Reviews

Jennifer Aniston really showed me something in this film. I wondered how she could win Golden Globes or Emmys for her performance as Rachel in Friends. She starts to show her acting chops in this film though. Her accent, her walk, her look of gloom about her life, were all very convincing.

Jake Gyllenhal (sp?) was very good as the unstable Holden. John C. Reilly is always good. The film took a couple of odd twists and turns, but was a solid 7/10.

Matt Damon once again shows that his acting ability is much greater than his buddy Ben. Damon transforms himself into an action anti-hero in this dark film. There were some editing/plot holes (Bourne puts his red bag in a locker and then all of a sudden has it again), but overall a very solid film.

Erin Brockovich is a "shoot straight from the hip" drama mixed with plenty of laughs and warm feelings. Though the movie at times seems a little too melodramatic, Roberts performance in the title role wins you over. It is by far her best work as an actress, mixing a trucker's mouth, "pushed-up" sex appeal, and that winning smile. It is definitely Oscar worthy, as is the supporting role of Albert Finney as Brockovich's boss. Just as Michael Caine snared the award this year, Finney should be holding it next year.

As was Cusack's habit of naming top 5s (can't come up with songs right now), 1) The setup for the movie was too long. 2) Once the setup was established, they should have rethought it. 3) The scene with the record store packed with people seemed to be a big occasion (Laura asking about it), but it looked like the lead-in was cut. 4) Laura took Rob back without much effort on his part and 5) We only saw Catherine Zeta-Jones topless from the back (okay, that's a lame one, but still!). Cusack loves making quirky movies and this one was no exception. I wavered between a 6 and 7 for voting (would have given 6.5 if you could), but had to go with a 6 because this isn't a movie I would tell people to run out and see. Supporting roles by Todd Louiso and Jack Black were a riot and helped carry the picture. Lots of great surprise cameos too!

A good movie is about the best way to describe Wonder Boys. It was not outstanding, however the performances of Michael Douglas, Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr., Katie Holmes, and Tobey Maguire raised it up above mediocrity. What kept this from being an outstanding movie was, just as the title character Grady, the movie lost its way at times. The movie was stuck somewhere in the middle of the drama and comedy genres. This was definitely a fairly well scripted movie that at times resembled Grady's new book a little too much. One note on Tobey Maguire's acting in general. After his outstanding job in Cider House Rules and a good performance in Pleasantville, Maguire needs to show a little more range of emotion and expressiveness. Though that type of demeanor lent itself to Cider House Rules, that is not always going to be the case! If you are going to use Rip Torn, give him a meatier role and one final note, Katie Holmes a few years down the line, is going to have some dynamite lead roles.

Despite the various good reviews of the movie, I was a bit skeptical about the movie due to the fact that it was based on a John Irving novel. What I found was a warm, sweet film, that was well cast and proved to be unpredictable just when it appeared you had it figured out. Tobey Maguire gives an excellent performance as a man/boy seeking his place in the world. He is supported by an excellent cast, particularly Michael Caine, despite a number of "accent" lapses. Even though they were relegated to small roles, it was great to see Jane Alexander and Kate Nelligan on the big screen once again. Charlize Theron continues to show that she is not only beautiful, but can act in a wide range of roles as well. Interesting casting as well in using Hip-Hop/R&B artists, Erykah Badu and Heavy D in small, but important parts.

The movie was a wonderful mix of laughter, tears, and human emotion, and magnificently directed by Halle Lasström. Kudos to all those involved.

To begin with, Jim Carrey had Andy Kaufman down cold. The mannerisms, speech, his persona. I was disappointed in this movie however due to the fact that I felt it would delve more deeply into what drove Andy Kaufman. There were many holes and assumptions to be made in the movie. The recent MSNBC production of Headliners and Legends was much more interesting and delved much deeper into what made Kaufman tick. What I perceived the most from the movie was that Andy Kaufman was compulsive, mentally unbalanced, self-absorbed person, caring only if he made himself and Bob Zmuda laugh. I left feeling sorry for him, the sad caricature of a man that he had become. At least the way it was portrayed in the movie. Happy with life, but always pushing the envelope between reality and con-man. That being said, I will give him credit for being an original. I would recommend seeing it to judge for yourself.

To put it simply, overkill. While scenes that ran long in the first movie were acceptable, it just made this movie more boring than it already was. Mike Myers himself seemed like he was going through the motions as Powers. He was excellent again as Dr. Evil, who was really the star character of this picture.

From start to finish, Dogma is clearly the best film in Kevin Smith's portfolio. Chasing Amy was a very good film, but there were moments when Smith seemed not to be able to decide what to do with the characters. That's not the case here, where a superb and unusual cast (George Carlin playing a Cardinal, Alanis Morrisette as God!!!) played out Smith's vision. Linda Fiorentino continues to prove herself as an actress and she is joined by an excellent supporting and co-starring cast. Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are very convincing as the two fallen angels on their quest to return to Heaven. Chris Rock is hilarious as the "forgotten" 13th Apostle, and sexy Salma Hayak (seeing her pole dancing was worth the price of admission alone), pulls off the role of the feisty muse, Serendipity. Kevin Smith film regulars Jay (Jason Mewes) and Smith's own Silent Bob are at their funniest. Whether it was a conscious decision or not, Smith toned down Jay and Bob a bit from his past movies, making their lines even funnier and more poignant. And Jason Lee was his usual dry, wisecracking self. I like Smith also uses characters from his past films in minor, sometimes multiple roles. There has been an outcry from some that this film is anti-religion or more precisely anti-Church To those people I say go see the movie. Though you may find some things offensive, this movie is pro-religion/faith, not against it. It is also a well written, directed, and produced film!

A 1/2 hr into the film I was wondering about refunds. This is a demented look into the lives of a number of demented people. The characters have depth, but you can't feel any empathy or care for them. It's as though the writer took every type of dysfunction available and plopped it all together. A 9.2 average? Compare past films to this and tell me that this is the 2nd highest rated on the database? The movie is misleading in it's advertising. A dark comedy? A dark drama! There were times during the film when members of the audience would laugh and I wondered how could they possibly find that funny? Save your money, don't even bother renting this movie!