walter-17 Reviews

Chill Factor (1999)

Better Than Lethal Weapon 4

[7/10 · 12 September 1999]

A nice surprise. I went to this movie just based on what I read on a poster. I figured it would be interesting. I did not expect it to be funny, but I found myself laughing with the writer inspite of Cuba Gooding Jr. over acting. He seemed to be trying too hard to be funny.

More action than Universal Soldier: The Return (don't go see) and funnier than Lethal Weapon 4.

I gave it a 7/10

The Confession (1999)

A story that made the actors rise to the occasion

[7/10 · 12 September 1999]

I believe this was Alec Baldwin's most believable work in years. I was disappointed with Ben Kingsly, but anybody else would have been worse.

It is always good to see a movie that presents an idea that is original. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe this is a remake of a 50 year old movie, but I didn't see that one.

Rent it if you are an adult with a child.

7/10

Inventing the Abbotts (1997)

Jennifer Connelly... Finally!

[12 September 1999]

I rented this movie because it was in the $1 for two nights section at Family Video and I needed something to do with my time over a holiday weekend.

Jennifer Connelly's two "Hi Doug" scenes were worth more than $1 to me. Jennifer Connelly has always played an attractive girl, but this time they let her play a sexy girl. Although she is nearly 30 years old she does a great job.

The guy who plays the super stud in this movie has a great future.

And of course Liv Tyler was great in the the role that she played.

I give Jennifer Connelly a 10, the story an 8, but the boring narrator brought the movie down to a 7/10.

The Game (1997)

Add to your collection

[9/10 · 2 September 1999]

For anybody who likes a surprise ending and a well acted movie, The Game is a movie you will want to see.

While The Game is not something that is likely to ever happen in the real world, its still interesting.

I would like to see a movie like this about Corporate America. You know. With all the back-stabbing, ladder climbing, and ass kissing that goes on in the tall building one can never really tell who they can trust or who really has your interests in mind when they give you advice.

Well, The Game has a lot of surprising twists and turns and a very good ending.

9/10 I should have given it a ten. The entire cast acted very good with one exception -- Deborah Unger was great.

The Astronaut's Wife (1999)

Finally, a new idea!

[29 August 1999]

Jonny Depp...what can I say. This man can act! His southern accent was perfect for the entire movie except the time he got angry and raised his voice. He carried 21 Jump Street, but this movie was a team effort.

Charlize Theron, was very good.

However, Joe Morton made this movie work. He introduced the latest new idea since Star Trek. And I thought the idea behind Matrix (harvesting humans) and 13th Floor (not knowing whether you are in a real or virtual world).

The Astronaut's Wife suggests that we... oh well you'll just have to see the movie.

The movie is very fast pasted. However, it it were any slower I would have been bored.

The director seemed to choose not to show more action and details in order to help us believe that the Wife was crazy.

I believe the director made the wrong choice and cost this movie at least one point.

The 13th Warrior (1999)

For Women Who Like Tough Looking Men

[7/10 · 29 August 1999]

The supporting cast and story gets a 7, Antonio Banderas brings it down to a 6.5.

Antonio Banderas looked like a whimp amoung men. If these same men were in jail Antonio would have been their... girlfriend.

Luckily, he magically learned their language overnight; and this was not a movie about life in jail.

However, Antonio played the part of the weakling very well.

The women who to see Antonio Banderas be macho will have plenty of other men to keep their interest.

I was impressed with the manly manness of this group. I was like watching the Magificent Seven with a whimpy sidekick played by Antonio Banderas.

Cruel Intentions (1999)

Wonderfully Bad

[8/10 · 24 August 1999]

Selma Blair played her character wonderfully. I did not watch it at the theater so I am be a little more kind than most.

There were some really sexy scenes in this movie. The story line lived up to the trailer. In fact, you could probably guess the entire movie based on the trailer. Except for added entertainment added by the Selma Blair's character.

For a rental it gets and 8/10 from me.

The Haunting (1999)

Rental

[6/10 · 23 August 1999]

It starts off pretty good. The start is well casted, but poorly directed.

These people were the coolest bunch of people you ever want to meet. They would get scared nearly to death and then forget about it as if nothing really happened. This happened too often. There was only one time when somebody breathed hard during the movie and that was poorly acted.

The setting was fabulous.

However, not even Catherine Zeta-Jones could justify the full price of the ticket.

The Casper-like special affects were disappointing.

I expected better from Speilberg.

Runaway Bride (1999)

Rental

[7/10 · 23 August 1999]

It's cute from time to time. It is a tribute to Robert's and Gere's acting skills that I did not think of Pretty Woman once while in the theater. On the other hand, it could be attributable to the writing. This romantic comedy did not do a good job of selling the romance.

Julia Roberts was good as usual, but it a rental. I only give it a seven because it is better than a lot of other movies that I have ssen this year. That's a reflection on the movie industry not on the quality of this movie.

7/10

Never Been Kissed (1999)

Pleasantly Surprised

[7/10 · 23 August 1999]

I thought to myself as I watched the first few minutes of this movie and wondered how I let my daughter talk me into going to watch this movie.

Jessica Alba (alone) was worth the price of the ticket. I predicted that she would be a star when I first was her in the Flipper TV series.

Leelee Sobieski... she just makes you pay attention to her even if she is in a silly movie like this one. Leelee is the young lady who stared in the TV series Joan of Arc and played the shop keepers daughter in Eyes Wide Shut. In this movie she plays a supporting role and still makes the most of it with seemingly little effort. She's good.

I don't like Drew.

However, I left thinking that this would be a good time to tell me daughter how cruel people can really be.

It was cute, had cute girls, and had a romantic ending.

7/10

Entrapment (1999)

A good movie

[23 August 1999]

This was a good movie. It could have been better if Will Patton had a relationship with Catherine Zeta-Jones. I also found it hard to believe that Catherine Zeta-Jones' character could be so tough and also such a big cry baby.

I had to look away when Connery and Zeta-Jones kissed. Yuck!

There are a few surprises and Zeta-Jones' face is worth the ticket.

I gave it a 7/10

Bowfinger (1999)

I must have been pretty bored

[7/10 · 23 August 1999]

You saw all of the best parts during the commercials (trailers). Eddie Murphy has created a very funny character which produces most of the good laughs. Heather Graham just cracked me up when she jumped in the air and twists her body. It's a switch from her ice cold roll that she played in Lost In Space.

Rent it. Don't pay to see this. The laughs aren't big enough.

7/10

Notting Hill (1999)

Not bad

[7/10 · 23 August 1999]

This movies had some very good actors in it (see the family dinner scene). And some very funny characters (roommate).

The character development in this movie ranks up there with that in the movie Armageddon.

I saw it at the movie and in about a year I would not mind seeing it again.

7+/10

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Not as bad as the critics claimed

[23 August 1999]

I am not a fan of Star Wars. Okay I do like that part about the force; but I have never been impressed with the acting, action, or story.

The acting has been improved greatly in this one.

If you have the money, make a movie. However, I think we all could have lived without experiencing this movie.

Wild Wild West (1999)

Disappointing to Wild Wild West TV fans

[6/10 · 23 August 1999]

I went to this movie thinking that they were going to as good a job as they did with Mission Impossible, but was very disappointed.

I grew up watching Wild Wild West. Wild Wild West was not a comedy.

I guess when you have the money. You can make what ever kind of movie you want. I wish Will Smith had refused this project. He had a streak going. Oh well...

I gave it a 6/10 because it is not worse than The Mummy.

Tarzan (1999)

Go!

[7/10 · 23 August 1999]

I liked the movie. I didn't like Minnie Driver in Good Will Hunting, but she was great in this role as Jane.

It is a good movie for the family.

I like Phil Collins. However, the same voice through out the movie just did not work for me. I was very tired of hearing Phil Collins by the time the movie ended.

I gave it a 7/10

Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

Married? Don't Go. Thinking about marriage? Go.

[5/10 · 23 August 1999]

Not even the great skills of Tom Cruise could save this movie.

The writer did a great job of developing the characters.

The movies seems to be somebody's attempt to share the most interesting things that have happened in one's life. The only thing is that they didn't seem to connect very well.

It was like lets go to shocking scene 1... action... cut... now lets go to shocking scene 2... action... cut... etc.

They could have made five different interesting movies by expanding/going into more details in each of those shocking scenes. Instead, I felt that I was being jurked back and forth and left and right and waiting to see what the point was only to be disappointed.

Now how does all of this affect the marriage? Those who have been married for several years will find this movie a waste of time. Those thinking about getting married may find it enlightening.

Since I've been married for 14 years, I gave it a 5/10

The Mummy (1999)

A good old time

[6/10 · 23 August 1999]

If you can resist picking out the flaws in a movie, The Mummy can make for a good choice of entertainment. Branden Fraser was his usual self. Mark my words, girls will fall in love with this guy if they ever let him play a serious romantic role.

It was nice to Rachel Weisz again. I hadn't seen her since her role in Chain Reaction. In this movie she was also playing an intelligent woman who doesn't seem to realize how attractive she is.

I gave it a 6/10

My Best Friend's Wedding (1997)

BUY THIS VIDEO TAPE

[9/10 · 23 August 1999]

I liked everything about this movie except the ending. I guess you can't have everything.

I singing scene was GREAT! I would buy the tape just for that.

However, there was much more to this movie and I got a lot of laughs out of it.

9/10

Baby Geniuses (1999)

Wake me when it is over

[3/10 · 23 August 1999]

My 9 year old liked it. I fell asleep several time in this movie.

This was one of those movies where everything that you saw in the commercial (trailer) was all that the movie had to offer.

It's like the TV version of Honey I Shrunk the Kids, but more boring.

3/10

The Iron Giant (1999)

Had so much more potential

[7/10 · 21 August 1999]

Obviously somebody decided to not try and make the movie more interesting to the adults. Another 10 more minutes of character development and this movie could have been compared to Lion King.

There were very few ups and downs. No playing with your emotions. That's what I expect from a movie.

However, I do expect a sequel.

7/10

Armageddon (1998)

Second Best Picture of 1998

[9/10 · 21 August 1999]

I would have given this movie a 10 if it were not for Bruce Willis poor acting at the end.

Ben Affleck -- Damn Good Actor! I first noticed him in Good Will Hunting and he hasn't let me down since.

Music -- Best Song of the Year!

Liv was perfect for this part.

My hat off to the screen writer for developing those very interesting characters in such a short amount of time

Bruce Willis brought it down

9/10

Meet Joe Black (1998)

Beautifully Done - Best Movie of the Year

[21 August 1999]

I fell in love with Claire Forlani. Now I see why everybody loves Brad Pitt. I'm not surprized that he won an Oscor for is work in 12 Monkeys. He deserved one for Legends of The Fall too. However, Claire Forlani made this movie work and I am very disappointed that she did not at least get a nomination in some category.

I enjoyed Armageddon, but Meet Joe Black is special.

11/10

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Matt Damon & Ben Affleck need I say more?

[21 August 1999]

This was the first time I had ever seen Ben Affleck in a movie and I was very impressed!

I don't usually go to movies just because of the actors in it, but I will make an exception for Matt Damon.

After picking this guy as a future super star back when he was playing as Mork on Mork and Mendy, it is good to see Robin Williams get the Oscar that I predicted (actually I predicted a nomination).

Damon's girlfriend in the movie was the only weak link in the movie. I don't know if it was just poor acting or just an unbelievable character.

If you liked this movie see Rounders.

8/10