Amistad
rating: *****
review: Spielberg comes close to matching the impact of Schindler's List with this drama about an African who commandeers the ship make to bring him to slavery in America (he again reaches these heights with Munich, by the way) with powerful advocates portrayed by Anthony Hopkins and Matthew McConaughey once he finds himself in the trial of his life (literally) as a result. This is a movie that kind of symbolizes the whole year, which was a transition one for Hollywood in general, everyone trying to figure out what the new norm is supposed to be.
Out to Sea
rating: ****
review: If there's a better movie than the Lemmon/Matthau Grumpy Old Men series with them in it, it's this one, which also features a breakout comedic performance from Brent Spiner (Data in Star Trek).
The Fifth Element
rating: ****
review: Bruce Willis begins a new chapter in his career with this outlandish sci-fi parody that plays equally well in its dramatic elements, and as a parody of his action career, which clearly doesn't interest him as much as it does his fans.
Men in Black
rating: ****
review: An equally gonzo sci-fi flick, Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones deconstruct everything The X-Files had been trying to make suitably dramatic on TV.
Liar Liar
rating: ****
review: Jim Carrey had waited so long for his big break that soon after he was already playing fathers in his movies. He twists himself into hilarious knots when his son makes a wish that he can't lie. Cary Elwes is equally great in a subdued supporting role, in which he gamely offers an imitation of what Jim Carrey might look like as a normal person.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
rating: ****
review: So unexpected a belated hit with fans that later films couldn't possibly duplicate its appeal, with or without Mini-Me tossed in.
Conspiracy Theory
rating: ****
review: Mel Gibson's manic energy gives perfect voice to a guy driven off the deep end by finding out everything he hallucinated about the world may actually be true. And anyway, if you can't bring yourself to like him, there's also Julia Roberts and Patrick Stewart, in his greatest non-franchise Hollywood role.
Good Will Hunting
rating: ****
review: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are game boy wonders, but Robin Williams easily steals the movie from them in one of his best dramatic performances.
Jackie Brown
rating: ****
review: Quentin Tarantino comes his closest to subdued in this movie, which posits a charismatic Robert Forster as the only person capable of taming Pam Grier. This is also your chance to see Robert De Niro and Chris Tucker in a Tarantino flick.
Grosse Pointe Blank
rating: ****
review: Easily the most unique high school reunion movie I've seen, with John Cusack as a hitman trying to reconcile his life even as Dan Ackroyd comes gunning for him.
Titanic
rating: ****
review: The gushingly romantic James Cameron hit you may have heard about.
Rosewood
rating: ****
review: Ving Rhames in his best starring role in a kind of black Western.
U Turn
rating: ****
review: Oliver Stone, oddly, does a more authentic Quentin Tarantino without Tarantino providing the script.
Batman & Robin
rating: ***
review: Oddly, I kind of like this much-despised entry in the franchise better than its predecessor, as it betters integrates all the elements the studio thought would make Batman more family-friendly. Despite the camp, it has more heart than any Dark Knight movie.
L.A. Confidential
rating: ***
review: A kind of retro take on Tarantino, with Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey leading an excellent cast.
Gattaca
rating: ***
review: Fun little original sci-fi parable with Ethan Hawke and Jude Law.
Anastasia
rating: ***
review: With Disney apparently uninterested in making its signature movies, someone else did.
Flubber
rating: ***
review: Robin Williams in this effects-happy update of The Absent-Minded Professor before viewers were as interested as Hollywood in living in a digital world.
Cop Land
rating: ***
review: Admirable attempt by Sylvester Stallone to reinsert himself into serious dramas.
Hercules
rating: ***
review: Disney again skewing tradition with a male lead. The Gospel music is an inspired choice.
In & Out
rating: ***
review: A movie inspired by an Oscar speech, with Kevin Kline desperately trying to prove he's not gay. This movie would not be made today.
Scream 2
rating: ***
review: Inexplicably, the horror satire becomes a part of horror tradition.
The Postman
rating: ***
review: The Kevin Costner backlash continues, this time with an epic he derived from a David Brin sci-fi book.
Donnie Brasco
rating: ***
review: A minor gangster entry featuring solid work from Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.
G.I. Jane
rating: ***
review: Demi Moore seeing how far she can push her career.
Face/Off
rating: **
review: John Travolta and Nicholas Cage see how far they can push their careers.
Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
rating: **
review: Brian Thompson tries to keep this unfortunate sequel afloat.
Princess Mononoke
rating: **
review: One of the first animes of the modern era to test whether American audiences are willing to enjoy something that was clearly never intended for them.
The Butcher Boy
rating: **
review: Youths misbehave, but with Irish accents.
Masterminds
rating: **
review: Patrick Stewart in a misguided effort to define his Hollywood role outside of franchises.
Dante's Peak
rating: **
review: Volcano movie. For some reason this was a competition that year.
Starship Troopers
rating: **
review: Hollywood's desperation to find the next Star Wars kind of reaches the bottom of the barrel. So naturally it was time for Star Wars itself to return.
Kull the Conqueror
rating: **
review: Basically Kevin Sorbo making a big screen Hercules. But "not" as Hercules.
Steel
rating: *
review: Not horrid. But clearly not budgeted sufficiently.
Spawn
rating: *
review: Clearly intended to be the Deadpool of 1997. Failed miserably.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Thursday, March 3, 2016
1996 Capsule Reviews
Star Trek: First Contact
rating: *****
review: Maybe I sound like I'm being less than objective when I heap this much praise on a Star Trek movie and admit that I'm an unabashed Star Trek fan. But one of the things critics always used against the franchise in their reviews is that while it had Patrick Stewart, it never gave him material worthy of him. Which is exactly what this movie does. It builds to a truly great moment in which Captain Picard realizes that he's let revenge get the better of him, with Stewart delivering some truly exceptional work to drive it home.
Looking for Richard
rating: *****
review: Al Pacino's examination of Richard III should be required viewing for anyone who still has yet to understand the appeal of Shakespeare.
Mission: Impossible
rating: ****
review: There's a reason why Tom Cruise keeps making these movies, and it's not just because they're his most reliable source for box office success. It's because he legitimately made this franchise his own, starting with a classic to kick it all off.
Independence Day
rating: ****
review: Where Jurassic Park left off, this is the blockbuster that ended up reviving Hollywood's efforts to crack open the box office with an idea that just blossomed all on its own, and solidly connected with audiences. Finally seeing a much-anticipated sequel twenty years later. Hopefully fans will appreciate this opportunity.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
rating: ****
review: Famously heckled as Marlon Brando's late career farce, I prefer to think of it as his direct criticism of the state of mankind, so that it is a farce, deliberately so. Also along for the ride are a game Val Kilmer and David Thewlis a few years before he became a known commodity.
From Dusk Till Dawn
rating: ****
review: Superfriends Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino collaborate directly on a film for the first and so far only time in their careers, and in the process give George Clooney an unlikely but thrilling start to his film career.
Jerry Maguire
rating: ****
review: For me, this is what an Oliver Stone romance would look like, a movie with a conscience as well as heart. Another of Tom Cruise's best.
The Cable Guy
rating: ****
review: Where Dumb and Dumber was deliriously unfocused, this famous Jim Carrey misfire was more like biting satire, and is arguably one of his best.
Trainspotting
rating: ****
review: One of the great '90s cult sensations has kind of been forgotten over the years, but stands toe-to-toe with similar movies from other decades, like A Clockwork Orange, and is probably better.
Happy Gilmore
rating: **8
review: The Adam Sandler phenomenon a few years later is justified by this earlier effort, in which he somehow turns Bob Barker into a legitimate scene-stealing star.
Primal Fear
rating: ***
review: Edward Norton, for far too many critics, could never live up to his career-making performance. But he's done better since, and in better movies.
Romeo + Juliet
rating: ***
review: In hindsight a snapshot of greatness-in-the-making, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as the famous doomed lovers.
The English Patient
rating: ***
review: You have to be very patient indeed to appreciate this one.
The Nutty Professor
rating: ***
review: Eddie Murphy revives his career but the biggest problem, or perhaps only problem, is that he has nothing to work against but himself.
Scream
rating: ***
review: Ingenious meta reconstruction of '80s horror tropes.
Hamlet
rating: ***
review: Thorough presentation of Shakespeare's famous tragedy.
Mars Attacks!
rating: ***
review: Madcap parody of Independence Day featuring Jack Nicholson in various roles.
That Thing You Do!
rating: ***
review: Tom Hanks directs the story of a fictional '60s band with everything but a Tom Hanks playing the lead.
Mary Reilly
rating: ***
review: Famously sunk Julia Roberts' career (briefly) but is otherwise a fun variation on Jekyll and Hyde.
The Fan
rating: **
review: Variation on the obsessed fan story featuring Robert De Niro.
The Rock
rating: **
review: Created the Nicholas Cage action genre.
The Phantom
rating: **
review: A preview of The Mask of Zorro, complete with Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Kingpin
rating: **
review: The best thing about this is Bill Murray's ridiculous hair.
Courage Under Fire
rating: **
review: Not exactly A Few Good Men.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
rating: **
review: Disney nobly trying something completely different.
The Quest
rating: **
review: Jean Claude Van Damme makes his own Bruce Lee movie.
Rumble in the Bronx
rating: **
review: Jackie Chan's breakout hit is not as entertaining as you'd think.
Crash
rating: Rubbish based on a rubbish book.
rating: *****
review: Maybe I sound like I'm being less than objective when I heap this much praise on a Star Trek movie and admit that I'm an unabashed Star Trek fan. But one of the things critics always used against the franchise in their reviews is that while it had Patrick Stewart, it never gave him material worthy of him. Which is exactly what this movie does. It builds to a truly great moment in which Captain Picard realizes that he's let revenge get the better of him, with Stewart delivering some truly exceptional work to drive it home.
Looking for Richard
rating: *****
review: Al Pacino's examination of Richard III should be required viewing for anyone who still has yet to understand the appeal of Shakespeare.
Mission: Impossible
rating: ****
review: There's a reason why Tom Cruise keeps making these movies, and it's not just because they're his most reliable source for box office success. It's because he legitimately made this franchise his own, starting with a classic to kick it all off.
Independence Day
rating: ****
review: Where Jurassic Park left off, this is the blockbuster that ended up reviving Hollywood's efforts to crack open the box office with an idea that just blossomed all on its own, and solidly connected with audiences. Finally seeing a much-anticipated sequel twenty years later. Hopefully fans will appreciate this opportunity.
The Island of Dr. Moreau
rating: ****
review: Famously heckled as Marlon Brando's late career farce, I prefer to think of it as his direct criticism of the state of mankind, so that it is a farce, deliberately so. Also along for the ride are a game Val Kilmer and David Thewlis a few years before he became a known commodity.
From Dusk Till Dawn
rating: ****
review: Superfriends Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino collaborate directly on a film for the first and so far only time in their careers, and in the process give George Clooney an unlikely but thrilling start to his film career.
Jerry Maguire
rating: ****
review: For me, this is what an Oliver Stone romance would look like, a movie with a conscience as well as heart. Another of Tom Cruise's best.
The Cable Guy
rating: ****
review: Where Dumb and Dumber was deliriously unfocused, this famous Jim Carrey misfire was more like biting satire, and is arguably one of his best.
Trainspotting
rating: ****
review: One of the great '90s cult sensations has kind of been forgotten over the years, but stands toe-to-toe with similar movies from other decades, like A Clockwork Orange, and is probably better.
Happy Gilmore
rating: **8
review: The Adam Sandler phenomenon a few years later is justified by this earlier effort, in which he somehow turns Bob Barker into a legitimate scene-stealing star.
Primal Fear
rating: ***
review: Edward Norton, for far too many critics, could never live up to his career-making performance. But he's done better since, and in better movies.
Romeo + Juliet
rating: ***
review: In hindsight a snapshot of greatness-in-the-making, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes as the famous doomed lovers.
The English Patient
rating: ***
review: You have to be very patient indeed to appreciate this one.
The Nutty Professor
rating: ***
review: Eddie Murphy revives his career but the biggest problem, or perhaps only problem, is that he has nothing to work against but himself.
Scream
rating: ***
review: Ingenious meta reconstruction of '80s horror tropes.
Hamlet
rating: ***
review: Thorough presentation of Shakespeare's famous tragedy.
Mars Attacks!
rating: ***
review: Madcap parody of Independence Day featuring Jack Nicholson in various roles.
That Thing You Do!
rating: ***
review: Tom Hanks directs the story of a fictional '60s band with everything but a Tom Hanks playing the lead.
Mary Reilly
rating: ***
review: Famously sunk Julia Roberts' career (briefly) but is otherwise a fun variation on Jekyll and Hyde.
The Fan
rating: **
review: Variation on the obsessed fan story featuring Robert De Niro.
The Rock
rating: **
review: Created the Nicholas Cage action genre.
The Phantom
rating: **
review: A preview of The Mask of Zorro, complete with Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Kingpin
rating: **
review: The best thing about this is Bill Murray's ridiculous hair.
Courage Under Fire
rating: **
review: Not exactly A Few Good Men.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
rating: **
review: Disney nobly trying something completely different.
The Quest
rating: **
review: Jean Claude Van Damme makes his own Bruce Lee movie.
Rumble in the Bronx
rating: **
review: Jackie Chan's breakout hit is not as entertaining as you'd think.
Crash
rating: Rubbish based on a rubbish book.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
1995 Capsule Reviews
Toy Story
rating: *****
review: Pixar becomes an instant phenomenon with this animated pairing of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen and the pleasures of childhood reinterpreted.
Grumpier Old Men
rating: ****
review: The second one is as good as the first, maybe even better, with everyone relaxing comfortably into their roles.
The Quick and the Dead
rating: ****
review: Sharon Stone plays the atypically typical Western lead with superb supporting help from up-and-coming talents Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Don Juan DeMarco
rating: ****
review: Impossibly romantic fantasy, basically a more adult Princess Bride, featuring Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando, the first great movie for one, and possibly the last great for the other.
Higher Learning
rating: ****
review: The great black drama from this era not directed by Spike Lee.
Desperado
rating: ****
review: You know Puss in Boots from the Shrek movies? It was the latterday version of movies like this, in which Antonio Banderas briefly looked like the second coming of Errol Flynn.
The Usual Suspects
rating: ****
review: Hollywood figures out Quentin Tarantino by unleashing the secret weapon known as Kevin Spacey.
Braveheart
rating: ****
review: Mel Gibson gives birth to the post-Kevin Costner historic epic with this portrait of the Scottish savior (ah, pun intended).
Mortal Kombat
rating: ****
review: Seems like an outrageously inflated rating, but then, it's also an outrageously entertaining video game movie, kind of an early preview of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Apollo 13
rating: ****
review: This is where Gravity/Interstellar/The Martian came from, the beginning of the popular perception that NASA only breeds tragedy, and great movies, these days.
Nixon
rating: ****
review: Oliver Stone presents a nuanced portrait of the controversial president.
Waterworld
rating: ***
review: Kevin Costner famously stumbles in his effort to create an entirely new epic vision. But it's not nearly as bad as legend suggests.
Batman Forever
rating: ***
review: As much as I love Jim Carrey, I think he's what ultimately tipped the balance in this iteration of the franchise, even though he was only logically following the tradition set by Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito before him.
12 Monkeys
rating: ***
review: Terry Gilliam and Bruce Willis attempt to keep up with Brad Pitt's efforts to distance himself from expectations.
Seven
rating: ***
review: In the tradition of Silence of the Lambs, the good guys have a hard time keeping up with the bad guy, this time Kevin Spacey (famously unbilled, but unlike in Usual Suspects a secret that been kept all these years). Brad Pitt again attempts to subvert expectations, this time with his classic freakout at the end of the movie.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
rating: ***
review: The follow-up to his first big hit finds Jim Carrey struggling mightily to find something else to say about the character.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
rating: ***
review: Not quite Robin Hood: Men in Tights, but this Mel Brooks parody of Bram Stoker's Dracula still provides some classic moments.
Dead Man Walking
rating: ***
review: Sean Penn successfully transforms his image into a dramatic actor, but the movie around him is so leaden that it's hard to remember why we should feel sorry for him.
Casino
rating: ***
review: Martin Scorsese returns to the gangster well without a compelling central lead. I guess this is what Goodfellas would be like without Ray Liotta's narration.
Bad Boys
rating: ***
review: Will Smith's first big movie is memorable enough for me to remember the name Mike Lowry, but he's got better things in the future.
Mr. Holland's Opus
rating: ***
review: Feel-good story, but ultimately about as iconic as the eponymous score.
Othello
rating: ***
review: Notable for being one of Laurence Fishburne's early lead performances.
Wild Bill
rating: ***
review: This Jeff Bridges Western is like a preview of the much greater artistic achievement The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
Four Rooms
rating: **
review: Unique collaborative effort that eventually led to the more successful Grindhouse, and as much as viewers tend to rag on Quentin Tarantino for doing it and thus spoiling his momentum, his segment is undeniably the best one and worthy of inclusion into his canon.
GoldenEye
rating: **
review: Pierce Brosnan's debut as Bond is a very good, though as far as I can tell, formulaic spin on the franchise.
Judge Dredd
rating: **
review: Sylvester Stallone attempts to make a movie out of an impossible proposition: basically a Western set in the future, with no awareness that this is exactly what it is.
Tommy Boy
rating: **
review: Chris Farley achieved stardom with this movie, but it's not exactly Blues Brothers.
Species
rating: **
review: These movies actually aren't terrible, but it's hard to make that argument seriously when they seem to go out of their way to be known first and foremost for nudity.
rating: *****
review: Pixar becomes an instant phenomenon with this animated pairing of Tom Hanks and Tim Allen and the pleasures of childhood reinterpreted.
Grumpier Old Men
rating: ****
review: The second one is as good as the first, maybe even better, with everyone relaxing comfortably into their roles.
The Quick and the Dead
rating: ****
review: Sharon Stone plays the atypically typical Western lead with superb supporting help from up-and-coming talents Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Don Juan DeMarco
rating: ****
review: Impossibly romantic fantasy, basically a more adult Princess Bride, featuring Johnny Depp and Marlon Brando, the first great movie for one, and possibly the last great for the other.
Higher Learning
rating: ****
review: The great black drama from this era not directed by Spike Lee.
Desperado
rating: ****
review: You know Puss in Boots from the Shrek movies? It was the latterday version of movies like this, in which Antonio Banderas briefly looked like the second coming of Errol Flynn.
The Usual Suspects
rating: ****
review: Hollywood figures out Quentin Tarantino by unleashing the secret weapon known as Kevin Spacey.
Braveheart
rating: ****
review: Mel Gibson gives birth to the post-Kevin Costner historic epic with this portrait of the Scottish savior (ah, pun intended).
Mortal Kombat
rating: ****
review: Seems like an outrageously inflated rating, but then, it's also an outrageously entertaining video game movie, kind of an early preview of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Apollo 13
rating: ****
review: This is where Gravity/Interstellar/The Martian came from, the beginning of the popular perception that NASA only breeds tragedy, and great movies, these days.
Nixon
rating: ****
review: Oliver Stone presents a nuanced portrait of the controversial president.
Waterworld
rating: ***
review: Kevin Costner famously stumbles in his effort to create an entirely new epic vision. But it's not nearly as bad as legend suggests.
Batman Forever
rating: ***
review: As much as I love Jim Carrey, I think he's what ultimately tipped the balance in this iteration of the franchise, even though he was only logically following the tradition set by Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito before him.
12 Monkeys
rating: ***
review: Terry Gilliam and Bruce Willis attempt to keep up with Brad Pitt's efforts to distance himself from expectations.
Seven
rating: ***
review: In the tradition of Silence of the Lambs, the good guys have a hard time keeping up with the bad guy, this time Kevin Spacey (famously unbilled, but unlike in Usual Suspects a secret that been kept all these years). Brad Pitt again attempts to subvert expectations, this time with his classic freakout at the end of the movie.
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
rating: ***
review: The follow-up to his first big hit finds Jim Carrey struggling mightily to find something else to say about the character.
Dracula: Dead and Loving It
rating: ***
review: Not quite Robin Hood: Men in Tights, but this Mel Brooks parody of Bram Stoker's Dracula still provides some classic moments.
Dead Man Walking
rating: ***
review: Sean Penn successfully transforms his image into a dramatic actor, but the movie around him is so leaden that it's hard to remember why we should feel sorry for him.
Casino
rating: ***
review: Martin Scorsese returns to the gangster well without a compelling central lead. I guess this is what Goodfellas would be like without Ray Liotta's narration.
Bad Boys
rating: ***
review: Will Smith's first big movie is memorable enough for me to remember the name Mike Lowry, but he's got better things in the future.
Mr. Holland's Opus
rating: ***
review: Feel-good story, but ultimately about as iconic as the eponymous score.
Othello
rating: ***
review: Notable for being one of Laurence Fishburne's early lead performances.
Wild Bill
rating: ***
review: This Jeff Bridges Western is like a preview of the much greater artistic achievement The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
Four Rooms
rating: **
review: Unique collaborative effort that eventually led to the more successful Grindhouse, and as much as viewers tend to rag on Quentin Tarantino for doing it and thus spoiling his momentum, his segment is undeniably the best one and worthy of inclusion into his canon.
GoldenEye
rating: **
review: Pierce Brosnan's debut as Bond is a very good, though as far as I can tell, formulaic spin on the franchise.
Judge Dredd
rating: **
review: Sylvester Stallone attempts to make a movie out of an impossible proposition: basically a Western set in the future, with no awareness that this is exactly what it is.
Tommy Boy
rating: **
review: Chris Farley achieved stardom with this movie, but it's not exactly Blues Brothers.
Species
rating: **
review: These movies actually aren't terrible, but it's hard to make that argument seriously when they seem to go out of their way to be known first and foremost for nudity.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
1994 Capsule Reviews
Pulp Fiction
rating: *****
review: Quentin Tarantino's ambitious tour de force leaves us with Samuel L. Jackson's iconic performance as the philosophic hitman Jules, but John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis are eager contenders in the mix.
The Shawshank Redemption
rating: *****
review: Often dismissed by critics as a chick flick for guys, it's also Stephen King at his most elegiac and may in fact by his best lasting contribution to the culture, and had, like Pulp Fiction, an iconic performance in Morgan Freeman's narrator, which has rightly influenced the course of his career as a vocal institution.
Forrest Gump
rating: *****
review: Often skewered for having beaten the above two for the Best Picture Oscar, few observers tend to analyze exactly what it accomplishes as a film, delivering a textbook portrait of America as it evolves over the course of Gump's lifetime. In a lot of ways, does exactly what Oliver Stone was attempting for years, but with the benefit of Tom Hanks in the lead.
Star Trek Generations
rating: ****
review: Given the thankless task of inventing the modern obsession with inclusive mythology by having Captain Kirk and his Next Generation counterpart Picard meet, plus usher in Picard's movie adventures after what some fans saw as the premature end of his TV run...See how much rode on this one? Yet it succeeds by subverting all expectations, uniquely winking at the whole concept's origins as a Western analogy when it has the two leads share a horse riding sequence, and sends Kirk off in an old-fashioned showdown. It also sets up the Next Generation movie dynamic between Picard and Data, a more concise answer to Kirk and Spock that more wisely crescendos with one of them dying rather than begin with it...
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
rating: ****
review: Jim Carrey finally finds his breakout vehicle and ushers in the modern comedic id.
Wyatt Earp
rating: ****
review: The uncelebrated end to Kevin Costner's incredible hot streak sees him tackle one last cultural touchstone, the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, with a game Dennis Quaid turning in an equally overlooked career performance as Doc Holliday.
The Mask
rating: ****
review: Hollywood very quickly realized what it had in Jim Carrey, and had this even more outrageous movie waiting in the wings.
The Santa Clause
rating: ****
review: Tim Allen, for a brief period, topped the box office, TV ratings, and the bestsellers charts simultaneously, something he absolutely earned with his spoof on the male ego. Here he subverts it by becoming Santa.
Stargate
rating: ***
review: Fans kind of ruined everything by embracing the later, mediocre TV version, but the franchise kicked off in fine fashion.
Natural Born Killers
rating: ***
review: Oliver Stone switches gears and does his best version of Quentin Tarantino (aided by a Quentin Tarantino script) in this livid portrait of tabloid television.
Legends of the Fall
rating: ***
review: Tries gamely to make Brad Pitt a kind of mythic American.
Maverick
rating: ***
review: Mel Gibson does his best James Garner, who comes along for the ride! This was just before Hollywood knew what to do with Gibson on a permanent basis. And of course now...
The Lion King
rating: ***
review: This was Disney's big creative statement after the big success of its creative comeback. Rightly has an earnest following, but it's also missing that central spark and ends up being kind of the movie that happens around it, the supporting cast of any other effort.
Street Fighter
rating: **
review: A game adaptation of a fighter video game, which ends up working better as Mortal Kombat.
True Lies
rating: **
review: Arnold Schwarzenegger does a fun little movie that's the rare combination of his comedy and action efforts.
Dumb and Dumber
rating: **
review: At this point, Jim Carrey could do no wrong in the eyes of the public. Except this really is, basically, dumb.
Clerks
rating: **
review: On the opposite side of the Quentin Tarantino phenomenon, the outsider who improbably made it into Hollywood, is Kevin Smith. I'll never understand this one.
rating: *****
review: Quentin Tarantino's ambitious tour de force leaves us with Samuel L. Jackson's iconic performance as the philosophic hitman Jules, but John Travolta, Uma Thurman, and Bruce Willis are eager contenders in the mix.
The Shawshank Redemption
rating: *****
review: Often dismissed by critics as a chick flick for guys, it's also Stephen King at his most elegiac and may in fact by his best lasting contribution to the culture, and had, like Pulp Fiction, an iconic performance in Morgan Freeman's narrator, which has rightly influenced the course of his career as a vocal institution.
Forrest Gump
rating: *****
review: Often skewered for having beaten the above two for the Best Picture Oscar, few observers tend to analyze exactly what it accomplishes as a film, delivering a textbook portrait of America as it evolves over the course of Gump's lifetime. In a lot of ways, does exactly what Oliver Stone was attempting for years, but with the benefit of Tom Hanks in the lead.
Star Trek Generations
rating: ****
review: Given the thankless task of inventing the modern obsession with inclusive mythology by having Captain Kirk and his Next Generation counterpart Picard meet, plus usher in Picard's movie adventures after what some fans saw as the premature end of his TV run...See how much rode on this one? Yet it succeeds by subverting all expectations, uniquely winking at the whole concept's origins as a Western analogy when it has the two leads share a horse riding sequence, and sends Kirk off in an old-fashioned showdown. It also sets up the Next Generation movie dynamic between Picard and Data, a more concise answer to Kirk and Spock that more wisely crescendos with one of them dying rather than begin with it...
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
rating: ****
review: Jim Carrey finally finds his breakout vehicle and ushers in the modern comedic id.
Wyatt Earp
rating: ****
review: The uncelebrated end to Kevin Costner's incredible hot streak sees him tackle one last cultural touchstone, the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, with a game Dennis Quaid turning in an equally overlooked career performance as Doc Holliday.
The Mask
rating: ****
review: Hollywood very quickly realized what it had in Jim Carrey, and had this even more outrageous movie waiting in the wings.
The Santa Clause
rating: ****
review: Tim Allen, for a brief period, topped the box office, TV ratings, and the bestsellers charts simultaneously, something he absolutely earned with his spoof on the male ego. Here he subverts it by becoming Santa.
Stargate
rating: ***
review: Fans kind of ruined everything by embracing the later, mediocre TV version, but the franchise kicked off in fine fashion.
Natural Born Killers
rating: ***
review: Oliver Stone switches gears and does his best version of Quentin Tarantino (aided by a Quentin Tarantino script) in this livid portrait of tabloid television.
Legends of the Fall
rating: ***
review: Tries gamely to make Brad Pitt a kind of mythic American.
Maverick
rating: ***
review: Mel Gibson does his best James Garner, who comes along for the ride! This was just before Hollywood knew what to do with Gibson on a permanent basis. And of course now...
The Lion King
rating: ***
review: This was Disney's big creative statement after the big success of its creative comeback. Rightly has an earnest following, but it's also missing that central spark and ends up being kind of the movie that happens around it, the supporting cast of any other effort.
Street Fighter
rating: **
review: A game adaptation of a fighter video game, which ends up working better as Mortal Kombat.
True Lies
rating: **
review: Arnold Schwarzenegger does a fun little movie that's the rare combination of his comedy and action efforts.
Dumb and Dumber
rating: **
review: At this point, Jim Carrey could do no wrong in the eyes of the public. Except this really is, basically, dumb.
Clerks
rating: **
review: On the opposite side of the Quentin Tarantino phenomenon, the outsider who improbably made it into Hollywood, is Kevin Smith. I'll never understand this one.
Monday, February 29, 2016
1993 Capsule Reviews
Schindler's List
rating: *****
review: This is Spielberg at the height of his powers, telling a story that speaks for itself in terms of significance, but also subverts a lot of expectations by casting its hero as anything but a superhero. Liam Neeson has never again had a role like this. Ralph Fiennes, meanwhile, is good enough to have parlayed his bad guy into a very good career in which he's rarely played the bad guy again. Except, y'know, as Voldemort.
Groundhog Day
rating: ****
review: For a generation, embodied the concept of the repeating day narrative, and easily served up Bill Murray's most endearing performance.
Grumpy Old Men
rating: ****
review: I've never understood why critics tend to be so grumpy about this one. It's classic comedy at its finest, improbably reuniting a classic comedy pairing (Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, the original Odd Couple) for the best comedy of their careers.
True Romance
rating: ****
review: In the rush to capitalize on Quentin Tarantino's sensational debut, Hollywood turned to...Quentin Tarantino for some help. His script helped make this arguably better than Tarantino's own Reservoir Dogs. It's a preview, at the very least, for the kind of filmmaker Tarantino would become.
Heaven and Earth
rating: ****
review: Oliver Stone returns to Vietnam to explore the native experience in this little-known drama.
Philadelphia
rating: ****
review: Tom Hanks' first great drama is also the one that netted him his first Best Actor Oscar.
Much Ado About Nothing
rating: ****
review: Guaranteed to make anyone leery to embrace Shakespeare to in fact love the Bard.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
rating: ****
review: Mel Brooks directly parodies Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and despite what history tends to say, ends up with another classic.
The Snapper
rating: ***
review: Colm Meaney, the Irish actor who for years plied his trade in Star Trek TV shows, had a series of movies in which he got to stretch a little, and this was his first direct spotlight in them.
Mrs. Doubtfire
rating: ***
review: Robin Williams finds all but the perfect role post-Aladdin, and most of it works perfectly, until you look back at it in hindsight. Jim Carrey made this kind of movie better in Liar, Liar.
The Fugitive
rating: ***
review: Classic retelling of a cult TV series features Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones in one of their signature movies, but spends so much time in the chase that neither one, upon further examination, has too much to do, as made all too clear in how each of them followed it up. Jones made the quasi-sequel U.S. Marshalls, which made it all too clear how little his character really had to work with, and Ford made more action movies with more clearly-defined roles. But it's still a milestone.
Kalifornia
rating: ***
review: This is the movie Juliette Lewis made before Natural Born Killers and is every bit its spiritual predecessor. The problem is, it's not as good. It's a Hollywood version of Quentin Tarantino without Quentin Tarantino. This time it just doesn't work. But the good news is that it's also got Brad Pitt, so it's worth watching anyway.
The Thing Called Love
rating: ***
review: In the eternal search to discover what kind of actor the mature River Phoenix would have been, fans will always examine what he left behind to find out. This otherwise standard drama also has a young Sandra Bullock going for it, so it's not a bad place to start.
Gettysburg
rating: ***
review: In many ways, as full of romanticism as Gone with the Wind.
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
rating: ***
review: It's sad that the greatest martial artist ever to appear in the movies didn't live long enough to be in a movie truly worthy of his talents. This is close enough.
The Man Without a Face
rating: ***
review: In the wake of Mel Gibson's sensational The Passion of the Christ, well-meaning but horribly misinformed fans thought this was some kind of biopic. It's a good movie, but it's...definitely not Gibson's life story.
Dave
rating: ***
review: Is Kevin Kline really the president? No. Is this still a fun movie? Yes! Of course, it's also just the tip of the iceberg in the emerging Hollywood obsession with presidential movies, which still sees no end in sight.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
rating: ***
review: I can think of fewer movies that have impacted the culture more with less memory with what actually happened in the movie. Less a holiday classic and more Burton's, perhaps, ideal movie.
Jurassic Park
rating: ***
review: A whole cultural phenomenon in its own right (and last year spawned a sequel that again rehashed a plot that really has nowhere to go), part of the dinosaur obsession of that time, that helped define the '90s blockbuster.
Romper Stomper
rating: **
review: Russell Crowe's breakout film is probably not what you'd expect. His subsequent Hollywood career really doesn't reflect it at all, which is kind of weird.
El Mariachi
rating: **
review: Robert Rodriguez's breakout film is more recognizable, meanwhile, because it was basically remade, better, as Desperado.
It's All True
rating: **
review: Fascinating attempt to reconstruct, as a documentary about a documentary, a lost Orson Welles film, which curiously falls apart when it unwisely presents an extended sequence that for its lack of completeness, fails miserably to provide the coda that would have sealed the deal. More successful is the credits music featuring Welles boisterously detailing his observations on Brazilian music as we listen to it.
Cool Runnings
rating: **
review: An odd mix of a comedy attempting to simultaneously provide a feel-good message.
Tombstone
rating: **
review: I continue to contend that it's outclassed in every regard by Wyatt Earp.
Hocus Pocus
rating: **
review: Odd comedy that attempts to make witches sympathetic by making them as pathetic as possible.
Free Willy
rating: **
review: The most famous example of that era's push to make people care about whales as an endangered species.
rating: *****
review: This is Spielberg at the height of his powers, telling a story that speaks for itself in terms of significance, but also subverts a lot of expectations by casting its hero as anything but a superhero. Liam Neeson has never again had a role like this. Ralph Fiennes, meanwhile, is good enough to have parlayed his bad guy into a very good career in which he's rarely played the bad guy again. Except, y'know, as Voldemort.
Groundhog Day
rating: ****
review: For a generation, embodied the concept of the repeating day narrative, and easily served up Bill Murray's most endearing performance.
Grumpy Old Men
rating: ****
review: I've never understood why critics tend to be so grumpy about this one. It's classic comedy at its finest, improbably reuniting a classic comedy pairing (Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, the original Odd Couple) for the best comedy of their careers.
True Romance
rating: ****
review: In the rush to capitalize on Quentin Tarantino's sensational debut, Hollywood turned to...Quentin Tarantino for some help. His script helped make this arguably better than Tarantino's own Reservoir Dogs. It's a preview, at the very least, for the kind of filmmaker Tarantino would become.
Heaven and Earth
rating: ****
review: Oliver Stone returns to Vietnam to explore the native experience in this little-known drama.
Philadelphia
rating: ****
review: Tom Hanks' first great drama is also the one that netted him his first Best Actor Oscar.
Much Ado About Nothing
rating: ****
review: Guaranteed to make anyone leery to embrace Shakespeare to in fact love the Bard.
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
rating: ****
review: Mel Brooks directly parodies Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and despite what history tends to say, ends up with another classic.
The Snapper
rating: ***
review: Colm Meaney, the Irish actor who for years plied his trade in Star Trek TV shows, had a series of movies in which he got to stretch a little, and this was his first direct spotlight in them.
Mrs. Doubtfire
rating: ***
review: Robin Williams finds all but the perfect role post-Aladdin, and most of it works perfectly, until you look back at it in hindsight. Jim Carrey made this kind of movie better in Liar, Liar.
The Fugitive
rating: ***
review: Classic retelling of a cult TV series features Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones in one of their signature movies, but spends so much time in the chase that neither one, upon further examination, has too much to do, as made all too clear in how each of them followed it up. Jones made the quasi-sequel U.S. Marshalls, which made it all too clear how little his character really had to work with, and Ford made more action movies with more clearly-defined roles. But it's still a milestone.
Kalifornia
rating: ***
review: This is the movie Juliette Lewis made before Natural Born Killers and is every bit its spiritual predecessor. The problem is, it's not as good. It's a Hollywood version of Quentin Tarantino without Quentin Tarantino. This time it just doesn't work. But the good news is that it's also got Brad Pitt, so it's worth watching anyway.
The Thing Called Love
rating: ***
review: In the eternal search to discover what kind of actor the mature River Phoenix would have been, fans will always examine what he left behind to find out. This otherwise standard drama also has a young Sandra Bullock going for it, so it's not a bad place to start.
Gettysburg
rating: ***
review: In many ways, as full of romanticism as Gone with the Wind.
Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
rating: ***
review: It's sad that the greatest martial artist ever to appear in the movies didn't live long enough to be in a movie truly worthy of his talents. This is close enough.
The Man Without a Face
rating: ***
review: In the wake of Mel Gibson's sensational The Passion of the Christ, well-meaning but horribly misinformed fans thought this was some kind of biopic. It's a good movie, but it's...definitely not Gibson's life story.
Dave
rating: ***
review: Is Kevin Kline really the president? No. Is this still a fun movie? Yes! Of course, it's also just the tip of the iceberg in the emerging Hollywood obsession with presidential movies, which still sees no end in sight.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
rating: ***
review: I can think of fewer movies that have impacted the culture more with less memory with what actually happened in the movie. Less a holiday classic and more Burton's, perhaps, ideal movie.
Jurassic Park
rating: ***
review: A whole cultural phenomenon in its own right (and last year spawned a sequel that again rehashed a plot that really has nowhere to go), part of the dinosaur obsession of that time, that helped define the '90s blockbuster.
Romper Stomper
rating: **
review: Russell Crowe's breakout film is probably not what you'd expect. His subsequent Hollywood career really doesn't reflect it at all, which is kind of weird.
El Mariachi
rating: **
review: Robert Rodriguez's breakout film is more recognizable, meanwhile, because it was basically remade, better, as Desperado.
It's All True
rating: **
review: Fascinating attempt to reconstruct, as a documentary about a documentary, a lost Orson Welles film, which curiously falls apart when it unwisely presents an extended sequence that for its lack of completeness, fails miserably to provide the coda that would have sealed the deal. More successful is the credits music featuring Welles boisterously detailing his observations on Brazilian music as we listen to it.
Cool Runnings
rating: **
review: An odd mix of a comedy attempting to simultaneously provide a feel-good message.
Tombstone
rating: **
review: I continue to contend that it's outclassed in every regard by Wyatt Earp.
Hocus Pocus
rating: **
review: Odd comedy that attempts to make witches sympathetic by making them as pathetic as possible.
Free Willy
rating: **
review: The most famous example of that era's push to make people care about whales as an endangered species.
Friday, February 26, 2016
1992 Capsule Reviews
Malcolm X
rating: *****
review: Spike Lee's masterpiece, a biopic of the '60s black leader not named Martin Luther King, Jr. Denzel Washington has his first great starring role as the eponymous icon.
Reservoir Dogs
rating: ****
review: Quentin Tarantino's explosive debut features a complete revision of the hoodlum genre and career-making performances for every member of the cast.
Aladdin
rating: ****
review: Disney's third exceptional animated film in as many efforts brings the quality level back down to earth, although finds a real phenomenon in giving Robin Williams perhaps his greatest role as the Genie.
A Few Good Men
rating: ****
review: The only thing wrong with this movie is that Jack Nicholson ultimately steals the show right from under lead Tom Cruise, who proves overmatched on this occasion.
The Cutting Edge
rating: ****
review: For a nation that was at that time obsessed with figure skating, it's good that someone made a really good movie out of it at the same time.
Sister Act
rating: ****
review: Whoopi Goldberg's greatest role fires on all cylinders except in the plot that is kind of shoehorned in to make it happen in the first place. But it's nice to see Maggie Smith and Harvey Keitel try to redeem thankless roles around her.
Batman Returns
rating: ****
review: Tim Burton's second dance with the Dark Knight takes all of its notes from the Burton playbook, and succeeds as everything, basically, except a Batman movie. Which is just weird.
A River Runs Through It
rating: ****
review: Robert Redford delivers one of the two ridiculously earnest movies Brad Pitt made in this period (along with Legends of the Fall). You can swap the term "earnest" with "elegiac," depending on how much you go along with it. This was like a movie version of The Waltons.
A League of Their Own
rating: ****
review: This was an era in which supporting performances could very easily upstage the main event. Hence why I still love quoting Tom Hanks' immortal: "There's no crying in baseball!"
Bram Stoker's Dracula
rating: ****
review: This sensational revision of the character back to its roots is perfectly in-line with the rest of Hollywood in this era.
Chaplin
rating: ****
review: Robert Downey, Jr. matures as an actor in this portrait of an early Hollywood favorite.
Wayne's World
rating: ***
review: Like Bill and Ted, Wayne and Garth are two comedy icons from this period that kind of became period specific.
Noises Off
rating: ***
review: A fine adaptation of classic live theater farce.
Brain Donors
rating: ***
review: An attempt to revive classic Hollywood farce. (Previously I pointed out how Hollywood seemed to so eagerly try and bury this period. I think it's because it tried so hard to reinvent the wheel.)
Unforgiven
rating: ***
review: Almost like an update of The Shootist, John Wayne's classic final film, Clint Eastwood introduces the new normal of the Hollywood Western, in which something big (an aging cowboy played by an iconic actor returning to form) is necessary for anyone to care again about the genre.
Scent of a Woman
rating: ***
review: Ironically, another emerging actor (this time Chris O'Donnell) unwittingly duplicates Tom Cruise's experience in A Few Good Men, this time with Al Pacino, and far too early in his career.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
rating: ***
review: The Muppets concede that they need to do something drastic to be relevant again, and turn to adapting classic novels. My dad swears by this version. Doesn't hurt to feature Michael Caine.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
rating: **
review: Exactly like the first one, only not as fresh.
The Mighty Ducks
rating: **
review: Kicked off the young actors craze. Ended up inspiring a real NHL team. About what you'd expect, otherwise, from a sports film.
Honey, I Blew Up the Kids
rating: **
review: Yeah, somehow this happened. No doubt fun to watch, but...
Toys
rating: **
review: Not bad, Robin Williams, but also a waste of your potential.
rating: *****
review: Spike Lee's masterpiece, a biopic of the '60s black leader not named Martin Luther King, Jr. Denzel Washington has his first great starring role as the eponymous icon.
Reservoir Dogs
rating: ****
review: Quentin Tarantino's explosive debut features a complete revision of the hoodlum genre and career-making performances for every member of the cast.
Aladdin
rating: ****
review: Disney's third exceptional animated film in as many efforts brings the quality level back down to earth, although finds a real phenomenon in giving Robin Williams perhaps his greatest role as the Genie.
A Few Good Men
rating: ****
review: The only thing wrong with this movie is that Jack Nicholson ultimately steals the show right from under lead Tom Cruise, who proves overmatched on this occasion.
The Cutting Edge
rating: ****
review: For a nation that was at that time obsessed with figure skating, it's good that someone made a really good movie out of it at the same time.
Sister Act
rating: ****
review: Whoopi Goldberg's greatest role fires on all cylinders except in the plot that is kind of shoehorned in to make it happen in the first place. But it's nice to see Maggie Smith and Harvey Keitel try to redeem thankless roles around her.
Batman Returns
rating: ****
review: Tim Burton's second dance with the Dark Knight takes all of its notes from the Burton playbook, and succeeds as everything, basically, except a Batman movie. Which is just weird.
A River Runs Through It
rating: ****
review: Robert Redford delivers one of the two ridiculously earnest movies Brad Pitt made in this period (along with Legends of the Fall). You can swap the term "earnest" with "elegiac," depending on how much you go along with it. This was like a movie version of The Waltons.
A League of Their Own
rating: ****
review: This was an era in which supporting performances could very easily upstage the main event. Hence why I still love quoting Tom Hanks' immortal: "There's no crying in baseball!"
Bram Stoker's Dracula
rating: ****
review: This sensational revision of the character back to its roots is perfectly in-line with the rest of Hollywood in this era.
Chaplin
rating: ****
review: Robert Downey, Jr. matures as an actor in this portrait of an early Hollywood favorite.
Wayne's World
rating: ***
review: Like Bill and Ted, Wayne and Garth are two comedy icons from this period that kind of became period specific.
Noises Off
rating: ***
review: A fine adaptation of classic live theater farce.
Brain Donors
rating: ***
review: An attempt to revive classic Hollywood farce. (Previously I pointed out how Hollywood seemed to so eagerly try and bury this period. I think it's because it tried so hard to reinvent the wheel.)
Unforgiven
rating: ***
review: Almost like an update of The Shootist, John Wayne's classic final film, Clint Eastwood introduces the new normal of the Hollywood Western, in which something big (an aging cowboy played by an iconic actor returning to form) is necessary for anyone to care again about the genre.
Scent of a Woman
rating: ***
review: Ironically, another emerging actor (this time Chris O'Donnell) unwittingly duplicates Tom Cruise's experience in A Few Good Men, this time with Al Pacino, and far too early in his career.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
rating: ***
review: The Muppets concede that they need to do something drastic to be relevant again, and turn to adapting classic novels. My dad swears by this version. Doesn't hurt to feature Michael Caine.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
rating: **
review: Exactly like the first one, only not as fresh.
The Mighty Ducks
rating: **
review: Kicked off the young actors craze. Ended up inspiring a real NHL team. About what you'd expect, otherwise, from a sports film.
Honey, I Blew Up the Kids
rating: **
review: Yeah, somehow this happened. No doubt fun to watch, but...
Toys
rating: **
review: Not bad, Robin Williams, but also a waste of your potential.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
1991 Capsule Reviews
JFK
rating: *****
review: Oliver Stone's perfect movie, whether you believe his conclusions or not, in which he deconstructs Kennedy's assassination and a version of the popular conspiracy theory narrative that has built up around it over the years.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
rating: ****
review: Fans still consider Wrath of Khan to be the perfect Star Trek film, but it's hard to contend, at least for a film featuring the original cast, with this nuanced portrait of Starfleet/Klingon relations that also covers real-world political events from the Cold War that inspired it.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
rating: ****
review: The movie that officially launched James Cameron's blockbuster career is nearly perfect, and helped Hollywood finally begin to deconstruct the Star Wars phenomenon once and for all, so that in another decade, this kind of movie is released all the time.
Hook
rating: ****
review: Routinely listed as one of Spielberg's rare misses, this is another 1991 deconstruction (I guess that was the running theme) that probably asked audiences to think too much about Peter Pan to succeed on its own merit.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
rating: ****
review: Kevin Costner in this period was absolutely untouchable, although this movie also stands as the starting point of audiences questioning whether the lead actor was in fact ethnically miscast. In truth, it doesn't matter. Despite the ongoing love for the romanticism of Errol Flynn, this is by far the better movie. This was a whole era in which moviemaking started to grow up.
The Doors
rating: ****
review: Honestly, I think this second Stone flick from the years has just gotten lost in the shuffle. It's an excellent portrait of Jim Morrison, and Val Kilmer absolutely nails his performance. Probably a victim of the emerging Stone backlash.
The Fisher King
rating: ****
review: Terry Gilliam begins to mature as a filmmaker, pulling all his best impulses together, which doesn't hurt when he's got Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams to work with.
Beauty and the Beast
rating: ****
review: Famously the first animated feature to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, this was Disney maturing along with the rest of Hollywood plain and simple.
What About Bob?
rating: ***
review: A minor Bill Murray classic, in which he drives Richard Dreyfuss crazy. Kicked off a Dreyfuss renaissance that culminated in Mr. Holland's Opus.
The Commitments
rating: ***
review: Classic rock drama that happens to feature an Irish cast.
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
rating: ***
review: These were excellent (heh) movies, but another case where this whole period in film history was somewhat hastily pasted over for later '90s developments. Basically Bill & Ted's Divine Comedy.
White Fang
rating: ***
review: This was my introduction to both Jack London and Ethan Hawke.
My Girl
rating: ***
review: More so than the young stars, including an oddly supporting turn from sudden megastar Macaulay Culkin, it's actually the unusually melancholy performance from Dan Ackroyd as the father that sticks with me.
Thelma and Louise
rating: ***
review: Don't tell the girls, but this female Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is better known, to me and possibly to a lot of other fans, as the movie stolen by a young Brad Pitt.
Point Break
rating: ***
review: The juxtaposition between Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves is even more excellent than Bill and Ted, but it's a movie that juggles the line between cheese and awesome even more uncomfortably. Eventually gave birth to an excellent film series: The Fast and the Furious.
Shipwrecked
rating: ***
review: This was a childhood favorite, and paved the way for my Pirates of the Caribbean obsession.
The Rocketeer
rating: ***
review: Like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, its wonderful nostalgic anachronism is fun to watch, but doesn't quite duplicate, say, Indiana Jones.
Life Stinks
rating: **
review: Mel Brooks in an original movie that set the tone for a lot of '90s cynicism that eventually coalesced around Seinfeld.
Fried Green Tomatoes
rating: **
review: One of those archetypal chick flicks that you would probably have to be specifically geared toward to rate higher. But then, you can probably guess some of my own biases. So at least I'm being honest.
The Silence of the Lambs
rating: **
review: Source for our ongoing obsession with police procedurals on TV, made iconic in the few minutes Anthony Hopkins appears as Hannibal Lecter.
King Ralph
rating: **
review: I vaguely remember this John Goodman movie, but the similar Dave with Kevin Kline ages better in my memory.
Jungle Fever
rating: **
review: It's kind of funny. Spike Lee came around at a time when there was considerable racial unrest. It's a little odd that there isn't someone like him right now. This was one of the movies in his string of studies on the subject, that isn't quite up to par.
Highlander 2: The Quickening
rating: **
review: There are actually two cuts of this movie available, one that completely excises the apparently controversial origin element of the alien origin for the immortals running around in this series. I kind of like both.
Hudson Hawk
rating: **
review: One of the poster children for vanity projects from this period and their incredibly poor reputations, I actually like it. Bruce Willis clearly just wanted to have fun, but he became pigeon-holed as someone who instead had to be grim all the time. Now he has no fun at all. See what happened, folks?
The Neverending Story II
rating: **
review: It's definitely one of those historical ironies that a movie with this title had a sequel that didn't not beg for another sequel.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II
rating: **
review: Pegged in history as part of the Vanilla Ice phenomenon.
rating: *****
review: Oliver Stone's perfect movie, whether you believe his conclusions or not, in which he deconstructs Kennedy's assassination and a version of the popular conspiracy theory narrative that has built up around it over the years.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
rating: ****
review: Fans still consider Wrath of Khan to be the perfect Star Trek film, but it's hard to contend, at least for a film featuring the original cast, with this nuanced portrait of Starfleet/Klingon relations that also covers real-world political events from the Cold War that inspired it.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
rating: ****
review: The movie that officially launched James Cameron's blockbuster career is nearly perfect, and helped Hollywood finally begin to deconstruct the Star Wars phenomenon once and for all, so that in another decade, this kind of movie is released all the time.
Hook
rating: ****
review: Routinely listed as one of Spielberg's rare misses, this is another 1991 deconstruction (I guess that was the running theme) that probably asked audiences to think too much about Peter Pan to succeed on its own merit.
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
rating: ****
review: Kevin Costner in this period was absolutely untouchable, although this movie also stands as the starting point of audiences questioning whether the lead actor was in fact ethnically miscast. In truth, it doesn't matter. Despite the ongoing love for the romanticism of Errol Flynn, this is by far the better movie. This was a whole era in which moviemaking started to grow up.
The Doors
rating: ****
review: Honestly, I think this second Stone flick from the years has just gotten lost in the shuffle. It's an excellent portrait of Jim Morrison, and Val Kilmer absolutely nails his performance. Probably a victim of the emerging Stone backlash.
The Fisher King
rating: ****
review: Terry Gilliam begins to mature as a filmmaker, pulling all his best impulses together, which doesn't hurt when he's got Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams to work with.
Beauty and the Beast
rating: ****
review: Famously the first animated feature to be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, this was Disney maturing along with the rest of Hollywood plain and simple.
What About Bob?
rating: ***
review: A minor Bill Murray classic, in which he drives Richard Dreyfuss crazy. Kicked off a Dreyfuss renaissance that culminated in Mr. Holland's Opus.
The Commitments
rating: ***
review: Classic rock drama that happens to feature an Irish cast.
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey
rating: ***
review: These were excellent (heh) movies, but another case where this whole period in film history was somewhat hastily pasted over for later '90s developments. Basically Bill & Ted's Divine Comedy.
White Fang
rating: ***
review: This was my introduction to both Jack London and Ethan Hawke.
My Girl
rating: ***
review: More so than the young stars, including an oddly supporting turn from sudden megastar Macaulay Culkin, it's actually the unusually melancholy performance from Dan Ackroyd as the father that sticks with me.
Thelma and Louise
rating: ***
review: Don't tell the girls, but this female Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is better known, to me and possibly to a lot of other fans, as the movie stolen by a young Brad Pitt.
Point Break
rating: ***
review: The juxtaposition between Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves is even more excellent than Bill and Ted, but it's a movie that juggles the line between cheese and awesome even more uncomfortably. Eventually gave birth to an excellent film series: The Fast and the Furious.
Shipwrecked
rating: ***
review: This was a childhood favorite, and paved the way for my Pirates of the Caribbean obsession.
The Rocketeer
rating: ***
review: Like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, its wonderful nostalgic anachronism is fun to watch, but doesn't quite duplicate, say, Indiana Jones.
Life Stinks
rating: **
review: Mel Brooks in an original movie that set the tone for a lot of '90s cynicism that eventually coalesced around Seinfeld.
Fried Green Tomatoes
rating: **
review: One of those archetypal chick flicks that you would probably have to be specifically geared toward to rate higher. But then, you can probably guess some of my own biases. So at least I'm being honest.
The Silence of the Lambs
rating: **
review: Source for our ongoing obsession with police procedurals on TV, made iconic in the few minutes Anthony Hopkins appears as Hannibal Lecter.
King Ralph
rating: **
review: I vaguely remember this John Goodman movie, but the similar Dave with Kevin Kline ages better in my memory.
Jungle Fever
rating: **
review: It's kind of funny. Spike Lee came around at a time when there was considerable racial unrest. It's a little odd that there isn't someone like him right now. This was one of the movies in his string of studies on the subject, that isn't quite up to par.
Highlander 2: The Quickening
rating: **
review: There are actually two cuts of this movie available, one that completely excises the apparently controversial origin element of the alien origin for the immortals running around in this series. I kind of like both.
Hudson Hawk
rating: **
review: One of the poster children for vanity projects from this period and their incredibly poor reputations, I actually like it. Bruce Willis clearly just wanted to have fun, but he became pigeon-holed as someone who instead had to be grim all the time. Now he has no fun at all. See what happened, folks?
The Neverending Story II
rating: **
review: It's definitely one of those historical ironies that a movie with this title had a sequel that didn't not beg for another sequel.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II
rating: **
review: Pegged in history as part of the Vanilla Ice phenomenon.
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