Movies I have seen in August
American Psycho
***I was surprised by this movie. I tried reading the book back in the 80's and was unable to do so. It was written in a style that made me think that perhaps the author was doing some sort of a parody; in other words he was writing like an American Psych. So, I didn't go into this film expecting very much. But, alas! An interesting story emerged. Some pretty decent cinematagraphy. I couldn't tell if the main actor was bad, or if he was overplaying his part intentionally. Nonetheless I was engrossed by this movie.
A well to do executive maintains a calm exterior, but is increasingly obsessed by his secret life as a serial killer. His urges are getting stronger and stronger and there is little he can do to stop them. This movie is explicit and violent. Not for younger viewers at all. But, if you have the stomach for it-see it!
See Review by Scott Renshaw
Jesus' Son
**1971. A young man meets a woman and pursues her. She is a junkie and soon he is a pill popping mess. We follow this person through the depths and Hell of drug addiction before he is strangely saved sober and working a dismal job in an old folks home. I believe the intent of this movie was nihilistic. Its author must have had John Paul Sartre in mind. But it felll well short of any such grandiosity. We see so little of the interior of this man, and this makes it hard to really judge him or to understand him. And while a good existential movie is hard to come by, this one was ultimately just dreary. No philosophical insights here, I'm afraid. Miss it.
See review by Andrew O'Hehir
Gladiator
***1/2A General in the Roman Army in AD 130 is slated to become the emperor of Rome. But the son of the present leader kills his father and tries to kill the General. The General escapes, finds that the evil son has killed his wife and son. He is taken into slavery and made into a gladiator.
This movie was based on actual history. The Colliseum looked great! The cinematography was excellent. Lots of action and lots of interesting plot turns. Good acting. I got into it big time! See it!!!
See Review by Andrew O Hehir
Vampire in Brooklyn
***I had fun watching this movie. It looked good like a vampire movie should, all dark and creepy. And there was some superior humor in it. I always like Eddy Murphy, so what can I say about the acting? The only thing that kept me from rating it higher was an over abundance of souped up effects. It could have used just a little more subtlety. A vampire arrives in New York City on a boat and proceeds to search for a woman he knows of. She is a tough New York cop. See this one!
See Review by James Beradinelli
The Beach
***I liked this movie a lot. It had one major flaw which kept me from rating it higher, though, that being the Decaprio character's descent into madness. There was nothing in the movie to explain this nor to anticipate it, and as a result it looked very unrealistic. Nonetheless, this is a good little movie. There are echoes of Apocolypse Now, The Deer Hunter, and The Lord of the Flies to be found in it. A young American tourist in Asia encounters a mentally unstable man who commits suicide. Then he finds that the man has left a map to an island paradise. He enlists two newfound friends and they make their way to the island. Paradise doesn't quite turn out to be what it seems. There is good tension in this movie, a decent soundtrack, interesting plot turns and lush cinematography. Recommended!!!
See Review by James Berardinelli
What Lies Beneath
**1/2A woman suspects that her neighbor has killed his wife. Then she is visited by a ghost. The plot thickens. Surprises abound. This movie had some pretty good tension in it. Though it tended to give too much away to the audience at key moments, it worked nonetheless. See it on a thundering night with the power about to go off!
See review by Roger Ebert
Happy Texas
**1/2A pair of mismatched convicts escape from prison and hijack a motor home. It turns out the vehicle is owned by a gay couple who are experts at setting up kids beauty pagents. The convicts show up at a small Texas town and are mistaken for the couple. This movie had some decent laughs and it had some imaginative plot turns. Still, it reaked of cliche. Lets see, the happy gay people and the straight people who are secretly jealous of them; the women who can trust men who are gay and cannot sense that they are convicts; the omnipresent competition-win the big pagent, etc, etc. I don't know, this movie just didn't really click, though it was entertaining at times. See it if you are in the mood for some humor, but don't if you are offended by blatant homosexuality.
See Review by Roger Ebert
The Replacements
***I got into this movie. NFL players go on strike and an owner determined to win the championship hires an old coach who is given the responsibility of putting together a replacement team. As far as sports movies go, this one was a notch above many. I liked the humor, and though I usually don't care for Keanu Reeves, he worked in this one. Yeah, I've seen most of it before, but it was packaged in a smart looking and well written way. See it!
See Review by James Beradinelli
Cecile B Demented
*1/2I wanted to like this movie. I liked the plot, and I liked some of the off beat humor in it. But all in all it was too trashy and vulgar. A Hollywood actress is kidnapped by a film-cult and forced to act in an anti-Hollywood movie which is shot live in various scenarios. The resemblence between this and the Patty Hearst kidnapping is strong. While this movie does have its moments, and is nicely filmed, it nonetheless just doesn't work. Forced is a good word. Everything in it is forced. Don't bother unless you have a really wacked sense of humor.
See review by Roger Ebert
Urgh A Music War
***1/2 What a Suprise this movie was! I like punk rock. This was a fine documentary, taking a look at performances by a large number of punk rock and new wave bands. What diversity it contained!!! Most of the bands I had never really heard of, but there were familiar names like Joan Jett, Jools Holland, UB40, Devo, the Police and the Dead Kennedys. Some of the acts were hilarious, and I found myself laughing more than I do at many comedy movies-the singer from Cramps singing with the microphone INSIDE of his mouth for example. Ever see a punk band perform while wearing suits and ties? Well, you will in this movie. Some of the acts were simply great-the Alley Cats! Perhaps this movie is not for all tastes, but I recommend it highly. Its one of the better rock films I have seen!
see review by Rick Babcock
Blockbuster synopsis
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