Reviews

The central plot in Varsity Blues centers around a high school football player (James Van Der Beek) who finally gets his opportunity to play when the starting quarterback gets injured. He's lead by an egotistical coach (Jon Voight) who's only concern is to win the title and be recognized as the greatest coach in history. Well, when Van Der Beek's character decides not to play "the coaches way", the coach threatens to deprive him of his college scholarship. That's the basic plot, and it's been done before. There are many unnecessary sub-plots that seemed as it they were thought up just to take up movie time. For instance, the relationship between Van Der Beek's character and his girlfriend seemed unnecessary and forced.

At any rate, I got a lot of laughs from this movie and the football games were well filmed. Bad plot but entertaining. 7/10 *You'll love the whipped cream scene!!!

Sliver, is to put it bluntly, not very good. The plot centers around a new tenant (Sharon Stone) moving in to a New York apartment building. The previous tenant that lived in her room was murdered by being pushed off the balcony. The problem with Sharon Stone's character, is that she looks very similar to the victim of the murder. As she interacts with the fellow tenants, they can't help but telling her that. She later meets up with a man in the building and they have sexual relations together. I must say that the sex scenes in this movie are plenty, but don't get in the way of the movie. In fact, there is even a masturbation scene.

Well essentially, this movie deals with voyeurism, as somebody is watching every tenant in the building with hidden cameras strategically placed in each room. He spends his days watching everybody in every room calling it his own soap opera. However, he spends most of his time watching Sharon's Stone's character. One thing leads to another, and the movie reaches it's climax at the end, but since the ending was so horrible, it seemed as if there wasn't any resolution. Bad but sexy. 6/10 *Good music by Enigma!!!

There was nothing great about Six Days Seven Nights. The movie follows two characters on their journey to tolerate each other. In doing so, they encounter many obstacles: a plane crash, an attack by sea pirates, being stranded on an island, shortage of food, no communication, no flares, and most of all each other. There are many laughs in this movie, but nothing really hilarious. There is some chemistry between Ford's and Heche's character but nothing pleasingly romantic. Definitely a rental. 6/10

In Dreams is one good looking movie in terms of visuals. The director Neil Jordan (Interview with the Vampire and The Crying Game) and cinematographer Darius Khondji (Se7en, Alien Resurrection, and City of Lost Children) were able to put together some great looking underwater shots. The sad thing about this movie is that the visuals succeeded in vain. I found myself completely dissatisfied with the performance of Annette Bening. Her character was totally unconvincing and at times, I had a hard time telling if she was sincere or sarcastic. On the other hand Robert Downey Jr. did a fantastic job playing his part of an insane man yearning for something he lost many years before: a family of his own. This movie has some great moments of terror and gore, and the plot in my opinion, was pretty good. But the performances of Bening and Quinn made it hard for me to take this movie seriously. 6/10

I liked A Civil Action because it taught me a lot about what goes on in the justice arena of personal injury. Personal injury lawyers are labeled as bottom feeders and ambulance chasers, but John Travolta's character wants the public to know that he feels a great deal of compassion and empathy for his clients. Although he says this with great conviction and sincerity, deep down inside he IS what the public labels him as. As the movie progresses however, we see his character show a great deal of determination to win his case. He no longer cares about the money involved, but rather to compensate for his clients' losses at any cost. I was extremely interested in this movie, and followed it to the very end. It's just that the ending was so dissatisfying to me. It felt as if no closure was presented. I don't know, maybe it's just me. 7/10

I came in to this movie not expecting much, but what I got was a powerful movie that taught me that talent should never be wasted. Will Hunting is a man gifted with phenomenal intelligence. He lives alone in Boston and spends his days hanging out with his friends, drinking beer, and beating up old bullies. He supports himself with part time jobs like janitor work. When a college professor discovers that Will Hunting is a genius like no other, he decides to exploit him by offering him top rate jobs that would give him access to great prestige. Will Hunting's therapist, played outstandingly by Robin Williams, want's Will to do what he wants and not be forced to go out into the world and change his entire lifestyle. The movie follows Will Hunting as he matures from a scared defensive kid, to a man able to discover what path to take in his life. Great movie. 9/10

Alien was an absolutely brilliantly filmed movie. Ridley Scott really knew how to create an atmosphere suitable for this movie. The Nostromo was totally desolate, with long hallways and empty rooms. The music and sound is very quiet, which is perfect for creating suspense and horror. What really stands out from this movie however, is the Alien itself. The biology of the Alien is absolutely intriguing; a lifeform perfectly suited for destroying other lifeforms. A genre defining movie that is one of hollywood's best. 10/10

The Horse Whisperer is one long movie, but the good story and heavy drama kept me from falling asleep. Personally, I'm very fond of horses, and I was intrigued at the way Robert Redford's character went through the process of "Horse Whispering." The music in this sets the mood very well, and the country settings of meadows and hills were absolutely breathtaking. Even the sky was beautiful to look at. Towards the end of the movie, a melancholy mood develops and you can't help but feel for all the characters. Very good movie. 8/10

I've heard many damaging reviews about this movie saying that it was too similar to the first and everything was just wrong about it. Well, I totally disagree saying that this movie was very creative with the new traps used for the bad guys. Alex Linz did a great job in this film and in my opinion lived up to the performance of Macaulay Culkin. Despite the somewhat simple and unoriginal plot, I was thoroughly entertained by the sheer comedy of this movie and the cool gadgets that Alex got to use. I thought the remote control car scene was brilliant. 8/10

I don't know a lot about Shakespeare or his plays, but this was one pretty good movie. There is a lot of chemistry between Viola and William, and enough comedy to keep this movie solid throughout. Joseph Fiennes and Gwyneth Paltrow did an exceptional job playing their roles as did Geoffrey Rush. Overall, a charming movie that is good for dates. 7/10

Patch Adams in my opinion is one of the best films of 1998. You'll cry and you'll laugh in this two hour masterpiece. Robin Williams gives an outstanding performance and you can't help but crack up when he pulls off one of his antics. This movie does a fantastic job showing the audience how valuable life is, and how you could forget about the bad things in your life by helping somebody else. I left the theater wanting to go out and make a difference in this world by helping people. That is a feeling no other movie has given me. 10/10

With comedy, action, romance, and drama, Star Trek Insurrection is able to destroy the curse of the "odd sequels." The plot centers around a planet that contains youth giving elements, that is sought after by a disfigured race of humanoids. It's up to the crew of the Enterprise to stop them from kidnapping the inhabitants and harnessing the youth for their own purposes. The plot is pretty straight forward and not as confusing as First Contact's time travel plot. This movie delivered what I wanted: solid entertainment. I really enjoyed the Data character and his comic reliefs.

With the special effects and the setting of the paradise planet, Insurrection supplies sufficient eye candy with it's good plot, good acting, and all around entertainment value. 8/10

Wow, what an EXPLOSIVE movie. This movie was everything I expected it to be: action packed and plot deprived. There wasn't a very interesting plot to the movie, as it just tells the story about a bunch of oil drillers trying to save the world. That's the basic plot in a nutshell, and it is quite far fetched if not utterly stupid. Armageddon makes up for it's lack of plot with it's explosive special effects and action sequences. This movie provides large doses of suspense and adrenaline leaving the audience breathless or dizzy. Some of the scenes happen so fast that it's hard to tell what's going on, and vomiting seems like an inevitability. If action is your thing, and you really want to see things get blown to hell, this movie is your thing. You will see New York get pummeled by a barrage of meteorites, and beautiful Paris disintegrate before your eyes. However, if you're looking for a movie with a decent plot and some interesting characters, look elsewhere. You'll just sit through the movie wishing you brought aspirin. Because I'm a fan of movies like this, I gave this movie an 8 out of 10.

My goodness, what a painful movie. I was so depressed when I left the theater; the movie was just flat out horrible. The corny one liners and the sheer boringness of this movie took its toll on me, and I nearly screamed. What really took the cake was the unbelievably moronic plot of a man trying to control the weather. Definitely one of the year's worst. The only thing that kept this movie from getting a 1, was the impressive bee chasing scene through the streets. 2/10

The Prince of Egypt was quite an experience for me. If you're looking for your typical Disney style animated movies, you'll be extremely disappointed. This movie has a much serious tone, and deals with situations such as death, torture, and plagues. Unlike Disney movies, there are no talking animals or candlesticks etc... The humor in this movie resides in each characters jokes and silly actions. The movie doesn't really have too many catchy melodies like Disney movies, but it makes up for it in the visual department. The special effects in this movie are unlike anything you've ever seen in an animated flik. Scenes such as the parting of the Red Sea and the Rain of Fire kept me in awe. There are many scenes in here that will take your breath away. The scene that amazed me the most was when you could see the whales swimming in the ocean while the sea was parted. Amazing. This movie is a must see, and is one of the year's best. 9/10

The City of Lost Children is my all time favorite movie. It is unlike anything I've ever seen or experienced before. It's a movie that I hold dear to my heart and will never forget. I have to be honest though, the first time I saw this movie, I really didn't like it at all. The story was too confusing, and the characters were extremely weird and twisted. After watching it a second and third time, however, I understood what was going on more, and could spend more time looking at the visuals rather than the subtitles. Speaking of visuals, this movie has it in spades. The environment that Jean-Pierre Jeunet created is out of this world. The city is very dark and the water looks as if there are secrets hidden within. The mood the soundtrack sets is perfect for the scenery and the superb acting by everybody (including the kids) just adds to the greatness of this flick. I highly recommend this movie, it's one of those movies that you will never forget watching, and the images will stay in your head for a very long time. A beautiful, beautiful, movie. 10/10

Antz, unlike Toy Story is a computer generated movie that is obviously not targeted at a younger audience. The movie contains themes such as war, death, and adult humor (Woody Allen). The plot centers around one ant named Z who is one of the many "workers" of the colony. Relaxing at a bar, he bumps into a beautiful ant that turns out to be the princess of the colony. Unfortunately, he's not allowed to see anyone in the upper class unless he's a "warrior". The rest of the movie follows him on his journey of impersonating a "warrior" and rescuing the princess. The movie is very funny and the voices of Stallone, Stone, Allen, and Walken, work very well with the characters. The computer images are amazing, showing things such as soda cans and drinking fountains as gargantuan structures. Don't miss this movie, it's a movie presently like no other. You'll get a lot of action, humor, and even romance. We'll see how A Bug's Life compares to this. I gave this movie an 8.

Despite its long running time (3 hours), Meet Joe Black manages to keep the audience enthralled with its captivating characters, and emotional story. Basically this movie is about "Death" learning about life. "Death" takes the form of a human in order to learn about life and what are its qualities if any. In doing so, he falls in love with the daughter of the man he's supposed to bring to death. He must now decide whether to take the woman he loves into death, or leave her on earth to experience the goodness of life he's learned about.

Meet Joe Black is a movie loaded with romance and drama. The former part including scenes with Brad Pitt and Clair Forlani flirting with each other, or making love. There is a lot of chemistry between the two, and it just brings a smile to your face when they interact with each other. Anthony Hopkins brings a lot of drama to this movie, by outstandingly playing the part of a loving father with two daughters who must bear the weight of his company on his back. This movie is well acted, and shouldn't be missed. You'll leave the theater, knowing how precious life is and that love can even conquer "Death".

The Siege was a very interesting movie. Although it may be hard to follow at times, it delivers a lot of tension and intrigue. The story centers around an FBI investigation on terrorist cells in New York City. When the terrorism gets out of hand, the city is put under Martial Law under the command of Bruce Willis' character. Arab citizens are all rounded up and caged by the military, and suspects are interrogated and tortured. New York is in total mayhem as the different terrorist cells "attack".

All in all, this movie has many scenes of high tension, but sometimes moves at a very slow pace. The performances of Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis are up to par with their usual performances, but Annette Benning's character was so strange I couldn't tell if it was because of bad acting or good acting. At any rate, I recommend this movie. It was very suspenseful, well acted, and extremely interesting. I always wanted to know what would happen if terrorism got out of hand. I gave this movie a 7 out of 10.

I'm a big fan of Adam Sandler movies. When I first saw Billy Madison, I laughed so hard, I nearly choked on my popcorn. His form of silly comedy was very refreshing to me and I enjoyed every movie he had since then. His latest movie, The Waterboy, however, wasn't as funny as it's predecessors. Don't get me wrong, the movie has an abundance of laughs, but it seems as if many of them fell short of total hilariousness. A lot of the comedy was physical, and not vocal. That's okay, if you're a physical comedy fan, but Adam Sandler tackling everything viciously can be a bit repetitive. I recommend this movie to anybody who likes physical comedy. But don't expect a smorgasborg of uproarious comedy, what you'll get instead is comedy that is "watered down" but still worth watching. I gave this movie a 7 out of 10.

I walked into Bride of Chucky expecting to see a badly acted cheesy movie that would produce a few scares. It delivered all of that and more. And that was a good thing for me. This cheesy flick is induced with sophisticated humor with themes such as marriage and domestic conflicts. What really made me hit the floor was the scene where Chucky and his doll wife made love. This is by far the most original sex scene in Hollywood history. There are many things in this movie, you probably won't see anywhere else and that's why I liked it so much. Take a trip to the theater and treat yourself to some vulgar humor.

Practical Magic is the type of movie that would be categorized as a "chick flick". While the "chick flick" genre can't be specifically defined, it is open for anybody to watch. There are some parts of this movie I liked, and many parts I disliked. For example, I really liked the scene where Gillian and Sally tried to bring Gillian's boyfriend back to life. It was very funny and creepy. But the final scene where they tried to exercise the spirit out of Gillian, was probably unnecessary. The movie moves at a vary slow pace, but the plot is decent and not too complex. It's worth a look if you're Sandra Bullock or Nicole Kidman fans.

Grave of the Fireflies is quite an experience. I've seen the movie two times already, and the emotion it brings never changes or decreases. As many times as I see it, I will never get numb to the melancholy mood of the story. I've tried so very hard not to cry, but it's hopeless. This movie is an unbelievable piece of work. The animation is done extremely well, and the soundtrack increases the somberness of the movie. It is an all around outstanding movie, much better than any live action movie I've seen recently. This is definitely one of Japan's gems, and should not be missed. Rent it at your local Blockbuster. You won't regret it

Vampires is an extremely gory movie. You have decapitations, stabbing, throat slashing, crushing, biting, sucking, shooting, and burning. I like seeing these in movies as long as the plot isn't too dull or far-fetched. Vampires is neither, but it gets pretty close. Before coming into the movie, I thought James Woods didn't look like the type of character the movie was trying to portray. But to my surprise, his acting made his appearance more fitting. Amazing!!!! I really enjoyed James Woods' character, he was very violent, rude, and slick, perfect for a vampire slayer. Only watch this movie if you want to spend a couple of hours watching a "gore fest" with a decent plot, or if you're a fan of vampire mythology. However, some traditional vampire mythology isn't applied in this movie. (ie. garlic doesn't work, and they don't sleep in coffins). At any rate, it is an enjoyable movie.