minnow-6 Reviews

Black Hawk Down (2001)

Focus is the reason Black Hawk Down is a really good movie

[9/10 · 20 January 2002]

Black Hawk Down **** One of the best movies of 2001.

A story about a moment; a story about a feeling, a story about an accomplishment can be really good or even great when focused. Black Hawk Down does this brilliantly. The moment is 16 hours, 1993 in Mogadishu, Somalia. The feeling is confusion. The accomplishment is doing the job you are trained to do. Black Hawk Down stays focused for 2 ½ hours on the lives of couple hundred U.S. soldiers that are ordered into a very dangerous situation to arrest two men that the United States and United Nations believes are stopping the distribution of food to Somalia civilians. The men to be arrested are in a market district of Mogadishu that is very heavily defended. The firepower provided to accomplish the mission is restricted by Pentagon or Washington D.C. directives.

Given their orders, the U.S. soldiers move in for what is planned to be a 2 or 3 hour mission. The arrests are made but then two Black Hawk helicopters are shot down. The soldiers are ordered to secure the crash sites and wait for the rescue units to come in and retrieve them. The well-armed and organized Mogadishu fighters that control this part of the city, hold down the U.S. soldiers. The U.S. convey that is moving in to rescue and retrieve is lost on the narrow and unmarked streets of the city. Roadblocks have changed the planned route of entry and egress. Overhead cameras on surveillance helicopters are sending pictures to the command post. Routing instructions are useless because the convoy passes the turn points before instructions can be relayed. All the while, the men in the convoy, the men moving toward and at the crash sites, and the men with the prisoners are under intense and constant enemy fire.

Even after watching for 2 ½ hours it is impossible for me to imagine the fear and confusion that must have been weighting on these men. Ridley Scott uses all the special effects technology available to him as a filmmaker to make bullets, rockets, blood and guts seem real or at least terrifying. And after 16 hours (the real time for this battle) these men stayed true to their mission. They accomplished what they were trained, asked, ordered to do. Only sixteen Americans died which seems amazing when watching this reenactment of the battle.

The best line of the movie comes at the end when one soldier explains to another that he doesn't even want to try and explain what he does and why he does it for the people back home. `They won't understand.' I know he's right. This movie knows he's right. And that's what makes Black Hawk Down a good movie. The movie stays focused on the 16-hour battle and the U.S. soldiers doing their job and the conditions under which they had to do this job. Focus is the reason Black Hawk Down is a really good movie.

On a side note: whether you see the movie or not, I highly recommend the book by Mark Bowden. Bowden's book relates the same confusion, fear, and resolve that we see in the movie. While focused on the 16-hour battle, the book is able to go beyond the fight and tells us about some of the men. It also sets up the political situation that contributed to U.S. soldiers being put into this situation. The epilogue to the book is a fascinating, yet brief, telling how Bowden was able to find this story and learn what happen so he could write the book.

Read the book. Go see the movie. Both are ****.

Angel Eyes (2001)

I'd rather watch a Snoop Doggy Dog video

[2/10 · 27 May 2001]

Angel Eyes. ½*. If this movie isn't on `Lifetime' before Memorial Day next year, it will be a miracle. Ebert and Ropert must have been on estrogen pills, when they reviewed this one. J. Lo plays a cop. An angry cop. She has issues with her father, her mother, her sister -in-law, her brother, her fellow cops. She is an abusive cop. She beats the hell out of guys on her beat. A strange guy is following her around. What does she do? She invites him up to her room for sex. Then she's p***ed because he won't tell her anything but his first name or is it just a nickname? Attempted tear jerking scenes and resolution of most issues. Puke! My favorite thing in the whole movie besides the underwear ad by J. Lo; the movie starts with a multiple car accident with death and injuries. The movie ends with the happy lovers (I won't say who) drive away without their seat belts on. I'd rather watch a Snoop Doggy Dog video.

Blow (2001)

Don't even bother on video

[4/10 · 27 May 2001]

Blow. *1/2 If you didn't make it to the theater to see this one yet, save your money. Don't even bother on video. Mediocre acting. Narrated style of story telling that isn't the least bit interesting. All pathetic people. I know it's about drug dealers and I had no expectation of finding a hero among the bunch but at least one of them could have been on screen for a couple minutes without whining. Even Pablo Escobar comes across as a whimp.

The Sopranos (1999–2007)

I can't wait until Years-2 and -3 are out on DVD

[22 May 2001]

The 13th episode (last of the 1st year) of the "The Sopranos" ends with Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) sitting in a restaurant with his wife (Carmela played by Edie Falco) and two kids (Meadow played by Jamie-Lynn Sigler and A.J. played by Robert Iler). Tony is proposing a toast to his family hoping that when his kids have families of their own they will remember the little things, the good times about growing up. As the camera moves back from this scene, we see some of Tony's other family at other tables in the restaurant. They are stranded for the moment at the restaurant because there is a violent thunderstorm outside, the power is out, and fallen trees have closed the roads. Just before the picture fades to credits and the music starts, we see the dark outside explode in a flash of lighting.

This scene summaries the theme of "The Sopranos." Tony might be a man of two worlds but the division between them is as transparent and fragile as a pane of glass. Tony is a leader of a New Jersey organized crime family. He is also a family man in the more traditionally sense (wife, two kids, and aging mother). His kids are teenagers. They have all the kid problems that drive parents crazy. Tony's wife has her concerns and issues that complicate his life. Tony also has a mother (Livia played by Nancy Marchand) that would drive the most patient son to distraction. At work, Tony is constantly confronted by pressures from within his mob-family, from the law, and from the other mob-families.

All this stress results in Tony having blackouts (The blackouts and medical diagnosis occur in the 1st episode.). Tony ends up going to a psychiatrist (Dr. Malfi played by Lorraine Bracco). Tony is concerned that his life might be at risk if the guys find out that he's seeing a shrink. He also has trouble discussing his problems because Dr. Malfi has warned him that "confessions" of crimes will be reported to the police. Tony, however, is benefiting from the therapy and he wants to continue with his weekly sessions.

The 13-episode series takes place over a period of less than year. All episodes deal with the business of crime but rotate around the day-to-day drama of the family. My favorite episode of the first-year, takes place as Tony is taking his daughter for college interviews. Tony and Carmela want Meadow to go to a school near home. Meadow wants to go to Berkley, as far away from New Jersey as possible. While on the road trying to have some quality time with his daughter she asks him if he's a member of the Mafia. Imagine the reaction. To complicate the trip further, Tony sees a man who's in a Federal protection program. This man put some of Tony's friends and business associates in prison. Tony knows he needs to kill this man but how and can he kill this guy and not mess up his weekend with his daughter?

"The Sopranos" is a crime drama with a family twist. Or, more appropriately, "The Sopranos" is a family drama with a crime twist. Tony is a man who wants to lead a "normal" life outside the mob. The drama, action, and laughs kept my interest for 13 hours. I love the dialogue. I'd quote some of it here but you might think I'm crude and insensitive. If you watch "The Sopranos," I'll let you guess what lines made me smile. The production values for a TV mini-series are high. The choice of music used on the sound track is always interesting. Each episode opens to "Woke Up This Morning" by A3. Each episode ends with a different song. I can't wait until Years-2 and -3 are out on DVD. I highly recommend "The Sopranos" Volumes 1 through 4.

Dreams (1990)

Skip `Dreams,' it's a nightmare.

[4/10 · 20 May 2001]

`Akira Kurosawa's Dreams' (Yume) was a disappointment. It might be more appropriately titled `Kurosawa Rambling's.' `Dreams' is supposed to be a cinematic presentation of eight dreams that Akira Kurosawa experienced during life. Not in order, they are: 1) A young boy being punished for watching a mystical marriage of foxes in the forest. 2) A young boy confronting dolls come to life to chastise the boy and his family for cutting down a peach orchard. 3) A man travels through the paintings of Vincent van Gogh. 4) Four men lost in a blizzard. 5) An army officer meeting the haunted bodies of the men he led into battle. 6) A man, his family, and a power company executive facing nuclear holocaust. 7) A man confronted by multi-horned mutants and giant dandelions after a nuclear holocaust. 8) A young man meets an old man next to idyllic brook and listens to joys of the simple life and evils of mankind.

The `dreams' are presented in a quasi-chronological order: child, young men, family men, and finally meeting an old man going to a funeral. All are presented with colors and sounds that are exciting and fanciful. But none of them look like dreams! I, personally, have never had or read about a dream that was sequential. Every one of these dreams has a beginning, middle and end. I, personally, have never had or read about a dream in which every scene is contextually consistent. Every Kurosawa dream has no missing or extraneous frames. Not one of Kurosawa's dreams had anything to do with sex. I do not believe a lifetime of dreams could possibly be so neutral towards man's raison d'ete. And finally, I wonder how a man who used 20th Century technology to bring his vision of some really great stories to movie viewers all over the world can summarily dismiss the achievements of man? Does anyone believe that living in a dung-burning society where people make water-wheels and go to funerals could possibly be a dream? Skip `Dreams,' it's a nightmare.

Coyote Ugly (2000)

a movie that young girls should go see; a really good date movie; one of the best movies of 2000

[9/10 · 29 August 2000]

Coyote Ugly. ****. USA, 2000, Directed by David McNally starring Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, John Goodman. I went to see this movie without my wife. She decided from watching the trailers and see the ads that it was some dumb T&A drunk guy bar movie. I mean that sounded OK to me; but I was really surprised. `Coyote Ugly' is one of the best movies I've seen so far this year. `Coyote Ugly' is the best romantic comedy that I've seen since `Notting Hill.' Violet Sanford (Perabo) is a young woman from small town New Jersey and she's moving to the Big Apple to seek fame and fortune as a song writer. Her dad (Goodman) and her friends don't want her to leave. Her best friend reminds her that they have never carried through on any of their dreams (preserving their virginity, going to college, going to beauty school) so why does she want to pursue her dream of being a famous songwriter? But Violet is off to the city, where she naïvely goes from one agency to the other trying to sell her songs. Needing to earn money she ends up working at `Coyote Ugly' serving drinks and dancing on the bar. All the familiar plot points of a romantic comedy follow and you just know everything is going to end up happily ever after. And it does. But there are a number of things that make `Coyote Ugly' a good movie. The acting is good. John Goodman is especially good as Violet's father. All the girls at the bar are good. Garcia is good as the boyfriend and love interest. Another thing I liked about the story is the persistence of the main character. When life was getting her down, she'd have a good cry and go back out and kick some butt. She stuck to her dream and worked hard to achieve it. In the end she has friends, family, the promise of a carrier, and a boyfriend. The more I think about this movie, it's not a movie for oafish guys who want a T&A moment. `Coyote Ugly' is a movie that young girls should go see; a really good date movie; one of the best movies of 2000.

Fight Club (1999)

A really dumb movie.

[1/10 · 3 August 2000]

`Fight Club' 0*. Anarchy takes a well-trained and organized army. Peace requires using 19th century technology to end 20th century technology, thereby blowing us all back into the 18th century. Of course this all leads to great sex and a cure for demons inside you. And, along the way you can beat the hell out of a bunch testosterone leaden fellow travelers. A really dumb movie. Bad acting and some of the most boring cinematography of 1999. Skip this one.

Frogs for Snakes (1998)

a cross between "Pulp Fiction" and "Living in Oblivion"

[6/10 · 3 August 2000]

"Frogs for Snakes" **1/2 "FFS" is a hard movie to describe. There is this group of actors in NYC. They work together. They know one another. At various times in their lives they "love" one another. And they compete for the same parts in off-off-off Broadway plays. The owner of the theater, where they most often act and compete for parts, is run by Al. Al is a gangster and he employs these actors to make collections for him. To this point in the description of the movie it sounds like a kind of slice-of-life type story. But, "FFS" slips back and forth between the actors, Al and their day-to-day lives and killing one another. If one of them thinks someone might have a leg up on them for a part in a play, they kill rather than compete. And, after a kill the remaining players might slip right back into a dialogue that makes the killing seem like just another day at the office. Entwined in all the dialogue are these really interesting scenes, played out by the characters, from movies and stage plays. My favorite was a tryout where one of the actresses is doing Harry Lime. "FFS" is a cross between "Pulp Fiction" and "Living in Oblivion." I won't go so far as to recommend this movie but I will say I was fascinated by "FFS."

Enemy of the State (1998)

I loved the way they brought things full circle for the climax.

[8/10 · 3 August 2000]

"Enemy of the State" ***1/2 It didn't make my best 10 list for 1998, but it's among the top 20. Definitely the best action movie of the year. The best part is the techno stuff. If you're not paranoid about government surveillance of your personal life, you will be after this movie. Even if only 10% of this stuff is real. I loved the way they brought things full circle for the climax.

Doctor Dolittle (1998)

To his credit Murphy let's the animals have their say while he plays straight man to their lines

[7/10 · 3 August 2000]

`Doctor Dolittle'. ***. (1998, USA, PG-13, 85 min. Directed by Betty Thomas with Edie Murphy, Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt, Richard Schiff, Kristen Wilson, Kyla Pratt). John Dolittle (Murphy) can talk to the animals and they can talk to him. At least he/they could when he was a kid. His dad thought he was nuts and though the use of an exorcist and some stern fatherly persuasion John looses or suppresses his talent/curse. When we next see John, he is Dr. Dolittle, M.D, happily married, father of two girls. He's a respected partner in a very successful medical practice and is about to become very rich. He and his partners are about to sell to an HMO. Everything seems to be going great until Dr. Dolittle almost gets into a car accident with a dog. A bump on his head brings back the voices. Is he going nuts, are life's stresses too much, or does Dr. John just need to find his inner child?

The rest is a rather silly man-gets-in-touch-with-soul type movie, except for the animals. They have all the good lines. There's the lascivious German shepherd that can't control himself even when he's pleading his reformation on the way to being clipped. The pigeon couple; she's a nag, he's a wimp. There are the quarreling rats, the neurotic terrier, the tiger, and of course Lucky, the dog Dr. Dolittle hit in the car accident. To his credit Murphy let's the animals have their say while he plays straight man to their lines. One other thing about Murphy's acting; Dr. Dolittle is not the least bit comfortable around animals. When Dr. Dolittle has to catch daughter Maya's (Pratt) guinea pig, he holds it in a folded pillow so he doesn't have to touch it. (Having similar feelings about pets, I was amused by Dr. Dolittle's behavior around animals.) What's funny about this is, apparently Murphy wasn't acting. But this all added up to a fun movie. I recommend it.

The 400 Blows (1959)

Luckily Truffaut didn't stop with `The Four Hundred Blows"

[7/10 · 3 August 2000]

"The Four Hundred Blows (Quatre cents coups, Les )" ***. (1959, French, R, 94 min Directed and co-written by François Truffaut with Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy). `The Four Hundred Blows' is idiomatic French for raising hell. Which I found to be a strange title after someone explained the meaning. No one in this movie is really raising hell nor forcing hell on others. Antoine Doinel (Léaud) is a 14 year-old Parisian boy and a superficial view of his life is not idyllic but hardly hellish. His mom (Maurier) isn't the most attentive person in the world. She is busy with a lot of things besides being a mom. She has a lover, a fact about his mom that isn't a point of pride with Antoine. Antoine has a stepfather (Rémy). Again, not the most attentive of parents. Antoine isn't a good student. All in all it's not the easiest of lives but nothing worth raising hell about. And the hell he raises, isn't that big a deal. He skips school. He gets caught stealing a typewriter. (Actually he gets caught returning the typewriter when he finds out he can't fence it.) Antoine ends up in a reformatory and escapes, ending up on the shores of the North Sea. In what has become a relatively famous scene from French cinema, Antoine turns back from the sea and looks straight into the camera.

What's intriguing and very good about `The Four Hundred Blows' is Truffaut's story telling techniques. It is a very straightforward telling of a few events. The camera often holds on a subject for a very long time. In one scene, a police or school psychiatrist is questioning Antoine and the camera never moves from his face. Truffaut is very matter of fact about the events of Antoine life. There are no really bad people in Antoine's life. It doesn't seem overly traumatic that he skips school, sees his mother with her lover, or that his parents agree to send him to a reform school. In the final scene on the shores of the North Sea, we see a confused and sad young kid. Is he going to lead a life of raising hell, a life of stifling boredom, or will he accomplish greatness? Truffaut doesn't tell us and it made me want to see the sequel. Luckily Truffaut didn't stop with `The Four Hundred Blows.' `Love at Twenty', `Stolen Kisses', `Bed and Board' and `Love on the Run' continue this semi-autobiographical story of the young Parisian.

`The Four Hundred Blows' is available on video. I recommend you rent it.

Vampires (1998)

don't waste your time with this movie

[3/10 · 2 August 2000]

`Vampires' * John Carpenter's vampires, that is. This is the same exact movie as `Blade.' The vampires are on the verge of completing the puzzle that will give them the ability to become day stalkers. Humans are just food for the undead. Jack Crow (James Woods) is the key to the puzzle. Much B&G later the good guys win the battle but not the war. There has to be room for a sequel. I hope there is no sequel to John Carpenter's `Vampires' or `Blade.' I also hope you don't waste your time with this movie.

Down by Law (1986)

a slow slog through the bayou

[3/10 · 2 August 2000]

"Down By Law" *1/2. (1986, USA, R, 96 min Directed and written by Jim Jarmusch with Tom Waits, John Lurie, Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Ellen Barkin, Billie Neal). I read all the reviews (at least all the reviews on the Internet Movie Database) before going to see this movie. Without doing the math, I easily expected a 3 star-plus movie. Friends and relatives told me `'Down By Law' is great and you really have to see Jarmusch's other movies.' I don't think so!

Zach (Waits), Jack (Lurie), and Roberto (Benigni) are three losers, who through a series of events end up in the same Louisiana jail cell. Zach and Jack hate one another. And, together they hate Roberto. I have to go along with them regarding Roberto. I'm sure I'd hate Roberto if I had to spend jail time with him. Hell, I hate him and I only had to put up with him during a 96-minute movie. But back to the movie, the three men's hunger for a good breakfast (You thought I was going say freedom.) move them to work together and escape. They escape into a Louisiana bayou. Their escape is followed by a slow slog through the bayou. God is it slow! (This the second slow bayou movie I didn't like this year. See my review of `Eve's Bayou.') The three end up at the home of an Italian woman who `adopts' Roberto in a weird, Oedipal sort of way. Roberto stays with her. Zach and Jack hit the road.

The rest of the movie aside, there is one directional devise used by Jarmusch that I liked. There are scene changes that occur without completing the thought. It's like a conversation with someone you know real well. This one clever directorial tool excepted, I can not recommend `Down By Law.'

The Perfect Storm (2000)

movie equivalent of shear terror

[6/10 · 31 July 2000]

`Perfect Storm, The' **1/2 A cold tropical depression in the south off Bermuda, a storm over Sable Island off the east coast of Canada and an Arctic cold front moving south to meet on the Georgia Banks. These three meteorological phenomena at the same place and the same time create a perfect storm. The perfect storm did occur on the Georgia Banks in 1991. A great idea, good casting, a great screenplay, good direction, acting, editing, sound and visual effects sometimes come together and we see a perfect movie. The perfect movie did not happen in 2000, but `The Perfect Storm' although not a perfect movie is a worthy effort. Don't go to see good acting or hear exciting dialogue. George Clooney is as bad as ever and the supporting cast isn't good. The special effects are perfect! The scenes on the sailboat, abroad the Coast Guard cutter, on the helicopter are movie equivalent of shear terror. The scenes on the Andrea Gail (the real life swordfish boat that was lost in the perfect storm of 1991) are perfect special effects. There is one scene where the camera pans away from the Andrea Gail as it attempts to ride over a huge breaking wave. I'd say the scene looked `realistic' but how would I know; I've never been on a fishing boat during a hurricane. I'll say the scene looked really convincing. Enough so, that I hope I'm never at sea on a small boat in any kind of storm, perfect or otherwise. Don't wait to see this movie on television. See the special effects on a big screen.

Chill Factor (1999)

Do everything possible to avoid this movie.

[1/10 · 31 July 2000]

"Chill Factor" 0* During the fall of 1998 I was in North Carolina. The afternoon before returning to Richland, I had the opportunity to tour the Bad Creek Power Station. Bad Creek Power Station is awesome and the tunnel though the mountain to the power station is really impressive. So what's this have to do with a really bad movie. The tunnel entrance is a featured set in the movie and of course I had to see this. Well I saw the tunnel in the movie and Dewey Johnson, the station manager that gave us the tour is credited. But "CF" is so bad, it hurt sitting there watching the movie. I could comment on the acting, directing, script etc, but needless to say they all contribute to a 0* rating from me. But the really, really worst thing about "CF" is the geographical incongruity. The movie takes place in Montana. The on-location scenes flip back and forth between Utah and North/South Carolina. Are the moviegoers of America so geographically challenged that scene changes between Utah and the Carolinas go unnoticed? (Please don't tell me the answer. I just want to assume that the director is extra stupid.) Do everything possible to avoid this movie. "CF" was near the top (bottom) of my 1999 worst movie list.

A Price Above Rubies (1998)

I really liked this movie

[9/10 · 31 July 2000]

`A Price Above Rubies' ****. (1998, USA, R, 117 min. Directed by Boaz Yakin with Renee Zellweger, Christopher Eccleston, Glenn Fitzgerald, Kim Hunter). Sonia (Zellweger, remember her from `Jerry McGuire'?) isn't happy with her life or a least the life prescribed by her family, friends, religion, and community. Mendal (Fitzgerald) is her husband and a teacher. He is totally committed to life as a Hasidic Jew in New York City. Her friends and relatives envy her. How could any one (any woman) want more? But this structured life is stifling and is driving her crazy. Sonia's escape, evolution, and growth are real. She finds work as a jewelry buyer and retailer. She finds sex outside of marriage. (For Mendal, sex is not something to enjoy; God watches everything we do.) She looks to herself not others not even God, for definition. (There are scenes where Sonia confers with her conscience. One side anthropomorphised by her kid-brother who died as child and the other by the spirit of a woman expelled by God and the devil, condemned to walk the earth until the end of time.) In the end, Sonia is still looking but at least she is free of chains placed on her by others. Sonia's declares her independence, a declaration of self not a condemnation of others. I really liked this movie.

Deconstructing Harry (1997)

Demi Moore has a line that's worth the price of admission

[6/10 · 31 July 2000]

`Deconstructing Harry'. **1/2. (1997, USA, R, 95 min. Directed, written by, and starring Woody Allen with Elisabeth Shue, Demi Moore, Billy Crystal and everyone else that's been in a Woody Allen movie plus some new ones). Do you like the Woody Allen sense of humor? If yes, you'll find something to like and something to hate in `Deconstructing Harry.' This isn't the best of Woody Allen. But I like Woody Allen movies because I can usually find some perverted joke or some commentary on religion, sex, women, life, or whatever to tickle my fantasy. And in `Deconstructing Harry' Demi Moore has a line that's worth the price of admission.

Harry Block (Allen) is having writer's block. He's spent the advance from his publisher. He's between wives/women. He's divorced and his girlfriend (Shue) is about to run off and marry one of his best friends (Crystal). One of his ex-wives won't let him take his son to an award ceremony. (He's getting an honorary degree at the college from which he never graduated.) Block, another friend and a $500/night hooker kidnap his 10 year old son and leave New York City (Are Woody Allen movies ever set anywhere else?) for upstate New York. All the while this story is evolving, Block is thinking about his past and his past is played out as a series of flashbacks to `real' events with the `real' people. Other times the flashbacks are from scenes in his books and short stories where the characters are thinly disguised portrayals of the `real' people in Block's life. Clever? Not really. Amusing? Yeah.

Anyway back to Demi Moore. She is a book character that's `really' one of his ex-wives. After they are married for a while, she becomes very religious. She has to bless everything and the blessings are all in Hebrew. I'm assuming it is Hebrew. She blesses the food before eating; she blesses the cup before drinking. But when she asks the blessing before performing fellatio and we hear this Hebrew pray with the vernacular for the one word I assume isn't Hebrew. It's funny.

`Deconstructing Harry' is so-so Woody Allen. If you're a fan, rent it. It's out on video. You'll find something you like. I did.

What Lies Beneath (2000)

undecided is as undecided does

[5/10 · 30 July 2000]

`What Lies Beneath' ** `What Lies Beneath' can't decide what it wants to be; thriller, murder mystery, ghost story, crazy wife who thinks the neighbor killed his wife and then she thinks her husband killed some runaway girl. Well undecided is as undecided does. The director takes all these genre and mixes them into one over-long not so thrilling story. Norman (Harrison Ford) and Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) are the perfect empty nester couple. Their daughter is off to college. The only challenge in their life, other than his all-important presentation of his newest and greatest genetics discovery, is trying to out due the neighbor's coital caterwauling. Then out of nowhere, Claire begins to see murderers, ghosts and spousal infidelity. The middle half of the movie would have been suspenseful if I hadn't seen the trailers. I knew what the movie was supposed to be about. There are some good things. The set design is beautiful (I'd love to have the house.) There is an element of humor when Claire goes to a physiatrist and when she and a friend use a Ouija Board to call up the ghost that is haunting her house. But when you finally get to bottom of this movie, it's like a smorgasbord served in a bucket.

Central Station (1998)

A few laughs, a few jerked tears, a tender moment

[6/10 · 30 July 2000]

"Central Station" **1/2 We've all seen this story before; older person and child person come together by happenings in their lives. They don't particularly like one another but things happen and they bond. There is some tension about whether-or-not they will become family or once again be torn apart by life. A few laughs, a few jerked tears, a tender moment. The scenes of Brazil are interesting. The acting by Fernanda Montenegro and Vin Dcius de Oliveira are good. Fernanda Montenegro was nominated for best actress for her role as Dora in "CS". When Gwyneth Paltrow won the Oscar, Fernanda reportedly complained that Gwyneth won because she was American. (No Fernanda, Gwyneth won because she did a better job of acting than you.) A so-so recommendation from me.

X-Men (2000)

too few scenes with the nude blue chick

[9/10 · 30 July 2000]

`X-Men'. ****. (2000, USA, PG-13, 104 min Directed by Bryan Singer [The Usual Suspects, Apt Pupil] staring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and a host of others). The time is now and mutants are being born on earth. Most appear human, they are human expect for the X factor. The X factor may manifest itself in many ways: Wolverine is capable of almost instant healing ability, Xavier reads minds, and Magneto is a magnet. You'll have to see the movie or read the comic book to understand all the possible mutations that can or have occurred. But as the movie starts, humans (the one's without an X factor) are preparing to register all mutants. They don't want them teaching in the schools or controlling our minds. `People need to know what mutants can do.' But to make a movie the mutants are of two camps; those that want to live in harmony with non-Xers and those who want to use the X-factor to kick some butt. Xavier (Stewart) is the be-kind-to-humans Xer and Magneto (McKellen) is the Xers-will-rule mutant. After a lot of fights, some really cool special effects, some humor and too few scenes with the nude blue chick; the movie ends. Not really, the producers just want us to go back outside and pay to see X-men II. I can't wait.

Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

The only reason to see this movie is to see Ving Rhames

[4/10 · 29 July 2000]

`Bringing Out the Dead' * ½. It's boring, pointless, and dumb. Nicolas Cage does a really, really bad job of acting in the lead role. (Nicolas scores a double bogie for 1999; `8mm' and `BOTD' are 2 of the worst movies of the year.) The only reason to see this movie is to see Ving Rhames as the Bible preaching EMT whose real interest in life is scoring with the dispatcher. Skip this one.

The Bone Collector (1999)

highly improbable story line but good movie

[8/10 · 28 July 2000]

`Bone Collector' *** ½. I read the book and liked it. The story line has a highly improbable story line, but…A New York City cop (Denzel Washington) is a forensic expert. He's paralyzed from the neck down following an accident and wants desperately to die. His wish to die is side tracked by a serial killer case that's plaguing the city. A young cop (played by Angelina Jolie; are her lips real?) becomes Denzel's on-the-scene right-hand-man.) Together they catch the bad guy and Denzel has a new reason to live. Worth the price of admission.

Love and Death on Long Island (1997)

It doesn't take long to realize "Hotpants College II" isn't an E.M Forster story

[9/10 · 28 July 2000]

`Love and Death on Long Island' ****. (Canada/UK, 1997, PG-13, 93 min., Based on a novel by Gilbert Adair, Directed by Richard Kwietniowski with John Hurt, Jason Priestly, Fiona Loewi). How many flower girls did Henry Higgins approach before Elisa accepted his invitation? What would have happened if Aphrodite had rejected Pygmalion's prayers? I believe Adair has asked these questions and in his story of Giles De'Ath (Hurt) examines one possible answer. De'Ath, a self-isolated writer, feeling alone after the death of his wife is ready for something new. One rainy day after locking himself out of his house, he goes to see a movie. It doesn't take him long to realize "Hotpants College II" isn't an E.M Forster story. But as he gets up to leave the theater, De'Ath becomes enamored/obsessed by the looks and acting talents of a young American B-movie actor, Ronnie Bostock (Priestly). De'Ath temporally moves to Long Island to offer himself as teacher, mentor, sculptor, lover (?) of the world's next great actor. Will Aphrodite answer De'Ath's prayer? I enjoyed every minute of this movie waiting to see.

Black & White (I) (1999)

Not worth the rental

[3/10 · 27 July 2000]

"Black and White" * B&W is a not-very-good buddy/cop movie. Gina Gershon is Hugs (Nora Hugosian). She's the best cop in all of LA and she has a new partner Chris O'Brien (Rory Cochrane). There is a serial killer on the loose and it looks like Hugs might be the killer. Or, is someone trying to frame her? Poor Chris, he's confused. He's a good Catholic but Hugs wants to have sex with him at every turn. He wants to be a good cop but his partner both in the patrol car and in bed might be a killer. What's guy to do? Throw in couple of Hugs' previous lovers and a couple secrets from the past and you have a bad movie. The acting's not so good either. That is, with the exception of Gina Gershon playing a straight woman and acting in some really hot bedroom scenes with the rookie. Not worth the rental.

200 Cigarettes (1999)

occasionally funny line was enough to keep me interested

[6/10 · 27 July 2000]

`200 Cigarettes' **1/2. New Year's Eve, 1981 and everyone is going to the same party. The story line follows a half dozen, maybe ten `couples' around NYC going to the party. Slow in places, funny in places. The slow parts are annoying, but the occasionally funny line was enough to keep me interested. Worth the rental.