Reviews

Pam doesn't do at all bad in this sexy and stylish big screen outing. Her man-made curves are completely appropriate for this comic book style adventure, and the costume designer and director make best use of them for the duration of the movie. She employs a soft purr for Barb and sticks with it. Pam is undeniably extremely sexy, and even if your mind keeps telling you she ain't real, your pants just aren't listening. There are no attempts at fancy phrasing, she just delivers her lines flat but is at least as good as say Arnie or Sly.

Apart from Pam's undeniable screen presence the film is a stylish but pretty routine action movie. It steals from films like Batman, Starwars and even Casablanca but never offensively so. With the action and sexuality on display this is definitely a "guy" movie. But this guy for one will be back for the sequal.

***/****

This film got terrible reviews but because it was offbeat and because critics don't usually "get" offbeat films, I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately they were largely right in this instance.

The film just has an awkward feel too it that is most off putting. The sort of feel that is impossible to describe, but it's not a good one. To further confound things, the script is a dull aimless thing that is only vaguely interesting.

The immensely talented Thurman just drifts through this mess creating barely an impact. Hurt and Bracco try in vain to add something to the film with enthusiastic performance but there is nothing in the script. It may have been less embarrassing for them if they had merely chosen to drift and get it over with like Thurman.

One thing the "esteemed" film critics did fail to mention however is that the film is actually quite funny. Whether it be moments of accurate satire or some outrageously weird moments like when the cowgirls in question chase Hurt off their ranch with the smell of their unwashed...ahem...front bottoms.

Because of the chortles acheived throughout, while I wouldn't recommend this film, there is entertainment to be had and watching Even Cowgirls Get the Blues is worthwhile for something different.

This film is a really enjoyable experience. It is extremely stylish from the beautiful cinematography too the superb acting. It is ferociously character driven and basically spends it's length just enjoying the presence of it's three fascinating main characters, Anais Nin (Madeiros) and Henry Miller (Ward) and his wife June (Thurman).

All three actors are extremely good, especially Thurman who makes one of the most impressive uses of limited screen time (about 50min) that I've ever seen.

Thurman exudes the sexuality and screen presence of Dietrich and Garbo combined, and goes through an entire gamut of emotions from high melodrama to subtle tender moments, such is the nature of June Miller. The range shown in one role is astonishing. I have always thought Uma Thurman was a good actress, but I didn't realise she was THIS good. Nothing prepared me for what I saw here. It is a performance everyone should see before they comment on her as it leads me to believe she has been largely wasted in the rest of her career.

The film is worth seeing for Thurman's performance alone, but also for the cinematograhy and the fine work of other cast members. The much publicised erotic element only really rears its head for a torrid 25 minute period in the middle of the film when Anais goes from one lover to the next.

Fargo took me a few viewings to really appreciate, and judging by some of the other ecstatic reactions to this film, I still don't fully "get" it. Hidden in amongst what at first seems to be merely a quirky twist on the heist gone wrong staple is what I think is a strong message about the moral fibre of today's society. Compare the money-hungry, deceitful, anti-social behaviour of the perennially miserable Macy and Buscemi to the constantly honest, happy, content and perennially cheerful nature of McDormand.

Now I usually hate films that try to sell a message, but this one does it so subtly that it has an almost subliminal impact. Two scenes at the end, one with McDormand and Stormare in the Police car and the final scene in bed sum it up.

Still though, it's not my favourite Coen film, that is still Millers Crossing. And I disagree with everyone here, neither McDormand OR Brenda Blethyn should have won the best actress Oscar. It should have been Emily Watson for "Breaking the Waves". So there.

I give Fargo 9/10.

This film is very stylish and has some nice set-pieces. There is lots of high-kicking, slow mo firing of weapons and crims in suits, very reminiscent of Hong Kong actioners. The man playing the lead role is a very talented athlete. However despite its style, Crying Freeman is a bore. Its script is quite frankly silly and features some terrible dialogue that the low-rent actors can't do anything with. It also takes itself WAY too seriously, thus removing any dumb but fun element from proceedings. It's not fun, it's just dumb. I'd give it 5/10 at a stretch solely for its impressive visual style.

First time I watched this film I was so perplexed by it that I had to watch it again, and on the second viewing I loved it. What had initially confused me about the film was the packaging that suggested a typical Hollywood romantic comedy. That's not what it is at all. What it IS, is a fascinating character driven drama with some very funny moments. It also features some of the best work of the three leads respective careers.

This is one of De Niro's best performances ever and definitely his most underrated. He has too often slipped into the thug for hire role (The Untouchables, Cape Fear, The Fan) but here he creates an extraordinarily well-rounded character that you can completely understand. He says more about Wayne with his facial expressions, the way he holds himself, and his pattern of speech then any of the dialogue in the movie.

Thurman matches him all the way. She perfectly captures Glory. There's really not much more you can say about her performance than that, it is faultless. She never reveals Glory's true intentions AT ALL during the film, make your own mind up. Does she really want to be with Wayne or is she just using him to get away from Frank Milo. Even right at the end, there's a hint that she is still just 'doing Wayne a favour'.

Bill Murray is the big surprise. He effectively balances the menace and humour of Milo. You feel his frustration in the life he leads , by the way he looks at his henchmen, the way he tries to befriend Wayne. It is a strong yet subtle performance and Murray proves he is far more than just a funny man.

David Caruso and Mike Starr are also excellent in their respective supporting roles.

Scenes to watch out for are a touching "bad sex" scene. How often do we see this, usually sex in the movies is either terrific for those involved or played for laughs but Mad Dog and Glory dares to be realistic. Also watch for Wayne singing along to the dukebox and the scene when Wayne refuses to give back Glory to Milo.

The film is always intellingent and never sinks to gimmicky resolutions. It's slow and low-key which may turn some people off. But if you like character driven movies then you'll love this. This film seems to get better every time I watch it. It's truly one of the hidden gems of 1993.

9/10

Well I don't know how this one slipped through the studio system but I'm very glad it did. When I heard about an Avengers movie I assumed we'd be getting a bastardised Hollywood formula movie, and it would resemble some of the recent Bond films more than the original series. But I was thrilled to find the film had the same wonderful sense of absurdity as the show. :)

I think a lot of people are unaware this is a complete comedy. This being the case it's not surprising people think it's bad, but that's their problem. The comedy style is not a popular one, it's a particular style of generally British humour, best described as complete and utter nonsense. If you have no appreciation for absurdity, then you will NOT like this film.

Nothing in The Avengers should be taken at face value, it's all a load of s***. Steed and Peel are full of s***, that's the point. No one acts the way they do, they are both constantly trying to out cocky each other. The world of The Avengers is a place where "small things are taken with the utmost seriousness and important things are not taken seriously at all".

The Avengers purposely doesn't explain things, it's not supposed to make sense, that would ruin it. It's the little things in The Avengers that make it shine. Small asides from left-field that seem to go over most peoples heads.

Fiennes and Thurman are different than Macnee and Rigg, but I'm not sure they're much worse. Fiennes could perhaps have been a bit more cheerful. Thurmans whole screen presence is so vastly different from Riggs that it's impossible to compare, but I did enjoy Thurmans version of the infalable Peel. Connery going nuts was fun to see too. BTW Eddie Izzard not talking was the point of him being there, get it. Having Eddie Izzard in your movie and not having him say anything is to my mind very funny.

It's very hard to explain to people who flock to films like The Waterboy, why a film like The Avengers is so funny. Most people I guess will just never get it. I got it, and I'm glad that there ARE plenty of other people who did too. Congrats to the makers for daring to be different and convincing the studio into letting you spend $70 million.

8/10

There have been so many comments already made about this film that mine seem somewhat academic. Here I go anyway.

Firstly this film had one of the most dreadfully cliched scripts ever. It really was depressingly poor at times and inexplicably corny. Everything else about the film is good though.

Leo and Kate do an excellent job considering the script and considering the fact that Cameron can't direct actors (he usually works with Arnie after all). I take my hat off to them both. It's not close to either actors best work though because they were given only cliches to work with. I think it was almost heroric the way they delivered some of those lines with straight faces.

Visually the film was superb. Nice cinematography on the internal scenes and spectacular shots when the ship was sinking.

The film WAS too long though considering its slight story, and the bit with the old lady in the present wasn't necessary.

Cameron is a Science Fiction director and one of the best visual guys out there. But if he's going to attempt another film like this, he should seriously consider letting someone else write. He's just not up to it.

6/10

I nearly had to force myself to sit through this. This film is an insult to the intelligence, and the fact that so many people fell for it disturbs me more than anything in the film. This film just grabs every cliche of the genre and runs with it, but insists on giving us a knowing wink all the time as if just because it knows it's bad, that that somehow makes it great.

Well here's a brain storm, the old films it's "spoofing" knew they were bad to, duh. There's a line in the movie something like (I didn't write it down):"Those old horror movies just have some bad actress with big tits running up the stairs when she should be running out the door". This is shortly followed by a bad actress (Neve Campbell) with big tits running up the stairs when she should be running out the door. I mean yes, ha ha, but this is pretty straightforward sarcastic stuff. Was this film written by a 15 year old? That's what this film is full of, quick forgettable laughs. The film had a few good sadistic splatter laughs too (the opening scene, the garage door) but they were too few and far between. In between we put up with the banal going's on of a bunch of loathsome teens played by 20 something actors. I felt like I was watching Beverly Hills 90210.

The acting by b-grade TV actors/actresses (which makes them d or e grade film actors) was extremely ordinary. You've got to have questions about any film where Courtney Cox gives the stand-out performance. I see a lot of you other commenters (bless your little souls) have praised Barrymore and Campbell. Um....have you not seen any other films. I imagine if top actresses, the likes of Meryl Streep or Michelle Pfeiffer ever lowered themselves to this type of film and you could compare, then you might think differently about Barrymore and Campbell.

I was not scared once in this film. Any chance of scares was ruined because they played everything for laughs. I think that the word "horror" is misused when describing these types of films. This can hardly be called a horror film, it's a slasher film. True horror is felt when watching films such as Silence of the Lambs, Seven, or classics like Psycho.

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, it'll do if you can't think of anything else quickly, it looks like Williamson couldn't think of anything else with Scream. Instead of telling a good story or building strong characters, Scream spends its running time smart-assing around. Well the jokes on the audience who think that this is clever. Mr Williamson and Mr Craven are laughing all the way to the bank.

It's so great to read everyone else's comments and see that other people appreciate the brilliance of this film. When I first saw Seven, the impact of it knocked me about more than any other film. On a second viewing I really got to appreciate that every aspect of this piece is extremely well done. I've seen it many times since. It's a modern masterpiece, even Hitchcock would be in awe.

Gattaca is a rarity in film today, a film that not only encourages the audiance to think but demands and rewards it. Discussions after the film reveal multiple interpretations and the thirst to see more of Niccols world. Ethan Hawke (always a reliable performer) turns in the best performance of his career as the inspiring Vincent. Thurman, Law, and Dean all turn in well-judged performances as the three main supporting players. Their characters are all well thought out and distinct, and offer us a dynamic view of Niccols world. Director Andrew Niccol (A New Zealander) has established himself as one of the most exciting new talents out there. I can't wait for his next film.

8/10

Jerry Maguire is an ambitious movie that works 100%. Ambitious in that it strives to be a satire of the professional sports industry while simultaneously being the most romantic of romances. The film could quite easily have come off as pure mush, but instead it is an emotional journey that will leave all but the coldest hearts grinning from ear-to-ear. Cruise cements his position as the number one leading man in Hollywood with his performance here, while Gooding Jr and Zellwegger establish themselves as major talents.

10/10

Not one of my favorite Terry Gilliam efforts but it has some fine moments none the less. Some parts looked like Gilliams imagination was exceeding his budget, while others are inspired visual works. The high points of the movie come from some terrific cameos from well known faces, most notably Ralph Richardson as a very organised, very well tailored and very English (almost John Steed like) God, yes thats right GOD, and also John Cleese as an extraordinarily well mannered Robin Hood is a hoot. Sean Connery's cameo however is surprisingly the low part of the film.

7/10 Dave

Strange movie that doesn't seem to be about much, but yet it's totally absorbing. The cinematography is good, lots of shadows and strange lights cast on things create a sinister look. The soundtrack is equally creepy and sinister. There's not much dialogue in the film and the plot is deliberately confusing, often contradicting itself. Ultimately, and unfortunately the resolution of the plot is unsatisfying however. The film is worth a look however as it's a change from the norm.

7/10

The movie started off great with an hilariously OTT psychedelic dance number, but steadily went down hill from there. The character of Austin Powers was certainly a very funny creation, but that was all this spy spoof offered. The jokes were predominantly predictable toilet humour. By the end I just wasn't laughing. A huge disappointment after the hilarious beginning.

Myers is at his best as Austin and provides us with some wonderful sound bites. He's less successful however with the somewhat tiresome villain Dr Evil. Hurley is a good foil as the sexy sidekick Miss Kensington.

Spoofs are most effective when played deadpan where the characters seem to be acting normal and unaware of the lunacy around them. See the Airplane! and Hot Shots series for examples of this. Myers however is plainly having a lot of fun, which strangely leads to less fun for the viewer (e.g his never ending "do you think I'm sexy" scenes).