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Reviews
Keeping the Faith (2000)
an absolute charmer
Norton, Stiller, and Elfman are an absolute delight! Edward Norton does a bang-up job of a debut film, keeping things light, entertaining, and very, very funny-- and it's great to see him lighten up after such fare as "Fight Club." A uniformly great cast, a witty, literate script, three scintillating lead performances, and a talented young director add easily up to the best romantic comedy since Woody Allen's "Everyone Says I Love You". Take your friends, take a date, take your grandma-- this is one everybody will enjoy, and you'll definitely come out smiling.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Minghella's worthy follow-up to "The English Patient"
Absolutely enthralling character study of sociopath Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) and his life with rich expatriates Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) and his girlfriend Marge (Gwyneth Paltrow) in 1950's Italy. Tom is hired by Dickie's father to bring him back to New York-- but when Tom gets sucked into Dickie's glamorous, wealthy lifestyle, there is nothing he wouldn't do to hold on to what he has. Beautifully shot, and very well directed-- Minghella gets fantastic performances out of his whole cast, Jude Law and Matt Damon as the standouts. Epic, sweeping scope-- and though it doesn't quite match the brilliance of Minghella's acclaimed "The English Patient," it is nonetheless a wonderful, worthy follow-up. Damon's character Ripley is one of the most fascinating in recent memory, completely amoral and yet oddly compelling-- the perfect anti-hero. A jazz-filled soundtrack, a uniformly great cast, and Oscar-worthy cinematography and direction make this one of the best movies of an extraordinary strong year in film.
American Beauty (1999)
Kevin Spacey's best yet!
Kevin Spacey gives the best performance of his career-- his portrayal of Lester was hilarious, heart-rending, and absolutely perfect! Marvelous acting all around, great score and cinematography. This portrait of a twisted suburbia is brutally honest, and eerily real-- it really strikes a chord with anyone who wants more from life, who's ever felt there's something lacking in the American dream. Very compelling characters, great story and dialogue-- should be a lock for a Best Picture nomination, and Spacey definitely deserves another Oscar for his fine work.
Ravenous (1999)
a waste of a few good actors
Yes, it's true that this movie is even worse than its corny marketing campaign. I was expecting something better from the likes of Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Davies, and David Arquette-- all very talented actors, who were all struggling very hard to retain their dignity throughout this poorly written script. An interesting idea of "kill or be killed" is the basic premise of this movie, but then it goes off on a tangent, bringing in the morality of Aristotle and Native American lore, which are not made to sit very well in the plot. A few famous quotes, like Ben Franklin's "eat to live, not live to eat," uttered by Carlyle as he eats a stewed comrade, are thrown in as awkward attempts at humor-- but overall,the film cannot make up its mind whether it wants to be a serious psychological thriller, or a corny gore-fest. Carlyle camps it up as Col. Ives, but his character, like the others, is flat and unexciting. I was in pain watching Guy Pearce try his best to bring some believability to the role of Capt. Boyd, but as tremendously talented as he is, it would have taken a miracle to make something out of the drivel these actors were given to work with. Although I was at times shocked and somewhat scared, one look at Hannibal Lecter in "Silence of the lambs" chilled me more than all the horror elements in this film, taken all together. If you get a free ticket to this one, consider seeing it-- if not, avoid it like the plague.