Reviews

This film, when examining other major works that appeared around the same time, stands out as a true harbinger of the violent, lawless era of film that we live in today. Most of the reasons why this movie does not seem extraordinarily interesting to the general populace is because most of its themes have been copied and recopied many times over... and quite frankly, done more tightly and with more control than was allowed to Peckinpah at the time. The violence in the film, while slightly over-the-top, is nothing compared to what we live in today with the age of "Kill Bill". That said, I still believe this is a beautifully shot film and certainly one of the best-acted Westerns. William Holden is spectacular. But in today's music-video era, it does not hold the power it did long ago. As a major film aficionado, I found myself squirming several times and attempting to defend the film to the rest of its audience as a pioneering film- which it is. Unfortunately, this should not have to be done... In any case, I give it a 7/10.

Intriguing premise completely wasted somehow by Carpenter and crew. Sorry guys, I generally love Carpenter flicks, but this one is horrid garbage. Nearly every possible suspenseful sequence is butchered. Not much to say outside of the synopsis, but imagine Carpenter at his worst, and it only begins to describe the debacle that is "Prince of Darkness". I spent weeks searching my local video stores with a friend to find a copy, only to be more disappointed than I have by any of his other films. I love "The Thing", "They Live", ... heck, even have a soft spot for his Village of the Damned flick. But this.... Well, Thank god for Victor Wong tho. 4/10

I titled this criticism "the most expensive rental", because unless you are stoned or drunk, this movie makes absolutely no sense at all and will rob you of your precious time and consciousness.

I love Polanski as much as the next guy. "Chinatown" is simply great. And his adaptation of "Macbeth" is what I consider one of the all-time great Shakespearean adaptations.

Johnny Depp is amazing. Undoubtedly one of the great actors of his generation.

But, this movie is garbage. You watch it and get enveloped slightly into the plot, until you realize it makes sense. As you watch the minutes tick by on the VCR/DVD player, etc., you slowly notice that you are actually losing more and more of your life as you continue to waste your time on this piece of drivel.

It starts good.. then ends terribly and completely disinterested me in seeing another Polanski film for a long time.

4/10 for production values, Depp, and this miserable excuse for a movie.

Not sure that I can put into words the sweeping epic this film truly is. The Toontown scenes are the most chaotic I've ever seen on film.

The THX-quality sound and incredible digital video on the new Vista Series disc that was released this past week is extraordinary, and it's amazing to pick up this movie after so long and watching all of its little treasures.

10/10

As powerful as a fictionalized account of Marshall Mathers' life can be, expertly crafted by a cinema master. Eminem's work is superb here, lending dramatic depth that my fellow fans and I would expect from an artist of his caliber. Not your typical Hollywood fare. You either love it or hate it, and it's as good as it could have been.

8/10

By no means a great film, but an entertaining piece of work that has a relatively decent Murphy performance supplemented by a characteristically hard-working Owen Wilson [Is there anything this guy can't do?] The script could have used some work, but the laughs are there. 6/10

A cunning thriller that has more than meets the eye, although there is certainly enough eye candy to engage the viewer. The sex, action, suspense, and nudity should be more than enough to engage the heterosexual male (Rebecca is.. alluring to say the least), while the general cinematographical aesthetic is superb, as we would expect from the greatest master of modern American cinema still working today. The plot is blotchy in a few scenes, and I felt Banderas was miscast. But an excellent foray and I am anxiously awaiting DePalma's next outing.

7/10

I was very surprised to find myself so interested in this film as I was. It's a testament to the skill of all performers and crew that they were able to keep my attention for an hour and a half on largely only two actors within one room, without any action scenes or strange bells and whistles. It's as good as a movie like this can be.

7/10

Incredible updating of the traditional gangster tale with plenty of suspense, chills, and pure drama for those who enjoy it. Spectacular cinematography and set design that puts you into the times of the Great Depression. Classily acted, with Tom Hanks playing a welcome anti-hero. Especially noteworthy is the typically great Paul Newman and a chilling Jude Law.

A very strange, well-made piece of science fiction with our man Jake G giving a damn good performance. It's quite watchable by those who have a brain cell, but the "so-what" ramifications are abound. While it's interesting for the most part, the sheer inanity and bizarro world aspects it emphasizes shot this one down for me. Had a hard time hanging on thru the whole thing.

7/10

Inane plot, slightly weak jokes circumvented by the talents of the leads. Harmon and Sheen make a great pair, and Richards is excellent eye candy as usual. But I expected more out of good ol' Charlie...

6/10

Excellent acting talents adjoin this film that is reminiscent of "Proof of Life", but a hell of a lot better. Andie MacDowell gives IMHO the strongest dramatic performance of her life as a woman stretched to her limits hunting for the love of her life in war-torn Eastern Europe. Classic scenes, excellent special effects, a great war movie for those who can take the brutality and can accept its message.

I encourage this movie to most women, however most guys will be turned off by the ridiculousness of the plot. Of course, I didn't find high school that interesting and cliques never appealed to me, and my entire HS experience scarcely resonated. Nor am I a woman. Since I share none of the characteristics that the protagonist has, I had to rate this one slightly lower. However, there are plenty of jokes to keep you watching while your girl enjoys it. Which we appreciate :)

7/10

This is the Sandler movie that has the most coherent of what resembles a plot with the best mix of drama and comedy that turns into a quite heartwarming and compelling movie. I could watch this quite a few more times. But then again, it is a Sandler movie. Not high art.

7/10

Spectacularly shot, engaging film that will leave you breathless in many moments. Malick's genius will return one day. I won't give away anything else suffice to say the cast was excellent and many of the "faceless" have gone on to become big stars in just a few years, for good reason. The problems lie in some inappropriate voice-over and the overbearing heavyhandedness of some situations.

8/10

For some reason I'm finding that I enjoy a great deal of Tamra Davis' films. I was lucky enough to catch this one on HBO _very_ late at night and watched the whole thing. Dean Cain fans need to check this one out. The plot is skewed, but the laughs come here and there and it is interesting enough to keep the viewer's interest.

Joel only began to show his intent to completely destroy the Batman franchise with this movie. Robin is an incredibly annoying addition, but we could stand it. Two villains is a bit much, but we saw this with Pen and Cat in the last movie. But what the hell is all this camp? We're not watching Adam West here, Joel. The big-budget action is good, Jim Carrey is insane, and Val could have made a greater Batman if he had been given a much better project. Thank god Michael Keaton didn't besmirch the first two films by appearing. My major problem is this: Why is it that Harvey Dent was played by Billy Dee Williams in the first movie (a black man), but all of a sudden, Tommy Lee Jones plays him in this one, but now he's suddenly become Caucasian? Well, here's to plot holes.

6/10

There is nothing I can tell you here that hasn't already been said. Spectacularly spellbinding performances, great story helmed by a great director.

10/10.

Not sure how you can be disappointed by this ghetto comedy. Definitely not as solid as the first Friday, I felt this one offered a few more laughs than Next Friday ever did. However, it never exceeds the sum of its parts, and it didn't keep me laughing hysterically throughout the whole thing. So as a genre comedy I would have to rate it 5/10.. but it's definitely worth a rental. But here's to hoping CubeVision spawns another Friday :)

I saw this movie a bit earlier than it got released on video and had very low expectations. I've never enjoyed any Jennifer Lopez movies .. but the shining lights were there (Ray Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, & the incomparable Bob Hoskins .. not to mention Wayne Wang helmed it) Regardlessly, I enjoyed it. There were a few plot fallacies as is evident in nearly any entry into this genre. So as far as blaming it for being cutesy.. that's quite brash. It seems this movie has gotten the short end of the stick and I would encourage those of you who enjoy romantic comedies to seek this one out. It's really not bad. 7/10

Demme's exploration of the Jung legacy was sadly his last completed project.. but it was also his greatest. His filmmaking work here hit a zenith- the ideal casting of Depp, the flashy-yet-classic cinematography, and the peerless set designs contribute to this mammoth work. I saw it in the theater largely because of a Peter Travers review .. and I was not disappointed. It was one of the few movies of 2001 I can say that I saw and enjoyed immensely. And I got it on DVD. Stray away from this one if you have qualms about the War on Drugs.. because Jung is one of the big casualties. Its main drawback lies in the plot dynamics and the fact that it does not tell us anything largely about the human condition. But it's a fun, interesting, and sometimes saddening ride into the heart of the one-time largest cocaine importer in the United States.

8/10