Reviews

Be prepared to yawn through this film until Patrick Troughton (playing an elderly Greek magician/wise man) comes on screen. Most everyone else sleep-walks through their roles, particularly Patrick Wayne (Sinbad), who sounds like he's reading a telephone book.

The story itself is pretty good, a fantasy-adventure yarn that is meant to be entertaining, not profound. Unfortunately, the dialogue can be just plain awful at times. That, combined with lackluster acting and unimpressive special effects, almost make this movie unwatchable. I say "almost", because Troughton's performance is a joy to see. Not even the Big Trout could turn this into a good movie, but he made portions of it enjoyable.

While Peter Sellers does a good job with his role as a naive minister -- and most of the supporting roles are also well-played -- the film as a whole is not especially interesting. It has a few funny moments, but is mostly yawn-inducing. Most of the characters, from low-life rogues to the stuffy gentry, are cliches that I've seen a dozen times before. What saves this film from being a total failure is a talented cast -- too bad they didn't have a better script to work with.

Not being a huge fan of musicals, I confess I was a little hesitant to see this movie. I found it was actually pretty good, with a lot of dark humor and some really dazzling choreography. This includes a dance number with Richard Gere removing a lot of clothing. (Gasp!) There's nothing particularly memorable about the music itself, and the acting is rather lightweight, but, on the whole, it's a good movie. Queen Latifah is wonderful, stealing every scene she's in; the film is worth watching for her alone.

I'm not sure this movie deserves all the raves it's been getting, but it's still pretty good. Grade: B+

There's a few good love scenes in this boring flick, but that's about all it has going for it. The talents of Richard Gere and the rest of the cast are totally wasted -- so was my time spent in watching it.

I'm tempted to give this film a "D" grade, but there's plenty of eye candy, so I'll give it a "C" instead.

This is, quite simply, the best comedy I've seen in many a year. The recurring day story is nothing new for science fiction, but here it's been transformed into a really wonderful and unique film. It's funny, thought-provoking and very touching. Bill Murray is perfect, as is the rest of the cast.

See this one on DVD if you can--the bonus materials provide an excellent commentary on the script.

This is a rollicking fun movie, full of gags, music, a princess, a dragon, an ogre, and -- best of all -- a talking donkey who steals the show. Many of the gags are pretty gross (I admit I could have done without that), others are clever. (My favorite: a sign in a field that says "you are parked in lancelot").

A thoroughly fun film, if you don't mind the gross stuff. I rate it at "8".

HG Wells should have been given a credit for co-writing the script for "Signs"; it bears far too much resemblence to "War of the Worlds". Lack of originality aside, I found this movie to be engrossing and often genuinely scary. There's also plenty of humor and some thought-provoking dialogue.

Sci-fi genre fans will probably not care too much for "Signs", as the focus of the movie is not on technology, aliens, or babes in tight outfits; rather, it concentrates on one family's experiences and how they cope with the threat, with each other, and questions of faith. It's not a great movie, but it's definitely worth watching.

This movie is not for the faint-of-heart; it's a story about a vicious serial killer, and does not pretty up the subject matter. Thus there are numerous scenes of bloody and perverse sex, dead bodies galore, lots of profanity, and an overall atmosphere of sickness. None of this is pleasant to watch, but is entirely appropriate for the subject matter.

The script stays close to fact, although it leaves out some important information; neglecting, for example, to mention that one woman Bundy approached at Lake Sammamish refused to follow him into the parking lot. Her evidence provided a description and a name to a previously faceless monster, the first real lead the police had in the case. The movie also fails to give any real sense of the era in which Bundy flourished. In the swinging seventies, it was not so uncommon for women to get into cars or otherwise accept approaches from total strangers -- one reason for Bundy's success.

This film suffers from a lack of focus and purpose. It does give a good sense of the progression of Bundy's hideous career: the burglarizing, purse-snatching, shoplifting peeping tom gradually deteriorates into the brutal, raping, murdering serial killer. We see his alcoholism, his ability to be totally charming when necessary, and his knack for attracting "enabling" girlfriends into his life. What we don't see is anything of the inner Bundy. Granted, any depiction of the "inner Bundy" would be pure speculation, but a good movie would at least make an attempt to give some motive for Bundy's violent compulsions. All this movie does is make some vague references to his illegitimacy.

I need to also mention the incredibly poor taste in background music. In some sequences, light-hearted music is playing while Bundy is committing heinous acts of violence. (Christmas music in one case!) Perhaps the director meant to indicate that all this horror was just plain fun to Bundy; but the effect is to cheapen the scenes and even make them comic.

The verdict: Iffy. Lacks depth, and occasionly shows poor taste. Leaves out important information. On the plus side, it is well-acted, and does not attempt to sugar coat the ugly facts of violence. If you want a thoughtful examination of Bundy's character and the era in which he lived, this is not the right movie.

Fine acting, great photography, terrific script, wonderful special effects. What a movie! Better even than "Fellowship", which I also loved. I just can't say anything bad about this film. Tolkien purists should be warned that the plot deviates from the original books, but all of the changes stay within the spirit of the trilogy.

I give this one an unqualified "A".

I'm a long-time Star Trek fan, especially of "The Next Generation", so you can bet I was eagerly anticipating this new movie. Alas, it falls far short of expectation. The plot is predictable, most of the dialogue is trite, and the cast all seem bored with their roles. Sure, there are quite a few good action scenes, but they just don't compensate for a banal plot. Unless you're a dedicated Trek fan, give this one a miss.

One of the dullest movies I've ever seen. The plot is old and the acting mediocre. I like both Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley, but their talents were wasted in this stupid film. There were one or two funny scenes, so I'll grade this movie "D" instead of "D-".

It's Britain between the wars, and a large group of aristocrats--and their servants--are gathering for a weekend shooting party at a magnificent country estate. As the servants bustle downstairs, their masters go about their own business, which generally involves being as nasty to each other as they can possibly be. Intrigue abounds, both upstairs and downstairs,and the viewer soon understands that there is something very sinister just below the surface.

There are outsiders here as well: a film star, who is treated with condescension by the gentry, and adulation by the servants; a Scottish valet who isn't what he seems to be; and an American producer who is present to do research for a movie (one of the ironies of this film is that all his research is for the sake of a Charlie Chan movie--a series not noted for realism).

Tensions continue to mount, until --sure enough--a particularly nasty member of this crowd gets murdered. No one seems to care much, including the incompetent police inspector, who is much more interested in pouring the coffee properly than in good detective work.

This is a beautiful, rich movie, filled with nuances and ironies that can't be grasped in just one viewing. To be sure, it has its flaws. There are so many characters that it is hard to remember who is who. And the dialogue is often very hard to understand (closed captioning would be a big help). "Gosford Park"'s biggest drawback, though, is that, in spite of a couple of intense scenes, it fails to involve us emotionally. This is a film that delights the intellect, but leaves the heart unmoved.

I never-the-less strongly recommend it. Some individual scenes are real gems. One of my favorites: The spoiled countess, who, feeling a little chilly before breakfast, demands her fur stole (a simple sweater just isn't good enough). Or the part when the film star is singing and the gentry are stifling yawns--but the servants are having a great time. Or...well, see the movie and choose your own favorite.

While I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, I hold with the minority opinion that it isn't up to the standards of the original. The first movie succeeded in being sweet and charming without being the least bit sugary. Alas, the sequel doesn't entirely avoid this pitfall (that "little high, little low" business is just a little gagging). Also, the plot is too predictable, although that probably won't matter much to children, who are, after all, the film's target audience.

These are really minor quibbles, though. "Stuart 2" is a fine movie, both for kids and adults. The special effects are well-done, all the actors do a good job in their roles, and the dialogue has some real gems. Particularly noteworthy is Snowbell, the cat (voiced to hilarious perfection by Nathan Lane). He gets all the best lines, and steals every scene he's in--he even upstages Stuart himself! Verdict: Good movie. Go see.

This is a reasonably entertaining film, although not anywhere near as good as the original. Smith and Jones do a good job reprising their roles; it's too bad they didn't have a better script to work with. The best part of this movie is the dog--if there's a "Men in Black III", I hope he's in it.

I might add that this movie doesn't deserve some of the harsh reviews it's received. No, it's not a terrific film, but it's fun to watch. Verdict: Okay movie, maybe see it.