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Reviews
Showgirls (1995)
'Showgirls' is so bad it's good
I liked "Showgirls." It's a classic camp film that wasn't ever intended to be campy. And Elizabeth Berkley deserves credit for even doing this role. She was unfairly targeted for the movie's poor performance and bad overall script. Every one else associated with the film survived and continued to work. Poor, naked Elizabeth was left the scapegoat. But there were some really good performances despite the script. Gina Gershon was good as the villain. Gina Ravera was not bad either as the best friend. Alan Rachins' performance pumped life into an otherwise thankless role. This film was also very entertaining. If a film isn't going to be great or even good--and even if it's just bad--it at least better be entertaining. "Showgirls" is. The best stuff in the film are the production numbers. If director Paul Verhoeven ever decides to film music videos--unless he has already--he'd be very good at it. As far as the sex and nudity in the film. I've seen better; I've seen worse. After a while, it didn't seem to matter one way or the other in the movie--you seen one gyrating, 5'11 makeup heavy actress, you've seen them all.
Criminal Justice (1990)
Great film about the justice system...until the last 5 minutes
"Criminal Justice" is an outstanding film, well-acted, well-paced, and one of the most disappointing films I've ever seen. You no doubt are aware that this review contains spoilers. How ironic since this film's ending spoiled everything that came before. Rosa Perez plays a hooker who is raped. Forest Whitaker is a street thug accused of the crime. It's unclear throughout who actually raped her. This film is like a documentary-style expose of how prosecutors and public defenders do their jobs. And it's all enlightening and entertaining. This film showed the kind of nuts-n-bolts grunt work pushed aside in other films looking to roll right through its plot. It's more of a behind-the-scenes film. The film would've worked just sticking to that. But then at the end it turns into --no offense intended--a "TV Movie of the Week" or "Lifetime" melodrama. Whitaker's revealed as the rapist in a cheesy courtroom scene with Perez starring him down while he tries to cop a quick plea-- a plea he refused earlier while declaring his innocence. It makes no sense--he was going to see her at the pretrial. Meanwhile, she was being prepared for the witness stand. So, why wait to take the plea at the pretrial? So the film could have some big dramatic moment. It didn't work. and before the credits role, a disclaimer about plea bargaining is shown. The ending didn't provide a twist, it was a cop out, a manipulation, and completely undermined an otherwise good movie.
TLD - Chicago
Matango (1963)
Cool movie
This movie use to play on an old, Saturday late night horror movie TV show on a local Chicago station when I was growing up. I could never remember its name, but I remember how spooky it was. And the mushroom makeup was creepy. {{{{Spoiler Alert}}} The ending, where the lead character who's retelling the story is revealed to have turned into a mushroom, freaked me out as a kid. Asian horror films have always been very good and much better and more professional than some of the cheesy monster flicks --which were entertaining in their own right. This film ranks up there with some of the better horror films -- past or present.
TD Chicago
The Package (1989)
One of the best political thrillers ever
I first saw the "The Package" as a video rental back in 1990. It's not only one of Andrew Davis' best films, but one of the best political thrillers I think ever made. The plot is as intricate and complex as movie viewers will see. Just take some of the best elements of a Tom Clancy novel, set it in an urban setting, namely Chicago where Davis is from, and you've got a typical Andrew Davis film. Like "The Fugitive" "Above the Law" and "Code of Silence", "The Package" sets its story around a plot filled with conspiracies, cover-ups and political power games. The plot, as I said, is intricate. Some in this forum and elsewhere said it's too confusing. Perhaps. So is the real-life JFK assassination. But all of the bells and whistles are necessary. The story (and here's a spoiler warning for you!) is about a plot to assassinate the Russian President during a U.S. summit held in Chicago. The plot involves high-level American and Russian political and military officials. What they hope to accomplish is somewhat revealed in the end. The Cold War --in the film-- is ending, but some in the U.S. government don't want to see that happen. So, a scheme is concocted to find a patsy, set him up as a radical, and frame him for the assassination. The Russians, presumably, will blame the United States for their president's death, regardless of the circumstances. What will all this lead to? World War III? A new Cold War? A coup d'etat in the American government? The film, understandably, leaves that up for speculation. The ride is more fun than sometimes the payoff in this kind of film. That's pretty much this movie's plot. But then again, this is a plot in many movies. Other films, however, fail to give us a compelling story. Not the case with "The Package." Too many movies just gives us wall-to-wall action with a cookie-cutter plot to get us from one action scene to the next. The good thing about this film is that there are plenty of action scenes, but the real enjoyment is trying to piece the puzzle together. So, if you like those type of thrillers, you'll love this film.
TLD - Chicago