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jen-131
Reviews
Elvis and Me (1988)
Guilty pleasure
Although I thoroughly enjoyed this autobio, it might have been a little shorter. I felt guilty after the first two hours, positively couch potato after the three, and ended up taping the last hour to watch later. Still, I gave it a 9. Remarkable "Cilla" look-alike, and she shure wuz good.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Stop watching after 1 hour
OK, I'm not a Bond fan. This being admitted, I still think this film was chock full of cheesy one-liners that sounded awkward coming from such a suave actor/character. I suspect Connery was better at the cheeky humor.
I was at a loss for real value in developing the characters; I am told this depth is not usual Bond-movie style. Judi Dench, John Cleese, and [drawing a blank--the guy from Trainspotting & Full Monty] seemed half baked.
Redeeming factors were that Sophie Marceau was absolutely beautiful, and the beginning of the movie is slick and fun--especially the sequence before the credits. But as the film progressed, I had to find amusement in counting Denise Richard's wet t-shirt closeups.
Three Kings (1999)
Entertaining; almost wholesome
Not unforgettable, cutesy ending. Music seemed deliberate. Only one gratuitous chest shot of Marky Mark that I recall. I give this movie some credit as it's hard to make a controversial film like this, and meanwhile work within the PC guidelines. This film does so without being boring. I think its success may partially be due to the quick camera work and grainy film texture; and partially due to the selection of particularly good-looking male leads. 5/10
American Beauty (1999)
If this is the future, show me BB's classics aisle
Perhaps I am dating myself, which at 28 is rapidly becoming easy to do, but I can remember a time in movie history when 17-year-old actresses were not required to appear as partially nude nymphettes in order to tantalize the audience, and the hero of a movie was honorable. "That's the point; there are no heros in this movie" is what some might argue, but I disagree. We were supposed to find Lester's cynicism and disdain amusing, like a child's tantrum. And our ethical hero acted chivalrously after all: after he had seduced his daughter's 16-year-old so-called friend (or she him), he chose not to take advantage of her merely because she admitted to being a virgin. Annette Bening's character, however, was quite believable and though she was painfully neurotic, at least she felt a sense of responsibility for keeping things together--even if superficially so. This movie did resort to a few cliches, like the gay homophobic ex-Marine, and the timing of the final seduction scene--pan to crying, vulnerable nymphette; enter Lester the Molester. OK, it's time now to get off my soapbox. It just saddens me to see how popular this movie is, and that the audiences want more.