Current Movies - Part 67 - October, 2000
Staff
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Extraordinary | ||
Good | ||
Acceptable | ||
Mediocre | ||
Poor |
"Drowning
Mona", Columbia/Tri-Star, 2000, Color,
Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 1.85:1 (DVD), DD, 1 Hr 36 min, Rated PG-13;
Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Casey Affleck, Neve Campbell, Marcus
Thomas, William Fichtner; The
normal situation when someone dies involves time to grieve and time to heal. However, when Mona Dearly (Midler) dies, is it a time to
celebrate? Apparently so for the
residents of Verplanck, New York. For
years, Mona had been a thorn in the side of many in town, with nothing good to
say and absolutely no help to offer. Although
Phil Dearly (Fichtner), her husband, and Marcus Dearly (Thomas), her son, were
not the sharpest tacks in the drawer, they were her family, who she treated
worse than the dirt she trounced on. Bobby Calzone (Affleck), Jeff's friend and business partner,
may have hated her the most, but was too nice on the outside to do anything
about it. This little fact will
stay true, especially if Ellen Rash (Campbell), Bobby's fiance�, and Chief
Wyatt Rash (DeVito), her father, have anything to say about it. When Mona Dearly passed away, those involved believed it to
be a deserved end and a final exclamation to a disruptive life. Instead, it was merely the beginning of the chaos her life
left behind. This movie is kind
of a light version of "Very Bad Things".
At first I had a hard time believing this movie was a comedy, but it
does get a lot funnier along the way.
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | yes |
Language: | the "S" word |
"Magnolia", New Line Cinema, 1999, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 2.35:1 (DVD), DD, 3 Hr 18 min, Rated R; Tom Cruise, Jeremy Blackman, Melinda Dillon, Jason Robards, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, Melora Walters, Philip Baker Hall, John C. Reilly; Frank Mackey (Cruise) is a motivational speaker whose life has been a roller coaster ride, steadied only by his lust for the domination of all women by men. Frank's father, Earl Partridge (Robards), is dying of cancer and wishes talk to his estranged son one last time. Through the help of his caring nurse, Phil (Hoffman), although against the wishes of his wife Linda (Moore), he struggles to survive long enough to make contact with his son Frank. Claudia Gator (Walters) has been strung out and drugged out for a long time. Her father, Jimmy Gator (Hall), is trying to right a wrong he committed against her long ago that in her mind can never be forgotten. However, Rose's troubled past hasn't scared off officer Jim Kurring (Reilly), who, while on a routine call to her house, feels an immediate connection with her. Finally, whiz kid and child prodigy Donnie Smith (Macy) has never believed he has lived up to his own name, and is now in his 30's. His story is being relived in the form of a new child genius named Stanley Spector (Blackman) and his obsessive father who has managed to push a young child to his limit. These events may seem loosely connected on the surface; however, they tied together by the commonality that makes up life itself. This is a cast full of seasoned actors who have come together to make an excellent film. - JB -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | yes |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"The
Big Kahuna", Universal Studios, 1999, Color, Filmed spherically and
presented at measured aspect ratio 1.85:1 (DVD), DD, 1 Hr 30
min, Rated R; Kevin Spacey, Danny
De Vito, Peter Facinelli, Paul Dawson; Together,
Larry (Spacey), Phil (De Vito), and Bob (Facinelli) represent the same
industrial lubricants supplier, although all three are in very different
stages of their chosen careers. Bob
is a wide-eyed kid fresh out of college who is ready to change the world, not
with a sales pitch, but with the word of God.
Larry is a hardened sales veteran who is concerned only with the bottom
line. Phil, the oldest of three,
wants to make some real life changes and is trying to tell Larry, his partner
of 16 years, that he's had enough. Tonight,
their collective goal is to land the biggest account in the company's history,
i.e., they will attempt to land "The Big Kahuna".
This film shows that acting is what drives any great movie. Also, the style of this film makes it very obvious that it
was based on a theatrical play. - JB -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | mild |
Sex: | no |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"Me,
Myself, I", Columbia/Tri-Star, 2000, Color,
Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 1.85:1 (DVD), DD, 1 Hr 44 min, Rated R;
Rachel Griffiths, Shaun Loseby, David Roberts, Yael Stone, Trent
Sullivan, Sandy Winton; Have you
ever wondered where taking a different path might have led you? Lately, Pamela Drury (Griffiths) can't help but wonder what
her life would be like if she had married her one true love, Robert Dickson (Loseby),
over a decade earlier. By the
work of a small miracle, Pamela is going to get that chance when she changes
places with her alternate self, the married Pamela Drury.
At first, Pamela's new life as a wife and mother is wholly
overwhelming. However, she quickly finds the routine she never experienced as
an unmarried woman. Soon, Pamela
realizes that the expectations of the perfect life she thought she had been
missing may not be the life she wanted at all when she finds out that the
grass isn't always necessarily greener on the other side.
This above average film taps into something that perhaps all of us have
pondered at one time or another, wondering what life would have been like in
another direction. - JB -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | mild |
Sex: | yes |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"Titus", Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2000, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 2.33:1 (DVD), DD, 2 Hr 40 min, Rated R: Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Lange, Laura Fraser; This movie is based on Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus", which is a story about a Roman General at the time of Julius Caesar. However, the combination of spears and motorcycles is more Frederico Fellini, and in fact, the list of Italian credits does support that style. The problem with bringing classic theater into a modern setting, is that it becomes difficult to say what the story is about. Indeed, even the DVD jacket states only that it is, "a shocking journey into the depths of the human heart - a place where vengeance and passion reign supreme." This generic description could be applied to most of today's films. - JEJ -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | suggestive |
Language: | no |
"Rules of Engagement", Paramount Pictures, 2000, Color, Filmed in Panavision and presented at measured aspect ratio 2.35:1 (DVD), DD, 2 Hr 7 min, Rated R; Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley, Anne Archer; Hays Hodges (Jones) and Terry Childers (Jackson) served together as Marines in Viet Nam in the 1960s. Now, 28 years later, Colonel Hodges has retired, but Colonel Childers serves on. Childers is assigned to rescue Ambassador Mourain (Kingsley) from a volatile situation in Yemen, and in doing so, civilians are killed. Terry faces a court martial, and he asks Hays to represent him as his lawyer. Colonel Childers claims that his marines were under fire not only from snipers, but from the crowd of civilians, and now Colonel Hodges must prove this, in spite of the State Department claim that a video tape of the incident has been lost. This film combines great actors with an excellent script, and the result is pure entertainment from logo to credit roll. - JEJ -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | no |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"Supernova", MGM/UA, 2000, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at
measured aspect ratio 2.35:1 (DVD), Surround Sound, DD, 1 Hr 31 min, Rated R;
James Spader, Angela Bassett, Robin Tunney, Peter Facinelli, Wilson
Cruz, Robert Forster, Lou Diamond Philips;
The crew of the medical vessel Nightingale has just received an S.O.S.
call for help from the farthest reaches of space.
Staying true to the oath she made to save lives, Captain Kaela Evers
(Bassett) and her crew are about to travel across the universe to attempt a
miraculous rescue. Upon their
arrival via a hyperspace jump, they are faced with a more immediate threat
when they are pulled into the orbit of a dying star and are in need of fuel to
pull away. Things get even more interesting when the only survivor of
those who sent the distress signal comes crashing into to the Nightingale.
While Nick Vanzant (Spader) descends to an abandoned mining station to
find extra fuel, Karl (Facinelli) the Nightingale's new visitor, has plans of
his own for the unsuspecting crew. In
fact, Karl will do anything to protect the alien artifact that he found while
on expedition to the unstable planet. I
haven't seen the PG-13 version of this film, but I do know there is an
abundance of sex and violence throughout the R-rated version.
Regardless, either version will fall short of what quality science
fiction movie making is supposed to be. - JB -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | nudity |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"Final Destination", New Line Cinema, 2000, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 1.85:1 (DVD), Surround Sound, DD, 1 Hr 37 min, Rated R; Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Kristen Cloke, Daniel Roebuck, Roger Guenveur Smith, Tony Todd; High school student Alex Browning (Sawa) has a bad feeling about the flight he and his classmates are about to go on for their senior class trip. When a vision of their crashing plane seems like more than just a dream, he frantically tries to warn his class not to stay on the flight, but only succeeds in getting himself and six others kicked off the plane. Soon after the plane takes off, it goes down in flames. For reasons unknown, classmate Clear Rivers (Larter), who hadn't even known Alex through four years of high school, was included in those kicked out when she gets off the plane on his words. A bond begins to form between Clear and Alex when they discover a mysterious pattern of death has followed the seven survivors from the plane. It's funny how we only seem to remember our gut feeling when it's right. I had a bad feeling before renting this movie, and I didn't listen to it. - JB -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | no |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"Ready To Rumble", Warner Brothers, 2000, Color,
Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 1.85:1
(DVD), Surround Sound, DD, 1 Hr 47 min, Rated PG-13;
David Arquette, Scott Caan, Oliver Platt, Rose McGowan, Martin Landau,
Caroline Rhea; In the world of
professional wrestling, sometimes things are exactly what they seem.
This is a lesson that Gordie Boggs (Arquette) and Sean Dawkins (Caan)
may never learn. While attending
a WCW Monday Nitro event in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Gordie and Sean witness the end
of the career of their hero Jimmy King (Platt).
His defeat marks not only his wrestling adios, but also the end of a
lifestyle he has become accustomed to. However,
these two hardest of the hardcore fans refuse to acknowledge the disappointing
reality that is now King's life, and instead, take matters into their own
hands by once again pushing their hero back to the top.
Their efforts get King one more shot at the title and one last chance
to regain the prestige of a champion he once was.
As a moderate fan of professional wrestling, I would say that leaving
the WCW would have been the best move Jimmy King or any other wrestler could
do to move on with their lives. This
movie shows there is an obvious line between real actors and the physical
actors involved in wrestling, notwithstanding the fact that professional
wrestlers are superb athletes.
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | extreme |
Sex: | nudity |
Language: | the "S" word |
"Where the Heart Is", 20th Century Fox, 2000, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 1.85:1 (DVD), Surround Sound, DD, 2 Hr, Rated PG-13; Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, James Frain, Stockard Channing, Ray Prewitt, Sally Field, Joan Cusack; Novalee Nation (Portman) is headed out of town to start a new life with her boyfriend Tim (Prewitt) and her unborn child when an unexpected turn of events leaves Novalee all alone in a Wal Mart parking lot. However, with what seemed like an impossible situation to overcome, Novalee quickly winds up living a charmed, small town life. While getting back on her feet, Novalee meets Lexie Coop (Judd), a local mother of four (soon to be five) still looking for Mr. Right, and Thelma (Channing), a "sister" of her own faith who takes in Novalee, the teenage mother to be. There even may be love in Novalee's future with the local town librarian, Forney Hall (Frain). Together, they try to live their lives the best they can in the comfort of their small community. This movie shows that people can be happy living a modest life without the big city dreams . . . maybe even happier. Natalie Portman gives a strong performance as the inexperienced and na�ve Novalee Nation. I do have one question though. Is everyone in Oklahoma really as nice as these folks? - JB -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | nudity |
Language: | the "F" word |
"Black
and White", Columbia/TriStar, 1999, Color,
Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 1.85:1 (DVD),
Surround Sound, DD, 1 Hr 40 min, Rated R;
Oliver Grant, Marla Maples, Jared Leto, Bijou Phillips, Scott Caan,
Claudia Schiffer, Raekwon, Oliver Grant, Alan Houston, Ben Stiller, Brooke
Shields, Robert Downey Jr.; In
the heart of NYC, things are anything but business as usual.
Documentary filmmaker Sam Donager (Shields) travels to The Big Apple to
make a film about the urbanization of white America.
What she finds after she arrives is the variety of life that she was
looking for. Charlie (Phillips)
and her friends want to experience everything to the fullest while at the same
time trying on new identities that will best fill their need for excitement.
These kids are the ones who will take Donager on the inside of what is
maybe the toughest city in America. Here
she meets hustlers like Rich Bower (Grant) and Cigar (Raekwon) who struggle
every day to stay on top of their world.
Meanwhile, Dean Carter (Houston) is an undrafted basketball player
about to end his senior college season. Nervous
about his future ability to make money, he takes a bribe from a gambling stiff
that requires him to sabotage his next game.
It just so happens that this gambler is actually an undercover
detective. Things come full circle when Dean gives up Rich to the
detective after being pressed for information and threatened with his freedom.
This movie tried way too hard to prove a point, and, instead, just
seemed to reinforce the same old stereotypes of race and inner city life.
There is an appearance by none other that Mike Tyson himself who
apparently has caught the acting bug, so look out world.
On a performance note, Robert Downey Jr. is great as Shields' gay
husband.
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | nudity |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
"The
Patriot", Columbia Pictures, 2000, Color,
Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 2.33:1 (DVD), DD, 2 Hr
45 min, Rated R; Mel Gibson, Heath
Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper, Tom Wilkinson; During
the American Revolution (1776), war veteran Benjamin Martin (Gibson) does not
want to revisit the pain of killing, but when the British Army burns his home,
and the commanding officer kills one of his sons, he has no choice not only to
fight, but to seek revenge against the British officer, Colonel William
Tavington (Isaacs) who shot his son. He forms a militia, and along side his
older son Gabriel (Ledger), they attack the British with a vengeance. The
culmination is a huge battle with General Cornwallis' (Wilkinson) troops,
where Martin faces his son's murderer. Gibson puts in a strong dose of his
characters from "Braveheart" and "Lethal Weapon", and does
some terrible things to the bad guy, as usual. Although the movie undoubtedly takes
some artistic license with history, it is easily the most entertaining film
ever made which depicts battle scenes of that period.
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | graphic |
Sex: | no |
Language: | no |
"U-571"
(HD DVD), Universal
Pictures, 2000, Color,
Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 2.32:1 (DVD), DD,
DTS, 1 Hr 57 min, Rated PG-13; Matthew
McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Jon Bon Jovi, David Keith; Harvey Keitel; In early
1942, Navy Lt. Andy Tyler (McConaughey) and his crew are assigned a secret
mission to pose as Nazi officers and board a disabled U Boat to steal an
Enigma code machine along with the code book. When they do so, their own boat
is sunk, and they are left with the job of getting back to base with the
machine and code book without sending any radio messages and without being
attacked. This is definitely a movie for use with the ButtKicker
or Clark
Synthesis Tactile Transducer. It is one of the best submarine war films I
have seen, but it has a serious editing flaw with something that was either
inserted in the wrong place or should not have been in the film at all. The
first one to e-mail us with a
description of what the editing flaw is, will win a copy of the ID-4 DVD.
HD DVD Version - July, 2006 - Kris Deering - This
was the first HD DVD that I could compare to another pre-recorded HD source.
I own the D-Theater version of this film, which is already REALLY good. The
HD DVD seems to be a bit better, probably because of the newer scaling and
encoding efficiency. I saw a bit less banding in some of the underwater
sequences, but apart from that, they are almost identical. That is fine with
me, again the D-Theater version already looked incredible. Fine detail is
jaw dropping at times during this film, especially some of the scenes in the
control room of the submarine. Pores and facial features look amazing. Some
of the outdoor sequences don�t hold up quite as well, but they are still
nothing to scoff at. One of the best HD presentations to date (7/06).
The DVD release of U-571 already sounded incredible, and this release is no
different. You get the direct comparison of the DTS codec and the new Dolby
Digital + codec and I have to say; I enjoyed the Dolby mix more. Surrounds
sounded like they had more balance, and the bottom end was tighter. This is
a demonstration quality soundtrack with the depth charge sequence still
remaining one of the most system threatening scenes out there. - Kris
Deering -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | no |
Language: | the "S" word |
"American Beauty", Dreamworks Pictures, 1999, Color, Filmed spherically and presented at measured aspect ratio 2.36:1 (DVD), DD, DTS, 2 Hr 2 min, Rated R; Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Peter Gallagher, Mena Suvari, Wes Bentlye, Chris Cooper; In a "typical" suburban neighborhood, Lester (Spacey) and Carolyn (Bening) Burnham have a "typical" family, at least on the outside. In reality, it is, well, maybe it is typical there too. With 50% of marriages failing and ending in divorce, the Burnhams fall into that statistic. They hate each other, and their daughter Jane (Birch) hates them. Lester has fantasies about Jane's beautiful friend Angela (Suvari), and Carolyn has an affair with the "King of Real Estate", Buddy Kane (Gallagher). Jane finds solace in her new neighbor Ricky Fitts (Bentley) who tries to hide his drug dealing from his retired marine Colonel father, Frank (Cooper). Meanwhile, Col. Fitts has his own worries, including a gay couple a few houses down the lane, and wonders if Ricky is gay, and even his own repressed sexuality is in question. I don't know. Is this a typical neighborhood or what? - JEJ -
Entertainment: | |
Video Quality: | |
Audio: | |
Photography: | |
Violence: | yes |
Sex: | explicit |
Language: | the "F" and "S" words |
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