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Hippie69
Reviews
Snake Eyes (1998)
Very enjoyable in spite of what others say
I've seen De Palma's Snake Eyes twice, and I enjoyed it more the second time than the first. Snake Eyes features several visually astounding moments including the oft-praised opening sequence, the bird's-eye-view of the hotel floor, and the awesome split-screen flashback sequence. However, my personal favorite is the scene in which the camera angle seamlessly changes from first person to third person perspective. It's the flashback scene where Tyler and his agent are in his room with Rick Santoro at the door outside. The scene starts out with us seeing from Tyler's POV, then as he turns to the mirror it moves out to omniscient third-person POV. Very, very smooth camera work in this movie. Sure the plot may not entirely hold water, but Snake Eyes isn't about plot. It's about style, it's about having fun. And that's what Snake Eyes is: more than most movies of its genre.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Best movie ever made
What is greatness? Well, when you have every independent director in the country trying to make a movie as good as yours, you have achieved greatness. All of you Pulp Fiction bashers should go watch Citizen Kane or something. Pulp Fiction is a truly great film, and one of the best of the decade. I'd rather watch Pulp over Kane any day.
Boogie Nights (1997)
Robbed of a Best Picture Oscar
Boogie Nights was without a doubt the best film of 1997. I could watch this movie over and over and over and still love it. I'm in no rush to watch that overblown romance/disaster epic Titanic again. The fact that Boogie Nights did not even receive a Best Picture nomination just goes to prove how predictable and narrow-minded the Academy is. Only Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter and Robert Zemeckis's Contact came close to being as great as Boogie Nights. No other filmmaker in recent years has come even remotely close to making a film as good as Tarantino's Pulp Fiction -- until now. Paul Thomas Anderson rose to the challenge and succeeded. Just as Tarantino gave John Travolta's career a kick, P.T. Anderson has given Burt Reynolds the kick that his career needs. Boogie Nights will also undoubtedly make stars of Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, and John Reilly. Overall, a wonderful film. The best since Pulp Fiction. Maybe even better.
54 (1998)
Way too short
54 is a lackluster movie which tries to tell a big story in less than 90 minutes. As a result, the film is shallow and contains no depth or detail. It feels like icing without cake, toppings without yogurt. It has one or two interesting characters, but never does much with them. 54 feels like Saturday Night Fever at times, but never lives up to it. It certainly never comes close to the character depth of Last Days of Disco and the excellent Boogie Nights. Perhaps a Director's Cut with about 60 more minutes of footage would make this a much better film.
Little Witches (1996)
A B-movie great.
In today's world of high-profile Hollywood special effects flicks, B-movies are very underrated and under-appreciated. Oscar material they are not, but they don't try to be. I, personally, have a love for B-cinema, whether it's B-horror, B-action, or B-science fiction. They're movies without big budgets, without big stars, and have poor scripts and poor acting, yet can be just as much fun as big Hollywood movies. A well-made B-movie is humorous, schlocky, tittilating, and most of all entertaining.
Jane Simpson's Little Witches is all of these. It contains everything that makes B-movies so much fun: Creepy horror, blood and gore, a low budget, hot catholic school girl babes, and loads of bare flesh. A truly entertaining and well-made B-movie. The term 'good bad movie' certainly applies to Little Witches. I'll be looking for Sheeri Rappaport in more films after this one.
Event Horizon (1997)
Don't watch if you have nightmares...
I've heard comments about how this is such a bad movie. That may be true, but Event Horizon really did frighten me, I must admit. Since very few movies actually scare me, I must say that Event Horizon was very effective in style. I thought it was an intriguing and scary film. Some might see the ending as a letdown (or a relief). If the concept of Hell frightens you, you may wish to skip Event Horizon. Good effects, good style, very creepy. I give Event Horizon a 7.5 out of 10.
Armageddon (1998)
Bring a Pillow
Everything I have to say about Armageddon has already been said. Now, there's nothing wrong with an entertaining, special effects-laden thrill ride, but Armageddon is not one of those. It was not at all entertaining, but boring instead. I could not wait for the agony to end. I found myself paying more attention to my watch than the movie. See Deep Impact instead, as it's actually enjoyable. Note to filmmakers: If you're going to make a big summer effects movie, make it interesting and fun to watch.
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
My Favorite of the Trilogy
It surprises me to see so many people trashing Return of the Jedi. Jedi has always been my favorite movie of the Trilogy and The Empire Strikes Back has always been my least favorite. It's simply because Empire has many scenes that I don't like, and Jedi has many more scenes that I do like. I could give you a long, long list of reasons why Jedi is my favorite. We finally see Jabba the Hutt, for one thing. The Jabba's Palace scene is very cool. Plus, the simultaneous land, space and Luke/Vader battle is an excellent ending to the Trilogy. We meet The Emperor in the flesh for the first time, and Yoda says his last words. Nevermind the naysayers, I love Return of the Jedi and enjoy watching it much more than Empire or A New Hope.
Chasing Amy (1997)
My favorite Kevin Smith movie
Kevin Smith could be the next John Hughes. Smith, like Hughes, churns out hilarious movie after hilarious movie about youngsters (teens in Hughes' case; 20-somethings in Smith's case).
Chasing Amy is probably my favorite Smith movie. It's just as hilarious as Clerks and Mallrats, yet it also has moments of true emotion, drama and seriousness. It's hard to find a movie today that can be both funny and touching.
When Chasing Amy is funny, it is VERY funny, and when it is dramatic it is VERY dramatic. An excellent film, any way you look at it.
Murder by Death (1976)
Great Comedy-Mystery
Neil Simon's Murder By Death is a great movie that manages to succeed as both a comedy and a mystery. It has a great plot, great dialogue and hilarious performances from its all-start cast (Peter Sellers, David Niven, James CoCo, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness). It's a favorite comedy of mine that's just as much fun with each successive viewing. I give Murder By Death a 9 out of 10.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
A comedic masterpiece
The Coen Bros.' Big Lebowski is probably my favorite movie of 1998, thus far. Austin Powers was the funniest movie in recent history until The Big Lebowski came along. I think this will movie become a classic. It has so many memorable scenes. I was literally aching from laughter after seeing this movie. I just got my copy on DVD and I'm prepared to watch it very regularly. Great screenwriting, great acting, excellent cinematography, a great soundtrack and a bizarre sense of humor. Fargo was a tough act to follow, but the Coens has succeeded wonderfully. The Big Lebowski will probably become my favorite Coen Brothers film. I give it a 10 out of 10.
Prince of Darkness (1987)
Very disapointing
When a movie promises the Master of All Evil, I expect to see more than a deformed hand coming out of a mirror. John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness has a very intriguing first half, but when it turned into a lame zombie movie, I got disinterested. The film does, however, have one great aspect: the very spooky 'live camera' footage which comprises the dream that everyone has. "This is not a dream!" Still, it wasn't enough to save the movie after its dull second half. I give Prince of Darkness a 6 out of 10.
Halloween (1978)
A great film, but not really a horror film
John Carpenter's Halloween is, in my opinion, one of the greatest suspense films ever made. I call it a suspense film, because I do not consider Halloween a 'horror' film. My idea of horror films are The Exorcist and The Evil Dead. I think The Exorcist is the greatest horror film ever made. Carpenter's Halloween does not generate as much horror as it does suspense. In particular, the shot of Jamie Lee Curties frantically trying to open her front door as Michael Myers crosses the street in the background. I consider Halloween an updated version of Hitchcock's Psycho, just as I consider Scream an updated version of Halloween. In both cases, the earlier film is better. Both films feature memorable scores that contribute heavily to the mood and suspense of the film. Halloween is definitely worth viewing over and over. But do make an effort to get the film in widescreen. Pan&Scan does not do justice to Carpenter's wonderful cinematography. I give Halloween a 10 out of 10.
Titanic (1997)
Flashy visuals and tired cliches galore
Universal acclaim. Top grossing film of all time. Winner of 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. What can I say about this monster of a movie that has not already been said? How about, "It didn't float my boat". After months of procrastinating, I finally went for broke and sat down to view James Cameron's Titanic. I knew what to expect, after all, this is the only movie I've been hearing people talk about for the past six months. Here is my impression of this film. It's a mixture of a Jane Austen novel, a Disney animated feature, and The Poseidon Adventure rolled up into one nice $200 million package. What do I mean by a Disney movie? Well, as I was sitting there watching Leo DiCaprio savor Kate Winslet's delicate touch, I thought to myself, "Where have I seen this before?". The answer: The plot is almost identical to that in Disney's Aladdin. You know the one: A beautiful rich girl is bored with her aristocratic lifestyle and longs to have some fun. She is supposed to marry a wealthy fellow, which her parents are pushing her to do. Then she meets a poor fellow, and grows to love him. The poor lad shows her a good time like her rich lifestyle never could. But what about her rich fiancee? What's a girl to do? Sounds like Aladdin doesn't it? And George of the Jungle. And countless sitcom episodes. Even Wayne's World made fun of it. And that is one of the twelve or so original movie plots which have been used over and over through the years. And once again, James Cameron recycles it, but this time he puts the story on a really big boat, and gives it a tragic ending to try to squeeze every last tear out of the audience. I've never really been impressed with Cameron's writing, and after seeing Titanic, I'm still not. I can't say much for the acting either. Billy Zane is just too "Aren't I evil?!" to be taken seriously. However, the good thing about this film is the technical expertise of James Cameron. The ship-sinking portion of the film is fabulous, from a technical perspective. Give Jim Cameron a camera and a few hundred million dollars and he can cook up a really great looking product. Just be sure to get someone else to write the script. I still insist that Contact, Boogie Nights and The Apostle are the best films of 1997. Titanic does not even come close. I give it a 5 out of 10.
Starship Troopers (1997)
Paul Verhoeven returns to his sci-fi roots
After dabbling in erotic thrillers (Basic Instinct, Showgirls), director Paul Verhoeven goes back to his roots with Starship Troopers. I was prepared to hate this film when I saw the trailer for it at the theater. I expected it to be from Paul Verhoeven, the director of Showgirls. But instead, it's from Paul Verhoeven, the director of RoboCop. Yes, he's back to his old self with this film, and I really enjoyed it. It has ten times more blood and gore than RoboCop or Total Recall and ten times more action. Sure it's a great political and social satire as well - Verhoeven and writer Neumeier comment on this on the audio commentary on the DVD - but all in all, it's just a fun, rip-roaring adventure. I give it a 9 out of 10.
In the Line of Fire (1993)
A tense, exciting, brilliant thriller.
Wolfgang Petersen's In the Line of Fire is definitely one of his best. It's clever filmmaking with a great script, great actors, and a lot of tension. John Malkovitch is unforgettable as the would-be assassin. The film is also very authentic where it deals with the Kennedy assassination, and Clint Eastwood is very believable as a Secret Service agent. The climax of this film is so exciting that it will have your adrenalin pumping and your pulse racing. This is probably the best political thriller of the decade.
U.S. Marshals (1998)
A worthy follow-up
The Fugitive was a great movie, and U.S. Marshals is nearly as good. It manages to be intensely exciting without resorting to over-the-top action sequences. The one big action sequence (the plane crash) is a necessary plot element. Tommy Lee Jones turns in a great performance once again, but Wesley Snipes just doesn't seem to have the impact that Harrison Ford's character did. Still a very good movie nonetheless. The DVD version of U.S. Marshals has excellent Dolby Digital surround sound, and tons of cool supplements including a featurette on the making of the plane crash and an audio commentary by Director Stuart Baird. Not to mention a retail price of about $15. A great value and a really fun movie.
Boogie Nights (1997)
Robbed of a Best Picture Oscar
Boogie Nights was without a doubt the best film of 1997. I could watch this movie over and over and over and still love it. I'm in no rush to watch that overblown romance/disaster epic Titanic again. The fact that Boogie Nights did not even receive a Best Picture nomination just goes to prove how predictable and narrow-minded the Academy is. Only Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter and Robert Zemeckis's Contact came close to being as great as Boogie Nights. No other filmmaker in recent years has come even remotely close to making a film as good as Tarantino's Pulp Fiction -- until now. Paul Thomas Anderson rose to the challenge and succeeded. Just as Tarantino gave John Travolta's career a kick, P.T. Anderson has given Burt Reynolds the kick that his career needs. Boogie Nights will also undoubtedly make stars of Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, and John Reilly. Overall, a wonderful film. The best since Pulp Fiction. Maybe even better.