Movie Review Archives

Pleasantville - This one started out pretty good and seemed to meander towards the end. A boy and his sister get sucked into a 1950's TV show where everything is perfect. Slowly, the characters in the show start to realize that they don't have to do everything exactly the way they always have, there is life outside the script. As the characters develop a "passion" for something, they turn color. Plenty of not-so-subtle metaphors here. It seemed to be going somewhere, but I missed it. Not as good as it could have been, but still OK.



Firelight - A movie about a woman that is paid to have a baby. The man's wife was involved in an accident and is in a coma. This is set in the early 1800's. Several years go by and the woman (Sophie Marceau) decides to find her child. She gets a job as governess while the man is away, and starts to teach the spoiled little girl. There is also a relationship between her and the father. A very well done movie.



Dr. Dolittle - A pretty funny remake of the original Dr. Dolittle. Eddie Murphy is the Dr. in this movie. As a child he could talk to animals, but his father got him out of it when he was young. An accidental bump on the head restores his gift, and he is convinced that he is crazy, so is everyone else. Norm MacDonald does a good job as the voice of his dog, and Chris Rock as the hamster. Lots of cameo animal voices here.

Rush Hour - A cop "buddy" movie pairing Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Tucker is a LA cop that is on the verge of being suspended. A Chinese ambassador's daughter is kidnapped and he wants Jackie Chan to come to America and help get her back. The FBI doesn't want any "outsiders" in the investigation, so they request a LAPD officer to keep Chan occupied while they work on the case. Of course they get involved anyway and you can guess what happens, but it is a lot of fun along the way. Once again a Jackie Chan movie that gets audience applause at the end.


The Mask of Zorro - I remember seeing the previews for this and thinking "Great, another Zorro movie", so I avoided it. But I heard nothing but good things about it. One weekend when there was nothing good playing I went to see this and I was surprised, it is really good. Everyone turns in good performances, Anthony Hopkins as the "old" Zorro and Antonio Banderas as the "new" Zorro. A good story about the changing of the Zorro's. Lots of action and a lot of fun.

Lethal Weapon 4 - I was never a big fan of the Lethal Weapon series, they were always mostly forgettable action movies to me. This is no exception. Lots of fights, explosions, and chases. Chris Rock and Joe Pesci provide some additional comedy relief. The story involves a Chinese slave smuggling/counterfeiting business and one really unbelievably tough Chinese guy (especially unbelievable in the last fight scene). Good entertainment, about what I was expecting.



There's Something About Mary - A good comedy. I've never been a big fan of Ben Stiller, but he does good in this movie. Mary (Cameron Diaz) is a girl he went to high school with. More than ten years after High school he hires a Private Eye (Matt Dillon) to find out where Mary is. His friend (Chris Elliot) recommended the private eye to him. matt Dillon tracks down Mary in Miami and she still looks as good as she did back in school, he decides that he really likes her and tells Stiller that she has gotten fat, has several kids by different fathers, etc. Stiller decides he wants to see her again anyway so he goes to Miami with Elliot. Everyone ends up fighting over the affections of Mary. Lots of funny moments here, and a few "low comedy" moments, but overall, pretty good.



The X-Files - I've only seen the TV show a few times and I could tell that there a few inside jokes I missed out on, but, this was a pretty good movie. You don't need to be a fan of the show to know what is going on. Plenty of action and a pretty good story.


The Truman Show - This movie just about lives up to all the hype. I think that everyone did an excellent job, Jim Carrey was definitely the right one to play Truman. A very original, and very good script. In case you haven't heard, Carrey plays Truman Burbank, a man that was adopted at birth by some media corporation. He was raised in a very large and elaborate TV studio, everyone around him are actors and his life is broadcast 24 hours a day around the world, and he doesn't know it. The story is about Truman gradually figuring that something is not quite right....



Godzilla - I had heard that this was a terrible movie, so I went in with low expectations. It turns out this movie was OK. It was a little slow in the middle, but it picked up. Parts of it were funny, and it wasn't above making fun of itself. The special effects were pretty good. Godzilla, the result of nuclear testing, decides that New York City is a good place to nest. He doesn't actively seek out people to kill, but he does get mad when the Military shoots at him. Most of the movie is spent trying to kill Godzilla and trying to find his nest, they succeed on both counts; but not so thoroughly as to kill the chances of a sequel.



Deep Impact - The best part of this movie was at the very beginning when a bunch of kids were looking through telescopes and at the bottom of the screen it said "Richmond, VA". A comet is discovered heading towards Earth, a spaceship with nuclear bombs is dispatched to blow it to bits, but only blow it into two big bits, both still heading for Earth. Tea Leoni plays a reporter who cries a lot and breaks the story. Many people do stupid things, the first (smaller) chunk of comet hits the Atlantic ocean near Nags Head, some people out run the tidal wave. The space ship is heading back to Earth and it turns out that they have four nuclear bombs left. I guess that they didn't give it there best shot the first time. Some of the effects were terrible, some were OK. No humor at all in this movie, that comet couldn't hit soon enough for me.


Black Dog - A "Made for TV" movie at the theatre, this is one of the most formulaic movies I have seen in a while. Starring Patrick Swayze, Meatloaf, and Randy Travis. Swayze is a former truck driver that lost his license, he gets hired to haul a load for $10,000. Amazingly enough he finds out that very day that he owes $9000 on his mortgage, his wife didn't want to bother him. Since he doesn't want to lose his house and likes where his daughter goes to school he doesn't want to move. Halfway through the trip, he decides it is not worth it, but wait! Guess who gets kidnapped! Guess how it ends!


Lost In Space - This was kind of hokey (What did you expect?). However it was entertaining. A lot like the TV show, except a little "darker". Dr. Smith was mostly evil and not as harmless as the Dr Smith on TV. The story was kind of interesting, one of those time travel paradoxes.

Mercury Rising - I didn't like this one much. Not a very believable story. An autistic kid cracks a top secret government code that was put in a game magazine to see if anyone could crack it. Well some kid does, therefore his whole family needs to be killed. Of course, Bruce Willlis is there to protect the kid.



Mr. Nice Guy - Jackie Chan is certainly consistent. No new direction here, but that's OK. I think this is the first US release that was not dubbed (filmed in Australia). The story is only slightly better than in previous movies. But you don't see his movies for the story. You see them for Jackie Chan and his stunts and sense of humor. This one has plenty of both. It won't win any Oscars, but then again I don't remember people applauding at the end of Titanic.....

U.S. Marshalls - If you have seen "The Fugitive" then you have seen "U.S. Marshalls", the only real difference is that this one starts with a plane crash instead of a bus crash. It just seems like everyone here is just going through the motions on this movie. Tommy Lee Jones reprises his role as Sam Gerard. This movie is OK, but there is absolutely nothing new and no surprises.

The Big Lebowski - Another Coen brothers movie about a screwed up kidnapping (See also: Raising Arizona and Fargo). Despite being another variation on the kidnapping theme, it is pretty good. Jeff Bridges plays "The Dude" whose real name is Jeff Lebowski, which also happens to the name of a local millionaire. Of course this causes some confusion among some local thugs that want money. Lots of funny moments in this film and John Goodman does a good job as one of "The Dudes" bowling buddies.

The Replacement Killers - The American debut film for the famous Chinese action star Chow Yun Fat. I hope his Chinese movies are better than this one. It takes itself too seriously. Lots af action (and lots more bullets...), but it just doesn't work Mira Sorvino doesn't pull off the tough girl act. Just slightly more seriousness and this movie would be a good parody.

Titanic - I originally had low expectations for this movie, but everybody told me it was actually pretty good. Although it was about three hours long it was a good movie. It is a as much of a love story as it is a documentary about the Titanic. Both stories are told very well, because the three hours went by fairly quickly.

As Good As It Gets - The title is also a good description. It goes from funny to serious and back to funny very well. It is the story of a obsessive-compulsive man (Jack Nicholson) and how things change for him because of a gay neighbor (Greg Kinnear), a waitress (Helen Hunt), and a very funny dog. Definitely one to go see, this is the first "5 Reel" movie I have seen since I started my web page.

Jackie Brown - About an hour too long, this would have been a good movie it were shorter. Pam Grier is a airline stewardess that has been smuggling money for a drug dealer (Samuel Jackson). She gets caught by a federal agent (Michael Keaton) and they want her to help them bust Jackson. Things do happen in chronological order in this movie, a break from other Tarantino movies.

Tommorow Never Dies - I liked this one, it was a typical Bond movie. You know, a crazy man bent on destroying the world, and it is up to Bond to save it. It is entertaining and if you like Bond movies you'll like this one, if you don't then there is no reason to go.

The Full Monty - While waiting to get in the theatre, I saw a lot of people coming out that were still laughing out loud. Chances are you will too. This was a very funny movie about a group of unemployed steel mill workers who decide that there is a lot of money to be made by becoming male strippers. Of course these guys are nothing like the professionals. They can't dance, and they hardly have the bodies you expect to see on male dancers. This is one that you need to see.

The Jackal - The main reason I went to see this one is that parts of it were filmed right here in Richmond, VA. It was an OK movie. Bruce Willis plays "The Jackal", an assasin that is hired to take out a high ranking US government official. Richard Gere plays a man with a bad Irish accent that is the only person known to actually have seen the Jackal. The problem is that Gere is in jail. Sidney Poitier is the US Government official in charge of stopping this assasination. The action goes OK, there are some slow spots. No surprises at the end. If you go see this, then go during the matinee wehn it is cheaper.

Bean - I am a big fan of Mr. Bean. This movie did not disappoint me. Mr. Bean works in a Art Museum in Britain. The Board of Directors wants to fire him, but an old man (presumably the Chairman) tells them not to. Another museum in Los Angeles is buying Whistlers Mother from the Mr Bean's museum. The board decides to send Mr. Bean as a "Art Scholar" to accompany the painting to the US. Lots of laughs along the way, including the speech the Mr. Bean has to give about the painting.

Red Corner - Boring, boring... I fell asleep in this movie and didn't miss anything. Richard Gere is an American businessman framed for murder in China and this is the story of his trial.

Picture Perfect - This movie was OK, not exactly a whole lot of suspense as to how it is going to end.  Jennifer Aniston does a pretty good job.  She works at an advertising agency and she ends up lying to her boss about having a fiance in order to advance her carreer (He thinks it makes her more stable). Things end up a pretty big mess, Kevin Bacon plays a fellow employee that apparently only likes girls that have husbands or boyfriends, when he hears that she has a fiance, he falls for her.   Meanwhile, her fake fiance also starts to like her.  She has to work things out between all these people and figure out how to keep her job, also.

Contact - What would happen if SETI actually found a signal? That is the basis for this movie. Jodie Foster plays a SETI researcher that actually comes across a radio signal from another civilization. The movie then investigates peoples perception of religion and science, a little too much I think. The signal contains instructions for building a machine that apparently will transport a person to this other world. This movie is pretty good but a little heavy handed with the religious implications.

George Of The Jungle - I watched this cartoon as a kid and liked it. The previews made me think that all George did was smash into trees, I think they just put all the crashes in the previews. Anyway, this movie is done a lot like the cartoon, it even has a narrator. It was pretty funny, better than I expected.

Air Force One - Probably the best action movie of the summer. The President's plane is hijacked, why doesn't really matter. The story isn't much and I didn't like Glenn Close as the Vice-President, however I never got bored (several people around me got four or five good "jumps" out of their seat).

Operation Condor - The latest Jackie Chan movie is not terribly different from the other ones, not much of a story, but very entertaining. It is as much a comedy as it is a action film. I kept thinking this could be called "Jackie Chan and the Temple of Doom". The story is about some gold hidden in the desert during WWII, and now everybody is trying to find it. If you like the other Chan movies, you'll like this one, too.

Men In Black - A very funny and original movie. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones make a great pair. Basically their job is to keep all the aliens living on Earth in line, and to make sure humans don't learn about the aliens. A lot of the humor is very subtle. Some is just outright funny (Will Smith delivering the alien baby sticks out in my mind). Put this at the top of the list to go see.

Batman and Robin - This Batman movie doesn't seem to take itself as serious as the others, which is good. I never really saw Batman as some grim faced guy that is mad at the world. This is the best of the Batman movies, which makes this one just about average.

The Lost World - Don't go to this expecting any story, this movie is pretty much about a bunch of very stupid people and some very good special effects. One of the "scientists" in this move takes a baby T-Rex back to the trailer, guess what happens. This same person talks about how good a sense of smell the T-Rex have, and continues to wear a jacket soaked with the same baby T-Rex blood, as they try to run away from the dinosaurs. This is hardly a classic.

Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion - A surprising movie. This is about two girls about to go to their 10 year high school reunion. They were not the most popular girls in school, and haven't really made it "big" (One is unemployed, the other works as a cashier at a car dealer). They decide that they need a story to show everyone how well they have done. These aren't the smartest girls around, their story is pretty far-fetched. It then becomes a story about how people treat each other.

Grosse Point Blank - This is a black comedy, and done very well. John Cusack is a professional hit man going to his 10 year high school reunion. When people ask what he does, he tells them "I'm a professional killer". Of course nobody believes him. Dan Ackroyd gives a suprisingly good performance as Cusack's competition. It is a little slow at times, but still worth seeing.

Selena - This was a very good movie, very true to the story of the slain singer. It tells Selena's story from when she was a little girl singing at her family's restaurant to playing to over 60,000 people at the Astrodome. Her father played a big part in the making of this movie and I think he did a good job of keeping it as close to real life as possible. A must see for any Selena fans, and definitely recommended for anyone else.

Scream - I had heard that this one was a funny satire of horror movies. Boy was I disappointed. Apparently there is a definition of "satire" that I am not familiar with. This was just another slasher movie, and just an average one at that. No big surprises at the end. It wasn't really scary.

Jackie Chan's First Strike - This is not that much different from his other movies, not much of a plot, but a lot of great stunts and the humble sense of humor of Jackie Chan. He is a Hong Kong cop working for the CIA, beyond that it is hard to explain, but don't worry about that. Just watch it and have a good time.

Mars Attacks! - This is a goofy movie. It is definitely a black comedy. The aliens come to earth and appear to be friendly, but are intent on killing everyone. They offer an apology, we accept, they come and shoot more people. A very inventive way of ridding the Earth of the aliens at the end, I never would have guessed it. "Mars Attacks!" is entertaining and funny.

Star Trek: First Contact - Not bad, there are two stories going on at the same time. The Borg come to assimilate the Earth, they lose the battle and go back in time to stop the "First Contact", when we first make contact with another race. The battle with the Borg, and making sure that First Contact occurs on time are the two stories taking place. Some of the problems seem to be overcome rather easily, other than that it is a good movie. As to whether a non-Trekker would enjoy this movie, I think so, but I'm not qualified to say for sure.

Ransom - This one is overrated. Many people told me how good it is; I fell asleep. This movie goes along pretty slow. It is fairly predictable. Mel Gibson's son is kidnapped and he goes against what the kidnappers want him to do. He offers the ransom as a reward to anyone who finds the kidnappers.

The Long Kiss Goodnight - A pretty good action movie. Geena Davis is a housewife and school teacher and she can't remember anything about her life before eight years ago. Her past catches up with her and she has to figure out who she is and why so many people want her dead. This is a lot of fun, even though this movie is over two hours long, I didn't once look at my watch until I left the theatre.

Thinner - I read this book several years ago and really liked it. The movie was pretty much true to the book, with only a slight difference in the ending. This is the story of a fat lawyer that accidentally runs over a gypsy woman and kills her, the woman's father is not satisfied with justice and curses the lawyer with one word, "Thinner". Once he realizes that his weight loss is not the result of his diet, he goes in search of the old gypsy man to get him to remove the curse.

That Thing You Do! - This is what you expect from a movie written and directed by Tom Hanks, it is a "nice" movie, which isn't a bad thing. It is about a band from a small town that has one big hit and become big stars overnight. It is a very good story, and I'm sure we will be seeing much more of Liv Tyler in the future.

Last Man Standing - It seems that every movie Bruce Willis is in, he ends up a bloody mess at the end. This movie is no exception. Not much of a story, but there is a lot of action. It is set in 1931, Bruce Willis comes into a small town that is basically run by two gangs. He gets involved with one (in a bad way..) and flip-flops between the two to his maximum financial advantage.

The Island of Dr. Moreau - This movie held my attention throughout, and it could have been a good story. Dr. Moreau is experimenting with combining animal and human DNA trying to make the "perfect" human. You can guess the rest of the story. Wait for this one to come to the $1 theater if you must go see it.

SuperCop - I have been to three movies this year that the audience cheered and applauded at the end, two of those were Jackie Chan movies (Rumble In The Bronx and this one, the other was Independence Day). This isn't a great movie, and what little plot exists is hard to follow. In spite of that it is a fun movie, of course the action is great and the stunts are amazing (jumping a motorcycle on to the top of a moving train, for example). This movie was originally done in Chinese (I think) and dubbed in English. I can't wait to see an American release of a Jackie Chan movie.

Independence Day - I have been seeing previews for this movie for a year now and really wondered if it could live up to all the hype. I would have to say...yes. This is the first movie I have seen in a long time that the audience cheered at the end. In case you have been on another planet (pun intended), this is about an alien invasion of earth. Huge spaceships hover over every major city in the world, and then all strike at once. Will "Fresh Prince" Smith does a pretty good job of playing the hero, Jeff Goldblum reprises his role from "Jurrasic Park" as a weirdo scientist. Special effects are excellent. I think this will be the blockbuster movie of '96. You may even catch yourself looking up to the sky as you leave the theater...

Dragonheart - The story of a man on a quest to kill a dragon that he believes polluted the heart of a young boy. In his quest, he comes upon the last dragon in existence, and after a pretty unusual fight scene, eventually befriends the dragon. Excellent special effects, and Sean Connery brings a sense of "class" and respect as the voice of the dragon.

The Cable Guy - Despite all the bad reviews from everybody about this movie, I went to see it anyway. For the most part, everyone was right. The problem is not Jim Carrey, the problem with this movie is Ben Stiller. His TV show was horrible, Reality Bites (which he also directed) was one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I think Jim Carrey actually brought this movie up and made it bearable. Carrey is a lonely cable installer who forces himself as a friend on Mathew Broderick. Carrey becomes increasingly obsessed with Broderick a la "Fatal Attraction". Some parts of it are funny, but it is not really a comedy. Wait till this movie is at the $1 theater if you think you have to go see it.

Eraser - Another very entertaining movie. There is not a whole lot of new ground covered in the story. You know the plot if you have seen a commercial for it. Arnold Swarzenegger is a covert agent assigned to protect Vanessa Williams. Williams is to testify against her employer (a weapons contractor) in court. Her problem is staying alive until then. Add this to your list of movies to go see.

The Rock - I don't believe that someone fighting for the cause Ed Harris is, would do what he does in this movie. He takes control of Alcatraz and threatens to release poison gas on a major city. Beyond that, this is a very entertaining movie. Why Hollywood critics think that "Twister" would be a blockbuster and that this movie wouldn't is beyond me. This is one to definitely go see this summer.

Spy Hard: - This one is not too bad, not quite as funny as "Hot Shots! Part Deux" or the Naked Gun movies. It is a spoof of almost every spy movie ever made, though mostly James Bond. Some of the jokes are borrowed from those earlier movies. I liked this movie and if you think you would like it, you probably will.

The Truth About Cats and Dogs: - This movie started out slow and got better as it went. The plot seems like something out of a sitcom: Janeane Garafolo plays a radio talk show veterinarian, a guy calls her show and wants to meet her, she tells him that she looks like the model in a picture hanging on the studio wall. The model (Uma Thurman) just so happens to live in the same apartment building, so Uma plays like she is the one on the radio (you can figure out the rest…). In spite of the plot, I really liked this movie.

Twister: - Pretty good special effects and I like Helen Hunt, but this movie was BAD. The story was terrible and the writing was even worse, the biggest tornado in 30 years is chasing Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton and Bill yells out "Run for it!!!", it was funny, and I bet that is not what they were trying for. Chances are real good that The Weather Channel video on tornadoes is much better.

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