Reviews

Give me a break... Jennifer Aniston can only play Jennifer Aniston on friends, and that's a stretch. Her puppy dog face gets old after about five seconds and you can only hope to choke and die on your popcorn.

The only redeeming quality of this movie was Paul Rudd. He delivered a realistic performance in an otherwise trite and completely white-washed tale trying to deal with unrequited love and sexuality. The ending was tooo perfect, and everyone won. All the males come out to help raising the child and everyone's happy. Oh, sounds real.

I thought the embolism in my cranium was going to explode when that terrible child actress delivered her commercialized line of "you are" in response to Paul Rudd being gay. Jennifer Aniston attacks the movie like a cancerous tumor and infests the entire cast to destroy the production and erode all possible venues to a decent picture.

I don't believe in fate, but this movie altered my views. I'm a very opinionated person, so that's a big step for me. SD put the concept of fate under a new light that wasn't over-exaggerated, excessively dramatic, or cheesy; it just was fate.

Gwyneth Paltrow is great, as always. She's one of my personal favs and sticks to her roots with good scripts (Emma) and good movies (Shakespeare in Love) or at least good performances (Great Expectations). The movie asks the "what if's" and is very entertaining. The supporting cast delivers good performances and the imagery is excellent, especially for a directorial debut. Overall, a good flick, an 8.

Hollywood possesses the penchant for remaking old classic films, such as Gus Van Sant's re-working of Hitchcock's Psycho. Here's an idea: instead of remaking GOOD movies, why don't we remake bad ones, and try to improve them? In such a world, I would nominate "Playing God" for a treatment. The premise is interesting, and the script, although at times uneven, has moments of poetic lyricism and some nice touches. So . . . what happened? The finger must be pointed at the performances, which fail to capture the essence of the screenplay. David Duchovny is cast against type as a drug-addled ex-physician, and Timothy Hutton's portrayal of gangster Raymond Blossom borders on the plane of villainy and its cariacture. Duchovny, whose deadpan delivery and solemn glances work fine in the X-Files, must realize that the role he's playing here is NOT Fox Mulder, but a much more unsympathetic character. Grade: C

Riding on the coattails of the success of "Scream," comes this lame excuse for a thriller. "Scream" writer Kevin Williamson should have taken some of his own advice: "Last Summer" is nothing more than all of the cliches his "Scream" satirized. And what do you know: like "Scream," "Last Summer" boasts a glossy cast of teen actors and TV up-and-comers. Too bad there isn't one notable performance in the bunch. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Jennifer Love Hewitt just prance around in their scantily clad outfits and take turns screaming their lungs out, and Ryan Philippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. are truly stiffs from the Keanu Reeves school of acting. Oh yeah . . . and the big revelation of the killer's identity is probably one of the biggest let-downs in horror film history. Avoid this at all costs. Grade: D-

Be warned: this film may be found a little too frightening for the young ones. It's a shattered vision of the Land of Oz with the jovial munchkins conspicuously absent, and it opens with Dorothy in an insane asylum (!). What's surprising to me is I rented this film with the mindset that it was going to be complete trash, that a sequel to "The Wizard of Oz" was blashphemy. I stand corrected. This adaption is an effectively satisfying interpretation of the popular children's story. Child actress Fairuza Balk (now in such crap like "The Waterboy") is a very convincing Dorothy Gail, more so than Academy Award winner Judy Garland in the original. But it's the little things that keep you entertained: a severed trophy head, brought to life, quips, "If I had a stomach, I know I'd be sick!" when free-falling through the air; the evil Princess Mambi has an interesting collection on display in her palace; and the realization that the cause of Oz's decline into this dismal state may be directly attributed to Dorothy's departure in the prequel. One disappointment: Toto is left behind in favor of a talking chicken. I know, I know . . .

Grade: B

I'll admit that I saw this movie for the first time only recently after a huge referral from one of my best friends. Well, it was definitely a worthwhile rental, and I was not disappointed in the least. Forget the cheesy Tom Everett Scott remake, this is the one to watch. Chilling scenes of gruesome murders, surprising moments of dark humor, an expertly tuned witty script, and probably the best werewolf transformation scene captured on camera. I spoil nothing by revealing that Jack 's (Griffin Dunne) role is larger than you think. But you'll end up feeling sorrier for David (Naughton). Oh yeah . . . and the most appropriately fitting use of Creedence Clearwater Revival's Bad Moon Rising in the history of cinema.

What a mess. It doesn't take long to figure out that "Can't Hardly Wait" is nothing more than second-rate "Dazed and Confused," or for that matter, third-rate "American Graffiti." This film adds nothing new to the teen comedy genre, and it conforms to all the cliches and stereotypes you'd expect. If Jennifer Love Hewitt wants to pursue a serious career as an actress, she's going to have to start ACTING, as opposed to strutting around in low-cut tops and short skirts. One amusing scene, where Charlie Korsmo lip syncs to Guns N' Roses' rock anthem, Welcome to the Jungle, is completely spoiled when it falls over into typical cheesiness. The film tries desperately for some deep moments of reflection, where Peter Faccinelli (Mike) confronts former high school hero/college zero Jerry O'Connell, and when Ethan Embry is enlightened by a stripper in an angel costume. It fails in both respects, managing only to attract more cheese than a colony of mice could muster. The ending is completely unbelievable, and incredibly painful to witness. Could have done without the over-used device of subtitle summations in the end, too. The party scenes are totally censored and compromised, and the romantic angle is terribly unconvincing. Do yourself a favor and rent "Dazed and Confused" instead.

Let's just face it: the ensemble cast of John McNaughton's overcooked potboiler aren't nearly as wild as they pretend to be. While it is interesting to see Bill Murray cameo as a low-rent sleaze-bag lawyer, it's also easy to see Neve Campbell exploiting her perverse character as a pathetic attempt to expand her acting range. Director McNaughton throws in one too many metaphorical images of alligators (they're predators, get it?). While Kevin Bacon is effectively slimy and Matt Dillon plays his role just dumb enough to make you wonder if he's smarter than he appears, the movie just topples over itself. The twists get pretty desperate toward the finale, and Robert Wagner embarrasses himself as a rival lawyer trying to act tough. And Denise Richards, although admittedly appealing to look at, delivers her lines with the flatness in the tradition of "Plan 9 from Outer Space."

Based on a novel by John Grisham, we know right away what's going to happen. An inexperienced lawyer must fight against all odds to win the case of his life. Sound familiar (A Time to Kill)? And guess what -- I spoil nothing by saying that the inexperienced lawyer (Matt Damon) wins the case. While the film does have some nice touches to it: Damon is effective in the lead role, and excellent support is accredited to Danny DeVito as his partner, and Mickey Rourke, resurrected here as a sleazy defense attorney. Jon Voight overracts once again as the villain in the three piece suit. Francis Coppola now appears to be a pale shadow of his former self. He was once a brilliant filmmaker (see The Godfather trilogy), what happened?

Writer-director Andrew Niccol (who also wrote The Truman Show), is an extremely talented stylist to watch. "Gattaca" is fabulously shot, leaving the impressions of several powerful images in your mind long after rewind, most notably the scene where Vincent (Hawke) tries to cross a speeding highway nearly blinded, and the final confrontation in the open ocean between the rivaling siblings, Vincent and Anton. An excellent script, well-acted all around (Alan Arkin and Jude Law as stand-outs), and brilliantly executed. A heart-felt drama disguised as a futuristic sci-fi thriller. While the cast is superb, it's the director's show all the way. There are some serious social issues exposed here, primarily the gray areas of love and envy that exist between brothers.

A film that definitely should have garnered most Oscar attention than it was given. Writer-director John Sayles presents us with a film so deep, so rich in texture, and so intricately complex, almost novelistic, with a host of well-developed characters. His best film to date (you should also check out Eight Men Out). Chris Cooper is brilliant in a quietly strong performance as the sheriff of a dusty Texas town investigating a decades old murder where his late legendary father (McConaughey) happens to be the prime suspect. While the murder mystery is compelling and perplexing, it serves only as a pretext to the numerous sub-plots revolving around it, including the complications of a torn black family (including Joe Morton), and Cooper's pursuit of an old flame (Elizabeth Pena). Somewhere amidst all of this tension, there's Kris Kristofferson, in a rejuvenated performance as a coldy reptilian beady-eyed villain.

I am appalled by all the good reviews that my fellow USIMDB users have given this terrible, terrible movie. Completely unoriginal, ineptly acted and directed, and incredibly unfunny. I find it fascinating that people like you prefer brainless schlock like "The Waterboy" to an amazing piece of filmmaking such as "Saving Private Ryan." It just boggles my mind how people have no taste. Some people need their art spoon fed to them. If you honestly thought this movie was good, then God help us all.

Neil LaBute has an affinity for providing some incredibly heartless characters. The excellent ensemble cast of "Neighbors" does not give us one redeemable character, each one selfish and cold in their own way. The fun (or lack thereof) is in watching each character squirm and wreak emotional havoc on their supposed friends. The worst of them all has to be Jason Patric, in an incredible performance as a mysoginistic doctor. Be warned: his graphic monologue in the sauna is a doozy. I witnessed several movie-goers walk out before he was finished.

More evidence that basketball stars should remain basketball stars, and to stay out of acting. Denzel Washington, in an implosive performance, literally acts circles around his untrained co-star, Ray Allen. While Allen's inept acting skills drag the film into moments of unintentional comedy, there is much to praise here. Lee's fabulous use of colors, underlined with Aaron Copland's amazing score, combines to create some excellent scenes. A sub-plot with a hooker (Jovovich) fails, but there are some serious father-son relations explored here. Watch for two extremely powerful moments: where Jesus goes for reality check cruise with Big Time, and his final showdown with his girlfriend Lala.

A very stylistic approach to Leonard's pulpish fiction, Out of Sight. Scott Frank once again adapts, and this time he ups the ante (Get Shorty, for all its fun, was far too polished), and some of the novel's humor is conspicuously absent. An excellent character study, though, that gives us half a dozen well-developed characters. Clooney and Lopez are excellent in the leads, although it is difficult to buy Lopez's on the job fashion statements (I guess all U.S. Marshals dress like that). Don Cheadle, as a violent hood, and Steve Zahn, as a stoner car thief, provide the most enjoyable performances. Quite a redeeming role for Zahn, last seen overacting like an idiot in Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do.

An excellent piece of filmmaking, beautifully shot, and very thought provoking. It is the rare romance film that gets better as it proceeds. Cage and Ryan are superb in the leads, but watch for an inspired performance from Dennis Franz in a small, but crucial, role. A bonus to the director for having the courage to tack on the depressing ending. Great touch; a cynical twist on life that usually is absent from most mainstream productions.

Jerry Bruckheimer has a lot to answer for. With the death of his long time partner Don Simpson, one could only hope that Bruckheimer would turn a new leaf and start to produce GOOD movies. The result is this inane special effects extravaganza. Director Michael Bay proves once again how bad of a filmmaker he is, while succumbing to his penchant for explosions and special effects as opposed to an actual storyline. At the center of it all there's Ben Affleck, making up for all the good acting he did in Good Will Hunting and Chasing Amy in one foul swoop with the most incredibly sour performance of the year. It didn't take long for him to sell out. Buscemi, as always, is hilarious and the only one worth watching. Peter Stormare has some amusing moments, which unfortunately fade into cheesy slapstick. The Bruno has done better, and Liv Tyler is nothing more than window dressing.

This has to be one of the worst films I have ever seen in my entire life. After the success of The Wedding Singer, I thought there may have been some promise left in Adam Sandler's career. I was wrong. The Waterboy is the strictly by the numbers as far as Sandler films go: cheesy, predictable, and completely witless. And Sandler is once again cast in the only role he can play: as the idiot savant who likes to smash things. Kathy Bates slums unforgivably here. But the most embarrassing pitfall is witnessing Henry Winkler, once the pinnacle of teen angst as the Fonz, reduced here to whimpering and childish antics. Almost completely unwatchable.

The critics are wrong. When Fallen was released, it was brutally panned. This is a grave injustice to an excellent and suspenseful detective film. Denzel Washington will always be the taciturn hero, but the character he portrays here would more appropriately fit the literary definition of a tragic hero. The voice-over narration tends to get groggy and unneeded, but it is the clever climax that will leave the viewer completely stunned. A mystery film that takes some unexpected twists. And you'll never be able to shake that Rolling Stones tune from your head after the final fade out.

Steve Buscemi proves once and for all that he is an overlooked talent taken for granted. He pulls triple duty here, as the writer, director, and star of this superbly made indie gem. Buscemi is top rate, but it's also a showcase for a series of excellent downscale performances; most notably Daniel Baldwin, Anthony LaPaglia, and Chloe Sevigny. The most accurate depiction of alcoholism, an emotional powerhouse of a film. Wholly original, unbelievably realistic, and absolutely brilliant. Can't wait for Buscemi to step behind the camera again.