Reviews

I saw this movie a couple of days after it came out and besides a dozen Latin Americans sitting in the row behind me, me and my group were practically the only ones in the theater that fine Sunday evening. Well, this movie is a little different from what regularly pops up at the theater near you. Should you go see it? If you don't, you'll miss out on a riveting acting performance by one Christian Bale. OK, understood "Harsh Times" contains a little too much "harsh" language for my tastes. Take that out of the equation and this movie is one great ride through the streets of LA and nearby Mexico. Bale and Rodriguez make dropping off resumes seem like so much fun. And for all you "Desperate Home Engineer" viewers Eva Longoria is in this too and she works for a living. Bottom line "Harsh Times" is a nice break from your usual special effect blockbusters.

If you have any I.N.T.E.L.L.I.G.E.N.C.E whatsover I suggest you avoid Team America:World Police. This movie feels like a 5 minute skit that was extended to 90 minutes. The plot is clichéd, the dialogue pathetic, the jokes repetitive and the musical numbers annoying. There are several offending scenes throughout the film. But I won't go into details because it is just too gross. The movie pokes fun at celebrities like Michael Moore, Alec Baldwim and Matt Damon to name a few. I admit it does have a couple funny moments though. I liked the Matt Damon character but that was not enough to make this movie worthwhile. Do not let your friends convince you to see this movie at the theater. That's exactly what happened to me and now I feel like I deserve a refund or at least 2 hours of my life back.

Many words can be used to describe this movie but clean ain't one of them. I saw Taxi Driver for the 1st and only time about 9 years ago, yet this is a movie that just sticks to you. The main character is Travis Bickle (played by Robert De Niro). Travis is a lonely New York cabbie and ex-Vietnam vet with a Wal-Mart wardrobe whose ideal date involves taking a girl to a porno movie. Travis is a sort of anti-hero intent on making a difference to society and getting the scum (like pimps) off the streets. This is definitely a movie worth watching and very sequel worthy just to see what happens to Travis years later. It is possibly De Niro's best performance, filled with memorable lines.

I rented this movie and stayed up watching it well past 1:30 am on a weekday. What compelled me to keep watching? I don't know. Did I want to see a rich 60 something man romancing a rich 50 something woman? No but maybe you do. This movie was way too long. It just kept going and going when it could have ended on many occasions. The movie does get off to a great start with Nicholson suffering a heart attack and then being forced to stay at Keaton's residence to recover for a few days, when he's seeing Keaton's daughter, Amanda Peet. This could have been such a great comedy. But alas it was not to be. It gets predictable at times but has it's good points spread out here and there. Keaton was terrific in her role but she does starts crying too much in one scene. That just makes you want to press the mute button. Reaves was his usual self. Peet was good in her role as a 20 something auctioneer but didn't speek fast enough in the auction scene . Worth watching if you like romance and don't expect too much.

In this movie Ashley Judd plays a sexy cop who picks up guys at a bar then sleeps with them before they surprisingly end up dead. At one point Judd asks a male police officer if he's ever picked up a girl at a bar. His reply: "Only in my fantasies". The movie is filled with such funny, but cliched exchanges and becomes very predictable at some points. Almost all the men in this movie have a crush on Judd which makes it easy to guess who's next on the victim list. A strong ending though saves it from being another direct to video production. Samuel L. Jackson barely appears in the movie, but makes his presence felt whenever he's on screen. All in all, because I've diminished my standards of late, it's worth a look.

Lost in Translation, although slow at times, was quite interesting and different from the usual movies that come out today. Murray and his co-star deliver excellent performances and make an odd but very entertaining pair. A lot of the acting looks like it has been improvised, which adds to the authenticity. See Murray like you've never seen him before. He just makes you want to go out and try the drink he's advertising. See Tokyo like you've never seen it before. See it for the karaoke scenes. Experience Murray's rendition of "More than this" by Roxy Music. The words to the song tell you exactly what this movie is about and where it's headed.

While flipping channels very late last night I couldn't help but get drawn in to "Dead Calm". Rae (a young Nicole Kidman) suffers a horrific car accident that kills her son. To recover from this incident she boards a yacht with her husband (played by a much older Sam Neil) and goes sailing on the Pacific. The tension builds when they pick up Hughie (a young Billy Zane). All in all, this is a good ocean suspense thriller. Zane delivers an emotional performance as the villain. His last appearance on the boat at the very end is pure classic. Kidman is great and very beautiful. In fact I almost didn't recognize her. This film substitutes the traditional car chase with a yacht chase too. However, it lacks a variety of scenes which makes it quite repetitive at some points. The bulk of the movie takes places on the yacht and as the title would suggest we go from the calming and soothing ocean to mounting tension and vice versa. Worth watching though. It will keep you awake.

This movie's all about 4 high school kids attempts to make it in a KISS concert in Detroit. There are some scenes that will have you laughing out loud. Of the 4 main characters, Trip has to be the funniest. Just watch what happens when he "wins" tickets to see KISS through a radio station. Also, Hawk meets up with the incredibly sexy and stunning Shannon Tweed who actually pays him to go out with her! That is just wrong! Either way this is a good movie worth watching. Just don't forget to order pizza.

This film combines a decent plot with a great performance from the enticing Michelle Von Flotow. She plays the seductive Barbara and together with her husband runs an architecture firm. There's just something about the way Barbara smokes a cigarette and orders a man on his knees. Ice-T also appears as his usual self. So if you're looking for an erotic thriller/mystery to help you sit back and relax this does the job. Although it didn't win any awards this movie is much better than some others of it's kind that are out there because of it's interesting story. The DVD also includes a nice array of special features just in case you have some more time to kill.