Movie Review

(In theaters, August 1999) This is, from a detached perspective, a pretty bad film. Enormous plot holes, muddily-shot night battles, bare-bone characterisation, straightforward plot… But it does work well when you watch the film, provided you don’t expect much more than a gritty pseudo-realistic medieval battle fantasy. Antonio Banderas’ screen presence adds enormously to the film and the battle scenes are occasionally impressive. Though there are no doubt tons of anachronism, the Viking village looks suitably realistic on screen. Worth the time on TV.

(On TV, August 1999) This rescues itself from pointlessness in the last five minutes. What was up to then an unpleasant series of episodes starring a low-life taxi driver peppered by occasional moments (“You talking to me? Good, because I’m the only one here.”) suddenly becomes worthwhile, though one can’t help but to feel that this is one short film’s material stretched out to almost two hours. Viewer might be excused if they keep thinking about how many other movies are a more worthwhile investment of time.

(In theaters, August 1999) A teen romantic comedy that’s far, far better when it remembers to be a comedy. Taking place in some fantasy high-school where students drive around in Porsches and Jeeps, She’s All That features some wickedly fun quotes and moments (the hilariously-directed why-I-dumped you scene, the energetic “Rockafeller Skank” dance number) but more often than not drags itself in unbelievable “dramatic” moments that just feel forced. Rachel Leigh Cook isn’t believable one second as an “unattractive” girl (it’s the glasses, yeah, even when she’s in that killer black swimsuit…) but Freddie Prinze Jr. manages to fulfill his role as “High School God” with a certain amount of coolness. Watchable, but not really exceptional.

(On VHS, August 1999) There’s no mistake that this is B-movie: Cop drama with hitmen, policemen, damsels in occasional distress, gunfights, cars, guns… Fortunately, if the film can’t transcend its roots, it faithfully exemplify the genre. Chow Yun Fat and Mira Sorvino are pretty darn cool/cute in quasi tailor-made roles, and the director is competent when it comes to action scenes. Unfortunately, the whole film feels curiously vapid and unmemorable, true to form for most B-movies.

(In theaters, August 1999) Any film featuring kids playing with guns, explosives and ballistic mathematics can’t do wrong! Naturally, a story about rocket-making boys at the end of the 1950s can’t be anything else but inspiration, especially when it’s based on a true story (Homer Hickman’ Rocket Boys). It gets even better when you realize that October Sky is a coming-of-age story that doesn’t focus on beer, sex or proms, but on intellectual breakthroughs, hard work and confidence in yourself. It works even better than it sounds, and is one of the very few movies to be watched by everyone in the family without any discomfort. An all-around winner, made with skill and distinction: See it, and see it now!

(In theaters, August 1999) Thank goodness that the screenwriter didn’t take his script seriously! What could have been a tedious exercise in yet-another-teen-romance-that-ends-at-the-prom suddenly becomes an acceptable film with some greater resonance than what we might expect. Some choice gags (“The Simpsons” theme, a Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas flashback, etc…) pepper the film, making it seems far more clever than it truly is. Leelee Sobieski shines as the Hollywood hot-babe- with-glasses-so-we’re-supposed-to-know- she’s-smart-and-ugly. The movie falls flat near the end, as a long-awaited confession cuts off a half-dozen plot threads in thirty seconds, but the rest is okay.

(In theaters, August 1999) Holds the distinction of being a satisfying disappointment. Given its premise (a satire of superhero films by looking at the “B-grade” superheroes), its assembled talent and its superb special effect work, one could have expected a truly memorable experience. Alas, such is not the case: The narrative meanders, the quips are wildly uneven, the villain isn’t impressive, the resolution too conventional. Fortunately, the end result is still loads of fun, much like when Men In Black delivered good summer fun even if it couldn’t match its own premise. Most of the actors are delightful (with special kudos to Ben Stiller, William H. Macy and Janeane Garofalo), some one-liners are really good (“By doubting training you only train yourself to doubt”) and the overall atmosphere is just wonderful. Grrreat soundtrack. Yes, Mystery Men could have been much more, but it’s quite delightful as it is.

(Second viewing, On DVD, November 2000) This isn’t quite as good the second time around. Sure, the actors/characters are (mostly) as appealing, the lines still as funny and the overall sense of fun still unbeatable. But the bad moments, boring stretches and various incoherencies all pile up to diminish the film’s lasting impression. Director Kinsha Usher’s commentary track is one that will actually diminish your opinion of the film by pointing out last-minutes ad-libs, referencing deleted scenes not included anywhere on the DVD and generally acting like a barely-articulate doofus. (“…and we thought it was really funny” is the commentary track’s most-often repeated line. Problem is that the “funny” stuff most often isn’t.) Worse; a lot of the film’s jokes seems to have been put together by the actors, director, production assistants, even the assistant sound editors… but the writer is barely referenced once. (And even then, it’s as a vaguely derogatory reference to the film’s original script.) Oh well… comedy by committee usually works well, though as proven here, it doesn’t hold up very long.

(In theaters, August 1999) I like most movies because they entertain. I admire some movies because they’re very well done. I only love a few movies for their emotional impact, and The Iron Giant joins this select club by virtue of being an excellent film. It’s not “merely” a story about the friendship between a boy and a giant extraterrestrial robot, though it is also exactly that. It is, at turns, comedic, dramatic, horrifying, uplifting and every else you’d wish a great film would be. Cleverly constructed and exceedingly well-executed, The Iron Giant is simply wonderful. It can’t escape being a children’s movie (it eschews emotional subtlety and drags as it goes through the early “required scenes”) but also holds as much content for adults. It’s a measure of how good the film is that I was near-tears at the line “I am not a gun”, and horrified at a firepower display that would normally make me cheer. Great stuff, great movie; see it.

(On TV, August 1999) A documentary about wrestling? Yes, and a darn good one. Beyond simply exploring the fascinating “sports/entertainment” business of wrestling (and settling once and for all the question Is-Wrestling-Fake?), Wrestling With Shadows details the real-life sordid business surrounding the fall of Bret “Hitman” Hart, the Canadian “good guy” wrestler forced into “bad guy” status by World Wrestling Federation honcho Vince McMahon and then unceremoniously fired—all in the name of ratings. The documentary is very well-done and incredibly managed to obtain actual proof of McMahon’s duplicity. Wrap this up in the carnival spirit of wrestling shows, and you’ve got a documentary that almost has it all. Though overlong in spots (during flashbacks to Hart’s family history, for instance), Wrestling With Shadows is certainly one of the best documentary I’ve seen in a while, and should appeal to a variety of viewers not necessarily fascinated by wrestling.

(On VHS, August 1999) This gets a failing grade for two reasons. One, this parody of high-school dramas isn’t very funny. Yes, there are chuckles; yes, some set-pieces are great; yes, the whole movie is fun. On the other hand, it’s not that funny if you’re not familiar with the source material, the material isn’t clever or unexpected and there is far too much plot for the various gags. The second failing of High School High is that despite everything, it thinks of itself as terribly funny. The biggest sin of the film is to actually allow long reaction shots to let the audience laugh. (There’s a gag, then a second-long shot of a character looking amused/puzzled/nauseous while -in theory- the audience laughs their heads off, then the movie continues) This, given the non-hilarious nature of most jokes, totally kills the pacing of the film and gives an air of unbearable pretentiousness to the whole movie. Oh well, at least Tia Carrere (and not a few young actresses) looks good, which is considerably more than what one can say about Jon Lovitz.

(In theaters, August 1999) Yet another one of these everything-goes-wrong comedies that could be over in fifteen minutes if anyone in it acted rationally. But no, we get lies-leading-into-more-embarrassing-lies, idiotic decisions, contrived bad luck and a bunch of other annoying things. The result is a comedy with some moments, but a romance that falls very flat. Fortunately, the direction has its moments of interest, the soundtrack is unusually dynamic and a few scenes work well. Despite the happy (?) ending, this is not really a good date movie.

(In theaters, August 1999) Back in 1973, right after Richard Nixon’s resignation as President of the United States as a result of his implication in the Watergate, not many people would have been favourably predisposed toward a comedy about these events. Times have changed, tragedy plus time equals comedy and Dick arrives as a cross between bubbly teen comedy and nostalgic social comment. Despite a few misfires and an unwillingness to really go over-the-top (or to tone down the most outrageous scenes), this movie does its job reasonably well, and leaves the audience satisfied. Great soundtrack, good acting and a decent script (which unfortunately lags in the second half), plus amusing funhouse-mirror portraits of such figures as Nixon, Kissinger, Woodward and Bernstein. Though not required, it helps enormously to prep up on your Watergate history before seeing the film.