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Little known facts, Normie: |
| You'll be talking
about it for years |
Must See |
| Good not Great |
Wait for the Video |
| Don't Bother |
No stars, no way! |
| In theaters now | Rating |  |
On the Video Shelf | Rating |
| The Truman Show | As Good As it Gets | |||
| Hope Floats | Austin Powers | |||
| Sliding Doors | When We Were Kings | |||
| The Big Lebowski | Boogie Nights | |||
| The Object of My Affection | Desperate Measures | |||
| Good Will Hunting | The Rainmaker | |||
| Six Days and Seven Nights | Picture Perfect | |||
| The X - Files Movie | |
Nothing To Lose | ||
Out
of Sight  |
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| Armageddon | ||||
The
Mask of Zorro  |
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| Something about Mary | ||||
| Lethal Weapon 4 |
| Movie Finder | The Internet Movie Database | Hollywood Online | Cinemania Online | Mr. Showbiz |
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Visit the Fox Movies Site - This is the best site I have seen on the Web EVER! www.foxmovies.com |  |
Why am I qualified
to give movie reviews?
I 'm no Siskel or Ebert nor I don't have a degree
in film making from Spielberg State University. But, I am very interested
in movies and enjoy being entertained (who doesn't? Everyone except for
Soccer fans,
apparently). I'm an average Schmoe like yourself who wants to be assured
that the $9 I lay down will buy me some quality celluloid satisfaction.
The usual stuff, gratuitous sex and violence, battle of good versus evil
and the pursuit of the American Dream. Enjoy reading the reviews and I
hope I can help spend your $9 more wisely.
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A insurance salesman Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) discovers his life is being orchestrated by a God-like Television Director Christof (Ed Harris) for the benefit of a captive audience. Truman is the only person who doesn't know he's the star of a tv show. Touted as the first orphan ever legally adopted by a corporation, Truman spends much of the movie trying to escape his captivity once he discovers the truth. All of his previous 30 years have been broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week on its own cable channel to an audience who becomes emotionally involved with the trials nd tribulations of his "private" life. |
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| The scoop:
I am not a Jim Carrey fan but this is a serious role for him although there are shades of his wackiness from The Mask and Ace Ventura. The brilliance of this film is its commentary on the media's intrusiveness into people's lives and our desire for more and more details (re Jerry Springer, OJ Trial, live police shoot-outs on CNN). The George Orwell 1984 society becomes a reality, as everyone is in this "controlled world" is in on it except Truman. The film exposes our obsession with televisions and how the media has much more influence in our lives than we care to admit. This is NOT a slap stick Jim Carrey film. It's actually pretty good if you care for movies that make us look at ourselves and question the state of society today. |
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| The Lines:
"It feels like the whole world revolves around me" - Truman
"It's your world that's sick. Truman has nothing to fear. I protect him" - Christof |
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| The Web Site: The Truman Show- Official Site | The Rating: |
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Sandra Bullock plays Birdee Calvert, a woman who has her husband's affair with her best friend revealed to her on a national tv talk show (a show that looked an awful lot like the Rickie Lake show). Devastated, she takes her daughter and retreats back home to Smithville, Texas to the sanctuary of home with her eccentric mother Ramona (Gena Rowlands) where she can dwell in misery and self pity. The one-time high school beauty queen's life is turned upside down as she tries to deal with the emotional turmoil that she and her daughter find themselves in. Along comes childhood friend, Justin Matisse (Harry Connick, Jr.), who has carried a torch for Birdee since High School. Eventually, Birdee learns to live again through relationships with her daughter, mother and Justin who is successful in restoring Birdee's belief in life and hope. |
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| The scoop:
By watching the trailers and the movie's advertising you may think this is a sappy love story. Well it is and it isn't. It certainly rates high on the Sap Meter but what I liked about it is that it explored more than just her relationship with Justin. This is a multi-conflict flick. There are many elements of heartbreak, relationship between parent and child and family conflicts. This film was directed by Forrest Whittaker (Acted in Good Morning Vietnam and Blown Away). Once you get beyond the fake Texan accents, it's a pretty good movie. The scene with Sandra Bullock and her father is a highlight. The way her hometown reacts to a former prom Queen's fall from grace is true to life. Remember all those people you treated like crap during high school? Well, what goes around comes around. I still carry a heavy load of guilt to this day. Overall, it has elements that everyone will like including the star attraction of America's sweetheart, Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr. Warning: it's more of a flick for couples. A couple of guys sitting there would raise more than a few eyebrows. Not that there's anything wrong for that! Of course not. |
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| The Lines:
"Childhood is something that we spend the rest of our lives getting over" |
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| The Web Site: Hope Floats | The Rating: |
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A movie about Fate and the different path it can take based on some small seemingly insignificant event like missing a subway train. May I submit to you the following scenarios: Helen (Gwyneth Paltrow) both catches the train and misses it. In situation A, Helen catches the train, meets a stranger and walks in on her boyfriend (John Lynch) shagging another bird (The movie's set in London, so please excuse the native vernacular). The movie rewinds and in situation B, Helen misses the train allowing the adulteress (the evil looking Jean Tripplehorn) to escape the love shack before Helen arrives. All is seemingly normal. For now. Helen A dumps her philandering boyfriend, moves in with her best friend, dyes her hair blonde and starts a new life with the stranger from the Subway train. Helen B continues her relationship with the sneaky boyfriend aware of what's going on until clues start to bring her out of her dense fog. |
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| The scoop:
The dual plots of the film make this a bit erratic at first. Once things settle down, it's a cleverly unique idea that works to demonstrate the fragility of karma. People cross our paths every day and one never knows who will play influential roles in our ultimate destiny. That stranger you greet in the elevator, the cashier at the smoke shop. What you don't know can hurt you and are people really who they seem? Gwyneth Paltrow does a credible job playing the two Helens, although I'm still not sold on her English accent. All the supporting cast are great in adding to the chaos in Helen's life. Specially the two best friends Zara Turner (Helen's best friend) and Douglas McFerran (the adulterer's pitiless confidant). This file is a classic tribute to the "what if" ideology. It is funny, entertaining and leaves you guessing at the outcome. Gwyneth is looking even better after breaking up with Brad Pitt. James, the stranger (John Hannah), is convincing in the nice guy role. Great plot twist at the end of the movie to ensure people leave the theater feeling good. |
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| The Web Site: Sliding Doors - Official Site | The Rating: |
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| The skinny:
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Hollywood explores another Gay Man-Straight Women friendship turned relationship (see My Best Friend's Wedding). Do we really fantasize about people switching teams? Can it really happen? Not bloody likely! In this story, George (Paul Rudd), a gay grade school teacher learns from a complete stranger at a dinner party that he's being dumped by his college professor boyfriend (Tim Daly). The stranger, Nina (Jennifer Aniston) is a social worker who feels sorry for George and invites him to move into the spare room of her Brooklyn apartment. They become fast friends, much to the ire of Nina's boyfriend, Vince (John Pankow), a pushy civil rights lawyer. Vince's jealousy is justified when Nina announces that she's pregnant and wants to raise the child with George instead of him. And though George accepts Nina's proposal, he doesn't count on her falling in love with him as he begins a relationship with a young actor named Paul (Amo Gulinello). |
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| The scoop:
What are we thinking here? If this movie is trying to make a point, it misses. It's laden with too much sap from the Hollywood sugar tree. I don't know if anyone in the theater bought the story of this unconventional relationship. Does Nina really think that George is going come over to the other side out of love for her? It's not that the idea of a gay-straight emotional turmoil love triangle isn't a good premise. I just don't think a romantic comedy is the right vehicle for this subject. Paul Rudd gives a pretty good performance as the "gay guy". His emotions are believable. As much as it hurts to admit, Jennifer Aniston just doesn't pull it off as Nina. She seems out of place in the role of Social Worker in the inner city. Ironically, Object of My Affection ends with a dance scene similar to My Best Friend's Wedding. Overall, it makes a good video rental. |
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| The Web Site: The Object of My Affection | The Rating: |
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| The skinny:
For the Touchstone Pictures site: Harrison Ford stars as Quinn Harris, an aviator living an uncomplicated existence in Paradise. He's content with the comfortable living he makes flying freight in his weather beaten old plane, and life is just the way he wants it ... until he meets Robin Monroe (Anne Heche). She's a sharp, driven, magazine editor on holiday with her new fiancé, Frank Martin (David Schwimmer). When an unexpected editorial deadline requires Robin to be in Tahiti, she reluctantly bribes Quinn to fly her there. Forced down in a storm, the two suddenly find themselves stranded on a deserted island. Danger and romance ensue as the two castaways are thrown into a series of adventures not found in any vacation brochure. |
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| The scoop:
This movie was a pleasant surprise. It was a refreshing change for Harrison Ford from the stuffed shirt terrorist hunter that he usually plays. His comedic talents are understated. Anne Heche, more known for her coming out than any movie, is wonderfully funny and attractive (Blue eyed blonde, what a waste!) as the New York women's magazine editor. The best scene are the interactions between the two. David Schwimmer is his usual drab, wimpy self (will he ever get a role different from Ross on Friends?). It's a more of a comedy than a thriller or drama as there was some confusion with some people from the movie trailers. |
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| The Lines: "The equipment maybe be old, but it's sturdy" | ||
| The Web Site: Six Days and Seven Nights site | The Rating: |
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| The skinny:
From the Fox Movies web site: Based on the award winning television series "The X-Files," created by Chris Carter, THE X-FILES feature film follows FBI Special Agents Mulder and Scully as they are drawn into a web of intrigue while investigating the mysterious bombing of a Dallas office building and the secrets buried inside. Set against the dynamic backdrops of Washington D.C., dusty fields of northern Texas, private meeting rooms of London and the frigid reaches of Antarctica, THE X-FILES is carefully designed to introduce the award winning series' popular characters to a whole new audience while rewarding its existing core of fans with answers to questions posed in the show's extraordinary five-season run. THE X-FILES movie delves deeply into the series' mythology, further exploring the intrinsic relationship between Mulder and Scully, and ultimately exposes the truth behind a project that threatens to irrevocably alter the future of mankind. My skinny: The movie begins where the last show left off. Our heroes are re-assigned after the closing of the X-Files, to handle the usual FBI stuff, terrorist bomb threats against a Federal building in Dallas. The Bureau blames the duo for the death of 4 people by the bombing. Mistake! This peeks Mulder's curiosity to search for the truth behind the bombing, to clear their names. Aided by a friend of his father's, Mulder determines that the Syndicate staged the bombing to cover up the discovery of 4 people infected by an Alien virus. The movie soars from there to a climatic end in Antarctica where Mulder goes to save his sidekick, Scully. |
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| The scoop:
The buzz was that the "Fight the Future" movie would not answer all questions from the X-Files show. That's true. For example, there's no reference to Mulder's sister. The movie can be had by non fans although to truly understand (does one really truly understand the X-Files?) you need some background of the series. Chris Carter strikes a great balance between character development and thrilling story line. The movie explores more of the relationship between Mulder and Scully than the show (only done in small doses). I must say I was pleasantly surprised at that. Action? There's lots of it! The story takes us from Texas to Antarctica. The plot is a little difficult to follow. You don't answer all your questions until you leave the movie and when some of it clicks in. That's the genius of the movie. Carter leaves us a with new questions just as he answers some of the lingering old questions. Die hard fans will love it. Warning to those who have absolutely no clue who Cancer Man and Well Manicured Man are, watch a few episodes in re-runs before you go to the movie. |
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| The Lines: "and they call me paranoid" - Fox Mulder after first hearing of the conspiracy of co-operation that the Syndicate are involved in. | ||
| The Web Site: The X-Files Movie site | The Rating: |
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| The skinny:
A steamy, gorgeous Jennifer Lopez plays Karen Sisco, a US Marshall who ends up in the wrong place and the right time as convicted bank robber, Jack Foley (George Clooney) escapes from a Federal prison after a plethora of unarmed bank heists. Foley, enamored with Sisco, takes the lady cop hostage and the chase is on. Sisco has a thing for bad boys and she is torn between her FBI duty and the fires burning inside of her (is that enough of metaphor?). The movie is about her pursuit of the fugitive and her obligation of what to do when she finds him (or he finds her). Throw in a protective father, a weak kneed loose lipped partner who keeps giving up their plans to anyone willing to listen, and a mixture of comedy, action and a great on screen chemistry between the two main characters. |
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| The scoop:
Out of Sight has something for everyone. Action, wit and character development. Not to mention the bodacious Jennifer Lopez! (oh and George Clooney too). Right from the start of the movie, director Steven Soderbergh, gives the audience a glimpse of the chemistry between Lopez and Clooney as a precursor of things to come with the chance meeting at the site of the prison escape. The rest of the movie is spent revealing more of the characters and filling in the missing pieces of the past. Cleverly and methodically done. Throughout the movie, you have to wonder why Sisco would be after a convicted bank robber. As my female friends tell me, I just don't understand the Clooney factor. Otherwise, it's an entertaining flick and you could always just sit and watch Jennifer Lopez and think of what it would be like to be locked in a truck of a car with her. |
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| The Web Site: The Official Movie Site - a good site, chalked full of info on the actors | The Rating: |
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| The skinny:
From The Official Web Site... It has been 20 years since Don Diego de la Vega (Anthony Hopkins) successfully fought Spanish oppression in Alta California as the legendary romantic hero Zorro. Imprisoned for two decades, he now must find a successor to stop Don Rafael Montero (Stuart Wilson)-the powerful, former Spanish governor of Alta California who cost de la Vega his freedom, his wife, Esperanza (Julietta Rosen), and his daughter, Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones)-who is making plans to purchase California from Mexico's president, General Santa Anna. Alejandro Murieta (Antonio Banderas), a bandit with a troubled past, is transformed by Don Diego into a new Zorro who he hopes will help him foil Montero's schemes once and for all. Tracing the heroic story of these highly charged relationships, The Mask of Zorro follows the new Zorro as he assumes de la Vega's mantle and enters into a romantic relationship with a woman close to his predecessor's heart... |
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| The scoop:
After a long absence, Zorro returns to screens. This time, the big screen with Director Martin Campbell's swashbuckling summer adventure. This multidimensional flick has something for everyone. It's difficult to classify; comedy? action? romance? adventure? drama? How about all of the above. Elements of each genre come together to make an entertaining movie without the obligatory big budget special effects that seem so prevalent in today's Hollywood productions. The Mask of Zorro is about human nature; the battle between good and evil, greed and nobility, revenge and reprieve. That's what makes this movie work. The best moments are the interactions with Hopkins and Banderas. The contrast between these two actors works well on screen. Hopkins' icy cold gaze and Shakespearean demeanor works in contrast to Banderas' high spirited, overzealous, cocky attitude. Eventually, the Master and Student form a union and triumph against their common foes. The stunning Catherine Zeta-Jones is a great physical presence but her performance is a notch below the rest of the notable cast. Honorable mention goes to Matt Letscher who plays Don Montero's henchman, Captain Harrison Love (I know. I thought the name was out of place for such a throw back movie). In an era of high tech blockbusters, The Mask of Zorro's greatest strength is its style. Everyone in the audience knew that good would eventually conquer evil but at what price will the heroes have to pay for the victory. Many in the audience clapped at the end of the movie. When was the last time you were at a theater where that happened. |
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| The Web Site:
The Mask of Zorro Official
Web Site |
The Rating: |
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