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Reviews
The Avengers (1998)
Don't bother!
I'm one of those people who usually manages to enjoy even really awful films in an ironic "so bad it's good" kind of way. But The Avengers is something else. It is so mind-numbingly terrible that I have only one word of advice for anyone thinking of watching it, especially if they were a big fan of the old TV series - DON'T!
Nothing about this movie makes sense - apparently due to bad test screenings a lot of scenes were cut, so perhaps this explains why the plot is so choppy and impossible to follow. In the scenes that survived and were cobbled together to make this diabolical mess of a film, the dialogue is awful, the actors look bored and bemused and the cinematography is dull. In other words, the whole thing falls flat on its face and fails to provide any entertainment or amusement whatsoever.
I really have no idea what Sean Connery, Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman were thinking when they agreed to appear in this film. I'm a big fan of Ralph Fiennes and he's been in some excellent films (The English Patient, Schindler's List, The End of the Affair) so why he wasted his time on this dire rubbish escapes me. His performance as John Steed is almost as bad as the movie, and there is absolutely zero chemistry between him and Thurman as Emma Peel, who is also totally useless in her role. Aside from the Bond movies, Connery's been in a few turkeys but I never thought I'd see him play such a badly written part in a film this awful.
I think I've got the point across by now - AVOID THIS MOVIE! If, however, you've read this and you're still going to give The Avengers a go, by the time it's finished I guarantee that your opinion of it will be the same as mine - this film is abominably bad!
A Place in the Sun (1951)
A Beautiful Movie
A Place in the Sun really is a beautiful movie - but modern audiences must remember when watching it that it's also a film of its time, and as a consequence it does seem rather dated both in the way it looks and also the attitudes and values of its characters. If you can accept and appreciate this, you'll probably enjoy watching A Place in the Sun, even though it does plod a little through some of the story and at times the script isn't fantastic.
The plot is pretty simple - the protagonist, George Eastman (sensitively played by Montgomery Clift), is given a job in his wealthy uncle's factory, with a view to him becoming part of the family business. Although he is ambitious and hardworking and desperate to make a good impression on his affluent relatives, he breaks the rules and starts dating one of the factory girls, Alice Tripp (brilliantly played by Shelley Winters) and gets her into, as she puts it, 'trouble'. At the same time, he is being introduced to the upper social class his uncle belongs to and he meets the stunning Angela Vickers (Elizabeth Taylor in one of her few truly great roles) and falls deeply in love with her.
George's dilemma is beautifully shown by director George Stevens - he knows that the decent thing would be to stick by Alice and support her and their child, but he is magnetically drawn to Angela by her beauty, wealth and social standing, and the fact that it is her, and not Alice, that he really loves. When Alice's humdrum life, frumpy style and drab, downtrodden character are compared with Angela's ravishing beauty, fancy clothes and opulent surroundings, there really is no comparison to be made.
The audiences' sympathies are torn just as George's are - you feel sorry for poor Alice, but Clift and Taylor are so irresistible as a young couple in love that you want them to end up together. The soft-focus close ups in their love scenes are breathtaking as they heighten the emotion and dream-like qualities of the film, and the rest of the cinematography is just as effective, especially with the gorgeous scenery of California's Lake Tahoe as a backdrop. Nothing is lost visually by the fact that the movie was shot in black and white - it simply gives it a certain subtlety and an almost film-noirish style that couldn't have been achieved as easily if the film had been shot in glorious Technicolour.
Inevitably, George's dilemma reaches a tragic conclusion and there's an absolutely heart-wrenching scene when he and Angela say goodbye for the last time. Both Clift and Taylor are superb in their roles, as is Shelley Winters, and they are backed up by a good supporting cast, especially Anne Revere, who gives an understated and moving performance in her small role as George's mother.
If you like classic old movies, A Place In The Sun is perfect to watch on a rainy afternoon, curled up on the couch with a box of chocolates and - if you cry easily at movies - a pile of tissues!
Red Dragon (2002)
Puts 'Hannibal' in the shade
I had very mixed feelings when I heard that Red Dragon was again going to be made into a movie. I saw the 80s adaptation of it, Manhunter, and found that to be rather lacklustre despite being based on such a great book. I expected to be disappointed, especially after the turkey that was Hannibal - but to my great surprise I wasn't, as Red Dragon is a terrific film.
The story is flawless and highly intelligent, and you are literally gripped from the first minute to the last. Every single character is totally enthralling and extremely well-developed, which I find very refreshing as so many movies today seem to have such one-dimensional characters.
The cast are all brilliant, with Anthony Hopkins reprising his role as Dr Hannibal Lecter for the third time. He's not as menacing as he was in Silence of the Lambs, and he definitely camps it up for laughs more in this movie, but he still has a sinister air that serves as a vital reminder that this charming, well-mannered gent is in fact a pyschopathic serial killer.
Ralph Fiennes is also excellent as Francis Dolarhyde, the shy, disfigured photo-lab technician whose abusive childhood has turned him into a monster - the Red Dragon, and Edward Norton is pretty good (although not up to his usual standard) as Detective Will Graham, the man hunting Dolarhyde.
But Emily Watson by far outshines them all, and almost steals the movie from Hopkins and Fiennes. She is fantastic as Reba, Dolarhyde's blind love interest, and her performance is utterly compelling and totally believable.
Red Dragon isn't as good as Silence of the Lambs - which seemed to possess a whole other dimension that not a lot of movies reach - but it is definitely a movie worth seeing, and with such a stellar cast I think few will be able to resist taking a look!
The Lost Boys (1987)
Great Ghoulish Entertainment
The Lost Boys is a very entertaining film, and as long as you keep reminding yourself that it was made in 1987 you might be able to ignore the hideous 80s haircuts and fashion that blight the entire cast. Nope, no black capes and slicked back hair for these vampires - they're a gang of teenage biker boys, led by David, who's played menacingly well by a peroxide-blonde Keifer Sutherland.
The plot centres around Michael (Jason Patric) and Sam (Corey Haim), two brothers who move to their eccentric grandfather's house in Santa Carla with their mother Lucy (Dianne Wiest). At first Santa Carla seems like a great place to live with a lively youth culture, but they soon discover a darker side - a hell of a lot of people go missing in Santa Carla, and this is due to the town being plagued with vampires.
Michael becomes involved with the vampires and the rest of the film is devoted to him and his brother trying to break him free from their hypnotic grip, with the help of the Frog brothers, Edgar and Alan, the self-styled 'vampire experts' who's knowledge of the bloodsuckers comes straight out of comic books. Needless to say, their antics provide a great deal of comedy, as well as a fair share of the action.
Overall the acting in this movie is pretty good - Jason Patric gives a sensitive performance as David; Jami Gertz is appropriately needy as his love interest and fellow vampire; Corey Haim is convincingly cute and hysterical simultaneously; and Barnard Hughes is wonderfully eccentric as the grouchy Grandpa.
The soundtrack is great if you like 80s rock and it really sets the tone of the movie well. While The Lost Boys isn't a masterpiece, it'll probably make you laugh and keep you entertained so I'd definitely recommend it to fans of vampire movies or anyone with nothing to do on a Friday night!
Hollow Man (2000)
Hollow Film
The concept of the film Hollow Man could have made for a thrilling and highly entertaining movie: a group of scientists create a drug that makes people invisible, and only able to be seen through heat-sensitive goggles. The head of the project, meglomaniac Sebastian Caine, decides he should be the first person to try the drug, and the action starts when Sebastian starts going crazy with the power and freedom his invisibility gives him.
This all sounds great, but in reality it falls totally flat, handicapped by a terrible script, contrived, paper-thin characters, inadequate performances from the actors, too much gratuitous nudity and gore and an all-round air of unconvincingness. Kevin Bacon's performance is mediocre and he just doesn't hit the spot as the evil Sebastian Caine.
The film's one redeeming feature are the slick special effects, mainly of course connected with Sebastian's invisibility, which are whipped out at every opportunity, presumably to prop up this poor excuse for a movie.
My advice to all sane people out there is to avoid Hollow Man like the plague!
Camp Blood 2 (2000)
The Worst Film I Have Ever Seen
I chose this movie at the video store with my friend, who is a huge fan of horror films. I've seen plenty of flicks, especially from the horror genre, that suck - but believe me, Camp Blood 2 is just bad, bad, bad.
It must have the lowest budget in cinema history. The filming is pathetically amateurish, with only one camera used by an obviously inept cameraman. The plot is completely unoriginal, totally cliched and fails entirely to engage the audience. The characters are flat, one-dimensional and uninteresting, and the acting is atrocious. Not to mention the script, which, to top it all off, is absolutely diabolical.
You may think I'm going overboard here, but honestly, I'm not. Camp Blood 2 really is this terrible. It is so awful in the extreme that I actually felt mad at whoever made it, because it is criminal to waste even the lowest of budgets on utter garbage such as this.
Nightmare on the 13th Floor (1990)
Shame about the low budget...
Nightmare on the 13th Floor is an entertaining movie - the plot is good and the story moves at just the right pace to keep the viewer absorbed. There are definitely some tense moments in this creepy and suprisingly intelligent film that make it as exciting as a horror movie should be, but with an added mysterious twist - and it's trying to work out the mystery that keeps you watching! Unfortunately, there are a few things about this movie that let it down - namely the pathetically low budget it must have been shot on. The 'special effects' are practically non-existent and the few there are look embarrassingly fake, making a joke out of some of the scariest moments in the film. That said, the set design is pretty good, especially on the 13th Floor, with its tatty gothic furnishings and maze of dimly lit corridors. The characters are interesting and varied, and the script never seriously falters. The acting is satisfactory and what you would expect from a made-for-TV movie, but no one really stands out. Overall, I'd say that if you see Nightmare on the 13th Floor in the TV listings and make an effort to watch it, you won't be disappointed - just don't expect a masterpiece in terms of cinematography!
American History X (1998)
Absolutely Outstanding
American History X is certainly one hell of a movie! The plot centres around two brothers, Derek and Danny, (played respectively by Edward Norton and Edward Furlong), and the racial hatred they have inherited from their dead father. Derek is a member of a violent Neo-Nazi gang, and is eventually jailed for the murder of a black man, and whilst he is in prison Danny decides to follow in his brother's footsteps, much to the dismay of the rest of his family.
As you would imagine, American History X is a powerful and often brutal piece of drama, brilliantly written and directed and beautifully shot in both colour and black and white. There are some extremely violent scenes that can make this a hard movie to watch, but the violence is always relevant and never gratuitous.
However, the best thing about this film has to be the acting. Edward Norton is one of my favourite actors and I thought he was brilliant in Fight Club, but here he really excels himself. His performance is absolutely fantastic and the way he plays Derek as a frighteningly intelligent thug is sheer genius. As many people here have said, he was certainly robbed of an Academy Award which he thoroughly deserved to win. Although this is Norton's movie, the rest of the cast are also excellent, especially Beverly D'Angelo as Derek and Danny's careworn and despairing mother.
I would highly recommend this film to anyone, as it really is an absolutely outstanding piece of cinema that will certainly not disappoint. By the end you will be exhausted, shocked and emotionally drained - but believe me, it's worth it. American History X is a must-see movie.
Down to You (2000)
Great Romantic Comedy
I'm not usually a fan of romantic comedies, but Down To You really is a great movie. It's funny, entertaining and has some very touching, romantic moments without being overly sentimental or chliched. Freddie Prinze Jr and Julia Stiles put in great performances, and they're backed up by a strong supporting cast of varied and original characters. The plot explores the 'tingles' of first love in a refreshingly mature and honest manner, without being trivial and stupid like some teen movies. A fantastic flick to watch on a girlie night in.
The Cell (2000)
Disturbing and Unpleasant
I don't consider myself to be squeamish or easily shocked (Silence of the Lambs, which I felt this movie in some ways tried to emulate, is one of my favourite films) but I found The Cell far too disturbing for my tastes. I don't understand how anyone could enjoy watching it, as I certainly didn't.
The plot revolves around a schizophrenic serial killer, Edward, who's latest victim is trapped in a tank that is slowly filling with water. The only problem is, the killer is in a coma and the FBI have no idea where his victim is. This is where Jennifer Lopez's character, a pyschologist, comes in. With the aid of a high-tech machine she can go inside the minds of her patients, and so she decides to go inside Edward's mind with the hope of discovering where his victim is so she can be rescued before she drowns.
While this might all sound very exciting and tense, I actually found it to be anything but. Some of the imagery was very original and striking, but on the whole I found it to be disturbing. Jennifer Lopez's performance wasn't particularly good at all, in fact I found her character to dull and one-dimensional. The rest of the cast are adequate in their roles, but there's no real stand out performances. As for the movie itself, I found it a rather unpleasant affair, and not one I would recommend to anyone, not even die-hard horror or sci-fi buffs.
What Women Want (2000)
Typical Hollywood Schmaltz
I felt that this movie started very well, and in the first hour or so there was some great comedy and the story seemed to be developing reasonably well, even though it was a bit predictable and cliched. I thought the way Mel Gibson suddenly developed his gift of being able to hear what women think by electrocuting himself was a bit silly, but then again so is the whole film!
Gibson's performance was good, as was Helen Hunt's, who played his love interest. But where this movie really let itself down was in the second half, when it seemed to just fizzle out and drag itself towards a totally cheesy ending with bucketloads of schmaltz. I was very disappointed because at the start I thought it was going to be a good movie, but it turned into a bit of a turkey for me. However, if you're a fan of Mel Gibson and you like romantic comedies that aren't too challenging, then What Women Want is perfect for you.
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
What a movie!
"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" is an incredible film. By the end of it, you'll be totally exhausted and emotionally drained, but I've seen it a few times and I think the only way to even begin to understand it is by seeing at least twice. The setting is deceptively simple: a middle-aged couple, George (a history professor) and his wife Martha (who's father is head of the college George teaches at) invite Nick and Honey (a couple in their thirties who have just moved to the area because Nick has got a job teaching Biology at the college) round to their house for a drink after a party. What ensues is completely mind-boggling, as it turns out that George and Martha are locked into a distructive marriage, and the whole night turns into a war between the two. Almost from the word go, George and Martha (played brilliantly by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor) are flinging caustic insults at each other and although their words are shocking and brutal, I actually found some of their exchanges extremely funny. Richard Burton is especially masterful with his sarcastic comebacks to his wife's verbal body blows, and in my opinion he deserved the Oscar he was nominated for, but failed to win. As the film develops you are dragged deeper and deeper into the conflict, just as Nick and Honey are. George Segal as Nick and Sandy Dennis as Honey are excellent support for the mighty Burton and Taylor, who eventually turn on their guests and use them as pawns in their twisted mind-games. The end scene is where the 'truth' (if it is indeed the truth - for the viewer is never sure - like George and Martha - what is true and what isn't) comes out, and then the film ends with George and Martha seemingly making peace, with her clutching at his hand, probably because they've knocked every ounce of fight out of each other during the course of the movie. "Truth and illusion, George, you don't know the difference," Martha tells her husband scornfully in one scene, and by the end of the movie, neither did I. The almost constant dialogue is so cleverly woven that you can never tell when George and Martha are being serious or not, and I think the whole point of the film is that the audience never really know the truth. I would recommend this film to anyone who likes a good drama, and although I admit it is a hard movie to watch simply because of the depths it reaches into, it is also compulsive viewing - I didn't move for the whole two hours the first time I watched it. The acting is superb, and Elizabeth Taylor gives the best performance of her entire career as the loud, embittered and yet somehow tragic character of Martha. This is a movie that definitely stays with you, and one of my many after-thoughts was this: I wonder how much of Burton and Taylor's real relationship came through when they were playing George and Martha. My guess is that their publicised verbal battles had nothing on those of George and Martha, although it certainly makes you wonder!
54 (1998)
A poor version of "Saturday Night Fever"
I watched this movie because this summer I was in New York and I went to see the show "Cabaret" at Studio 54, so I wanted to see what the club was like in its 70s heyday when, according to what I'd read, it was an illicit sex and drugs den, as well as being New York's hottest nightspot. But the movie seemed very tame and watered down - it was hinted that a lot of sex went on, and that drugs were rife, but it didn't depict this very realistically. The plot centered around Shane (Ryan Phillipe), a kid from New Jersey who ends up working at 54, and gets sucked into the whole lifestyle surrounding it. Phillipe's performance was satisfactory, but by no means outstanding. In fact the only good performance was by Mike Myers as 54's owner, Steve Rubell, who comes across as a kid who never really grew up, and never wanted the party of youth to end. Myers' performance is stunning, and you totally forget he ever played Austin Powers, which is how it should be! The rest of the supporting cast was disappointingly mediocre, as was most of the movie. It seemed to lack a certain something, and the plot was very choppy - it was obvious that some storylines were developed, but then never properly concluded. Overall, I'd say if you want to see a good movie about the 70s club scene, see "Saturday Night Fever" - it's more realistic, has a better storyline, better developed characters, better acting, and last of all, better music!
Girl, Interrupted (1999)
Thought-provoking
Girl, Interrupted is such a thought-provoking movie! Based on the real-life experience of Susanna Kaysen, who was in a pyschiatric institution in the 1960s, you really do start to wonder if, in that environment, you would go crazy, the way Susanna almost did. The story itself keeps your interest all the way, and the characters are all very realistic, moving and at times, almost comical. This is not to make light of the very serious issues the film covers - but there are some moments that make you smile, like when the girls go bowling in the basement at night. There were two things that I thought were excellent about this film - the acting, which was top notch, especially Angelina Jolie's fantastic performance as sociopath Lisa and Whoopi Goldberg as the understated nurse Valerie. I also thought that the way the film captured the essence of feeling depressed and mixed up was brilliant - Susanna's flashbacks, and the way very small things had great significance. All in all, I would say Girl, Interrupted is a great movie, and one to watch for anyone who has ever suffered from depression or felt just a little 'crazy'!
Save the Last Dance (2001)
Disappointing
I'd heard a lot about this movie, so I expected it to be pretty good... but I was very disappointed. The only thing I really enjoyed about this movie was the soundtrack, which had some great hip hop and r'n'b songs on it, and the dancing was fun to watch. I found the plot a little too mixed up for my tastes - the movie tried to cover a lot of issues (a white girl fitting into a black neighbourhood, lack of opportunities for people living in such a neighbourhood, bi-racial relationships, being a teenage single mother and the death of a parent) but I felt it just skimmed over them briefly as sub-plots to try and add some substance to a pretty thin story. I found the whole movie a rather unsatisfactory affair, with nothing really being resolved apart from the movie's "heroine", Sara, being accepted at top dance school Julliard. The acting wasn't bad, but I felt Julia Stiles was miscast as Sara - she didn't seem very comfortable with the role, and appeared rather stiff. There also seemed to be a complete lack of chemistry between her and Derek, her on-screen boyfriend, which, if it had existed may have made up for some of the movie's other shortcomings. Overall, a very schmaltzy, cliched affair with no real substance or anything (except for the soundtrack) worthy of merit. A huge disappointment.
Grease (1978)
I love this movie!!
Grease is one of my all time favourite movies! Why? I really don't know - Grease just has this amazing quality that makes it watchable, ridiculous yet somehow believable, and most of all, downright entertaining! It's such great fun to watch - although some of the raunchier scenes (namely THAT scene with Rizzo & Kenickie in the car!) may be embarrassing for the whole family to watch, most of the bad language and sexual innuendo in this movie will go right over young kids' (and even some adults'!!) heads! The acting is great, with the whole cast appearing to have a very enjoyable time making the movie, which adds to the whole 'fun' feel of the movie! The chemistry between cool tough guy Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and the sweet and innocent Sandy (Olivia Newton John) is electric, but Stockard Channing as bad girl Rizzo is definitely the stand-out - she adds a serious, but not depressing note to the movie, as well as having some brilliant one-liners! The supporting cast is also impressive, with some genuinely funny characters, who all exude an adorable sweetness, however cool and tough they might try to be!! The songs are also great, and I defy you not to sing along or tap your feet to infectious numbers such as Summer Nights and that karaoke classic, You're the One that I Want! Overall, this is a great movie that is hugely enjoyable to watch, and if you haven't seen it already (where have you been for the last 20-something years??) rent it now - Grease IS the word!!