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ABechtel
Reviews
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Baton Rouge, La.
Great casting can't make up for a so-so storyline. "Crusade" has its moments and is certainly better than the grimly violent and sexist "Temple of Doom." But this entry in the series doesn't have the narrative drive and excitement of the first film.
Mars Attacks! (1996)
lesser effort from Burton
"Mars Attacks!" is amusing enough but not up to the usual standards of Tim Burton.
The biggest problem is in the movie's opening 30-minute setup (after a fantastically fun title sequence) which is pretty ho-hum. Once the bad guys emerge and cut loose, "Mars Attacks!" is a sly and twisted take on "War of the Worlds" and other alien-invasion stories.
Into the Night (1985)
shallow fun
Jeff Goldblum is perfectly cast as a loser who comes home early from work to find his wife in bed with another man. Confused, he drives "into the night," to find himself and instead finds bizarre adventure and intrigue.
This story was done better a few years later in "Afterhours," but "Into the Night" has a goofy charm that makes it worthwhile. John Landis tries to hard to weave in a cameo by just about every director in Hollywood (and David Bowie to boot). Why bother? The soundtrack, with songs by BB King, is a nice touch.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)
surprisingly good
I am not a big fan of "South Park" and actually groaned when I saw the trailer a few months ago. How could this flimsy show turn into a feature film? But based on the strong reviews for the movie, I checked it out and was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. (Well, as pleasantly surprised as you can be about a movie that puts Satan and Saddam Hussein in bed together.)
The movie's first two-thirds is delivered at such a breakneck pace that it's hard to keep track of all the jokes. Highlights include the opening song and the take-off of "Late Night With Conan O'Brien." Parker and Stone have dispensed of the '90s way of making comedies, in which the humor is telegraphed to the audience moments ahead of time. (Example: Austin Powers and the Fat Bastard stool sample.) Instead, "South Park" fires its jokes like a machine gun; in fact, the story flows so quickly that it might best be viewed on a VCR with a good freeze-frame function.
This is a profane, over-the-top movie, but it's also the funniest thing I've seen in ages.
Kurt & Courtney (1998)
not altogether satisfying yet still intriguing
Those looking for definitive answers about the death of Cobain won't find them here. But for anyone interested in the process of news gathering, you will find that here in abundance.
The movie is really about information sources -- who can you trust and who's full of crap? Unfortunately for Courtney, her "no comment" doesn't look good here, especially when the director confronts her (in a scene that harkens to "Roger and Me"). "Kurt and Courtney" may not resolve all the questions about the sad life and death of Kurt Cobain, but it makes you think hard about whether these questions could possibly be answered.
Home Alone (1990)
the beginning of the end for John Hughes
Set aside the preposterous set-up, and we're left with a movie that portrays violence without consequence. And what makes it especially irritating is that the violence is played for laughs. How funny it is to see a man hit with a can of paint! Joe Pesci deserves better.
The movie, of course, made a mint for John Hughes and made a huge star out of Culkin (albeit briefly). Alas, "Home Alone" marks the beginning of a decade-long descent for Hughes that he is yet to pull out of.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
simply beautiful
This magical, elegiac fantasy remains Tim Burton's strongest work to date, and it's a Christmas movie, of all things. ("Ed Wood" ranks a close second in the Burton canon.) In my world, NBC would show this every Thanksgiving night instead of "Home Alone."
The Breakfast Club (1985)
bad ending leaves a bad taste
One of John Hughes' stronger efforts -- he does a good job throwing these different characters into a confined area and letting them go at it. The film is frequently tense and hilarious at the same time -- witness the scene where the Judd Nelson character keeps getting more and more detention time.
Sadly, the ending is a total sell-out and betrayal. Ally Sheedy's character was more attractive before her "makeover." What is Hughes telling us here -- go mainstream and steal a kiss from somebody in the in-crowd?
Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
Great music, but ...
The Beatles were perhaps at the peak of their musical powers going into the making of "Tour," but not even the strength of the tunes here can save the boys from this flop of a film. It's still worth a look for fans of the band's psychedelic period, but it doesn't have the universal appeal of "Hard Day's Night."
A Civil Action (1998)
a fizzle
The primary problem with the film is the casting of Travolta as Jan Schlictmann -- he can't pull off the character's transition from sleazebag to hero. The script heightens the good (the families in Woburn) vs. the evil (the heartless corporations) at the expense of credibility.
Read the book instead.
Top Gun (1986)
crap-o-rama
This fascist garbage is dragged even further into the muck by "Danger Zone." This is perhaps the nadir of the mid-80s explosion of "high concept" moviemaking.
Liquid Sky (1982)
a different view of the early '80s
If "Fast Times" has become a synonym for early '80s mall-centric suburbanism, then "Liquid Sky" epitomizes the androgynous New York art/music scene of the same era. The dialogue is perfectly deadpan, the camera work simply beautiful, the soundtrack downright spooky.
The story itself is (of course) absurd, but those who focus on the drug-loving aliens are missing the point. The movie is a meditation on the role of sex and gender, not a sci-fi effort. "Liquid Sky" won't appeal to the mainstream audience, but those who appreciate challenging movie-making will find that in "Liquid Sky."
Krull (1983)
the worst of the early '80s fantasy flicks
"Krull" is a misguided and unintentionally funny entry in the "sword and sorcery" genre of the early 1980s. Spare yourself and try "Excalibur" or "Dragonslayer" instead.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Non-sensical fun
The bathroom humour goes too far at times, but Meyers gives us enough pop culture in-jokes (who else would have the guts to base a joke on the Alan Parsons Project?) to carry the movie. Dr. Evil, true to the form of the villain, is becoming more interesting than Austin.
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
A contemptible mess
This is a truly repugnant film on many levels, but perhaps mostly in the character played by Tarantino. A brain-dead thug, he has *no* redeeming qualities, but presumably the movie wants us to root for him and the Clooney character. Forget about it.
If you must see this, make sure you VCR's fast-forward function is working well. You'll need it during the bloody and boring final act.
True Stories (1986)
an intriguing if flawed effort
David Byrne was riding high when he wrote and directed this odd film, presented in semi-documentary style. His deadpan narration is at times annoying but more often endearing as he makes less-than-obvious observations about a small Texas town. John Goodman, then a relative unknown, turns in a solid performance.
The Talking Heads music here isn't the band's strongest; in hindsight, one could argue that the other Heads were growing weary of indulging Byrne.
Stop Making Sense (1984)
pure genius
The nature of concert films changed forever with Demme's decision to keep the camera on the band itself and not dwell on audience reaction shots or Zep-like fantasy sequences. He got help from the Heads' superb performances and the excellent staging of the show -- building instrument upon instrument from Byrne himself with a boombox and acoustic guitar to the full-fledged band.
Sadly, the Sire soundtrack only contains about half the songs from the film, and some of those are edited. In the age of the re-release, perhaps we will soon have the full version in our CD carousels. That would certainly make sense.
The Waterboy (1998)
This was a hit?
Hey, I like dumb humor as much as the next guy. "Austin Powers"? Yeah, baby. "Something About Mary"? Sure. "Beavis and Butt-head"? Huh-huh, cool.
"The Waterboy"? No way. This comedy is dry and dull. This unfunny mess is a major step backward for Mr. Sandler.
The Doors (1991)
As dreary and drab as the band itself
When the opening credits rolled at the theater where I saw this movie, someone in the audience yelled, "Dude, crank it up!" He must have been disappointed when it was all over. Alas, "The Doors" is no party movie, and it is indeed the guest that will never leave.
As he showed in "Platoon" and to a lesser extent "Born On the Fourth of July," Oliver Stone is a capable storyteller, but the problem here is with what he has to work with -- the pop career of a pretentious singer/poet/warlord and his three mediocre comrades. Let's face it: The Doors had one real moment of creativity ("The End") and that's not really enough to make an entire movie out of. So Stone resorts to ugly globs of surrealistic flashbacks and foreshadows.
Do yourself a favor and rent "Apocalypse Now," enjoy Coppola's use of "The End" and forget about this misguided biopic.
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Not as much fun as the first
This sequel isn't a complete disappointment, but the sharp sense of irony from the first film is a bit dull here. Two questions:
1. If the sports almanac covers every game in every major sport for 50 years, why is it only the size of your average magazine? It would have to be an encyclopedia! I know it's a bit much to ask for realism in a movie like this, but would it have been so hard for the film makers to make this a little bit believable?
2. Where is Crispin Glover? He threw a demented little twist into the first installment and is sorely missed here.