tropical_sunrise35 Reviews

Top Gun (1986)

'Top Gun'

[23 January 2005]

An immensely entertaining, coming-of-age picture that casts Tom Cruise as Lt. Pete Mitchell, call sign: Maverick, whose a cracker jack fighter pilot out to be the best of the best. He's thrilled when he gets sent with his partner (the goofy, in a good way, Anthony Edwards) to the best fire weapons school in the country, where he can compete for the 'Top Gun' trophy. Maverick, naturally assuming he will win, (partly) creates tension between him and another pilot (Val Kilmer) and great character interactions result from this, with a nice touch of additional collisions of mixed personalities that take place between the rest of the classmates and the main duo. As Maverick continues his lessons and classes, he woos a civilian instructor (the charming Kelly McGillis) who "teaches him a few things he can't learn in a classroom". A fresh, exciting, and very funny blockbuster hit that's sure to keep you entertained through its complete running time. Highly recommended. Rating: Four out of Five Stars (Excellent).

Corrina, Corrina (1994)

'Corrina, Corrina'

[23 January 2005]

A captivating drama / comedy that casts Ray Liotta as 'Manny Singer', a man who recently lost his wife and has his daughter Molly (Tina Majorino) to take care of, who was too sad and heartbroken to talk to anyone after her mother's death. As Manny tries to find a suitable 'nurse maid' for Molly so he can go back to work, Corrina Washington (in the form of Whoopi Goldberg) comes into the picture and eventually gets hired by Manny to take care of the little girl. The funny thing is, what the Singers weren't expecting was for Corrina to bring magic back into their lives. An endearing little treasure, 'Corrina, Corrina' is a motion picture filled with heart and laughter, that's sure to send your spirits soaring. Wendy Crewson is great in her supporting role as the not-so-nice and aggressive 'Jenny Davis'. Goldberg is absolutely terrific in the title role. A highly-recommended motion picture. Rating: Three 1/2 out of Five Stars (Very Good).

Batman Forever (1995)

'Batman Forever'

[22 January 2005]

The most entertaining and my highest-recommended Batman film out of the four. A new director and a new actor to portray Batman helped make this film a livelier, less dark sequel to the 1989 and 1992 one. This time Batman (featuring Val Kilmer) and his new sidekick Robin (Chris O'Donnell) must battle against Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and The Riddler (Jim Carrey) to save the people of Gotham from a less than completely unappealing fate; as a side note, this was done through a more creatively interesting script, making the film more entertaining to watch. Meanwhile, a compelling psychiatrist (Nicole Kidman) tries to "get under Batman's cape" through her delightful charm and glowing presence. The locations and shots that were chosen and taken for this film fit in nicely; the characters are as interesting as ever, with a well-acted supporting cast. Drew Barrymore has a nice bit in her role as 'Sugar'. Sensational performances by Jones and Kidman. Rating: Three out of Five Stars (Good).

Mad Love (1995)

'Mad Love'

[22 January 2005]

Story about a high-school senior, Matt Leland (Chris O'Donnell), who draws like a moth to a flame to maniac-depressive Casey Roberts (Drew Barrymore). Together they go on a road trip against parental wishes after Matt heard Casey was brought to a psychiatric hospital due to her problems and helped her escape - him not seeing what was wrong with her at the time. Though this little film might not sound interesting enough to watch, which it really isn't at certain points in the story, you will find that if you pay enough attention to its subtle charm and unique script and direction, especially through the first half of picture, you can fully appreciate what makes it worth watching. The extent of this appreciation will most likely only go so far, however. The film's first hour is good, as well as the last six minutes, but the remaining half hour is uninteresting. Even though 'Mad Love' brought something a bit different to the table, if the star duo weren't in this project, it wouldn't be worth watching. See Barrymore at her sensual best in this one. Rating: Two out of Five Stars (Fair).