S-Movies
-
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. Rating 3
out of 4.
-
Spiderman: Tobey
Maguire, Willem Dafoe, and Kirsten Dunst stars in this blockbuster based
on the Marvel Comics' superhero. The acting is good; the screenplay
is corny at times; the plot stays basically true to the original comic
book. The computer-generated special effects look good sometimes
and bad other times. Rating 2.5
out of 4. (5/11/02)
-
Spy Game: Robert
Redford and Brad Pitt star in this espionage picture. The film's
plot is presented with 1/3 present day CIA and 2/3 flashbacks to the 1970's
and 1980's; this device makes the film rather slow. The acting is
good, but there was not much action. Rating 2.5
out of 4. (11/24/01)
-
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.
Rating 3 out
of 4. (7/14/01)
-
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.
Rating 3 out
of 4. (6/30/01)
-
Swordfish: John
Travolta, Hugh Jackman, and Halle Berry star in this action-drama mess.
This movie has scenes you have never seen before but the scenes do nothing
together. This movie should have been an hour shorter or an hour
longer with the lack of explanation of the plot (I vote for the former).
Rating 1 out
of 4. (6/8/01)
-
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. Rating 3
out of 4. (5/27/01)
-
Shrek: Mike
Myers, Eddie Murphy, and Cameron Diaz star in this sensational animated
fairy tale. You get the good (as opposed to the bad) Eddie Murphy
here and the fairy tale characters add a very nice touch. The animation
is top-notch and the story is entertaining for children and adults.
Rating 3.5 out
of 4. (5/18/01)
-
Saving Silverman: Two
goofy friends try to sabotage their best's friends romance with a woman
who thinks they are "two goofy friends". There are some funny moments
in this film, but the film is far from a masterpiece. The cast is
good and the Neil Diamond references were definitely entertaining.
Rating 2.5 out
of 4. (2/5/01)
-
Shadow of the Vampire:
John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe star in this film based on the making of
the film "Nosferatu". Dafoe's performance is excellent, but the rest
of the film did not move me too much. The pace of the movie is too
slow for the above average climax at the end. Rating 2.5
out of 4. (2/3/01)
-
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. Rating 3
out of 4. (1/19/01)
-
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. Rating 2
out of 4. (12/30/00)
-
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". Rating 3 out of 4. (11/25/00)