MrPink080 Reviews

Along Came a Spider (2001)

Rose. . . Megan Rose

[3/10 · 14 April 2001]

Along Came a Spider tries to follow in the footsteps of its successful and suspensful predecesor, Kiss The Girls, but instead of holding its own, Along Cmae a Spider is squashed like a bug.

While Morgan Freeman remains and gives an equally outstanding performance, his supporting cast is not up to the same standards. Monica Potter showcases neither the depth, nor the charisma that Ashley Judd did in its predecesor. The villians whoms names i willnot reveal here do not rival that of Tony Goldwyn, nor Cary Elwes. Megan Rose is played well for a young actor, but the part was written far too unbelievably. I began to wonder if she was the daughter of James Bond at certain points in this picture. The scenario that goes down in the last 15 minutes is so far-fethced that i found myself yearning for Starship Trooperish realism.

To the movie's credit, aside from the lack of realism, the first 3/4ths of the movie was at least able to hold my attention, but the ending was so bizarre and unexplained that i wished i hadn't bothered with the rest.

The best i can give it is a 3 out of 10. The script has more plot holes then this review has words. I'm not sure that I've wondered "why did that happen?" or "how did that happen?" so many times in a single film.

Pitch Black (2000)

Decent, but nothing more...

[24 February 2000]

Unlike most, i thought this movie started out as pitifully as a movie possibly could. "Who are these people? Why are they in space? Why are they all together? Where are they going? What is their purpose? What time era are we in?" Those were questions i asked myself through the first 20 minutes. We learn a little about each character, but not much, and never do find out the answers to the rest of the questions. This really weakens the movie, there is no character development at all, except maybe with Riddick. The acting was above par, especially considering the small-name talent in the film. I can definitely see Vin Diesel becomming a big action star if that is the route he chooses to go. The special effects were pretty good, but they didn't entirely make up for a lack of screen play. I'm wondering why any studio bit on this, just based on the story, because it's a pretty weak one, with very little good dialogue.. they visually covered that up, but that's not enough for me.

I give this movie a 3.5 out of 10.. it could have been much much better, but it falls flat. I'd be interested to see the DVD, to see if anything got cut, as i have a feeling it must have.

Disturbing Behavior (1998)

Skip the VHS or TV version, rent the DVD

[4 February 2000]

*Spoilers ahead*

When I originally saw Disturbing Behavior in the theatre, I thought it was a pretty weak flick with little to no character development. I assumed the script was poorly written(which in many cases it was), and that the director didn't have a clue how to make a decent movie, and only wanted to make a pure slasher movie. I was wrong for the most part, in both cases. According to Nutter, who was obviously upset with the producers/studio, the studio wanted a movie that skipped plot and development and got straight to the scares. Granted even with the additional scenes, the movie would have had problems...there was a lack of major motive for the computer chip enhancement, only a minor reason was given. But we actually got some insight into Marsden and Holmes character, the deleted scenes that made you care about these two. They also deleted the much more entertaining ending, and made them insert the POS that was originally shown. After viewing the deleted scenes, and listening to Nutter's commentary, I can give DB a 7 or so... without it, it would score in the 2 range

Dogma (1999)

Kevin Smith is a mastermind

[9 January 2000]

Is this the best film of 1999? Even as a huge Kevin Smith fan, I cannot say that it is. Is it even the best Kevin Smith film? No i don't think it surpassed ANY of his previous three movies.. but good ol' Silent Bob did something that few people in hollywood have ever been able to do. He made an entertaining(and even more daring, FUNNY) movie about Religion.

Casting is not superb but good enough. Despite what critics might tell you, Matt Damon is better as Loki than he is as Tom Ripley. Ben Affleck and KS just connect, he performs Bartleby as well as anyone could. Jason Lee steps up in the bad guy role. Chris Rock and George Carlin are both alright(although not as hilarious as you might expect from the pair) in their sideshow roles. Surprisingly, Alan Rickman entertained me the most. He's very convincing in his role as the voice of God. He carries the swagger a real Metatron would, and even has that heavenly(i didnt say good, i said heavenly) look to him My real problems in casting were with Linda Fiorentino and Salma Hayek. Hayek played a nothing role.. there merely for looks. She is quite the hottie obviously, but she overacted as Serendipity, especially during the Golgothan sequence. Linda Fiorentino is just dull.. she's always been dull, and in my opinion still isn't ready for the leading lady parts. I'd rather have seen Jeaneane Garofalo(who has a cameo) as Bethany... in fact, I'd rather have seen nearly anyone as Bethany. Despite this, the movie doesn't fail to be funny and touching. Dogma doesnt offend me at all, it shouldn't offend anyone else either.. all it's catholic parodying is OBVIOUSLY light-hearted and it is more faith re-assuring than it is the opposite. It's a movie that makes you wonder, and a movie that you can't afford to miss...assuming you have an open mind and a little bad language doesnt bother you

Pecker (1998)

A failure in many areas.

[4 July 1999]

I think you either love John Waters, or hate him. He's an odd bird really, at least in my eyes. He typically directs movies which seem inviting enough for me to rent, but are never good enough for me to like.

The story, as you probably already know,follows a boy nicknamed Pecker, played by Edward Furlong of Terminator 2 and American History X fame. I don't believe Pecker was written well at all, so nobody could have done much with the horrible character. Furlong tries to make the best out of a bad character, but with his stock on the rise now, I doubt he would have taken this part if he had it to do over. Christina Ricci's portryal of Shelly is decent, but flat at many times. The rest of the cast gives decent, but no outstanding performances. Waters tries so hard to make this movie funny, he poorly wrote it, and poorly directs it. The film has no vision, and frequently goes in directions that makes me wonder how it even got released. It's not funny, it's not touching, it's not dramatic, it's just not entertaining, not on any level.

I can't give it more than 2 out of 10.

Jawbreaker (1999)

Wait for it to hit HBO

[3 July 1999]

Jawbreaker sets three of the Regan High's most popular girls, kidnapping and accidentally killing the fourth member of their circle of friends on her 17th birthday. The three then try vailiantly to cover it up. It doesn't even sound intriguing, which makes me wonder why I felt I should rent it. Rose Mcgowan plays the leading lady, who turns out to be nothing more than an evil royal witch. She is convincing in this role, but deserves much better. Rebecca Gayheart, and Julie Benz both in bigger roles than they are accustomed to, play their parts as well as they could with the material they had to work with. I think all involved in this project took their parts because they thought it'd be another cult teen flick, much like Scream, and not because they liked the script. Most times movies like that are painful to watch, and most of the time Jawbreaker is no different. From the ridiculousness of turning the "nerd" into the most popular girl in the school nearly overnight, to the pitiful way the girls went about covering up the murder, the movie just constantly makes you wonder how stupid the writer takes the audience to be. If you really wanna see this film, wait for it to come on cable tv. It's not even worth the $4 it takes to rent it. 2 out of 10

A Cool, Dry Place (1998)

Good flick, but anticlimatic

[8/10 · 17 June 1999]

I enjoyed "A Cool Dry Place". I found it to be a mellow but entertaining drama about a man's life. It'a very true to life story. Separated Man is out of work, man finds job he isn't happy with, man's ex-wife wants another go just as he finally starts dating a girl he really begins to love, man gets offered a "dream job" but must travel to take it, man's son is stuck in the middle of this. It's well-wtitten, for the most part, but I didn't like the pace. Vince Vaughn is capable of being a funny guy(see Swingers), but they gave his character virtually no sense of humor. I found myself giggle only ocassionally, and never busting out with laughter..while it was a drama, and not meant to be comedic, slow-moving dramas like this could benefits from some laughs. The acting is mostly good, even by child actor Bobby Moat. I'd like to see him take more child roles, as he seems very mature and understands the art of acting well for a child of his age. Vince Vaughn, who's quickly becoming one of my favorites, is well-cast but his talent is underused in this movie. His two love interests, Joey Lauren Adams, and Monica Potter are both nice to looks at, but the only the former seemed comfortable with her role. Joey is a pleasure to watch, while her voice may annoy some, I think it's just part of her charm, a charm that is abundant in this one. On the other hand, Monica Potter seemed nervous and on edge her whole on-screen performance. She doesn't show the true emotion seen in Vaughn, and Adams. Monica has done much better work than this. Like i said, the acting was good, the script was pretty good, the plot was good, but the screenwriter never gave us a climatic moment. This was my problem with the film, which was the same problem I had with "The trigger effect". It's a splendid movie, entertaining usually, but there's never that moment of climax that keeps you glued to the tube. While I found myself liking the movie, and finding it very interesting, I also found myself having a difficult time paying attention about half-way through.

It's definitely worth-watching though..check it out.

Snake Eyes (1998)

Oh come on people

[29 March 1999]

Brian DePalma's "Snake Eyes" is not the world's most intelligent movie, I'll give you that. There are plotholes, there are some weak lines, and there is an element of unrealisticness to it. But I'm sick of people going to watch an Action Film, and expecting to get a superior story, without any cliches from any of the characters. "Snake Eyes" like most other action films is an enjoyable ride. It's entertaining, and plays out nicely. It also nicely intervenes a not-too-hollywood ending into a very hollywood movie. Cage and Sinise give good, but not great performances. Cage is convincing as a sleazeball cop, unlike most others, I think he's been choosing roles wisely as of late, City of Angels excluded. Sinise makes a good dirtbag. Overall, I'd give the movie 6.5/10 stars... go check it out..just don't expect "The Piano" cuz you ain't gonna get it.

Blast from the Past (1999)

Funny flick

[20 February 1999]

It amazes me that someone expecting a deep script with an ingenious plotline would go see this movie. From the trailer one should be able to judge what kind of movie it is. It's silly and funny, with a little romance thrown in.

Silverstone and Fraser shine, both are very funny, and NewsRadio's Dave Foley added a nice touch. Good direction, good acting, near hilarious script... I give it 8 stars out of 10.

Check it out if ya need a laugh.

Buffalo '66 (1998)

Slow moving, but overall decent ride

[19 February 1999]

Definitely not the cinematic masterpiece that many make it out to be, but it's not a total waste either. Excellent performance by Angelica Houston. She's truly convincing as the mother who doesn't give a damn, and in my opinion is the highlight of the film.

There are some clever and funny moments, such as Gallo's character Billy Brown needed to urinate for hours, and being somehow interrupted every time he tries. Equally humorous was the fact that Billy's mother is more faithful to the Bills then she is to her own family.

But, the movie moves along so slow, and never really climaxes much. Much of the dialogue is pointless dribble. Ricci and Gallo's conversations seemed to last hours.

Unbelievable to me that people would consider this a realistic movie. Ricci's (whom I like, but found incredibly bland in this film) situation with the kidnapper. This is realistic? The guy shows few lovable qualities, but...? It's not realistic, it's a horrible bit of screenwriting.

I guess it's worth renting, but just barely...

I give it 4 stars out of 10.

The Taming of The Shrew (1967)

High Class Trash

[2/10 · 5 February 1999]

This version of the Taming of the Shrew is to movies, what Courtney Love is to showbiz. Despite popular opinion, I believe this is a horridly boring script, and for the most part extremely unfunny film.

It has it's occasional high points, such as Petruccio and Katharina's wedding, which both Taylor and Burton pulled off terrifically.. but most of the film tries to make you laugh, and just doesn't. Or at least it didn't make me laugh.

I guess everyone's tastes are different, but I'm shocked that this movie has scored as high as it has with IMDB voters.

This isn't a movie I'd even begin to recommend. I give it a 2 out 10.

A Few Good Men (1992)

One of the most underrated movies of all time

[10/10 · 31 January 1999]

I realize that's a strong subject heading for any movie, but I believe it's deserved for A Few Good Men. Outstanding direction by Reiner, great script, and strong if not excellent performances by Cruise, Moore, Pollak, and the late Jt Walsh. Jack Nicholson gives perhaps his most powerful, if not best acting performance as the crooked Nathan Jessop. How he didn't win best supporting actor for that role is beyond me.

The plot develops well. Demi Moore and Tom Cruise have good chemistry.. and even Kevin Pollak and Demi Moore's characters dislike for one another is done well and helps strengthen the story.

I believe this is a must-see flick. Id love to see Reiner hook up with Jack and Tom Cruise again, as i think they make an excellent combo.

On a scale of 1 to 10, i believe this movie is a 10! Do yourself a favor and give it a look if you haven't already.

Varsity Blues (1999)

Average film, nothing more..

[30 January 1999]

First of all, i must say i loved the previews to this movie. Usually the trailers give away far far too much of the plot, and even in some cases make the movie predictable. That was not the case at all with MTV's "Varsity Blues".

Now to the movie itself...the plot is very, very underdeveloped. We get basically no character background on anyone in the movie, not even James "Dawson" VanDerr Beek's character "Mox". The script should have been written with much more character development. We could have cared much more about Tweeder, Billy Bob, and Wendell if we knew ANYTHING about them. Not even the reason behind Kilmer's pure ruthlessness was discussed.

The two female stars of the film, Ali Larter and Amy Smart, were basically just eye candy. The relation between "Mox" and "Jules" was so underplayed that i don't think a single soul in the theatre i was at cared whether they got back together or not. Neither character was even needed or helped the film any.. well, except for "Jules" being covered in only whip cream.

What the script did cover, was entertaining, but probably more so if you're a fan of either football or Dawson's Creek. Oh, and fat guys like Billy Bob DO play football.. just ask Gilbert Brown or The Fridge.

Overall, i'd give the movie 6 stars out of 10.

Kurt & Courtney (1998)

Strangest Documentary I've ever seen

[30 January 1999]

The subject matter of the film was very interesting to me. I've always been a huge fan of Nirvana, and like most of the popular punk bands fans, I've always been curious about Kurt's death.

The first 45 minutes or so.. are all very interesting, and really get you thinking. Then after the El Duce interview.. Broomfield does a strange thing.. he seems to try to disprove everything he's spent the whole documentary proving, and makes you wonder why he ran some of the footage in the film. Since Nick never really states what he truly thinks happened, you must think hard about the evidence he presents and reach your own conclusion.. like i have. I'd tell you what i think... but, well.. you'll just have to watch and find out what you think.

I think it's well worth seeing, and I definitely enjoyed the interview with Kurt's aunt, as well as the old footage of Mr. Cobain. Any fan of either Nirvana, Hole, or just alternative music should check it out.

Wild Things (1998)

It's more of a parody than a thriller...

[28 January 1999]

Too many of the reviewers took this movie far too seriously. It's a satire of film noir really. The fact that Denise Richards is nothing more than untalented pretty face actress made her perfect for the role. It's exactly what the film was trying to do... mock all erotic thrillers and such.

It's not Lesile Nielson, or MadTV.. it's smart satire. The kind that doesn't always make you laugh while watching it, but seems pretty dang funny when you look back at it. At the same time, it remains entertaining, and even suspenseful.

Neve Campbell and Bill Murray find a way to shine. Despite being surrounded with an overrated Matt Dillon, a pitiful Denise Richards, and perhaps washed-up(although still effective) Kevin Bacon, Neve and Bill both put in quality performances.

This movie is definitely worth the rent...if you're of the male gender.

Starship Troopers (1997)

Good for what it is

[7/10 · 15 January 1999]

You definitely have to like Sci-Fi movies to care anything about this one. Suspend your beliefs for a couple hours, and as long as you don't have a weak stomach you should find this gorefest to be an enjoyable film. Not especially great acting performances though. Pretty sad when you have to start digging up Doogie Howser to play a somewhat key part in what seems like such a high budget movie.