ronnie p Reviews

The Contender (2000)

A transparent piece of propaganda

[19 October 2000]

Wow, right in the heat of an election campaign, Hollywood adds The Contender to its propaganda list. The whole movie is so obviously slanted, don't mention the private lives, make the Republicans so odious and repugnant picking on poor little Joan Allen. I love Gary Oldman, he can go over the top as good as any actor, but please spare me the script which sounds like it was penned by one of the many Clinton aides and apologists who polluted the airwaves defending his lying. Sorry, this is no Manchurian Candidate, All The President's Men, or any other political thriller. Hollywood wants their people in the White House and will time a movie to get people to vote Democrat. How more transparent can they get?

Nick of Time (1995)

Just a hoot

[6/10 · 1 August 2000]

Nick of Time has a laughable premise, but it is best just to go with the flow in this movie. Johnny Depp is forced to become an assassin by Christopher Walken who has kidnapped his daughter. The whole film is in real time, that is 90 minutes go by in the movie. It is an interesting technique which adds to the unintentional humour in this movie. Walken appears almost like a cardboard cutout, the photography is rather chilling (and he does keep popping up out of nowhere to warn Depp not to seek assistance). As usual in these conspiracy based movies, EVERYONE is involved, except for a few sympathetic characters in the movie. Depp looks suitably frazzled, Walken is Walken, and the rest of the cast has lots of fun. A good time waster and a real hoot of an unintentional comedy. Sure I didn't identify with Depp's character, the whole premise is totally preposterous! Walken throws Johnny around like a rag doll when given the chance, and he relishes the role. He seems to have accepted being typecast as an off-the-wall bad guy, and he takes the ball and runs with it.

The Fortune Cookie (1966)

Walter Matthau at his best

[9 July 2000]

I saw "The Fortune Cookie" in its entirety for the first time, and in general it was an enjoyable movie. Jack Lemmon is good as the cameraman who reluctantly agrees to lawyer brother-in-law Walter Matthau's lawsuit scheme. Lemmon is bowled over on the sidelines by a football player played by Ron Rich. Matthau sees dollar signs, and he milks Lemmon's injury for all it's worth.

Matthau is great in this movie, his cynical ambulance-chasing attorney was a role that won him a well-deserved Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The only thing is, Matthau is in a starring role here and dominates the movie from start to finish. He should have been nominated for Best Actor in a starring role.

The movie seems dated at times and over-long, it could have been edited a bit. On the whole though, the movie is quite enjoyable with many fun supporting characters. One thing I noticed were the demographic breakdowns for the ratings on IMDB. Female viewers rated this much lower than male viewers. It doesn't make too much sense, it's not as if this is an action movie or macho movie. It is entertaining and well-written and well-delivered. Curious.

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry (1974)

Fun and atmosphere

[6/10 · 25 June 2000]

Okay, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry is basically a car chase movie. However, this movie is nicely paced and well crafted for the this genre. Peter Fonda is the focal point as Larry, and he alternates between manic and gloomy, punctuating the action with humorous comments and a devil may care attitude. Adam Roarke as his mechanic/sidekick is the anti-Larry, a guy who is dealing with his own demons and is ready to step in when Fonda's character goes too far. Susan George is the wildcard in this movie. She latches on to Fonda and proves that she is not to be underestimated. The scene-stealer of the movie is Vic Morrow as the sheriff, who produces some of the best lines in this movie. When he gets in the chopper, the pilot says, "I just take orders" and Vic replies "Good, cause I give lots of 'em...let's go!". If this sounds like nothing special, check out this movie and you will see the other element which stands out, the atmosphere. Drawbridges, apple orchards, a small town flea market, dusty roads, big trucks etc. This is no "Dukes of Hazzard" mindless kind of car chase movie. There is a lot of intelligence and humor in the script, and it is well-paced and directed. An enjoyable movie to kill a couple of hours. I never said it was Citizen Kane!

U Turn (1997)

Off-beat fun in the desert

[8/10 · 24 June 2000]

I really turned off Oliver Stone after that loathsome misfire "Natural Born Killers" but he found the mark again with "U-Turn". Sean Penn's 1964 1/2 Mustang overheats in the desert and he winds up in a small town with an oddball cast of characters. Penn is great as the troubled guy just wanting to get out of town and deal with his other major problems, but he is entwined in the crazy goings-on in town. Nick Nolte is totally seedy and relishes every moment on camera as Jennifer Lopez's hubby. Joaquin Phoenix as the small town yokel who is smitten with Claire Danes and will fight anyone who so much as looks at her fits his role as "TNT" perfectly. Powers Boothe was born to play a small-town sheriff, and above all Billy Bob Thornton steals the show as Darrell, the garage "mechanic". His scenes with Penn are hilarious. Jon Voight, Claire Danes are good, and Jennifer Lopez does well in a role that suits her "nicely". Also Laurie Metcalf does a fine cameo as a ticket-seller at the bus station. Oliver Stone seems to enjoy close-ups of bad teeth in this movie, along with other kinds of shaky-camera work. It gets a bit distracting at first but it fits in with the off-beat nature of this movie. One more thing, I got plenty thirsty seeing all those bottles of beer and coke break before Sean Penn could get to quench his thirst!

Rip-Off (1971)

A slice of lost Canadiana circa 1971

[7/10 · 24 June 2000]

Rip-Off is a nice little coming of age movie about 4 soon-to-graduate high school students in suburban Toronto in 1971. It has the images of the early 70's, tied-dye shirts, the "ecology trip", and the trip to the country in a beat up van. The guys want to start up a commune on some land one of them (Don Scardino) has inherited. The subsequent trip and disillusionment is the overriding theme of the movie. It is something someone growing up in that time can relate to. The world has changed a lot since then but it is a nostalgic trip back in time. This is not a big blockbuster movie, but it is a worthwhile "little" movie. The director Don Shebib is best known for the classic Canadian movie "Goin' Down the Road".

Being John Malkovich (1999)

Trying too hard to be clever

[4/10 · 22 May 2000]

There were several amusing moments in this movie, but the overall feeling I got from this film was how contrived it was. The premise itself was original at first, but after Cusack, Diaz and Keener kept landing on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike over and over again it got pretty silly. Cusack and especially Diaz (surprise!) played their roles well. Keener has been good in other pictures but she basically played a one note character here and didn't impress me much. The various gimmicks, such as the 7 1/2 floor, the portal, the really dumb gag with Mary Kay Place mishearing everyone, were really nothing to rate this as some kind of film masterpiece. John Malkovich was self-deprecating and he really lifted this picture when he arrived on the scene. His unintended "conversion" to a new profession and the way it was presented was the best part of the movie. It was a case though, of the writer and director trying to be way too clever and the enduring value of this movie will not last very long.