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Reviews
Blue Moon (2000)
If you're looking for low-key entertainment...
I caught Blue Moon at a special screening where the director was present. When someone asked him what the movie was about, the first thing he said was "My Mom loves it." I'll leave that for you to judge. The film centers on an older couple who've lost the oomph in their relationship and a younger couple unsure of whether they should stay together. With a theatrical style and a comedic eye, it lightly explores the evolution of relationships as experienced through the two couples. On the plus side, it's a sweet movie and the actors all give strong performances. The older couple is especially likeable, which is a rarity for a moviegoer in his early 20s, like myself. However, despite its good intentions, the film is rather slow-moving and remarkably short on emotional interaction with the audience: it feels more like a pretty slide show than an endeavour of passion. If low-key entertainment is what you're after, this one's a match.
Detroit Rock City (1999)
complete waste of time
Detroit Rock City is one of the worst movies i've ever seen. Not only does it lack a decent script, but the actors filling the roles are so bad it's painful. Or maybe it's not the actors' faults, but instead it's their characters. The scattered direction and blatant ripoff of I Wanna Hold Your Hand don't make it any easier to swallow. The only inkling of a redeeming quality is the brief snippet of Kiss in concert. If you must rent it, spare yourself the agony and fast forward to those last 5 minutes.
Blast from the Past (1999)
One heckuva good film!
Working in a video store, I see tons of movies -- most of which are pretty awful. My tolerance level for bad films is at rock bottom, so only the most creative and witty ones can hold my attention. Blast From the Past, however, is a refreshing and exciting throwback to the days when a good script really mattered. I really didn't expect it to be so offbeat and intelligent yet so natural and down to earth, so it was a truly pleasant surprise. But I think it's time we take care of a few matters:
1. No two characters in any movie, for any reason, should ever again be named Adam and Eve.
2. Having gay people in a movie is not - repeat - NOT enough of a reason to play YMCA or any other Village People song.
3. Randy Newman must be shot. Let's just get it over with.
Despite these minor flaws, the strong performances and intelligent scripting throughout made it fun. Dave Foley does an excellent job, as do all the everyday people confronted with Brendan Frasier's character. I give it 9 of 10.
Hurlyburly (1998)
A complete waste of time.
I agree with every negative comment about Hurlyburly. Poor acting and directing. Presumptuous, unfocused dialogue. Sketchy characters. No plot. Nary an interesting development in the entire movie save for Anna Paquin, yet even she had no purpose. Whether any of these things was intended is irrelevant; the film sucks.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
What were they thinking?
I love Mike Myers and the original Austin Powers, but Austin Powers 2 is a lousy mess of commercialized garbage. Shameless/pointless/tactless (take your pick) plugs and references permeate every scene, there's so much material that it has no focus, there's too much recycled and overused material from the first movie, it has poor scripting, poor editing, loose ends, hacked-up scenes and continuity, lame plot devices, and Myers simply can't do Austin like he used to. And why did they resort to bathroom humor and Jerry Springer? They got so carried away with the success of the first that they forgot what made it so great: subtlety. Like Wayne's World 2, Austin Powers 2 is contrived, slapstick comedy. High points? Rob Lowe's impersonation of Robert Wagner is dead on, and Heather Graham is fascinating as she straddles the boundary between wholesome and naughty. I give it two anvils.
The Matrix (1999)
Amazing, but could've been better...
Note: this movie is best if you don't already know the plot.
When I first saw The Matrix I expected great things, and *WOW* did I get them. The premise, special effects and mood are all jaw-droppingly clever and well-done. But upon a second viewing I noticed some gaping deficiencies:
* It gets s-l-o-w in the middle. The bad kind of slow.
* Details of how the Matrix works are conspicuously and unfortunately missing.
* The dialog -- although above cliché -- is lackluster.
* Keanu Reeves can't act. I know he tries hard, but when he's not talking or fighting he looks like a stunned bunny.
Overall, The Matrix is entirely worthy of a single viewing under optimum conditions. That means in 70mm wide-screen format, digital sound, THX, and hopefully no pagers, cell phones, crinkly candy wrappers or crying babies.
A Bug's Life (1998)
Brilliant!
Brilliant! Nothing short of brilliant! We're not talking about a leg-up over Antz, we're talking *light-years* ahead. Superior animation, superior effects, superior characters, script, plot, direction, facial expressions, physical motion, weight realism, textures, humor, colors, and music. Did I mention it's got loads of class? Hoorah for Pixar! Even if Dreamworks/PDI stole the current market for computer animated bug movies with their cheap knock-off, you've still won. I'm definitely seeing A Bug's Life again. :-D
PS- Geri's Game! The credits! Freakin' *brilliant!*