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Any Given Sunday - *** - Overly melodramatic, but still interesting, look at the life of an imaginary pro football team. Oliver Stone goes overboard with the "directing techniques".
Boys Don't Cry - ***1/2 - The true story of a woman (Hillary Swank) who masquerades as a young man in a southern town and falls for the former girlfriend of an ex-convict. The question is how long can she evade detection as she risks the wrath of the conservative rednecks in the town. This is a difficult movie to watch for a number of reasons, not the least of which is because the characters are all so chillingly believable.Bringing Out the Dead - **** - a harrowing ride into the life - and mind - of a New York City paramedic (Nicholas Cage) who's having a tragic run of luck. Seems that he's had many people die in his arms rather than being able to save them. He's haunted by what he thinks are the spirits of the people who've died. Appropriately surrealistic directing by Martin Scorcese.
Boyz N The Hood ****1/2 - Powerful, moving coming-of-age
film. Cuba Gooding Jr. is a good kid in a bad neighborhood of L.A. who
struggles with a host of bad influences around him. Lawrence Fishburne
is the father who tries to keep him on the straight and narrow. Ice Cube
is one of his buddies who's slowly
succumbing to the cycle of alcohol and violence that
permeates his 'hood. No
one is a stereotype here, and this is far from being
an anti-white film. The
acting is tremendous across the board.
Chaplin: ****1/2; Robert Downey Jr. is remarkable as Charlie
Chaplin in this
tale of his life, as told to a biographer (Anthony Hopkins).
The
behind-the-scenes view of the making of his movies with
Max Sennett (Dan
Ackroyd) are priceless. The film tails off slightly when
it shifts to his
post-film career, which mainly involved his failed marriages
(he was married at
least 6 times that I counted). Still, it's an amazing
film.
Chicken Run - ****
The Cider House Rules - ****1/2
A Civil Action **** - John Travolta plays a lawyer in
a small Massachusetts
town. Since business is at a premium, his main concern
is making money, not
with helping the locals who complain that their drinking
water is contaminated
with toxins dumped by a local plant. That is, until he
sees a truck with a
"Beatrice" label on it. Knowing, as most of us do, that
Beatrice owns a
multitude of companies, Travolta takes the case, squaring
off against a
somewhat out-of-it Robert Duval. To Travolta, who
publically advertises this
as a case "for the good of the people", this becomes
far more than making
money: this is about the little guy taking on the big
corporations. His law
firm subsequently has to go to extreme measures to continue
financing the case
against Beatrice and another firm related to the plant,
both of which have far
deeper pockets than they do. This story - which actually
happened - is a
remarkable look at what happens when a lawyer puts aside
the good of the people he represents, and even his own firm, for the sake
of winning. Duval is
terrific as the old codger who would apparently rather
check the score of the
Red Sox game than do legal business, but who is far more
cunning than he lets
on. Travolta and his entire legal team - led by William
Macy - are likewise
great in this, and the people they interview in looking
for witnesses are very
realistic. Pacing can be a bit slow, but it's all well
worth the wait. The
Crucible: ****; (review to be provided as time permits)
Dante's Peak: **; The true beauty of renting is revealed
in movies like"
Dante's Peak": the viewer has an opportunity to fast-forward
past the lame
set-up and the hilariously bad acting to the good parts.
Both the leads (Pierce
Brosnan and Linda Hamilton) have done much better, but
their complete lack of
chemistry between them killed any chance of there being
any interest in the
obligatory "here's what's going on in people's lives
before the volcano
flattens the town." But, when the volcano gets going,
look out! The special
effects are tremendous, in the sense that not only the
flowing lava is
recreated, but so are some of the side-effects of a volcano
that one might not
expect. However, I'd still like to know where I can buy
the tires used on the
truck, since they survived virtually intact after driving
over a lava flow. In
fairness, some of the scientific readings done before
the eruption were
interesting. But, unless you want to enjoy a "Mystery
Science Theater 3000"
style laugh at the horrid dialogue, fast forward until
you see the volcano
ready to erupt.
Dead Man Walking: ****; an excellent picture of a universally
hated man on
Death Row (Sean Penn), and a nun (Susan Sarandon) who's
reluctantly agreed to
work with him. People who like "feel good" movies (which
this definitely isn't)
will have a problem identifying with Penn (who is despicable
and remorseless)
or Sarandon (who is in a position that no one would want
to be in).
The Deep End of the Ocean - **1/2 - Sappy but effective story of a woman (Michelle Pfeiffer) who loses her 3-year-old son and spends several years trying to cope with the reality that she may never see him again. The most interesting aspect of the story isn't her reaction to the situation - basically, being in a daze and unable to think of anything else - but how her reaction affects her family and friends around her. Not a made-for-TV movie, but it seems like it could be.
The English Patient: *****; (review to be provided as time permits)
Erin Brockovitch - ****1/2 - Julia Roberts plays the title role as a brassy, gaudily-dressing mother of 3 who uncovers a terrible secret: a local chemical company has been poisoning the drinking water of locals in a small Texas town, which has been causing all manner of ailments from cancer to birth defects. This true story is the movie that made me stop hating Julia Roberts (refer to My Best Friend's Wedding for the one that made me start hating her).
Evita: ***1/2; (review to be provided as time permits)
Eyes Wide Shut - *1/2 - Nicole Kidman confesses to having a fling earlier in her marriage to Tom Cruise. Cruise flips out, and decides to engage in some sexual experimentation. His opportunites abound, as literally every woman who meets him obviously wants to have sex with him. One really cinematically clever thing about all this is that he always seems to just miss out on actually having sex with anyone. Not surprisingly, there are very blatant scenes of nudity throughout. Other than the legendary director, I can't see why this received such high praise. But, you might rate it higher if you like lots of nudity.
A Family Thing: ***1/2; Robert Duvall, as an Arkansas
redneck, is shocked to
discover that his real mother was a black woman. He travels
to Chicago to seek
out the brother (James Earl Jones) he never knew he had.
After an uncomfortable meeting, Duvall is only too happy to get out of
town. Before he gets too far, he's carjacked and severely beaten. The hospital
tracks down Jones, who very reluctantly agrees to house Duvall until he
can get his car back. This is a very interesting human interest story,
with wonderful down-to-earth comic
relief provided by Jones' Aunt T. (Irma P. Hall). The
considerable talents of
Jones and Duvall make a sometimes slow-paced movie highly
watchable.
For Love of the Game - **** - a nearly dead-on portrayal of life for a major league baseball player (Kevin Costner...who else?) at the end of his career. Kelly Preston plays his love interest. This is really half baseball, half love story, as she tries to reconcile life with a man who may love the game more than her.
Glory: ****1/2; (review to be provided as time permits)
The Green Mile - ***** - Mesmerizing story of the guards who watch - and care for - the men on death row, and a man with a remarkable gift. I resisted seeing this movie for a long time because of its great length (over 3 hours). Now, I'm thinking about wanting to see it again.
Hurricane - ***** - remarkable real life story of the life of Ruben "Hurricane" Carter, a great boxer who spent time in prison for a murder he says he didn't commit, and the efforts of those who believe him and want to get him out.
In Love and War: ***1/2; Chris O'Donnell plays a young Ernest Hemmingway, and Sandra Bullock plays the nurse he falls in love with in this World War I drama.
Jerry Maguire: ****; Tom Cruise plays a sports agent who
has an attack of
conscience, Cuba Gooding Jr. is a flamboyant star player,
and Renee Zelwinger
is absolutely adorable as the romantic interest.
Kids: ****; (review to be provided as time permits)
Leaving Las Vegas: ****1/2; fantastic character study
of an alcoholic
determined to drink himself to death. Nicholas Cage and
Elizabeth Shue (as a
prostitute) were spectacular in this. In case you can't
guess by the subject
matter, this is not a "feel good" movie.
Lorenzo's Oil **** - Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte star
as parents who find
that their 8-year-old son, Lorenzo, has ALD, a degenerative
disorder that
always results in a horrible death within 2 years. They're
crushed when they
find that the disorder is so new that there are no prescribed
treatments, just
experimental things that might work. Refusing to
accept that there is no hope
for their son, they defy the medical establishment and
they struggle to find a
cure on their own. Nolte's Italian accent takes
some getting used to, but his
performance is remarkable as he uses his great intelligence
and business skills
to figure out why the disease works as it does. Sarandon,
who earned an Oscar
nomination for her role, is powerful as the mother who
puts her son's welfare
above all else, and is willing to fight with her last
ounce of energy to find a
cure. The only thing keeping this from being rated higher
are some unrealisitic
scenes with the Parents of ALD Support Group. The movie
is thoroughly
heart-breaking as we see the plight of Lorenzo and those
like him, but is also
inspiring as we see Nolte and Sarandon's efforts yield
some hope in the fight
against ALD. Based on a true story.
Love and Basketball - ****1/2
Man on the Moon - ***1/2
Magnolia - **
Mansfield Park - ***
Murder at 1600: ****; I'm not sure why this movie wasn't
well received by the
critics. Perhaps it's the not-too-subtle references to
the current
administration (a President who never served in the military,
and who cheats on
his wife; who could that be?) In any case, this is a
first-rate crime thriller.
When a beautiful young woman us found brutally murdered
in the White House,
Wesley Snipes - a local investigator - is called in to
look into it. Of course,
since this *is* The Government, Snipes is confronted
with cover-ups, as well as
people who want him to disappear (and are willing to
help him disappear). The
philandering son of the President seems the most guilty;
but, just when it
seems clear that he *must* be the guilty one, other suspects
surface. Excellent
supporting roles (Alan Alda, Diane Lane, and Dennis Miller,
for instance) help
make this an exciting, high-quality movie throughout.
Niagra, Niagra - ***1/2 - This is a fascinating portrayal
of a woman
with Tourette's Syndrome. There's a LOT more to the affliction
than you
might think. The woman - who was the "good witch" in
"The Craft" - meets
a shy young man while both of them are trying to shoplift
at a convenience store. This movie has many comic moments as the two go
on a long road trip to find a black Barbie doll's head (yes, this is an
odd movie). Not a new release (I think it's under Drama).
October Sky ***1/2 - Kids in a West Virginia mining town
become inspired by the launch of Sputnik, and decide to build their own
rocket. Problem is, there are
really only two paths for a kid in this town: work in
the coal mines or, if
you're good enough, get a football scholarship. But,
when the rockets actually
start to work, there is a bit of a buzz in town about
it, and people come out
to see the launches. Homer, the leader of the "rocket
design team", gets
support from everyone...except his father, foreman at
the coal mine, who
expects his son to follow in his footsteps. The plot
of this "feel good" movie
is somewhat predictable, but it's still enjoyable to
watch, at least if you're
a guy. The women, except for Homer's supportive mother,
are almost
non-entities, even Homer's teacher, Laura Dern. But,
if you remember having big
dreams of joining in on the space program when you were
a kid, you should
definitely give this movie a look.
The People vs. Larry Flint: ****1/2; Tremendous performances
throughout,
especially from Woody Harrelson and Courtney Love as
Mr. and Mrs. Flynt.
A Perfect Storm - ***
Platoon: ****; (review to be provided as time permits)
Playing By Heart - **1/2 - Schlocky melodrama starring Merryl Streep as a violin teacher who gets inner city kids to care about themselves.
Plunkett & McLean - ****
Remains of the Day: ****; (review to be provided as time permits)
Return to Paradise - **** - Three friends decide to party
in Malaysia until
all their money runs out. When that's done, one of them
decides to stay in
"paradise" while the others return to their lives in
America. The one who
stays, however, is sentenced to die because he was caught
with a large
quantity of drugs. These drugs were used by all three
of them while they
were there, but the others understandably decided not
to bring any back
with them. The quantity is such that it puts him in the
"drug dealer"
category, rather than the "drug user" category. The Malaysian
court has
stated that if both return to face sentencing, then all
will get 3 years in
prison. If only one returns, then both will get 6 years.
Ann Heche is a
lawyer hired by the convicted man's family to try to
convince the others
to go back. This one will definitely get you thinking
about what you'd
do in the same circumstances. Do you give up 3-6 years
of your current
life? Can you live with yourself if your friend dies?
Do you trust the court
in a 3rd world country to only give you 3 or 6 years
if you admit to being
part-owner of the drugs? An amazing movie that everyone
should definitely see.
Rob Roy: ****1/2; (review to be provided as time permits)
Search & Destroy (1995): **; Very odd tale of an inept
con-man; the cast
includes Dennis Hopper and Christopher Walken, another
indication that strange
things are going to happen.
Shine: ****1/2; While the story is engaging, it's the
acting that really
distinguishes "Shine." From Best Actor winner Geoffrey
Rush (as the adult David
Helfgott) to the Noah Taylor (Helfgott as a teenage prodigy)
to all the
supporting roles, you are certain you are not only watching
a great movie, but
that you have in fact entered someone else's world. Armin
Mueller-Stahl is
equally riveting and horrifying as the domineering father
who wants to live his
life through his talented son. The elder Helfgott is
in every way a bully, yet
bullying seems to be his way of showing his love. When
the young David is
accepted into the Royal Music Academy in London, his
father refuses to let him
go, claiming that it would break up the family. In a
rare show of courage,
Helfgott takes the journey from Australia anyway. The
freedom to pursue his
craft under a teacher who really cares about him (Sir
John Geilgood) allows him
to reach dizzying heights of musical accomplishment.
At the same time, it sets
him up for a crash; a nervous breakdown creates the gibbering
maniac that
you've probably seen Rush play so engagingly in previews
of the movie. Along
with "Sling Blade" and "The English Patient," "Shine"
certainly ranks as one of
the finest films of the past year.
Sling Blade: ****1/2; Seeing this movie is akin to taking
a camping trip to
getaway from the crazy pace of city life. The pace is
slow and deliberate, much
like Karl (Billy Bob Thornton), a mentally impaired man
who spent most of his
life in a state hospital for killing his mother and her
lover. And, much the
same way that campers might spend hours observing the
beauty of a running
stream, "Sling Blade" flows along steadily with a charming,
mesmerizing
easiness. Karl, just released from the state hospital,
quickly finds that the
outside world is "too big" for him. While learning to
cope, he befriends a
young boy (Lucas Black), his mother, and a friend of
their family (John
Ritter), a homosexual who certainly understands what
it's like to be an
outcast. Most of the people Karl meets are friendly,
with the notable exception
of Doyle (Dwight Yoakum), who seems to embody all the
"casual prejudices" you'd expect of a small town hick. Still, there is
a humanity to even Doyle:
one-dimensional stereotypes are far beneath this movie.
If you need car chases,
wild sex scenes, and gun play in your movies, then "Sling
Blade" is not for
you. But, if you'd like a perfect "vacation" from all
that, then check it out!
Snow Falling on Cedars - ***1/2
The Talented Mr. Ripley - **1/2 - an excessively long, creepy look at a man (Matt Damon in the title role) who has the talent of pretending to be anyone. There was a certain stylishness to the movie, and the Italian locations were indeed breathtaking. But the story was far longer than it needed to be. And, I admit, it was somewhat unnerving watching Damon obsess over Jude Law. For style points, the score should probably be higher, but I can't recommend it in terms of being an enjoyable movie.
Three Kings - ****1/2
Trainspotting: *****; a thoroughly shattering story of
the "heroin lifestyle"
in Edinburgh, Scotland. After watching this, you'll definitely
gain a better
understanding for what the lures, and downsides, of heroin
are. There's a lot
of comedy among the graphic depictions of sex, drug use,
violence, and - ahem
-bodily problems involving use of the drug. In Scottish
without subtitles (for
those who have trouble with accents, the story really
isn't hard to follow,
though you may miss a phrase or two). SPECIAL NOTE: very
satisfying ending.
Tumbleweeds - ****1/2
Twin Falls Idaho - ****
White Man's Burden: ***; (review to be provided as time permits)
The Wood - ****- A coming-of-age movie set in the predominantly African-American L.A. suburb of Inglewood. The amazing thing about this movie is that it was directed by the same goofball who gave us American Pie...yet, it's a charming, restrained look at kids trying to discover the mysteries of the opposite sex. Most of the movie consists of flashbacks, as the movie begins on the wedding day of one of a trio of friends. Excellent script, with solid performances throughout.