niryuu/sni-each-converted huggingface dataset:
ingredients :
neophyte lawyer , legal situations , corrupt insurance company , synopsis : rudy baylor ( matt damon ) is an ethical kid fresh out of law school who must juggle three legal situations at the same time .
rudy 's girlfriend is attacked by her violent husband ; rudy 's elderly landlady wants to arrange her will so that her children are excluded , and ; the family of rudy 's friend with leukemia is suing the corrupt insurance company that would n't pay for a bone marrow transplant .
rudy is new to being a lawyer and is thoroughly outgunned , but luckily he is aided by a sleazy ambulance chaser ( danny devito ) who has failed the bar exam six times as well as by the kindly presiding judge ( danny glover ) .
jon voight plays leo
f .
drummond , the intimidating and arrogant leader of the all - powerful insurance company 's team of lawyers who will do anything to oppose justice .
will rudy defeat leo ?
will he enjoy being a lawyer ?
opinion :
the good news is that this movie has a happy ending , and it features a guy trying to do the right thing .
director francis ford coppola does this film a little differently than the stereotypical law movie .
in the typical lawyer movie there 's one big case and the movie focuses on solving it , and somewhere along the line surprise witnesses and motives turn up before the good guy wins ( after lots of gripping courtroom drama ) .
however , coppola 's movie is deliberately more low key . ' the rainmaker ' plays out like a personality sketch of young rudy as he gets emotionally involved with and tries to save various little quirky side characters .
in the background rudy 's voice narrates his feelings and makes half - cynical jokes about the legal profession in general .
two factors combine to make this movie less heavy than it can be .
first , rudy 's time is split juggling three cases , rather than concentrating on a single high - stakes case .
also , rudy 's use of voice narration in place of acting makes the film lose some of its dramatic edge .
the end result is an entertaining low key law movie where the good guys win , and rudy narrates his way into coming of age .
Output: P
in one of my many videos i have attained from the local library , casablanca was my third classic in some weeks .
the others being citizen kane and vertigo ( yes , i am trying to see as many of afi 's greatest movies ever made as i can ) .
but , casablanca stood out from the rest for me : it was actually watchable .
what most hail as the greatest american film ever , casablanca is n't so much a love story as a political frenzy with a love triangle thrown in .
it seems that star humphry bogart spend about 85 percent of the movie with various leaders of the nation instead of with ingred bergman .
that annoyed me , as did the ending .
why did n't the plan turn around ? ! ?
surprisingly , i enjoyed the film .
i liked bogart 's character and his acting
( not over the top as most actors in his era ) .
i once read about if you had a choice to be in a movie , which one would it be , and a women said casablanca .
at first i was thinking to myself " why ?
" then , as i watched the film again , i understood why .
the movie is very well done and the script top - notch , although i doubt i understood more than half of the political mumbo jumbo .
casablanca is , in my mind , no classic ( like solaris ) , but it is a good film and stylishly shot
.
hey , hollywood , how about this : a remake with harrison ford and anne heche ?
now that would be a classic .
Output: P
capsule : suprisingly more of a comedy than a straight action flick , which is n't necessarily a bad thing .
not exactly oscar caliber , but
one helluva bullet - riddled good time .
extended review : you know , i remember when hitmen were evil , murderous scum .
alas , the times are a - changin ' .
in a recent string of movies , hitmen are suddenly wise- cracking , fun - loving killers - with - hearts .
this brings us to hong kong director kirk wong 's first american feature , the big hit .
oddly enough , about the same time last year a similar film , grosse point blank , was released .
advertised as a quirky comedy with hints of action , it turned out to have a suprising dosage of it .
the big hit is quite the opposite .
it was hyped as " the new film from producer john woo " , so one would it expect lots of stylized killing and action .
however , there 's a sore lack of it , which is about the only thing wrong with the big hit .
the film starts out with mel smiley and his cohorts doing a job on a white slaver .
mel , played by mark wahlberg in a dopey , milquetoast role , is a killing machine ; he flips , spins , even breakdances whilst popping caps .
sadly , he does n't get a chance to do much of it . except for the beginning set piece and the last 20 twenty minutes or so , the film is in comedy mode .
the action , at least what there is of it , is prime cut stuff .
wong , after numerous hong kong features , makes quite a nice u . s .
debut
.
however , his pacing is a bit off , with the action sequences only bookending the movie and not lasting long enough .
they start off electrifying and fresh , but just kinda stop .
normally , this would hamper a movie to the point of being unenjoyable .
luckily , we have ben ramsey 's screenplay , a bitingly funny piece of work .
the only problem is there might be too much humor , one joke makes you laugh so hard you miss the next few .
some of best gags include an oriental film maker down on his luck and one of mel 's hitmen pals that has just discovered onanism .
the only problem is how some of the minor characters are handled , some being there only for a laugh , which sometimes works , sometimes does n't .
overall , the big hit may have it 's flaws , but it makes up for them in a stylishly directed , gut - wrenchingly funny joyride .
definately one of the better ways to spend two hours .
Output: P
bruce barth 's mellow piano plays in the background as conflict erupts in a little country town of florida .
ulee 's gold feels like another fonda creation- on golden pond : it has a soft , calm surface with a tempest brewing underneath , the cinematography creates a place of gold , yellow , and olive colors , the music is stirring and tranquil .
both deal with the hardships of family life .
peter fonda gives his undoubtedly best performance in victor nu ?
ez 's new film and patricia richardson ( home improvement star )
shows she is worthy of big screen attention .
nu ?
ez is probably independent film 's greatest asset , along with john sayles , and he proves his talent with a slow pace and undulating , heavy tension .
peter fonda 's performance borrows from his father henry fonda 's in on golden pond-
there is a great vulnerability that he gives the character ulee jackson and
just like his father , peter fonda is quiet , emotional , and weary in this exceptional role .
ulee jackson , the film 's protagonist , is struggling .
pressure is mounting at the wrong time .
he is a beekeeper and this is his " busy " season .
he has to deal with his two granddaughters ' needs and erupting hormones , he is forced to pick up his daughter - in - law in orlando who is strung out on drugs and take care of her , and he is faced with a challenging task : unsettled business his son , who is now in prison , has left behind .
he finds his daughter - in - law , helen , with the two men his son robbed a bank with .
she has apparently told these two men that the money that resulted from the robbery is with her husband .
that is why he got caught-
the police found him with the money .
now the two men are demanding they get the cash , or they will come after ulee 's two granddaughters .
ulee promises he will bring it to them and takes a deranged helen back to his serene little home where her two children that she abandoned scrutinize her with contempt .
ulee is a man who lost his pals in war-
he was the only man in his platoon to survive .
he refuses help from anybody and does not respond to affectionate gestures .
he is a bitter , closed - off man whose only passion is his beekeeping , his granddaughters , and his dead wife .
connie , his next door neighbor , finally gets through to him with friendly favors .
she is a nurse and helps helen get through her turmoil with drugs .
ulee 's gold is the story of a man who believes he is fine as he is- until the truth is revealed painfully to him : he is cold and unfeeling .
of course , in the end , ulee softens up , but his journey is absorbing and we have fallen in love with his tiredness and weariness .
what is admirable about the movie is peter fonda 's winning turn as ulee and the story that feels like nobody 's fool but , in the end , ends up in a class of its own .
Output: P
susan granger 's review of " big eden " ( jour de fete )
it 's utopia , this tiny town tucked away in the timberland of northwestern montana , where old codgers lounge on the porch of the general store to pass the time away and the local matchmakers ( nan martin , louise fletcher ) eagerly pair off the young people , regardless of sexual preference .
there 's nary a homophobe or bigot around , much to the surprise of henry hart ( arye gross ) , a successful but lonely manhattan artist who returns home to care for sam ( george coe ) , the ailing grandfather who raised him .
and with the simultaneous re - appearance of his best - friend from high - school and object of his unrequited love ( tim dekay ) , now divorced with two young sons , the fact of his homosexuality must be faced .
to complete the triangle , there 's
the tall , taciturn native american ( eric schweig ) who owns the general store and lovingly yet secretly prepares gourmet meals for henry and sam .
this fable about home and family is a major debut for first - time film - maker thomas bezucha ( a former designer for coach and polo / ralph lauren ) who is meticulous about minding details , using ballads like " welcome to my world " and " achin ' , breakin ' heart " to set up the concept of our universal longing to find a place in which we can love and be loved .
in the paradise of big eden , what you are does n't matter as much as generosity of spirit , respect and kindness .
sure , the plot 's implausible but it 's a good - natured fantasy
so allowances should be made .
and rob sweeney 's photography of glacier national park is spectacular !
on the granger movie gauge of 1 to 10 , " big eden " is a charming , quirky , off - beat
7 .
it 's a heart - warming romantic comedy about a gay man who does n't die of aids or wind up alone at the end .
Output: P
when you go to the movies as much as i do , you unfortunately end up seeing certain movie trailers one too many times .
such was the case with frequency .
every time i went to a screening , there was the frequency preview .
it looked awful .
it looked cheesy , sappy and ridiculous .
it looked like a flop .
well , whoever put that trailer together should be fired , because in terms of pure entertainment , frequency is one of the best of the year thus far .
frequency boasts
a compelling story line .
an occurrence of freakish solar activity allows police detective john sullivan ( james caviezel ) to speak to his fireman father frank sullivan ( dennis quaid ) through a ham radio , despite the fact that frank has been dead for 30 years .
john is able to give his father information that prevents his death in a warehouse fire , but by doing so causes other changes .
somehow , a serial killer 's reign of terror , which in the original timeline had been stopped at three murders , extends to ten victims . . . including john 's mother .
this is director gregory hoblit 's third film ( the other two being primal fear and fallen ) .
with all three , he 's managed to attach himself to great scripts ( this one by toby emmerich , whose only previous movie experience was as a music supervisor on numerous new line films ) and add equally great direction .
also , he apparently likes to have his films wrap up with a kick - ass ending .
frequency is no exception , the ending is unpredictable and incredibly satisfying .
hoblit is three for three , and i hope he can keep it up .
now everyone can argue logic this and logic that all you want with the sci - fi elements of frequency .
but the fact of the matter is that time travel has never been achieved .
who 's to say how something works and how it does n't when it 's never happened ?
is it because we 've become accustomed to time travel " laws " from other places like " star trek " and the back to the future trilogy and " quantum leap " ?
yes , if you sit down and think about it , certain plot elements in this film probably wo n't make any sense .
most films are like that .
do n't let that dissuade you from seeing this fantastically entertaining film however .
when frequency was over , it made me wish i had seen it with my father so i could have given him a hug (
okay okay , shut up ) .
when you break it down past all its sci - fi elements and serial killer antics , frequency is simply a movie about a father and his son and the bond that they share .
it 's touching , it 's sincere , and it 's what ultimately makes this movie work .
[ pg-13 ]
Output: P
it must be tough to be a mob boss .
just ask paul vitti ( robert deniro ) , a man who finds his job as mafia head to be rather stress inducing .
i can believe it , too - one ca n't even begin to fathom the turmoil he must go through when he 's forced to choose between an ice pick , baseball bat or sledgehammer to torture victims with . suffering from reoccurring panic attacks , paul decides he needs to consult some professional help . and who better than billy crystal .
after appearing in bottom - of - the - barrel flops , father 's day and my giant , crystal finally finds a reliable costar and some very promising material here .
playing vitti 's private shrink , the two very different stars strike an unorthodox , but interesting relationship that carries this enjoyable comedy on a steady wave of laughs from start to finish .
casting robert deniro as paul vitti is something of an in - joke , i think .
placed in this mobster 's shoes , deniro gets to spoof characters he himself played in films like the godfather , part ii and casino .
it 's obvious he 's having a lot of fun doing so .
the man behind the camera is harold ramis , whose credits include ghostbusters ( as writer and star ) , and his best directing effort , the bill murray vehicle , groundhog day .
ramis has a knack for drawing laughs because he simply knows what 's funny , and here he manages to accentuate the strengths of nearly all the actors .
the only character who weakens the payoff is crystal 's bride - to - be ( lisa kudrow ) .
playing the same dumbed - down role as she does in friends , kudrow is amusing , but does n't fit into this comedy mold as well as the director may have hoped .
the supporting cast sparkles .
joe viterelli is hilarious as jelly , vitti 's pea brained right - hand man , and chazz palminteri is a show stopper playing a fellow mobster who 's in desperate need of the definition of ` closure ' .
the movie manages to maintain consistent chuckles throughout , putting the emphasis on 3 or 4 really big laughs that will have audiences grasping their sides .
the situation is just too cute to resist .
it 's unfortunate that the language gets somewhat out of hand .
but hey , if you 're in the mafia , using obscenities probably comes naturally .
and near the end , seeing billy crystal attempt to walk and talk like a mob boss is truly a special treat .
Output: P
expand the final fifteen minutes of home alone into a feature - length film and you 've got baby 's day out -- an agreeably amusing children 's comedy about a bumbling band of kid kidnappers who are unwittingly outwitted by an innocent infant .
the plot tracks a trio of crooks - posed - as - photographers ( mantegna , pantoliano , haley ) who steal nine - month - old bennington august cottwell iv , aka baby bink , from his old - money home .
but the plan goes awry when baby crawls out an open window and into the streets of downtown chicago !
following the path of his favorite story , called " baby 's day out , " baby rides a bus and visits the zoo and winds up at a skyscraper construction site .
while baby stays unscathed , the crooks fare worse for the wear .
the stooges get hit by boards and dropped from roofs and , of course , suffer multiple crotch injuries .
( john wayne bobbitt should probably steer clear of this one . )
like he did in planes , trains , and automobiles
, john hughes again demonstrates his mastery of the simple set - up and extended execution .
here , he 's aided and abetted by a director , patrick read johnson , whose choreography could rival
a coen brother .
best bit : baby crawling across a busy city street .
baby 's day out has only two emotions -- awww and ouch -- and the actors play them accordingly .
forget the cartoon concern of lara flynn boyle or cynthia nixon , disposable as mom and nanny , respectively , the ones to watch are the ones who are wincing .
joe mantegna is a great head stooge , barking lines like " that little doo - doo machine is my retirement money .
"
brian haley has a great scene with a gorilla , while joe pantolianto plays curly to mantegna 's moe .
*
he * is funny .
needless to say , twins adam and jacob warton
are adorable beyond belief .
Output: P
if you want some hearty laughs , then rat race is the movie for you .
this unpretentious little comedy , which sneaks into theaters today with very little hype ,
will have you bouncing in your theater seat .
and while the film fits neatly into the low - brow , slapstick school of comedy , one refreshing aspect is its lack of mean - spiritedness .
the plot follows a group of people chosen at random by an eccentric las vegas casino owner ( john cleese ) who must race from vegas to a bus station locker 700 miles away in silver city , n .
m .
inside the locker is a duffel bag containing $ 2 million .
the first one to open the locker , gets the bag and the money .
what the group of participants does n't know is that cleese 's donald sinclair ( " i can do anything i want -
i 'm eccentric ! " ) is staging the race as a betting game for a group of high rollers at the hotel .
the participants include vera ( whoopi goldberg ) and merrill ( lanai chapman ) , a newly reunited mother and daughter ; disgraced pro football referee owen templeton ( cuba gooding jr . ) ; italian tourist mr .
pollini ( rowan atkinson ) ; randy pear ( jon lovitz ) and his family ; the bumbling con men duane and blaine cody ( seth green and vince vieluf ) ; and cynical young lawyer nick shaffer ( breckin meyer ) .
various amusing encounters and mishaps befall the participants en route to silver city .
screenwriter andy breckman adds a nice touch by not having the racers try to sabotage one another .
the most side - splitting situations involve vera and merrill 's encounter with the squirrel lady , a nice nutsy cameo by kathy bates ; owen 's commandeering a charter bus full of lucille ball look - alikes on their way to a lucy convention ; the cody brothers misadventures with a hot - air balloon , a flying cow and a monster truck ; and the pear family 's stopover at a barbie museum , which turns out not to be what they think it is .
the pear family situation is a fine example of the way breckman 's script builds the laughs .
without going into detail , this bit segues from the museum to hitler 's touring car , to eva braun 's dark lipstick , to lovitz burning his tongue , culminating at a ceremony honoring world war ii veterans .
rat race 's cast is first rate .
cleese is wonderfully devilish and madcap ; lovitz is , at first , a bit whiny , but his character grows on you ; gooding is having a fine romp ; and dave thomas almost steals the show as cleese 's deadpan assistant , a man " born without a personality .
"
the film is directed by jerry zucker , who knows something about comedy
.
along with his brother , david , and friend jim abrahams , he was responsible for such hits as airplane ! and ruthless people .
a throwaway subplot , which is good for some laughs , features cleese and his buddies , betting on a series of outlandish situations , including one dealing with a hooker and pepto - bismol .
this is a fun little feature .
the only letdown comes at the finale , which is too touchy - feely and sweet , almost negating what came before it .
rat race is a summer sleeper , but it will keep you awake , as will the laughter of those watching around you .
Output: P
i had a chance to see a sneak preview of city slickers ii on campus last night .
i went in with the expectation of a film with the similar flavor which made the original such a success : personal growth and insightful humor about life .
i came away somewhat disappointed in this regard , getting some of the latter and not much of the former .
the basic plot revolves around billy crystal , who plays mitch robbins , turning forty .
he 's now become the station manager of the radio station in which he worked in the original .
he 's given a job at the radio station to his best friend , played by daniel stern , out of sympathy while stern 's character works through his divorce .
his loser younger brother ( john lovitz ) comes to mitch 's house to bum a money and place to live , all while mitch and his wife try to celebrate his birthday .
during the celebration , mitch discovers what appears to be a treasure map in curly 's ( the cattle drive leader in the original played by jack palance ) old hat .
after a business trip to las vegas , crystal , stern , and lovitz stay a few extra days to go off in search of the treasure .
on the way , they run into curly 's twin brother , duke , played by ( you know who ) jack palance .
first of all ,
the cinematography was beautifully done , especially the outdoor scenes in the desert .
the scenes are such that i would like to see some of those sights filmed myself .
there is some character development during the film .
the actors remain true to their characters and play them well , without overplaying the jokes .
the movie is a good basic adventure , with enough plot twists to provide for an ending that is difficult to predict .
the movie is paced well
, but with a couple slow spots in the middle and towards the end .
humor - wise , the film has a good number of jokes which maintained my interest throughout the film .
there are memorable moments
like when stern is bitten by a snake , but there are fewer jokes to laugh at in the sequel ( surprise , surprise for a sequel , right ? ) .
however , the slight bitter aftertaste i have with this film has to do mainly with the film 's manipulation of the audience .
the film tries to pull your heart - strings too much regarding how close the characters are to each other , like when mitch had decided to suck the snake marrow out of his best friend 's butt .
this is done again when the gang meets up with some members of the cattle drive group from the original .
there were also some parts which appeared unrealistic , like whether the stampede would start in the way it did or why they did n't worry more about water while tromping around the desert .
some strenuous stretches of the imagination are required here .
since the objective of the gang is to find gold and get rich ( unlike finding themselves in middle age like in the original ) , i also found it harder to empathize with the characters during their journey .
overall , i 'd say that the film is an entertaining and humorous adventure with some story - line deficiencies making it less worthy than the original .
it may be worth the full price of admission , but a matinee would be a better bargain .
Output: P
today , war became a reality to me after seeing a screening of saving priivate ryan .
steve spielberg goes beyond reality with his latest production .
the audience is tossed about the theatre witnessing the horror of war .
please keep the kids home as the r rating is for reality .
tom hanks is stunning
as capt john miller , set out in france during ww ii to rescue and return home a soldier , private ryan ( matt damon ) who lost three brothers in the war .
spielberg at time takes us inside the heads of these individuals as they face death during the horrific battle scenes .
private ryan is not for everyone , but i felt the time was right for a movie like this to be made .
the movie reminds us of the sacrifices made by our ww ii fighting men and women .
we must not ever forget them as many gave the ultimate sacrifice , their lives so that we may live in freedom today .
for this i thank them and for steve spielberg for making a movie that i will never forget .
the academy will not forget tom hanks come april 1999 , as
another well deserved oscar
with be in tom 's posession .
Output: P
well , i 'll admit when i first heard about this film ( which was before dante 's peak ) i could just smell what ' twister ' had started .
so now it seems that we 're in a full fledged return to the ' 70 's disaster film era .
with ' twister ' , ' dante 's peak ' , ' volcano ' and soon ' flood ' and james cameron 's extremly expensive ' titanic ' i 'll say first off
i enjoyed ' volcano ' much more than i did ' dantes peak ' .
part of that is just being biased as
i usually enjoy anything that tommy lee jones appears in .
i 've been reading a lot about the movie being ' cheezy ' or ' hokey ' and really did n't see or think that once during the entire film .
i get bored easily and this film did n't bore me for a minute .
another thing , and boy am i bitching today !
, that bothers me is when critics and such go on about
" well that s not really possible .
"
you know what ?
i could n't give a bloody damn if it 's possible or not , really i could n't .
it 's a freaking movie and i do n't want reality thrown in my face .
i want to be able to see the impossible , the all might " what if " to many reviewers have seen one to many movies !
the special effects are the second star to this feature .
they are so amazing that i found it hard sometimes to believe they were indeed fx
and la was was not burning to the ground .
they did an incredible job and come oscar time ( if they remember ) some notice better be thrown there way .
Output: P
near the end of frank capra 's holiday classic , its a wonderful life , george bailey ( jimmy stewart ) is feeling down .
he has devoted his life to others , and never fulfilled his dream of leaving his small supburb town , bedford falls . standing upon a bridge above stormy waters , he looks down , contemplating suicide .
he has potential he has n't fulfilled -- yet , he has done so much for others .
as a young chap , his ambition was to leave his hometown of bedford falls .
but times and ambitions change .
things happen , and he 's stuck .
his guardian angel is there , and shows him that . . .
it 's a wonderful life .
in a whirlwind tour of the town , george sees what life would be like without him .
he learns the moral lesson , that to live is a gift .
his earthly problems are solved .
the climatic scene is a marvel .
frank capra 's film is a centenial classic -- watched and re - experienced by every generation .
wonderful life is one of the few pictures of times gone by that seems as fresh , maybe fresher , then it did when it was first released .
many films of the thirties through seventies have aged poorly .
but this one is a near flawless example of how well a perfect script and timing can mesh with first - rate acting , wit and suspense , glorious music , and terrific set peices .
the only even slightly dated scenes are those at the begining in which god has a long chat with clarence , george 's guardian angel .
they are n't all that bad , but they remain corny and a little out of place .
nevertheless , this is one film that deserves its place in time , cinema history , and our hearts .
it can be equally appreciated by anyone of any age .
here is one genuine masterpeice , a classic that reaches heights and ambitions near perfection .
this crackling good mixture results in a film which is at once funny , exciting , moving and uplifting .
the film itself is almost a reversal of the life of george bailey -- there is n't too much to it , but capra and the gang ( various screenwriters , composers , actors ) plumet the material to its fullest potential .
the result is a film -- though not at first intended to be pigeon - holed as a holiday film -- that will always be remembered , celebrated , and loved .
Output: P
the happy bastard 's 30-second review big daddy happy gilmore as a father ?
of course !
that 's the latest scenario presented by adam sandler in the new movie big daddy , a movie that 's passable but is n't really considered some of sandler 's best work .
he does n't actually play happy gilmore in the movie , but a variation of him .
he 's sonny coufax , a man who 's living off a settlement he got for a cab running over his foot and his one - day - a - week gig as a tollbooth man ( tollbooth willie ? ) .
his girlfriend ( kristy swanson ) is fed up with his lifestyle and demands a change before she leaves him .
enter a 5-year old kid , who 's mysteriously dropped at his doorstep and intended for his preppy roommate ( jon stewart ) , who 's off in china on a business trip .
from there , coufax basically acts as the kid 's father , teaching him different things like peeing on the side of a building and tripping up skateboarders with sticks .
he even manages to use the kid in a sort of con game to get the attention of a beautiful law office worker ( joey lauren adams ) , but , somehow , he also garners the attention of social services , who are n't particularly pleased with coufax 's actions , as he pretends to be his roommate to keep the kid .
the reason i say it 's not really sandler 's best work is because it gets really sappy towards the end of a movie , showing some odd feelings that somehow did n't really belong in a sandler vehicle .
i mean , it fits the movie 's tone and everything , and sandler handles it well
,
but it 's just oddly placed , that 's all .
fortunately , it does n't destroy the goofy glee path it 's been following and
it still makes you feel good .
sandler does a good job here , as he does in most of his movies .
rob schneider , however , is irritating as his friend , an immigrant delivery boy who ca n't read .
stewart
, in his minor time on screen , is great , and adams remains a joy to watch .
look for steve buscemi as well as a homeless bum .
he 's a hoot .
directed by dennis dugan ( director of happy gilmore ) , the movie remains a good couple of hours to pass the time with .
again , there are faults , but , hey , everyone needs to get emotional sometimes .
Output: P
ingredients : pouring rain , small flooded town , damn about to burst , bad guys going after millions of dollars synopsis
: at one point in the story townsperson karen asks hero tom what happened to her church .
he replies something like : " the church is flooded but at least the floodwaters put out the big fire .
well , the fire was n't that bad , since ,
while the church was burning , looters apparently thought it was safe enough to break through all the priceless stained glass windows .
" in hard rain a small town is nearly deserted due to flooding .
everyone has had to evacuate because it 's raining , and now floodwaters are rising so high that buildings are being submerged and the nearby dam is about to break .
enter a working class smart - alecky new armored car driver named tom ( christian slater ) .
suddenly his security truck carrying over three million dollars gets stuck on the flooded street and is waylaid by armed looters .
tom has no choice but to grab the bag full of money , hide it , and swim for his life .
this makes for an action movie full of jet skis , speedboat chases , and gun battles , as tom tries to evade and outsmart corrupt cops and armed looters until the national guard can answer his distress call .
he is befriended and aided by a spunky churchgoing young woman from town named karen ( minnie driver ) .
but unknown to tom and karen , the national guard never heard tom 's initial distress call .
will tom and karen survive the natural and manmade disasters ?
opinion : do n't expect thought - provoking issues or dramatics .
there 's not much more to this movie than hiding , running , swimming , shooting , and saving handcuffed heroes from drowning , but
that 's what makes it escapist and fun . relax , take your shoes off , and break out the popcorn .
Output: P
" being john malkovich " is the type of film we need to see more .
today 's films are either blockbusters that entertain us with tiresome formulas , or those that have similar themes .
malkovich falls under none of these categories , and it 's quite refreshing to see that occur .
this strangely provoking story , is actually somewhat understandable .
john cusack plays a puppeteer trying to make it to the big time .
his wife ( cameron diaz ) supports the both of them by working at a petstore , which explains the obscure pets they keep in their apartment .
when cusack finally realizes he needs to get a job , he finds an ad for a filing clerk .
when he reaches the building , he arrives at a 7 1/2 floor .
it 's there that he discovers a secret portal that leads to being john malkovich for 15 minutes at a time .
meanwhile , cusack meets a business partner ( catherine keener ) , in which he falls madly in love with her .
the only problem is , she has no interest in him
what so ever .
the whole portal thing , is n't just a toy , in fact , it becomes cusack 's dream .
being inside malkovich 's mind , gave him the opportunity to basically control mlakovich , like a puppet , and to fulfill his fantasies .
i do n't want to give away too much , but cusack becomes too attached with his discovery .
in my opinion , this idea is absolutely brilliant .
it 's really quite scary to think that someone could become you , control you , be you .
it makes you wonder why we act like we do , and why sometimes we blurt out things or act out something out of the blue .
even if the script is super sharp , i ca n't help but find the ending displeasing .
it could have lead up to something more , or at least an amusing conclusion .
it tried to explain a mythology about the portals , that made it seem rushed .
other than that ,
i had a very enjoyable time .
the acting was quite delightful as well .
john cusack has finally been given a chance to prove his ability , and he does it well .
he 's by far the most underrated actor due to a lack of popularity , but i 'm hoping that will change .
cameron diaz was her usual charming self , although i felt that part was wrong for her , but
she pulled it off .
john malkovich himself continues to creep out people with his eerie facial expressions and tone of voice .
who else 's mind would be better to explore ?
the director , spike jonze , who appeared in last month 's three kings really catches my attention with this project .
i knew he was bizzare , but not to this extreme .
he too is likely too receive media attention .
" being john malkovich " is n't an excellent film , but it is definitly entertaining and will eaisly become a cult favorite .
what 's even better is the film 's puzzling message . . .
am i nick lyons ?
Output: P
as feel - good formulaic as it may be in its own way , shall we dance ? also demonstrates a kind of charming restraint you do n't often find in american films .
this japanese import tells the story of a middle - aged accountant named sugiyama ( koji yakusho ) whose mundane life is shaken up one night when he spots beautiful mai kishikawa ( tamiyo kusakari ) in the window of a dance school .
intrigued by her melancholy demeanor ( and slightly infatuated with her ) , sugiyama signs up for weekly classes at the school -- and , much to his amazement , ends up as attracted to dancing itself as to his young sensei .
meanwhile , sugiyama 's wife ( hideko hara ) becomes suspicious of his late wednesday nights , and sets a private detective on her husband 's trail .
in a hollywood film , you can bet that sub - plot would be turned into a stream of slapstick comedy and crazy misunderstandings .
in shall we dance ? , writer / director masayuki suo dispenses with it in a matter of minutes , using it to set up later character interactions rather than letting it overwhelm the story with pratfalls .
neither does he make the climactic moment of victory a competition between the hero and some mean - spirited token rival .
suo gives his comedy the graceful movements of his subject matter , allowing the humor to flow from the characters rather than forcing it upon them .
an opening prologue in
shall we dance ?
goes to some effort to place the film in a sociological perspective , explaining how contrary ballroom dancing is to the japanese sense of propriety .
it 's a forced message in a story which does n't need such a culture - specific angle .
the dance school in
shall we dance ?
plays the role of a singles ' mixer , with everyone vaguely embarrassed to be there yet taking the opportunity to try on new personalities .
most amusing among these new personalities is the one adopted by sugiyama 's co - worker mr .
aoki ( naoto takenaka ) , a balding systems analyst who becomes a fiery latin lover when he dons a frizzy wig and begins to rumba .
sugiyama 's awakening is less overt , but koji yakusho does a wonderful job showing a transformation of small steps .
it 's a delicate performance with a huge heart .
shall we dance ?
is a fairly lightweight experience , which makes its final half hour rather a long sit .
suo crams a lot of exposition into very little time , including an unnecessarily detailed back - story for mai , resulting in a sluggish march towards the resolution .
it is here that shall we dance ?
feels most hollywood - conventional , attempting to blind - side the audience with a truckload of emotional catharsis .
suo might have been better advised to conclude with the small gem of a scene in which sugiyama and his wife take their first tentative dance steps together .
that 's the real joy of dance
shall we dance ?
conveys :
its ability to create an intoxicating mood of romance which can soften the stiffest shirt .
Output: P
upon arriving at the theater during the opening credits , i took my seat and prepared myself for what appeared to be " hellraiser meets the crow " .
but as soon as kiefer sutherland began speaking the narrative monologue , describing " the strangers " and their reasons for contacting human beings , i was hooked .
there was something especially compelling about the nature of his voice .
i knew from the start that i was going to witness the actions of his character rather than the actor attempting the character .
sutherland played the role as a true veteran .
upon the completion of his monologue , the camera arrives on sutherland in such a fashion that you can only wonder how long alex proyas spent on cinematography .
i would imagine , for a film of this caliber , that maximum hours of work were spent where they were needed the most .
the film flowed beautifully .
as i was being taken through the intricate regions of the " dark city " , a clever plot began to unravel , to the point where the last time i had seen such clever plot twists were in " the usual suspects " .
not to mention a series of special effects that would make james cameron literally turn green with envy .
but if you 're not exactly the biggest sci - fi fan , caveat emptor . get ready for the atmostpheric darkness of " 12 monkeys " or " the crow " without the boredom or depression .
the concept of the plot is as mindstretching as " 12 monkeys " was , however , so be prepared and be sophisticated .
and imagine a picture that finally does justice to the comic - book - gone - feature - film fad that hollywood has recently become abusive of .
dark city simply puts " spawn " to shame .
in fact , during the climax of the film i could n't help but feel the strong presence of an " akira "
-esque explosion throughout the general feeling of the movie .
so my initial predictions were wrong .
this film is anything but the meloncholy of " hellraiser " parts one through five .
i 'm never one to base a film entirly on special effects , so know that when i give dark city it 's actually because the film contained all of the neccessary ingredients to keep me entertained and awake from storyline to plot twists to camerawork to even ( tsk , tsk ) special effects
.
not since contact have i recieved such deep insight into the way the human mind operates and never this year have
i been so blown away .
the best film i 've seen all year , and easily one of the best i 've ever seen
Output: P
" good will hunting " is two movies in one :
an independent take on the struggle of four boston pals and a traditional hollywood , " prodigy child " film complete with upbeats , downfalls , sporadically moving situations and plenty , plenty of shtick .
unusually directed by gus van sant , " good will hunting " overcomes the banalities of its story by affirming the emergence of fresh , new talent .
the film stars matt damon as will hunting as a mathematical , rebellious whiz kid inadvertly discovered by a college professor ( stellan skarsgard ) , who places him under psychological supervision with robin williams .
in a nutshell , that 's it .
the core of the " good will hunting " is damon , who infuses the script ( co- written by " chasing amy 's " ben affleck ) with just the right amount of warmth , sensitivity and humanity to accentuate his position as a refreshing multi- talented performer .
but it 's the acting that hits the mark , and damon hits all the right notes , flying over robin williams ' deja - vu role
( " awakenings " was written all over this ) as a devastated shrink who has closed all contact with society due to his wife 's tragic death .
damon effortlessly blends the carelesness of a gregarious , confused thug with the absorbing ingeniousness of someone like einstein .
his rich , complex character is the pulp of " good will hunting .
" everything else pales in comparison .
"
good will hunting " exposes the lack of profoundness of deliberately schmaltzy storytelling , but , unlike " little man tate " or " phenomenon " , it does n't set up its story in a black and white , point a to point
b be manner , but as the saga of an extraordinary individual whose feasibility for success does n't automatically signify he must make easy , familiar choices , like the protagonists in the aforementioned .
Output: P
it is often said by his fans that hal hartley movies are an acquired taste .
indeed .
while perhaps less dangerous than tequila shooters or bungee - jumping , they require no less amount of physical stamina and concentration .
i felt rewarded at the end of henry fool ; this movie creeps up on you - at a slow 139 minutes , i mean
creeps - and despite the final shot 's ambiguity ,
i left completely satisfied .
henry fool ( " used to have an ? e ' " ) arrives at garbageman simon grim 's house , claims the vacant basement apartment , and almost instantly inspires simon ( urbaniak ) to take up writing - henry ( martin donovan look - alike ryan ) is an ex - convict , a once - great author who has been " exiled and marginalized " by the publishing community because of his criminal activity .
simon 's poetry turns him into a local sensation , as it causes mute women to sing , high - school girls to swoon , and councilmen to rile against its " pornographic " content .
meanwhile , henry seduces both simon 's dependent mother ( porter ) and immature sister ( sundance queen posey ) with philosophical babble ( which is by turns brilliant and inane ) and breathy animal lust .
these story elements result in climaxes both inevitable and unpredictable ; the teacher - student relationship formed between henry and simon eventually reverses itself .
henry fool is sprinkled with hartley - ian flourishes : simon drinks milk from " udderley 's " ; the big teen hang - out is called " world of donuts " ; simon wears his garbageman 's uniform throughout ; the editing style is decidedly elliptical .
. .
( which is key to the conclusion 's said ambiguity ) .
the performances by the three leads are abrasive at first , self - consciously " quirky " ; the introductory scenes are a chore .
these people do grow on you because they convey genuine passion , a belief in themselves , and because they have long - term goals ; henry and simon may drink a lot of budweiser and hang out on the streetcorner , but they are n't pop slackers .
the story is rather classical : the tutor is a better talker than a doer , raised on books ; the timid tutee has innate talent
his master only dreams of .
( shades of film school . . . )
the finished film is epic in its proportions for a story so small , and the final third does test one 's patience , yet henry fool is tight , hardly excessive in its length .
how refreshing to see a movie
this long in 1998 devoted entirely to character .
and unless i nodded off , not a single building exploded .
this , hartley 's seventh feature , is contemplative about " the artist " ;
fortunately , we never get a sampling of simon 's work , and it 's a testament to the actors and the screenplay
that by the end we can surmise what sort of thoughts would pour from these writers ' pens .
Output: P
that 's the question i asked myself when venturing nervously into " the wedding singer , " the latest film to star the saturday night live alumnus .
does he draw laughs from his sad , puppy dog expression and don't - hate - me - for - being - a - simpleton observations ?
or do fans giggle when he screams at the top of his lungs at people ?
or is it just the fact that he sings songs with silly lyrics that bowl audiences over ?
well , there 's a little bit of all of that in " the wedding singer " and while i exited the theater still not one hundred percent sure of mr .
sandler 's thing , i did have a surprisingly good time .
that 's because , in a nutshell , " the wedding singer " is one of the sweetest movies you 're ever likely to come across
.
that 's right .
sweet .
the humor in the film runs the gamut from dumb to mildly amusing to laugh - out - loud hysterical but the tone ?
well , it 's just lovely .
i have to admit i was half - expecting farting armpit humor , gratuitous nudity , superfluous , cloying subplots , and some nasty , unnecessary violence .
instead ?
well , i 've said it before .
sweet .
the year is 1985 and sandler plays robbie hart , the eponymous wedding singer , a job aspiring rock stars often settle for .
when robbie 's fianc ?
e dumps him at his own altar , robbie gets depressed and turns to a plucky waitress called julia ( drew barrymore ) who has some problems of her own ( she 's marrying a hunky junk bonds dealer who , unbeknownst to her , is n't that big on monogamy ) .
it is n't giving anything away to say that robbie and julia fall in love .
aww .
. .
sandler and barrymore are a good match
and they 're assisted by some terrific cameo appearances , including steve buscemi and jon lovitz , whose individual scenes are perhaps the funniest in the film .
writer tim herlihy ( with uncredited assistance from carrie fisher ) keeps the story bubbling along to its predictable conclusion .
it does n't all work
but it 's handled with such light - heartedness that robbie and julia coming together
generates more smiles than groans .
herlihy and director frank coraci have done a great job of recreating the sights , sounds , and affectations of the 1980s .
the soundtrack -- an ever - present force in the film -- is packed with wall - to - wall hits of the period , new wave upon new wave of songs from billy idol 's " white wedding " to the smiths ' " how soon is now ?
" to culture club 's " do you really want to hurt me ?
" the mix of music and fashion would make " the wedding singer " a great double feature with " boogie nights .
"
if you grew up listening to the cure and a flock of seagulls and the psychedelic furs , then " the wedding singer " is bound to put a nostalgic hop in your stride .
if you 're a fan of the lovable , laughable adam sandler , well .
. .
let 's just say that " the wedding singer " might well be the only film in recent memory to make * me * want to rent " happy gilmore .
"
Output: P