Rob Reiner:
Misery (1990) - 10
The fact that the famous sledgehammer scene had such an effect on people has always been a testament to me of how deeply pulled this movie gets people into the situation and this is damn good drama. I've read critics snubbing Kathy Bates' work for 13 or more years and this is one thing they can never take away from her: SHE EARNED THIS OSCAR!! Still a truly fascinating portrait of a disturbed individual and a woman who is as threatening as so many male horror villains without any super powers or mutant strength, etc.
When Harry Met Sally... (1989) - 8
Seen it twice, been very impressed on both occasions.
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Ivan Reitman:
Dave (1993) - 6.5
I always have issues with Kevin Kline, but this is still a really good comedy. Good writing, good characters, and excellent performances all around. I freaking love the ending. Payback's a BITCH, my friend.
Kindergarten Cop (1990) - 8
I believe I already raved about late-80's / early-90's Ahhnold when Paul Verhoeven was up. And this is my favorite of his films. I even re-watched the whole thing again when it was on Netflix: Watch Instant just to prove to myself it hadn't dulled at all in my estimation. And it hasn't. This is pure entertainment- questionable though it may be since it's still Hollywood trying to plug into serious underground criminal activity. Talk about Grandma Death, shockingly enough- not a street drug. You gotta love how the evil druglord is arrested at his mother's beauty salon!! This is after the 80's and all the Steven Seagall, Patrick Swayze, Jean Claude, Chuck Norris franchises (actually- they were studios: I believe Warner had Seagall, MGM/UA had Swayze, Universal had Jean Claude, and that just leaves Norris and Fox didn't have him- they had Bruce Willis until he did the baby movies for...Columbia? And Fox had Ahhnold for Predator... so I'm going with Tri-Star for Mr. Norris) had all had a dance or two with druglords. Much more chic druglords who surfed in 'coptors and in one of those Clint Eastwood crime movies- the kingpen/whatever-lord (guns? drugs? mafia?) had a kind of cock-fighting operation (various animals in boxes / cages / under glass). Those criminals were the jetset and this guy was... not. There's a GREAT scene where his mother is buying the kid they haven't even kidnapped yet all these cold medicines and drugstore-sold doctor's type items (if they'd've sold a stethoscope- she woulda bought one), and he screams at her- you can't shove all those things down his throat, there's nothing wrong with him. And she (IS PSYCHO, she's cold-blooded in every way: you think this guy is bad after you listen to what the little boy's mother thinks of him but this woman is 10x worse!) shoots back: this is WHY there was nothing wrong with you! And of course, she's played by glamorous 50's actress Carroll Baker (Baby Doll). The only truly disturbing thing about the movie is the scene with Cathy Moriarty (who I freaking love anyway!) where she fears her son might be gay because his father was. But I feel we can only blame Reagen and Bush for things like this. If it were the mid-90's, let's just say the writers here would have thought twice before making a statement like this: tough is straight and straight is better (if I'm not mistaken- Hulk Hogan's 1991 comedy, Suburban Commando, made a joke about assuming 2 tough guys sitting next to each other were gay and if I can't smile at that, at least I can say it - and Warner's Police Academy series, actually - never seriously treated gay like it's a reason to panic). Anyway, the rest of the movie is still top-notch. I even thought the drama was good. Anything that might have lagged, was more than held up by the very tense music. I always found the carnival scene to be very tense- even though it's also the shortest moment of danger in the movie. The buildup is always great, until you get to a scene like the boy trapped on top of that tall tower. It's a scary visual but you know he's not in danger (only because Hollywood isn't going to let him be hurt) and both Penelope Ann Miller and Ahhnold are freaking out like it's the end of the world. The little boy on the tower would have been the first one to scream: "I'M FIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!" And in fact, it might have been her screaming that knocked the kid off the bars when he fell (he did fall- when he did his backpack caught on something and that's when Ahhnold rescued him). Wait... I might be mixing this scene up with Miko Hughes' falling scene in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (in one of the two movies, the kid doesn't fall until the mother runs and screams at the kid). Anyway, point being: it's not politically correct. Another good example: a pimp (type character) slaps a woman in the street and all Ahhnold does to show him the error of his ways is pull out a shotgun and say, "I love my caahh." Yeah, beat as many women as you want to- but you touch my car and I'll shoot you. Yet when he finds out a man in a suit has been hitting a child, he goes ballistic on him (for 20 seconds). And Linda Hunt, playing the school principal, doesn't give a shit about the law or how this makes the school look- she congratulates him. Anyway, the movie is just so wrong on so many levels, it registers as so-wrong-it's-right. Utterly outrageous and hilariously ill-advised on nearly every level. But if Schwarzenegger never did another thing believably in his career (up for debate, put me on the pro-side- I think he's a decent actor), you believe his irritation in dealing with the children. Which leads to several damn funny moments. Especially the "police deputies" scene. "THERE IS NO BAAAAHTHROOOM!!! "
Ghostbusters II (1989) - 8.5
No, it's not as good as the first. But it's still excellent! The scenes with Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver alone are incredible. I'm not sure Annie Potts got a very fair turn this time around, but I like the new look (an interesting bridge between the first Ghostbusters and her part in Pretty in Pink) and Rick Moranis's character deserved a love interest. The only important question is: is it scary enough to be a Ghostbusters sequel? HELL YES! I don't count either to be a horror film but only by a slim margin. The underground scenes, the mink coat, and the city boardroom scene still send shivers up my spine more than 20 years after I first saw the movie. The acting is extraordinary, the writing is great, the music is very good ("Spirit- some people hear it, some people fear it; spirit- some people just won't go near it" / oh, and... the big song from the movie might - the Bobby Brown one - not have been a hit but it was still great), and it's very exciting. What really didn't work in the movie, that it brands this poor thing forever with the first thing out of people's mouths being some expectation of perfection? We all knew it was impossible to top the first movie. For a sequel, this was worthy enough.
Twins (1988) - 7
Ivan Reitman used to have a master's touch with comedy. Because he made inherently bad ideas work. This is another classic Bad Hollywood Idea: Ahhnold and Danny Devito are twin brothers. What?! Right... And it's a serious movie too. With Danny having to face his past as an unwanted child who became a criminal because of being dumped into a combination of Catholic school and orphanage shelters (glorified juvenile detention centers). So, he had 2 traumas- one after the other. But because it's Hollywood in the late-80's, he's a sleazy shyster businessman rather than a street-wise hoodlum. Another politically incorrect movie that would be tasteless as hell today but, for the 80's, it worked. The thriller aspect of the movie is hard and fast, with the always creepy Marshall Bell as a psychotic serial killer. The drama is a little forced but it kinda works because of the music score and Danny Devito just makes you believe it. Is Ahhnold a weak link? Not at all. His acting will never be praised but I actually believed his peaceful giant routine. The writing is insatiable and just keeps throwing good ideas at us. Covered every base I could think of. A lot of personality. And despite the silly plot, the characters work. Casting is just a dream- always a new heavy-hitter coming in to lend further credibility to whatever mode the movie's in. Bell gets the violent scenes. Bonnie Bartlett gets the sappy stuff. And Kelly Preston ends up being smarter than the average bimbo, I bought her as the untrusting friend (sister?) of Devito's love interest. She gets the... romantic moments. You can't really call it romantic. But she's good anyway. And... David Caruso dies. YAY!!
Ghostbusters (1984) - 10
Speaks for itself.
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Harold Ramis:
Analyze That (2002) - 2
Should never have happened.
Bedazzled (2000) - 6
Again, the sign of death for a comedy for most people is probably when it's not funny. But I think I like clever better. This is very clever. But it becomes predictable FAST (at least as far as Liz Hurley's part is concerned), Brendan Fraser's character is an acceptably clueless doofus but that doesn't make him sympathetic, and the turnouts on his wishes are not that exciting. Especially since the joke is that all the people who made fun of him are the ones he's now meant to be impressing with his wealth, athletic skills, sensitivity, sophistication, and political power. And there are several considerably-sized WtF?!s here, none bigger than the end of the sensitivity wish ("I just want a guy who'll take advantage of me and who will pretend to be interested in who I am and what I think so he can get into my pants!"). And yet, somehow, everyone knew this wasn't going to be a classic. So, keep your expectations low and you won't be disappointed. I wasn't. It's still 100,000 times better than Monkeybone!! Thanks to very few grossouts (just the mustache rip), some truly smart and interesting dialogue, a better-than-average ending that does everything right, fantastic costume design (especially on Hurley), stylish camerawork that again does a lot with Hurley (anyone notice the billboard behind the flaming car?), and a couple genuinely dark moments (the wall sequence at the prison, before Fraser goes into the cell, is downright disturbing). I guess you could say it's Hurley's movie. But the Spanish-speaking scene was great too ("I despise you. I loathe the very thought of you. I hate everything about you. If you ever touch me again, I'll vomit nonstop until I'm dead. And I'll be happy doing it because it will mean I'll never have to look at your disgusting face again!" ; Frances O'Connor is supposed to be a Brit or Australian- I think she nailed that accent!)
Analyze This (1999) - 5.5
I didn't like it very much, but I can admit most of it works. The best part was Billy Crystal as a shrink when De Niro wasn't around.
Groundhog Day (1993) - 7.5
I already spoke my peace in the Last Movie You Watched thread. I said something to the effect of- I agreed with Bill Murray's character before he changed his ways. As a Scrooge routine, he was in the right. I think. And I almost don't get how he can be so funny and we're supposed to enjoy his sarcastic observations before he has his change-of-heart, and still feel he needed to become a better person. Also, I didn't think the Rita character was actually that well-written. I admit she felt real and that overrides the cliched stuff in her character. Anyway, back to him: he has his change and suddenly, he's being nice to the people I thought were buffoons. The doofy "off to see the groundhog!?" guy, the scummy insurance salesman, the jerky mayor, the batty bed-&-breakfast sorta-den mother woman. I guess it works but I still have my confusions. The one part I just can't let go of is at the end when he says: "let's move here!" It's still a fun movie and uplifting and all that, but it leaves me feeling more than a little puzzled inside.
Vacation (1983) - 8
Some of the characters were a bit generic and the jokes aren't played up for as crazy as they could be. Basically, the first 2 sequels tried to be more outrageous and got pretty close to going where this one outright refused to try and go. But other than that, this is the Airplane! of family comedies. It's not always killingly funny, but it's killingly clever and entertaining as hell. And nasty at times. (Was "Holiday Road" done specifically for this movie? One of cinema's greatest film themes EVER!) Best moment: "(*car halts abruptly*) I think you're all fucked in the head... We're 10 hours from the fuckin' fun-park and you want to bail out! (...)"
Caddyshack (1980) - 7
Now, this one's really nasty. From the racism humor to the pregnancy scare drama, I sometimes wonder how this became such a revered comedy in film buff circles. Then I watch Police Academy and it becomes abundantly clear. For such a sleazy movie, it's actually both tasteless and smart. If not in resolution of the issues (for example- what about the rich bitch who bounces back and forth between the caddy and the golfer? She just screws guys and hangs around in the entourage of the rich assholes), in their delivery. It refuses to apologize. I actually respect that. I make few exceptions in cases like these, but I've seen what's out there. This is better. It certainly helps that in addition to the topless girls we see in the bedroom and pool scenes, there's a considerable amount of exposed males. Michael O'Keefe spends several minutes in his briefs, which is quite a sight. Scott Colomby is also keen to show off his hot bod, bless him. And Chevy Chase is a (perhaps) underrated (I don't know the figures) stud. Who throws much needed humor into the mix. On that note, I'm talking about: into his sex appeal. Rodney Dangerfield is hilarious without any sex appeal, and obviously a huge asset to the movie.
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Frank Oz:
The Stepford Wives (2004) - 1
Everything associated with this film, everything about it, is deeply offensive. How could a director this smart be so clueless?
In & Out (1997) - 5.5 (saw it on TV, so it was probably heavily edited)
Haven't seen it in maybe 8 years, I kinda liked it (but what did I know 8 years ago? I thought Adam Sandler's Big Daddy was sweet rather than a bad frat joke- although, still better than that "Dan & Shmitty" joke on Scrubs). I still had the issues with Kevin Kline, but he's cute. I've seen things just as ridiculous actually made by gay filmmakers (I think I managed 2 minutes on one of those Eating Out movies before I bolted for the hills). Hollywood (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) or Indie (Another Gay Movie), must-see TV (Will & Grace) or Showtime (Queer as Folk), whatever: it's hard to escape superficial portrayals of any kind of person and their life experiences- they are still the ones that get made. 14 years ago, I think I would have stood behind this film (although- Bride of Chucky made a better point, Mtv's Undressed got it done in half the time and Spyder Games had some honest camp value to it, all of these with some of the most gorgeous guys- especially Spyder's Byron Field who actually gave the most believable performance, truly seemed gay, and legitimately broke down in tears, fought a long uphill battle, and found love on the show that wasn't immediately taken away from him- if I'm not mistaken).
The Indian in the Cupboard (1995) - 5
Haven't seen it since '97, so I barely remember it and I've changed so much since I was that young (14). But I never liked it.
What About Bob? (1991) - 7
What little I paid attention to everything in the movie but the character battle between Dr. Leo Marvin and Bob, the less I liked the movie (the music score is yucky, the actress playing the daughter was a bore, and most of the other supporting cast were faker than the a-holes in Seinfeld: you know? The people who always get the 4 characters in trouble). But man, this movie is so much fun! Still was, last time I saw it (I've been wanting to get the DVD for years and haven't yet). Just when you think there's nothing they're going to be able to do to take this to the next level (that's how crazy this is)- Richard Dreyfuss (who is ridiculously hot here) starts raiding the local general store for guns and bombs... LOVE this movie. The only "how could things get any worse?" movie that rivals 2000's Meet the Parents.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986) - 8.5 (Theatrical Version with "happy home" ending)
Some of it comes off a little stiff, but the songs and music and acting and all the technical aspects of the movie are extraordinary. It's surprisingly dark and never ceases to be fun.
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984) - 6.5
When I watched all the muppet movies for the first time, it was years before Treasure Island and Space and all the new movies. I've only seen pieces of this since '93-'94, but I liked it a lot. I do feel though that if I could see it again, it might drop in my estimation (just like The Bunny Picnic has- which is outright terrible). Curse you: Meet the Feebles!! (Seriously, I implore you: don't ever watch that film- you will never look at Jim Henson productions the same way again.)
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Barry Sonnenfeld:
Men in Black (1997) - 1.5
2 things that drive me UP THE WALL: CGI and Will Smith showing off. I don't care how clever this is in the minds of most people or how great Tommy Lee Jones was (finally he made up a little bit for how bad Batman Forever was- he's the .5 in my rating), I did not have fun.
Get Shorty (1995) - 5
Need a re-watch. But I didn't like it very much.
Addams Family Values (1993) - 7.5
It takes awhile for this to get going and the vast majority of the stuff with Raul Julia, Anjelica Huston, and Christopher Lloyd is plain irritating instead of funny. But once Joan Cusack and Camp Chippewa enter the picture, it gets amazing. Still some of the freaking funniest jokes I've ever come across in a comedy ever. So, yeah, the stuff with the kids and the nanny is so good, that when we cut back to the adults- it can't match how fun the rest of the movie is. But for a Hollywood comedy, this is a friggin' must-see! The scenes with Peter MacNicol, Christine Baranski, and Mercedes McNab (the girl scout turned preppy pilgrim princess) are so funny, they HURT! And of course, Christina Ricci just brings the house down during the Thanksgiving Play:
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The Addams Family (1991) - 6.5
Not a bad movie in any way, but the best stuff is all wrapped up in the style and music, art and costume design, etc. The story rests on the acting quality (which is ridiculously high) and how clever the ideas are. And, yeah most of them are clever. But surprisingly few will really get you to cheer. Though when they do, they're incredible: like the school play (and the jokes leading up to it) and the girl scout scene.
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Amy Heckerling:
Loser (2000) - 6
I don't remember it well enough, but I wasn't very impressed.
Clueless (1995) - 10
There still has never been another mainstream comedy like this. It's not really funny, but it's endlessly entertaining. It lovingly makes fun of its' characters and lightly satirizes the mid-90's L.A. teen culture. And it sure as hell doesn't pull a Legally Blonde and reward the Cher character's naivety. When this girl does something stupid, people actually yell at her and take things from her. She doesn't always get what she wants, same as the other characters. The movie shows us their flaws and just goes on anyway, we have to accept these people as they are. The last 15 minutes are incredibly uplifting. We lose the Elton character completely, but the heavily mocked Amber character is transported into the happy moments at the end and during the TV commercial jokes (the Muffs and Supergrass song montages). Which I found surprising and made sure to note even when I was much younger. Did anyone else ever notice or question this? (If Cher hates Amber so much, why would they hang out after school? It's probably like Elton said, these people make connections because of who their parents are.) Intelligently written as well, so there's no danger of any of this being vapid. If this is in any way a chick flick, we need more of these!
Look Who's Talking Too (1990) - 5.5
Look Who's Talking (1989) - 6.5
I don't remember either of these very well (other than how blazingly hot Travolta is in part 2) and need re-watches on both. But I always thought they (yes, both) were okay comedies. But I never, EVER liked the fertilization opening and closing credits. I didn't laugh, feel warm, or think they were in any way cute.
European Vacation (1985) - 6
It's definitely rather bad. But I really liked the music and the location shooting. It's a completely harmless little movie and creative enough. The thing that makes it so bad is just that none of it is funny. Not even in a British-comedy way. I loved it when I was a kid, though, and will never forget it. Especially Beverly D'Angelo's bloated (and just shot poorly and freakishly) "Big Spender" bathroom dance and the film's later references to it. I must have rewinded that part in the motel room with her crying to the terrorist / criminal guy like 35 times. That must have been like 1992 or something- LONG time ago.
Johnny Dangerously (1984) - 5.5
Again, need a re-watch; it's been a long time. It was incredibly goofy. Some of it I liked, most of it is more than a little bit off. But I liked the goofiness overall. It's no Oscar, though.
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Sidney Pollack:
The Firm (1993) - ?
I've seen it but I don't remember anything about it. I wanted the good guys to win. And probably Holly Hunter was great. She always is.
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Barry Levinson:
Sleepers (1996) - ? (Given the subject matter, it's un-rate-able)
An underaged Shawshank Redemption? Not exactly. As I understand it, some people were not so into SR because it didn't show enough of the negative side of being incarcerated and abused, etc. Of course here, it's literally about abuse. Anyway, I think it's a daring idea. But, who'd ever want to see it? Pretty much noteworthy for Kevin Bacon and he plays a pedophile. Oh yeah, I know- Robert De Niro was in it. But you'll remember Kevin Bacon.
Rain Man (1988) - 7
Haven't seen it in awhile but it's always been fun, even when "Raymond" was crying or screaming. Tom Cruise's first jerk role? I always have more fun with Tom Cruise when he plays a jerk. And Valeria Golino is always a plus; can never get too much of her.
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Anthony Minghella:
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) - 6.5
Since this has its' roots in a series of books, people will be hot to judge what the film is based on those. I can't do that because I don't care about them and haven't read them. Anyway, it's a thriller about a killer who - in full American Psycho mode - kills people for being both what he sees as inferior to him (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and superior, for the purpose of taking pieces of their identity. And losing parts of his own that he doesn't care for. Any film about a killer brings up feelings of morality in the viewer. But this is Hollywood and typically, they want you to put yourself in the killer's shoes. That's hard for me, even though we're both gay, because he's pathetic. Not because, when he's not living off the dime of a rich man, he's a self-hating lower-class man with a crappy job. But because he can't find anything in himself to love. This doesn't hurt the thriller aspect of the movie, but it does make the drama hard to acclimate to. And then, he wants to be a person he really doesn't like. Which means you have to process this story in terms of: systems, not people. I'd rather get into the character, not have to investigate what about the world has made him this way. That's what American Psycho did best. Also, after watching it carefully, I'm not sure the turnpoint scene is very well executed. It's especially hard to take after the club scene where Matt Damon confesses his love for Jude Law. Jude somehow misses all the signs and holds back his crass and underwhelming speech about Ripley being "girly" until a few minutes later. Also, how stupid did they make Gwyneth Paltrow? However, refreshingly, this isn't American Psycho in that the film presents some genuinely good classy / rich folk to balance out the jerks in Law's camp: Cate Blanchett is fun, cute, sweet, and nice. Even if this film is a fantasy and the books are trying to stress that some of it is in Ripley's head, this is a great touch and she does an amazing job. Then of course, Jack Davenport is delicious. But also, for a suited-up artsy type who goes to operas and is still part of the appointment cultured city money crowd, he's warm and has a huge heart. Without him, the ending would be a disappointment instead of a shocking and heartbreaking series of tragic and devastating events. As for Matt Damon, I didn't care for him very much. I believed him as a desperate killer but not as a charming stalker. And considering how many scenes in which he's nearly naked... I can't help feeling they wanted him as much for his muscles as for his lack of inhabitions. Sort of a conflict of interests going on there. Especially when his big nude scene is an accident in a moment of Gwyneth Paltrow's terror. Oops: towel slipped.
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Curtis Hanson:
8 Mile (2002) - 1
Some of the acting was okay, but who cares? Movies like this do more harm than good and only serve to try and bring credibility to a cultural laughing-stock like Eminem, who should really stick to rapping.
Wonder Boys (2000) - 9
I'm a teeny bit conflicted on this one. Just because I don't believe in the hipster romance with cultural icons- weeping at the sight of Marilyn Monroe's this or some baseball player's that. Let me have my moment with this timeless treasure of Americana, and I'm a little bit jealous that the guy who gets to take this home is a pretentious douche (played by the actor famous for being Johnboy Walton- which is too freaking perfect). I worship at the altar of Absolutely Fabulous, who just savaged this kind of thing; every wannabe and their hanger-on has their "this is mine" shining moment of celebrity artifact-awe and in someone else's eyes, it's gonna be sad. Even if these guys aren't dorks, they're still hipsters. But this director does a much better job of it, sure. As does the actor, Maguire. As for the rest of it... Frances McDormand and Robert Downey Jr. always stun, so it's not surprising that they make short work of this. Katie Holmes is the true surprise of the flick. Small though her part is, she's not cutesy. In any way. She also gets my favorite dialogue- when she has to sort of critique Douglas's book / manuscript.
L.A. Confidential (1997) - 9
Haven't seen it in almost a decade, but I was very impressed.
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) - 5
Been a LONG time since I've seen it (more than 10 years), and it really shocks me that after hearing so many people agreed with me that this is an incredibly underwhelming thriller, that it was actually considered a critical success. Fran Drescher's The Nanny just slashed this to pieces, even if you consider that show to be a ridiculous failure you have to agree. It even cast Matt McCoy, who played the husband in that film, in an episode.
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John Schlesinger:
The Next Best Thing (2000) - 4.5
I actually think most of this movie works... it's just the sorta-backstab by Madonna's character that really makes me groan. And question the writing altogether and so, no one can take this seriously even if it does "try" to wrestle with real-life issues. Like if you're gay and have an agreement with a woman to have a child together if she gets married or suddenly doesn't want anything to do with you. Very petty, shallow movie. But before the baby-drama came, it was enjoyable for being petty and shallow.
Cold Comfort Farm (1995) - 7.5
Very simple sophisti-comedy but the acting, the dialogue, and the characters are very effective and likable. I was never bored. Of course, I haven't seen this is in 9 years, so that might change on a re-watch.
The Believers (1987) - 6
Lightweight occult horror film, more thriller than a scare or mood film. But there's some good tension here and there. Enough for the ending to leave me on the edge of my seat. Some scenes I've actually never forgotten.
Marathon Man (1976) - 7
I could stand a re-watch and I liked it the first time (so why not just keep it that way: don't see it a second time?). I've actually re-watched parts of it on DVD. The country house scene and, of course, the ending. They still hold up beautifully. But I remember being bored by the story they were using to try and get the characters together: the brother must meet the other brother then go off to meet the Nazi's, do these back and forth (scene at the little store, scene at his apartment, attack scene in the other brother's apartment, dinner with the other brother's girlfriend) and must slowly bring all together for that defining moment where they suspect the other brother. Because without that, there's no torture scene. And for everyone- the torture scene is the movie. For me, the ending is the movie. We don't just see a few select scenes of these people meeting each other circumstantially, we sort of have to sit through everything: the guy traveling to... it was the south somewhere, like a plantation (Louisiana?), and the other brother's college crap (is he learning a lesson in school that will soon carry over into his real life? Let's don't be silly). I would have prefered an almost Devil's Rejects turn for this son of a bitch, but at least they had a good idea: everything he worked for, he lost. He took the most important things to so many people away from them (which I'm thinking are the lives, not the jewels), and the other brother took away the most important thing to him (the jewels).
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James L. Brooks
forgot one:
As Good as It Gets (1997) - 6
I've tried to hate this film. And the crudely timed, choppy, subtlety-challenged dialogue makes it quite easy (Nicholson's "don't knock on this door" speech is painfully bad). But the acting is just too good. From everyone. And when you look at the Hollywood city-oriented sophisti-comedies being made at the time, you might have to agree that this one is, by whatever measure, superior.
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Peter Jackson:
The Frighteners (1996) - 0.5
I hate this movie with a passion few can imagine. It's Casper (the 1995 movie, of course) meets Michele Soavi's Cemetery Man meets Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. I'm not kidding. That's not 3 entirely bad movies put together so much as it's the worst idea for a combination in the whole of sci-fi horror action history. In terms of energy, the movie is bottomless. But it tests your patience until your nerves have been severed, then starts searching for other things to pluck. This worked in Dead Alive. It doesn't work here.
Dead Alive / Braindead (1992) - 9
300 liters of fake blood was used in the movie total. This is literally a symphony of gore. If you've seen the Lord of the Rings movies, imagine him putting all the effort and bravado he put into those things into one gory death after another for 100 minutes. Yes, this is a must-see. Unfortunately, I haven't seen the full 1 hour and 40 minute New Zealand / German uncut version. Just the 97 minute U.S. Uncut version. Which is funny, because there's also an 83 minute R-rated version. I can forgive the icky zombie baby, the drooling Nazi taxidermist, and - don't ask me how - the undertaker who eats a sandwich drenched in neon green puss after he watches the fluid emit from a corpse. But the Giant Mother at the end is too much. Hence, why I took off a whole point. It goes a little too far the whole time, but most of it's entertaining.
Meet the Feebles (1989) - 0
The single most depressing experience of my entire movie-watching life. Troma have spent nearly 40 years trying to come up with something 1/50th as sickening as this film and they have failed miserably. John Waters continues to be regarded as "The Prince of Puke," but even he must bow down to this. And I've mused before- can Cannibal Holocaust (the Salò of the horror genre) possibly hold a candle to this film? And I remind myself that they slaughtered real animals in cold blood to make that film (including a monkey, a pig, and something often mistaken for a muskrat). I still don't have an answer.
Bad Taste (1987) - 9.5
Peter Jackson's first splatter-horror film and my personal favorite (for, although it does have a man eating out of a bowl of green alien puke - as well as showing us the alien puking into it, there is not a single zombie infant anywhere in sight). The music score is incredible and the New Zealand countryside is jaw-dropping. It's just a beautiful gross movie, with high stabbing notes of chilly synths and gorgeous, deep grayish-blue skies shot from the tops of high hills and waterfront houses. If the fast-moving camera weren't enough to get me excited, the UNBELIEVABLE cliff-dangling fight scene would be. Basically, a man and an alien (both played by the same actor) fight their way down the side of a hill until one of them falls off. Is this the end of him? Not by a long shot. We have to see what happened to him after his body smashed over the rocks below. He's remarkably well-kept except for the back of his head, which has been sliced open by the fall and his brains now have to be pushed back in. No easy task as it turns out. Pretty good special effects, although the alien costumes are every bit as flimsy and rubbery and cheap-looking at the goblins in Troll 2. But I was most impressed by how real the guns looked. All fakes. For such a gross and goofy movie, it's inexplicably fun. Everything you could expect from a film like this after hearing the plot- you get.
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Danny Boyle:
28 Days Later (2002) - 9
The running, leaping zombies are stupid (as they were in Lamberto Bava's Demons 2). But other than that, this is an incredible movie. A rare survival horror film that thrives on intelligence rather than childish tricks, posing, and plot twists. With the exception of Dawn of the Dead (I had to say this because a bunch of geeks honestly have insisted one scene with the characters taking food from a grocery mart equals a rip-off of Dawn), this film beats everything it copies from: Day of the Dead, Demons (again), Night of the Comet, and Omega Man. Basically, you really wonder where the film is going to go after the small group of survivors drive out of the city and that's where it really gets interesting. First of all, they stop in the countryside and find a kind of chateau/cottage to relax at (which is great because, if you thought the whole world was coming to an end- you'd be pretty stressed too). Then, you anticipate a big attack or a huge freak scene and one never occurs. Well, not by conventional definition. So, maybe you think they're saving it for the end. Not exactly. Anyway- Romero (obviously an influence here) always made the humans the source of the real horror in his zombie movies. And except for Dawn, he never knew how to do this subtly. Or with much gusto, actually. That's why this movie really surprised me- Boyle intends to take what's been done to the next level... and he succeeds! This film easily has the monopoly on horrifying portrayals of the military. That's all I'll say about the leadup to the climax- a GALVANIZING show of human rage and one of the greatest cinematic revenge scenes I've ever witnessed. All those Spit on Your Grave shitfests really need to bow down here- this is how it's done! Especially since the lead up actually involves a believable threat which has nothing to do with the victims being dangled in front of the villains like a piece of meat (Romero decided to try that in Land of the Dead, since I don't believe that was typically done in the zombie subgenre).
A Life Less Ordinary (1997) - 5
I loved it when I first saw it, but it gets progressively worse on each re-watch. It's mostly fun whenever a song is playing. Great music- The Supremes, Beck, Sneaker Pimps (wish they had turned this song up for the gorgeous pool scene), Gladys Knight, Orbital and R.E.M. Interesting combination of soul and alternative. And it looks fantastic. But I'm pretty sure the dialogue is bad. I don't think this movie gives a crap about love and romance. And even if it did, the movie has no romance in it. It's best hope is as an action movie. One killer car chase (with Holly Hunter going all-out in her Dee Wallace / Kathy Bates psychobitch moment) and that's pretty much it.
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Robert Rodriguez:
The Faculty (1998) - 2.5
A bit better than the similar-themed Disturbing Behavior. But there are actually episodes of Barney and Friends better than that pile of crap. This is due mostly to Terminator 2's Robert Patrick, Carrie's Piper Laurie, House on Haunted Hill 99's Famke Jensen, and The Daily Show's Jon Stewart- all of whom play convincingly creepy teachers. However, the WtF Meter still buzzes and rings high over the film as the cliched treatment of the high school student characters is nothing but cartoonish (Elijah Woods' introduction being an ideal example). And the whole us-versus-them thing gets downright embarrassing too frequently. I felt like it was the late 80's again (well, except for the awful CGI) and this movie was really mining Wes Craven's Shocker. Deliriously unreasonable character motivations set up as trips to draw out the tension and make the movie torture to sit through. In this case, it's Elijah Wood's parents. I mean- is this a movie about slavery or bodily possession?
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) - 5.5
Everyone said it already: it's two movies in one. A dramatic exploitation-thriller about a faith-questioning ex-priest and his motherless children kidnapped and taken over the Mexican border to assist in the getaway of 2 murderous fugitive thug brothers, and an action-horror comedy about a bar full of vampires feeding on the patrons, who get a slight upper hand over the creatures but have to find a way to avoid untold dozens more bloodsuckers waiting outside while waiting for the sun to come up. Remember, this is coming from a horror fan - it goes dead after Hayek's dance number. And it was in trouble before that, in fact: Keitel's "are you such a loser?" attack. Not to mention- in this bar, with all these other toughguys (and by the way: what is this- an orgy? Is Tom Savini gonna go submissive for Fred Williamson because a guy who does makeup for a living, regardless of how buff he was in Dawn of the Dead, isn't as tough as a blaxploitation icon? Did Nicotero go submissive for Savini because, between the 2 makeup gods, The Final Chapter's machete-swinging climax whips anything in Dead by Dawn? Did they all go submissive for Keitel because he had the best career? Tarantino had a fanboy jack party all over this one), Clooney isn't going to get another magical closeup that makes him look tougher. Although, in a convenience store, with skinny Tarantino, a couple of girls in crop-tops, and the dorky guy who played the object of Freddie Prinze Jr.'s affections on their boat in I Still Know What You Did Last Sumer since he was usually-without girlfriend... sure- he's badass. He walks into a bar called the Titty Twister like he owns the place and my eyes couldn't roll fast enough. Keitel grounds their scenes previous, but once they get to the bar, he becomes a moral bodyguard. Cheech Marin livens up the second half a bit as does the gore. But by then, the movie needs to lighten up on the comedy. Literally, everyone's running around with one-liners and it becomes a mind-numbing parade of CGI, jokes, gunfire, and fake blood. One that can't even hope to touch the likes of Dead Alive.
Desperado (1995) - 2
I saw it once but I watched it very closely. The story and acting were on their way, but the action is terrible. And this dang thing is at least 86% action! Whether it's the staging, editing, pacing, or all 3- it's just awful. I heard a lot about the movie, left my mind open, and gave it my full attention. I was not rewarded for my effort.
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Baz Luhrmann:
Romeo + Juliet (1996) - 2.5
Agreed with Avaitor. Of course, I only tried it once and that was at least 12 years ago. I'm a little more patient now. But, I don't know where I'll get the urge to try it again.
I watched all the DVD bonus features, and there's a couple of things on Bob Dylan and the movie music. A map with locations, descriptions of scenes, and mentions of the songs.Goliath wrote:Thanks, I enjoy this thread!
Wonder Boys (2000)- 7.5
Nice little independent film. It's quirky with a very unique kind of humor. I appreciate it more with every viewing, but it takes some getting used to. Of course, Michael Douglas was great, as always and I also enjoyed Katie Holmes (for obvious reasons). Bonus points for adding a lot of Dylan-songs, including one that he wrote especially for this movie, which was rewarded an Academy Award. Do you know the videoclip that goes with it, Lazario? It shows Dylan taking the place of the Douglas-character, making it seem like he's the one talking to Tobey McGuire and dancing with Katie.
