Reviews

I can't believe I am saying this. I just got back from SCREAM 3.. and I loved it! What is everyone's obsession with Kevin Williamson not writing the script to this one? WHO CARES? The formula involving hip teens with great hair who have a flair for referencing to HALLOWEEN isn't exactly difficult to copy. I think the new SCREAM is better than anyone has the right to expect. Writer Ehren Kruger jam-packs this movie with so much tension, I left the theater literally shaking. The movie had its humor, and I think its great how this movie is more of a parody of the recent awakening of the slasher genre, featuring those airheaded teens from the WB network. Neve Campbell was less annoying in this one than in SCREAM 2, and I actually felt bad for her. Parker Posey and Jenny McCarthy are both good. Though Courtney Cox Arquette looked like a swizzle stick with really bad hair, she was good. I can't believe she let herself film a scream movie with weird bangs like that. She should have kept the same style with the streaks like in SCREAM 2.. David Arquette was a riot as usual. There are some very elaborate and psychologically disturbing scenes that mirror the first SCREAM. This movie was really good. The beginning was and ending of the movie was both satisfying and exciting, though I think the role of the killer should have been played by someone else being that I don't like that actor in general. This movie is on par with the first SCREAM, and though it is not perfect, its a hell of a lot fun to watch on a big screen to laugh at and scream like hell!

P.S. I'd like to thank the creators of SCREAM for screwing with our heads and making me believe those news updates on those badly concieved SCREAM fansites were true, and trying so hard to keep us completely off guard. That's the reason I love the SCREAM movies even though they are too trendy!

When I first saw the trailer for GIRL INTERRUPTED attached to SLEEPY HOLLOW, I was ecstatic about it. It looked like a really appealing movie. I don't know if it was that catchy Sixpence None the Richer cover or my obsession with Angelina Jolie's stunning lips. It just looked like a movie worth paying $ 8.00 for, for it seemed very high-profile and Winona Ryder seemed to be inspired enough by the Susanna Kaysen memoir to get it greenlighted. The early reviews I read on the Rotten Tomatoes site didn't seem too enthusiastic. I knew they had to be wrong. The 30-seccond spots on TV with Angelina screaming " I'll jam this in my aorta! " seemed way too appealing for me not to like. So I saw the movie last week, and I began to realize that Roger Ebert isn't always right. I absolutely loved the movie. Though it was psychotically long, it remained interesting throughout. Winona Ryder perfectly reflects the emotions of her character, for she should win an Oscar just for Best Facial Expressions. Angelina Jolie is given a juicier role, and she's deliciously psycho in this movie and always keeps the audience on their toes. I'm glad Clea DuVall isn't in the Interchangable Kevin Williamson Teen Thriller club anymore and she is also good in this movie. Brittany Murphy was also good, but her role in this movie and the way they play out her scenes seemed a little awkward. I don't care what critics say, thinking their so intelligent when they emphasize how this movie is ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO's NEST meets THE BABYSITTER'S CLUB. So what, I love movies like this.

I happened to come across this great film in my World Cultures anthropology class. We usually watch disgustingly shoestring educational videos from 1973 about the Netsilik and Ongka's Big Moka and other obscure flicks. Then came this movie..El Norte...and I was awesomely surprised how watchable this movie is compared to watching the Pygmies walked around naked looking for nuts and berries. I did research after I saw this movie..on the Internet Movie Database...of course... and it turns out this is from the same director who gave us La Bamba and Selena...and it featured the adorable lady from AS GOOD AS IT GETS....It also got a nomination for Best Original Screenplay..This is a great movie..It works so well on many levels.. The story about two youths from Guatemala trying to start a new life and overcoming huge obstacles is powerful..The scenes with the soldiers in their village was something out of a really good horror movie...the tunnel scene had the sense of adventure like any Spielberg movie with Harrison Ford...The movie works very well as it sprinkles light humor into the dialogue....the two young leads are very good in their roles...and we care about them...We root for them throughout the whole movie as they try so hard to assimilate and better themselves. We hear all these wisecracks today about illegal immigrants...and we laugh..but this movie takes a vivid peek into the struggles and hardships they face...I beg you to give this movie a look.

I was "lucky" enough to see a sneak preview of the SNL skit-turned-wildly predictable movie SUPERSTAR! Don't get me wrong..I love Molly Shannon. She's a terrific physical comedian and actress..I've havent seen someone so appealing since the late Gilda Radner. The Mary Katherine Gallagher skit on in its 4 minute format is often hilarious..and it could have made into a decent movie..but this movie makes all the wrong moves..the first one working with a script from the same guy who did NIGHT OF THE ROXBURY. What ever happened to the Bonnie and Terry Turner team who did WAYNE's WORLD....This movie is beyond predictable.. It's recycled joke quotient is almost as high as THE WATERBOY. The jokes and sight gags and physical comedy in this movie all fall flat.. I mean...watching someone make out with a tree kind of gets old after the first three times. There are jokes involving a stepdancing sequence and Jesus that are disastrously unfunny. There are cameos by a lot of talented and funny faces..but none of them are given anything good to work with. They don't have a real script..so they just stand around and make funny faces. Sorry Molly Shannon...I know you can do a lot better than this... ur very talented..Anyway, avoid this movie at all costs..at least during its theatrical run... and wait for it to sell pre-viewed at clearance price at Blockbuster.

FIFTEEN is probably one of the worst shows I ever saw...but it was oh so fun to watch!!!! This 1991 Nickelodeon "teen soap opera" had welfare production values and the worst dialogue ever! But I couldn't help avoiding it! The high school itself had like 10 students in it. The cafeteria had like 3 tables and didn't serve hot lunch, for everyone had to bring it bagged. The lockers never really locked, for they swung back open. Oh..and the locker rooms..it was horribly obvious that that the boys locker room was the same room as the girls...with pink papers on the wall signifying femininity. Did this school have a school board? The characters in the show are so corny and ugly. No one was like friends with each other. They all bitched at each other and all the subplots are centered about what one kid "overheard" about that kid's drinking problem..I could go on and on ..anyway..this show ..which makes "Saved by the Bell" look like Jane Austen..as horrendous to watch as it is...is still a blast to watch because its so deliciously crappy!

ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES is a rare gem of a sequel that surpasses its original in every way possible. The original ADDAMS FAMILY movie had a horribly thin plot and stupid one-liners...but who cared...it had stunning cinematography and and set design! Well, the sequel is less showy with its art direction and focuses more on making us laugh. The screenplay was written by Paul Rudnick, who is the Messiah of One-liners. His script has a wickedly dark sense of humor thats just irresistible. Angelica Huston and Raul Julia are more sensual than ever. Christina Ricci is superb as Wednesday; she brings the perfect sense of melancholy and dryness to her character. My favorite performace though was Joan Cusack, as the diabolical nanny Debbie. She is just a blast to watch as a gold-digging psycho killer who wants Uncle Fester's money. I loved how this movie satirizes the white upper class, which is a perfect contrast to the Addamses themselves. This is one hilarious movie.

I think PROBLEM CHILD 2 is one of the funniest movies of the early 90's. You may think I'm mentally disturbed, but for some reason I loved it. Critics may hate it, probably because they're too scared that they wouldn't get any respect if they told the public they liked this movie. The movie was hysterical in a crude, tasteless fashion. OK, scenes with projectile vomiting and urinating in drinks isn't everyone's idea of funny, but I think this movie pulled it off well. I hated the first one, but this one is a lot of fun to watch. John Ritter (both of them) fans will love it. It was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Kasalewski, who went on to do "The People Vs. Larry Flynt" and "Ed Wood". Go rent it someday. It's a lot better than the crap today with Adam Sandler in it.

BOWFINGER is hands-down the funniest movie I've seen so far this year! What else would you expect from Steve Martin, who's not only a reliably hysterical actor, he's a pro at writing riotous funny screenplays. The setup of this movie is a lot of fun. The very idea of producing a movie and the star of the movie not knowing he's in the movie is really clever. I like how the movie uses its plot to the fullest and doesn't make this a one joke movie. Eddie Murphy is psychotic as black action star Kit Ramsey, as he constantly complains about how black action stars don't get cool lines like " HASTA LA VISTA BABY! " He is also hysterical as Jif, a geeky and shy stand-in for Kit. Heather Graham is perfect as the rising co-star who'd do anything and anyone to get more screen-time. Christine Baranski is also psychotic and perfect as a stage veteran who really needs a movie role to get her back on top. The laughter never stops in this movie. BOWFINGER manages to be witty and clever..without having masturbation jokes and apple pies in it. Don't miss it.

I don't understand what's happened to the movie parody genre. It used to be in such top form...for comic geniuses like the Zucker Brothers, Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft used to churn out th most reliably hilarious movie spoofs ever! I am a big fan of "AIRPLANE! ", "NAKED GUN 2 1/2: THE SMELL OF FEAR", and " HOT SHOTS! "...All of these movies were hysterical as the actors like Leslie Nielsen and Charlie Sheen played their characters straight and generated so much laughs through hilarious dialogue and cool sight gags. The Zucker Brothers, along with Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft, were the only ones who could pull it off. We've seen horrible imitations, even ones with Leslie Nielsen in it, like " SPY HARD! " and " SILENCE OF THE HAMS! ", and any post SPACEBALLS Mel Brooks movie. Even the recent Zucker Efforts like " HIGH SCHOOL HIGH! " and " MAFIA! " are in no way as funny as their other works. And now Pat Proft, who teamed up with Jim Abrahams for " HOT SHOTS! " and the NAKED GUN movies..goes solo and writes/directs this new spoof of THE FUGITIVE. And what a horrible disappointment it is. Leslie Nielsen is a hilarious actor. He knows how to play a character totally in a serious tone in movie parodies..but somehow ..if he isn't in his Frank Drebin persona..he just doesn't work. He just isn't funny as the wrongfully accused fugitive Ryan Harrison. I guess the writing just sucks. There are a lot of sight gags in this movie. In fact, every second there is a sight gag. But all of them bomb. Not one succeeds. I thought Pat Proft was just as good a screenwriter as the Zuckers were but he doesn't show it here. This movie is completely devoid of anything original or funny. Its like dead air. It's depressing to watch. This movie parody of the FUGITIVE is totally outdated. THE FUGITIVE came out seven years ago. It would be nice to see a movie spoof that pokes fun at much more recent dumb Hollywood trends. Well, I hope one day the directors will all reteam and do something that is as funny and riotous as there "Kentucky Fried Movie! " and " AIRPLANE! " days because they've disappointed me a lot lately.

JASON GOES TO HELL: THE FINAL FRIDAY is completely review-proof. The series has gone on forever..and lets face it..most of the Jason movies sucked. We've seen Jason with a pillowcase thing on his head, we've seen him in 3-D, we saw him get killed by Corey Feldman, he went to Manhattan. The formula never changed. This is a movie for the fans...for the people who think of Jason as the leader of a cult or something. This movie both succeeds and fails on different levels. It tries to drift away from the "hack-this teenager and then that teenager" formula and goes toward an element of fantasy. It tries to have more characters...with better dialogue than " LET'S GO SKINNY DIPPING! " ..It gives Jason more of a backstory. It also has a sense of humor. But JASON GOES TO HELL tries to make up for so much that it just turns into a big mess. JASON GOES TO HELL isn't a bad movie. It has a pretty cool plot that echoes BODY SNATCHERS ..but it kinda gets tired after a while. The movie is gory and there is a lot of murder scenes and mayhem, but it is directed in such an expository fashion. We see horror in front of us..but there is no suspense. This movie keeps on throwing in new characters and having the character s be involved with characters to the point of total confusion. Like one character is the father of this woman's baby and that woman is the daughter of that waitress who is related to Jason Voorhees. It's just plain sloppy. I liked the movies effort to be different from the first eight. I liked its knowing humor towards the slasher genre. And I also liked the little in-joke at the end involving some other 80's horror icon. But JASON GOES TO HELL is a movie that could have been better if it were developed more. New Line Cinema..that doesn't mean make another FRIDAY movie..I'm tired of them. And the FREDDY VS. JASON idea is kind of idiotic. Don't even think about it.....

You may think I'm exaggerating. But I'm not. FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE is by far the worst in the series. Its am big fan of the Freddy movies and this finale to the saga is just plain insulting. I might even call it one of the worst movies not only of 1991, but in cinematic history. It's a mess beyond wildest proportions. The look of the movie is just unsightly. It's acne. It looks like the work of a really low budget student filmmaker. The cinematography is ugly, the whole production design is a junkyard. The plot of the movie is retarded. The characters in the movie have no color and we have no sympathy for them. There just dumb teenage stereotypes. Freddy isn't much of a villain in this movie. His murder sequences are played for laughs, but they aren't funny. We get the odd feeling that Freddy is aging and that he can't be too evil and domineering or else he might get a bad back. He's a wuss. And the special effects. There aren't many in this movie. It's like the director said " OH! WE DONT NEED A SPECIAL EFFECTS TEAM! LET'S JUST MAKE THE LAST TEN MINUTES OF THE MOVIE IN 3-D TO COMPENSATE! " The Freddy-Vision 3-D sequence is laughably bad. I found the Fox TV MOVIE REVENGE OF THE NERDS: NERDS IN LOVE's 3-D sequence more visually stunning. When the main character first puts on the special 3-D glasses that will enable her to enter Freddy's brain, she begins to see everything in 3-D and puts her hand into her face with amazement. Is it just me, but even without her glasses on she'd able to see things around her in the third dimension anyway. OH MY GOD! We're suppose to believe the main character is entering Freddy's thoughts. There is a scene in the 3-D sequence where the Lisa Zane character has to break a circuit in Freddy's head to get into a door...Since when did anyone have electrical fuse box sitting in their brain. it's just gets suckier and suckier..it's depressing. The finale in FREDDY's DEAD when Freddy actually dies is the most disappointing, insultingly dumb ending you'll ever see! He dies in a basement of a youth shelter and he explodes from a stupid pipe bomb. HOW CHEESY IS THAT??!!! I CAN'T GO ON HOW MUCH I HATED THIS MOVIE! IT'S GETTING ME SO MAD..I just feel like strangling the head of New Line Cinema for taking 90 precious minutes out of my life that I will never get back.

I don't understand what has gotten into John Hughes. The man responsible for such definitive and great teen films such as this one and PRETTY IN PINK, and THE BREAKFAST CLUB is still possessed by the HOME ALONE formula. I mean after HOME ALONE hit it big, he made HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK which was the same slapstick formula but set against the background of NEW YORK, DENNIS THE MENACE the same slapstick formula set against the background of a Hank Ketcham comic strip, BABY's DAY OUT the same slapstick formula only with a BABY!!! 101 DALMATIONS, the same slapstick formula only this time with Glenn Close and a bunch of dogs tagged on, FLUBBER the same slapstick formula only this time it has Robin Williams to make funny faces and green snot. The list goes on. Back in the 80's, John Hughes was an icon. He truly complemented the teenage experience with his terrific movies with Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. But his greatest movie is FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF! This is the movie everyone remembers to the fullest and can fully quote scenes. Its just such a feel good teen movie, unlike the crap we see today with Jennifer Love Hewitt. Matthew Broderick is awesome and charismatic as the title character. He gives us inspiration to take things easy and not treat life too seriously. I loved Jeffrey Jones' portrayal of Mr.Rooney. The scenes with him in it are pure comic gold. He's perfect as the evil principal who'd do anything to see Ferris fail. Jennifer Grey is terrific as the sister who hates Ferris' existence because he gets away with everything. She's hilarious. She should have never got that nose job. There are so many memorable scenes in this movie. John Hughes knows how to direct. I liked the scene that focused on the faces of the students in the classroom as they hear a boring lecture from none other than Ben Stein. I liked the riotously scenes with Mr.Rooney and his assistant Grace. The parade sequence where Ferris Bueller lip syncs is a classic. I rewind that part at least 15 times every time I see it. And I love the dance those people do on the steps. MY FAVORITE SCENE OF ALL TIME IN THAT MOVIE: the kicking scene. Every Ferris Bueller fan should know what I'm talking about. It's just so hilarious and the perfect comic timing is so there. It's just hysterical. FERRIS BUELLER is a movie that defined our generation and I'll never forget it. Thank you John Hughes for such a great movie Quit the Disney movie remakes do something GREAT like you used to.

OK. Let me start by saying that I'm not exactly president of Kevin Williamson's Fan Club. I do see all his movies his name is attached to when they come out in theaters. I was there for I KNOW WHAT LOIS DUNCAN NOVEL KEVIN WILLIAMSON BUTCHERED LAST SUMMER and the HALLOWEEN sequel that used the compound for water to make it bankable, and that BODY SNATCHERS RIPOFF featuring all those hot young stars that are somehow attached to the WB lineup next fall. I also occasionally tune into the show he created about the film buff teenager with the really big head. Here is a screenwriter that is getting all this hype and everytime he comes out with a new project, I try to look long and hard for the appeal of his works. Now comes TEACHING MRS. TINGLE, a movie that he claims is his " best representation of himself as a screenwriter." When I first heard that, I thought, " Wow! This movie is a must-see! " Then, it came out. I saw it. I wanted to like it..I tried so hard to find one good element in it. There was one. And she's British. Anyway, but i walked out of the theater and felt and odd sort of depression and anger. Something I haven't felt since BATMAN AND ROBIN and I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER. First of all, TEACHING MRS. TINGLE is a boring premise to begin with. The story about a would-be valedictorian who despises a history teacher who catches her with the final exam and the girls struggle to get revenge on the history teacher isn't exactly a box-office magnet, even if Katie Holmes gets top billing. This is suppose to be a teen movie, but none of the teenagers in this movie are on the same level as teenagers today. There is a character named Luke Churner, played by Barry Watson from...surprise...a WB show. He plays the beer-drinking slacker of the school. If your a teenager today..you know that most of your best friends are beer-drinking slackers. Anyway, the only likable young character in the movie is Marisa Coughlan's portrayal of aspiring actress Jo Lynn. She is a cute presence and she makes up for the dialogue that is beyond corny. Helen Mirren is great in this movie..but the fact that she's in this movie is the problem. She's given so little to work with, it like Kevin Williamson just told her " Make those powerful facial expressions you did in PRIME SUSPECT. " As for the script, it doesn't know what it wants to be. TEACHING MRS. TINGLE is the most schizophrenic movie I ever saw. It wants to be a comedy..but it isn't funny, it wants to be a suspense movie...but its got none, it wants to be a farce..but its slow moving and dull, and it wants to be a teen movie...but the only people that would identify with the characters are people like Dawson Leary, Joey, or Sidney Prescott. Mrs. Tingle is supposed to be this domineering, evil presence, but we get no background information about why she is what she is. She could have had a traumatic experiece causing her diabolical personality, or maybe its just her time of the month. If she is that evil, why didn't these smart-alecky kids have her fired a long time ago? The dialogue is wooden and the movie references take obvious to a whole new level. If this movie is Williamson's best representation of himself as a writer, why is the main character played by Katie Holmes??? Well, I'm still awaiting for the definitive Kevin Williamson movie. Maybe James Van Der Beek or Tia and Tamara Mowry from the WB sitcom SISTER SISTER can star.

I don't care what anyone says. NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER is by far the most solid and best entry in the Freddy Krueger series! What would you expect since this movie was co-written by Brian Helgeland..who went on to do L.A. CONFIDENTIAL. It isn't the least bit scary, in fact I've seen Pauly Shore movies scarier than this..but that wasn't the point of this movie which was made back in 1988 by director Renny Harlin years before he did his other horror movie, CUTTHROAT ISLAND. Freddy Krueger became pop-culture icon by this outing, so he wasn't really scary. He was Jerry Lewis with really bad burn marks. Anyway, the special effects in this movie are beyond cool....I loved how Freddy died at the end. The special effects and makeup effects show pure showmanship. This should have been the FINAL NIGHTMARE, not that 1991 sequel that was so vomit-inducingly bad the horribleness of the movie jumped right out at you in a 10-minute 3-D sequence. This movie has a cool storyline..and I love how the people die in the movie. My favorite actress from that Growing Pains spinoff JUST THE TEN OF US is cool in this movie...The heroine, Alice, played by too underrated for words actress Lisa Wilcox, is the true epitome of girl power. She's ten times stronger than Nancy in the first one, but she has much nicer hair than Heather Langkenkamp. I think its better than the original. The first NIGHTMARE's concept was a little preposterous and this movie took it to a new level and gave it a fun, campy feel. See this movie...its a nice slasher movie to watch on a Friday night and you can't go wrong with FREDDY...!