Modern Problems (1981)
Goofy. Chevy unsuccessfully tests his dramatic chops. A small step backwards in his early career, but he rebounded with Vacation his next time out.
Full Review
Godzilla 1985: The Legend Is Reborn (1984)
I liked it as a kid, but now I can’t believe this thing was actually marketed as a commercial American film. As much as I hate Roland Emmerich, I bet that his Godzilla movie will be better. I would figure that Emmerich has learned a thing or two about making…
Full Review
Rocky IV (1985)
One of the best of the series. Perhaps the best training sequences ever and a good ending. Stallone looks great, and Lundgren is the coolest.
Full Review
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Decent story, some pretty edgy moments (profanity!), great guest voices. And if you know the whole Transformers story and characters, there is some real drama, some great match-ups, and a heck of a story there. I was a Transformer fan, and I thought this was the coolest movie ever. The…
Full Review
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
A celebration of film. Great flavor. It kinda feels like it could have been an autobiography. Could you imagine turning something like this in with my film application? Perhaps the perfect date movie. Ranks as one of my favorite foreign films. Great photography, music, acting, characters. A lot of magical…
Full Review
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
Long and slow, with a lot of silly moments which make the Godzilla movies so charming. The atempt to make it an emotional human drama failed miserably. Like a cross between Frankenstein and Independence Day. Some Independence Day patriotic air battle scenes and Jaws music over almost every Godzilla shot.…
Full Review
Goodfellas (1990)
Great characters, great settings, and really good sound, but not very much of a storyline. I mean, what really happens? It was basically a biography of a gangster, or a documentary of gangster life, with a bit of comedy. With a little more temporal disjunction, this could have been the…
Full Review
Sink or Swim (1990)
Weird, but interesting. Really cool extended typewriter shot. Neat how you hear a 10-year-old voice speak so articulately and intelligently. It makes you want to listen to what she’s gonna say next. A bit long.
Full Review
New Jack City (1991)
Pretty good, but it had a few movie cliches which could have been removed. A lot of the movie, including the subject and some of the scenes themselves, was taken directly from The Untouchables.
Full Review
Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Some pretty good battle scenes (a Michael Mann trademark?), some pretty good cinematography, and a decent story. Somehow, I felt as if more should have happened in the time I watched the movie. Could Mann have been inspired by Black Robe?
Full Review
Demolition Man (1993)
I think it’s pretty accurate to compare this movie to Speed. Both movies exhibit the same “why the hell is so much money being used on a plot like this” or “if they’re spending so much damn money on a plot like this, why can’t the acting and realism be…
Full Review
Sliver (1993)
Horrible writing and dialogue. Stone’s Arnie-like line at the end was silly. And yes, she’s sexy, but the sex is fake.
Full Review
The Endless Summer 2 (1994)
A great follow-up to the original. Ties together with it very nicely. A great story, with real drama and real comedy. Looks like they had a fantastic trip. Well-made. Very natural and playful, especially with the fast/slow motion and sound effects. It’s amazing how natural the two surfers and everyone…
Full Review
PCU (1994)
A pretty funny movie. The comedy was pretty good despite a weak central character and undeveloped plot. An in-depth plot (and a longer story) could have made this movie great. Is it me, or would Jeremy Pevin look exactly like O.J. Simpson if he had dark skin?
Full Review
Casino (1995)
Goodfellas II? This film plays more like a documentary than a narrative. It shows how casinos work and examines the lives of those who run them.
Full Review
Kids (1995)
Pretty nasty, but I got the message. Very much like Van Sant’s My Own Private Idaho.
Full Review
Trainspotting (1996)
Reminded me a bit of Kids, except that it’s heroin instead of sex. That artistic heroin scene was pretty gross, but not as gross as the one in Pulp Fiction. A few cool scenes, especially the one where he falls into the carpet and is lost in his own little…
Full Review
Executive Decision (1996)
Surprisingly good. It’s about as good as a cheap action movie could be. In other words, pretty good for a movie with a half-ass story that the writiers obviously spent no more than 5 minutes thinking up. Much better than its aerial counterpart, Passenger 57. It was very disheartening seeing…
Full Review
The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)
Felt like an Oliver Stone movie in that it dealt with historical American values and events. Kind of a sloppy story in that it plays more like a straight-line documentary than an episodic narrative. The beginning segment of Flynt as a kid served no purpose other than exposition of Flynt’s…
Full Review
Addicted to Love (1997)
The script is too silly, and the acting is too scripted. Meg is her typical cute self, but I’m disappointed to see Broderick doing this kind of work. Karyo turns in the best performance. Cheesy fades and wipes.
Full Review
Gattaca (1997)
Very interesting premise. One of only two or three serious filmic explorations of our future, along with Matrix and T2. The genetic revolution is coming. Perhaps now is the time to consider laying out the ethics. Cleverly and cleanly told. Niccol has talent. I’d like to see how many quality…
Full Review
U Turn (1997)
Whimsical and fun characters, shots, editing, and music. Some really great comedy from great acting and writing. The style matches the content perfectly. Well done. A smaller and sillier Stone film, rather than the huge, historical, social commentaries he has been doing. Probably my favorite Stone film because the whimsical…
Full Review
Fallen (1998)
An eerie, religious Seven. A bit slow. How come it couldn’t get into Denzel when it shook his hand at the beginning but jump right into him at the end? Neat ending, but why didn’t Denzel just shoot himself after shooting Goodman? For dramatic reasons, presumeably. I really liked Denzel’s…
Full Review
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The war movie to end all war movies. A truly humbling experience. It really opens your eyes to the atrocities of war, and I would go so far as to say that it could even be powerful enough to prevent a war in real life. I’ve heard rumors that there…
Full Review
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Some pretty good comedy and some not-so-good comedy, like the first one. A lot of the comedy was improvised, and you can kinda tell. The comedic timing and reactions are very natural. It’s what made a lot of Chevy’s work so funny. The Springer segments were pretty good. I feel…
Full Review
Man on the Moon (1999)
It’s hard to feel for or support a protagonist who is so demented and unfeeling. At one point in the film, it is revealed that 28% of the American audience enjoyed watching Andy. One has to assume that any realistic portrayal of him would have similar appeal. There’s a reason…
Full Review
Almost Famous (2000)
A quirky, funny story about a kid and a rock band. Crowe’s best, probably the film that closest to his heart. Nice dramatic pauses. Fugit should be up for an Oscar, Crudup is also very good. But I’m not sure how sympathetic I can be for a 16-year-old groupie slut.
Full Review
The Revenge of a Kinematograph Cameraman (1912)
Fantastic effects and a great story. Hilarious.
Full Review
The Freshman (1925)
A well-made, clever, simple comedy. A few really funny moments. Started a bit slow, but the comedy picked up once Lloyd became the victim. Lloyd is good with his expressions. Chevy definitely found his roots here. The music and special effects were crisp and wondeful, and really added to the…
Full Review
Frankenstein (1931)
More like the play it was adapted from rather than the novel. Dumbass ending.
Full Review
The River (1938)
A cine-poem. More informative than most other cine-poems. The poetry gets old, though.
Full Review
Love Me Or Leave Me (1955)
She’s a great singer. The vibrant color and Cinemascope makes it look almost like a modern production, except that actors making the film today couldn’t be so natural with the old-time habits, customs, and speech. It reminded me a lot of Mr. Holland’s Opus with the vibrant colors and music…
Full Review
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Bunuel is an intelligent filmmaker with a good sense of humor, but very weird. Bad subtitles. They weren’t there 1/2 the time and were really hard to read (white on white).
Full Review
Wild Bunch (1969)
Neat beginning. You can see how the film influnced Tarantino, with the crazy shooting scenes (which were pretty cool) and the walking at the end. Nice to see El Guapo again. One of the bunch looked like Robert Patrick, only he had a Texan accent. Is it me or does…
Full Review
The Fortune (1975)
Nice intro music, but pretty boring overall. It doesn’t seem like very much happens. It’s almost as if the film was adapted from a play. The farcical comedy isn’t really funny, and neither is the slapstick physical humor. The film did not effectively build up to the woman’s breakdown, so…
Full Review
The Frisco Kid (1979)
Was this supposed to be a comedy? There is one, maybe two, decent lines in the whole movie. Shitty effects, shitty editing, shitty story. I like Gene Wilder, and I like Harrison Ford, but the movie sucked.
Full ReviewSome of These Stories Are True (1981)
Interesting stories and characters. The last one was the actor, though. You could tell. Why is cheesy music so common in TV documentaries?
Full Review
The Killing Fields (1984)
Slow and long. The story had no direction, wandering as aimlessly as the characters. For those of us who aren’t up on the whole history of the war, we’re not sure where they’re escaping from, where they’re going, who’s good, or who’s bad. I think Ngor’s real life would have…
Full Review
Silverado (1985)
An unbelievable cast, maybe the best of any movie in the 80’s. Seemed like every scene had a new familiar face in it. But maybe the cast is a bit too good. Unfortunately, there’s not much of a story. That’s the easy pitfall with an ensemble cast. You want to…
Full Review
Die Hard (1988)
Great action movie. Simple and original. This one set the stage for Bruce Willis as a “cool” action star.
Full Review
Home Alone (1990)
Strange how I couldn’t stand the so-far-beyond-stupid-that-they-don’t-even-make-me-think-about-smiling antics of some little kid who made millions by slapping his cheeks and screaming, and everyone else in America could. It’s interesting that this movie was one of the top grosses of all time. After seeing this movie, I got into the habit…
Full Review
Backdraft (1991)
Cool movie about fire with a great cast. It’s actually one of the only movies where I liked Kurt Russell. Good cinematography, and I’m sure it would have been fantastic in the theater.
Full Review
Only the Lonely (1991)
Candy is great. I bet Hughes had a hand in making this one. A few good moments. A really dark romantic comedy.
Full Review
A League of their Own (1992)
A well-made time piece. It really transports you gives you a sense of history. A touching story with some great comedy, especially by Hanks and Lovitz. The baseball footage is shot pretty badly, though (all close-ups, like The Fan). Geena is pretty good, Petty is great. One of Madonna’s better,…
Full Review
Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson (1993)
Is he a rapist or a boxer? A film about the sex life, not the boxing ability, of Mike Tyson. It’s as if the filmmakers intended to destroy Mike’s image. Mike wasn’t there to defend himself. In a biography, I’ve always thought, if you don’t have anything nice to say,…
Full Review
Forrest Gump (1994)
A really cute movie about a lovable retard who likes to run. It was a performance well done by Hanks within a simple, magnetic plot. I thought the war scenes were unbelievable. The realism and drama along with the twist of a dumb soldier really provided some interesting entertainment. Based…
Full Review
Léon: The Professional (1994)
Some awesome scenes, both artistically and dramatically. A lot of fun to watch. Really nice foreign flavor.
Full Review
Clockers (1995)
Keitel is pretty good, Turturro is great. A showing of Turturro’s versatility, especially after his great performance in Quiz Show. I think that he should have been given more screen time, and that if the movie had centered more around him and Keitel, the movie could have been great. The…
Full Review
The Last Supper (1995)
Tried to be a very deep philosophical and political piece, but it got old, approaching preachiness at points. Not enough of a movie. Maybe she should have just written a book. Implausible. Would these kids keep having people over after killing someone? Would these guests never tell anyone where they…
Full Review
Twelve Monkeys (1995)
This film had the same kind of “please believe me that I am a time traveler from the future” plot that I had always thought about, and it was done very convincingly. It had more neat twists than a piece of chala. Sometimes it got a little weird, but in…
Full Review
The Fan (1996)
The story of the demise of a truly deranged fuck. Pretty good ending. The Naked Gun-esque umpire swap was cool. And Wesley has successfully made the transition from speedy base stealer to all-star power hitter. It was nice to see John Kruk, but I think he would have been great…
Full Review
Primal Fear (1996)
That schizoid Norton was great and provided for a really neat twist at the end. Cool ending, but I wish they would have tied up his relationship with the other lawyer. Usually I don’t like movies that depend on twists, but this one was good the whole time that it…
Full Review
Air Force One (1997)
An old Harrison really kicks ass for the first time in a long time. Oldman is pretty good and delightfully violent and threatening, more than most villains these days. Good casting overall, except for the Air Force pilots. How come they are always good looking? They never have actors with…
Full Review
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Well-directed and well-written. Script was smart and touching, with great dialogue and a lot of thought-provoking moments. Good cast. Williams was fantastic, the best performance in the movie. Personally, I think he’s better at heavy drama than he is at comedy. Damon was great, and Driver wasn’t annoying. Van Sant…
Full Review
Vegas Vacation (1997)
Pretty much on par with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Both films suffered from MCS (Modern Comedy Syndrome). Bad writing, overacting, edging toward slapstick, too many close-ups and too much editing. In short, none of the subtleties that made Chevy and his Vacation films of the 1980’s so good. People like…
Full Review
Godzilla (1998)
I didn’t think Roland Emmerich could screw this up, but he did. With the visual effects available in the late ’90s, this film had real potential. But Emmerich being Emmerich, the result is a loud, shallow mess: no real story, unconvincing and unlikable characters, weak dialogue, and a complete lack…
Full Review
Senseless (1998)
Goofy. Marlon is probably the funniest Wayans brother, but the comedy is still hard to stomach. The hockey goalie scene was great.
Full Review
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Funny and refreshing. Cusask and Malkovich are great as central characters, everyone else is entertaining. How did the filmmaker pick Malkovich? What an honor to be selected for this role. Great to see Charlie make an appearance. Those marionettes were amazingly expressive. I have no idea how they could afford…
Full Review
The Matrix (1999)
I don’t know if revolutionary is too strong a word or not. Can it really be the best sci-fi movie since Terminator 2? A real thinker which makes you reconsider the whole notion of reality and perception. You feel a little different stepping out of the theater and into the…
Full Review
The Replacements (2000)
Like a football Major League. Keanu is uninspiring. Did Favreau really have to stoop to this level? He’s better than this.
Full ReviewAbout Me
I'm a photographer, web developer, travel enthusiast, and movie buff living in Alexandria, Virginia, USA.In the summer of 1993, I started writing reviews for every movie I saw and haven't looked back. I'm up to 2,363 reviews now. This makes me cool or a complete dork, depending on your perspective.
Some of these reviews contain spoilers, so if that bothers you, don't read!
Recent Comments