Reviews

Calling this movie a romance is pretty much a disgrace. Let's not forget something. The heroine is a hooker! The hooker with the heart of gold! Please! I don't buy at all that Richard Gere, as a millionaire or even a $40,000 a year salesman, would fall in love with the hooker, Julia Roberts. First of all, Julia Roberts isn't all that hot. It's hard to even call her "pretty", the first word in the tittle of the movie. She's not ugly, but she's just a little above average, bordering on pretty. That aside, stud millionaires do not fall in love with hookers. They might pay one from time to time, but they don't fall in love them. The whole premise of this movie is idiotic, so the movie is unsuccessful to me as a whole. All that aside, Gere was very good in the film, and Roberts acting was also very good. The movie had outstanding production value and certain characters, like the one played by Jason Alexander, were interesting. So, as a total score, I give Pretty Woman a five.

I'm a Robert Loggia fan, and him being in it drew me to this movie when I saw it Walmart. Thank you, Mr. Loggia! The Great Fight is about an autistic kid, who is a savant. A savant has special, incredible skills. Skills that others don't have, like being able to play Beethoven on the piano after hearing him only once, or knowing every major league baseball statistic since 1900. There are less than 50 autistic savants in the world who have what are called prodigious skills. The lead character in this movie, Anthony, played perfectly by an unknown (Miguel Jarquin Moreland) has the prodigious skill of fighting, and we learn a Spanish language skill as the mysteries in The Great Fight unfold. Anthony is a high school student who keeps getting kicked out of school. His sister, who is a lawyer, moves from Florida to New Jersey to try to start a new life for Anthony in his senior year. But soon enough, after being picked on for being a recluse (he doesn't socialize with any of the other students and is always distant, Anthony beats the hell out of two bullies upon them cursing at him in Spanish. He troubled cop, played very believably by another newcomer (Frank Giglio) takes Anthony under his wing. The cop also owns a mixed martial arts school, and desperately wants to leave the police force to again fight in the ring. Anthony, however, takes him in a different direction. One of the bullies that Anthony beat down in school is the prize fighter for a a rival MMA school, run by a prosecutor "Zane Carrol." One of the best performances of the film is played here, by Eric Etebari, a character actor from movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Lincoln Lawyer. Zane, the bad sensei, despises the police officer, the good sensei (not only because they are rival senseis but because they battle in court). The story, much more intricate than The Karate Kid outline I'm giving, develops into a thought-provoking mentor-prodigy suspense drama that shows just how intelligent and talented disabled persons can be. A few twists in the plot constantly make the you think and ask for more. As for Mr. Loggia, he delivers one of the best performances of his career in this movie, most certainly the best in his later career. He plays a wickedly clever psychiatrist who is the catalyst for figuring out the mystery of Anthony's skills, and identifying that he is a savant. But Loggia is unconventional as a doctor and, even in his late 70s, he gives a gruff, tough, and even physical performance in order to effectively unleash his character. Also a cool cameo from Martin Kove (The Karate Kid's bad sensei) playing the mentor to Zane (The Great Fight's bad sensei). So Kove is the bad sensei's sensei. Liked the cute performances by cop duo Jackie The Joke Man Martling from the Howard Stern Show and Joyce DeWitt (Janet from "Three's Company"). I don't know if The Great Fight was in the theaters, but this one should be nominated for something at the Oscars, at least for its writing or Loggia or the young guy Moreland who played Anthony.

The original version of The Longest Yard is a near classic. Burt Reynolds was believable as the ex-football star turned bad guy. Burt Reynolds was a big, tough man in his 30s and 40s. he was one of the top sex symbols and movie stars at the time The Longest Yard was made in the mid-70s. It made sense that women were falling over him, which partially got him in trouble in the beginning of the movie. But Adam Sandler? Are you kidding me? Sandlker playing a role that Burt Reynolds originated? Sandler playing a role of a tough guy? That's just not believable. It's even more absurd that played a former NFL quarterback. This guy probably couldn't throw the ball a yard, much less the longest yard. The Longest Yard is a move that needs to be carried on the back of its star. Burt Reynolds did that so well in the original. Sandler, a huge miscast (probably by his own demanding) couldn't this movie off the ground. And that's where the football would be with him, on the ground, under a heap of football players who would have flattened the wimpy Sandler. The movie gets a five overall, however, because of a decent supporting cast (including Reynolds), and it was still a good story.

Look, I like a good documentary. But this movie didn't blow me away, like it seemed to for most others. I kept hearing all these reviews incredible reviews, so I was expecting to get knocked off my butt. The story is certainly inspiring. A guy from Detroit in the early 1970s is this produced singer. Some people in the record business think he's very talented, but his music goes nowhere in the United States. he also goes nowhere in the United States, fading into some kind of blue collar life. Somehow, his music not only catches on in South Africa, but he becomes a major folk hero there. His records sell millions of copies, and are part of the artistic attack on Apartheid in the 70s. The problem is that no one in South Africa really knows who this artist is, and they don't realize that he's not popular or even known in the U.S. or really anywhere else in the world. Sugar Man, the artist, also doesn't know that he's this famous folk hero in Soouth Africa, and he never gets paid any money for all of his records sold there! The documentary exposes all of this, tells a good story in it. But Academy Award? I don't think so. The story, yes riveting. It would be a great 60 Minutes piece. But, as a movie, it was a little boring. And, sorry, I really didn't think Sugar Man's music was all that inspiring. It was just kind of flat.

Let's start with that this movie is about a bunch of junkies. And let's end with that. The lead characters are a group of drug addicts who put themselves in that position. Whetehr or some took responsibility for their actions is difficult to tell. That would be the only redeeming quality to this movie. I just don't care about the characters. If the O.D., should I care? I don't care. I feel bad for their families, who may be innocent victims of their stupid drug use. The production quality of Trainspotting was fine. The acting was also pretty much good, but I hated the story. I hated the characters. I didn't sympathize with them at all, nor the writer and director for their waste of millions of dollars in making this unimportant garbage. I would give the movie a 1, but it was well made.

A movie that pretty much launched Russel Crowe and Guy Pearce, L.A. Confidential provides some of the best in character development in films post 1990. A group of Los Angeles police officers in the late 1940s find themselves unraveling and involved with a brutal mass murder. Is it the mob, led by famous LA gangster Mickey Cohen? African American hoodlums, who the police initially target? Or the cops themselves. Every cop character in this movie has a different personality, and a different motive for why he is good, bad, or both. Crowe's performance was nothing short of outstanding, as was Pearce. These were two guys who hated each other and couldn't be more opposite, but both out for doing right. Pearce's character often annoying and nerdish. Crowe, a very likable tough guy. James Cromwell, the smart, straight, but really shady captain, outstanding. Grahem Beckel as Crowe's dirty cop partner, outstanding. Kevin Spacey, a cop torn between his love for being the consultant for a Hollywood TV cop show and making a buck selling stories and following the law in important cases, outstanding. David Stratherin and Danny DeVito, outstanding. The only question. Why did Kim Bassinger win an Academy Award for this movie? There was nothing really outstanding in her performance, and the role wasn't all that important to the film. The writing, outstanding, better than outstanding, as was the direction. There were so many better performances in this film that warranted the award.

This is one of the best films about Satan. Great at deceiving, full of power, loses in the end - as the devil should! This was altogether a great lawyer film. In this film, we get to see one of Pacino's best performances. He wasn't that usual character that we'r5e so used to seeing. Also tremendous performances by Charlize Theron, Connie Nielson, Jeffrey Jones, Tamara Tunie, and Craig T. Nelson. Couldn't buy Keaneau Reeves in the best lawyer role. he was adequate at best. Watch the train scene with Al Pacino - just tremendous! Taylor Hackford, great work (except casting of Reeves, but that mau not have been his choice????)

A film festival gem that i think will make it to the big screen. The same woman wrote and directed this (Jentis), and she should strength as a fine filmmaker, with a film that is at a Hollywood studio level. Bad Parents is about a group of soccor moms and dads, who will do anything to see their young grade schoolers succeed in making the "A Team", which is coached by a complete jerk. Doesn't sound like a unique story, but the writing is so clever and funny, that this turns out to be a unique film. There are outstanding performances all the way around, from Janene Garafolo (the lead) to the Cheri Oteri (from Saturday Night Live) in a big supporting role as a wickedly insensitive mom who truly will do anything for a her daughter to be a team starter. The coach was great, as well. I totally recommend this one, for a good laugh and some thinking.

I like Mark Wahlberg in some movies, others I think he is just okay. In this one, I thought he was just great. he plays a truly likable former high school football player (who never played in college), but still hits the "gridiron" in pick up games in South Philly in the late 1970s. He's lost his job as a high school teacher and his wife left him, leaving a note that he will never go anywhere in life. Well, things change rather quickly when Dick Vermil (played strongly by Greg Kinear) takes over for the desperate, losing Philadelphia Eagles. Vermil decides to give walk-on tryouts to Philadelphia natives, as a publicity stunt. One person gets called to camp, and that's Wahlberg's character. This is a definite inspirational story, which is based on a true story, where the guy actually makes the team. Wahlberg's character has speed, intensity, passion, and will, and he becomes a special teams expert, playing 3 or 4 years in the NFL. Only downside,as I have learned in many of these "biographical" movies, is that while it was close to the truth, there were many things in the movie that turned out to be just plain false. but if you're watching Invincible as just a movie, and not a biography, then this is great one, which didn't get the critical reviews it deserves.

Great cast with Eddie Murphy, Ben Stiller, Alan Alda. Throw in Judd Hirsch and some others. But, sorry, there was pretty bad. A total let down, that i kept watching, hoping a real, interesting story developed. It never did. You have to ask, why would a big studio expend so much money on such a piece of crap? The script seemed like it was written in an hour. Even geniuses like Eddie Murphy (who's character was just idiotic) couldn't add anything to this waste of a script. Alan Alda's arrogant character was probably the only bright spot to this movie. Mathhew Broderick was also in this, and his character, like so many others, was completely underdeveloped. Hollywood has to start making movies with "stories" in them again. Yes, there are still some in 2013, but they're harder and harder to find.

Fillmakers couldn't make this movie today! At least not in the United States where people are so pent up with race baiting and political correctness. This is just too bad. Blazing Saddles is definitely the funniest movie I have ever seen, with its no boundaries approach and making fun of every one, and never afraid to use any word. Mel Brooks is a brilliant writer, and quite an actor as well. Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn, and all the "bad guys" in this film were outstanding. If you want to laugh out loud, from beginning to end, and you're not easily offended, this is the film to watch. I just saw it again, for probably the 10th time, and I laughed racuously.

As a kid I loved superhero movies. As an adult, I do too. It's really the story that drives any movie to me. So a superhero movie that is just all special effects and action really does nothing for me. Iron Man, like the original Superman and the Tobey McGuire Spiderman has a great story. Tony Stark, played in avery likable way by Robert Downey, Jr, is somewhat of an egotistical, rich kid with a great mind, but he is endearing, even from the beginning of the movie. You can tell he has aheart, but flaws like any person. After he is captured by villainous terrorists, it's exactly his heart (or damage to it) that allows him to create a mechanical suit that turns him into a superhero. So he's not a superhero, at least in his physicality, like Superman. his great mind and circumstances of his life allow him to turn himself into a superhero.

Gwyneth Paltrow is superb in this film, and "love" story between her and Downey (Iron Man) is intesne, and so felt, though they never get together (I guess like every real superherp movie, you really are pulling for them to make out). Also, Jeff Bridges was great in the film, as usual. Fine directing by Swingers creator, Jon Favreau.

One point: as good as Downey was, I'd rather have seen someone else in the role. Really, a junkie playing a superhero? Sorry, it just doesn't fit right.

Ending the movie with Black Sabbath's "Iron Man" was just awesome!