Reviews
Magnolia (1999)
Surreal, refreshing Freudian/Christian character sketches that nearly top "American Beauty" for Best of '99
Someone asked me to tell them what happened in this movie. What happens to you on any given day? Maybe something interesting, maybe not... but with a population of 22,580 in the San Fernando Valley, at least eight people are bound to have the strangest day of their lives. Especially on a day when... well, you'll have to see for yourself. Probably the most shocking things I've seen in a movie that came out of Hollywood. And with Tom Cruise in it, no less.
Sacrifice three hours of your life for a movie in which nothing happens - that doesn't mean it's not about anything.
Planetary Traveler (1997)
Great, trippy space journey!
Skimpy on dialog and story, "Planetary Traveler" is nonetheless an amazing trek across the cosmos. The alien worlds - rendered entirely on the PC - range from serene to chaotic, but each one is uniquely breathtaking. The soundtrack, equally amazing, sets the tone perfectly for each planet. I highly recommend picking up this 40 minute video and watching it on a really big TV.
Snake Eyes (1998)
Blah.
A movie with real promise, but it failed. Rather than actually SOLVING the mystery, Nick Cage's character casually questions two witnesses (out of thousands) and watches a videotape, and the whole plot is solved. Combine that with a pointless hurricane subplot and a lame ending, and you get one of the most disappointing movies of the summer. It gave me a headache.
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Awesome fun!
The Big Lebowski has become one of my favorite films. It's a weird combination of a Cheech and Chong movie and a Philip Marlowe adventure; it 's also the funniest movie since Clerks. I highly recommend it.