It would appear he's been making terrific and underrated movies such as "L.A. Confidential." (And yes, it's underrated even though it won two Oscars and the respect of every critic in the world--anything "Titanic" beats for Best Picture is underrated in my book!) This movie has one of the most incredibly convoluted plots I've ever encountered, so I won't get into it here; take my word that this story of murder, love, deception, and police corruption is astonishingly involving, even if it can be hard to follow. Director Curtis Hanson does a great job of capturing the look and feel of Los Angeles circa 1950, and he has the snappy dialogue and intelligent characterizations to back it up. This is the kind of movie that makes your jaw drop at how well it all fits together.

As you probably know, this won Kim Basinger an Oscar for her honest portrayal of a prostitute doctored to look like Veronica Lake. But I was more impressed with the trio of cops (Kevin Spacey, Guy Pearce, and Russell Crowe), all of whom deserved the Oscar just as much. And of course Russell Crowe stood out in my mind as Bud White, the tough guy with the soft spot for battered women who's not as stupid as his superiors think. Don't get me wrong, he was great in "Gladiator," but this movie convinced me that he's a great actor as well as a pretty face.

For those of you who've seen this movie: Am I the only one who lost pretty much all sympathy for Ed Exley by the end? I guess I should have been expecting it since the writer set him up to be conniving from the start, but I couldn't believe he was still concerned about his police career after all that. Kevin Spacey got first billing as Jack Vincennes (which I still can't believe--he's not even in half the scenes!) and Exley got the medal, but I thought White was the true hero of the movie. And I'm not saying that just because he's Russell Crowe! The Verdict: Who needs "Titanic?" Plus, this is an hour shorter and not as boring. 4.5 out of 5.

Also screwed over at the Oscars (although "American Beauty" rightfully beat it out for Best Picture, so it's not so disgusting) was "The Insider," the true-life saga of tobacco industry whistle-blower Dr. Jeffrey Wigand. Russell Crowe blew me away as said insider, gaining 40 pounds and an Oscar nod for a truly amazing performance as an average guy struggling to do the right thing. (Kevin Spacey, however, not-so-rightfully won. Don't sweat it, Russ, I know it'll be yours someday.) The story line was riveting, and even more so when you consider it actually happened. The gritty, in-your-face cinematography was great most of the time (in particular, one eerily beautiful image of a golf driving range by night), but occasionally the camera lingered too long and I wanted the fascinating dialogue to start again. The opening scenes in the Middle East don't do much for me either, and the vaguely African-sounding score just doesn't seem to fit, but other than that this movie is fantastic.

"The Insider" raises a lot of provocative questions about truth in America: is it still the great virtue we make it out to be, or just another commodity for sale to the highest bidder? And even if individuals like Wigand are willing to sacrifice everything in its pursuit, what good does that do when those in control won't go so far? At one point after Wigand and his wife have an argument, "60 Minutes" producer Lowell Bergman (well-played by Al Pacino) says, "They're ordinary people under extraordinary pressure. What did you expect--grace and consistency?" You can apply that line to the whole of "The Insider;" it's one more thing to think about in regard to a very, very intelligent movie. The Verdict: Who knew reality was so interesting? 4 out of 5.

So after watching two serious movies, I came at last to "Virtuosity." For 50 cents Family Video will let you have this one for a week, if that tells you anything. Four words describe my reason for renting it in the first place: Gratuitous Russell Crowe nudity. Yup. So I kept my expectations pleasantly low, and got a nice surprise. (Not that, you sickos!)

I've always had a soft spot for bad movies, and if that's not your bag you won't like "Virtuosity." Because let's face it, it's pretty awful. In a future that looks suspiciously like 1995 (they chase the killer in an SUV, for crying out loud!), the LAPD is developing Sid 6.7, a computer-generated composite of 186 serial killers as a training program and testing it on convicts. Yes, you read that right. And of course Computer Dude escapes and starts wreaking havoc on our fair city. (He starts out copying the serial killers he's made from; 20 minutes later the movie totally forgets about that and moves on to weird exhibitionist antics in a dance club and a sports arena. Um, aren't serial killers supposed to kill people?) So the cops bust out the convict (Denzel Washington, looking embarrassed) who got the closest to Sid in the simulations to track him down.

The thing that makes this a good bad movie as opposed to a bad bad movie is (you guessed it!) Russell Crowe as Sid 6.7. You can tell he's having an obscene amount of fun chewing scenery in this ridiculously campy role, and it's hard not to have fun along with him. So check this one out if you're into cheesy movies like I am; grab a few friends, bust out the popcorn and Cherry Coke, and make your own episode of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000." But if you take all your movies seriously, skip it. Unless you want to pay your 50 cents and fast-forward to Russell Crowe doing kung fu in the nude. The Verdict: It's like "The Fifth Element," but it sucks. You might like it anyway. 2.5 out of 5 (add or subtract stars depending on your frame of mind).

Copyright (c) 2000 by Beth Kinderman. This is my original work, so please respect it.