Movies I have seen in July
Blade Runner (director's cut)
****I first saw Blade Runner in the early 80's and for years it was my favorite movie. Then I saw it again in the early 90's and it looked dated. But, man, I was wowed by the dirctor's cut!! This movie is GREAT! Not dated. It is philosophically involved, lushly photographed, and sounds beautiful.
A "blade runner" (a policeman who hunts down and destroys "replicants" (robots who look and act like humans) is given thejob of hunting down three such robots. He meets a fourth and falls in love with her. The futuristic imagery of this movie remains taut and claustrophobic. Some of the cinematography is unforgettable. SEE THIS MOVIE!!!
see review by Roger Ebert
Croupier
**A writer is forced, for economic reasons, to take a job as a croupier, a person who deals cards at a casino. He is srupulously honest, but finds himself tempted by a beautiful woman. This movie looked pretty good, but the plot was slow to unfold, and the main actor annoying to watch. Add to that the fact that I was quite confused by the time it ended, leads me to not recommend it. UGGH!
see review by Scott Crenshaw
The Joyriders
*1/2 A trio of homelesss teenagers kidnaps an elderly man who wished to commit suicide. This could have been a movie with good tension, but that all melted away with poor acting and a hackneyed plot development. What was most mysterious about this movie was the way these kids magically regenerated when they were around an old hippie minister (played by Kris Kristofferson) and then reverted to their evil ways after they left him. Miss this movie. Miss it again, and then again. Your life will be much happier for having done so.
see review by Gary Cogill
The Nutty Professor2
**1/2I loved the Klumps family scene in the first Nutty Professor, so I looked forward to seeing this sequel. It was good, however, I found it just a little forced. Nonetheless, I liked this movie. Eddie Murphy is a favorite of mine. In this sequel, Buddy Love manages to re-appear by mixing his DNA with that of the lab dog. Lots of laughs, a good amount of mature humor. See it!
see review by James Beardanelli
Owd Bob
***Irish movie. As this movie unfolded I was enthralled by the scenery, but really dissapointed by what looked like a developing 'championship' movie. The sight of these elderly Irish men obsessing over their dogs kind of worried me, but the movie managed to avoid the usual cliches. A young American, having just lost his parents in a car crash, comes to Ireland to live with his cantankerous and unliked grandfather. The grandfather's dog is a champion, yet it is killing the neighbor's sheep. An interesting tension develops in this movie and the plot is handled quite well. See it.
couldn't find a review-click here for a movie facts page on this movie
Martin
***70's era vampire movie. This moie was quirky. It looked at times like it was filmed by more than one director. At moments it was lush and spooky, but at other moments it looked cheap and quickly made. Still, it put a fresh look onto the vampire story. Martin is an 84 year old vampire who still looks like a teen ager. Tired of his disorder (and vampirism very much looks like psychopathology in this movie) he makes half hearted attempts at normality. But his lust for blood wins out. I recommend this movie. It was original. Disturbing at times, it might not really be suited for younger viewers. See it!
see review by Scott Renshaw
Snow Day
**Kids movie. I saw it on a sweltering day in July just for the scenes of snow. I would think that if I had kids, this is the kind of movie I would want them watching. A school principle constantly pelted with snowballs, a mean snow plow man. The kids kidnap the snow plow and fill in the streets so they can have another snow day! If your a kid, see this one!
see review by Roger Ebert
Mountains of the Moon
***1850's-story of the two men who explored Africa looking for the lake which would be the source of the Nile. This movie had a detailed and expressive look. It chronicled the adventure, the horror and the tedium of exploring new lands. It was also a fine psychological exposition of the greed and jealousy that goes along with fame. See it!
see review by John Hartl
Coyote Ugly
*I imagine this movie must be aimed at teenaged girls. I cannot figure out any other demographic that would take any pleasure in seeing it. Its awful. It even reminded me of one of the worst movies I have ever seen in my life-Cocktail-which was truely putrid. Why ANYONE would want to ressurect anything from that piece of garbage is beyond me.
A straight laced young New Jersey girl leaves a comfortable home to make it as a singer in New York City and ends up working as a sleazeball bartender in a hip bar. Lets see,. pouring bottles of booze on the bar, lighting it on fire, and scantily clad young women dancing in the flames. Hmmm. Need I say any more. Miss this one. Please!!
see review by Roger Ebert
Harold and Maude
****I spend a lot of time in these reviews tearing movies to pieces. Perhaps some readers wonder what standard I use as cinematic excellence. If so, take a look at this movie.
I first saw this movie some fourteen years ago. I loved it then, and re-seeing it now has done nothing to dampen my enthusiasm for it. Combine a fine plot, dark humor, a great soundtrack by Cat Stevens and you have Harold and Maude.
A pampered young man, bored to death by his richness and inattentive mother, hatches fake suicide attempts to get her attention. They don't work. He is obsessed with death. Then he meets an elderly woman who is full of life and as the transformation begins he falls in love with her. I won't give away anything of the ending in this movie. To do so would ruin it. See this movie!!!!!!! It is a great one!
see review by Mary Ann Johanson
Angels and Insects
**1/2Interesting movie. Itr started out really slow and boring, but as the story developed it became quite good. In the 19th century a naturalist comes to live with a rich family. He has just returned from an adventurous trip to the Amazon. The family is fascinated by his stories. I won't give away any of the plot, for it contains suprises. This was a good movie. See it if you enjoy a slow paced drama.
see review by James Berardinelli
Godzilla 2000
*1/2I had to keep reminding myself that this is a kid's movie as I watched it. I so very well remember my own youth, seeing the original Godzilla movies. They didn't make much of an impact on me. I would imagine that this movie might be enjoyed by today's youth. The effects are pretty good. The monster looked pretty real in some shots. But all in all, despite the good effects, this movie suffers from a plot that only the very young could enjoy. Hence, I recommend it to children everywhere.
see review by James Berardinelli
Insomnia
**Scandanavian movie. A tenn aged girl is murdered in Norway and the local authoroities bring in a detective from Sweden who has a large reputation. But the detective becomes unraveled as he works on the case. The 24 sun becomes a metaphor for his discomfort. I kind of liked this movie though it was hard to follow. There were, at times, some really interesting cinematography. The storyline was unpredictable. See it!
see review by Steve Rhodes
Malcom
**1/2 Australian movie. A super-shy, apparently retarded man gets fired from his job and is forced to take in a roomate. The roomate is a crook. Malcom, the retarded man loves little electronic toys. The two become friends and scheme a bank robbery using remote controlled toys.
I liked this movie. It was fun and the actors convincing. Actually, its just a nice way to spend a couple hours-nothing too involved and serious. See it!
see review by John Hartl
Color of a Brisk and Leaping Day
***Moody movie. Filmed in black and white, this movie chronicles an Asian American in the 40's with a love of trains. He buys a small, out of business railroad situated in the Rockies. Michael Stipe of REM fame plays a minor role. (Stick with singing Michael)
Though the story is not really compelling, and the acting is lacking. I liked this movie a lot. It is a visual poem to the moods and sights of its time period. See it if you are in the mood for a relaxed and mellow evening.
See review by Kevin Thomas
A Boy's Life
***Robert Denero plays an abusive stepfather and Leonardo Dicaprio plays an alienated young boy in this movie. This is a fine movie. It chronicles the hopelesness and angst of this particular family dynamic. The only question that popped into my mind was why did the mother stay with this jerk of a man for so long? That goes unexplained. Otherwise this is a particularly engaging movie. See it!
October Sky
***Based on the true story of one of America's rocket scientists. This movie chronicles his youth spent in a mining town in the Appalachians. It is an interesting look at the very early days of our space program and of a skeptical public. Beautifully photographed. It slides into clich often, but is nonetheless quite a good movie. See it!
see review by Robert Horton
Gone in Sixty Seconds
*1/2A super-car thief gone straight, is forced back into the business to save his brother who is in big time trouble with the mob. Nicholas Cage plays this character who has three days to steal 60 cars. Fast paced. Non ending thrills. Exploding and crashing cars. Ever play the video game Midtown Madness? I think this movie may have been modeled on that game. But, ho-hum. Why is it that the more action Hollywood crams into a movie the more boring it gets? This paradox is at work big time in this movie. Don't bother.
The Hills Have Eyes
**Early Wes Craven movie. A family towing a trailer gets lost in the desert. The car breaks down. And, there are some extremely strange people watching them. Then they are under violent attack. This is an odd-duck sort of movie. It is certainly dated now, but nonetheless, its basic premis is spooky. See it if you have a rainy afternoon to kill. Not great entertainment by any means, but it does break the horror movie mode in interesting ways.
see review by Nathan Schumate
Rabid
*1/2Early 70' movie. A young woman in a motorcycle crash is taken to a doctor who specializes in plastic surgery. Through some mishap which was not entirley clear to me, she gets some new form opf rabies that causes a needle-like prjectile to emerge from her armpit. It sucks the blood out of people and infects them. Soon all of Montreal is reeling from gangs of rabies-infeccted people. I am sure that in its day, this movie was seen as quite the gross out. It is merely lame today. If you like wasting your time see it, but there is nothing in it.
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