Reviews

Darkest, most depressing movie I've seen since "Leaving Las Vegas" and "8mm." Do not take any sharp objects into the theater or you may try to commit hari-kari before the end of this one. The whodunit plot has a few interesting twists, but the movie is overwhelmed by Meg Ryan running around naked. Enough already. Ryan is much sexier with her clothes on. The only thing this movie will be remembered for is, "Hey, Meg's naked!"

Here is a good, old-fashioned horror story that does not rely on special effects to get the job done. The makeup man does his job, there are a few scenes where the beast flies and does gory gross things, but mainly this is like an episode of The Twilight Zone, but longer. There is a plot, wacky characters and a zany story with a funny ending. It is a little too long and I wish the corn had been green, not brown, since it is supposed to be spring, but all in all I like this one.

The book is a complex and in-depth look at a fabulous story. It is about a man and a horse who capture the imagination of a country. It also has a dark side, which is not brought out in the documentary. Still, this is better than the Hollywood version.

Really slow out of the gate. Seabiscuit is a deep subject, but this movie is very shallow. Casting isn't too bad (except for the horse!), but this really is a great story. Too bad it did not get told. Read the book or check out the PBS documentary.

At first I thought this film surely had the stamp of approval of the DNC, but then again, how can even Democrats support a flick that glorifies killing and shows lots of bloody, gory scenes? Maybe this was made by far right radicals, who just can't stand former President George Bush, because he let Saddam off the hook. But as for the movie, whoever made it, I'm not worried about giving away the plot, since there is so little to give. Rest assured, it shouldn't keep you on the edge of your seat. If you aren't three steps ahead of these three clowns, you should join the circus. Clooney is the star who brings in the crowds, but unfortunately, Clooney is clearly Clooney in this movie, and not a rebellious special forces soldier. He needs to hurry back to ER and clean up all the blood.

Really bad movie. Maybe the worst I've ever seen. Alien invasion, a la The Blob, without the acting. Meteorite turns beautiful woman into a host body for nasty tongue. Bad plot, bad fake tongue. Absurd comedy worth missing. Wash your hair or take out the trash.

Here is a movie full of gratuitous sex, gratuitous violence, gratuitous drug use and lots and lots of dysfunctional characters. There is no plot, other than a thinly woven line about man's inhumanity to man and the mob-rule reflex in times of stress, which has been done much better in other films, or even TV shows, and in half the time. Take Velvet Goldmine, HurlyBurly and Leaving Las Vegas, mix them up and dump them out in New York in 1977, with Son of Sam as a simple backdrop. But the movie is not about Sam. I'm not sure what it is about, except maybe about and hour too long.

In a simpler, kinder and gentler time, music was more than MTV ever dreamed. Robert Preston is magnificent as a traveling conman who sells boys band equipment. (``With me, there's always a band, kid.'') Shirley Jones is wonderful as Marian the Librarian, who knows Preston is a fake and loves him anyway. The music of Meredith Willson is sublime and nobody does ``trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool'' quite like Preston. If you are fed up with these 1990's, take a step back to a time nearer the 1890's and revel in the simplicity of River City. And Opie is here, too.

Con games are fun and we often look at them and wonder who can be so dumb!?!! In STONEBROOK, there are a number of con games which fill the bill, and there is some tension and drama that builds in the process. Seth Green is slick and Brad Rowe does some good work. Along the way is a bit of moralizing. Is love more important than money?? STONEBROOK is a step away from being super, but it's not a bad way to while away a summer afternoon.

What is happiness? A Simple Plan is a movie about how four people found everything but happiness in a bag of money. There is the man who has everything a man could want - pretty, pregnant wife, steady job, nice house. Simple things. Happy things. Then there is his brother, who is simple, but happy, sort of. He is not lonely, because he has a friend. And his friend is the third man who found the money, and he is happy and not lonely because, while he doesn't have a job, he has a beer. Then there is the pregnant wife who is just happy as a pig in s***, until her hubby brings home millions. And then she becomes one of the green-eyed monsters of this flick. Greed destroys the lot, one way or another. Greed is indeed a deadly sin. And this is a very disturbing movie, because real people really act this dumb when they are faced with lots of money.

When I go to a movie like VIRUS I want to be grossed out and scared, or at least startled. It is silly, but fun. I am not looking for great acting or great art. VIRUS kept me on the edge of my seat most of the time. It offered a few laughs and a lot of ``HOW DUMB CAN YOU GET!'' thoughts. It is a combination of THE TERMINATOR and ALIEN, sort of. This movie idea comes from a comic strip, so I'm not looking for anything going on here other than good special effects and action. I think it delivers both. And it is not too long. At a tad over 90 minutes, it is about perfect for this genre -- plenty of time for lots of popcorn and then on to the next show.