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362,674 | 4,888,011 | 227,445 | 7 | Score one for both the good guys and the bad guys . | Another heist movie ? Actually , this one's pretty good . Mostly notable for being Marlon Brando's final screen appearance , " The Score " has aging thief Nick Wells ( Robert DeNiro ) going in for one last heist in Montreal . Sound like a familiar plot ? It is , and if it was just two hours of violence , it would make your eyes roll , but good performances keep the movie from dragging . Of course , how could it not have good performances , starring Brando , DeNiro , Edward Norton and Angela Bassett . Still , I wonder just how many heist-themed movies there can actually be ( 2001 also saw a movie called " Heist " ) . Who ever would have guessed that Fozzy the Bear - that's Frank Oz - would one day direct together in a movie the two men who played Vito Corleone ? |
365,461 | 4,888,011 | 110,939 | 7 | Whose destiny turned on this radio ? ( I mean that as a compliment ) | A few years before " The Phantom Menace " , George Lucas was involved in the goofy " Radioland Murders " , about a series of killings at a radio station in 1939 Chicago . In a way , the whole movie seems like an excuse for a bunch of gags ( namely the scene where the bellboy accidentally walks into the dressing room ) , but I couldn't help but admire it . Even people who never lived through the ' 30s are likely to feel nostalgia for that era ( uh , can one be nostalgic for the Depression ? ) . Overall , this movie may have no cinematic and / or artistic value whatsoever , but it's just fun to watch . Brian Benben and Mary Stuart Masterson play the lead roles ( and George Lucas said that they're the parents of Richard Dreyfuss's character in " American Graffiti " ) . George Burns , in his final film role , appears as a radio personality . Also starring Ned Beatty , Michael Lerner , Michael McKean , Jeffrey Tambor , Stephen Tobolowsky , Christopher Lloyd , Larry Miller , Anita Morris , and Rosemary Clooney . A fairly neat movie . Oh , and as the movie makes clear : nothing's ever going to overtake radio as the dominant medium . |
364,880 | 4,888,011 | 32,828 | 7 | ah yes , this is what they mean when they talk about screwball | It is true that " My Little Chickadee " does have some stereotypical portrayals of American Indians . Other than that , it's a pretty good time . W . C . Fields plays his usual character : a simple-minded weirdo going on and on about his exploits ( would people in the Old West have really been familiar with Afghanistan ? ) . But there's a reason that Mae West is the star . She plays a bitchy woman taking some real pride in her illegal activities , so much so that she calmly and self-assuredly sasses the court . But the real action takes off when Fields becomes sheriff . As for the news that Mae West and W . C . Fields didn't like each other , that doesn't change the movie . This film remains a piece of nice , short entertainment , despite the occasional racism . Even more interesting still is Margaret Hamilton's character : she basically plays a human version of the Wicked Witch of the West ! So , this is far from the funniest movie , but certainly an important part of cinematic history . Worth seeing . Flower Belle Lee and Cuthbert J . Twillie . What a whacked-out pair of names . |
363,085 | 4,888,011 | 110,892 | 7 | somewhere between " Gremlins " and " The Anniversary Party " | I have used some of my IMDb reviews to assert that we as movie audiences need to acknowledge certain actors / actresses - such as Dorothy Provine and Richard Benjamin - more than we presently do . Therefore , I will use my " Princess Caraboo " review to assert that we need to recognize Phoebe Cates more than we do . In case you aren't familiar with the name , she starred in " Fast Times at Ridgemont High " and the " Gremlins " movies . But this movie constituted one of her most interesting roles . She somehow seems to exactly fit this role of a woman who may or may not be a princess from another part of the world . The whole movie creates an almost mystifying feeling . Also starring is Cates's husband Kevin Kline ( who turned 60 yesterday ) as a butler ; they later co-starred in 2001's " The Anniversary Party " with their son and daughter . There's also Jim Broadbent and John Lithgow . Worth seeing . |
362,703 | 4,888,011 | 120,706 | 7 | specifically , there's an even cooler aspect | In the first few minutes of " The General " , it may throw you off and make you think that you already know the ending . But it turns out that John Boorman has a fine plot in store . The film shows how Martin Cahill ( Brendan Gleeson ) not only had to deal with the English occupation , but with the police in his native Ireland . And clearly , when you see his background , it's clear that he wasn't going to be a " model citizen " . Cahill , like any other person , was a product of the society that created him . And it led to a very good biopic . I certainly recommend this movie . You have to be patient with it , just to let the characters develop , but it's certainly an enjoyable film . Also starring Jon Voight . |
365,120 | 4,888,011 | 243,017 | 7 | and it happened in Texas . . . | Waking Life is not an easy movie to explain . Portraying the philosophical adventures of a young man , the movie does some mind-blowing things . Certainly the animation is not like anything that you've ever seen . As to the question of whether or not the movie is trying to make a point about anything , I guess that it's looking at the current state of the world . Did I like it or not ? It is definitely worth seeing , but not for those with short attention spans , or who just want to be " entertained " . This movie is closer to " The Seventh Seal " than to most of Richard Linklater's other movies . Check it out . |
364,936 | 4,888,011 | 110,907 | 7 | Mr . Altman , wherever you are , we'll always remember you | Robert Altman's death three days ago brings to mind not only his movies , but his unique style : letting people develop the characters themselves , and overlapping dialogue . In that sense , " Pret-a-Porter / Ready to Wear " is possibly the best example of his movies . One really gets the feeling that they just filmed whatever happened here . This story of a murder in the midst of a Paris fashion show pretty much does whatever it wants , and does a worthwhile job with it . Starring Marcello Mastroianni , Sophia Loren , and a too-long-to-name list of other people . So , in conclusion : thanks for everything , Mr . Altman ! You were one of the greatest directors of all time ! |
362,541 | 4,888,011 | 120,728 | 7 | the ' 70s all over again | With the ' 70s nostalgia sweeping the country in 1997-98 , there were several movies to carry it along , including " The Last Days of Disco " . This one portrays some young women in the Me Decade trying to establish relationships and wondering where their lives will lead . I personally thought that Chloe Sevigny carried the movie ( then again , I might just be thinking that because of her role in " Boys Don't Cry " ) . But she and Kate Beckinsale do a great job with the roles . I've never seen any of Whit Stillman's other movies , but if this is any indication , his others must be impressive . Certainly one that I recommend . So does " spurting " count ? |
365,026 | 4,888,011 | 59,122 | 7 | one of Jones's cinematic forays into semi-psychedelia | No longer working at Warner Bros . , Chuck Jones made this mystifying short about a drab delineation in love with a dot . He can't catch her attention until he realizes that he can make angles and all sorts of shapes . Now that I've seen " The Dot and the Line : A Romance in Lower Mathematics " , I would say that it's the sort of movie which I wish that I had seen in math classes . Directed by Jones , it's certainly a clever one . However , I wouldn't call it the greatest cartoon . All the stuff about the scruffy squiggle sounds a little bit like they were chastising young people for being independent ; ironically , the whole cartoon seems kind of psychedelic ! So , it may not be Chuck's masterpiece - in my view , " What's Opera , Doc ? " easily gets that distinction - but still worth seeing . Narrator Robert Morley also starred in " The African Queen " and " Theater of Blood " . |
364,298 | 4,888,011 | 59,084 | 7 | in times like those | The opening scene in " Darling " was an all too accurate prediction of how society would become . Then , there's Julie Christie as Diana Scott , a ravishing but ruthless model who quite literally will stop at nothing to make it to the top . Unfortunately for her ( and everyone else ) , the world of Swinging London proves to be not quite what she expected . " Darling " hit two birds with one stone , launching the careers of both John Schlesinger and Julie Christie ( although he had previously cast her in a supporting role in " Billy Liar " ) . Maybe it wasn't the greatest movie ever , but it did offer a different view of fame from what everyone expects going into the famous world . I guess that life is like that sometimes ! |
364,693 | 4,888,011 | 120,746 | 7 | Corny , but worth seeing . | Whereas usually there was only one Zorro , this time they have the famous Zorro ( Anthony Hopkins ) teaching a new one ( Antonio Banderas ) how to fight oppression in 1841 California . Granted , " The Mask of Zorro " is pretty corny ; it mostly consists of people sword-fighting , jumping on and off tables , and such things ( there's always conveniently something for him to use ) , but it is a good look at the history of the Golden State . Of course , I had never heard of Catherine Zeta-Jones before this , but she was quite impressive here , and has done some impressive stuff since . All in all , a pretty fun movie . Oh , and " zorro " means " fox " in Spanish . I would assume that women are supposed to consider him a fox . |
365,195 | 4,888,011 | 41,474 | 7 | a preview of the coming obesity epidemic | This time , filmdom's most drake gets a turkey to give up his food , and then eats it . This proves unfortunate for him once Thanksgiving comes around . Mostly , this cartoon is really funny because of what Daffy Duck does in trying to avoid getting eaten ( a true display of his craven , self-preserving side ) . The sight of a morbidly obese Daffy makes me think of the current obesity epidemic . Who would have guessed that Daffy would have become a couch potato ? But otherwise , it's just a regular cartoon . Fairly entertaining . A duck is the female of the species , while a drake is the male . Therefore , the second most famous Looney Tune would more accurately be called Daffy Drake . But it's a bit late to change the name after seventy years . |
365,633 | 4,888,011 | 103,268 | 7 | I can't believe I'd never heard of the woman microwaving her dog before I saw this ! | The Willies is sort of an " Urban Legend " for kids trying to gross each other out . Sean Astin and two other boys are camping out and tell each other a bunch of nasty stories . This was actually the first time that I'd ever heard of the woman microwaving her dog ; I was surprised when I later learned that it's a fairly common urban legend . The movie itself first portrays a school where the janitor ( James Karen ) turns out to be a hideous monster . . . fortunately , not totally malevolent . The next half portrays a boy who gets a little too obsessed with bugs . Yes , it's probably one of the sillier movies out there . But it knows that it is just that , so there's no problem . Sean Astin shows the same flair that he'd shown in " The Goonies " and would later show in the " Lord of the Rings " movies . Worth seeing . PS : In case you don't recognize James Karen , he most recently starred in " The Pursuit of Happiness " . He also starred in " All the President's Men " , " Poltergeist " and " Return of the Living Dead " 1 and 2 . |
365,144 | 4,888,011 | 97,351 | 7 | If you film it , certain things will come . | I'm going to admit that it will probably sound a little strange what got me interested in " Field of Dreams " . On " The Simpsons " , " The Itchy & Scratchy " show had an episode called " Field of Screams " , and my parents identified what it spoofed . Also , when Burt Lancaster died , I saw his filmography , and it included this . So I finally saw the movie . What is the movie's overall purpose ? Hard to say , as there are several things that the movie brings up . Certainly it was crazy what Ray Kinsella ( Kevin Costner ) did . Probably my favorite scene was the courthouse , when Annie ( Amy Madigan ) challenges the attacks on Terence Mann ( James Earl Jones ) . But when Mann identified that we elected Nixon twice , it solidly indicates what hypocrites we were . Prior to watching this movie , I'd never really been into baseball ; I'd certainly never heard of the 1919 White Sox scandal . I wonder if I should study it more . Do I consider this flick a masterpiece ? I wouldn't go so far as to say that . But I would say mystifying and definitely worth seeing . Also starring Gaby Hoffman , Ray Liotta , Timothy Busfield and Frank Whaley . |
363,302 | 4,888,011 | 32,895 | 7 | almost the same as " The Daffy Doc " , but some differences | One of the many relics from the days when Porky Pig mostly appeared in black and white cartoons , Bob Clampett's " Patient Porky " does contain a racial stereotype ( in the form of an elevator operator ) . As in " The Daffy Doc " two years earlier , an excessively eager physician tries to operate on Porky ( in the earlier one , it was doctor wannabe Daffy Duck ) . Having seen many of Porky's cartoons from his debut until the US entered WWII , one can see that the studio usually cast Porky in rather sedate , pedestrian roles : fireman , pilgrim , bullfighter . Therefore , this one was pretty much representative of the era . " You Ought to Be In Pictures " may have been the one exception . Porky's roles got really cool once Chuck Jones started directing him regularly after WWII , frequently casting him as a foil to Daffy's craziness . Anyway , this one isn't bad . Worth seeing maybe once . |
364,594 | 4,888,011 | 80,025 | 7 | a Scottish restaurant that didn't taste very good ( but a very well done movie ) | The idea of H . G . Wells inventing his own time machine and traveling to 1979 San Francisco to catch Jack the Ripper sounds like the sort of movie that would get created by Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay . But " Time After Time " is very well done . More than simply a get-the-villain story , it shows how Wells ( Malcolm McDowell ) arrives in SF and falls in love with local woman Amy ( Mary Steenburgen ) , and also has to readjust to the world of the 1970s , with mass media and overt sexuality . My favorite scene is when he describes McDonald's ; I guess that if I'd been a guy from the nineteenth century , I would have thought the same ! Anyway , I consider this movie one to admire . Nicholas Meyer pulled off a cool one . David Warner makes one nasty Jack the Ripper . Also starring ( in his debut , in fact ) is a very young Corey Feldman . I wonder if we'll ever find out just who Jack the Ripper was . |
364,653 | 4,888,011 | 41,488 | 7 | obviously a product of " back then " , but still pretty neat | I have to admit that I only loosely know Tex Avery's work ( namely that it was the inspiration for " The Mask " ) , but " The House of Tomorrow " is still a treat . A look at how people in 1949 imagined that future dwellings would be - think " The Jetsons " - there are some things that might eat at us in the 21st century , namely the fact that the cartoon envisions housewives staying home cooking and cleaning while their husbands go to work . But , as long as we understand that this cartoon was a product of its era , we can accept it for what it is . And I think that everyone can agree about the mother-in-law ; it looks like they were talking about Endora on " Bewitched " . In conclusion , this cartoon will always remain a classic ! And about that woman on dad's TV : meow meow . . . |
363,103 | 4,888,011 | 120,647 | 7 | I shouldn't even have to explain why it's better than " Armageddon " . | Deep Impact was one of two collision-related movies released in summer , 1998 ( the other was " Armageddon " ) . Whereas the latter had no other purpose than to have Bruce Willis kick ass , the former was actually quite good . More than just an action movie , this one shows the human aspect of everything . One of the most interesting aspects is Pres . Tom Beck ( Morgan Freeman ) . Whereas we usually expect black men in movies to be macho , this guy talks about his belief in God . I guess that the only thing of which I would have liked to see more would have been the shelters , but I guess that such an aspect would probably occupy an entire movie on its own . All in all , a really good movie . |
364,960 | 4,888,011 | 120,643 | 7 | How many Irish stories are there ? | OK , we should all know by now that Meryl Streep is one of the few Americans who can do a believable accent . So , she makes use of that ability here as a woman in 1930s Ireland . She and her sisters spend their days making the most of life . Some of us may think that there are a few too many stories about Irish people making the most of life . Maybe so , but really , who doesn't like making the most of life ? And after all the terrible things that have happened to the Irish , do we really wish to slam them like that ? So anyway , " Dancing at Lughnasa " isn't any kind of great movie , but worth seeing , if only once . Also starring Rhys Ifans ( who later starred in " Little Nicky " , " The Shipping News " and " Human Nature " ) . |
365,726 | 4,888,011 | 120,660 | 7 | newly relevant | The first time that I saw " Enemy of the State " advertised , it looked totally formulaic and idiotic . It appeared to be about someone planting something on Will Smith , so Smith has to take matters into his own hands . I thought : " Oh , and I bet that they didn't know who they were messing with when they put it in HIS pocket . " When I saw the movie much later , I was surprised . Now , I will admit that parts of the movie are predictable ( such as the end ) , but the whole thing about surveillance was actually quite interesting , especially with the recent NSA scandal . Therefore , this movie seems better many years after its release than at the time of its release ( just the opposite of what one would expect ) . So , it's not a masterpiece by any stretch , but worth seeing . Also starring Gene Hackman , Barry Pepper , Jon Voight , Regina King , Ian Hart , Lisa Bonet , Jake Busey , Scott Caan , Jamie Kennedy , Jason Lee , Gabriel Byrne , Jack Black and Jason Robards . So have YOU ever gotten the feeling that you were being watched ? |
363,615 | 4,888,011 | 250,687 | 7 | OK as long as it doesn't directly try to copy " It's a Mad , Mad , Mad , Mad World " | Rat Race has widely been viewed as a semi-remake of " It's a Mad , Mad , Mad , Mad World " . Personally , I think that no movie can equal the latter . So , as long as this one doesn't actually try to ape that one , it comes out pretty good . Once again portraying a gaggle of people in a wild race to try and find an exorbitant amount of money , the movie is mostly an excuse to be silly , not really focusing on greed the way that " IAMMMMW " did . Ignoring that , it's basically a litany of hilarity . Whether it's John Cleese's slimy weirdo , Rowan Atkinson's narcoleptic Italian ( why didn't they cast Roberto Benigni in that role ? ) , Jon Lovitz in Hitler's car , Cuba Gooding Jr . driving a most unusual bus , Whoopi Goldberg learning a lesson about squirrels , or something else , they just go all out here . All in all , it's good for a fun time , if nothing else . Also starring Breckin Meyer , Amy Smart , Seth Green , Vince Vieluf , Kathy Najimy , Kathy Bates and Dave Thomas . |
363,703 | 4,888,011 | 97,457 | 7 | every entertainer must have an ugly side | No one can deny that " Great Balls of Fire ! " has some great music . Dennis Quaid really gets into the role of Jerry Lee Lewis , and the movie really transports you back to the ' 50s . If the movie has any problem , it's the stress on his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin Myra ( Winona Ryder ) . As for Ryder herself , she looks a little too old to play a 13-year-old ; I've heard that in footage of them , Myra looks like a little girl . So , Jerry Lee Lewis leaves a lot to be desired . But still , it's a pretty fine movie . I will say that Alec Baldwin comes across as a little silly as Jerry's cousin Jimmy Swaggart ; he rants against ( what else ? ) " devil's music " . But overall , I liked the movie . Also starring B-movie connoisseur Joe Bob Briggs in a small role . Jerry Lee Lewis married his cousin and Jimmy Swaggart got caught with a prostitute . There must be some sort of pathology in that family . |
364,597 | 4,888,011 | 32,930 | 7 | the days before ESPN | I've always noticed that during their first few years , the Looney Tunes cartoons were sort of like the Marx Brothers ' movies with the kinds of gags that they pulled . " Porky's Baseball Broadcast " actually features the famously stuttering swine in more of a supporting role , as he narrates a baseball game in which every crazy thing possible happens : American Indians are the scalpers ( not PC anymore ) , one of the players literally stretches , and a ball is truly a screamer . As far as I can tell , Friz Freleng and the rest of the Termite Terrace crowd - to paraphrase Cyndi Lauper - just wanted to have fun with their work . This one is pretty funny ; in fact , if you've seen enough Looney Tunes cartoons , you can probably guess what will happen just by Porky's narration . Some of the gags were later used in " Baseball Bugs " . PS : writer Ben Hardaway drew Bugs Bunny's prototype . Hardaway's nickname was Bugs , and he titled the drawing " Bugs ' Bunny " . So , they dropped the apostrophe , and the wascawwy wabbit was born . |
363,907 | 4,888,011 | 444,628 | 7 | Who would have ever thought that " Henry Fool " could have a sequel ? | When I started watching " Fay Grim " , I had no idea that it was a sequel to " Henry Fool " . Now , the latter was not a movie that I envisioned as having a sequel . But one has arrived , and it's quite good . I assume that you've seen the original , so I won't explain it . This one starts with Fay ( Parker Posey ) living with her son whom she had with deadbeat Henry ( Thomas Jay Ryan ) . Simon ( James Urbaniak ) is still in jail . One day , the son gets expelled for bringing a pornographic toy to school . But this is no ordinary toy . It holds a secret that explains much of what happened in the first movie . And this secret delves deeper into geopolitics than " Syriana " . I must say that I'm quite impressed with what Hal Hartley has accomplished here . Maybe this one doesn't quite reach the original's quality , but it certainly takes a good look at what's going on in the world . And the end leaves open the possibility for another sequel . Also starring Jeff Goldblum . |
364,788 | 4,888,011 | 72,226 | 7 | Steven Spielberg messes with Texas | The Sugarland Express is the sort of movie at which we have to look in retrospective . It's about Lou Jean Poplin ( Goldie Hawn ) who gets her husband Clovis ( William Atherton ) to break out of jail so that they can retake their baby who has been put in a foster home . From there , they lead every law enforcement officer in the Lone Star State on a crazy chase . When this movie came out , Hawn was well known for " Laugh-In " and had already won an Oscar for " Cactus Flower " . I think that Atherton was unknown , although he would later become famous as the EPA agent in " Ghostbusters " . And of course Spielberg made his mark the very next year with " Jaws " . I guess that this movie is sort of a before-they-were-famous situation . But it is worth seeing . |
365,404 | 4,888,011 | 32,933 | 7 | Porky's second brush with the piscine world | If you've seen most of Porky Pig's early cartoons , you've probably observed that they mostly put him in a series of black and white Looney Tunes portraying various walks of life : bullfighter , pilgrim , firefighter , etc . Most of these cartoons consisted of rather corny - but still really funny - spot gags and word jokes . Bob Clampett's " Porky's Poor Fish " is a prime example . The plot has a street cat sneaking into Porky's fish store with the aim of turning the piscine inhabitants into lunch , only to see them go all Rambo on him . But most of the cartoon has stuff like " Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Ceiling " and " Tiny Shrimps with Giant Mussels " . I probably speak for most Looney Tunes fans when I say that Clampett's best cartoons made heavy use of his penchant for contortionism . Examples include the iron lung in " The Daffy Doc " , the garbage can in " A Corny Concerto " , and any scene in " Porky in Wackyland " and " The Great Piggy Bank Robbery " . I suspect that this one was a place holder . But still , it provided its fair share of laughs during its few minutes . Worth seeing . PS : the first time that Porky Pig had a run-in with fishes was in 1936's rare " Fish Tales " , in which he goes fishing and dreams that the fishes try to cook him . In 1940 , he also starred in " The Sour Puss " , featuring a piscine who behaves like Daffy Duck . At this time , the Looney Tunes were filmed in black and white and usually featured stars Porky and Daffy , while the Merrie Melodies were filmed in color and usually featured miscellaneous characters . After the Looney Tunes went color , the series became indistinguishable except for the opening songs . |
363,021 | 4,888,011 | 89,853 | 7 | when a rose is more than a rose | Usually , Woody Allen is a director who wishes to avoid Hollywood-style plots , so it's always a surprise when he makes a movie with a deliberately improbably story . " The Purple Rose of Cairo " is an example , with a character ( Jeff Daniels ) in a movie coming out of the movie and into Depression-era New York to be with a down-and-out woman ( Mia Farrow ) . Complete nonsense , you say ? Well , anything can happen in a movie ( especially when there's a movie-within-the-movie ) . Low for Woody Allen , you say ? There aren't any rules about what he can do in movies , his behavior in real life notwithstanding . " TPROC " is a movie and doesn't pretend to be anything else . I recommend it . Also starring Danny Aiello . |
363,362 | 4,888,011 | 97,523 | 7 | one way to remember kindergarten | I remember how during summer school between kindergarten and first grade , we would often watch " Honey , I Shrunk the Kids " on video . It's the sort of thing that can easily appeal to kids , as family man / inventor Rick Moranis creates a machine that's supposed to make inanimate objects tiny , but a snafu makes the machine turn his kids and the neighbor's ( Matt Frewer ) kids tiny . So , most of the movie has the kids traveling through the now giant front yard trying to get back to the house and having many adventures , ranging from fun to weird to scary . Yeah , I guess that it's hokey family stuff . But it's still fairly fun to watch . Now that I think about it , the sprinkler rain scene was actually sort of sexy . When I watched " Ghostbusters " , I was surprised that Sigourney Weaver's neighbor was the guy from this movie . Speaking of which , what ever became of Rick Moranis ? All in all , pretty entertaining . Still , I can't believe that in summer , 1989 , this movie out-grossed " UHF " . |
365,248 | 4,888,011 | 409,892 | 7 | what goes around comes around | Over the years , TV show reunions have varied in quality . " The Dick Van Dyke Show Revisited " actually comes out quite well . In this one , Rob ( Dick Van Dyke ) and Laura ( Mary Tyler Moore ) are retired and living in Manhattan when Alan Brady ( Carl Reiner ) summons Rob and Sally ( Rose Marie ) to write a eulogy for him before he dies . So arises the question : how do you write a eulogy for someone like Alan Brady ? The characters themselves haven't changed a bit in the nearly 40 years since the original series . Rob is still tense , Laura is still fiery , and Alan is still a jerk . Sally is now married to Herman Glimscher ( Bill Idelson ) , and neighbor Millie Helper ( Ann Morgan Guilbert ) is dating Rob's brother Stacy ( Jerry Van Dyke ) . A good thing that the reunion did is not try to replace the deceased cast members ( Morey Amsterdam , Richard Deacon , Jerry Paris ) ; I think that we can agree that no one throws out hilarious insults like Morey Amsterdam . So , this reunion isn't bad at all . However , couldn't they have found someone other than Ray Romano to host it ? Oh well , it's pretty good otherwise . Still , I would have liked to have heard Buddy make just one more comment about Cooley's bald head . |
363,253 | 4,888,011 | 41,660 | 7 | Sylvester's trip to Eastern Europe | One of Sylvester's outings with neither Tweety , Hippety Hopper nor Speedy Gonzales has the slobbering cat going after a mazurka-dancing rodent in a fictional Slavic country . There's the common gag with explosives : in this case , it's nitroglycerin ( what kind of person keeps that stuff in his / her house ? ! ) . " Mouse Mazurka " has the true feeling of a Friz Freleng cartoon , given how it incorporates music ( Freleng's frequent themes in cartoons were music and breaking into show biz ) . Here we get to hear " Song of the Volga Boatmen " . But another thing about this one : the scene where Sylvester paints his finger like a female mouse - plus the shot of the woman at the beginning of the cartoon - reminds me how hot Eastern European women are . While staying with a family in St . Petersburg , Russia , I totally had a crush on my host sister ; I like to describe her as a cross between Barbara Eden and Julie Christie . Think what you will about Eastern Europe , but the women there are some of THE MOST gorgeous ! Anyway , a pretty funny cartoon . Actually , this was before Speedy debuted . |
363,721 | 4,888,011 | 95,638 | 8 | sociology-anthropology | When I entered Lewis & Clark College in autumn , 2002 , I took a sociology-anthropology class . The teacher told us about water distribution systems and recommended " The Milagro Beanfield War " as a look at this topic . Since I had seen a number of Robert Redford's ( who turns 71 today ) movies during the past year and had thus taken an interest in his work , I decided to watch the movie . I have to say that it really impressed me . I don't know whether to describe it as mystifying , ethereal , or something else . I could go forever in trying to praise it , though I don't consider it the greatest movie ever . But I definitely extend the recommendation that the teacher gave the class . Starring Ruben Blades , Daniel Stern , Melanie Griffith , John Heard and Chick Venera . |
363,415 | 4,888,011 | 70,460 | 8 | Truffaut was always a trustworthy director , and " Day for Night " shows it | Day for Night tells the story of a movie set , and how the movie-within-a-movie's plot mirrors the goings-on on the set , and vice versa . Truffaut ( who plays the movie-within-a-movie's director ) once asked " Is life more important than art ? " Well , this movie shows that both can be equally interesting . If nothing else , both are more creative than any Jean-Claude Van Damme movie . As I said , Truffaut was a director whom you could always trust to turn out something good . Maybe " Day for Night " wasn't his best movie , but it definitely deserves praise . |
365,804 | 4,888,011 | 382,625 | 8 | Enough with the religious debate . It's still a good movie . | In the three years since it's publication , " The Da Vinci Code " has of course gained a cult following and has finally arrived on the silver screen . I will admit that there are some scenes from the book that the movie omitted due to time constraints , but the movie overall does a very good job . We might expect a Ron Howard movie to tug at our emotions , but this one does no such thing . It blows your mind as much as the novel does . And then there's the characters . As Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon , trying to expose a 2 , 000-year-old religious cover-up , Tom Hanks makes the most of his role , even with that weird hairdo . As Det . Sophie Neveu , trying to find out what was behind a certain murder , Audrey Tautou plays with the audience : she looks sweet , but this woman can gravitate between nice and acerbic . As Sir Leigh Teabing , Ian McKellen does as great a job as we can anticipate from a famous British actor . As Capt . Bezu Fache , Jean Reno is as good as always . Also starring are Alfred Molina as Cardinal Aringarosa , Paul Bettany as Silas , and Jurgen Prochnow as Andre Vernet , all doing a very good job . Does the movie have any problems ? Well , there seems to be a lot of running around , so you wonder how much that adds to the story . Also , I don't know whether or not this counts , but there's the possibility that the presence of someone like Tom Hanks distracts from the plot . And one has to wonder whether Audrey Tautou is there mostly for looks . What about the probability that this story is pretty unlikely ? Maybe , But overall , I don't think that these factors subtract from the movie's quality . I really liked " TDVC " , and I'm sure that you will . As long as we understand that this is a movie - albeit one that really gives us something to think about - then it's all good . So what do YOU think that the Mona Lisa means ? |
365,218 | 4,888,011 | 70,509 | 8 | So do YOU want to become a lawyer ? | Law may be a prestigious profession , but " The Paper Chase " makes it look as though the process of getting there is something else . James Hart ( Timothy Bottoms ) is a first-year law student in Harvard . He's in a class taught by stuffy Charles W . Kingsfield Jr ( John Houseman ) . To further complicate matters , Hart is in a relationship with Kingsfield's daughter Susan ( Lindsay Wagner ) . Needless to say , Hart's life proves more and more difficult . Houseman won Best Supporting Actor for his role , and you can see why . Embodying the old order surrounded by the new generation , he brings a snide but understanding presence to the screen . At the helm is James Bridges , who also directed " The China Syndrome " . Whether or not you seek to become a lawyer , you might want to watch this just to know what law school is like . Interestingly , while Houseman won Best Supporting Actor for this , Best Supporting Actress that year went to another paper-related movie : Tatum O'Neal for " Paper Moon " . |
364,807 | 4,888,011 | 175,880 | 8 | chance . . . chance | How to describe " Magnolia " ? It poses the question of whether or not certain things happen by chance , all centering around some people in the San Fernando valley . The cast members all do really good jobs with their roles . I never could have predicted what ended up happening in the movie , and I now will forever wonder whether certain things do happen by chance . You will probably never think about anything the same way again after watching this movie . I'd never even heard of Philip Baker Hall before this movie , but now I recognize him often ; prior to this movie , I'd probably seen him in something and just not recognized him . Paul Thomas Anderson certainly followed up " Boogie Nights " with something really good ; " Punch-Drunk Love " was sort of confusing . |
363,970 | 4,888,011 | 132,347 | 8 | This may be the coolest superhero movie ever . | On one level , " Mystery Men " is kind of dumb . But on all other levels , it's a hoot . When superhero Captain Amazing ( Greg Kinnear ) is kidnapped by the lascivious Casanova Frankenstein ( Geoffrey Rush ) , it's up to superhero wannabes Mr . Furious ( Ben Stiller ) , The Shoveller ( William H . Macy ) and The Blue Rajah ( Hank Azaria ) to save him . Along the way , the group is joined by Invisible Boy ( Kel Mitchell ) , Spleen ( Paul Reubens ) , Baby Bowler ( Janeane Garofalo ) and The Sphinx ( Wes Studi ) , all of whom provide some riotous lines . Among other things , this was the first place where I ever saw comedian Eddie Izzard ( he plays Tony P . , one of Frankenstein's henchmen ) . All in all , the movie is great fun . Don't get turned off just because the sets look a little bit like those from the god-awful " Batman and Robin " ; " Mystery Men " is really cool . It's one of a kind . |
362,817 | 4,888,011 | 78,295 | 8 | art sometimes imitates life , sometimes not | While feature films became a staple of 1970s TV - think " Brian's Song " and " Sybil " - few were like John Carpenter's " Someone's Watching Me ! " . The story is quite familiar : a woman ( Lauren Hutton ) moves into an apartment , starts getting strange phone calls , and eventually realizes that there's a peeping tom in the vicinity . As this is a TV movie , there are unfortunately some things that we don't get to see ( namely Lauren Hutton naked ) , and the spots where they obviously had commercial breaks gives the movie a slight feeling of silliness . But the really neat factor springs from the clear homage to other kinds of horror flicks : the voyeurism scenes look like a " Psycho " reference . As for the cast , Lauren Hutton easily looks vulnerable enough , but I can't figure out why the characters in these movies take threatening phone calls in stride ; I would have immediately suspected that something was amiss . You can see Adrienne Barbeau getting primed for the other kinds of between-A-and-B-movies in which she would later star . So , it's mostly your average suspense movie , but certainly one that you'll enjoy . And just be suspicious the next time that your lights start flickering . |
364,159 | 4,888,011 | 390,221 | 8 | a new image of Colombia | While we have usually seen an image of Colombia as the country where cocaine reigns supreme . " Maria Full of Grace " shows something slightly different . While drugs do play a role , we get to see people's daily lives and see that individuals do try to live normal lives in spite of the country's drug wars . The plot has pregnant 17-year-old Maria Alvarez ( Catalina Sandino Moreno ) agreeing to be a " mule " , carrying drug pellets in her stomach . She does this , but things don't work out quite as anyone expects . I'm sure that most people in Colombia are not dealing drugs ; the revolutionary groups and the government have been fighting each other since 1964 , and both sides target the common citizens . But like I said , this movie shows the lives of the common people in Colombia . And not that this is related , but Catalina Sandino Moreno is really pretty . |
364,147 | 4,888,011 | 112,697 | 8 | offers some clues about the future | Teen comedies are quite common , but " Clueless " has going for itself the fact that it transposes Jane Austen's " Emma " to mid-'90s Beverly Hills and plays with stereotypes there . We see how air-head Cher Horowitz ( Alicia Silverstone ) may not have a clue about the rest of the world , but her heart is always in the right place - maybe a little too much . And of course , who can forget how the movie introduced to national dialogue phrases like " as if " . Overall , the movie functions as a sort of look at how the future would become . Maybe our society has gone too far in being like Cher . But anyway , it's just a great movie to watch . Also starring Dan Hedaya , Stacey Dash , and Brittany Murphy ( happy birthday , Brittany ! ) . Spa-rat-acus . . . I bet that culturally devoid people probably would say that . |
362,664 | 4,888,011 | 112,641 | 8 | this movie reminds us that sometimes , there are no redeeming characters | Knowing Martin Scorsese's movies ( particularly " Taxi Driver " , " Raging Bull " and " Goodfellas " ) , you may think that you're prepared for " Casino " . Well , you're not . " Casino " has some scenes that will outright shock you . The story of mob boss Sam " Ace " Rothstein ( Robert DeNiro ) becoming a kingpin in Las Vegas exposes the fact that contrary to all the glitz associated with that city , the whole place is one of the most violent cities in the country . Ace's wife Ginger ( Sharon Stone ) gets sucked into the slimy business and is poisoned by it , while mafioso Nicky Santoro ( Joe Pesci ) never abates in his nastiness . Ugly as hell , but unfortunately , it's all true . A strange irony to the movie's serious tone is Nicky's speech : he curses like mad . It sort of comes out funny . But make no mistake about it , this is not a movie that is intended to produce any laughs . |
365,518 | 4,888,011 | 61,395 | 8 | budding generation gap | Nearly forty years after having collaborated with Salvador Dali on " Un chien andalou " , Luis Bunuel directed the equally bizarre " Belle de jour " . Catherine Deneuve plays an unfulfilled Parisian housewife who decides to take a daytime job as a prostitute . The movie contains two interesting dichotomies : on the one hand , it's never totally clear what's real and what's Severine's imagination ( the scenes where she gets whipped and raped look like her imagination ) . Similarly , we get to see cosmopolitan Paris juxtaposed with the mildly seedy adventures in which Severine takes part . Maybe this is a slight allusion to the budding generation gap , which in France culminated in the student uprising of May 1968 . Or maybe I misinterpreted the movie . But I will say that Catherine Deneuve displays the same masterfully scary flair that she did in " Repulsion " . Every camera angle and every edit combine to make one of the most impressive movies that I've ever seen . I certainly recommend it . |
364,875 | 4,888,011 | 132,477 | 8 | you can read " Rocket Boys " before or after watching the movie , and they're still both really good | I think that we can now say that Jake Gyllenhaal's troika of great roles are " October Sky " , " Donnie Darko " and " Brokeback Mountain " ( " The Day After Tomorrow " was also worth seeing ) . In the first one , he plays 1950s West Virginia teenager Homer Hickam . In their small town , the men work in the coal mine and it's assumed that all the boys will go into that line of work - or become jocks . Then , in October , 1957 , the Soviet satellite Sputnik glides across the sky . Homer realizes that he wants to go into that line of work , so he and his friends start making test rockets . Needless to say , Homer's family is shocked at this , and the local jocks don't like it either . But Homer knows his desire , and he and his friends keep at it . If Jake Gyllenhaal was relatively unknown when this movie came out , then it surely cemented him as a talented presence on the silver screen . Equally great in the movie are Chris Cooper as Homer's coal miner father , who is nervous about his son doing this , and Laura Dern as Homer's teacher , who encourages him . All in all , very well done . |
363,587 | 4,888,011 | 122,718 | 8 | Here's why it's good . | When " Small Soldiers " came out , it was right after back-to-back school shootings ( plus the murder of Phil Hartman ) , so there was some controversy about having a movie where toys get violent . But this movie is actually quite good . You see , it's not some ridiculous , rah-rah military movie ; it sides with the Gorgonites ( the soldiers ' adversaries ) , showing how - whether or not they win or lose - they always remain supportive of each other . As for the cast members , this is a Joe Dante movie , so Dick Miller and Robert Picardo get supporting roles . In this case , they play a delivery man and clean room technician , respectively . Phil Hartman is probably the funniest cast member , playing the ultimate suburban consumer ( he wants to remove his neighbor's tree to make room for a satellite dish ) . All in all , this is definitely a movie worth seeing . As far as I remember , Joe Dante always does a good job . |
363,676 | 4,888,011 | 77,928 | 8 | Hopefully , we've all learned to avoid getting thrown in jail in the Third World . | The movie that made director Alan Parker really famous tells the true - if somewhat exaggerated - story of Billy Hayes ( Brad Davis ) , who got thrown into a hellish Turkish prison after he was caught smuggling hashish . The movie starts off by setting up the historical context . The first thing that you see is Billy and his hubby Susan ( Irene Miracle ) reading about Janis Joplin's death in the paper . But once he gets arrested , then things get ugly . You'll need a strong stomach to watch this movie . That of course means that they did really well with it in every way . Oliver Stone was one of the screenwriters . Also starring Randy Quaid , John Hurt , and Bo Hopkins . |
362,710 | 4,888,011 | 105,378 | 8 | possibly Allen's most interesting movie ever | It seems that often , " Shadows and Fog " has been regarded as one of Woody Allen's lesser movies . I can't understand why , as I found it very interesting ; surely anyone would have to agree that a murder mystery is infinitely more watchable than a story about neurotic rich New Yorkers . The movie blends Allen's personal neurosis with the look of a Franz Kafka novel ( possibly taking place in 1920s Germany or Prague ) . It portrays nebbish Kleinman ( Allen ) getting woken up one night by his neighbors to help them find a strangler . But then they disappear and Kleinman has to fend for himself . Meanwhile , circus performer Irmy ( Mia Farrow ) has a spat with a clown ( John Malkovich ) and runs away . . . but is the strangler stalking her ? The movie creates a dreamlike setting the same way that " The Cabinet of Dr . Caligari " does , and shows that Woody Allen can make interesting movies when he tries . That whole end sequence was especially cool . I seriously wish to assert that " Shadows and Fog " may have been his most interesting movie ever . Probably the only unrealistic scene is when a baby apparently wants to be with a father figure more than a mother figure . But other than that , this is a movie that you can't afford to miss . It might just save your life one day . As for the cast , now that's something else . Aside from the aforementioned people , there's also Madonna , David Ogden Stiers , James Rebhorn , Daniel von Bargen ( Commandant Spengler on " Malcolm in the Middle " ) , Donald Pleasance , Jodie Foster , Lily Tomlin , Kathy Bates , John Cusack , Julie Kavner ( the voice of Marge Simpson ) , Kate Nelligan , Fred Gwynne , Wallace Shawn , William H . Macy , Kurtwood Smith ( Red Foreman on " That ' 70s Show ) and Kenneth Mars ( Otto on " Malcolm in the Middle " ) . This is probably the only Woody Allen movie that stars two people from " Malcolm in the Middle " . |
365,366 | 4,888,011 | 77,889 | 8 | magic is fun , and you'll be dead | Usually , I don't think of Anthony Hopkins as a horror star , but in Richard Attenborough's " Magic " he gets almost as eerie as he did in " Silence of the Lambs " ( of course his physiognomy helps ) . I understand that " SOTL " made him really famous , but it seems like he was well known before then . I would call this one of his most interesting roles . Hopkins plays Charles " Corky " Withers , a magician with little satisfaction in life . Corky performs ventriloquism acts , but the dummy Fats is easily the center of attention . Finally , Corky decides that he needs to take a little vacation . So , he goes to his home town , where he meets high school sweetheart Peggy Ann Snow ( Ann-Margret ) , and they strike up a relationship . That's where the movie changes . Up to this point , the film looks like a story of someone in search of lost love , and it looks as though Corky pretends to have conversations with Fats . But this is where we really get to know Fats . You see , when Corky affirms that he prefers to spend the rest of his life with Peggy , Fats doesn't like the sound of that . . . and he has more control over Corky than we initially realize . What you have to like about this movie is that it's not the sort of movie where someone walks into a room to get slaughtered ( of course , Richard Attenborough would probably never make that kind of flick ) . There's the psychological aspect of Corky's and Fats's relationship , and the question of who really controls whom . Don't be surprised if some scenes tense you up a bit . Also starring Burgess Meredith and Ed Lauter . As for that one scene of Ann-Margret ? Well , that shot is definitely a guilty pleasure , and it was probably inevitable that she would eventually do a scene like that . On the DVD's special features , they affirm that she was perfectly fine filming it ( and proud of it , if anything ) . I would say that her three famous movies in the ' 70s ( " Carnal Knowledge " , " Tommy " and " Magic " ) cemented her break away from the sex kitten image that she'd developed in the ' 60s . All in all , I recommend this movie . |
364,203 | 4,888,011 | 105,417 | 8 | Some Like It Hot meets " The Flying Nun " ! | I'd heard of " Sister Act " for years but never seen it . Now I've finally seen it . While not every scene elicits rip-snorting laughter , the general idea is really funny . Obviously , we should suspect something crazy just knowing that Whoopi Goldberg co-stars with Maggie Smith ( plus Harvey Keitel ) . But once Whoopi enters the convent and has all her trouble adjusting - I just cracked up when she tried to say grace - the real humor starts . . . with some great music to boot ! All in all , director Emile Ardolino followed up " Dirty Dancing " with another impressive flick . If you ask me , the real musicals are the sorts of movies that feature music - whether or not the characters sing it - to show an individual's personality , as opposed to just having people break out into song ( have you ever actually seen a person do that ? ) . In that sense , " Sister Act " is a real musical . I sure recommend it . Really cool . Also starring Bill Nunn and Kathy Najimy . PS : the next time that Whoopi Golberg and Maggie Smith co-starred was the 74th Academy Awards . Whoopi hosted and Maggie was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for " Gosford Park " . |
363,040 | 4,888,011 | 373,152 | 8 | like Raymond Carver , except ending on a good note ( and a good end for Alan King ) | Some people may think that the fact that " Mind the Gap " was Alan King's last movie would be a simple incentive to see it . It turns out that the movie has a lot more in store . Portraying several oddballs on the verge of seeing change in their lives , it's sort of a more interesting version of Raymond Carver's stories ( in " Short Cuts " , they were alienated and stayed such ) . Some scenes are likely to tense you up , but that just goes to show that the movie is doing a really good job . So , this was definitely a good end for Alan King . The only other cast member whom I recognized was John Heard , but the unknown cast doesn't diminish the movie's quality ; on the contrary , it gives the movie a more realistic feeling . Definitely worth seeing . |
364,276 | 4,888,011 | 210,075 | 8 | prove the movie right | When " Girlfight " came out , the reviews praised it , but I didn't get around to seeing it . I finally saw it when it got released on video , and understand the glowing reviews . The movie opens in a high school in the middle of a ghetto . We quickly get introduced to student Diana Guzman ( Michelle Rodriguez ) . She has a bad-ass expression on her face , and any idea about Diana that we might derive from this expression soon gets corroborated when she gets in a fight . As Diana gets in trouble for this , we then meet her father , an aggressive type in his own right ; clearly we can't totally blame Diana for her attitude . But then the movie really picks up , as a new thought germinates in Diana's mind : boxing as a way to escape this grim existence . Her older brother has already gotten into boxing , but her father most likely won't approve . Only Diana herself can decide what to do . Just the first few minutes alone identified that I was in for a very gritty , non-Hollywood movie , but the brief appearance of John Sayles in a supporting role truly affirmed that . Even before they get to any boxing scenes , you feel like you're getting pounded in the face at seeing the ugly life that Diana lives . And when they finally arrive at the film's main story , there's no turning back . All in all , I definitely recommend this movie . I will admit that using boxing as a means to show someone trying to make something of himself / herself has been sort of a cliché in cinema for many years ( " Rocky " , " Million Dollar Baby " ) , but I still think that they did a great job with it here . In fact , this may have brought the genre to its apex . Really good . Too bad that Michelle Rodriguez wasted herself in Hollywood movies after this one . |
365,494 | 4,888,011 | 70,291 | 8 | more to discover | In one of many impressive movies from the early ' 70s , a man ( James Coburn ) invites several people onto his yacht where he has some tricks planned , but things get out of hand . You see , none of these individuals is being particularly forthright with each other . And it all somehow relates to the murder of the man's wife a year earlier . Probably the best scene is where no one could locate anyone else ; that , more than anything , goes to show what we do and don't know about these people . Part of the movie's strength lies in how they set it up to fool us . You can't see anything coming . If the movie has any problem at all , it's that Richard Benjamin plays the sort of role that he always plays . But that's really no problem . " The Last of Sheila " is a very clever movie . Also starring Dyan Cannon , Ian McShane ( of " Deadwood " fame ) and Raquel Welch . |
363,447 | 4,888,011 | 34,829 | 8 | Look into my eyes . . . | We've probably all been warned not to hypnotize people , as it could have a dangerous outcome . Well , after watching " The Hare-Brained Hypnotist " , you just might want to hypnotize someone . This cartoon has Elmer Fudd trying to catch Bugs Bunny by hypnotizing him , only to have everything go a little haywire . I partly agree with a previous reviewer that the ending seemed like a little bit of a cop-out , but on the other hand , a cartoon couldn't really go on for too long or it would get tiresome . So anyway , it may not be the best cartoon ever produced by the Friz Freleng crowd , but it's still very fun to watch . Ready to hypnotize anyone ? |
362,862 | 4,888,011 | 34,870 | 8 | Bird impersonates Katharine Hepburn and a fish resembles Peter Lorre ; you don't see this every day ! | Bob Clampett's version of Dr . Seuss's " Horton Hatches the Egg " was the first cinematic adaptation of a Dr . Seuss book . And a good one at that . While it does change a few small things , it mostly stays faithful ( like Horton is 100 % ) . Oh , and just in case you operate under the assumption that this is just cute stuff for children : Michael Maltese , in his screenplay , also threw in a some things that moviegoers in 1942 would have understood but 21st century tykes probably won't get ( including a brief instance of mild sexuality on the bird's part ; look what she does to attract Horton's attention ! ) . I definitely recommend this cartoon . Clampett doesn't make quite as much use of contortion as he does in some of his more famous cartoons , but he still pulls off some fine work . The combination of talent from Seuss and Clampett should identify that you're in for something neat . This was one of the many Warner Bros . cartoons released before 1948 that lost its opening credits in the Blue Ribbon reissue . |
363,698 | 4,888,011 | 105,323 | 8 | Nowadays , it's hard to believe that this was directed by the same guy who did " Gigli " . | After twenty years as an A-list star , Al Pacino took home an Oscar for his role in " Scent of a Woman " . He plays blind Lt . Col . Frank Slade , who talks like he's ready to tear your throat apart , but has a heart of gold . Sound like a cliché ? Well it's not . " Scent of a Woman " succeeds where so many movies have failed , probably because Al Pacino is in the lead role ( almost anyone else very likely would have turned the character into a maudlin dweeb ) . Anyway , the story has college student Charlie Sims ( Chris O'Donnell ) agreeing to be a caretaker for Col . Slade , and the colonel takes Charlie on an adventure that he'll never forget . Along the way , a rather unusual event happens at Charlie's college ( that scene will most likely make you at least giggle if not break out into laughter ) , and the colonel sees no choice but to get involved . Among other things , this movie has a number of people who weren't yet famous but would make their marks in later years : Philip Seymour Hoffman as Charlie's friend George , James Rebhorn as the dean , and even Frances Conroy several years before " Six Feet Under " . " Scent of a Woman " is like a breath of fresh air in the stench of so many lousy movies . Which brings us to the question : why did director Martin Brest have to direct that god-awful " Gigli " ? |
364,908 | 4,888,011 | 105,327 | 8 | As you can see , the Germans don't have a patent on anti-Semitism . | Brendan Fraser , Matt Damon , and Ben Affleck were all relatively unknown when they starred in this story of anti-Semitism on a 1950s Ivy League campus . Fraser plays David Greene , a Jewish student who gets into the school only to find out that almost everyone there hates Jews , so he hides his ethnicity . Of course , someone eventually finds out ( in this case , it's Matt Damon's character ) . It's interesting when you think about how far the cast members have come . Just last year , Brendan Fraser starred in " Crash " and Matt Damon starred in " Syriana " , both of which are now nominated for Best Picture . Ben Affleck , on the other hand , seems to have degenerated into stuff like " Pearl Harbor " and " Gigli " . |
363,017 | 4,888,011 | 289,879 | 8 | Maybe the past has been changed . | Prior to " The Butterfly Effect " it seemed like Ashton Kutcher's movies were among the stupidest , with " That ' 70s Show " as his only good credit . This movie will shock anyone . Portraying a teenage boy messing with the paradox of time travel - meaning that if you change even one thing in the past , the future will be completely different - it really grips you . It's the sort of movie that makes you afraid to touch things , wondering what sort of strange ripple effects your actions might have . So do see it . What this movie portrays just might save your life . Because you can't expect anything to be disconnected from anything else . |
362,552 | 4,888,011 | 43,479 | 8 | Oh give me a home , where classic cartoons roam . . . | I remember in a documentary about Chuck Jones , he talked about having created the various kinds of camera angles for " Drip-Along Daffy " ( as Daffy and the criminal approach each other ) . Obviously , this is just a cartoon , so they didn't really have camera angles , but it just goes to show the magic of these cartoons . And believe me , what happens here is really whacked-out , with Daffy trying to become a sheriff in a lawless Old West town , but Porky has his own plans . So , if nothing else , this is a solid addition to the pantheon of classic Looney Tunes cartoons . You just can't beat this kind of stuff . Yes , he is lucky that there's only one horse . |
365,789 | 4,888,011 | 35,774 | 8 | That's a good old patriotic duck ! | Many wartime cartoons ended up being pretty racist , due to how they portrayed the Japanese , but when they portrayed only Nazis , they were quite funny . In " Daffy - The Commando " , Daffy Duck parachutes into enemy territory and makes life a living hell for Nazi Kommandant Von Vulture . Finally at the end , Von Vulture shoots Daffy out of a cannon , and Daffy lands next to Hitler , who is making a speech . He promptly conks the Fuhrer on the head with a mallet . Some people may object to using Nazism for comedy , but remember , Charlie Chaplin did it masterfully in " The Great Dictator " . Admittedly , this cartoon isn't on the same level , but it's good for a few laughs . |
363,857 | 4,888,011 | 190,798 | 8 | It's a good thing that I saw this movie when I did . | I saw " Solas " ( called " Alone " in English ) at the 2000 Portland International Film Festival . It's always good to be able to see something non-Hollywood , especially considering the subject matter here . Maria ( Ana Fernandez ) comes from an abusive household and seeks to get away . When the father ends up in the hospital , Maria and the mother resist the idea of going to see him , but end up going anyway to see whether or not they can make amends with him . A major point is that the mother actually looks like someone who has been in an abusive relationship ( in a Hollywood movie , she would probably look like Julia Roberts ; or be played by her ) . It's a truly effective look at relationships and how they shape who we are . |
365,627 | 4,888,011 | 104,692 | 8 | an early look at the coming power of computers | Stories about a simple person getting turned into something more seem pretty common in movies , but none are like " The Lawnmower Man " . Portraying scientist Pierce Brosnan turning retarded Jeff Fahey into a super-genius ( with unintended consequences ) , this is one movie destined to blow your mind . The visual effects were beyond impressive even for 1992 , but they never dominate the movie . We might say that the movie deals with the dangers of people relying too much on technology , and also the dangers of militarism , but even aside from that , this is a movie worth seeing . Check it out . Oh , and I think that we can all agree that the sequel needs to be avoided at all costs . |
363,883 | 4,888,011 | 104,691 | 8 | maybe it's just another lavish historical epic , but very well done | Set during the French and Indian Wars ( 1754-63 ) , " The Last of the Mohicans " tells the story of a love affair between Nathaniel " Hawkeye " Poe ( Daniel Day-Lewis ) , a white man living with the Indians , and Cora Munro ( Madeleine Stowe ) , a colonist . The wars naturally interrupt their relationship . Among other things , the movie does a really neat job showing the vast landscape in upstate New York . I'll admit that I don't know how accurate the movie is , or how closely it follows James Fenimore Cooper's novel , but like " Legends of the Fall " , this is what historical epics are all about . This movie , along with " My Left Foot " , " In the Name of the Father " and " Gangs of New York " , certainly shows Daniel Day-Lewis to be one of the greatest actors of our time . |
364,413 | 4,888,011 | 96,219 | 8 | radio days | Oliver Stone , always ready to make politically-themed movies , makes another one here . " Talk Radio " is loosely based on the career of Alan Berg , a radio talk show host in Denver who was murdered by white supremacists . In this case , the character is Barry Champlain ( Eric Bogosian ) , an outspoken talk show host in Dallas who loves nothing more than to irk the people who call in . As it is , most of the people who call in are a bunch of pigheaded racists . And things may be heating up more than anyone realizes . Bogosian's performance brings a light comical tone to an otherwise serious movie . I really liked the scene where he jabs at a redneck who calls in . Granted , I wouldn't call this Oliver Stone's greatest movie ever , but it's a good reference in an era when media gets more and more concentrated . Good performances by Ellen Greene and Alec Baldwin also help . |
362,753 | 4,888,011 | 140,352 | 8 | Smoke ' em out | I still remember when " 60 Minutes " interviewed Jeffrey Wigand , and I thought that Michael Mann's " The Insider " did a swell job telling the story . I'm not a bit surprised that the tobacco industry did what they did . According to what I read , General Motors tried to stop " Roger and Me " from getting released , so it should be no shock that Brown & Williamson tried to go after Jeffrey Wigand and " 60 Minutes " . I recall that Russell Crowe had to gain a lot of weight for his role as Wigand , only to lose it to play Maximus in " Gladiator " . I guess that it's debatable whether or not Al Pacino eclipses him as producer Lowell Bergman , but both men do very well in their roles . I agree with a previous reviewer that Crowe's role here deserves more recognition ( maybe even more than " Gladiator " ) . Anyway , this is a very important movie . It just goes to show what these corporate industries are really all about . Once again , Mann shows himself to be a capable director , as he did with " The Keep " , " Heat " and " Ali " . Also starring Christopher Plummer , Lindsay Crouse , Philip Baker Hall and Gina Gershon . |
365,592 | 4,888,011 | 96,061 | 8 | one of the many movies in the theaters when we moved into our new house | Another movie adaptation of " A Christmas Carol " ? ! Yes , but a new kind , with Bill Murray as a creepy executive about to get a new lease on life . Murray does his usual goofy stuff . I think that my favorite line was " You are just a hallucination brought along by alcohol ! Russian vodka poisoned by Chernobyl ! " I bet that Charles Dickens never envisioned anyone mentioning a nuclear disaster in an adaptation of his novel . So , it's not any kind of great movie , but funny just because of what Murray does . Many years after it came out , I learned that it was in the theaters when we moved into our new house ( others included " Rain Man " and " The Naked Gun " ) . But that's just a side note . The point is that this is a pretty funny movie , and you're sure to like it . Also starring Karen Allen , John Forsythe , John Glover , Bobcat Goldthwait , Carol Kane , Robert Mitchum , Michael J . Pollard , Alfre Woodard , Jamie Farr , Robert Goulet , Buddy Hackett and Lee Majors . The Manson Family Christmas ! Ha ! |
365,806 | 4,888,011 | 96,054 | 8 | school is cool if you can protest apartheid | In what looked like Spike Lee's first " major " movie , different groups of students on a black campus clash over social status , apartheid , and similar things . We can clearly see how the darker-skinned people are more revolutionary , while the lighter-skinned people are a lot creepier ( almost militaristic ) . Maybe parts of " School Daze " seem like they could have used more - perhaps at times it seems preachy - but it's overall a very well done movie . As political activist Dap , Laurence Fishburne is as good as we would expect , and Giancarlo Esposito also does quite well as pro-status quo Julian . Also starring Tisha Campbell , Kyme , Joe Seneca , Ellen Holly , Art Evans , Ossie Davis , Bill Nunn , Branford Marsalis , Kadeem Hardison , Spike Lee and Samuel L . Jackson . And remember : Wake up ! |
362,590 | 4,888,011 | 113,161 | 8 | Get Shorty stands honorably tall . | John Travolta followed up his " Pulp Fiction " comeback with " Get Shorty " , in which he plays Miami hit-man Chili Palmer . Moving to Hollywood to collect a debt , he finds that show biz isn't much different from the mafia , and he decides to get involved . But of course , once there's anything mafia-related involved , things start to get ugly . Not that they weren't already seedy . This movie has its strengths mainly in the script , but also in the strong performances from Travolta , Gene Hackman , Rene Russo and Danny DeVito . I guess that any time that someone gets a chance to show Hollywood's unseemly side , they take it . Of course , there's plenty of reasons to do so . The sequel , " Be Cool " , wasn't quite as good , but still worth seeing . |
364,982 | 4,888,011 | 420,087 | 8 | the last show in more ways than one | The fact that " A Prairie Home Companion " was Robert Altman's final film makes it all the more eye-opening that the movie portrays a final broadcast . In fact , the presence of the Dangerous Woman ( Virginia Madsen ) almost seems to foretell Altman's approaching end . Anyway , the movie portrays the final broadcast of Garrison Keillor's ( playing himself ) famous radio show - which is done like a 1940s broadcast - as a Texas company is taking it over . In the process of everything , people's secrets get revealed ( namely in the duct tape scene ) , and one gets a sense of independently owned media sources getting bought out . But regardless of what happens , the various performers all know that they have to hang on to their lives . Among the performers are the calm Johnson Sisters ( Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep ) , the dirty-minded Lefty and Dusty ( Woody Harrelson and John C . Reilly ) , and others . The real sense of the 1940s comes in the form of detective Guy Noir ( Kevin Kline ) , keeping an eye on everything ; he looks as anachronistic as the show itself , but he never lets it get him down . The movie has the definite feel of a Robert Altman movie , with the overlapping dialogue ( I remember that when Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep gave Altman his honorary Oscar at the Academy Awards in February , they talked like that ) . Not his best movie by any stretch , but still worth seeing . Also starring Tommy Lee Jones , Lindsay Lohan , and Maya Rudolph . It runs in your blood . Yeah . . . |
365,040 | 4,888,011 | 78,723 | 8 | Why do some people hate this movie ? | 1941 shows what war should be : a lot of destruction , but no killing . In fact , most of the destruction is caused by Americans on their own territory . Happening a few days after the Japanese army has bombed Pearl Harbor , the the people of Los Angeles are paranoid that the " Japs " are going to invade . Wild Bill Kelso ( John Belushi ) is a crazy pilot who can't tell an American plane from a Japanese one , Lt . Frank Tree ( Dan Aykroyd ) does not like it when Americans fight Americans ( " You want Yamamoto to end up in the White House ? ! " ) , the Douglases ( Ned Beatty and Lorraine Garry ) involuntarily get a giant gun placed in their front yard , a dimwitted soldier ( Tim Matheson ) keeps trying to come on to Gen . Stilwell's secretary ( Nancy Allen ) , two incompatible men ( Murray Hamilton and Eddie Deezen ) are in a Ferris wheel to keep an eye on the coast , and two macho soldiers ( Bobby DiCicco and Treat Williams ) battle over Betty Douglas ( Dianne Kay ) . All the while , a Japanese submarine is stationed off the coast . The captain ( Toshiro Mifune ) wants to bomb Hollywood , while Col . Von Kleinschmidt ( Christopher Lee ) , a Nazi with the Japanese , says that they should let the Third Reich deal with America . They take garbage man Hollis " Holly " Wood ( Slim Pickens ) hostage , hoping to get some info , but it ends up leading to a rather childish situation , to say the least . Probably the funniest scene is a free-for-all between the army and navy at a USO party . Picture it : the army and navy beating the stuffings out of each other on the faces of Hitler and Tojo ( painted on the floor ) . While this is happening , Gen . Stilwell ( Robert Stack ) is getting all teary-eyed watching " Dumbo " . Either way , the whole thing is a laugh riot from beginning ( a spoof of " Jaws " ) to end ( we've all heard of a house divided , but here a house gets more than divided ) . It may be completely silly , but among other things , " 1941 " shows how both sides in World War II were crazy ( the Japanese want to attack come hell or high water , and the Americans turn into trigger-happy wackos every time something even slightly unusual happens ) . I recommend it to anyone and everyone . |
363,693 | 4,888,011 | 313,196 | 8 | Be prepared to have your stomach turn . | I am not Catholic , so my description of this movie may offend some people . " El crimen del padre Amaro " ( called " The Crime of Father Amaro " in English ) portrays newly ordained priest Amaro ( Gael Garcia Bernal ) getting pulled in several directions in a small Mexican town . The most prominent is a simmering desire to have sex with the dazzling Amelia ( Ana Claudia Talancon ) . Finally , it all comes crashing down . . . irrevocably . The Catholic Church was of course disturbed by this movie , but any religious group is likely to get unnerved by any movie that takes a gut-wrenching look at their religion . I certainly thought that the movie does a good job looking at guilt and other such things . But mind you , this is not a movie for the squeamish . |
364,645 | 4,888,011 | 87,277 | 8 | Let's hear it for the boy ! | OK , so a town where it's illegal to dance makes no sense , but everything about " Footloose " makes it worthwhile . The plot of course has big city boy Ren McCormick ( Kevin Bacon ) moving to a small town where Rev . Shaw Moore ( John Lithgow ) has banned dancing , and challenging this . Prior to watching this movie , I'd heard " Let's Hear It For the Boy " in a gym class , but I didn't know that it was used in this movie . Also starring are Lori Singer , Frances Lee McCain ( the " Gremlins " mom ) , Dianne Wiest , and Chris Penn . All in all , not a masterpiece , but definitely an enjoyable movie . Banning dancing . I mean really . Even the most totalitarian societies in history allowed dancing . |
364,292 | 4,888,011 | 78,446 | 8 | Cheech and Chong will never get old | Basically an excuse for Cheech and Chong to get into a series of marijuana adventures , " Up in Smoke " is a hoot from beginning to end . Pedro De Pacas ( Cheech Marin ) and Anthony " Man " Stoner ( Tommy Chong ) are a pair of slackers who wonder So Cal and Mexico looking for some weed , while the narcs look for any excuse to arrest them . There are some scenes that will probably make your eyes pop out , just due to the surprise factor . You just watch this sort of movie and think " The ' 70s . . . those were the good old days . " Also , it was interesting seeing Strother Martin and Edie Adams as Chong's character's parents . Seeing as to how they were part of my grandparents ' generation , I wouldn't expect to see them in a marijuana movie . |
365,418 | 4,888,011 | 104,940 | 8 | Michael Caine is THE Scrooge ! | Everyone knows Charles Dickens ' classic novel " A Christmas Carol " , but the Muppets do manage to put a neat spin on it . Michael Caine plays one nasty Ebenezer Scrooge ( well duh ; how could Scrooge not be nasty ? ) . Kermit the Frog plays Bob Crachit , and still does a good job despite the fact that Jim Henson was no longer around to provide his voice . As for other things , there is of course Jacob Marley , but his brother has a most interesting name ( hint : think reggae ) . All in all , " The Muppet Christmas Carol " adds what it can to the story , while maintaining the original's spirit . This is one movie that won't make you say " bah humbug " . |
364,089 | 4,888,011 | 245,712 | 8 | Life in Mexico , folks . | I've seen some unnerving movies in my life , but " Amores perros " ( alternately called " Love's a Bitch " in English ) is a level all on its own . It knocks the breath out of you the way " Mystic River " does ( maybe even more so ) . The plot centers on a car wreck in Mexico City and how it affects several people . The people are from every walk of life - there's a doctor and a homeless man - but they're all desperate , with a capital " D " . And everything in their gut-wrenching lives all relates somehow to their dogs . This is a very accomplished piece of cinema . Among other things , it introduced the world to Gael Garcia Bernal , who went on to play Che Guevara in " The Motorcycle Diaries " . And director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu went on to make the equally gut-wrenching " 21 Grams " in the USA . Despite the unrest that has dominated Mexico , they have always turned out some good movies . Hollywood should take a cue from them . |
363,621 | 4,888,011 | 133,093 | 8 | Watch the original , but not the sequels . | When " The Matrix " first came out , it looked like another cheap action flick , but turned out to be quite good . The premise suggests that everything that we see in life is false , and that we're all prisoners of something called the Matrix . So , software designer Thomas " Neo " Anderson ( Keanu Reeves ) is hired by rebel Dr . Morpheus ( Laurence Fishburne ) to break away from society . Lots of impressive things ensue . " The Matrix " was overall a good movie , but would have been better without all the violence . Still , the movie's a classic , with great support from Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving , and Joe Pantoliano . Avoid the ridiculous sequels . |
365,145 | 4,888,011 | 52,904 | 8 | He's been working ' on the railroad . . . | How many schemes can Wile E . Coyote ( insert bogus scientific name implying eating ) think up in order to trap Road Runner ( insert bogus scientific name implying speed ) ? I don't know , but " Hot-Rod and Reel ! " shows some of them . I could pretty much figure out what sorts of things were going to happen each time , but the pleasure is watching them happen . And in this case , RR gets a little tougher . The truth is , I just never tire of watching these cartoons , even as an adult . As the cartoons ' creators explained in interviews , WEC comes just close enough to catching RR so that he believes that he'll succeed next time . He correlates exactly with George Santayana's definition of fanaticism ( redoubling your efforts after you've forgotten your aim ) . I don't know which of the Wile E . Coyote / Road Runner cartoons I like the best , but this is certainly a funny one . I recommend it . And just be careful the next time that you start playing with a train set . |
364,935 | 4,888,011 | 86,927 | 8 | married to craziness | Bachelor Party is a big , stupid , pointless excuse for a movie . And it's proud of being such . That's what makes it so great . One of the many examples of Tom Hanks's career before he started acting in serious movies , it portrays him getting a party thrown by his buddies the day before he gets married . His father-in-law-to-be may try to undermine the wedding , but this guy doesn't know what he's up against ! So , while the critic-stapo may say that Tom Hanks is now a serious actor , so these sorts of movies are worthless , I categorically beg to differ . It's just a nice , wacky , not-for-children excuse to have a lot of fun . And when I say not for children , I mean that this movie isn't afraid to do anything that it wants ! I assert that it's worth seeing . You're sure to like it . |
364,593 | 4,888,011 | 60,176 | 8 | there is no reality as long as we only see what we want | In one of the many groundbreaking movies , London fashion photographer Thomas ( David Hemmings ) photographs what may or may not be a murder . Thomas has spent his career photographing Swinging London , but this throws everything into flux . I should admit that " Blowup " is the first of Michelangelo Antonioni's movies that I've ever seen , so I can't use his other ones to help explain what it shows . But I can say that it will probably blow your mind . The events put in question how much we can trust our own judgment . As for the Swinging London aspect , I can't tell whether or not it idealizes that era or looks at its possible superficiality . As for the whole thing about truth and reality vs . what we want to believe ( in this case , Thomas wants there to have been a murder so that he can expose it ) , it works alongside Stephen Colbert's definition of " truthiness " : what we want or immediately believe to be true . There was one scene that I thought looked a bit unrealistic : the Yardbirds concert . Everyone was just standing around staring , rather than getting into the music and dancing . I would have been partying down ( especially when the one guy smashed his guitar ) . But otherwise , I found the movie quite fascinating . Just see whether or not you totally trust yourself after watching this . Also starring Vanessa Redgrave and Sarah Miles . |
365,081 | 4,888,011 | 51,622 | 8 | Don't " fly " away while watching this . | Neat , if hokey , " The Fly " does teach us an important lesson about being careful when performing experiments . The plot of course has Montreal scientist Andre Delambre ( Al / David Hedison ) discovering how to transport matter at light speed , and then transporting himself with a fly , thereby getting its head and claw . Patricia Owens , as Andre's confused wife Helene , truly gives one the impression of someone sinking into desperation . Vincent Price , as Andre's brother Francois , has the same sinister aura that he has in most of his movies , although here he's a good guy . All in all , this is a pretty neat movie . And who could forget that famous line " Help me . . . help me ! " ? The 1986 remake was also pretty good . |
363,004 | 4,888,011 | 60,383 | 8 | and on and on | In one of Jan Svankmajer's many quirky short films , several things continue happening . A human whips a dog , and slowly turns into a dog while the dog turns human ; a man has all sorts of trouble drawing a house ; and an animated figure has a weird experience with some wings . I can't figure out what would be the point of all these images , but it all just goes to show that Svankmajer had a really cool imagination . Most of us in the Western Bloc probably would never have envisioned something like this coming from the Eastern Bloc , but it did , and it's all really something . So definitely " Czech " it out . I said that I can't figure out the point . Maybe we shouldn't try to figure those sorts of things out . We should just watch and get enthralled . |
365,618 | 4,888,011 | 51,666 | 8 | spinning outta control , Southern style | Apparently , when " God's Little Acre " first came out , much of it was cut for the theatrical release . Watching the unedited version , one can see why ( needless to say , it's all pretty tame to us in the 21st century ) . Part of it is Tina Louise's very presence - I mean , what man wouldn't want to be stranded on an island with Ginger Grant ? - but there's also a scene where Buddy Hackett works a pump for a woman in a bathtub ( if that scene isn't a double entendre , then I don't know what is ! ) . As for the movie itself , this story of a Georgia farmer ( Robert Ryan ) getting convinced that thar's gold in them thar holes in his garden does quite well . The idea of him tearing up his garden is an effective parallel for how the family gets torn up in the process . As for his friendship with the African-American guy , it's probably debatable whether they were sugar-coating race relations , or if they were encouraging tolerance . There could even be debates about how the movie portrays the South in general ( the characters do come across as hicks ) . But overall , I recommend this flick . Usually , it would sort of weaken the movie to know that some of the cast members later became famous on TV shows - especially since one was known for seducing romantically incompetent men on a certain island - but they all do very well here . This is certainly a movie worth seeing . And the theme song will probably get stuck in your head . Also starring Aldo Ray , Jack Lord , Fay Spain , Vic Morrow and Michael Landon . |
363,245 | 4,888,011 | 44,797 | 8 | So you think that YOU'VE got trouble ? | Robert McKimson's " Kiddin ' the Kitten " is a delightfully crazy look at turning manipulation and exploitation on its head . When slothful cat Dodsworth is ordered to rid his house of mice , he doesn't quite know what to do ( after all , for generations no Dodsworth has ever stooped to physical labor ) . So , he opens a bogus mouse-catching school and " trains " an anonymous kitten how to trap rodents , so that it looks as though he , Dodsworth , has been doing his job . But not only is this kitten cleverer than Dodsworth throughout the whole " lesson " , once the little guy wises up to Dodsworth's shenanigans , things won't go so easily ! All in all , I have to disagree with some people who in other reviews belittled McKimson's work . He really did have his own interesting style . For example , whereas Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng portrayed Bugs Bunny as a stay-at-home type whose life gets invaded , McKimson would often portray him as an adventurer . Honestly , if Warner Bros . had closed McKimson's animation unit instead of Arthur Davis's , we wouldn't have Foghorn Leghorn , Hippety Hopper or the Tasmanian Devil . Anyway , this is a good one . McKimson cast Dodsworth and the kitten the following year in " A Peck o ' Trouble " , only that time the kitten had yellow fur . In the late 1940s , due to a financial situation , Warner Bros . couldn't keep four animation units opened , and had to close one . Since Jones , Freleng and McKimson were all tenured , they discontinued Arthur Davis's unit ( which had been Bob Clampett's unit until Clampett left ) . During his approximately two years as a director , Davis did turn out some interesting shorts , namely " Bowery Bugs " . PS : Sheldon Leonard , who provided Dodsworth's voice , produced " The Danny Thomas Show " , " The Andy Griffith Show " and " The Dick Van Dyke Show " . |
363,492 | 4,888,011 | 129,290 | 8 | Good Morning , Vietnam redux ( I mean that positively ) | In one of his many roles as a free-spirited wacko challenging authority ( the others were " Good Morning , Vietnam " , " Dead Poets Society " and " Awakenings " ) , Robin Williams goes all out as medical student Hunter " Patch " Adams , who decides that laughter is the best medicine . Although it's based on a true story , virtually everything that he does looks like something out of a Mel Brooks movie - especially the scenes with the skeleton and the gynecologists . I try to imagine having been there when he first did that stuff . It is true that " Patch Adams " tries the whole way through to tug at your emotions , but they still do a neat job with it . If only we could all have this guy as our physician . Also starring Monica Potter , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Bob Gunton , Josef Sommer , Irma P . Hall , Frances Lee McCain ( the " Gremlins " mom ) , Harve Presnell , Peter Coyote , Michael Jeter and Harold Gould . |
365,484 | 4,888,011 | 413,015 | 8 | any man can have a feminine-sounding name | Judi Dench continues her string of high-quality , Oscar-nominated roles with " Mrs Henderson Presents " , as a woman who sets up an all-nude revue in WWII London . She's the sort of character who seems like some demure character , but actually has an acerbic streak ( one hilarious line late in the movie affirms that ) . Bob Hoskins is equally good as her assistant , who in one scene experiences some truly fantastic embarrassment ( although I bet he liked filming that ! ) . Anyway , it's a really good movie , showing people understanding how they have to keep going even in the darkest of moments . Stephen Frears scored another great one here ( and I've heard nothing but praise for his current movie " The Queen " ) . Back when Christopher Guest starred in " This is Spinal Tap " , he probably never guessed that he would star in a movie like this . PS : Aside from the fact that Hoskins's character is named Vivian , there's a man named Leslie . I knew that " Leslie " was gender non-specific , but " Vivian " also ? Oh well . . . |
363,214 | 4,888,011 | 94,332 | 8 | Which witch is which ? | In a role that only Jack Nicholson could play , he comes to the rescue of three lonely women ( Susan Sarandon , Cher , Michelle Pfeiffer ) in a New England . . . but who is he really ? There are some scenes here that are really likely to blow your mind , not the least of which are the cherry scene or the whole speech about why societies executed women - much of which involves inappropriate conversation . They know how to make everything cool here . Also starring Veronica Cartwright , Richard Jenkins ( aka Nate Sr . on " Six Feet Under " ) and Carl Struycken ( aka Lurch in the " Addams Family " movies ) . All in all , something REALLY neat this way comes ! |
363,855 | 4,888,011 | 86,567 | 8 | Not quite " Dr . Strangelove " , but still . . . | In the early ' 80s , the possibility of a nuclear holocaust was in full swing once again , so it makes sense that they had to make a movie about it . David Lightman ( Matthew Broderick ) is a Seattle high school student who prefers playing computer games to doing his homework . Then , one day he accidentally hacks into a government program that lets him pretend to be the Soviet Union launching an attack . As you might imagine , once the US government finds the " USSR " hacking into their system , they think that it's a real attack . It's now up to David to set everything straight . " WarGames " is no masterpiece the way " Dr . Strangelove " was , but it's still really good . If nothing else , it reminds us of the insanity of war . And it's also got the most unusual cast : aside from Matthew Broderick , there's also Dabney ( " 9 to 5 " ) Coleman , Ally ( " The Breakfast Club " ) Sheedy , and Eddie ( " I Wanna Hold Your Hand " ) Deezen . Well . . . |
362,597 | 4,888,011 | 71,358 | 8 | Martin Ritt and social issues | Martin Ritt seems to be a director who was always interested in social issues ( as the son of immigrants , he had every incentive to be so , especially since he was blacklisted in the ' 50s ) . " Conrack " is based on Pat Conroy's novel " The Water is Wide " , about his own experience in 1969 teaching a school of impoverished black children about the outside world , much to the chagrin of the right-wing superintendent ( Hume Cronyn ) . What added to the movie's strength was the cultural and historical context : Conroy ( Jon Voight ) frustratedly tells another teacher how many of the children don't know about Paul Newman , Sidney Poitier , the Vietnam War , or even where Vietnam is . He proceeds to enlighten them about all these factors . Somewhere , I read a complaint that when Conroy played music for the children , he only played white music . The truth is , you can't blame the movie for that ; it was based on Conroy's real experience . Either way , the movie's a real gem . |
364,272 | 4,888,011 | 59,712 | 8 | Ship ahoy ! | It may come as a surprise that Stanley Kramer followed up his ultra-zany " It's a Mad , Mad , Mad , Mad World " with the serious " Ship of Fools " . But he did a good job with it . The movie portrays various and sundry people aboard an ocean liner sailing from Mexico to Germany in 1933 . At the start , dwarf Karl Glocken ( Michael Dunn ) tells the audience that the passengers are all fools , including him . As the movie progresses , we get introduced to the numerous characters : a divorced socialite ( Vivien Leigh in her final role ) , an alcoholic ( Lee Marvin ) , a Spanish aristocrat ( Simone Signoret ) , and a Nazi ( Jose Ferrer ) . This looks to be a tense voyage , with emotions flaring on every side but also with relationships developing , and other things . But no matter what happens , the trip must go on . An obvious aspect is that this movie takes place just as the Nazis have taken control of Germany - and the final scene shows a soldier wearing a swastika - so it's a sort of retrospective at the days of old . But even aside from that , one might interpret it as a look at life in general , and how we deal with things . Not the ultimate masterpiece ( I actually consider " It's a Mad , Mad , Mad , Mad World " to be Stanley Kramer's best movie ) , but I still recommend it . Also starring Oskar Werner , Elizabeth Ashley , George Segal , Jose Greco , Charles Korvin , Heinz Ruehmann , Lilia Skala , Barbara Luna and Werner Klemperer ( that's right : Col . Klink ! ) . |
364,859 | 4,888,011 | 482,571 | 8 | Batman and Alfred ( outside Gotham ) meet Wolverine | In between the Batman movies , Christopher Nolan cast Christian Bale and Michael Caine in " The Prestige " . It tells the story of magicians Alfred Borden ( Bale ) and Robert Angier ( Hugh Jackman ) . Initially partners , they had a falling out and became rivals . From there the movie becomes a battle of wits , showing how the men have no aim except to destroy the other . Caine plays John Cutter , the state engineer who works for Angier . I notice similarities between this movie and some of Nolan's others . There's the non-linear plot , like " Memento " ; one-upmanship , like " Insomnia " ; the question of morality , like in " The Dark Knight " . But what impressed me more than anything was all the stuff about magic tricks , how the characters use the tricks against each other , and how they both use Olivia Wenscombe ( Scarlett Johansson ) . Angier's and Borden's rivalry mirrors Nikola Tesla's ( David Bowie ) rivalry with Thomas Edison . All in all , I recommend this movie . It's both a look into the world of magic tricks , and also the dangers of obsession with revenge . Also starring Andy Serkis ( Gollum in the LOTR movies ) and Ricky Jay ( a real-life magician ) . PS : other 2006 movies dealing with magic tricks are " The Illusionist " and " Scoop " ( also starring Hugh Jackman and Scarlett Johansson ) . |
364,927 | 4,888,011 | 120,888 | 8 | it almost makes you view the ' 80s positively | Like most Adam Sandler movies , " The Wedding Singer " is an excuse for him to be silly . In this case , he plays 1980s wedding singer Robbie Hart , who gets jilted at his own wedding . Ever the cool dude , he hooks up with waitress Julia Sullivan ( Drew Barrymore ) , who's about to get married to the world's most undesirable person . But with a flair for popular culture , Robbie has a few of his own tricks planned . If nothing else , this movie is a look back on the era of Rubik's cubes . Having not grown up in that era , I can't verify the movie's accuracy ( and wasn't the ' 80s really the era of Gordon Gekko ? ) , but we can't dwell on that . The point is to revel in Adam Sandler's crazy gags . And boy does he have some ! |
364,323 | 4,888,011 | 114,194 | 8 | not necessarily prophetic , but certainly cool | Whenever a movie stars Christopher Walken , I pretty much suspect that even if the movie itself isn't the greatest , then Walken will almost certainly play a really neat role . Such is the case with " The Prophecy " . The somewhat confusing plot centers on the second war in Heaven between the angels loyal to God and those angry and the big G for giving humans special treatment . One such angel is malevolent Gabriel ( Walken ) , coming to earth to stir up trouble and anger enemy Lucifer ( Viggo Mortensen ) . Only former priest Thomas Daggett ( Elias Koteas ) really has a clue what's going on . Like I said , Walken makes the movie more than your average devil-themed flick . He turns Gabriel into a nasty but cool character , and it looks like Walken is having fun with the role . As it is , the movie wouldn't even need the rest of the cast , or any more dimensions to the plot ; this is Walken's movie all the way . I recommend it , but understand that - despite the religious content - this isn't the sort of movie that's supposed to give you a religious experience . It's intended as a less-than-serious movie , and comes out very enjoyable because of that . Also starring Virginia Madsen and Eric Stoltz . A movie that you might want to watch along with this is " Lord of Illusions " ( they came out around the same time , and I derived some similarities between the two ) . I wonder why religion-themed horror films always seem to focus on Roman Catholicism . |
363,143 | 4,888,011 | 105,585 | 8 | we need more movies like this | In 1992 , director Michael Apted released two accounts of the American Indian Movement : there was the documentary " Incident at Oglala " about Leonard Peltier , and the feature film " Thunderheart " , loosely based on the Leonard Peltier case . This one features the ancestrally Indian Val Kilmer as an ancestrally Indian FBI agent investigating events in Pine Ridge in the 1970s and getting more interested in his own indigenous heritage . If absolutely nothing else , this movie should call to mind the history of Native Americans . They discovered America , but we don't admit it because they didn't colonize the Americas for another country . The Indians have gallantly fought against terrorism since October 12 , 1492 , while we act as if terrorism only emanates from the Middle East . They're reduced to running casinos to stay alive . For the record , at least some Indians don't like the word " tribe " , preferring " nation " . All in all , I really recommend this movie . Also starring Sam Shepard , Graham Greene , Fred Ward , John Trudell and presidential candidate Fred Thompson ( I would never expect a creep like him to star in a movie like this , but he did , and later starred in " Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee " ) . |
365,242 | 4,888,011 | 71,155 | 8 | Will we all do that with a dollar bill one day ? | Hot off " American Graffiti " , Richard Dreyfuss starred in another movie set in the era of Brylcream and poodle skirts : " The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz " . This one chronicles the rise of a working-class Jewish lad in 1948 Montreal . Duddy is determined to make it , even if he has to do some undesirable things to get there . A particularly eye-opening scene is when Duddy is working in the resort and a man offers him a dollar bill , tears it in half , and promises Duddy the rest if he provides good service . So , maybe this isn't the greatest movie ever made , but it's an interesting look at one man's dreams , and at post-WWII Canada . Very good performances by everyone . Also starring Micheline Lanctot , Jack Warden , Randy Quaid , Joseph Wiseman ( that's right , Dr . No ) and Denholm Elliott . If I may say so , Yvette is really hot . And to think that director Ted Kotcheff later directed the first " Rambo " movie . |
364,116 | 4,888,011 | 52,117 | 8 | Never underestimate Paul Newman's and Joanne Woodward's comic abilities . | Rally ' Round the Flag , Boys ! may be a movie that you never get to see . As far as I know , it's not available on video or DVD ; I saw it on TV one night . But anyway , here's the story : Harry Bannerman ( Paul Newman ) and Grace Oglethorpe ( Joanne Woodward ) are a typical ( or not so typical ) suburban couple in an idealistic 1950's small town in Connecticut . Then , when the army announces plans to build a secretive base near the town , Harry is hired to promote it , while Grace does everything possible to oppose it . In the process of everything , the townspeople begin to see things that they've never seen before - namely , when Grace catches Harry . . . well , I won't spoil it for you ( don't worry , it's not ( particularly ) dirty ) . The whole thing ends in one wacky climax . Anyway , this is one of those interesting movies from the late ' 50s starring A-list stars , that for some reason doesn't seem to be very well remembered today . Good support comes from Tuesday Weld and Dwayne Hickman as local teenagers . |
362,700 | 4,888,011 | 403,579 | 8 | most control over the situation | Dmitri Meskhiev's " Svoi " ( which means " one's own " ) focuses on the moral dilemma of some Soviet soldiers during WWII . After they escape a POW camp , they end up on a farm . But this farm , while Russian , turns out to be not much different from anything operated by the Nazis . The character Nikolai , due to his manipulative actions , has more control over things than the Nazis do . To Starosta , the Chekist represents the 1930s repression in the USSR . As for why Starosta doesn't kill the man at the end . . . it's because the man is still one of his OWN ( not a German ) . I certainly recommend this movie . Full comprehension of the plot does require some understanding of Soviet policy during WWII , namely that Stalin vowed to punish the family of any soldier who surrendered to the German army . But anyway , it's a really good movie . |
363,008 | 4,888,011 | 79,826 | 8 | a rose is a rose is . . . | Making her film debut , Bette Midler plays a singer loosely based on Janis Joplin . Midler does a very good job in the role , showing the woman making something of herself , but living a self-destructive life to the point where she ruins herself . A particularly eye-popping scene is when she struts through the men's room and the men get all freaked out and start jumping into the pool . You gotta wonder what's with those guys . Equally as good as Midler is Alan Bates as her manager and sometimes lover . " The Rose " is certainly a movie that I recommend , and I believe the director later directed Bette Midler in the equally interesting " For the Boys " . Also starring Don Calfa and Doris Roberts . |
364,360 | 4,888,011 | 94,924 | 8 | apparently , you can't be a Seventh Day Adventist in a media-centric society | When I first saw " A Cry in the Dark " , I had no idea what the plot was . But when I saw it , I was shocked at what it portrayed . When I saw it a second time in an Australian Cinema class , I realized a second point : communication issues . You see , when a dingo snatched Lindy Chamberlain's ( Meryl Streep ) baby , she and her husband Michael ( Sam Neill ) were grief-stricken but didn't show it . As Seventh Day Adventists , they believed that God willed this to happen , and so they couldn't mourn it . But when people all over Australia saw their lack of sadness , everyone started believing that Lindy did it herself . The point is , the wrong message got communicated to the public , and it turned people against Lindy . Even though this was a pure accident , it still happened . It may be one of the biggest disasters resulting from the existence of mass media , regardless of any media outlet's political views . As for the performances , Streep does a very good job with an Australian accent ( no surprise there ) , and Sam Neill is equally great . You will probably get blown away just by what you see here . Definitely one of Fred Schepisi's best movies ever . |
365,061 | 4,888,011 | 253,200 | 8 | Fred Schepisi does better when focusing on these things | Featuring a whole slew of England's most acclaimed stars , " Last Orders " focuses on a man's death and cremation , and how his friends and family remember their lives with him . As is common in British films , there's the issue of class , and how the characters have to stick by each other no matter what . The title refers to the man's last wishes that he get cremated and have his ashes scattered in the sea . Overall , this is a display of the cast members and director doing what they do best . To be certain , Fred Schepisi has turned out many good movies ( e . g . , " A Cry in the Dark " and " Fierce Creatures " ) , so he needn't try stuff like " It Runs in the Family " . But anyway , Michael Caine , Tom Courtenay , David Hemmings , Bob Hoskins , Helen Mirren and Ray Winstone do a perfect job . |
363,168 | 4,888,011 | 266,222 | 8 | the entry to the new millennium | After Roberto Benigni's acceptance speech the previous year , " The 72 Annual Academy Awards " would be hard-pressed to equal it . Still , I liked that the first Oscar ceremony of the 21st century ( assuming that we start the 21st century in the year 2000 ) gave " American Beauty " Best Picture . Like " The Graduate " in 1967 - when , incidentally , my parents were as old as I was in 1999 - it presented a totally new approach to how cinema looks at things . Other such movies in 1999 were " Election " , " The Blair Witch Project " , " The Sixth Sense " and " Being John Malkovich " . As for the rest of the program , I thought that the most interesting part was the look back at the 20th century ( I remember that it included a scene from " Yellow Submarine " ) . And Hilary Swank's win for " Boys Don't Cry " was also well-deserved ( Hilary Swank and Annette Bening were both nominated again five years later , and Swank won again ) . Overall , a worthy ceremony . |
363,068 | 4,888,011 | 59,410 | 8 | Six Feet Under meets " It's a Mad , Mad , Mad , Mad World " | If you thought that funeral homes could only make for grim plots in movies , then you've got a real surprise coming ! " The Loved One " portrays a young Brit Dennis Barlow ( Robert Morse ) coming to the Los Angeles and getting involved in a funeral parlor , with some very zany results . It's the sort of wacky humor that pervaded comedy flicks in the 1960s , right down to the giant cast ( aside from Robert Morse , there's Jonathan Winters , Anjanette Comer , Dana Andrews , Milton Berle , James Coburn , John Gielgud , Tab Hunter , Liberace , Roddy McDowall , Robert Morley , Lionel Stander and Rod Steiger ) . Anyway , this movie really does have something to offend everyone . Goofy but lovable , it's not to be missed . |
363,801 | 4,888,011 | 114,681 | 8 | people will do anything for fame | Gus Van Sant directed another really good movie with " To Die For " , focusing on the true story of a woman's vicious obsession with having a career . As fame-starved weather reporter Suzanne Stone , Nicole Kidman radiates a kind of iciness missing from most of her movie roles . As her husband Larry Maretto , Matt Dillon shows the audience an admirable man truly oblivious to his wife's scheme . I had never seen Joaquin Phoenix in anything before this ( although it turns out that he'd had previous roles ) , but he brings to the screen an unctuous teenager with whom we almost want to sympathize . I can't believe that this didn't get any Oscar nominations ; I think that it was one of Van Sant's best movies up to that time . Not a movie that you're likely to soon forget . Also starring Casey Affleck , Ileana Douglas , Wayne Knight , Kurtwood Smith , and Buck Henry . |
365,403 | 4,888,011 | 80,310 | 8 | such stories have probably happened many times | When I first watched " ' Breaker ' Morant " , I had never heard of the instance during the Boer War when the Australian army executed some of its soldiers so as to cover up misdeeds by superior officers . The movie does a very good job looking at the story . Aside from top-notch acting by Bryan Brown and Edward Woodward ( among others ) and direction by Bruce Beresford ( who later directed " Driving Miss Daisy " ) , the movie brings up the very issue of war crimes . The charge was that these soldiers had committed atrocities against Dutch South Africans . It was obvious that the entire British army - and its affiliates - had been doing these sorts of things , and that the real problem was the empire's militaristic nature . The army just wanted to make it look as though they were serving justice . And this didn't end with the Boer War . The US army prosecuted Lt . William Calley for commanding the My Lai Massacre , but the architects of the Vietnam War got off Scot free . Suffice it to say , this all applies to the current state of affairs . But anyway , this is a really good movie . Definitely one that I recommend . And I bet that the aroma truly would have been a failure ! As it is , it hardly seems worth talking about atrocities against the Dutch South Africans ( known as Boers or Afrikaners ) , as they were the ones who established apartheid . |
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