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Reviews
Reindeer Games (2000)
Horribly Miscast!
Though I seem to me in the minority I enjoyed this movie. It will not be the best movie of the year but I thought it was worth the money. The main problem I think it faced was miscasting. Affleck (who I don't like to begin with) is a momma's boy not an ex-con, gun-totting robber. I think Mark Wahlberg would have been the perfect fit for this role, the ladies love him but he too has that momma's boy, regular guy look they were going for. Theoron wasn't that good either, she is very attractive but I found her acting skills to be lacking. I was very impressed with the plot, there was never a very low point in the movie. Not every movie is made to win best picture so I don't think they all should be viewed the same. This is a movie you go see if you want to suspend reality for a little while and enjoy yourself. Maybe I'm just "unsophisticated" but I don't go to every movie and compare it to the Godfather.
The Hurricane (1999)
Best film of the year (that i've seen)
The one thing that struck me most about this movie was the cinematography. Now I used to laugh to myself when people would bring that $5 word up in a comment until I saw what real cinematography was. Many people have raved about the Talented Mr. Ripley and its wonderful cinematography but all that happened was they took Italy and made it look like Italy. Hell I could do that. To me real magic is taking a boxing match and using camera angles, music, and other film techniques (which i know nothing about) to make it look like poetry. The shear beauty of these scenes were pleasant to watch. The scenes in jail focusing solely on Rubin's cell and the solitude which he experienced made it fell like we were inside of his mind. This movie was powerful and though I don't hand out 10 very often this movie definatley earned 10/10. Academy Award Prediction --best cinematography.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
This movie sucked!
If scenery and acting make a movie great than I guess that what this is but I need more than that. I need an interesting plot and for god sakes an ending. If i pay eight bucks to sit through a three hour movie I want the thing to end. Screw imagination. That's just a cop out when directors run out of money or can't figure out where the story is going. ***If you haven't seen the movie stop reading unless you want to save yourself a few bucks***. Tell a bunch of lies, get confronted, murder the person, cover it up by murdering someone else. If I wanted a 3 hour lecture on how one lie leads to another I would have thought real hard and remebered the time I was in grade 4 and my mom and dad told me that. Best movie of the year, I think not. Great scenery, sure but if i turned on a camera in Italy you'd see great scenery too. Jude Law does a great job but if you want to see good acting out of Law rent Gattaca (a truly great movie) and save yourself a few bucks.
Muppets from Space (1999)
Rizzo for Best Supporting Actor
What a great, light-hearted, funny movie. There haven't been too many movies that i have found really fun to watch from beginning to end but this is one of them. Rizzo has taken a step out from behind the big stars and emerged as a key component in the muppet team. Though it may not be as good as some of the earlier stuff, i loved it. I mean you can't compare individual movies in a series. Which Star Wars was the best, (the original) which Godfather was the best (the original) which of the Duke cousins were best (Bo and Luke), which James Bond was the best (Connerey) etc. If you're gonna watch this movie watch it as an individual film and don't weigh it compared to the others. Enjoy it for what it is, a great movie.
Fight Club (1999)
Oh, I get it...wait I don't
This is how I felt as I watched this movie. Just as everything was coming together it fell apart in my mind. The movie started off amazingly and I was loving everything about it. It was clever, had great acting and was suprisingly funny. Then about three quarters through I lost it, couldn't follow where it was going, then I figured it out and just when I was about to stand and applaud a great picture I lost it again. Now though I've never claimed to be the smartest guy in the world I don't think I missed the point because I'm stupid. I think in trying to be too clever the point was lost and the story confused. Overall I still think it was a better than average film but I must say I was a tad disappointed.
Le violon rouge (1998)
What a feeling!
You know the one you get when you pick a movie 'cause you want to add some culture to your life (I mean it's about a violin). You expect over-your-head metaphors for life, annoying subtitles and goofy looking clothes and it turns out to be one of the best one's you've seen. Great plot (though there are some goofy clothes) and acting- Samuel remains one of my favorites, especially after working with very little hype. Check it out and I guarantee you will be surprised!
8 Seconds (1994)
More than just country.
The viewers out there who don't want to watch this movie because it is about the rodeo or has a country theme are missing a heck of a lot more than cowboys and cowflop. This movie deals with much more than bullriding. It deals with relationships, dreams, love and life in general. This movie really made me think about a lot of things, to me that is what determines if a movie is worth watching. Not that I am against a good action or comedy flick. But when one of these movies comes along it is really a shame if it is missed.