(Note that most of these reviews were sent to a YahooGroups mailing list)
Spider-Man 2002
4/5
We just got back from seeing “Spider-Man” and wow, Tobey Maguire gets better with every movie he makes! I even bought him as a teenager, though he is getting a bit long in the tooth for that role . Still, he’s better than Jamie Lee Curtis in “Halloween” or Drew Barrymore in “Never Been Kissed”, for sure--heck, I remember watching “Halloween” for the first time in the theater and wondering why a teacher was wandering around with the kids!
And is it just me, or is Willem Dafoe getting uglier and more leathery as he ages?
The only complaint I had about the movie was the continuity and flow. I kept seeing prop and things appear and disappear between shots. Maybe it was just me, but this movie seemed badly edited and the use of CGI overdone, but the story was true to the comics and that was good enough for me.
Clerks 1994
5/5
Despite being a fan of Kevin Smith since "Chasing Amy", I just got to see "Clerks". SNOOGUMS! Everyone told me I'd love that movie and I did--between having worked in a convenience store for years, enjoying snappy, realistic dialogue, and loving indies, this was THE movie for me.
Jay and Silent Bob were even cuter than I'd heard, is all I'll say.
Jeepers Creepers 2001 SPOILERS
3/5
We watched the horror flick "Jeepers Creepers" tonight and were really disappointed in the ending. I, for one, would have had the demon take the girl up on her offer so that you would have heard her screaming in the dark, if you get my gist <wince> I don't like the thought, but it would have been a better ending more in line with the rest of the story. I wonder if they were trying to point out that the demon now had the kid's brains? If so, tell me he hadn't eaten other brains before, so what was the big hairy deal?
Also, why was it rated R?! For the once or twice they say "fuck"?! I was braced for something gory along the lines of "Nightmare on Elm Street" and got "The Haunting" 1999 without the plot. Urgh.
Too bad, it really had its enjoyable moments and some good creepy shots/jump moments. I almost choked when I looked on the DVD case and saw that the cat lady was Eileen Brennan, and when Joe looked up the kid and saw it was the geek from "Galaxy Quest" we both just about fell over.
Mallrats 1995
3/5
Well, I finally got to see "Mallrats" yesterday, and have now seen all 5 (so far!) of Kevin Smith's "Jersey Trilogy" movies. I enjoyed "Mallrats" but can see why fans of "Clerks" may have disliked it. I think between everyone expecting so much from Smith's first Hollywood-backed film and kind of losing that "indie" feel, I can see where some folks might not have liked it. I laughed so hard at the "hand down your pants" remark that I almost fell out of my chair and had to stop the movie, and I now know why my son cracks up every time he hears the words "chocolate covered pretzels".
Of course, this review comes to you from the 41-year-old mother of 4/grandmother of 5 who loved "Dude, Where's My Car?" and finds "Beavis & Butthead" funny so take this review with a grain of salt. But then I did raise two sons without a male partner, perhaps that's got something to do with my high tolerance for adolescent-male-style potty humor...
Pay It Forward 2000 IMPORTANT ENDING SPOILERS
1/5
Is it just me, or did the ending of "Pay It Forward" SUCK BALLS?! I loved the movie up until that point. There was outstanding acting, an awesome script with fantastic realistic dialog, unforeseen plot twists, lots of "ah-hah" moments and even more emotional ones, then WHAM--they blow it all to hell by killing the kid. I felt that was a cheap emotional ploy to get the viewer even more upset. I was angry yet crying my eyes out as they panned back--I hate that! Let me clarify; I watch movies to have my emotions manipulated, but don't make me dislike it!
It was like letting E.T. die in "E.T.", or Dante get shot in the alternate ending of "Clerks", for cryin’ out loud!
And I think that all three leads--Spacey, Hunt, and Osment--should have gotten Oscars for their performances. Jon Bon Jovi wasn't bad, but I have a feeling he wasn't *really* acting.
I wonder if there's an alternate ending on the DVD, like "Clerks"?!
Earthquake! 1974
4/5
I just rented this on DVD and was pleasantly surprised by the excellent quality of the digital transfer. The sound is absolutely spectacular through headphones (I watched this on my computer with a 20" monitor), you can tell it's Surround-Sound even without all the extra speakers (I be it'd be fantastic on a good home theater system). The image was very well done, not perfect but without the annoying pops and cracks that you see in badly-done transfers.
As for the movie itself... I was caught between outright amusement at the 1970s FX and caught up in the story, which really is timeless. Despite the afros and bell bottoms, I was swept away by the tale and only tossed out when there was silly FX, such as bending the film to show buildings rocking (it was VERY noticeable!) and giant water droplets bashing down on the L.A. basin buildings from the dam. Even so, it still holds up pretty well to today's standards.
Sadly enough, there are NO extras but some very lame production notes and chapter selection. Bum-mer!
For anyone else who has fond memories of this movie, I highly recommend seeing it on DVD. I remember seeing this film when it first came out--I was 14, heaven help me--and how blown away we all were by it. I felt some of that old magic come back in this very well-done DVD.
Count of Monte Cristo 2002
4/5
We rented this and watched it last night, and loved it! I think I may have read the book in junior high, but I don't remember much of the story except the basics: man imprisoned unjustly by friend, escapes, finds treasure, goes to get revenge. From what they said in the Deleted Scenes extras, they changed the story substantially for this version, but I really enjoyed it. No spoilers here--you'll have to see it for yourself.
The main thing that caught my eye was the attention to period detail. I'm no expert on France of the early 1800s, but their use of color (most noticeably the slightly dulled gold and Delft blue) and lighting were perfect, IMHO. It was beautifully photographed with some interesting use of camera angles and film speed (i.e. "Gladiator").
As always, Richard Harris gave a stunning if brief performance and I will really miss him. James Caviezel as Dantes (Count) was excellent, and I could not believe that Mercedès was played by the same woman who is Tania in "Rock Star"! My only complaint was Luis Guzmán, who was surprisingly wooden in his role as the Count's right-hand man. He was so good in "Boogie Nights" and even another one of my favorite movies, "Innocent Blood", that I was surprised at how bad he was in this one. I haven't seen any of his more recent movies so I haven't seen if he's been going downhill. Last but not least, I was tickled to see Michael Wincott as the Warden--he was the bad guy, Top Dollar, in "The Crow" which IMHO was a sterling performance. I recognized him right off but didn't know who he was until the husband told me.
Holiday Heart 2000 (TV)
4/5
What an awesome flick! It’s not a Christmas movie like you’d think, nor is it a happily-ever-after. What it is is an incredibly well-acted, well-told story about strange bedfellows (a transvestite, a drug abuser, and her daughter) and how they cope with their lives.
I could not imagine Ving Rhames as a transvestite, kind of like the leap of faith you take in believing that Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes were drag queens in “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar” (which I loved, BTW). But hot damn did he pull it off! He brought just the right touch of gayness to the part, being openly homosexual without being as outrageous as, say, Nathan Lane could get away with. Alfe Woodard turned in an Oscar-caliber performance, too bad this was a made-for-cable movie. Anyone who has ever been around a drug addict or alcoholic who are helpless in the face of their addiction--and has tried to help--will very much identify with this film.
I won’t give away the ending, but let me tell you that it’s NOT what you think it will be. Well worth seeing although I will give a warning about the subject matter: open homosexuality, drug use, prostitution, child abuse, violence to women, etc, which may offend or upset some people.
Kalifornia 1993
3/5
We just finished watching "Kalifornia" with Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, David Duchovny, and Michelle Forbes and I feel like someone popped me a good one over the head with a bag of sand. I'm not sure whether or not I actually liked the movie, but my God was it *powerful*!! There were times I couldn't take my eyes off the screen and other times I could not bear to look at the screen.
The acting was absolutely amazing. I've been a fan of Brad Pitt since "Thelma and Louise" (when he pretty much caught everyone's eye, I think) and have watched for him ever since. After his outstanding performance in "12 Monkeys" he can do no wrong in my book despite how much I hated"Se7en"--and that's saying a lot since I'm also a huge fan of Morgan Freeman and I don't hold that movie against him, either.
I didn't recognize Juliette Lewis even after a couple of scenes with her. I actually had to pick up the DVD case and look again! As my husband commented, "How did they skankify her like that?" She was absolutely perfect as innocent trailer trash who didn't want to see bad things happening. I have known people like her.
He also picked out that Michelle Forbes played Ensign Ro on "Star Trek: Next Generation" and when I looked her up on IMDb, I couldn't believe that this was only her second movie. Admittedly she was the weak link in the acting but give the girl a break, look what she had to keep up with! Even so, her commanding looks should have been enough to quell Brad Pitt's character.
Now for David D. I never watched the X-Files, though I did catch part of the movie on cable. The first time I really saw him act was in "Evolution", which I absolutely adore. It was spellbinding to watch his character change throughout this movie, though I felt he really should have caught on sooner!
Overall, I'm glad I saw it but don't think I'll ever watch it again. Did I like it? I don't know. Will I forget it? Definitely not.
Blood Work 2002
3/5
Clint Eastwood isn't weak. Even playing a character 60 days past a heart transplant, he can still kick major butt. Although this movie takes a bit to get going and appears to have some slow parts, it's very misleading. The mystery is revealed step-by-step with the viewer often figuring it out only a step ahead of the characters, and that makes it fun. I highly recommend this if you have the patience to sit it out--and, sadly enough, Paul Rodreguez' rather forced effort at being a sarcastic cop (who woulda thunk it?).
