2 Rated Films

• Martin Lawrence Live, Runteldat (8/11/02)

• Undercover Brother:  Eddie Griffin stars in the title role as a secret agent trying to stop a dangerous plan put together by "The Man".  The film spoofs the secret agent and the 70's blaxpoitation films.  There are some very funny scenes and some very unfunny scenes; a bigger budget may have helped this film.

• Millenium Mambo: I saw this Taiwanese film at the D.C Filmfest.  The plot followed a young, confused woman through her relationship with an on-again, off-again boyfriend and a stable older man.  This film was not very interesting and was very slow at times.  (4/27/02)

• Death to Smootchy: Edward Norton, Robin Williams, and Danny Devito star in this very dark comedy set in the world of children's television.  This movie has some funny scenes, but also has long stretches of dullness.  Devito's pace (he directs) is very uneven as some developments happen very quickly and others are very drawn out.  (3/29/02)

• Kate and Leopold: Hugh Jackman and Meg Ryan star in this 4/5 romantic comedy, 1/5 sci-fi film.  Jackman is good as Leopold, a 19th century duke that comes forward in time and slowly falls for Ryan's Kate.  The love story is average and the time travel scenario is very, very shaky; watch "Happy Accidents" instead.  (1/4/02)

• K-PAX: Kevin Spacey stars in this film about a man who may or may not be from the planet K-PAX.  Jeff Bridges costars and although Spacey gives his normal good performance, the film lacks emotional energy.  The group of psychotic patients that believe in Spacey as a space man is another failed attempt at the "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest's" magic.  (11/2/01)

• Zoolander: This supposed spoof of the male model world stars Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.  The film has some funny parts, but is not funny overall.  There are many celebrity appearances that don't add up to too much. (9/28/01)

• Ghosts of Mars: Ice Cube and Natasha Henstridge star in this average piece of work by John Carpenter.  The movie is told in flashback as a ghostly force slowly takes over the Earth colony on Mars.  This film felt like a movie version of "Resident Evil" as the characters make their way though the colony waiting for something to attack them.  (8/25/01)

• Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back: Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith star as the dynamic comic duo from the 4 previous Kevin Smith-directed films.  I really like these characters, but I found out I can only take them in limited doses (a 90 minute dose is too much).  The inside jokes are hit and miss and the spoofs are average.  (8/24/01)

• Planet of the Apes: Mark Wahlberg and Tim Roth star in this "reimagining" of the 1968 cult classic.  This film is just a standard summer action-adventure film, different from its socially-relevent predecessor.  The film is not bad however, compared to other talking-human, talking-ape, futuristic survival, battle movies.  (7/28/01)

• Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: This futuristic-sci-fi-animated film has the best animation I have seen.  The story is average and the ending is pretty weak.  The creators of this movie are the creators of the video games, so don't expect anything too different.  (7/13/01)

• Center of the World: This film, directed by Wayne Wang, is about the sexual relationship between a computer tycoon and a stripper.  The film touches on some good ideas but doesn't follow through with them.  Basically this movie was like a late-night Cinemax movie, but a little better.  (5/13/01)

• The Mummy Returns: Brendan Fraser stars in this sequel to the 1999 film "The Mummy".  This movie has more action and less humor than the first movie, which I didn't even like that much.  The plot is normal and the special effects have been seen before.  (5/5/01)

• The Brothers: Four African-American professional males battle through love in this film.  There are some laughs here, but the plot is ultra-formulaic.  There are pieces of good dialogue but nothing that really disguishes the acting from any other movie.  (3/24/01)

• Down to Earth: Chris Rock stars in this comedic remake of Warren Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait".  This film doesn't have the depth of characters of "Heaven", but it does have some funny lines.  The love story in the film is presented great at times and not-so-great at other times.  (2/16/01)

• The Family Man: Nicholas Cage and Tea Leoni star in this "what-would-have-happened-if-you-had-done-this" movie.  The "what-would-have-happened" part is so touching that you don't care about the "what-actually-happened" part.  The second bookend of the movie is somewhat unfulfilling.  (1/2/01)

• State and Main: The latest David Mamet work is about a movie being made in a small New England town.  There is plenty of good dialogue here, but I didn't get into the story at all.  "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "The Spanish Prisoner" are my ultimate Mamet films and this falls short of those. (12/30/00)

 

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