3 Rated Films

• Adaptation (1/24/03)

• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (1/16/03)

• Brown Sugar (10/12/02)

• Signs (8/4/02)

• The Mystic Masseur: This film is set in the Indian community is 1950's Trinadad.  A young professional becomes a masseur and slowly grows to be a large political figure.  This film was not what I was expected but it was entertaining.

• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones: This is the 5th in the "Star Wars" series of films by producer George Lucas.  Here Anakin Skywalker, as a young adult, starts to get closer to the dark side of the force around a plot of galactic intrigue.  This film is better than Episode I, but not as good as the first 3 pictures.

• Y Tu Mama Tambien: This Mexican film two male teenagers and a woman in her upper twenties on a road trip.  The main thing on the boys' minds is sex and there are some pretty explicit sexual scenes in this film.  As with many foreign or independent films I have seen recently, this film is good, but not great.  (5/5/02)

• Monsoon Wedding: This Indian film shows the dynamics of a family during a daughter's arranged wedding.  An interesting thing with this film is that the characters speak in both English and Hindi, jumping back and forth.  The film has the arc of a standard "After-School" special or PG-rated soap opera, so it is not as good as it could have been.  (3/23/02)

• Monster's Ball: Billy Bob Thorton and Halle Berry star in this drama set in Georgia. The plot follows Thorton and Berry's characters as they come closer to each other via a series of tragedies.  This film has the acting and plot of a great film, but doesn't quite get it all together.  (2/26/02)

• John Q: Denzel Washington stars as a man that will do anything to get his son (who needs a heart transplant) on the donor's list.  Washington does his normal good job and the supporting cast, though over the top, do the job.  This is one of this film that is not great, but it is crowd-pleasing and entertaining.  (2/16/02)

• Trembling Before G-d: This film is a documentary about the lives of gays and lesbians in the Jewish faith.  There are some really heartbreaking moments in the film as people try to live their lives as gay Jews while the Jewish law says they can not be gay.  I have seen better documentaries but this one is better than most standard films.  (2/09/02)

• Audition: This romance-fantasy-horror film is from Japanese director Takeshi Miike.  A widowed man, with the help of his movie producer friend, sets up a phony audition to meet the woman of his dreams.  Notice I put "horror" in the first sentence as the film goes through a "From Dusk 'til Dawn" transformation to create some horrific visuals toward the end.  (1/06/02)

• In the Bedroom: The ensemble cast of this Todd Field directed drama include Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson, and Marisa Tomei.  The film is set in small-town Maine where a doctor-teacher couple deal with their lives being turned upside-down by the relationship between their college-aged son and an older separated mother of two.  Most critics are finding the film great, but I only found it good.  (1/05/02)

• The Majestic: Jim Carrey plays a screenwriter who loses his memory and is mistaken for a WWII hero in this Frank Darabont film.  The film is set in 1951, and it has the feel of a 50's film with the "main character goes from hero to goat to hero" plot.  This film is not as good as Darabont's "The Shawshank Redemption", but can compete with his "The Green Mile".  (12/31/01)

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: The first film of the blockbuster trilogy based on J.R.R Tolkien's Lord of the Rings has an epic feel.  The film is good, but not being a "hobbithead", it wasn't great.  The special effects and the cinematography are the highlights of the film.  (12/22/01)

• Heist: Gene Hackman, Danny Devito, and Delroy Lindo star in this film directed by David Mamet.  The plot follows the general "heist" formula with the robbery setup scenes and the many double-crosses.  The film is entertaining and has the standard punchy Mamet dialogue.  (11/17/01)

• Monty Python and the Holy Grail: This cult classic has been rereleased with a few extra scenes and enhanced picture and sound.  I had never seen this film before now and it is funny, but it is not the funniest movie I have ever seen.  The rabbit beast of the cave is my favorite part of the film.  (11/3/01)

• Mulholland Drive: This strange film is directed by David Lynch, who has given us "Blue Velvet", "Wild at Heart", and "Twin Peaks".  I enjoy quirky films, and the style of the film is good (more like "Twin Peaks" than "Blue Velvet").  I did not get confused until two-thirds of the way into the movie and when I got confused, I REALLY got confused.  (11/3/01)

• From Hell: Johnny Depp and Heather Graham star in this "Jack the Ripper" flick directed by the Hughes Brothers.  The Hughes' imagery in this film are very good, and one does feel the anxiety of the townspeople having a madman walking the street.  The film ran a little too long and at times you wish the end of the film would just come.  (10/27/01)

• Innocence: This film documents the rebirth of a romance between two persons in their sixties.  The film is very intelligent in its dialogue and the presentation of its situation (the male is widowed; the female is in an unrewarding marriage).  The pace is a little slow and I expected more given its genuine feel.  (10/27/01)

• Training Day: Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke star in this good cop, bad cop story.  Washington once again displays "Oscar"-caliber form as the semi-psychotic, self-appointed king of the L.A. streets.  The film is good overall, but has some scenes that take away from the power of the story.  (10/5/01)

• Hearts in Atlantis: This film based on a Stephen King work stars Anthony Hopkins.  He plays a mysterious stranger that helps a young boy in 1950's Connecticut.  This film has the feel of a supernatural "Stand By Me", but is not as good as that or other high-quality King-based films.  (9/28/01)

• O: Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, and Josh Hardnett star in this version of "Othello" set in a southern prep school.  The acting was good and the film had the authentic feel of a Shakespearean tragedy.  The film's glaring bad points were the basketball action scenes (the main character is a basketball star).  (9/01/01)

• The Deep End: This "Hitchcockian" could-have-been stars Tilda Swinton and Goran Visnjic.  The story revolves around a mother trying to protect her son, who may have been involved in a murder.  The performances are good and you feel for the characters.  (8/26/01)

• Brother: Takeshi Kitano directs and stars in this Yukuza, L.A. gang, mofia gangster film. This film is pretty violent and shows an almost unbelievable portrait of the loyalty and conviction of the Yukuza.  The film drags some toward the end.  (8/11/01)

• Osmosis Jones: Chris Rock, Laurence Fishburne, and Bill Murray star in this half live action, half animated comedy.  The imaginative animated part of the story is definitely the stronger part, with the live action part not containing many laughs.  This film will always stick with me, as I will never look at my body the same way again.  (8/10/01)

• The Score: Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton star in this "heist" film.  The story stays true with the typical "how to set up the robbery", "somebody's not telling the whole truth", and "will they get away with it" plot points.  This is not a great film, but it is entertaining and I do like DeNiro.  (7/14/01)

• A.I. - Artificial Intelligence: Haley Joel Osment excels in this film about the first robot programmed to love.  This was Stanley Kubrick's last project and you can feel his influence in this Spielberg-directed film.  Kubrick's vision, which seems great, is gilded some by Spielberg's happy, other-worldly ending.  (7/7/01)

• Kiss of the Dragon: Jet Li stars in this Luc Besson-directed action film.  The plot and the script is nothing to write home about but the action is good.  The film does its job of entertaining with elaborate fights and a lot of deaths.  (7/7/01)

• Sexy Beast: Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley star in this film about a retired gangster who gets pulled back in by a psychotic.  Kingsley gives a spectacular performance as Donald Logan, the insanely intense gangster take will not take no for an answer.  The story is o.k. and the acting is good overall.  (6/30/01)

• Time and Tide: This high-energy Chinese mob film is directed by Tsui Hark.  The movie tells the story of a young man's quest for money that puts him in the middle of a gang war.  The plot is not easy to follow, but the action and creative camera shots are worth the price of admission.  (6/24/01)

• The Circle: This film (banned in Iran, by the way) shows the life of several Iranian women during a day.  One feels the pain and frustration of the female characters as they go through their life as second-class citizens.  The movie really has no plot; it's strength lies in showing a world I, for one, knew very little about.  (6/17/01)

• Startup.com: This documentary shows the rise and fall of an internet company.  Govworks.com seems like a good idea that may work but like many small businesses it collapses.  The relationship between the two (or three) founders is interesting.  (5/27/01)

• Bridget Jones' Diary: Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant stars in this British romantic comedy.  The film is put together well and the acting is good, but it is not a great film.  If you enjoy Jane Austen novels, you will probably enjoy this movie.  (5/11/01)

• The Claim: This film, directed by Micheal Winterbottom, is about life in 1867 California.  The story involves a woman, her daughter, the railroad, and the love and hate they bring to the little town of Kingdom Come.  The cinematography is beautiful as you feel you really are freezing in the Sierra Nevadas.  (4/21/01)

• Panic: William H. Macy stars as a hitman who's going through a life crisis in this film.  He is having difficulty dealing with his family and he starts to fall for a younger woman (Neve Campbell).  This film is not very exciting but the plot is o.k.  (4/8/01)

• Blow: Johnny Depp stars as drug-trafficer George Jung in this "based on a true story" film.  The supporting characters were good in this film which documents the explosion of cocaine use in the 1970's.  I felt the story could have been explained a little better, but overall it's entertaining. (4/6/01)

• Along Came a Spider: Morgan Freeman and Monica Potter investigate a senator's daughter's kidnapping in this film.  There are a couple of twists in this film that work o.k.  Freeman is good here in this thriller which is a prequel to "Kiss the Girls".  (4/6/01)

• The Caveman's Valentine: Samuel L. Jackson stars as a homeless man who gets caught up in a murder mystery.  The story is average, but Jackson is good as a paranoid psychotic.  The relationship between Jackson and his daughter and the film's method of showing his mental imagery keep the movie above board.  (3/24/01)

• Enemy at the Gates: Jude Law and Ed Harris star as two military sharp-shooters on opposite sides of the Russian/German conflict during World War II.  The story mixes the pain of war with the tactics of sharp-shooting well.  The movie would have been better without the minimal love story.  (3/23/01)

• Pollock: Ed Harris stars as the psychotic, alcoholic painter Jackson Pollock.  Harris gives a powerful performance and the supporting cast does a good job.  The plot doesn't go anywhere too original and the painting scenes are o.k.  (3/18/01)

• Thirteen Days:  This film documents the thirteen days of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. The events shown are not entirely accurate, and hopefully you know how the movie ends.  The acting is great; the dialogue is great; the pace of the movie is a little slow.  (1/18/01)

• The Gift: This film is well-acted, and like "SlingBlade", Billy Bob Thorton writes a good script about a small town in the south.  The plot involves a fortune teller who is in the center of a murder mystery.  The only reason the rating is not higher is that the movie follows the general "thriller" ending.  (1/20/01)

• Snatch: This caper film about a huge diamond and unsanctioned boxing appears to get its inspiration from films like "Pulp Fiction" and "Out of Sight".  There are some funny lines here if you can understanding them through the british accents.  Brad Pitt's character and the dog are the standouts in this film with MANY characters.  (1/19/01)

• Quills: The rich and disturbing story is about the Marquis de Sade and the people he affects in an insane asylum.  Geoffrey Rush, who I thought didn't deserve the "Oscar" for "Shine", put himself on my good side with his performance.  Prepare yourself for vivid images.  (12/30/00)

• Cast Away: Tom Hanks plays a Federal Express quality controller that gets stranded on an island.  Hanks gives one of his normal super strong performances.  The ending left me unfulfilled after the first three-fourths of the movie.  (12/25/00)

• What Women Want: Mel Gibson receives the gift (or the curse) of being able to hear what women are thinking.  The plot, which you have probably seen before, concerns a man who goes from zero to hero through the rollercoaster ride of his ability.  The women in the movie do a good job.  (12/20/00)

• Dark Days: A documentary about the homeless living in the New York City train tunnels.  This movie makes you appreciate what you have.  However, these people seem to have everything except a solid job, running water, and enough rattraps.  (12/16/00)

• You Can Count On Me: This movie documents the relationship between a vagabond brother and his sister.  He comes to visit her and the mayhem ensues.  A good story about a slice of life in New England.  (12/9/00)

• The 6th Day: Arnold Swartzeneggar's futuristic film about cloning is entertaining.  Of course, you must suspend your grip on realism while watching some of the action sequences, but you should be used to that.  I consider this movie kind of a poor man's "Total Recall". (11/25/00)

• Bamboozled: Spike Lee's latest is his most opinionated.  A black-faced minstrel show becomes a major hit in present times.  A biting parody about African-Americans and race relations that loses a bit of steam toward the end.  (10/28/00)

• Legend of Drunken Master: Jackie Chan's latest American release was released originally in 1994.  The stunts performed in this martial arts film are among the best I have seen.  As with most Chan movies, the plot is ridiculous but that's not why I go see his movies.  (10/27/00)

• Best in Show: Parody about 4 dog-show-caliber dogs and their wacky owners.  The stories involving the owners have some funny parts and some not so funny parts.  Fred Willard puts the movie in the "good" area with his dog show commentary.  (10/14/00)

 

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