's first mission that we are shown is to steal a microchip from ivan tretiak , played by rade serbedzija . during a press conference , he must make his way into a heavily guarded vault area , avoiding guards , cameras , and many other potential obstacles . once his mission is completed and he is safely home , the fee is paid . when he logs into his bank account and finds that he is only a few million dollars short of $ 50 million , he decides to carry out only one more mission , then retire . dr . emma russell , portrayed by elisabeth shue , has discovered a way to produce energy by way of cold fusion . this new advancement would change the world and save thousands of lives in the areas of russia , where millions are without heat and are freezing to death . the only problem is , tretiak would like to have this for himself and use it to gain power amongst the people . this presents the option for kilmer to achieve his goal . tretiak hires him to steal the equations , small pieces of paper , from shue . one of the enjoyable features in the film is the disguises that kilmer dawns to complete his missions . they are very convincing , not only to the characters in the movie , but to us . kilmer utilizes one such disguise to lure shue 's character into getting to know him even more , which would provide him a means of stealing the energy formula . when the two meet , and end up having a sensual experience , kilmer 's character is seemingly falling in love with emma russell , as she is falling in love with kilmer 's alter - ego , a traveling artist . yet , he must reach his goal of $ 50 million , which requires him to steal the energy formula , putting his feelings aside . shue 's character is eventually able to track down simon templar by putting the pieces ( the names of the catholic saints ) together , something no one else is able to do . when she finds him , they are left to team up and reclaim the energy formulas from tretiak . the saint is very action - packed , with few slow points . the sound was very well done and added to the many intense moments . along the course of the movie , there are even a few , although brief moments of comedy . these moments are almost always thanks to kilmer 's extraneous , very convincing disguises and personalities . all in all , a rather enjoyable movie with nearly non - stop action .

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the saint was actually a little better than i expected it to be , in some ways . in this theatrical remake of himself who kills anyone to reach this goal . kilmer actually provides a rather good role in this movie , although at times you are left to ponder how equations , small pieces of paper , from shue . one of the enjoyable features in the film is the disguises that kilmer dawns to complete his missions . they are very convincing , not only to the characters in the movie , and reclaim the energy formulas from tretiak . the saint is very action - packed , with few slow points . the sound was very well done and added to the many intense moments . along the course of . these moments are almost always thanks to kilmer 's extraneous , very convincing disguises and personalities . all in all , a rather enjoyable movie with nearly non - stop action .

the thirteenth floor , the third in what i would call " the reality check movie series " , is very similar to the other reality check movies released this year , the matrix and existenz . all three made you think , made you wonder what is real , what is n't , and if our world is just a huge game . the thirteenth floor does n't reach the level of originality , creativity , and curiosity sparked by the matrix and existenz , but it certainly gives a great shot at it . in the matrix , we were told that the humans are simply a virus . in existenz , we learned that our life could be just a game . in the thirteenth floor , we learn that we are just electronic devices , living under another world of electronic devices . there is just one world on top of another , and everything in them are fake and electronically generated . the thirteenth floor took a huge , risky turn that i did n't expect it to take , and i 'm not very sure it was such a great turn to make . rather than focusing just on the reality parts of the film , the thirteenth floor becomes a murder mystery that ends up tying in with the different worlds . after the mysterious murder of computer program designer hammond fuller , played by armin mueller - stahl , douglas hall , played by craig bierko , a man that worked under fuller for many years , must travel through an electronic computer device that fuller was using , to the year 1937 , which consists of computer generated characters only . the simulation of 1937 is just like it was back in the olden days . all of the people involved are just characters , or are they ? douglas strongly believes that a character traveled through the transport from their world to ours , and killed fuller . along the way , douglas interacts with many different potential suspects , and a woman who claims to be the daughter of fuller , jane fuller , played wonderfully by a talented young actress , gretchen mol . the thirteenth floor is a plot driven movie from the time the film gets going , and does n't use spectacular special effects and big sound to keep the viewer 's interests . i was worried that this film would be too much like the matrix and existenz , and i would n't enjoy it , but there were enough twists and turns to keep me thinking and attentive to the film . unfortunately , many potential would have been great scenes were thrown away with predictable content , letting the viewer know the outcome of the scene long before it happened . the scenes that are n't original or interesting seem to go absolutely nowhere , leaving you wondering , " what is the point of this ? " sometimes it was hard to believe that this story , with terrible dialogue , some bad acting , especially from craig bierko , and scenes that go absolutely nowhere , are actually true . i know this is n't a true story or anything , but a film should be able to make you think that it is . on the plus side of acting , we get to see the missing from main character action since the film masterpiece shine in 1995 actor , armin mueller - stahl . in the thirteenth floor , he is back and is still giving believable and amazing performances . another plus is gretchen mol 's realistic performance , creating her character with depth , not just staying in the one - dimensional phase . do n't expect the intensity of the matrix or existenz to come out of the thirteenth floor , just expect another film that messes with your mind for awhile , and shuts you down like any other movie would . thrills , chills , and spills are n't what you will get in this film , but you will just get another trip to send your mind on , scrambling it until you 've had enough . the bottom line- let 's hope this is the last of the " reality check " based movies for awhile .

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to be the daughter of fuller , jane fuller , played wonderfully by a talented young actress , gretchen mol . the thirteenth floor is existenz , and i would n't enjoy it , but there were enough twists and turns to keep me thinking and attentive to the film . unfortunately , many potential would have be able to make you think that it is . on the plus side of acting , we get to see the missing from main character . in the thirteenth floor , he is back and is still giving believable and amazing performances . another plus is gretchen mol 's realistic performance , creating her character with depth , not just staying in the one - dimensional phase . do n't expect the intensity of the matrix or

i tried hard not like this movie without succeeding . it contains parts of bringing up baby , any hepburn / tracy film , part of the plot of war games , cary grant and rosalind russell in his girl friday , elevator shaft action , train action , and murder . it is cute , funny , suspenseful ( a little bit ) , sexy ( a little bit ) . one of the bad guys was a surprise . the pace is fast enough , there are some " action " scenes . i think that this is a reasonable family summer movie for families with older kids who have already seen maverick . julia roberts and nick nolte are fine separately and together . i really identified with the julia roberts character ( wishful thinking , i know ! ) , but i do have better hair ! her hair , a very dull dark brown , has no color . she could use some highlights . they both do fine with their roles : he 's a bored columnist with the chicago chronicle and she 's a hotshot " cub " reporter with the chicago globe . they have great fun trying to out scoop each other to solve one case throughout this movie . i like the one story focus . other actors include charles martin smith as roberts ' boss , olympia dukakis as nolte 's coworker , nora dunn also with the chronicle , and marsha mason as a congresswoman . basically this movie is reasonably fun . there is a serious mystery to solve , and i enjoyed following a fun couple solving the mystery . it is a pleasant change of pace from movies that take themselves seriously . i do give successful comedy high marks .

1POS

elevator shaft action , train action , and murder . it is cute , funny , suspenseful ( a little bit ) , sexy ( a little bit ) . one of the bad guys was a surprise . the pace is fast enough , there are some " action " scenes . i think that this is a reasonable family summer movie for families with older kids who have already seen maverick . julia roberts and nick nolte are fine separately and together . i really identified with the julia roberts character ( wishful thinking , i know has no color . she could use some highlights . they both do fine with their roles : he 's a bored columnist with the chicago chronicle each other to solve one case throughout this movie . i like the one story focus . other actors include charles martin smith as roberts ' chronicle , and marsha mason as a congresswoman . basically this movie is reasonably fun . there is a serious mystery to solve , and i enjoyed following a fun couple solving the mystery . it is a pleasant change of pace from movies that take themselves seriously . i do give

plot : jet li is a chinese cop asked to help some french policemen nab a bad guy . but one thing leads to another , and the next thing you know , li 's being chased by the same french cops with whom he was supposed to be working . a lot of ass - kicking , face - whippings , gun fights and . . . okay , a little more ass - kicking ensues . critique : very cool ! now here 's a movie that gives you exactly what you 're looking for , if what you 're looking for is kickass action , a palpable good cop / bad cop story line , some hardcore stunts and jet li slam - dunking everyone in sight ! the film also moves fast ( a mere 95 minutes ) , develops a certain " cute " chemistry between fonda and li , has nice surroundings ( paris , baby ! ) and gives us one of the best bad guys that i 've seen all year . tcheky karyo is the devil incarnate in this film . he is pure evil . they should have called this movie bad lieutenant 2 as keitel has nothing on this man . what a great , great monster ! my favorite line of tcheky 's was when li was explaining the whole " kiss of the dragon " thing to him and he cut him off by saying " kiss my ass ! " pure action movie poetry . anyway , other than him , jet li also handled his " acting " pretty well in this film , with very little real dialogue to say , but enough to make us believe his character . actually , just looking into the man 's eyes generally tells you a lot . fonda was also pretty good , despite playing one of the most trashy and abused women that i have seen in quite some time , but i still felt kinda bad for her , so i guess she did her job okay . but in the end , nobody goes to see this kind of movie for oscar performances . we go to see jet li movies because we want to see jet li kicking a lot of ass from side to side , and this film delivers gangbusters on that front . and yes . . . they have no wire - fu in this movie . . . i say again . . . no wire - work , no bullshit stunts with li floating around in mid - air for over a minute . it 's all straight action , fist to fist , boot to face and all around cool stunts . if that 's what you 're looking for , i do n't see how you will be disappointed with this film . yes , it 's not very original in plot ( just take luc besson 's own la femme nikita and mix in plenty of his own the professional et voila ! ) , does have an annoying hip - hoppy soundtrack that just got on my nerves after a while ( i also would have gotten rid of the whole acupuncture thang . . . ) and will have anyone not willing to restrain their disbelief , rolling their eyes all over the place . but was i entertained ? thoroughly . does the film feature more gunplay , martial arts and over - the - top kills that most recent action flicks ? yes , again . does this sound interesting to you ? well , the answer to that question is entirely up to you . one thing that i would definitely recommend is , as jet li pointed out himself on his website , that you leave the kids at home for this one . in fact , you might even wanna leave yourself if you ca n't handle the more violent of sequences . all in all , a rippin ' , roarin ' fun time ! where 's joblo coming from ? black mask ( 5/10 ) - blade ( 7/10 ) - la femme nikita ( 8/10 ) - lethal weapon 4 ( 7/10 ) - the matrix ( 8/10 ) - the professional ( 9/10 ) - romeo must die ( 3/10 ) - rush hour ( 7/10 ) - shanghai noon ( 6/10 )

1POS

a little more ass - kicking ensues . critique : very cool ! now here 's a movie that gives you exactly what you 're looking for , if what you 're looking for is kickass action , a palpable good cop / bad cop story line , some hardcore stunts and jet li slam - dunking everyone in sight ! the film also moves fast ( a mere 95 minutes " cute " chemistry between fonda and li , has nice surroundings ( paris , baby ! ) and gives us one of the best bad guys that i 've seen all year . tcheky karyo is the devil incarnate in him off by saying " kiss my ass ! " pure action movie poetry . anyway , other than him , jet li also handled his " acting " pretty well in this film , with very little real dialogue to say , but enough to make us believe his character . actually , just looking into the man 's eyes generally tells you a lot . fonda was also pretty good , despite playing one of the most trashy and abused a lot of ass from side to side , and this film delivers gangbusters on that front . and yes . . . they have no wire . if that 's what you 're looking for , i do n't see how you will be disappointed with this film . yes , it 's not very , rolling their eyes all over the place . but was i entertained ? thoroughly . does the film feature more gunplay , martial arts the more violent of sequences . all in all , a rippin ' , roarin ' fun time ! where 's joblo coming from ? black mask ( 5/10

i 've never been a member of the robin williams fan club . a little bit of his improvisationaly schtick goes a long way , and i sometimes feel as though i 'm watching a 40-year - old class clown . in his films , williams has often tried to balance his mania with touchy - feely emotion , leading to wildly uneven performances . mrs . doubtfire seemed ready - made for the same problems , but instead it proves to be williams ' best comic screen project yet . while it still contains some characteristic self - indulgence , mrs . doubtfire is nonetheless an engaging belly - laugh comedy served up with high energy . williams stars as daniel hillard , a cartoon voiceover artist with a penchant for irresponsible behavior . one such incident proves one too many for wife miranda ( sally field ) , and she files for a divorce . unemployed , living in a disastrously unkempt apartment and faced with limited time with his three beloved children , daniel decides to respond to miranda 's ad for an afternoon housekeeper . he turns to his brother frank ( harvey fierstein ) , a theatrical makeup artist , and emerges as euphegenia doubtfire , a matronly 65-year - old englishwoman . daniel uses his access to the house to keep an eye on miranda 's flirtation with a wealthy client ( pierce brosnan ) , to spend time with the children , and to learn something about responsible parenting , all the while trying to keep his identity hidden from the people who know him best . mrs . doubtfire has to overcome a mountain of implausibilities to work , and basically it does so . the most crucial is that no one in the family recognizes daniel , and thanks to the fantastic special makeup that 's instantly believable . it may be one of the most convincing transformations ever committed to film , making dustin hoffman 's dorothy michaels look like milton berle . more problematic was a series of calls daniel makes to miranda posing as nannies from hell ; it 's a bit hard to swallow that she does n't recognize any of the voices as her husband 's . perhaps the biggest contrivance we 're asked to swallow is that daniel could make a quick change into mrs . doubtfire in a few minutes . there 's more to realistic makeup than slapping on a latex mask . fortunately , these are inconsistencies which only attract attention as the credits roll . during the film , i was generally too busy laughing . after getting off to a slow start involving too much of williams ' riffing , mrs . doubtfire kicks into high gear once the wig and pads are in place . daniel 's frantic attempt to fool a court officer is wonderful , as is the climactic restaurant sequence , even though i saw the resolutions coming a mile away . clearly , most of the credit for doubtfire 's success goes to robin williams . it took putting him in drag , but for once he plays a comic character that is n't just robin williams with a different name . he thoroughly inhabits euphegenia doubtfire , and seems to relish the scenes in which he gets to play her as blunt and foul - mouthed . wisely , he never aims for saintly . his responses to the intrusion of new suitor stu are often petty , but the kind of thing most of us might do with the benefit of anonymity . it 's one of mrs . doubtfire 's charms that neither daniel nor miranda is perfect , just people trying to be better . as miranda , sally field is solid in a background role , and pierce brosnan is nicely understated as stu . the children are also good , although mara wilson is almost oppressively cute as the youngest . the supporting players merely step aside and allow williams to do his thing . it 's easy to see mrs . doubtfire as little more than tootsie warmed over , and it 's true that there are both broad themes and specific details in common . but mrs . doubtfire manages to carve out its own space , particularly through the surprisingly honest moments involving a judge 's decision and the ultimate status of daniel and miranda 's relationship . there 's nothing dazzlingly new in mrs . doubtfire , but there are plenty of laughs , and good comedies are always in short supply . and it 's nice to see robin williams just act for a change .

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problems , but instead it proves to be williams ' best comic screen project yet . while it still contains some characteristic self - indulgence , mrs . doubtfire is nonetheless an engaging belly - laugh comedy served up with high energy . williams stars as daniel hillard , a cartoon voiceover special makeup that 's instantly believable . it may be one of the most convincing transformations ever committed to film , making dustin hoffman 's dorothy michaels look like milton attention as the credits roll . during the film , i was generally too busy laughing . after getting off to a slow start involving too much of williams ' riffing , mrs . doubtfire kicks into high gear once the wig and pads are in place . daniel 's frantic attempt to fool a court officer is wonderful , as is the climactic restaurant sequence , even though is n't just robin williams with a different name . he thoroughly inhabits euphegenia doubtfire , and seems to relish the scenes in trying to be better . as miranda , sally field is solid in a background role , and pierce brosnan is nicely understated as stu . the children are also good , although mara wilson is almost oppressively cute as the and specific details in common . but mrs . doubtfire manages to carve out its own space , particularly through the surprisingly honest moments involving a judge 's nothing dazzlingly new in mrs . doubtfire , but there are plenty of laughs , and good comedies are always in short supply . and it 's nice to see robin williams just act for a change .

weir is well - respected in hollywood for turning scripts with difficult subject - matter into deceptively simple , powerful films , the mosquito coast ( utopia ) and fearless ( post - traumatic stress disorder ) among them . in the truman show , weir essentially breathes life into the now - tired concept of media - manipulation by tackling the material from the inside - out . it certainly helps that he has an underrated performer in top - form playing the title character , truman burbank . by now you must be aware of the premise : unbeknownst to him , truman ( carrey ) is the star of his own tv series , a 24 - 7 peep - show in which he is surrounded by actors and placed in loosely scripted situations ; people around the world tune in for the voyeuristic thrill of his genuine reactions to fictitious stimulants . ` seahaven ' , his hometown , and the show itself , are the brainchild of christof ( harris ) , who presides over his creation in the base of a fake moon , directing over 500 cameras and hundreds of actors and extras . for 30 years , truman suspects nothing-`we accept the reality we 're given , ' poses christof - but a desire to break free of the sunny town and visit a long lost love in ` fiji ' ( mcelhone , who was actually an actress fired by christof for trying to break the confidentiality agreement ) overwhelms him . thus , christof and his team suddenly find themselves working twice as hard to keep the veneer of seahaven intact , lest truman discover the world outside and put an end to the highly - rated program . in a few broad strokes , weir creates a convincing second - reality , and he has the good sense not to bring christof into the picture until almost three - quarters through . this allows us to comprehend and accept truman 's world before we contextualize it . for all his madness , christof has shown the world a place without violence and hardship , and demonstrated that a human being can function well within it . truman is an inspiration to his audience because he grew up to be , well , so darn nice ; like a sibling ( or , perhaps more appropriately , a caged animal in an interactive zoo ) , they want to see him succeed . the surrealistic soap opera is completely plausible thanks to a tight screenplay and a sympathetic carrey - he really is an everyman here , abandoning his facial contortions in favour of a credible , wide - eyed bewilderment . cinematically , the truman show is impeccable , stylishly photographed by peter biziou and littered with symbolic images . as well , it employs wojciech kilar 's piece " zycie za zycie ' masterfully and beautifully . if the film has any flaws , one may find them in laura linney 's characterization as meryl , truman 's " wife " ( i doubt that betty crocker impersonation would fool anyone ) , and in a subplot involving truman 's ` father ' , which feels curiously incomplete . there are a few stupendous sequences , and the film pulls off a wonderful trick : we become truman 's audience as much as the loyal viewers in the film . they wear buttons asking ` how will it end ? ' i could n't wait to know myself , though i did n't exactly want it to end , for this inspired movie is possibly the best - and most complex - summer picture in years .

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among them . in the truman show , weir essentially breathes life into the now - tired concept of media - manipulation by - rated program . in a few broad strokes , weir creates a convincing second - reality , and he has the good sense not to bring christof into the picture until almost three . the surrealistic soap opera is completely plausible thanks to a tight screenplay and a sympathetic carrey - he really is an everyman favour of a credible , wide - eyed bewilderment . cinematically , the truman show is impeccable , stylishly photographed by peter biziou and littered with symbolic images . as employs wojciech kilar 's piece " zycie za zycie ' masterfully and beautifully . if the film has any flaws , one may i did n't exactly want it to end , for this inspired movie is possibly the best - and most complex - summer picture in years .

synopsis : it 's 1977 in a small italian american neighborhood in new york . disco music is popular , and the sexual revolution is on , but the people of new york are not happy . in fact , they 're terrified . as in spike lee 's do the right thing a heat wave has the city in its grip , and peoples ' tempers are flaring . the cool of night offers no respite : the neighborhood is being terrorized by a nocturnal psychotic killer who calls himself the son of sam . no one knows who the son of sam is , and no one is safe . all around new york people are different . aside from cultural groupings and ethnic neighborhoods there are differences between individuals . in the italian american section of town a philandering husband named vinny ( john leguizamo ) tries to hide his trysts and sexual behavior from his long suffering newlywed wife dionna ( mira sorvino ) . vinny 's friend ritchie ( adrien brody ) hates disco , works at a gay strip club and does n't want any of the neighborhood folks to know . ritchie 's girl ruby ( jennifer esposito ) is trying to escape a reputation as a slut . everyone 's different , but nobody in the film wants to be framed as " alien " to the community . unfortunately , the killings help create a climate of suspicion pits neighbor against neighbor . opinion : director spike lee 's summer of sam is not about a psycho killer . nor is it about cops trying to apprehend him . it 's about differences and how , given the right conditions , even close neighbors can fan the hostile flames of irrational suspicion . one thing i found interesting in summer of sam was the use of sex . in other movies sex is glamorized . for example , james bond gets a sexual reward for winning . or boring made - for - video " suspense " movies are spiked with gratuitous lingerie scenes just to keep the audience awake . and every movie or soap opera character in these flicks seems to have expert sexual prowess . not so with summer of sam . in a very gutsy move director spike lee shows sex without fantasy . sex is there , but it is n't gratuitous or titillating . in fact , some of the main characters are downright lousy in bed . sex is in the film because ( sexual ) deviance is part of the film 's major theme of " difference " breeding hostility . in my opinion this kind of movie sex is cutting edge for 1999 , as rare and thought - provoking in american cinema as showing a spanking .

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neighbors can fan the hostile flames of irrational suspicion . one thing i found interesting in summer of sam was the use of sex . prowess . not so with summer of sam . in a very gutsy move director spike lee shows sex without fantasy . sex is of " difference " breeding hostility . in my opinion this kind of movie sex is cutting edge for 1999 , as rare and thought - provoking in american cinema as showing a spanking .

part one of " the strangest movies ever made " series at www . mediajunkies . com by scott watson [ light spoilers , nothing you should n't read ] existenz has been called " a gooey matrix " , and while this is a correct description in some ways , in others it is completely off . the only thing the two films have in common is the idea of a virtual reality that is indistinguishable from normal , " real " reality . a major difference is that " the matrix " has a base reality that is obviously the true reality , while existenz does the impossible and makes us accept the most bizarre reality ever as true . and oh what a reality it is . david cronenberg has shown us before that he knows how to create strange movies ( naked lunch , crash ) , but this one is one of the strangest . maybe it 's because of how the mundane is mixed with the bizarre . technology is organic , but only some of it . cars are normal . gas stations are the same . cell phones are glowing bug like appendages . you jack into a virtual reality game using a quivering pink gooey animal like apparatus ( referred to simply as a " pod " ) . high technology has been replaced with organic creatures , and it provides a truly surreal setting for the characters . a famous game designer , allegra geller ( a fine looking jennifer jason leigh ) , flees a demonstration of her latest game , existenz , after an assassination attempt . she is on the run ( from who , i 'm still not sure ) , and has to save her pod by playing her game with " someone friendly " . that someone friendly is her dubious companion and security guard , ted pikul ( jude law ) . unfortunately he is lacking a fundamental requirement for playing , a bioport . sort of a hole in your spine ( ok , exactly like a hole in your spine ) , a bioport allows you to plug the vaguely entrail - looking wires from the pod into you , allowing you to play the game . luckily a bioport can be installed easily ( they install them in malls ) , so off they go to get one . after a crazy series of events at the local country gas station , they are able to plug in and play existenz . the plot itself is a surreal melding of conspiracies , reality distortion , chinese restaurants , and multi appendaged amphibian things ( " it 's a sign of the times " ) . but the plot , while cohesive in it 's own creepy way is secondary to just trying to figure out what the hell is going on in this universe . cronenberg just slaps this weird organic - tech world into the viewers lap , and it 's up to you to figure out how all these things work . and that 's the true joy of this film , entering the vaguely nightmarish world in which existenz takes place . you learn a little bit piece by piece ( oh , they make pods out of those ) , and it 's just enough to get you to accept the world that is presented to you . there are all kinds of twists and turns as the characters wander around , including a fantastic scene in a chinese restaurant that will leave you trying to assemble something out of your moo goo gai pan for months afterwards . also the bioports are occasionally used for things other than porting into existenz , the specifics of which i will leave for you to discover . there 's lots of little things that set off the weird - o - meter , like the little tiny pods that you can buy in the video game store , the two headed amphibian creature , and why that guy at the gas station 's name appears to be " gas " . it all adds up to a supremely far out trip , and given the choice i think i would rather live in the matrix 's virtual world . . . oh wait , i already do .

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to figure out how all these things work . and that 's the true joy of this film , entering the vaguely nightmarish world in twists and turns as the characters wander around , including a fantastic scene in a chinese restaurant that will leave you trying to assemble something out of your moo goo gai pan for months afterwards . also the bioports are occasionally used for things other be " gas " . it all adds up to a supremely far out trip , and given the choice i think i would rather

good films are hard to find these days . great films are beyond rare . proof of life , russell crowe 's one - two punch of a deft kidnap and rescue thriller , is one of those rare gems . a taut drama laced with strong and subtle acting , an intelligent script , and masterful directing , together it delivers something virtually unheard of in the film industry these days , genuine motivation in a story that rings true . consider the strange coincidence of russell crowe 's character in proof of life making the moves on a distraught wife played by meg ryan 's character in the film -- all while the real russell crowe was hitching up with married woman meg ryan in the outside world . i have n't seen this much chemistry between actors since mcqueen and mcgraw teamed up in peckinpah 's masterpiece , the getaway . but enough with the gossip , let 's get to the review . the film revolves around the kidnapping of peter bowman ( david morse ) , an american engineer working in south america who is kidnapped during a mass ambush of civilians by anti - government soldiers . upon discovering his identity , the rebel soldiers decide to ransom him for $ 6 million . the only problem is that the company peter bowman works for is being auctioned off , and no one will step forward with the money . with no choice available to her , bowman 's wife alice ( ryan ) hires terry thorne ( crowe ) , a highly skilled negotiator and rescue operative , to arrange the return of her husband . but when things go wrong -- as they always do in these situations -- terry and his team ( which includes the most surprising casting choice of the year : david caruso ) take matters into their own hands . the film is notable in that it takes this very simple story line and creates a complex and intelligent character - driven vehicle filled with well - written dialogue , shades of motivation , and convincing acting by all the actors . the script is based on both a book ( the long march to freedom ) and a magazine article pertaining to kidnap / ransom situations , and the story has been sharply pieced together by tony gilroy , screenwriter of the devil 's advocate and dolores claiborne . the biggest surprise for me was not the chemistry between crowe and ryan , but that between crowe and david caruso . dug out from b - movie hell , caruso pulls off a gutsy performance as crowe 's right hand gun while providing most of the film 's humor . ryan cries a lot and smokes too many cigarettes , david morse ends up getting everyone at the guerilla camp to hate him , and crowe provides another memorable acting turn as the stoic , gunslinger character of terry thorne . the most memorable pieces of the film lie in its action scenes . the bulk of those scenes , which bookend the movie , work extremely well as establishment and closure devices for all of the story 's characters . the scenes are skillfully crafted and executed with amazing accuracy and poise . director taylor hackford mixes both his old - school style of filmmaking with the dizziness of a lars von trier film . proof of life is a thinking man 's action movie . it is a film about the choices men and women make in the face of love and war , and the sacrifices one makes for those choices -- the sacrifices that help you sleep at night .

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two punch of a deft kidnap and rescue thriller , is one of those rare gems . a taut drama laced with strong and subtle acting , an intelligent script , and masterful directing , together it delivers something virtually unheard of in the film industry these days , genuine motivation in a story that rings true . consider the strange coincidence of russell crowe 's character with married woman meg ryan in the outside world . i have n't seen this much chemistry between actors since mcqueen and mcgraw teamed up in peckinpah 's masterpiece in that it takes this very simple story line and creates a complex and intelligent character - driven vehicle filled with well - written dialogue , shades of motivation , and convincing acting by all the actors . the script is based on both a book ( pertaining to kidnap / ransom situations , and the story has been sharply pieced together by tony gilroy , screenwriter of the devil 's advocate . dug out from b - movie hell , caruso pulls off a gutsy performance as crowe 's right hand gun while providing most of at the guerilla camp to hate him , and crowe provides another memorable acting turn as the stoic , gunslinger character of terry thorne . bulk of those scenes , which bookend the movie , work extremely well as establishment and closure devices for all of the story 's characters . the scenes are skillfully crafted and executed with amazing accuracy and poise . director taylor hackford mixes both his old - school

i must admit i 'm going to be a bit biased in my review of the new romantic comedy serendipity , because that also defines how i met my current girlfriend . the magic and mystery of our fated encounter is also embodied in the quirkiness and freshness of the very funny and very romantic serendipity . i am not a big fan of the romantic comedy genre , but something drew me to this film . maybe it was the casting of the underrated jeremy piven in a supporting role , and the hilarious eugene levy . maybe it was my hope that john cusack would get the redemption he justly deserves after such crap as high fidelity , con air , and pushing tin . but maybe it was because i feel as giddy as a school kid right now with this whole romantic thing currently in my life . the story of serendipity is simple . two people , john trager ( john cusack ) and sara thomas ( kate beckinsale , looking ever so hot ) , have a chance encounter over a pair of gloves -- with buck henry smack dab in the middle . charmed beyond repair , these two knuckleheads grab a sundae together at a caf ? called serendipity , talk about that irresponsible thing called fate and the avenues it leads people down , and spend a few hours at the local ice skating rink . but with each of them already involved with other parties , sara has john write his name and number on a $ 5 bill and she writes her name and number on a copy of love in the time of cholera . sara declares that if this " thing " -- let 's just call it love -- is destined to happen , fate will bring them together in the future . years later and on opposite coasts of america , john and sara -- both engaged but still unsure whether they have found their soul mates -- decide to seek each other out to rest their doubts . what happens then is an enjoyable and often hilarious cat - and - mouse game with the fates - involving such items as mistaken identity , a graduate homage , john corbett as a freaky new age musician , and eugene levy as an irate and crazed salesman -- to find out if that " thing " was right after all . fortunately , first - time screenwriter marc klein has sketched strong , well - rounded , characters to propel a predictable and corny narrative . coupled with deft directing by michael chelsom ( director of the very unfunny town and country and the very funny funny bones ) and the use of time - lapse camera work to illustrate the passage of years -- the film comes off with genuine believability and sincerity . both piven and molly shannon make nice sidekick characters on the flipside , films such as you 've got mail , made in heaven , and even high fidelity are the quiet inspirations for the film 's main journey at hand . but it 's what happens to the unexpecting characters left behind in the romantic wake after john and sara find happiness this is the most unsettling part of the picture .

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and mystery of our fated encounter is also embodied in the quirkiness and freshness of the very funny and very romantic serendipity . i am not a big fan of the was my hope that john cusack would get the redemption he justly deserves after such crap as high fidelity , con air , out to rest their doubts . what happens then is an enjoyable and often hilarious cat - and - mouse game with the fates - involving such items as mistaken identity all . fortunately , first - time screenwriter marc klein has sketched strong , well - rounded , characters to propel a predictable and corny narrative . coupled with deft directing by michael chelsom ( director of the very unfunny town work to illustrate the passage of years -- the film comes off with genuine believability and sincerity . both piven and molly shannon make nice sidekick characters on the flipside , films such as you 've got

in some regards , making a movie is like trying to stretch a rubber band as far as you can without breaking it . try too hard , and it snaps ; but too much reservation means someone else will come along and pull it farther . in simon birch , director mark steven johnson shows us just how to master the technique : he takes advantage of caution and poise , but also risks his movie with a few bold steps . in the end , he 's not only holding an unbroken band , but he makes the audience appreciate the lengths he went to direct such a fine feature . there 's no doubt about it : the film that johnson has crafted is rich . he chooses for his setting the quaint town of gravestown , maine - leaves turn bright orange in the fall , the grass is a lush green , pure white snow falls in the winter , and the sky goes on forever . the characters continue that turn : our two leads are simon birch ( ian michael smith ) and joe wenteworth ( joseph mazzello ) . simon is the smallest baby ever born within the records of the local hospital , and by age twelve he 's only two feet tall . joe is the bastard son of rebecca ( ashley judd ) , and by age twelve he 's ready to know who is father is . naturally , the two outcasts become good friends and share many adventures together , from disrupting sunday school to doing community service to playing little league baseball . in a wonderfully executed performance by ian michael smith , simon birch is convinced that he 's god 's instrument , and there must be a reason he 's so small . joe does n't quite buy it , but he sticks by simon ; the two tough it out through the worst of times and are each other 's only true friends . early on , the two meet up with ben goodrich ( oliver platt ) , rebecca 's new boyfriend , and although the bond is n't immediate , ben and the two boys develop a liking for each other . both platt and judd give solid performances that lend their characters a deep likeability . the audience cares about them as much as they do about joe and simon , a testament to the acting jobs of both . finally , jim carrey gives a cameo as the adult joe in the present day , and his few minutes here are relatively more impressive than his entire performance in the truman show . mark steven johnson 's sense of drama and writing is fantastic . the script is loosely based on john irving 's novel , a prayer for owen meany , but it 's so far off the source material that irving actually requested the credits be changed from ' based on ' to ' suggested by . ' along those same lines , it 's almost unfitting to compare the two ; johnson uses tension , humor , atmosphere , and suspense to create an original drama of forrest gumpian proportions . by no means has he developed a project of similar popularity - gump made over 300 million dollars while birch ought to pass out of sight in a few weeks - but the winning idea remains the same . simon birch is a different look at a different life , and one that will most likely be studied in film school classes in decades to come . in the present , however , it 's an enjoyable little picture that everyone ought to take a look at .

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farther . in simon birch , director mark steven johnson shows us just how to master the technique : he takes advantage of caution and poise , but he 's not only holding an unbroken band , but he makes the audience appreciate the lengths he went to direct such a fine feature . there 's no doubt about it : the film that johnson has crafted is rich . he chooses for his setting the quaint town of a liking for each other . both platt and judd give solid performances that lend their characters a deep likeability . the audience cares about them as much as they do about joe and simon , a testament to the acting jobs of both . finally , jim carrey gives a cameo as the in the present day , and his few minutes here are relatively more impressive than his entire performance in the truman show . mark steven johnson 's sense of drama and writing is fantastic . the script is loosely based on john irving 's different look at a different life , and one that will most likely be studied in film school classes in decades to come . in the present , however , it 's an enjoyable little picture that everyone ought to take a look at .

on the basis of this film alone , i never would have predicted that , in two years , quentin tarantino would become the country 's biggest hotshot director . reservoir dogs has hints of the tarantino brilliance that emerged in pulp fiction , but is a much less substantive , more conventional crime story than the big pf . here 's what the two movies do have in common . . . --scenes of intelligent , amusing dialogue with no relevance to the plot --a story that jumps back and forth in time rather than going in a logical , chronological sequence --graphic yet necessary violence --an engaging crime story --dialogue liberally spiced with swear words and racial / gender slurs --three of the same actors ( harvey keitel , tim roth and steve buscemi ) --a mexican standoff ending , although this one is considerably less optimistic than pf reservoir dogs is an entire hour shorter than pulp fiction because it 's only got one story to tell rather than three . crime lord joe cabot ( veteran actor lawrence tierney ) has assembled five criminals who have never even met each other to pull a diamond store heist . the five are instructed not to reveal their real names or personal details or anything the cops could use if one of them was captured and interrogated . instead , they are all given code names off the color chart -- mr . white ( keitel ) , mr . pink ( buscemi ) , mr . orange ( roth ) , mr . blonde ( michael madsen ) , mr . brown ( tarantino ) and mr . peach ( tarantino 's chin ) . most of the movie 's running time is spent with mr . white and pink waiting at a warehouse for the others to arrive . mr . orange , meanwhile , is on the floor , dying from a gunshot wound . the police had arrived at the scene of the crime way too soon , leading white to believe one of the five was an informant . the story 's background unfolds through a series of flashbacks , of the crime itself and the meetings between joe and the criminals prior to the crime . eventually , blonde arrives with a police officer hostage , and what follows is a truly brutal , uncomfortable torture scene . let 's just say picasso would be inspired by what blonde does to the cop 's ear . a lot of the time , reservoir dogs seems like your typical gangster heist - gone - wrong movie , but there are a few sequences that are uniquely tarantino . the opening scene in the coffee shop starts the movie off on a high note the rest of it does n't live up to , as the criminals plus joe have a conversation on , among other things , tipping philosophies and their interpretations of madonna 's " like a virgin . " another scene involves roth 's lengthy manufactured story about running into a group of cops and a police dog in a bus station bathroom while carrying a giant bag of marijuana . neither of these have much plot relevance but are given ample time to develop , like the captain koons gold watch speech in pulp fiction , only here these sequences are more enjoyable than the rest of the movie . reservoir dogs is good but it 's no pulp fiction .

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become the country 's biggest hotshot director . reservoir dogs has hints of the tarantino brilliance that emerged in pulp fiction , but is a much typical gangster heist - gone - wrong movie , but there are a few sequences that are uniquely tarantino . the opening scene in the coffee shop starts the enjoyable than the rest of the movie . reservoir dogs is good but it 's no pulp fiction .

it 's a fact that a good thriller or action movie does n't need violence to be good or worth watching . all it takes is potential violence to make the audience bite their nails . and what kind of violence could be more efficient than a global thermo - nuclear war ? and potential violence is the premiss wargames is built upon . a computer whiz - kid , david , is usually contended with hacking into the school computer to change his grades . but after having read an advertisment for an upcoming computer game , he wants to be the first to play it . instead of getting into the computer at protovision software he accidentally comes to the frontgate of norad . with the help of jennifer , a girl in his biology class , he starts to play a nice game of nuclear war with wopr , war operation plan response ( a top - notch computer at the time , but now hardly faster than my own computer ) i remember being 12 and watching this at the cinema . it was very efficent at giving you a scare in those days and that has n't changed . of course , a nuclear war seemed to be much more of something that could actually happen back in 1983 . i would n't be surprised if this gave people nightmares . i hope it still does since you still hear about school kids hacking into the computers at pentagon . broderick and sheedy are just fine as the young teenagers ( although her interest in david remains a mystery ) . but the rest of the actors are , by no fault of their own , restricted by the script to play one - dimensional grownups . david 's parents are the same kind of parents that populate all these college comedies from the 1980s , movies like secret admirer , porky 's or zapped and the norad general beringer is straight out of dr . strangelove . if for no other reason , you should see this movie to enjoy how far the computer technology has gone since those days . david uses the same telephone for calling friends as calling other computers . the modem is some kind of device that he puts the headset on . far from any 56k modem my guess is that it 's some kind of 2400 bps modem , the kind of technology you now find at your local technical museum . the big computer at norad has a lot of flashing lights ( just like those you see on star trek or any old sf - movie ) but it 's hardly impressing compared with what you can get today . what are the lessons we can learn from wargames ? 1 . make sure there are no secret backdoors into military computers . 2 . thank you , whoever it was , for giving us a graphical user interface when we use our computers !

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hacking into the computers at pentagon . broderick and sheedy are just fine as the young teenagers ( although her interest in david dr . strangelove . if for no other reason , you should see this movie to enjoy how far the computer technology has gone since those days

there exists a litany of differences between a successful action movie and a successful suspense movie . action movies are typically devoid of plot other than a simple byline which can string together several explosive sequences , while suspense movies hinge on plot and subtlety and the ability to bring everything full - circle . for fans of both genres , however , realism is key . action fans want to know that the weapons and methods their heroes are using are authentic , and suspense fans want everything to fall into an explainable framework by the movie 's end . on this advice , director john frankenheimer ( the island of dr . moreau ) strives for realism in an interestingly dynamic balance of suspense and action for his latest thriller , ronin . the depth of intrigue in ronin is quite amazing , considering the fare that 's fallen into the same category over the last few years . the script , written by j . d . zeik in his big - screen debut , approaches levels of complexity that had people spinning away from mission : impossible two years ago . a certain number of people will be lost by this , but afficianados will appreciate it all the more and return multiple times . frankenheimer masters the script with poise , and tells us a dark but stoically realistic tale of a group of post - cold war mercenaries working to earn their paycheck . his ability to convey feeling and character while promoting explosiveness and tense atmosphere works well here , and ronin becomes a better movie because of it . robert de niro headlines this cast of noteworthies in a performance that is the most outstanding of his in quite some time . he takes command and offers much gravity as the ex - spy sam , a man who 's called to france to help a shady operations controller named dierdre ( natascha mcelhone ) recover a package . the package becomes the central motivator for the entire cast , especially once the requisite double - crossing begins , and its role is skillfully penned by zeik . at times , however , zeik 's tale becomes almost too reminiscent of mission : impossible - de niro might easily become tom cruise , the package might become cruise 's computer disk . fortunately , the focus here is almost entirely on the package , whereas in mission the script was more concerned with the double - cross and why it happened . the action content is impressive , and it lives up to the hints given in previews . the only fans who will be disappointed are those who expect full - blown combat scenes and instead are forced to suffer through moments of slowness . ronin does take a degree of intelligence to follow all of the nuance from start to finish , but even the uninitiated will be able to keep a grasp on most characters mand subplots . the suspense tapers off considerably by the end , a bit of a drawback because of its height at the movie 's open . considering these factors it 's good to see that ronin was a project that turned out well , and it 's another good bet this month . since quality is usually sparse during the early fall months , it 's definitely worth the visit .

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suspense and action for his latest thriller , ronin . the depth of intrigue in ronin is quite amazing , considering the fare that 's fallen into the same d . zeik in his big - screen debut , approaches levels of complexity that had people spinning away from mission : impossible two number of people will be lost by this , but afficianados will appreciate it all the more and return multiple times . frankenheimer masters the script with poise , and tells us a dark but stoically realistic tale - cold war mercenaries working to earn their paycheck . his ability to convey feeling and character while promoting explosiveness and tense atmosphere works well here , and ronin becomes a better movie because of it headlines this cast of noteworthies in a performance that is the most outstanding of his in quite some time . he takes command and offers much gravity as the ex - spy sam , a man who with the double - cross and why it happened . the action content is impressive , and it lives up to the hints given in previews . the only fans who will be disappointed are those 's good to see that ronin was a project that turned out well , and it 's another good bet this month . since quality is usually sparse during the early fall months , it 's definitely worth the visit .

jay and silent bob strike back , kevin smith 's swan song to his two most famous characters , is the best received comedy that i 've seen since there 's something about mary , which is a tea party in comparison to the foul - mouthed humor in jay and silent bob strike back . the audience did n't just laugh ; they went wild with boisterous laughter and heavy applause throughout . in short , if you like really raunchy humor , you may find it , as i did , to be the funniest movie of the year . ( on the other hand , if you are one of those who walked out in disgust with smith 's dogma , then jay and silent bob strike back is not the movie for you . ) in one of the fastest paced movies of the year , the story has jay and silent bob ( jason mewes and kevin smith ) , a pair of card carrying drug dealers , traveling from their new jersey convenience store home to hollywood so that they can stop a movie . it seems their comic book alter egos , bluntman and chronic , are being used in a movie without jay and silent bob 's consent . jason biggs and james van der beek are slated to star in it . jay and silent bob strike back has more and better used cameos than just about any movie that i 've ever seen . among others , they include carrie fisher as a bible - toting nun , mark hamill as a comic book version of his famous alter ego and gus van sant as a director too busy counting his money to yell , " action ! " best of all are ben affleck and matt damon who mock themselves and their movies . the film stops several times to make fun of itself and of the audience who was " stupid " enough to buy tickets to this movie . ( actually , purchasing tickets to this film is extremely smart given that it delivers more laughter per dollar than anything in recent memory . ) the film even skewers people who write about movies on the internet . guilty . although it 's filled with inside jokes , you 'll still be laughing even if you only get some of them . it 's easy to understand enough so that they are still funny . jay is a motor mouth who has n't met a subject that he could n't vulgarize . his favorite topic is oral sex , but , being an equal opportunity profaner , he 's willing to make crude jokes about absolutely anything . but it is his buddy , the aptly named silent bob , who is responsible for most of the movie 's success . his reaction shots , with his wildly exaggerated eye movements , are comedic gems . the story 's main subplot concerns four animal rights activists , justice ( shannon elizabeth ) and her three sexy buddies , sissy ( eliza dushku ) , missy ( jennifer schwalbach smith ) and chrissy ( ali larter ) . these charlie 's angels types give a ride to our heroes on their trek to lalaland to stop the picture . jay tries to put the moves on justice , but he does n't stay in command of the situation for long . one of the funnier sight gags has the women using a pink , clam - shaped , birth control case that contains high tech gadgetry . granted , it 's not the movie for everyone , but , if you like kevin smith 's brand of humor , you 'll find that this is his best . and , as i said earlier , it 's the funniest movie of the year thus far . no , wait . forget , ` thus far . ' it 's bound to be the funniest movie of the year . in a time when almost every movie feels obligated to come in at pg-13 so that they can rake in the maximum cash , it 's great to see a filmmaker with the guts to target only a mature audience . jay and silent bob strike back runs a lightening fast 1 : 35 . it is rated r and contains pervasive crude humor and language and sexual situations . it would be acceptable for high school seniors and older . the film opens nationwide in the united states on wednesday , august 22 , 2001 . in the silicon valley , it will be showing at the amc and the century theaters .

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swan song to his two most famous characters , is the best received comedy that i 've seen since there 's something about mary , which is a strike back . the audience did n't just laugh ; they went wild with boisterous laughter and heavy applause throughout . in short , if you like really raunchy humor may find it , as i did , to be the funniest movie of the year . ( on the other hand , if you are back is not the movie for you . ) in one of the fastest paced movies of the year , the story has jay and silent bob ( jason in it . jay and silent bob strike back has more and better used cameos than just about any movie that i 've ever seen . among others , they counting his money to yell , " action ! " best of all are ben affleck and matt damon who mock themselves and purchasing tickets to this film is extremely smart given that it delivers more laughter per dollar than anything in recent memory . ) the film even skewers people shots , with his wildly exaggerated eye movements , are comedic gems . the story 's main subplot concerns four animal rights smith 's brand of humor , you 'll find that this is his best . and , as i said earlier , it 's the funniest movie of the year thus far . no , wait . forget , ` thus far . ' it 's bound to be the funniest movie of the year . in a time when almost every movie feels obligated

damn those trailers . had it not been for the advertising of this film , which reveals far too much about its contents , i would have been glued to ` under the sand ' . as it is , the film retains some value , thanks to an excellent performance by charlotte rampling , and a more mature francois ozon in the director 's chair . marie ( charlotte rampling ) and her husband jean ( bruno cremer ) lounge on the beach . she takes a nap while he goes for a swim . when marie wakes up , jean is nowhere to be found . she contacts authorities , but they ca n't find him either . did he disappear to start a new life ? was he killed by accident ? did he commit suicide ? marie still asks herself these questions a year later , and in order to move on with her life , she must find some answers . it 's a fine premise , and this little movie uses it to the limit . the film moves at a leisurely pace , a bit slow , but relaxing . it 's a very visual story , and you can pretty much just sit back without reading the subtitles . this is mostly thanks to the excellent camera work by antoine heberle and jeanne lapoirie , who shot the film in a dreamy haze , and the lead performance by rampling . rampling is so expressive in her portrayal of marie , you connect with her character instantly , despite that she 's delusional . the scenes where she interacts with her husband , who she still believes is alive , are heartbreaking . she ca n't quite get over him . they 've been married for twenty - five years . the other actors , particularly jacques nolot , are excellent too . the sex in the film is rather unneeded , but compared to ozon 's ` criminal lovers ' , it 's the disney channel . likely to cause some discussion afterwards , ` under the sand ' is a fine movie going experience . while it 's hard to recommend as entertainment , it 's a fine adult alternative about how we deal with loss . ozon seems to ask what you would do , and that 's certainly a hard question to answer .

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is , the film retains some value , thanks to an excellent performance by charlotte rampling , and a more mature francois ozon in the director 's chair . marie ( reading the subtitles . this is mostly thanks to the excellent camera work by antoine heberle and jeanne lapoirie , who shot the , and the lead performance by rampling . rampling is so expressive in her portrayal of marie , you connect with her character instantly , husband , who she still believes is alive , are heartbreaking . she ca n't quite get over him . they years . the other actors , particularly jacques nolot , are excellent too . the sex in the film is rather unneeded , cause some discussion afterwards , ` under the sand ' is a fine movie going experience . while it 's hard to recommend as entertainment , it 's a fine adult alternative about how we deal with loss . ozon seems to

bob the happy bastard 's quickie review : rush hour so what 's the problem with 48 hours clones these days ? they always try for the same thing that eddie murphy and nick nolte had . that was the problem that plagued these clones , not to mention the actual sequel : another 48 hours , a complete waste of film . but , at last , someone has a different take on the matter , and it 's director brett rainer . rush hour features jackie chan in his first u . s . action movie , playing a chinese detective who 's being flown to the us to investigate the kidnapping of the chinese consulate 's daughter . of course , the fbi is upset that he 'll be interfering in their investigation , and stick him with an lapd office with a big mouth- of course , that 's chris tucker . what makes rush hour work so damn well is the chemistry between the energetic chan and the absolutely hilarious tucker . tucker mouths off to chan at every given opportunity ( " i 'm michael jackson , you tito . " ) , and chan delivers a few zingers of his own , as well as some terrific fight scenes . the story 's pretty much your average fare , but with a decent twist involving the main villain , a highly clouded figure named jun tao . at least it 's entertaining , and the concept is excellently realized . a particular fight scene in a chinese office , where chan and tucker duke it out with the bad guys , is funny and energetic at the same time . and the finale 's a real treat as well . . . chan delivers yet another fantastic stunt for the fans with a 10-story drop . rush hour is just the sort of film you 'll get a kick out of on any night of the week . just make sure you do n't look for anything culturally different and you 'll be fine- drunken master ii this ai n't .

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hours , a complete waste of film . but , at last , someone has a different take on the matter , and it 's director brett rainer . rush hour , that 's chris tucker . what makes rush hour work so damn well is the chemistry between the energetic chan and the absolutely hilarious tucker . tucker mouths off to chan at every given opportunity a few zingers of his own , as well as some terrific fight scenes . the story 's pretty much your average fare , a highly clouded figure named jun tao . at least it 's entertaining , and the concept is excellently realized . a particular fight scene in a chinese office , tucker duke it out with the bad guys , is funny and energetic at the same time . and the finale 's a real treat as well . . . chan delivers yet another fantastic stunt for the fans with a 10-story drop . rush hour is just the sort of film you 'll get a kick out of on any night of the week . just make sure you do n't look for anything

this sunday afternoon i had the priviledge of attending a private screening at the sony astor cinema in new york city , of james cameron 's most heralded film , titanic . postponed from last summer , with an escalated budget that makes it the most expensive movie in history , this was one film i was eager to preview . so , is this movie going to sink or swim this holiday ? my best guess . . . . it will sink , though with many awards attatched to its hull . no doubt , titanic is the most elaborate disaster movie ever made . it boasts the most amazing effects that i have ever seen done to date . to see a ship fall apart , with actual people running across the ship , flying across the deck , and falling to the water , is just amazing to look at . the effects are so stunningly realistic , you would swear you were looking at actual footage . but titanic is more than a disaster movie , and that 's where the problem lies . there is a love story attatched that nearly ruins the entire premise . i 'll give a capsule summary of the story without spoiling anything for you : the film begins with a modern day excavation of sorts of the sunken titanic . we see actual footage of the sunken ship , as cammeron had set up special cameras to film the wreckage on the ocean floor . bill paxton leads the expedition , in search of sunken treasure . what he finds instead , leads him to a mysterious old woman who recounts her tale of the titanic voyage . we meet rose ( kate winslet ) , a young woman , who comes from an upper - class family . rose is to be we d to a man she does not love . we meet jack ( leonardo dicaprio ) , a young man , who comes from a poor financial background , and wins a ticket aboard the titanic , in a poker game . the two meet under interesting circumstances , and the love story begins . add in a jealous fiance , and a not - so - nice law officer played by david warner , and you have a story that , well , gets a bit overplayed and oversappy . i must add , at this point , that the most likeable character in the movie is played by kathy bates , as a woman with " new money " who is a lot less uptight than the other rich folk on the ship . she is a pleasure to see on screen . when the ship does hit the iceberg at exactly 1 : 40 into the film , and eventually sinks , you never really feel for any of these characters . the film is just loaded with unlikeable rich snobs and other folk you never really get a grasp on . the effects are tremendous . from the roars of gears and pumps in the engine room , to a doomed ship cracking at the seams , this is an effects picture that looks and sounds like no other . we saw titanic in dolby digital surround , and by far , it is the best sounding movie i have ever seen . my friend commented it was the best sound mix he has ever heard . when people are in the water , at film 's end , you are surrounded by the voices of lost soles . titanic runs far too long . the movie is 3 hours and 15 minutes in length . and , while most of the first 2 . 5 hours runs very fast and well - paced , the final 45 minutes almost comes to a sudden stop , and you realize that this sappy love story has to finish itself out before the movie finally ends . do n't get me wrong about titanic . . . . it 's not a bad as i am making it out to be . it really is an exceptionaly well - made film . the costumes and sets are incredible , and true to the time period . the ship is painstakingly created exactly true to form , as we see actual pictures of the modern - day wreckage , transformed into the movie depiction . this film will certainly win on effects , costume , set design and sound . cameron has certainly made his best film to date . unfortunately , titanic is not a best picture candidate . it just does n't have a strong supporting story . it 's an exceptional disaster film with sappy filler inside . it just does n't have the emotional impact that i suspect mr . cameron was shooting for . i predict that titanic will open to likeable reviews . it is a film worth seeing . i predict that it will only do moderately well at the box office . with its extreme running time , and lack of enough robust to get substantial word - of - mouth , i expect that it will do even better on home video . this will certainly be the definitive ac3 movie for all you home theater enthusiasts . titanic opens december 19th , and is released by paramount pictures and twentieth century - fox . i give titanic 3 stars ( . that 's not bad . ron epstein riginally posted in home theater forum = = =

1POS

this sunday afternoon i had the priviledge of attending a private screening at the sony astor cinema attatched to its hull . no doubt , titanic is the most elaborate disaster movie ever made . it boasts the most amazing effects that i have ever seen done to date . to see a ship fall apart , the deck , and falling to the water , is just amazing to look at . the effects are so stunningly realistic , you would swear you were looking at actual footage uptight than the other rich folk on the ship . she is a pleasure to see on screen . when the ship does hit the iceberg other folk you never really get a grasp on . the effects are tremendous . from the roars of gears and pumps in the at the seams , this is an effects picture that looks and sounds like no other . we saw titanic in dolby digital surround , and by far , it is the best sounding movie i have ever seen . my friend commented it was the best sound mix he has ever heard . when people are in the water , at film , while most of the first 2 . 5 hours runs very fast and well - paced , the final 45 minutes almost comes to a sudden am making it out to be . it really is an exceptionaly well - made film . the costumes and sets are incredible , and true to the time period . the ship is painstakingly created exactly true to form , as we see actual pictures of the modern - wreckage , transformed into the movie depiction . this film will certainly win on effects , costume , set design and sound . cameron has certainly made his best film to date . unfortunately , titanic is not a best picture candidate i predict that titanic will open to likeable reviews . it is a film worth seeing . i predict that it will only do moderately well

a common complaint amongst film critics is " why are n't there more literate scripts available ? " quiz show gives signs of hope that the art of writing is n't dead in hollywood and that we need not only look to independent films for thoughtful content . paul attanasio 's script takes what could have been a tepid thriller ( the quiz show scandals of the late 50s ) and delivers a telling parable about the emptiness of the post war american dream and the golden bubble that surrounds and protects tv networks and their sponsors . the film is riddled with telling symbols ( e . g . a ' 58 chrysler , a radio announcement of sputnik ) but is never heavy handed . deft direction by robert redford and keen performances by ralph fiennes , john turturro and rob morrow dovetail perfectly with the carefully honed script . redford departs from the usually overlight , " cable tv quality " sets and camera work so common in recent 20th century period pieces . quiz show perfectly captures the colors and textures of the eisenhower years . although i was only 4 years old when the " twenty one " scandal broke , enough of the 50s icons survived throughout my childhood for me to recognize the authenticity of redford 's almost tangible palette . from plastic covered furniture to carefully coifed contestants , the images ring true from that era of rampant consumerism , of a generation that had gone through 15 years of depression and world war without " disposable income , " before the manifestation of its american dream . the film deftly weaves several themes together , from assimilation and exclusion of jews from " the good life , " to the lengths that a scion of a literary family will go to to match his father 's fame . though the 50s audience that is " rocked " by this scandal may initially seem naive to us , they should appear all too familiar , with our current national passion for the rise and fall of icons like michael jackson or tonya harding . charles van doren and herbie stemple were the overnight mega celebrities of their day . the tv audience is almost a fourth main character , always at the center of the decisions being made on their behalf . at the film 's end , the credits roll past slow motion footage of that same 50s tv audience , mindlessly laughing at some piece of fluff . like the distorted mirror that captured a blurred swastika at the end of cabaret , this " mirror " may reflect an image we 're not all that comfortable with .

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n't there more literate scripts available ? " quiz show gives signs of hope that the art of writing is n't dead in hollywood that we need not only look to independent films for thoughtful content . paul attanasio 's script takes what could have been the quiz show scandals of the late 50s ) and delivers a telling parable about the emptiness of the post war american dream and announcement of sputnik ) but is never heavy handed . deft direction by robert redford and keen performances by ralph fiennes , john turturro and rob morrow dovetail perfectly with the carefully honed script . redford departs from the usually overlight , " cable common in recent 20th century period pieces . quiz show perfectly captures the colors and textures of the eisenhower years . although of the 50s icons survived throughout my childhood for me to recognize the authenticity of redford 's almost tangible palette . from plastic covered