Jimmy Jimmereeno Reviews

Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)

Scores new lows in movie-making

[1/10 · 15 March 2000]

How bad is this movie? This sequel is flat out blasphemous, scoring a slot right next to Godfather 3 as worst and most unnecessary sequel ever. It's not just a lite 85 minute comedy thing either, it's a solid two hours of bad music and sequel jokes "You guys again?". Of course there is no John Belushi this time, instead we get John Goodman who is usually good but Belushi himself couldn't help this movie. I just feel sorry for all those people who had to sit through this in the theatres. Then again, they probably should've known better. Also, there's a little kid who joins the band. The dance numbers are terrible and it's embarrassing to watch all those big names like James Brown and Eric Clapton participating in this. How could Dan Aykroyd do this to his good friend Belushi and desecrate the good name of The Blues Brothers? Total crap. Also, this movie has a weird Men In Black vibe to it, must be those cool sunglasses.

Wonder Boys (2000)

This is over-rated crap!! Consider this a warning...

[3/10 · 27 February 2000]

Oh, man I hated this movie. Such a waste of good talent. Where to begin? This is billed as a comedy starring all actors and actresses I like. If you're reading this, then you know who they are. Even the director(L.A.Confidential) is good. This looks so promising. Add a crapload of great reviews and you have winner, right? Wrong. Everything is wrong here. The mood is set when a dog is unnecessarily shot at the beginning and becomes a running joke. I'm no right-wing moralist concerned about movie content or a member of PETA for that matter but this is not funny to me. Then we have the depressing character of Michael Douglas. This guy is a teacher who does drugs, lives with a female student, is losing his third marriage or something. He is a sad character. Not funny. I hate how nothing is really explained either. Why is Tobey Maguire so weird and suicidal and a compulsive liar? Why is Katie Holmes living with Michael Douglas? Are they sleeping with eachother? Everyone in this movie is dysfunctional in a very unlikeable, unfunny way. I feel sorry for all these characters. Just because a movie has a setting at a college campus and is about intellectuals are we supposed to believe it's a smart movie? There is nothing smart about this movie. The entire movie can be summed up in one line: Rip Torn is accepting an award for a book he wrote and in his acceptence speech he begins "I am a writer." Which is followed by applause. This movie is masquarading as some kind of intellectual heart-warming comedy but is actually pointless trash, dull, not funny and a waste of time. It's too bad because as I said ealier it's full of great talent. Go see Cider House Rules again instead.

Starship Troopers (1997)

Very misunderstood

[8/10 · 19 February 2000]

As has been said in other reviews, you can't take this movie seriously. It is full of terrible acting and cheesy one-liners. And hopefully it was intended to be like this. I really want to see a DVD with a director commentary. Anyhow, this is a very in-depth story of young people who sign up for the military of the future. It is total satire of military politics and World War II propaganda films. Even excessive gore(which should be expected from Paul Verehoven) is humorous in places. I say in-depth because the story follows the flawlessly beautiful plastic teenagers from high school graduation to military enlistment to boot camp and finally to war. Most sci/fi movies would drop a space ship of people on a planet with aliens and watch them all die. This is a smarter, funnier movie than I thought I was going to see. Fans of the Robert Heinlen book say it's really different from the book but as a stand alone movie it is very good.

Spanking the Monkey (1994)

Worth seeing once...

[5/10 · 19 February 2000]

Yeah, I'd say see it once so you know what people are talking about. But no more than once is required to realize it's not very good. My big problem was that it wasn't believable. I didn't believe for one second that the mom was his mom. Also, any mom that drinks with her son, probably wouldn't make such a big deal about being seen naked in the shower. Nothing gets resolved at the end, either. The mom and son could've at least gotten together and retaliated against the dad. It's better than Flirting With Disaster, but if you want to see a really good movie check out Three Kings. I can't believe it's made by the same guy.

Less Than Zero (1987)

If you want to see Robert Downey Jr. be a crackhead...

[5/10 · 5 February 2000]

there are probably easier ways than renting this movie. If you catch it on cable it is worth sitting through though. I'm a sucker for 80's cheese, so this was like must see viewing for me. James Spader was playing the exact same role as Pretty in Pink. Great 80's soundtrack too. Run DMC's Christmas in Hollis, Queens! That's awesome. Oh, yeah, about the movie, um , Andrew McCarthy tries to get his friends off drugs. It's like Beverly Hills 90210 and Brandon returns to the show to get Dylan and Brenda off heroin. Or something like that.

Legend (1985)

So much better than the Phantom Menace

[7/10 · 5 February 2000]

That's all I could keep thinking of while I watched this. Here you have a movie made like 15 years ago and it was better than the top of the line version they put out now. This is the reason CGI graphics are stupid. The make-up and costumes in Legend are flawless. You can see shadow, sweat, texture, and a lot of effort put forth. If George Lucas was smart he'd hire this sfx team for his next project. Um, the story is very simple like a fairy tale but this is a children's movie anyway. Hopefully, Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings will be more in the style of Legend and less Phantom Menace.

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Worth watching for the Soundtrack alone...

[7/10 · 4 February 2000]

The 80's are back in effect!! This has Weird Al Yankovick music playing while Transformers do battle and dance around. If that doesn't sell you, don't waste your time. This movie is very stupid and cheesy and very 80's. I loved it! It seems to be very much like the cartoon I loved when I was a kid. It makes you appreciate cartoons of yesterday before we were over-run with marketing ploys like Pokemon. Well, Transformers was a marketing ploy too but it was way more innocent and fun. And the soundtrack is SO 80's. The transformers are doing battle and killing eachother and they have like glam metal or hairspray music or whatever it's called playing. Oh, man. It's not really quality animation or anything but it's so damn entertaining. Rent it with a whole group of people and have a party...Makes one nostalgic for He-Man!!

Short Cuts (1993)

making the Magnolia comparison

[28 January 2000]

Perhaps comparing these two movies isn't fair. This movie has definite stories while Magnolia seems to just revolve around themes. There were so many similarities between the two, it's sort of hard not to make a comparison. I'm not reviewing Magnolia here, but want to say it is definitely one of the better movies to come out this year and is really interesting. It is also 3 hours, drags, slows down, speeds up, and the interweaving stories are really abstract. With that said, let's get back to Short Cuts. Short Cuts takes place in Los Angeles (so does Magnolia), it's three hours long as well. Short Cuts has a huge ensemble of characters and interweaving story lines. Short Cuts has a med-fly epidemic, Magnolia has weather reports. And both films wrap their stories up with a disaster.(Hopefully that's not giving too much away). I'm not accusing P T Anderson of fraud, his movie is a totally different movie. I am just merely pointing out that these films have more in common than their length and huge cast. Short Cuts is excellent filmmaking and in my opinion much better than Magnolia. It's definitely lighter and the three hours doesn't ever really drag because each story is fun and leads into the next story. I started to get so into the stories I forgot about how each one plays into a bigger picture. This movie is dark in parts too, dark and depressing. But we still have fun, something perhaps lacking in Magnolia. See this movie even if you've never heard of Magnolia, you will be entertained not disappointed.

Man on the Moon (1999)

Where was Tony Danza?

[8/10 · 31 December 1999]

Okay, Jim Carrey has skills. He has proven himself to be a serious actor. Let's not forget Tom Hanks started out on Bosom Buddies. Man on the Moon is about the life story of Andy Kauffman. It is pretty much straight-forward and filled with the facts. The only little secret revealed is after an appearence on David Letterman. I don't know if that was ever revealed to the public. I don't want to give away a spoiler. But other than that, nothing actually new is revealed about Andy Kauffman's controversial life. The movie is really a tribute, not a source for answers. And there's nothing wrong with that. This is a very good movie and I recommend everyone see it. But is it oscar-quality? Jim Carrey, yes. The film, no.

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Lots of Eye Candy...No Soul

[5/10 · 23 December 1999]

Yes, this movie was visually really good. That's about it, though. It was pretty bad, which is unfortunate because I like Tim Burton a whole lot. So, what was it that made this so bad? First, I was expecting some campy humor that's usually in Burton's films. There really wasn't any unless Johnny Depp fainting after every decapitation is funny. Also, it had this story that kept getting more complicated and more stupid the longer it went along. It was supposed to be about the head (no pun intended) of some family getting rich off somebody's will or something. I don't know, I just wanted to see the horesman some more after a while. The plot just lost me. But the biggest flaw perhaps, was that we the audience don't ever care about any of these characters. There was no emotion like that we've seen in the better Burton films. So let me sum up, cold and unfeeling, very violent, not funny, and a confusing story. We do get to see some purely Burton creations though like Johnny Depp's cool forensic toys and torture chamber flashback.

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Simple and Poingnant

[10/10 · 18 December 1999]

First of all, what can I say about this that hasn't already been said? You don't have to be a foreign film buff to enjoy this great, great film. Anyone who enjoys movies in general to any degree should see this film as soon as possible, hopefully many times.

What Dreams May Come (1998)

Wet Dreams May Come- Pretentious as Hell

[2/10 · 17 December 1999]

I hated this piece of trash so much. I hated how it wants to be so sad and make you feel good about humanity. This is shoved down your throat from the opening credits until the end credits. Every "emotional" scene is punctuated by an annoying, repetative score. This movie thinks it's so sad. Hey I don't mind sad or moving movies but this was a wannabe, people. I cried in Life is Beautiful. I have feelings, but this is pure Hollywood$$$$trash$$$. I didn't even look cool after a while. I did like when they went to hell, some cool imagery there with the faces but then it was back to the wife and all. And I won't even get started on Robin Williams who is quickly becoming the most annoying has-been since, I don't know anyone. It all went down-hill after he won that oscar...He's made the same damn child at heart crap about five times in a row. >

Kundun (1997)

Wow, I really got into this film...

[9/10 · 17 December 1999]

Maybe it's because Martin Scorsese is amazing, maybe it's because I find the subject matter, being Buddihsm, facsinating. Those were just my feelings before seeing it. Okay, we get a brilliant score by Philip Glass, filming on location in beautiful mountains, and amazing imagery. There is one scene in particular where the Dalai Lama is standing amongst the dead bodies of his people that only compares with Akira Kurosawa. Why was this overlooked at the Oscars? Was it even nominated? It's one flaw was that it was too short. I wanted it to continue but I suppose the actual story isn't complete yet.

The Ice Storm (1997)

Just Rent It! The Less You Know, the Better...

[8/10 · 17 December 1999]

I'd never heard of this until my friend recommended it. I don't know how it got by without my knowing but anyway. This is an amazing film that between the cold weather and the content can really make you uncomfortable at times. It never gets as sickly over-the-top as Happiness but is almost as dark. Other things to know, it has Kevin Kline and Sigorney Weaver on the cover but doesn't even mention it's younger stars that play at least an equal role in the movie: Christina Ricci, Tobey Maguire, Ellijah Wood, the brother from Slums of Beverly Hills, and Katie Holmes. It's really, really good, I'm not saying anything else. Discover it for yourself.

Hurlyburly (1998)

VERY UNDERRATED!

[8/10 · 17 December 1999]

There are so many bad reviews of this movie it's unbelievable. People seem to hate it. Then there are other reviews that compare it to Happiness, In the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors. True, all of these seem to be these really mean-spirited movies. This is true here as well with one exception: those films were comedies ( I think) and this one is billed as one also. Well, it shouldn't have been. It's actually very sad to see these characters, sad but true. I'm sure these people exist out there somewhere; rich, pompous, over-priveleged, educated, jaded, sport-f*cking, junkie a-holes. These characters are living in some warped ego-driven reality until one of their own becomes dissatisfied with the inhuman, unfeeling lifestyle they lead. He has a paranoic, psychotic breakdown that seems to have been building for some time and starts questioning the existence of himself and, I don't want to use the word friends, so let's say people he socializes with. This is the basic plot. Everyone in this movie is perfect, I am convinced that Kevin Spacey does not do bad work. Let me also quickly clarify, I don't think this is anything genius. Nor do I agree that any characters make any profound personal revelations that could be applied to all of us. No, this is just these characters attempting to find themselves and pretty much failing. I don't agree with any of their personal views, I mean after all, they're just junkie a-holes. But, THIS MOVIE IS ENTERTAINING AS HELL AND DESERVES MORE PRAISE AND LESS BEING SLAMMED AS GARBAGE!! RENT IT AND AT LEAST BE ENTERTAINED BY TOP QUALITY ACTING.

Before Sunrise (1995)

It's better than you'd think...

[8/10 · 17 December 1999]

Okay, a lot of the people that commented here went a little overboard and hail this as some cinematic masterpiece or the modern Last Tango in Paris. I wouldn't go that far but will say this was way better than I expected. This movie is pure romantic fantasy but the kind we don't see anymore. It is mostly dialouge exchanged between the American boy and French girl who meet and decide to spend one day together. They get to know eachother and discuss life, sex, relationships, etc. I'd say it's a giant step forward for Richard Linklater, more mature than Dazed and Confused or especially Suburbia. One other thing, even though this was all in English and an American movie, at times it didn't feel like one. Personal favorite scene is in the listening booth, that's just like real life.

Cinema Paradiso (1988)

You don't have to be a foreign film buff to love this

[10/10 · 17 December 1999]

What else can I add about this that hasn't been said? If you like movies at all you should see this at some point in your life. Hopefully multiple times. It's a simple story about a boy growing up in Italy and his love of the cinema. You might shed some tears but, I don't know, just rent it!

The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997)

Under-rated

[7/10 · 13 December 1999]

Okay, it has Keanu Reeves in it. Normally, that alone would be enough for me to slam a movie. But this is about the "beat generation", well just one beat actually, Neal Cassidy. I'm obsessed with this small literary movement so I was definitely interested in seeing this movie. If you have any interest in the inspiration for Jack Keruoac's On the Road, you can probably overlook the Keanu thing. He doesn't play the lead either. If you never heard of Neal Cassidy and hate Keanu Reeves, see this for the two females in it, Gretchen Mol and Claire Forlani who are both excellent. I guess I was surprised at how low a rating this movie got, it's not classic or anything but it's not exactly awful either. It's definitely worth a rental. Anyone ever heard of a movie called The Source?

Waiting for Guffman (1996)

This is Funny

[8/10 · 9 December 1999]

I've seen this movie twice now. The first time, I didn't really get it so I didn't like it too much. The second time though, I knew what I was watching, which was a fake documentary of a play in a small town. I should have known better having seen This is Spinal Tap but I didn't put the two together. I'd like to compare this movie to Rushmore, not because they both have plays in them, but in the way everyone in the film is so serious while doing and saying the stupidest things. It really is funny after you get drawn into it.

In Dreams (1999)

It was SO bad!

[2/10 · 4 December 1999]

Okay, I like Neil Jordan so even if this movie sucks I'll still find things about it I like. Nope. Robert Downey Jr? Nope. Annette Benning(looking like Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby) sees the say dreams that a serial killer sees. She sees crimes before they happen. Everyone believes she is crazy. We know she's not. Now the movie would like to be artistic, symbollic, and delve into the subconcious and psychological aspects of serial killers. It doesn't really work or something. She sees murders and trys to find the murderer and stop him. B-rate horror movie that if funnier than scary. I just keep wondering if I would've even wanted to sit through this if it didn't have a brand-name cast and crew. The answer is no.

The Game (1997)

Wouldn't it be fun to have Psychosis?

[9/10 · 4 December 1999]

Do you enjoy movies that keep you guessing until the very end? A movie that each time you view it, you get more insight and discover new things? This is that movie and in my opinion is very under-rated. This is an intelligent psychological thriller and an excellent film disguised as a cookie-cutter Hollywood no-brainer. It has big stars and a big budget but is in no way conventional. If you've seen Seven or Fight Club you know what I'm talking about. The filmmakers obviously know how complicated their plot gets and take their time. The pace of this movie is the greatest part, slowly unveiling itself and taking us along with main character deeper and deeper without losing us. This was reminiscent of The Spanish Prisoner, another under-rated film that kept you guessing until the end. Great story and keep your eyes on David Fincher

Return to Paradise (1998)

Nothing Outstanding Here

[5/10 · 3 December 1999]

This did come out before that Claire Danes movie, right? One point for originality. Actually this is based on another movie or so we're told at the beginning. Two things I found to be unfortunate: 1. Phoenix has very minimal screen time but is excellent when he's on 2. Vaugn doesn't ever get to cut loose and be crazy(Swingers, Clay Pigeons) and isn't that why we like him? This is more of a psychological and moral dilemma for two guys considering to return to Malaysia and save a friend's life. Heche is good. Nothing bad but not exceptionally good. Worth a rental if these actors are appealing to you.

City of Angels (1998)

Hey Ladies...

[3/10 · 3 December 1999]

A friend told me I had to see this movie. Yes, my friend was a girl. What am I implying, that this is a girlie movie? It's the definition of girlie movie. So I braced myself for the worst. Nicholas Cage is an Angel that wants to be human. Meg Ryan is the human he falls in love with. I feel like I've seen this before...It's actually not as bad as I thought it would be but that still doesn't make it good. You know every guy is going to get dragged into this by his girlfriend, they could have at least thrown a little T&A into it but no. Crappy song too!

Clay Pigeons (1998)

It's not Fargo

[6/10 · 3 December 1999]

This movie is compared to Fargo on the box and that is a MAJOR overstatement. On it's own merits it's not bad, though. Be warned this is more drama and mystery than it is comedy in case that's you were expecting. Vince Vaughn is crazy and that's fun. Janene Garafalo is an FBI agent. Um, at least it's better than Mystery Men. I will say the ending confused me and happened rather abruptly.

Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

Starts bad, gets worse

[2/10 · 3 December 1999]

I really wanted to like this movie, after all it is based on a William Gibson story. The acting is bad and the dialog is worse. The sad part is the story is kind of cool in the beginning and could've been well made. Keanu Reeves carries a downloaded file in head and mafia wants it. What should've been a decent sci/fi turns into Tank Girl meets The Lawnmower Man with Keanu (Whoa) Reeves. Avoid!