jls1ct Reviews

The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle (2000)

What a wonderful surprise

[29 July 2001]

...this movie was! I waited for the video because I had heard so many poor reviews. Now I almost wish I hadn't! What fun!!

Not only did I enjoy this movie, but my 12 yr old did, too. He was able to pick up on some of the more adult-centered humor and felt great when he did. (I remember that feeling as a kid!) He also enjoyed rolling his eyes at the sheer lunacy of most of the movie. Don't we all?

I only wish they had kept all the characters in animation mode. While the actors did a good job, (I especially liked Jason Alexander), it would've "felt better" to see them all the way I remember them.

Watching it on DVD gave us a chance to pick up on things we might otherwise have missed. While Natashe is digging underground for the 3 villains to make their escape, notice that they pass by Hades, a mobster tied-up and with "cement shoes," and part of the Titanic. It goes by very quickly, so we had to rewind a time or two.

Overall, I laughed out loud more during this movie than any in recent memory. It was wonderful to see a funny show with my son where I didn't have to bear bathroom humor, sexual innuendos, nudity, and foul language.

Thank you R&B for bringing back the best of the 60s.

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Pinocchio meets Bicentennial Man

[4 July 2001]

...among others. (some spoilers in this review) The most disappointing aspect of this movie is that it is so unoriginal. While there are some parts of the movie that made me sit up and take notice (most notably the "Flesh Fair" and the great set of NYC), most of it was rehashed bits of other stories.

The acting was great, as so many others have said. Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law are excellent. I actually found myself thinking of them, at times, as non-human.

Some of the scenes were also eye-catching. My son's favorite was the visit to Dr. Know with it's holographic images. I found the images of the ruins of Manhattan striking.

None of that, however, is enough to truly save this film. For a movie that was so long (and the last 1/2 hour is the longest by far) there were many questions that remain unanswered. I cared just enough about the mom and the rest of the family that I would have liked to know what happened to her. No answer to that one.

Why did the boy only imprint on Monica, the mother? If a company could make such an impressive robot, why couldn't this child imprint on two parents? And if he could, why did the mother choose to go it alone? How did their child, Martin, suddenly get better?

Overall, it was a decent movie, but did not live up to its potential. There were many places this film could have taken us, but rather than climb to new heights, it took the path of least resistance, going where nearly every sci-fi film has gone before.

Red Planet (2000)

Sci-Fi Yawn

[7 April 2001]

A weak plot made this movie nearly painful to watch. I'm very glad I waited for the video. A good cast and special effects weren't enough to save what could have been a good movie.

There was too much stuff that was uninteresting (the whole boring trip TO Mars) and not enough of the good stuff (AMEE and those strange bugs).

It was also hard to overlook some of the mistakes, too. The bio expert gets the DNA material wrong? The commander gives CPR that looks weak, to say the least. How it could revive anyone is beyond me. And how long did that launch and recover take? He did all of that without oxygen, yet came to after just a few punches in the chest?

Oh, and they're going to take bugs back to earth that resemble robots and, though they supposedly feed on algae and produce oxygen, it sure looked to me like they also feed on blood! Even Gallagher admits 'they eat everything.' Sure, so let's take a few to earth.

My favorite character was Chantilas. They killed him off far too early. Why did they get rid of the interesting character and leave the ones you don't know much about and don't care anything about at all? Good sci-fi, as Star Trek showed <g>, should always save the main characters and kill off the extras!

This, along with Mission to Mars, make two very boring Sci-Fi attempts in a year. <yawn>

The Green Mile (1999)

GREAT movie

[22 February 2001]

This movie has a bit of everything. I laughed, I cried, I was awed. The acting is superb and the plot is inspired.

One piece of advice, if you're watching with a youngster (I have a 12 year old) skip the executions. They're rough. This is easier to do with the DVD.

Left Behind: The Movie (2000)

Overall, not bad

[17 February 2001]

even though I liked the books better. I saw the movie a second time and liked it better than I did the first time.

I hope anyone who sees it who doesn't 'get it' or who feels that only fundamentalist christians can really understand it will just open their bibles. I had friends who saw X-Men and got me to read some of the comics saying I'd enjoy the movie more if I did. They were right. So why is it so terrible to say crack open your bible and check out the stuff?

Sometimes it really makes me laugh. If you wanted to become a lawyer you'd learn contract law, study the constitution and various cases before taking the bar. You wouldn't attempt to pass the bar exam by talking to friends about their opinions and watching "The Practice." But people who believe in God don't read His book. And admitting that you've "studied the bible," which, in the long run, will also make you more literate, is akin to saying you have a communicable disease; people stare at you and back away.

Open it up. Not only does it give guidelines on how to live, it gives you promises for what comes after. And if nothing else, it will give you a clue what this movie is all about.

Bless the Child (2000)

I'm surprised the rating on this movie is so low...

[17 February 2001]

because I really liked it. But then, I go to the movies to be entertained and if I stop thinking about my own problems for an hour and a half, I'm satisfied.

I will say, as a devout Christian, that if you're lukewarm on this subject you may not like it as much. For those of us who believe in God, Satan, angels and the ongoing battle between the forces of good and evil, there is more to this movie than might appear; there is the promise that God never abandons us.

The Cider House Rules (1999)

This movie is all about breaking the rules

[22 November 2000]

I liked this movie only because I like Michael Caine and Charlize Theron. Other than watching them, there was very little about this movie to like.

***(spoiler alert)***

The movie is all about breaking rules. The orchardmen who live in the cider house can't read their rules, and when Homer reads the list to them, they continue to break them. Breaking the Cider House Rules is an analogy for all the events in the entire film.

The father is incestuous and ultimately commits suicide. His daughter is one of two woman at the orchard who has an abortion. Doctor Larch performs abortions illegally and has an addiction to ether. He makes up a past for Homer and forges medical documents to support his lies.

I guess the end is supposed to be a feel-good finale. Homer returns home and takes over for his father-figure doctor. I didn't see it quite that way. Instead, I saw Homer abandon his lofty ideals & morals to follow the road that the doctor paved for him.

Pretty depressing, huh?

28 Days (2000)

Great entertainment, despite the naysayers

[14 November 2000]

Why do people feel better if they pan a movie than if they admit they liked it? This movie is just what you'd expect, and a little bit more. Movies are entertainment, people!! You can't get the full feel of 28 days in rehab by watching a 90+ minute movie!! If you want the real thing, watch a documentary.

I also get a kick out of people commenting on the acting. These self-styled critics need to remember that, unless they know the actors personally, they can't know whether or not the actor is being themselves, acting a role totally different from who they are, etc., etc. Unless an actor totally ruins the picture for you by speaking wooden lines and generally being entirely out of character, I just have to smile at some of the egotistical comments I see written about the talent of others.

Ok, I'm off my soapbox. Back to this movie: what you get here is a light-hearted drama with a touch of a love story. Not too much of any of the elements, a pretty good balance, in my opinion. I've been in rehab. Most places aren't as nice as this one. So, obviously this was considered to be an upscale rehab. That explains the characters. In my experience, there is much more anger at forced incarceration, longer periods of denial, and more falling off the wagon. As they said: only about 3 in 10 will make it. And I think that's optimistic.

But I didn't watch this movie to find out the facts of rehab, or to trash it, which seems to be the true goal of a lot of people.

I watched it for entertainment. And I was entertained. 8/10

A Chorus Line (1985)

A poor substitute, but still touching

[20 October 2000]

I saw this movie when it originally came out and was very disappointed in it. I had seen A Chorus Line on Broadway at least 3 or 4 times, and the movie just wasn't up to the comparison.

Last night, I watched it again, with my 12 year old son who has never seen it. He was bored silly. He thought the music was okay, but the story didn't hold him. I, on the other hand, found myself in tears a few times. I was surprised how much nostalgia it brought to me. (Yes, I was a dancer with dreams of Broadway...)

Still, the play was better. I only hope there will be a revival on Broadway. They've brought back so many bad shows, I hope eventually they bring back this one.

What Lies Beneath (2000)

Good Horror Movie For People Who Don't Like To Get TOO Scared

[26 July 2000]

I don't normally like scary movies. I don't like being terrified for the sheer thrill of being scared. That said, I've seen Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, Friday the 13th, and others.

This film was pretty predictable, but that's what I liked about it. The scares were prefaced with classic camera moves and music. I still jumped twice. I gasped at least once. I found myself saying, "Don't go in there!!" Overall, it was exciting entertainment and I know I won't lose sleep tonight.

I like Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, and I thought they both did well in this movie. The characters were a bit shallow, but hey, it's a horror movie, not Shakespeare.

If you like being scared, see it on the big screen. Otherwise, you can wait for the video.

Se7en (1995)

Not for the squeamish

[20 May 2000]

This was a great movie, but I had a very hard time watching it. It is very sadistic, very bloody, but also very thought provoking. I found myself thinking about this movie long after I returned the video to blockbuster.

Great cast. Especially surprising to me was Spacey, whom I'd just seen on the other side of the law in The Negotiator (which I also loved!)

Overall, I would've liked to see this movie done with a lot less gore, and a little more of the violence left to the audiences imagination.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Good, but disappointing

[16 May 2000]

By now, anyone who wants to see this has probably seen it. It's been out on video for over a month.

I saw it in the theater twice, and bought the movie. But overall, I was disappointed. This just doesn't stand up to the first three. Perhaps I'm biased because I love Harrison Ford, but there was just so much wrong here.

My complaints are the same as many others'. First of all, I, too, hated Jar Jar. Matter of fact, the entire Gungan race annoyed me. They really could've done so much better creating a new race. And their "language" was really stupid.

I thought Jake Lloyd's acting was a bit stilted. Ok, he's just a kid, but HE'S DARTH VADER!

Darth Maul? Very disappointing as a bad guy. No real dialogue. No motivation. We don't know why he chose the dark side, or anything else about him for that matter. Then he kills Qui-Gon and is gone before we can get used to him!

In my opinion, the amount of time on screen between Maul and Jar Jar should've been reversed.

Still, it was Star Wars. I just hope that in Part 2, Jar Jar gets killed.

Fargo (1996)

I don't get it

[8 May 2000]

I've read so many great comments on this movie, and heard so many good things before I saw it, and I really felt let down.

I just didn't get it. Was it a comedy that wasn't funny? An action film without action? I know it was a "true story" that wasn't true...so I just couldn't figure out what the point was.

I really didn't care about any of the characters. We never knew the wife well enough to care that she was being kidnapped thanks to her good-for-nothing husband. I never cared about him, since he was such a greedy, stupid, low-life loser. I cared less about the kidnappers. I liked Marge and her husband, but we didn't really get to know them. Our brief glimpse into their life was, for me, very unsatisfying.

The only line that made me even smile was the way everyone agreed that one of the kidnappers was "funny looking." This was a comedy? A family is torn apart and murdered over money disputes. This is comical? A policeman pulls a car over and gets shot in the head by the driver? Sorry, too close to reality for me to laugh.

Having never been anywhere near Fargo, I can't comment on the accents, except to say they were sometimes hard for me to understand. But that's cause I'm a Noo Yawka.

Marge's last line really summed it up for me, "I just don't understand."

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Fun family entertainment

[8/10 · 13 February 2000]

I've noticed from reading past reviews that the people who enjoyed this the most didn't expect it to be very good. Those who expected it to knock them out were disappointed.

I loved it. I figured it would be a silly/stupid comedy and that's what I got. I didn't expect to laugh as much as I did, but then I grew up on Star Trek, so I really appreciated the humor. I also happen to like Tim Allen.

My 11 year old son, who has never seen an episode of Star Trek, loved it as well. (mild spoiler ahead -- skip the rest of this paragraph if you don't want to read it!) He liked the heroes getting help from younger fans, and while there weren't as many special effects as other movies, he loved the rock monster and the teleporting effects. He also got hysterical every time the Thermians laughed.

This is just plain 'good entertainment.' If that's what you expect, you'll get your money's worth.

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Wonderful sequel

[9/10 · 2 December 1999]

This was a truly wonderful movie. If you liked the original Toy Story, you will surely enjoy this one. I especially liked the short 'movie' by Pixar -- which was originally done in 1986. It explains why they have a 'hopping lamp' in their logo. (Their first short animation in 1986 featured an 'adult' and 'child' lamp.) Sit back and prepare to be entertained.