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Reviews
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Bye, bye bye!
I liked Kevin Smith's previous movies. This is not as strong as the previous four. That said, there were a lot of funny movie references and cameos, and if you like Jay and Silent Bob some pretty good laughs.
After spending a night watching the deleted scenes, I'm convinced Kevin Smith didn't have a clear vision for this movie - witness all the unfunny plot lines he ultimately discarded - and most of the deleted humor didn't make the movie funnier, it just upped the 'potty' factor. One exception was a funny Will Farrell scene parodying "The Fugitive", and there were a couple of others. For the most part though, the deleted scenes make the editing look like genius.
High Fidelity (2000)
Witty, cool, apparently not for everyone
I browsed the comments for this movie before writing this, and was surprised by the number of reviewers who didn't like this movie, especially since I had just watched it twice (mostly)! I'll do something different here.
Things to like:
1. John Cusack. I like his body of work. My favorites range from "Better Off Dead" (another controversial choice?) to Grosse Pointe Blank and Being John Malkovich. 2. Great cameos by Joan Cusack, Tim Robbins, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lili Taylor. Anything that three of those five want to do a cameo in is worth thinking about. The bits for all five were great. 3. Music. I probably teetered on the edges of some of the excesses of music the main characters indulge in. There was a broad selection of music by different eras. Don't expect to hear too many obvious songs though - no Beatles, no "Free Bird". 4. The music geeks. A couple of great supporting characters. If you saw the performance by Jack Black near the end of the movie, it probably raised your rating of this movie by a full point. 5. The ending is emotionally satisfying. 6. Non-linear flow, talking to the camera. Arty, change of pace, can be a lot of fun.
Things to hate: I don't fully agree with all of these, although I see the point of view of those who don't.
1. Rob Gordon. Cusack's character is an immature jerk. I don't consider that a fault of the acting or the writing. 2. The music and the music geeks. A lot of the music is obscure, and our heroes are snobs. 3. The ending is a little pat. 4. Non-linear flow, talking to the camera. Apparently not everyone's cup of tea.
There's a lot of overlap there!
Almost Famous (2000)
Funny, joyful, sad, wonderful music
Semi-autobiographical, Cameron Crowe condensed his experiences as a very young Rolling Stone correspondent down into a great script. I was surprised how funny this movie was at times, without losing its sense of reality. Crowe also shows why he's a good, maybe great director, with the performances he got from a cast of (at the time) relative unknowns. Everyone in this movie will go on to good roles. But, it's the music that is the biggest star in this movie, and I think that's what Crowe intended. A great collection of music accompanies the movie, fitting and shaping the mood of different scenes. The last movie I saw that did this so well was "Forrest Gump".
Unfortunately, this movie will all too quickly disappear from the movie theaters, and probably won't get any of the big awards this year either. That's more of a sad commentary about how movies are promoted in the US than anything else, though. But, long after the Oscar winners are forgotten, people who love the music will still love this movie, and seeing this movie will be a rite of passage and revelation for future members of its audience.
The Perfect Storm (2000)
See the movie, then read the book
I felt like this movie did a lot of typical things movies of this sort do: bad things are going to happen to these plucky guys, so let's give you some back story so you sympathize with them. Some of the back story in this movie was pretty cheesy.
The movie picks up once the storm rolls in, but the weather guy at the TV station in Boston commenting on the meteorology to bring you along was pretty cheesy, too.
Everyone has a pretty good idea how this ends up, but I'll try not to spoil it. There is a pretty good side story with a Coast Guard ship and an Air Force Reserve helicopter. The movie condenses down a couple of stories from the book, and takes some other liberties that have made other viewers skeptical about this plot. Yes, the Air Force helicopter really went out on a rescue in the storm, and it did in-flight refueling, although the helicopter's mission didn't have to do with the Andrea Gail. The rest of the helicopter's story is pretty much portrayed correctly.
Usually when I've seen a fair to good movie based on the book, I'll find that the book is definitely worth reading, and that was the case here. As is also usually the case, I'm glad I saw the movie first.
Three Kings (1999)
Not 'Apocalypse Now', not 'Kelly's Heroes' - that's fine!
I saw this movie expecting something like "Apocalypse Now" for the Gulf War, which perhaps isn't fair to those who made this movie. And instead of a boat heading upriver in the jungle, Three Kings delivered a humvee speeding through the desert. It also delivered some of the outrageous, horror of war feel that 'Apocalypse' had (e.g. skeet shooting footballs laced with explosives, versus waterskiing while "Satisfaction" plays), but it's a different movie with a different feel.
"Three Kings" delivers commentary on a lot of subjects, but with a certain sense of humor, and provokes some thought on a war most Americans are content to think about as a clean and just war. It delivers some interesting photography and effects, as well as some just bizarre visuals, which I won't name to avoid any spoilers.
Another movie people want to compare "Three Kings" with is "Kelly's Heroes". Again there are some similarities, but there are plenty of differences. "Three Kings" is far more realistic (imho) dealing with the consequences of running off on their own quest, whereas in KH there's no problem scaring up a few tanks and hippie tankers (!?!) to help out. "Three Kings" certainly isn't as obviously funny, either, but I don't think that's a flaw in this movie.
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Drives home the odd-numbered Star Trek movie curse
No one expects the Star Trek movies to be high art, but the fans do expect a movie that is as good as some of the best episodes. Unfortunately, this movie had a muddled, implausible plot that just left me cringing - this is by far the worst of the nine (so far) movies. Even the chance to watch the well known characters interact in another movie can't save this movie - including the goofy scenes with Kirk, Spock and McCoy at Yosemite.
I would say this movie is not worth a rental, and hardly worth watching, however for the True Fan who needs to see all the movies, renting this movie is about the only way you'll see it - even the cable channels avoid this movie.
Cliffhanger (1993)
Ugh
There are some Stallone movies I like, but this movie didn't meet my low expectations. I found this movie hard to believe. For example, a bunch of terrorists who crash land in the wilderness are prepared to survive for at least two days. Also, in all this wilderness Stallone and company keep running across bridges and ladders that provide convenient short-cuts or plot devices. Also, the Treasury cops don't seem to coordinate anything with the local rescue people. Also, bad guys who couldn't hit the side of a barn with really high-tech looking automatic weapons.
I liked John Lithgow's villain initially, but the character is such a complete psychopath that he doesn't care at all about any of his own bad guys, or all of them getting killed. Eventually I just couldn't believe the character anymore.
Not worth the price of a rental, not even worth taking the time to watch.
Win Ben Stein's Money (1997)
A funny, smart game show
Win Ben Stein's Money is a game show that requires some brains (unlike Wheel of Fortune) but is funny and doesn't take itself as seriously as Jeopardy. The show is hosted by Ben Stein, who is probably most famous for his appearances as a teacher in "The Wonder Years" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", along with Jimmy Kimmel as the smart-ass side-kick.
There is a lot of shtick, and good interplay between Stein and Kimmel that gives the show both humor and likeability. Kimmel is funny and rude, but occasionally crosses the line to gross or mean. Special theme episodes are occasionally shown, such as a recent cross-dressing episode. Another fun bit, is that if a contestant answers in the form of question, ala Jeopardy, they are forced to wear a dunce cap.
The premise of the show is that Stein has put up $5,000, which he will try to keep the contestants from winning. The exact financial details might vary somewhat - fine print at the end of the show hints at this. Stein competes against the contestants, usually successfully.
The show starts with 3 contestants, who choose from five categories, with various joke/scatological titles. Questions are assigned a dollar value for correct answers, and in the first round have a $50 follow-up. At the end of the first round, the contestant with the lowest winnings is dropped, and replaced by Ben Stein. At the end of the second round, the contestant with the highest winnings is selected to go on to the "Best of Ten Test of Knowledge", a one-on-one contest directly against Stein. The constestant and Stein are locked in isolation booths (one of the jokes is that the contestant's booth has a bare lightbulb, steel stool, and cracked plaster, while Stein sits in a booth with paneling, and an overstuffed chair). The contestant and Stein are given the same ten questions, and if the contestant beats Stein is given all $5000 dollars put up by Stein.
The show airs on Comedy Central, Monday-Friday, twice in the evening.