Reviews

I must admit, what truly attracted me to Eli Roth's second film, Hostel, was the rarely-granted Quentin Tarantino presentation. As any die-hard Tarantino fan will say, whatever The Man presents, the viewer must watch. His stamp of approval means more - much, much more - than any Ebert review. I am also a hardcore genre fan: my ears become flushed with anticipation at the sound of anything even remotely associated with the exhilarating genre that is horror. It is therefore understandable that I was quite excited about finally watching Hostel in all of its bloody, violent, bits-of-brain-and-skull-splattered-on-the-wall glory. After all, I had mostly heard that it was a step forward in the world of horror films, continuing a tradition of unprecedented on-screen violence set off by Japanese filmmakers long before American directors dared to risk receiving that naughty (and now highly coveted) NC17 rating. So, without further ado, here are my post-viewing good and (unfortunately) bad news. For the good news: the setting of the film (mostly parts of Slovakia) is quite original, particularly for audiences of previous American horror. It does not have that generic and infuriating Hollywood feel either - it looks, sounds, and feels like a real place. Now, if this isn't the most crucial aspect of a successful horror film (think Audition, think original Texas Chainsaw Massacre), I don't know what is. Roth scores more points in his cast selection. Jay Hernandez truly takes the Most Realistically Scared award in this film - he was so friggin' terrified when he got to the Elite Hunting headquarters that I wanted to forgive his immmature and sexist behavior during the first 40 minutes of Hostel. Roth then scores some more points with his courageous and excessively gory scenes (which I will not give away for those who haven't watched the movie yet). They were certainly enough to satisfy even the darkest cravings of decades-old horror fans. Finally, Roth scores bonus points by playing a dubbed version of Pulp Fiction at the actual hostel in the movie, and the Miike Takashi cameo was as gratifying as any cameo can ever be. Now, for the bad news: for the first 45 minutes of the film, I felt as though I had mistakenly stumbled upon an unusually long porno with a poorly constructed storyline. The naked chicks by the dozen, the unnecessary sex, the talking about sex, the incessant search for sex, and the overall ignorant sexism of the 3 main characters were unbearably annoying - and, did I mention, unnecessary? I wanted to somehow remind Roth that I am addicted to horror, not sex, and that wasting 40 minutes of perfectly good screen time on boobs and asses instead of chainsaws and kitchen knives just won't cut it. I think any true horror fan will agree with me on this - unless, of course, Roth was trying to make a connection between excessive sex and excessive violence, which become sort of tangled in Hostel. At any rate, I would've been much happier if Roth had spent those first 40 minutes setting a more frightening mood and teasing me about the cinematic gorefest that was to come. I will say this, however: once the gore begins, there is no turning back - and the villains are remarkably and terrifyingly realistic. Hostel is, perhaps, a diamond in the very rough - with some refreshingly strong peaks and quite a few flaws that need to be polished. I still admire Roth for his daring nature and his obvious passion for horror - these two things, at least, came through loud and clear in the puzzling and controversial film that is Hostel.

The story of Aladdin, from a collection of stories dating back more than a millennium, has been filmed dozens of times in dozens of variations. However, none was ever filmed as creatively, humorously and family friendly as Disney Studios did in 1992. The success of the movie owes much to the talents of Robin Williams, whose manic impersonations and characterizations propel this movie along at a frantic pace. Disney also kept the story of Aladdin and Princess Jasmine simple, helping the appeal of the movie. This story is relatively simple, cutting out much of the detail from the original story. Aladdin (voiced by Scott Weinger), is a teenager trying to find enough to eat in Baghdad. Though Aladdin steals food and is a bit of a rogue, he also has a sense of fairness, honor and innocence, a "diamond in the rough" that evil Grand Vizier Jafar (voiced by Jonathan Freeman) needs to enter the Cave of Wonders to steal the magic lamp. Aladdin enters the cave and finds the lamp, but uses the lamp to escape and become Prince Ali in an attempt to win the heart and hand of Princess Jasmine (voiced by Linda Larkin). As we learn early in the movie, Princess Jasmine wants nothing to do with phonies and princes; she is looking for someone to whom she can give her heart, someone who will understand and love her. Prince Ali is not that person. Jafar wants the power of being the Sultan of Baghdad. His plan is simple, get the lamp, gain absolute power, marry Jasmine, and take over the world; not necessarily in that order. I would be remiss if I failed to mention Jafar's trusty adviser Iago the Parrot, voiced by the always obnoxious and, certainly in the case of this movie, funny Gilbert Gottfried. Perhaps if Jafar had not had a parrot as an adviser, things might have turned out different for him. The animation in this edition of the movie is marvelous. The colors are bright and images are quite clear. This movie is excellent to watch on your big screen television. Another wonderful feature of this movie is the music. The standout song is "A Whole New World," but I also liked "Prince Ali" and "One Jump Ahead." Alan Menken's score and Tim Rice's music garnered an Oscar for Menken and an Oscar for Menken and Rice. In fact, this movie won 22 significant awards and was nominated for another 15. Aladdin is a good guy trying to survive in a tough world. Princess Jasmine is naïve and innocent. Aladdin's love for Jasmine is pure and teenage and children and teenagers everywhere will identify with Aladdin's angst. The song and dance routines of the Robin Williams' Genie keep the overall tone of this movie light, which is necessary to help balance the evil of Grand Vizier Jafar (voiced by Jonathan Freeman). I recommend this movie for all members of the family except for the very youngest members, who may be frightened by the images of Jafar and the Genie is a couple of the scenes. Most children ages 4 and above should be able to watch this movie with little difficulty. Enjoy!

Ghost is a great supernatural thriller with a humorous edge. Sam Wheat and Molly Jensen (Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore) have decided to live together. He is an investment banker and she is a sculptress. Paul (Tony Goldwyn) works with Sam. Sam and Molly are truly in love, the only problem is Sam cannot say the three little words that Molly wants to hear. When she tells him she loves him, all he can say is "Ditto". Sam and Molly are refurbishing their dream house. They are enjoying their life together. After attending an Off-Broadway production of Macbeth, Molly decides it time to get married. They are mugged and Sam is shot and killed. His spirit starts to ascend but he cannot leave Molly, so he is stranded on Earth. Ghost Sam follows Molly around. But he has problems passing through doors. Sam gets trapped in the townhouse. When the door opens it is not Molly but the man who killed him. He realizes that his death was not random. Sam follows the killer home and discovers that Molly has something he wants. On his way back he notices a storefront Sister Oda Mae Brown Spiritual Adviser Contact The Dearly Departed. He is curious and enters. Oda Mae (Whoopi Goldberg) is a charlatan psychic but during her séance, she can hear everything Sam says. Sam realizes she has the gift and decides use her to warn Molly. Of course, Molly has a hard time believing Oda Mae. Even when she does believe, she still has doubts. Eventually, Sam finds out the whole truth. But the man behind the killing is getting desperate and he needs to get rid of the last witness, Molly. Jerry Zucker was most famous for Airplane and other spoofs he created with his brother. No one expected this level of sophistication in his direction. It starts out as a romance, then becomes a supernatural movie with comedic elements and ends up a mystery, which it was the whole time. Each handled with precision. Patrick Swayze had a series of hits but all the films would be considered light weight. This was his first acting triumph. Demi Moore was known for good performances in B Films. This was her first great performance in an A Film. Whoopi Goldberg took show business by storm. Mike Nichols discovered her on woman show and brought it to Broadway. This started her meteoric rise. Next Spielberg cast her in the lead of The Color Purple and Whoopi received a Best Actress Oscar Nomination. Since then, she was a star but never found another defining role. That is until Ghost. She takes Oda Mae Brown to a level even the writer and director did not expect. Her ability to go from high drama to slapstick without it looking unreal was perfection. I knew when I saw the film that this was her Oscar performance, and it was. Ghost has something for everyone in it. DVD EXTRAS: Documentary - Remembering the Magic - A look back on creation of this film. It is very interesting with great insights about the film and the makers.