niryuu/sni-each-converted huggingface dataset:
barely scrapping by playing at a nyc piano bar , timothy hutton returns to his massachusetts hometown for a couple of weeks .
on the surface , he 's coming home for a high school reunion , but since this is a movie , you know that he 's really looking for some major life decisions .
a fairly " small " film , this sports an impressive ensemble cast including uma thurman , rosie o'donnell and a bunch of actors that you 've seen before but ca n't quite place .
commendable jobs all around
; they seem like real people .
hutton arrives at his past and is greeted by his spirit - dead father , terminally goony brother and old high school chums .
all of his old buddies are engaged in the snow removal business and most are in the midst of a relationship crisis .
the perfect stuff for a comedy about people in the twenties angst .
he meets and falls for the new next door neighbor : a beautiful intelligent lively girl who is obviously taken with him .
the problem is that she is only 13 .
unconsummated ( no , it 's not _ that _ type of movie ) ,
their relationship builds and neither knows what to do with it .
star - crossed lovers with no where to go .
so hutton is gaga over a barely - teen , one of his buddies is two - timing his girlfriend with a married old flame
, another 's girlfriend is sleeping with a meat cutter ( " and she 's a vegetarian ! " ) .
things are a mess .
enter uma thurman .
the beautiful stranger in town for a few days is both a delight in the film and one of its minor downfalls .
her character is fun to watch .
even more entertaining is
observing the guys falling over themselves trying to impress her .
like the lone ranger , before she leaves , she solves most of the problems and sets everyone onward with their lives .
the ending is a bit too pat .
everything is tied up with a neat little bow .
rosie o'donnell is a stand - out in her limited screen time with her brash personality and " tell it like it is " pronouncements .
structured somewhat like a " diner , a few years later " , this feel - good story is a good time , but ends a little too nice .
Output: P
one of kyle mclachlan 's earlier cinematic features , this movie has had an obvious influence on such films as the terminator ( 8/10 ) , species ( 7/10 ) and the more recent , fallen with denzel washington .
plot : a science - fiction picture set in modern times , this thriller follows the exploits of an " entity " from outer space , who likes to inhabit human bodies , use them up until they are completely worn out , and then switch over to the next available receptacle .
fbi agent ( mclachlan ) and local top cop ( nouri ) are charged with the capture of this " thing " before it 's too late .
critique :
this fast - paced , urban equivalent of the thing ( 8/10 ) , checks in on all cylinders for ultra - violence ( god knows how many people died in this movie ) , action and an overall rock ' n roll attitude .
then again , how can you go wrong with an " alien " that likes the ferraris , guns , heavy metal music and sexy girls ? !
granted , the plot is n't the most elaborate of tales ( alien bad , find alien , kill alien ) , but i can honestly say that i was never once bored during the viewing of this entire picture .
i would n't recommend it to those who do n't like car chases , murders , and bland acting , but for all the rest of you out there , those who enjoy putting away their brains every now and again , sitting back , slamming back some salsa'd nachos , and relishing in the cheeze some call film . .
. have a blast ! !
two scenes to watch for are both within the first ten minutes of this gore - fest .
the opening sequence is one of the most rockin ' scenes to open any action movie , and the subsequent extra - terrestrial " transformation " is another eye - catcher .
even the late 80 's special effects were okay .
followed by the hidden ii in 1994 .
little known facts : this film was kyle maclachlan 's first non - david lynch foray into the world of feature films .
his first two movie appearances were in lynch 's wretched dune ( 4/10 ) and the sensational blue velvet ( 8 . 5/10 )
Output: P
this summer , one of the most racially charged novels in john grisham 's series , a time to kill , was made into a major motion picture .
on january 3 of this year , director rob reiner basically re - released the film under the title of ghosts of mississippi .
based on the true story of 1963 civil rights leader medgar evars ' assassination , ghosts of mississippi revolves around the 25-year legal battle faced by myrlie evars ( whoopi goldberg , sister act ) and her quest to have her husband 's obvious assassin and racist byron
de la beckwith ( james woods , casino ) jailed .
so she turns to assistant district attorney and prosecutor bobby delaughter ( alec baldwin , heaven 's prisoners ) to imprison the former kkk member .
ghosts sets its tone with an opening montage of images from african - american history , from slave - ship miseries to life in the racist south of the 1960 's .
but all too soon , the white folks take over , intoning lines like " what 's america got to do with anything ?
this is mississippi !
" as beckwith , james woods , with his head larded with latex most of the time as an old man , teeters between portraying evil and its character .
meanwhile , goldberg turns in a very serious and weepy performance as the wife who would n't let her husband 's death rest until she got the conviction .
both deserve serious oscar - consideration .
this brings us to the dull performance of baldwin .
let 's face it , trying to match matthew mcconaughey 's wonderful acting in a time to kill is basically impossible .
and baldwin is living proof of this , as no emotions could be felt .
it seemed as if he actually had to struggle to shed a single tear .
either poor acting or poor directing , but something definitely went wrong .
another strange mishap was the fact that goldberg 's facial features did n't change , as she looked the same in the courtroom as she did holding her husband 's dead body 25-years earlier .
yet woods ' was plastered with enough make up to make him look like goldberg 's father .
at least the make - up was realistic .
with some emotional moments in the poorly written script , ghosts of mississippi lacked in heart , when its predecessor , a time to kill , brought tears to everyone 's eyes .
do n't get me wrong , the movie was n't all that bad , but if you 've seen grisham 's masterpiece , then do n't expect this one to be an excellent film . ,
Output: P
towards the middle of " the sweet hereafter , " a crowded school bus skids on an icy road surface as it rounds a bend , careens through the steel guard rail , and disappears out of sight .
then , in long shot , we see the vehicle slowly sliding across what looks like a snow - covered field .
it pauses for a moment before the " field " cracks under the bus ' weight and the bright yellow vehicle vanishes in an effortless moment , a single smooth second of time .
compare that scene , if you will , to the last eighty minutes of " titanic , " when the behemoth sinks slowly and spectacularly to its watery demise , and you 'll appreciate the futility of comparing greatness in films .
the scene in " the sweet hereafter " epitomizes all that 's right with independent canadian director atom egoyan 's film .
it 's not sensational .
we do n't see the inside of the bus with its payload of screaming , terrified children being bloodied and battered about .
the bus does n't explode or break into a thousand tiny pieces .
it simply leaves the road and silently slips beneath the surface of a frozen lake .
it 's a horrifying sequence made all the more so by calm and distance .
using a non - linear approach to his narrative , egoyan shifts back and forward in time , connecting us with the inhabitants of the small british columbian town who have been severely affected by this tragedy .
fourteen children died in the accident , leaving their parents and the town itself paralyzed with grief .
the catalyst at the center of the film is ambulance chaser mitchell stephens ( a wonderfully moving performance by ian holm ) , who comes to sam dent to persuade the townsfolk to engage in a class action suit .
stephens , who " does n't believe in accidents , " functions as a concerned , involved observer , scribbling details in his notebook and providing the parents with an opportunity to reach some kind of closure in the harrowing aftermath .
while stephens ' initial drive may be financial ( one third of the total settlement if he wins ) , his involvement provides him more with an outlet to come to grips with his own loss .
his self - destructive , drug - addicted daughter has been in and out of clinics , halfway houses and detox units for years .
egoyan 's attention to detail and ability to establish mood are so impeccable
that even the sound of a kettle boiling resonates like a plaintive cry .
mychael danna , who composed the shimmering music for " the ice storm , " contributes another memorable score that shivers and tingles .
equally impressive is paul sarossy 's cinematography , capturing the imposing canadian mountainsides and low - hanging fogs as splendidly as his shadowy interiors -- in one scene a bright wall calendar serves to illuminate portions of a room .
"
the sweet hereafter , " while undeniably grim , urges the viewer to grab onto life with both hands and not let go .
it 's a film of generous subtlety and emotion .
Output: P
when i first heard that romeo & juliet had been " updated " i shuddered .
i thought that yet another of shakespeare 's classics had been destroyed .
fortunately , i was wrong .
baz luhrman has directed an " in your face " , and visually stunning piece with this film .
it revolves around the two rival families , who in this version each run multi - million dollar enterprises .
these rival companies / families are the capulet 's and the montague 's .
the younger generation of these two families have formed gangs , who despise one another .
as the storylines goes , romeo montague ( played by leonardo dicaprio ) and juliet capulet ( claire danes ) meet at a fancy dress party , and it is love at first site .
i never believed love at first site was possible until i saw this film ,
the scene in which romeo 's eyes meet juliet 's through the fish tank
is one of the most memorable .
of course , they can not publicly reveal their love , for their families are arch enemies .
so they marry in secret
, this is where things begin to go wrong .
the story , as with all good shakespeare , ends in tragedy .
the cinematography is spectacular to say the least , and the soundtrack provides the perfect atmosphere in which to " lay our scene " , as the film says .
there is very little to criticise .
the performances are convincing , and several of the film 's younger stars may find that it provides a launch for their careers .
the modernisation of the script is ingenious and clever .
despite the well known storyline , this latest version still manages to cause tears among many members of the audience ( especially the younger generation ) , and this is certainly a great credit to the film .
Output: P
krippendorf 's tribe is a formula comedy .
done poorly , formulaic comedies might seem to signify the downfall of american cinema .
however , every now and then , one emerges , like krippendorf 's tribe , that actually works .
professor james krippendorf ( richard dreyfuss ) , the renowned anthropologist , is in trouble .
his university gave him a hefty grant to discover a lost tribe in new guinea .
however , he found .
. .
nothing .
his wife has recently died , and he has spent the remainder of the grant money in raising his three kids : shelly ( natasha lyonne ) , mickey ( gregory smith ) and edmund ( carl michael lidner ) .
tonight , he is expected to lecture on his newfound tribe .
rather than break the news ( and face the consequences of misusing his funds ) , he invents a tribe : the shelmikedmu ( named after his kids ) .
however , one lie begets another as he is not only required to deliver filmed proof of the shelmikedmu , but his research becomes a popular phenomenon .
soon , professor krippendorf is caught up in an elaborate ruse in which he films mockumentary footage starring his children as the shelmikedmu tribal members .
his efforts are hampered by the boasts of an over - eager colleague , veronica micelli ( jenna elfman ) , and the intense scrutiny of a rival anthropologist , ruth allen ( lily tomlin ) .
krippendorf 's tribe does seem to require a little suspension of disbelief .
no one seems to question the way his field documentaries seem to be shot with multiple cameras , or that his newly discovered tribesmen have startlingly blue eyes .
luckily , as the film builds momentum , that suspension of disbelief is easy to come by .
though there 's some mild humor in the krippendorf family trying to pass themselves off as a lost tribe , the real humor of the film is in how james gets trapped in his ever increasing snowball of lies .
the double meanings to many of the shelmikedmu appearances are enjoyable , and the comic timing required for some of the film 's latter scenes is superb .
richard dreyfuss is terrific
as the hapless professor who soon loses control of his own imaginary tribe .
jenna elfman 's position as a romantic lead seems a bit forced at times , but she plays the part with extreme affability .
even the kids , who in films like this tend to be a bit on the precocious side , are endearing and humorous .
yes , the film does veer occasionally into some rather lowbrow humor , but it has the best excuse of all :
it 's funny .
it may not go down as an all - time classic , but it certainly delivers what you expect from a comedy : plenty of laughs .
Output: P
not since 1996 's shine , which starred geoffrey rush as pianist david helfgott , has a movie so defiantly laid bare the lives of world - class musicians .
in fact , if one were to watch these films together , it would almost certainly stand as a convincing argument that a life of music naturally leads to all varieties of social ills .
yet hilary and jackie , the sophomore effort from director anand tucker , has something more to say -- it softly but strongly explores the complex relationships of sibling rivalry and love in a very compelling tale .
emily watson and rachel griffiths are the leads in this tale , playing the sisters du pr ? .
both musicians from childhood , hilary ( griffiths ) is renowned flutist while jacqueline ( watson ) is easily as skilled on the cello .
the two comepete for and win many honors as children and as young women , both together and seperate .
their careers as musicians surpass and then bow to one another 's , and although their lives take very different paths -- hilary settles down to marriage and a family while rachel skips across the globe on a world concert tour -- they are bound together by their deep family love .
the performances of watson and griffiths are excellent in style and substance .
they contrast each other wonderfully , and
while watson 's portrayal of jackie du pr ? is at times eccentric and perhaps unsympathetic , both characters are charged with emotion .
the frank cottrell boyce script , which is based on the book by hilary and piers
du pr ?
, brings a great deal of depth to these characters as well .
the script is also to be commended for its well - polished dual nature .
cottrell boyce adopts a style which one might expect to see in a mystery thriller ( which was in fact the case with david koepp and robert towne 's script for mission : impossible ) and skillfully molds it to the story of two rising musicians on different courses to fame .
the latter parts of his script are controversial to say the least , and the rather depressing ending takes the wind out of an envigorating story .
some will leave this movie feeling disenfranchised .
nevertheless , hilary and jackie is a movie that reaches an upper echelon of contemporary cinema through solid fundamentals and is a decent watch all around .
Output: P
the happy bastard 's 30-second review notting hill a cute romantic comedy from the writer of the hit comedy four weddings and a funeral , notting hill stars julia roberts as anna scott , a very popular actress with a $ 15 million asking price for movies .
one day she wanders into a travel book store owned by a simple london resident ( played by hugh grant ) , and sparks somehow begin to fly .
sure , there are points of turmoil , such as putting up with grant 's slightly disgusting ( but very hilarious ) roommate spike , anna 's pesky ex - boyfriend ( alec baldwin in a humorous cameo ) , and , on top of all that , those damn press .
it 's a fresh sort of complexity to see in a romantic comedy , very different from , say , a stubborn father or " not the right time " like as seen in usual flicks .
roberts is terrific as the astonishingly beautiful actress , and grant is surprisingly good as the straightforward guy still trying to get a hold of what has actually happened with this girl .
in short , a sweet romantic comedy that has a lot of good laughs , particularly provided by spike .
one tee - shirt really says it all about him .
in an attempt to turn on a woman , he shows the front of the shirt , which says : " you are the most beautiful woman in the world .
" on the back ?
" fancy a f
* * k ? "
Output: P
sick :
the life and death of bob flanagan , supermasochist by fernando vallejo starring bob flanagan and sheree rose .
interviews by kathe burkhart , kirby dick and rita valencia . produced and directed by kirby dick .
running time : 90 mins .
this film is not rated .
the central themes of " sick : the life and death of bob flanagan , supermasochist " are pain and love , and its subsequent effect on a person 's life .
its protagonist , bob flanagan , who died at the age of 52 , suffered from cystic fibrosis , a mortal disease which debilitates the lungs by saturating them with thick coats of mucus , preventing him from normal breathing .
the movie is about much more than recouperating ( or attempting to ) from this disease .
an audacious , fabulously triumphant docudrama , " sick " chronicles the life of flanagan and his vicious , unthinkable acts of sadomasochism conducted with his mistress of 15 years , sheree rose , who amazingly provided much of the footage for the film .
flanagan 's idelogy crosses the realms of rebelliousness and becomes transcendental , similar to terry zwigoff 's brilliant 1994 " crumb " , which also explored the dysfunction of an artist by painting not a sympathetic portrait , but a realistic one .
both crumb and flanagan revelled in their defects .
but flanagan was not only a man content on enduring the pain via lungs , he inflicted acts of pain on himself at a very young age , courageously defying god ( he was an irish catholic ) and turning his body into a work of art , which he unraveled in museums and lectures .
behold these works of physical art .
among them is a metal ball inserted inside his anus , and , --the most disturbing scene of the decade-- , nailing his penis to a board .
flanagan was a man of great intelligence , wit and humor , as well as adopting a sense of candidness scarcely seen in modern filmmaking .
not only did he approach his disease with humor , peforming burlesque acts in front of an audience , he was also revitalized by his approachment .
most with cystic fibrosis do not make it past their earlier twenties ( there 's also a subplot involving a female devotee who knew death was awaiting her . )
but the most outstanding thing about " sick " is flanagan 's relationship with sheree .
brimming with honesty , sensual stimulation and unapologetically sad moments of pain , their powerful bond lifts " sick " into a rare cinematic high , where we forget we are in an auditorium and become a part of these people .
the last scene , where we see the hero murmuring the last words to his wife in a hospital bed , as he struggles for his last moments of life , is raw , tender , hideous .
it goes a step beyond cinematic intimacy .
Output: P
james jones , one of the major novelists from the middle of the twentieth century , has written a number of fictional works about the effects of war on the individual .
a veteran of world war ii , and a witness to the pearl harbor bombings , his novels are not only grounded in realism but poetic in nature .
they are reminiscent of stephen crane in their blunt eloquence , a trait which lends itself to razor - sharp focus .
but perhaps none matches the scope of his autobiographical novel , the thin red line ; now a cinematic masterpiece from director terrence malick .
the book 's principal cast , some thirty characters , has been trimmed down for this rendition , but it still retains its most endearing value .
each of the roles has an everyman quality , emphasizing jones ' examination of world war ii on the american soldier .
there 's a definitive chain of command present , and this also plays on the motivations of the cast .
but most importantly , and perhaps intrinsic to the novel but not to the movie , a dynamic and effective voice - over is used .
malick has several characters relating their thoughts , giving the viewer a greater perspective of the issues at stake .
the issues at stake are many and one .
told from a limited third - person perspective ( as opposed to a top - down , omniscient view ) , the movie entails the struggle of an american infantry company ( " c - for - charlie " ) to take a hill during the conflict at guadalcanal .
the south pacific island is seen by the top brass as the key position for american armed forces to hold if they want to win the war . and want to win the war they do .
in an excellent performance , nick nolte plays c - for - charlie 's commanding officer , lt .
col .
gordon tall .
he 's an aging soldier who embodies the win - at - all - costs mentality , if only to impress his superior ( john travolta , in a questionable cameo ) .
this philosophy is opposite that of captain bugger staros ( elias koteas ) , who dearly values the life of each and every one of the men under his command .
at the front are the privates and corporals ( adrien brody , james caviezel , ben chaplin , et al ) , lead by 1st sgt .
welsh ( sean penn ) , who must actually execute the suicide orders handed down to them .
the thin red line is filled with intense , visual poetry , but it 's nearly three hours long .
although the interest level is high throughout the first two hours , the climax comes forty - five minutes before the end of the movie ; it goes without saying that the movie drags on the back end .
the thin red line will doubtless be compared to 1998 's other masterpiece of war , saving private ryan a countless number of times .
but to do so is to belittle both films , for
although similarities abound , so do differences .
director malick has a story to tell , and for those interested in listening , this can be a very outstanding movie .
Output: P
capsule : trippy , hyperspeed action machine from hong kong 's accomplished tsui hark .
van damme and rodman have nice chemistry
, the stunts are eyepopping , and stuff gets blowed up real good ; what more do you want ?
i admit i was all set to loathe double team ; it reeked of cheapjack timing - oriented marketing ( stick dennis rodman in a movie , quick , while he 's hot , and do something about jean - claude van damme 's flagging career while we 're at it ! ) .
surprise -- double team transcends its dumb roots and turns out to be a mess of fun
.
bring some friends , get some pretzels , and have a blast .
van damme is jack quinn , an ex - agent who is brought back in for " one last mission " -- you 'd think any spy worth his shoe phone would run like hell when he hears those words .
but van damme 's character has a pregnant wife who 's also a sculptor , and some unpleasant pressure gets used to get him to come through on this mission .
he 's been assigned to take down an old enemy , a terrorist named stavros ( mickey rourke , looking oddly subdued ) , who may be back up to his old tricks .
in the first showdown between quinn and stavros , the movie wears its ambitions proudly on its sleeve : nonstop action .
an amusement park , a hospital , a private " retired spy " 's retreat , most of rome , various houses , planes , cars and other modes of transport , and the coliseum ( ! )
all become arenas for some of the most bone - rattling shoot - outs and punch - outs filmed .
they are better seen than described and are reason enough to see the film : one jaw - dropping scene has van damme taking on a man who uses a switchblade with his * feet * .
( van damme is a good , dextrous athlete and fighter , but he is often upstaged . )
there are other nice touches .
stavros and quinn both want the same thing : to retire in peace with their families .
that ambition ties them together in various ways , and also humanizes them a bit .
one of the things about hk action movies is that there 's always some form of human element , and that 's carried over into this movie as well .
it gives weight to scenes that would otherwise be forgettable .
also good is dennis rodman , playing a weapons dealer named yaz -- a character who sticks out like a fistful of broken fingers and who is funny just standing there .
rodman is natural on screen ; he 's fun to watch , especially when slinging bad guys like basketballs , and deserves to get a movie of his own , based on what 's seen here : a lightweight , fast - moving entertainment
that showcases all of its pieces excellently .
Output: P
the heartbreak kid ( reviewed on aug .
26th/1998 ) starring charles grodin , cybill sheppard , eddie albert in " the heartbreak kid " , charles grodin plays one of the most unbelievably obnoxious characters i 've seen on screen in a long time .
he 's a guy who spends virtually the entire running time of the movie bullshitting his way from one situation to another .
i doubt he ever expressed any genuine feeling at all during the film .
as the film opens , he has just gotten married , and is on the way to miami beach for his honeymoon .
halfway there , he begins to resent his bride .
by the time he arrives at his hotel and has met the cybill sheppard character , he is ready to divorce his wife .
as played by grodin , this character is the type of person that nothing will ever be good enough for him .
the phrase " the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence " was practically written with him in mind .
however , if he finds something he really wants , he will pursue it for as long as it takes .
the only problem is , once he has it , he immediately loses interest .
the end of " the heartbreak kid " is both hilarious and sad for that very reason .
charles grodin is at his smarmy best here , and sheppard is quite appealing as the object of grodin 's desire . however , the real scene stealer is jeannie berlin , daughter of director elaine may , as grodin 's whiny bride .
she owns every scene that she 's in , and makes you almost want to root for what the grodin character is trying to do .
"
the heartbreak kid " was written by neil simon and it shows .
simon loves to deconstruct and analyze human relationships , and he 's at the top of his game here .
as maddeningly obnoxious as the grodin character is , he 's the type of guy that everyone knows .
the character of george costanza on " seinfeld " seems to have been modelled after him .
the only problem with the film is that it 's not that funny , and it 's billed as a comedy . as much as i could see the realism in the characters , it would have been nice to have a chuckle here and there .
"
the heartbreak kid " is not a date movie .
it has an extremely negative view of relationships , so seeing it with a girlfriend / boyfriend , could be hazardus to your health .
Output: P
it 's a curious thing - i 've found that when willis is not called on to carry the whole movie , he 's much better and so is the movie .
even though , in the sixth sense he is the " name " , he does n't have the pivotal role .
that honour goes to haley osment who plays cole sear ( cute pun , seer ) a 9 year old boy who can see ghosts .
if osment was cute or precious , the director going for the maudlin , this would be nothing more than a movie - of - the - week , thankfully , osment is not only better than that , but in some instances , blows everyone else off the screen in a bravura performance .
we get to see his fears , vulnerabilities , strengths and intelligence which makes the sixth sense one of the best movies i 've seen this year .
the whole cast matches him in quality , with willis giving a fairly low key performance that matches the subject matter .
one thing about this movie , its target .
this is n't a sfxfest like the haunting or a gorefest , this is more what i 'd call a supernatural drama , more interested in characters than in dazzling you with makeup .
one caveat :
there 's a lovely twist in the movie , something like the usual suspects , where you end up replaying the movie in your head rethinking what you have just seen .
i was extremely lucky to see it as a sneak preview in toronto , before any hype or critical reviews were out , so i went in with no biases .
if anyone want to talk to about the movie before you see it , do n't let them .
let the director explain on his own pace and you 'll enjoy the movie vastly more .
Output: P
i 'll be the first to admit i did n't expect much from the emperor 's new groove : more celine dion - esque song - and - dance numbers , cuddly characters that become cross - promotion devices in mcdonald 's happy meals , and hollywood stars trying to gain credibility by adding a voice - over job to their resume .
i was dead wrong about all of those things .
the emperor 's new groove is funny .
damn funny .
and the cute characters in the film are the dangerous ones .
the script is fast and furious , with no singing and dancing .
the animation is clean and would give walt a warm feeling all over .
the humor is dry and aimed at both the cynicism and the goodness in all of us .
the story is ridiculously weird and comes off as a strange acid trip involving talking , cross - dressing llamas and schizophrenia .
here 's the plot ; try to follow along .
set in a mythical kingdom , the film follows the adventures of kuzco ( david spade ) , an arrogant and egocentric emperor .
when kuzco fires his power - hungry advisor , yzma ( eartha kitt ) , she and her " assistant " kronk ( seinfeld 's patrick warburton ) change him into a llama .
kuzco then gets stranded in the jungle and must rely on pacha ( john goodman ) , a llama - herder whose home was to be replaced by kuzco 's water world theme park , to save him .
then the fun starts .
for the next sixty minutes , the audience is treated to something unheard of in disney films these days :
imagination .
yzma , voiced by the talented singer eartha kitt , looks like a cross between norma desmond , joan crawford , and a really old vegas showgirl .
the dialogue between her and her oblivious assistant kronk is quick , sharp , and feels like an episode of seinfeld ( which would make sense ) .
david spade and john goodman 's character interactions make you feel like you 're watching an old hope / crosby film .
spade is beyond dry with his humor and shoots below the belt on several occasions , and i laughed out loud several times .
needless to say , that is an extremely rare thing in disney screenings these days .
the best part about the emperor 's new groove is how audacious the film is .
the sheer weirdness factor is very high .
cross - dressing , schizophrenia , duality of soul , people being turned into every animal on noah 's boat , llama cpr , homoerotic tendencies , an emperor with his own theme song and singer , michael jackson dance moves , and a guy that can communicate with a squirrel are only a few of the oddities that make the film a true orginal .
simply put , the emperor 's new groove is one of the best children 's films out for this holiday season .
kids will enjoy the adventures , and parents will enjoy the story and dialogue .
that 's a tough thing to pull off in a single package , but this emperor manages to do it .
Output: P
tbwp is probably the single most profitable film ever .
not surprising , considering its tiny us$100 , 000 budget , to date it has earned in excess of us$130 million .
that 's a shocking 100 times profit !
rumours have it that a smart internet ` marketing ' ploy was so successful in gaining cult - like fanatics , by word of mouth coupled with strings of excellent reviews , the film just exploded in the box - office , raking in millions on its opening weekend .
shot in 16 mm and video ( i suspect . )
, the film chronicles the forays of 3 students who go in search for the legendary blair witch .
audiences are put in the first - person perspective in the entire mis - adventure , often wobbly and blurry at times , it takes a bit of getting used to in the beginning .
this is supposed to be the material they discovered in the woods where the 3 disappeared ; edited and put onto the screen for the benefit of our audiences .
tbwp is
simply smart . filmed to look as if it was really a stock - shoot by a bunch of students in search of the blair witch as a school project , one may suspect ( like yours truly ) that its simply a lazy but smart approach to film - making .
simply amazing in that respect , i must say .
talk about impact ,
oh yes , tbwp does have quite a bit , in fact most audience will find it deeply disturbing .
i did , especially the last bit
but i 'm not revealing more .
you have to see it for yourself .
i ca n't help but feel a tad cheated after knowing how commercially successful this film has become .
could it be that finally , an indie - film has unwittingly found a formula for commercial appeal ?
or was it all simply a ploy by the big players right from the beginning ?
well , i guess the fact stays ; tbwp is highly original , clever and will most definitely leave most with something dreadful to talk and think about for weeks prior to watching this film .
no gore , no special effects ,
i just ca n't get over how terribly smart this film is !
Output: P
do n't let the following quirks of this review , fool you into believing that this movie is anything short of an ultimate labour of love .
but one can see the humour of roberto benigni when you see that ?
life is beautiful , even though i 'm a short , ugly looking man with an obnoxious laugh .
life is beautiful even though i have n't amounted to much in life , except working out the finer intricacies of waitering .
i 'm a lucky sort of a guy , especially when a beautiful woman strips away my venner of superficiality to find a new age , sensitive guy with the biggest heart in the entire world underneath - life is beautiful !
i 'm a jew , but life can still be beautiful .
the nazis put me in a concentration camp , but life is still beautiful .
i love my son very much and that 's what matters , and that 's what makes life beautiful .
my ability to entertain somehow convinces my son that living in a concentration camp is somewhat beautiful ?
i get shot for my efforts and the woman i love , but hey that 's life
and that 's still a beautiful thing -
so by jove do n't give me any crap about it ! by far the movie with the biggest heart this decade and well deserves every nomination and award that it has achieved .
well done , there should be more film directors and actors like you roberto benigni .
Output: P
steve soderbergh 's " sex , lies , and videotape , " which won the grand prize at the cannes film festival in 1989 , arguably began the resurgence of independent films .
made on a shoestring budget of $ 1 . 2 million , with then relatively unknown actors , it is a provocative , thoroughly original drama .
the film mostly focuses on the four central characters , all in their late 20's - early 30 's .
ann ( andie macdowell ) , an unfulfilled housewife , is married to john ( peter gallagher ) , an insensitive lawyer , who , unbeknownst to her , is having an affair with her younger sister , cynthia ( laura san giacomo ) .
complicating matters even worse is graham ( james spader , who won best actor at cannes ) , john 's old college buddy , who comes to stay at their house .
ann is absolutely won over by him , even though she clearly has stated that she has very little interest in sex .
that is the set - up for the last hour of the picture , and since the film is entitled , " sex , lies , and videotape , " it is best to keep the rest of the story developments at bay so that they will come as a genuine surprise .
director steven soderbergh has proven to be a wildly offbeat filmmaker , ranging from the independent , to the mainstream ( 1998 's " out of sight " ) , to the downright kafkaesque ( 1997 's " schizopolis " ) .
he is the type of director who obviously takes a lot of chances , and believes in the work that he does , and , " sex , lies , and videotape , " is probably his most confident , and maybe even best , to date .
the performances are superb from all four leads , but macdowell stands out in what is probably the main character .
she is always a very winning actress , but this is probably her most three - dimensional role that she has had ( with a close second being altman 's 1993 mosaic , " short cuts " ) .
the other parts are perfectly cast as well , from spader 's ominous graham , to gallagher 's self - involved john , to giacomo 's outspoken cynthia .
the final act of the film , especially , comes right out of left field , and turns out to be both shocking and oddly touching , and it would be criminal to give away the film 's secrets .
suffice to say that , through one powerful sequence , ann is able to somewhat come out of her shell , and john learns a valuable lesson about honesty , as well as deception .
the film has one fault , however .
the characters are almost all emotionally cold and isolated from one another , and often unlikable .
if there had been a few extra scenes with gallagher , it probably would have helped , since his relationship with macdowell is n't quite as explored as i would have liked .
"
sex , lies , and videotape , " although minorly flawed , is still easily a brave and adult motion picture that is far more mature and honest about its subject matter than the usual film .
soderbergh clearly knew what he was doing while he was making it , and the final product certainly proves this .
Output: P
harmless , silly and fun comedy about dim - witted wrestling fans gordie and sean ( david arquette and scott caan ) who idolize current world championship wrestling heavyweight champion jimmy king ( oliver platt ) .
when king is screwed out of his title by a corrupt promoter ( joe pantoliano ) , gordie and sean take it upon themselves to find their fallen hero and restore his glory .
my biggest fear about ready to rumble was dispatched early on , as the filmmakers are quick to show that wresting is indeed choreographed ( but not fake , mind you ) .
the hook of the movie is that gordie and sean are just too stupid to realize that .
arquette and caan are suitably over the top with their performances , which is exactly what a movie like this requires , and oliver platt ( one of my favorite actors ) is a riot as the drunken washed - up ex - champion .
many have scoffed at the idea that platt should be playing a heavyweight champion wrestler with an unbeaten record , but for me it just added to the " silly factor " of the film , thereby increasing my enjoyment of it .
one casting complaint however : rose mcgowan as a sexy dancer ?
please . . . if rose mcgowan is sexy then i 'm marilyn manson .
given the current state of the actual wcw , if oliver platt were appearing as jimmy king right now on wcw programming , he 'd be the most popular guy they have .
on a similar note , the " plot line " of the wresting portions of the film are more entertaining than anything the wcw writers have been able to come up with in the last two years .
although one does have to ask . . .
why would any wrestling promoter fire the head wrestler of a company who is both unbeaten and extremely popular with the fans ?
director brian robbins ( you 'll remember him as eric from tv 's " head of the class " ) just knows how to make good dumb movies .
this movie fits in nicely with his previous efforts good burger and varsity blues .
and screenwriter steven brill ( the epic mighty ducks trilogy , late last night ) manages to keep things both sophomoric and clever
at the same time , with almost all the jokes of the film getting a laugh out of me .
the only exceptions to that were : 1 ) a scene involving a van full of singing nuns and 2 ) any scene involving the old woman wrestling fan .
those moments made me cringe and/or groan . as an added bonus though , the audience is treated to outtakes from the film as the final credits roll .
[ pg-13 ]
Output: P
metro
i 've seen san francisco in movies many times .
there was 1994 's interview with the vampire and most recently the rock .
now , yet again , san francisco is the setting for this movie .
eddie murphy stars as inspector scott roper of the sfpd .
he is their top hostage negotiator , and the very best at what he does .
when his best friend on the force is killed by joe ( michael wincott , in a terrific performance ) , a psychotic , demented jewel thief , roger makes it his mission to capture the guy before he strikes again .
meanwhile , roper tries to rekindle a relationship with his british ex - girlfriend veronica , while helping to rear a new up and comer from swat who 's an expert sniper and marksman ( michael rappaport ) .
despite the obligatory cop movie scenes ( does every cop / new partner movie have to start the same way ? ) where the sgt .
assigns roper a partner , roper confronts the sarge , etc .
, this film is still one heck of an explosive ride .
a scene involving a cable car has to be seen to be believed , and boasts some amazing car stunts .
eddie murphy shines in this tailor - made role , and for once , his character shows depth and concern .
when confronting joe in prison , you can feel the anger drip from every word .
michael rappaport is basically throwaway .
he serves no purpose , except to be buddy to murphy and get disabled in the final reel so that eddie can save the day .
typical action escapist fare .
michael wincott offers the best performance as the crazed killer and jewel thief joe .
never before have i seen such a villian written like this where i could actually believe that he was serious and take him seriously .
maybe i just thought that this role was different due to wincott 's perfectly raspy voice .
i do n't know .
what i do know , though , is that although metro is basically a typical action retread , it manages to cover new ground and shed new light on tired old cliches ' .
the film is a triumph , and an entertaining one at that .
it does n't meander or trail off from its main character .
an enjoyable two hours , metro is enjoyable , witty , action - packed , and fun , and makes for a great action movie that 's perfect for all of us
that need an escape from reality .
Output: P
susan granger 's review of " hearts in atlantis " ( castle rock / warner bros . )
timing is everything , and the timing just seems right for this poignant psychological drama that combines the coming - of - age nostalgia of " stand by me " with the mystical power of " the green mile .
"
based on stephen king stories adapted by screenwriter william goldman and directed by scott hicks , it 's set in 1960 in harwich , connecticut , where fatherless 11 year - old bobby garfield ( anton yelchin ) lives in a boarding house with his resentful , self - centered mother ( hope davis ) .
he 's devoted to his neighborhood friends ( mika boorem , will rothhaar ) but his pivotal relationship is with a strange , new tenant , ted brautigan ( anthony hopkins ) who opens the world of literature to him after his selfish mother refuses to buy him a birthday gift and hands him , instead , a library card .
knowing he 's longing for a schwinn bike , ted offers to pay him $ 1 a week to read him the local newspaper and keep his eyes peeled for signs of the malevolent , ominous low men who are chasing him to exploit his special powers .
the story structure consists of one long flashback , framed by the present , featuring the adult bobby ( david morse ) , minimizing the supernatural elements while emphasizing the human drama hopkins ' mysterious character is genteel , sensitive and benignly seductive .
the only explanation is that he 's a psychic who is wanted by the fbi to aid in their hunt for communists and even that seems appropriate , given the inexplicable state of the world right now .
the production values and performances are solid , particularly hopkins - arguably the finest , most versatile actor of our era - and the children with whom he forges a firm bond .
on the granger movie gauge of 1 to 10 , " hearts in atlantis " is a wistful , enigmatic 8 , evolving with subtle power to an emotionally effective catharsis .
Output: P
eric rohmer 's " pauline at the beach , " is one of those small , deliberately paced , but charming foreign films in which not much happens plot wise , but a lot happens to the characters emotionally .
the film takes place during a few weeks of august at the normandy coast , and centers on six different characters , primarily pauline ( amanda langlet ) , a wise beyond her years 15-year - old who has come to stay for the summer with her older cousin , marion ( arielle dombasle ) .
on the first day at the beach , marion runs into an old high school flame ( fedoore atkine ) , and although he wants to rekindle their relationship , she is more interested in an older , more seductive womanizer ( pascal greggory ) , who is also secretly having an affair with a candy vendor ( rosette ) .
while pauline watches as an outsider at what is happening between all of the adults , she forms a relationship of her own with a young teenage boy ( simon de la brosse ) .
" pauline at the beach , " is not a film in which big dramatic things occur , and there is not a clear - cut , tidy conclusion to the story .
instead , it is a picture that simply observes its characters in every day life , and the surprises come from little character details .
the film is quite talky and slow moving , and so it is pretty safe to say it is n't for those who are only a fan of action movies , but is a treat for those viewers who often like to venture outside of the big - budget genre and see a good art film .
this is the first film by acclaimed director eric rohmer ( 1969 's " my night at mauds , " and 1971 's " claire 's knee " ) that i have seen , but his direction is assured and intelligent , as is the screenplay , which he also wrote .
" pauline at the beach , " is a film worth seeing .
Output: P