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Reviews
The Animal (2001)
Hilarious
After a flood of really gross gross-out comedies, it's refreshing to see a comedy that's not gross at all, and actually genuinely FUNNY. Just like Deuce Bigalow before it, The Animal is a well-made, well-acted, and very funny film. Best part is it doesn't feel like someone took the teeth out of it just to make it a PG-13, unlike two other movies recently released by two of Schneider's former SNL castmates.
Swordfish (2001)
It's Good Stuff
Finally, a nice, loud, occasionally silly summer movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. With the summer slate full of dopey movies trying to pass themselves off as high art, Swordfish comes as a welcome surprise. An unapologetically over-the-top film that has its share of great sequences -- especially its opening -- Swordfish is a great ride, and is just what it's supposed to be: entertaining.
Best in Show (2000)
Just Brilliant
Christopher Guest, one of the minds behind the classic "This Is Spinal Tap," and the brilliant "Waiting For Guffman" has done it again. "Best In Show" views the already-quirky dog show circuit through that "Tap" lens, and the result is genius.
Like "Tap" and "Guffman," this latest film is unscripted, and watching Guest (who plays a Southern-fried fish and tackle store owner with a prizewinning bloodhound) improv with his co-stars Michael McKean (who bears a strong resemblance to Tap member David St. Hubbins), Catherine O'Hara, "Show" co-writer Eugene Levy and the other cast members is mindblowing -- like watching jazz greats effortlessly riffing back and forth.
Guest and company -- also including Parker Posey and Fred Willard -- are outstanding. "Best In Show" is, simply, one of the funniest movies you'll see all year.
Gladiator (2000)
Absolutely stunning; an instant classic.
Gladiator is a film that will be remembered for a long time. A four-star masterpiece and an instant classic, the film will not only solidify Russell Crowe as one of the best actors of his generation, it should also reacquaint the world with the sometimes unfortunately forgotten genius of Ridley Scott.
The film follows Crowe as a Roman general named Maximus; a man feared by his enemies and revered by his men. Gladiator opens with a crawl reminding the audience of the might of ancient Rome, and the breadth of its power -- at one time, "one quarter of the world lived and died" under the rule of the Caesars.
The picture begins with the last battle between Rome and the "barbarians" in then-Germania -- a stunning sequence which not only sets the tone for the dazzling spectacle the movie becomes, but also shows the viewer how exactly skilled the Romans were in the art of war.
Without revealing too much of the plot, a new emperor (an amazing Joaquin Phoenix) takes power, and Maximus is sent into slavery. As a slave he soon becomes a gladiator -- as was the practice under some of the Caesars, and his skill on the battlefield translates well to the arena. Soon thousands flock to the Coliseum -- flawlessly created with the help of computer-generated shots -- to see Maximus fight. By winning the crowd, Maxiumus hopes to get a chance to seek his revenge on Commodus, the unjust ruler who ruined his life.
The film is stunning in every respect -- from acting, to action, to direction, to set design, and should become an instant classic.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
A masterpiece
This latest cinematic retelling of the Washington Irving classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a moody, brilliant work, but fans of director Tim Burton have come to expect nothing less from the filmmaker.
As with all great films, Sleepy Hollow is anchored by a great screenplay, and this film features yet another dazzling effort by former Tower Records-clerk-turned-Seven writing phenom Andrew Kevin Walker. (Walker also shares a "story-by" credit with Sleepy Hollow's co-producer, and special effects artist Kevin Yagher.)
Walker's script changes to Irving's tale are minor, but clever and incredibly effective. No longer a schoolteacher, Walker's vision of Ichabod Crane - perfectly played by Johnny Depp - is that of a skittish, eccentric police constable from New York City.
On the eve of a new century (1799, that is), Crane is sent by his superiors to a quaint Northern New York town known as Sleepy Hollow, so he can use "the latest in scientific techniques" to apprehend a head-severing perp known to the locals as The Headless Horseman. Indeed, much of the humor of Depp's character stems from his use of his own nascent version of forensic pathology, and Crane's unconventional investigative techniques - in a time of witchcraft and superstition - cause immediate friction with the locals.
Once in town, Crane learns about the Horseman's legend, which purports he was once a bloodthirsty soldier sent to hell after his own head was taken by his enemies. And the awkward young constable also meets the daughter of a prominent town figure, the beautiful Katrina Van Tassell (Christina Ricci), and she and Crane immediately gravitate toward one another. However, the Headless Horseman's affinity for lopping off the noggins of townspeople puts their budding romance on hold.
Crane soon realizes that - science be damned - there's no debunking to be done in Sleepy Hollow, and the Horseman is terribly real. Burton's vision of the Headless Horseman is truly frightening - an adversary possessing unspeakable power and unbelievable fighting prowess. Played for most of the film by Ray Park - the multitalented martial artist behind the tatooed face and double-bladed lightsaber of Phantom Menace's Darth Maul, the Horseman is more than a match for Crane, or any of the townspeople - except for the one who summoned the dark rider from hell.
The movie also stars Christopher Walken, veteran character actor Jeffrey Jones, as well as legendary British thesp (and another Phantom Menace alum) Ian McDiarmid. Miranda Richardson is also brilliant, as is the bevy of lauded British stage actors, including Michael Gambon, Christopher Lee (soon to appear in Lord of the Rings) and Michael Gough.
Tim Burton's latest achievement was a dream project for many of the film's principles, and it shows. Sleepy Hollow is a masterpiece, securing the director's place among cinema's greatest storytellers.
The Big Tease (1999)
A wickedly funny comedy in the spirit of Spinal Tap
I know you've heard the Spinal Tap comparison many times before -- most recently for that abortion of a comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous -- from less-knowledgeable and less-scrupulous critics. But The Big Tease is one of the only "mockumentaries" since Rob Reiner's genius comedy to earn the comparison.
The film revolves around a gay Scottish hairdresser, Crawford Mackenzie, played by Drew Carey co-star Craig Ferguson. Mackenzie's the best in Scotland -- he even saved Sean Connery after a toupee went awry, we learn -- so it's no surprise that Mackenzie gets chosen to compete in the Olympics of haircutting, the World Freestyle Hairdressers Championship. With the Platinum Scissors at stake, Mackenzie flies to Los Angeles to compete, but (forgive the hair pun) is snagged by setbacks of every type.
Spinal Tap is, simply, one of the best comedies to ever be immortalized on celluloid. That having been said, Is Big Tease funnier, or as funny? That's unfair to ask. However, Big Tease is truly hysterical, and it possesses one of the most important elements to making a classic film -- it stays true to itself. In other words, it's unapologetically bizarre from beginning to end, and certainly worth your $9.50.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
A masterpiece and a fitting first chapter in the saga...
I'm not a doctor, so I'd be the last to give someone medical advice. Nor am I a lawyer, so I wouldn't be the guy to instruct a person on matters of the law. Unfortunately, when it comes to movies, everyone feels they're experts. The net result of such assumptions are negative reviews about certain movies, such as some of those that were written for Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. It is, was, and shall remain a movie for fans. True fans that have enough sense to realize that Phantom is the first chapter of a three-part trilogy, which is, in turn part of a six-part whole. To criticize Phantom for having under-developed characters like Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) or Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) only demonstrates ignorance of this fact. And guess what? If you're not a Star Wars fan, you're not going to dig it anyway.
Phantom Menace is a stunning achievement technically and visually, and that is a fact. However, what a person thinks about the movie -- and indeed about any art form, any movie -- is truly subjective, and it's folly to try to bend someone to your personal opinions (mind-tricks aside).
As a true fan, I'm confident in saying Phantom Menace is mind-blowing -- a masterpiece and a fitting first chapter in the saga. I've seen it nine times in the theater and have shared my opinions about it to Lucas and company personally.
For those who call themselves Star Wars fans and claim to be disappointed with the film, I recommend highly seeing it more, and you may think differently about it.
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Bloody brilliant.
A real masterpiece. BJM is an unapologetically bizarre, well crafted, well written and well-acted film -- a true original and an instant classic. For every would-be screenwriter out there who feels he/she must write the next giant asteroid flick or sequel to Wild, Wild West just to sell a script, this movie should provide the adequate glimmer of hope.
Three Days (1999)
One truly great rockumentary
I suppose proof how how effective this movie chronicling the reunion tour of Jane's Addiction is, is that I'm not a die hard fan of the band, but still had a great time. The film pulls no punches in terms of showing the life of a touring rock band, warts and all.
Star Wars (1977)
Quite simply, the greatest
> My emotions about the Star Wars movies run long, but my time is short, but > I'd still like to take a moment to comment about the Star Wars saga, started > with George Lucas' 1977 original. No movie in history has served to ignite > the imaginations of more people than did this underdog of a movie. No other > movie series has been so successful, not only financially, but also > emotionally -- there's really something special about this picture, and the > series in general. One only need to remember the crowds who gathered for > Phantom Menace's opening day, and glimpse at the box office performance of > the movie ($400 million and growing domestically, hundreds of millions more > overseas) to see how big of an impact this series has had on this > planet...