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Ronin-58
Reviews
About Schmidt (2002)
Excellent film with two exceptions.
About Schmidt is a wonderful quirky film about personal growth, life's meaning, priorities, and reconnecting with your life. Be warned however that the trailers for this film depict it as a comedy; it is not. Yes, there are funny bits, but overall it's on the depressing side of funny. The two exceptions are the body shot of Kathy Bates as she enters the hot tub and Jack Nicholson's butt. Kathy, Jack, if you're listening, no one wants to see it.
Beyond that the parts are very well played, what else would you expect from Bates and Nicholson? It was nice to see Hesseman again and Mulroney is great as the boyfriend.
The Dead (1987)
Actually Dead
Absolutely the worst movie I have ever seen. You would never know this was directed by the great John Houston, and "worst" is being generous. Save yourself the time and avoid this one like the plague; take your kids to the park, take your wife/husband out to dinner, call an old long lost high school friend...you'll have spent your time more wisely.
Tears of the Sun (2003)
Tears of Boredom
If you're a "Die Hard" (pun intended) Bruce Willis actioner fan, this might be a movie for you. I am, but it wasn't. I think Willis has done some great work in action, comedy, and dramas. Hey, I even liked Hudson Hawk.
In this one however, Willis' character is flat, undeveloped, and well....boring. The story is only marginal and Willis is WAY too old to me a Navy LT. And, don't even get me started on Tom Skerritt holding satellite telephone calls from the carrier's flight deck while landing planes. If squinting ever becomes an Oscar catagory, Willis might win for this one.
Scarface (1983)
This is THE 80s Gangster Flick!
Miami, sunshine, art deco, cash, greed, murder, guns, girls, big hair, ruthless Hispanic criminals brought to the big screen just when the public was first starting to hear about the drug cartels.
A year later the ever popular Miami Vice came to the small screen and captivated viewers. Scarface is where it all started.
Becker (1998)
Awful
I like Ted Danson as an actor. But Danson in the role of Dr. Becker was completely miscast. Where the producers sought to bring humor, through Danson, to Dr. Becker's inate cranky, negative view on life, they failed. What viewers got was a dark comedy with characters so broken that funny moments were few and far between. Even the casting of Nancy Travis, who also worked with Danson in the "Three Men and...." movies, couldn't save this one. Too few up moments to be a comedy.
Men in Black II (2002)
50/50
The first half of the movie had some good bits but I swear the dog had all the good lines. The second half will make you want to see the first half again. Could have been great, but turned into way more computer generated special effects than I wanted to see. At times, I wondered if Smith and Jones were also computer generated. 5/10
One Foot in Heaven (1941)
Wonderful
A return to a time of morals and truth. Very refreshing with March in a lesser known but very well made film. Serious in it's own way as it explores both March's calling and the family's growth, but very upbeat. Bring a Kleenex for the last scene.
The Hours (2002)
An Oscar for this??
You've got to be kidding. I think someone just wanted to give Nichole Kidman an Oscar, and it certainly wasn't because of her performance. Maybe they felt sorry for her because Tom Cruise dumped her? Pretty much anyone could have worn a fake nose and looked depressed and sad. Nothing special here.
On the whole the film is thoroughly depressing. See it if you must, but bring your Prozac.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
We've all been there.
Better than most romantic comedies these days; this one was actually a little unpredictable (younever knew what she was going to come up with next) and entertaining.
You can really see Goldie Hawn in Kate Hudson, and this is a good thing. I kept envisioning Kate as Goldie in Foul Play and Seems Like Old Times. She has a good future if she picks the right films.
Heat (1995)
Teriffic, but limited.
The first time you see this film, providing you're a fan of actioners, DeNiro, Pacino, and the rest of a great cast, you'll be amazed and riveted to your seat. I promise, you will enjoy every second of this movie.
The bank robbery scenes alone are worth your time, but there's a lot more. Heros, anti-heros, good cops with angst, bad crooks, good crooks, it's hard to tell with whom you should sympathize.
Rent it.
Kangaroo Jack (2003)
Running Roo
First, let me say that I rented this film for my 11-year-old niece over the weekend. While I thought I knew what we were renting, I was wrong; it was better than I expected and my 15-year-old nephew enjoyed it.
She expected talking kangaroos and silly fun, what we got was a very (let me stress this) simple buddy movie and a roo in a jacket. Not what we expected, but not that terrible either and with a surprisingly good premise and a good twist. It could have been great if filmed as a dark comedy. I think there's a huge disparity between how it was advertised and what the film actually was. Perhaps this is the cause of the low ratings?
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
Upliftingly Dark!
Skip the 10 paragraph comments.
The Royal Tenenbaums is about dysfunction, breakthroughs, reconciliation, not being trapped by your past, and personal growth. It's funny, it's dark, and it's lots of fun. Rarely is such a huge train wreck of a family this fun to watch. You'll need your brain for this one.
See it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Spectacular!!!!
I hadn't read the books since I was a teenager in the late 70s and what I remembered of the story was not much. But, the movie brought it all back.
It was everything that I had pictured in my mind's eye 25 years ago. Casting was absolutely perfect and while I was worried that special effects would overwhelm the film, they were discrete, and subtle enough to go relatively un-noticed.
The one complaint I have is with the DVD version where the sound is uneven; music too loud and dialogue too soft. For the best effect catch it on the big screen. Hopefully, they will correct this for the Director's cut.
If you haven't seen it yet, go!
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
I should have learned my lesson
with the second Austin Powers film. Say you have $10 and you're trying to decide whether you should go see this movie or buy a quart of cheap Scotch. My advice? Buy the Scotch; at least when the Scotch is gone you'll be drunk and the next morning you won't remember anything.
Avoid this, and any Austin Powers move you get near, and you'll be fine.
(Note: this is in now way an advocacy for the abuse of alcohol and should be take as purely illustrative of how bad this movie was.)
Salem's Lot (1979)
Fantastic
One of the best vampire movies ever made. I remember watching this movie when it first came out in 1979; it scared me then, it scares me now. Granted we've come a long way special effects wise, but the story and the constant undertone of evil will really draw you in. Today's audiences may not have the patience for the relative lack of action but it's well worth the time spent....on a dark night, with the lights off, alone in the house. Was that a clawing sound at the window??!!!
I recently saw the DVD for sale at Wal-Mart, it's a must have.
Gladiator (2000)
Empire Intrigue
I saw Gladiator this weekend and I have to say I'm not sure what all the hype was about. The story is only fair and the characters flat; and, at over two and a half hours, there was ample time for much better story and character development. Unlike Braveheart, and The Patriot, two other recent period epics, I was never drawn into the story, never became involved emotionally with the characters, never really cared. And, Crowe seems to play the same character in many of his movies; it's time for less grunting. It was nice to see Richard Harris, I wish he'd do more.
If you see it, see it for the scenery and the special effects; they are FANTASTIC. I remember watching Titanic and being able to pick out the people and scenery that was computer generated. Not so in Gladiator. Rome looks like it's real, nothing short of amazing.
The blood and gore, if you worry about that kind of thing, wasn't as bad as some have said; in fact, there was much less than I expected.
Worth the time if you must. But "The Fall of the Roman Empire" was better.
Cast Away (2000)
If you're going, skip the trailer.
I like Tom Hanks as an actor. In many ways, I think he's the modern Jimmy Stewart; an everyman. Could another actor have pulled off Cast Away and made it such a hit? I doubt it. Few have Hanks' appeal.
Cast Away is not without one, fairly large, problem. If you've seen the trailer, you've seen the movie. The details you don't see, with an exception or two, are minor and, I won't spoil the movie for those who haven't seen it, not much missed.
Still, I recommend it. It's FAR better than lots of the stuff they give us these days.
Highlander (1986)
Ahhh the Highlands
First, let me say that I like this movie. Great story and I've watched it countless times since 1986. As someone said, "an 80s classic." Lately however, and maybe this is just a function of aging, the "modern" story really seems to lack something the "flashbacks" do not. Where the historical scenes drew you in, I find now that the present day story suffered from an almost cartoonish quality.
Take the bad guy, Clancy Brown; I get a feeling, now, that he was too overtly bad to be "real." Where the psychological and the physical stories meet, his character almost intrudes as the undeveloped single-minded bad guy. Too flat, too 80s evil, too loud a score, leather clad, punkish. Not timeless.
Connery is a real highlight as an instructor for the "young" McLeod. Each time I watch it I'm disappointed at the loss of the contribution to the film made by his character.
Okay, so maybe it sounds like I don't like this movie. But to prove it, I recently added it to my DVD collection. Be forwarned however, that the DVD soundtrack is very uneven and requires lots of adjustments to be able to hear the dialogue and still not be blown out of your seat by the music.
Just my 2 cents.