Reviews
May (2002)
Unconvincing and Unintentionally Funny
Big disappointment after so many good reviews. I found it unconvincing to say the least, and unintentionally funny at times to boot. Lead performance by Angela Bettis is mannered and self-conscious. All of the supportnig characters are one-dimensional.
It's a Gift (1934)
Never Gets Old. Such a Hilarious Movie
I just watched my laserdisc of this again last night and laughed just as hard as I did 20 times ago when I first watched it. What a great, truly classic comedy. And I have to mention how much of this is due to Kathleen Howard's hysterical performance as his wife. She is an absolute scream! "Harold, are you drunk or crazy?" "Harold, would you please be quiet!" "Seems to me you're getting pretty familiar with Mrs. Dunk upstairs" "Funny thing, the maternity hospital calling asking for you"
Dennis the Menace (1959)
Often Contrived but Almost Always Funny
I was thrilled when I saw TVLand was running this old sitcom this summer and have been taping episodes daily. They give me a good laugh and I am thankful they are only showing the early episodes featuring Joseph Kearns as Good Ole Mr. Wilson. To me he is the second funniest sitcom actor/character ever (next to Carroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker). His anguished cries of "Great Scott" or "Fiddle Faddle" and his easy-to-stroke ego are hilarious. In my opinion, it's one of the most underrated performances in sitcom history.
Snowbeast (1977)
Enjoyable Cheesy 70s TV Movie
I watched this on DVD after acquiring a 10 pack called "Vault of Horror". I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. The acting ranges from competent to embarrassing, you never really see the monster, the storyline apes Jaws from scene to scene, but somehow it works if you watch it in the right frame of mind. Most of all it brought back memories of my childhood of watching those low-budget 72 minute TV movies they used to show from 8:30 to 10:00.
Heartbreakers (2001)
Blown Opportunity
HEARTBREAKERS * * Lazy script and slack direction pretty much sink what could have been a really good comedy about a mother-daughter con team (Sigourney Weaver, Jennifer Love Hewitt). Instead, it's just tolerable thanks to a very watchable cast and appealing Palm Beach settings. Gene Hackman and Jason Lee provide the few genuine laughs. Also stars Ray Liotta and Anne Bancroft.
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Unnecessary Remake
PLANET OF THE APES * * Unnecessary remake brings nothing new to the table in terms of imagination or inspiration. Performances by Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Roth and many of the others playing apes are the only redeeming features. Everything money can buy, expensive sets, makeup, costumes and actors, can't make up for an incoherent and illogical script. Finally, if the average movie goer has to research the internet to try to understand the final scene, then the moviemakers haven't done their job.
You Can Count on Me (2000)
Very Enjoyable, Realistic and Perceptive
YOU CAN COUNT ON ME * * * 1/2 Very enjoyable and unpredictable comedy/drama about an orderly single mom in upstate New York who is visited by her wayward, irresponsible younger brother. Not for those who demand melodrama and an A to Z plot, but for those who can appreciate one of the most realistic and perceptive portraits of siblings ever seen in a movie. Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo turn in two of the year's best performances, and almost as good in smaller roles are Matthew Broderick as Linney's anal bank manager boss and Rory Culkin (dead ringer for older brother Macauley) as her son.
Vertical Limit (2000)
Delivers the Thrills but Too Soapy
VERTICAL LIMIT * * 1/2 Cliche-filled and sometimes preposterous but delivers the necessary thrills and manages a lot of nail-biting suspense. The premise itself is so thrilling and the methods and equipment used by the climbers so interesting that it's a shame they felt the need to muck up the movie with soap opera plotting.
Cast Away (2000)
The Island Part is Great, But....
Cast Away * * * The mostly silent hour-plus segment on the deserted island is tremendous, but it is bookended by very disappointing scenes back home. Still worth seeing
The Contender (2000)
Joan Allen is Terrific
Joan Allen is terrific as the congresswoman who is nominated to be vice-President and faces a nasty, ruthless Gary Oldman as the head of the confirmation committee. This one's fading out of the theaters so don't miss it on video. It's very engrossing and also plays like a good thriller in a lot of ways.
High Fidelity (2000)
Uninteresting Despite Good Performances
Mostly uninteresting. John Cusack owns a record store and talks to the camera about his past troubles with different girlfriends. Lacking in humor and characters to care about. Catherine Zeta Jones plays one of his ex's.
Magnolia (1999)
Knockout Performances, but Movie is Overlong
From the writer-director of "Boogie Nights", this 3 hour plus drama follows several different stories over the course of a weekend in Los Angeles. Most of the characters are fascinating, and ultimately there are maybe too many stories going on. The movie is in some ways a disappointment, but it's worth seeing for some individual scenes and knockout performances (Tom Cruise got an Oscar nomination and a lot of attention for his role, but the rest of the cast is just as good if not better, especially Julianne Moore, Jason Robards and William H. Macy). Finally, to watch this one you have to have a high tolerance for the "F" word.
Almost Famous (2000)
Fun Movie, Enjoyable and Lightweight
Enjoyable, lightweight film based loosely on writer/director Cameron Crowe's true-life experiences as a teenage journalist for Rolling Stone in the mid 1970s. Performances by most of the cast are first-rate, and there are some great scenes, but the characters could have been a little better-defined.
Nurse Betty (2000)
A Real Mixed Bag
NURSE BETTY * * 1/2 Very uneven, off-beat, quirky comedy-drama seems at time to be several different movies playing at once, and only some of it works well, specifically the scenes between Renee Zellwegger and Greg Kinnear. Chris Rock is convincing as a menacing, merciless killer but for some reason others in the audience laughed at everything he said.
Non si sevizia un paperino (1972)
And Now for Something Completely Different
I didn't know what to expect when I rented this widescreen DVD. I knew it had a cult following but I had also seen a lot of the director's later works which although delightfully gory were also pretty much incoherent. DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING actually had a linear storyline and a mystery that kept me guessing almost until the end. And after all was said and done, it was a genuinely unsettling and creepy experience. One major caveat: I would much rather have heard the original soundtrack and read English subtitles than the uneven dubbing found here.
Nashville (1975)
Unique Masterpiece!
I loved this movie. Loved it! I just saw this on widescreen DVD and had never seen it before. It's the first movie I have seen in a few years that had me smiling from ear to ear as it ended, not because it was a feel-good movie but because it was so exhilarating to see a work so flawlessly assembled, so marvellously written and acted, and finally one so overflowing with the collective creative energy of the cast and crew. There are more memorable characters and vignettes in this one two hour and 40 minute movie than in all the movies from the movies I have seen from the year 2000. M*A*S*H and The Player are the only other two Altman films I have ever seen, and I hesitate to see anymore as how can any of them be as good as NASHVILLE?
Profondo rosso (1975)
A Few Good Scenes of Violence Surrounded by Deadly Dull Dialogue
I am baffled by the high regard many feel for this movie. I saw the widescreen DVD which looked great but the movie itself is a half hour too long, with only the gore scenes making it almost worth watching. I much prefer TENEBRAE which I also saw in widescreen DVD. That movie was senseless too but at least I jumped out of my seat at least five times and there were some great set-pieces. DEEP RED was just not scary at all and was pretty boring for much of the way. 5/10.
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Recommended for Several Choice Jolts
Sure there's no real plot, a lot of the acting is embarrassing and the dialogue will make you cringe, but there are at least five great jolts that had me jumping in my seat. It's probably better than the original only in that there really aren't as many good scares in the predecessor. Incidentally, I remember reading that they actually filmed the double impaling scene but were forced to cut it to get an R rating. I wish Paramount would restore the footage for DVD.
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Julia Shimmers and Shines
ERIN BROCKOVICH * * * Julia Roberts proves once again that she's worth every penny of her out of sight salary. Her charisma and rapport with costar Albert Finney lift a familiar and mostly routine storyline into great entertainment. Those outfits dont hurt, either.
Music of the Heart (1999)
Another Vividly Real Performance by Meryl
Based on a true story about a newly-single mother who talks her way into a job teaching violin to grade schoolers in a tough Harlem neighborhood. Doesn't exactly cover new ground, but Meryl Streep is extremely likeable in the lead role and it's always entertaining.
The Bank Dick (1940)
This is Just Too Funny
This is the second best Fields film (after It's a Gift) and it's similar in that it casts Fields as the lovable drunk with an absolutely hateful family. From the almost surreal episode directing the movie to the eye-poppingly ridiculous chase scene, this one is pure comic entertainment. One side note: it's sad and not a little scary how bloated and tired the Great Man looks in this compared to just six years earlier when It's a Gift was released.
The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
Good Story, Script Needed Work
THE WHOLE NINE YARDS * * Story has a lot of good twists and turns, but the so-called comedy is barely there, save for a lot of Matthew Perry slapstick. Amanda Peet is amusing as the dental assistant who really wants to be a hitwoman.
Angela's Ashes (1999)
Faithful in its Recreation of Incidents from the Memoir
Rating: 6/10. Of course it doesn't compare to actually reading the book but it faithfully and accurately recreates pretty much all of the major episodes from it. The story itself isn't all that unique or remarkable, so if you see the movie without reading the book you'll wonder what all the fuss is about. It's the humorous, wry prose of the author that made the memoir so good
Hollow Man (2000)
Watchable, But a Blown Opportunity
A blown opportunity. Despite an always-intriguing premise (scientist experiments with invisibility, then goes mad when he cannot return to visibility) and amazing special effects, this movie turns into yet another sadistic killer picks off a group of people one by one who are trapped in an enclosed space (think Alien, The Thing, etc.). It's always watchable thanks to a decent cast and lots of action, but it's disappointing they didn't put more imagination into the story.
My Dog Skip (2000)
Good Family Film
MY DOG SKIP * * * Awkward little boy in WWII era America and his relationship with his peppy dog (Eddie from TV's Frasier). Probably better for adults than small kids, and have a hankie handy. Subplot involving two dangerous bootleggers almost derail the movie into Home Alone territory.