niryuu/sni-each-converted huggingface dataset:
"
a private matter " is based on the true story of sherri finkbine and the events in her life during the 1960s .
after becoming pregnant ( for the fifth time ) she learns that some tranquilizers she had taken have seriously deformed her unborn child .
she and her husband decide , with the help of her doctor , to have an abortion .
but this is the 1960s , and abortion is illegal .
her doctor has made arrangements to have the procedure performed withing the law , by claiming that the child is endangering the mother 's life .
everything is about to work out just fine , until sherri has the uncontrollable urge to talk about her situation with a local reporter .
this sets off a media frenzy and immediately sherri is the most hated woman in the world .
she and her husband are fired from their jobs , reporters are surrounding their home at all times , and most importantly , no one in the country ( and eventually other countries ) will perform the abortion .
this causes emotion problems for all involved .
"
a private matter " is a fascinating story
and it 's hard to believe that this only happened 30 years or so ago .
it 's only flaw
is that not once is there ever a satisfactory confrontation with sherri and any of her opponents .
one woman passing her on the street telss her to burn in hell , and when sherri appropriately yells back , " just tell me what i 'm supposed to do , " the woman has no answer .
no one apparently had an answer , they just wanted to control what should have been only the choice of sherri and her husband .
this is an important film , telling an important story .
it 's not just about not wanting another child , it 's about not wanting a child who will cause severe changes in their family , none of which could be beneficial .
sydney pollack served as executive producer for this made for hbo movie .
Output: P
director jan de bont certainly knows how to make top quality action films .
you need look no further than die hard ( he was director of photography ) , speed and last years twister for examples of his hi- octane , edge of your seat thrill prowess .
speed 2 is no exception .
this time , the action takes place on a huge cruise liner , on which sandra bullock and jason patrick are trying to develop their relationship .
yep
, that 's right
, no keanu reeves this time , but fear not , jason patrick is more than up to the job .
speaking of which , the job at hand is to stop completely bonkers terrorist , willem dafoe , from crashing the liner into a huge island , after stealing a diamond collection .
the reason for this act of destruction is revenge .
after years of working for the company that builds cruise liner computers , he contracts copper poisoning and is retired .
naturally , what entails next is a lot of running / jumping about and general high quality action as jason patrick does his level best to save the day .
thinking back on this film , you ca n't help , but admire it 's structure .
the way , willem dafoe initiates his plan and throws red herrings to the crew and passengers .
the race against time to save the liner from crashing , and of course , the finale chase scence .
( although this is ruined by an over the top , one too many stunt and explosion . )
simple in construction , effective in it 's execution , and the result , a clear and concise , highly enjoyable action film .
the acting is adequate , although it 's darned obvious that sandra bullock is only in it to create a ' hot totty ' appeal to the men ( and
she does that perfectly ! ) , jason patrick fills the action hero role superbly and willem dafoe is just great as the crazed terrorist .
overall , speed 2 is a most enjoyable thrill ride .
not up to it 's predecessor 's high calibre but very good all the same .
there is plenty going on , some of the thrills are quite tense and it also proves that you do not need blood and guts to make a good action movie .
Output: P
sam ( matthew broderick ) is an astronomer in a small american town and engaged to teacher linda ( kelly preston ) .
he is head over heels in love and lindas sudden departure to new york city to live with her new lover anton ( tch ? ky karyo ) comes as a complete surprise to him .
but as we all know love is blind and so sam leaves for new york as well to win her back .
he moves into an abandoned house across the street from anton 's apartment and installs a camera obscura to watch them .
suddenly anton 's ex maggie shows up , but she does not want her former lover back .
on the contrary , all she wants to do is vaporize him .
she may say that she does n't want to kill him , but the possibility does n't bother her too much either .
after all , people die every day .
in spite of their different motives the two team up and fall for each other as things move on .
the story sounds like something we all have seen a million times .
but we have n't .
griffin dunne brings us the most charming comedy
since " while you where sleeping " .
the camera obscura adds a " special something " to the movie and makes it an exceptional romantic comedy .
everything about the movie is perfect , from set design to casting .
the dialogues are inspired and the touches of black humor add a certain bite .
meg ryan , known from " when harry met sally " or " sleepless in seattle " , surprises in a role that may finally help her get rid of her sweet little girl image .
she impresses the viewer as a maneating biker girl .
even more surprising is the fact that the viewer believes her , much more so than in last years " courage under fire " where she played a gulf war pilot .
matthew broderick is the goodnatured and somewhat naive sam who has trouble accepting reality .
the viewer can tell that he does n't only watch the stars but also tries to reach out for them .
he has trouble keeping in touch with reality .
after all , who would leave everything behind to chase a lost love ?
his naivet ? that we do n't question for a minute throughout the movie clashes with maggies exaggerated wish for revenge .
she would do anything to harm anton .
she does n't hesitate to use sam for her plan and makes him understand right from the beginning that nothing will happen between the two of them .
that makes the scenes when they innocently share a bed , have potatoe chips and watch the action across the street like a saturday night show on tv even funnier .
tch ?
ky karyo is perfect as anton .
he is , well , repulsive .
that 's all there is to say about him .
you ca n't really manage to pity him , even after all his mishaps .
he not only took sam 's bride away from him , he is also a french chef .
worlds collide , i .
e .
the usa and france .
this can only go wrong .
even if maggies revenge schemes are at times shocking , you just ca n't sympathize with a man who plays " je t'aime . . .
moi non plus " on his tape deck .
not everyone is captured by the french charme that linda and even maggie fell for .
sam certainly is n't . too bad for anton .
for him things take a turn to the worse .
" addicted to love " is one of this year 's most pleasant surprises .
Output: P
copyright 1996 graeme huggan carry on henry is all about henry viii and his eight wives !
sid james plays henry , who no sooner has the film started , is getting rid of his present queen and hopes to find another one soon .
as part of his alliance with france , he requests the hand - in - marriage to the queen of normandy ( joan sims ) .
she comes to england in the hope of marrying henry
but when he finds out that she loves garlic and has a reeking garlic breath , he is totally averse to the idea of marriage .
henry 's court is very corrupt , with the cardinal ( terry scott ) trying to bribe cromwell ( kenneth williams ) and cromwell trying to bribe the king .
there is a state of crisis when the king puts marie the queen ( sims ) in the tower of london ready for execution .
the queen is pregnant but she has not liased with the king before , so fingers are pointed at sir roger de lodgerley played by charles hawtrey , who has a rather lecherous character to play this time .
the cardinal and cromwell decide to get a signed confession from sir roger by using all kinds of torture devices !
owing to circumstances , sir roger is sometimes needed to sign that he is the father and
sometimes that he is n't .
this is because of renewed threats by the king of france ( peter gilmore ) to come over himself , which in the end he does .
by then , henry has found himself a new queen , played by none other than barbara windsor !
it looks like he has some explaining to do !
there are stand - out performances by sid james as henry , joan sims as marie , and terry scott in an unusual role as the cardinal .
also there are cameos from kenneth connor and peter butterworth , who plays barbara 's father .
the set and costume design is first class and the overall production of this film is good .
there is even an early appearance from david prowse , who later became the green cross code man and darth vader .
the film does have it 's downsides though , as it is getting pretty routine for the carry - on team to stage historical films and the inventive streak of the script seems to run out pretty quickly .
there is also the absence of hattie jacques and bernard bresslaw , who could have helped the film along . however ,
overall the film is funny and there are plenty of laughs and saucy
jokes
, so that is why i mainly recommend it to carry on fans only , but there is enough humour in the film to make it worth anyone 's
while to sit down and watch it .
Output: P
this " dumb " cowboy blondie who thinks he is a ` darn ' good loverboy , decides to leave his dusty ol' town somewhere in texas and go to new york .
he puts on his beloved cowboy attire and off he hops on the next new york coach .
when he arrives to new york , he immediately sets out to play mr playboy thinking he is the best ` darn ' ` stud ' in the whol'o ' new york city .
obviously he fails .
he meets the ' cripple ' rico ( dustin hoffman , who is terrifically good ) in a bar .
rico has a leg that is paralysed from the knee down , so he walks in a peculiar way .
rico is a thief and wants to get some money off this ' rich ' dumb cowboy .
he cheats our cowboy out of $ 20 through a somewhat detailed routine and disappears .
soon , our cowboy runs out of money : he gets kicked out of his hotel , and starts getting hungry .
walking through the city , with " everybody 's talkin '
" playing in the background ( oh , and his prided techno transistor radio in hand ) , he spots rico in a cafe .
rico , half - scared , pours out all the money in his pocket .
60 filthy cents .
our cowboy , hungry , is forgiving .
he is glad he found someone he knows .
rico offers to make it up for him .
and he invites him to his place .
and what a filthy , cold place it is .
our cowboy falls asleep instantly in the ( junk ) bed .
when he finally wakes ( jumps ? )
up , he finds rico looking at him .
"
you wanna cup'a'coffee ?
" rico asks in his friendly , sleazy , somewhat - childish manner while he smokes on a ciggy .
"
what 're you ?
a goddamn faggot ?
what do you want from me ?
where are my shoes ?
what did you do to them ?
" but all his doubts turn out to be unfounded .
rico really has a heart .
together , they live in the junk apartment and almost freeze to death .
rico is convinced that the best place to be is florida , where the sun shines beautifully and there are lots of coconut trees .
but he falls sick and is convinced that his cure is to go to florida .
"
we will soon be in miami " is the last sentence uttered in this film and what a shocking , moving end of a film it is .
the classic theme music :
" midnight cowboy " helps bring about the feeling of attachment that most viewers will experience towards the end of the film .
whether the attachment is to the two main characters or to their dreams , is probably as debatable as whether it was the acting or the direction that makes this film so memorable .
Output: P
modern audiences are more likely to be familiar with les misirables from the pop - broadway musical rather than victor hugo 's original tome .
adapted several times for the cinema , this latest effort
does a superb job of translating the characters , story , and heart of the novel to the screen .
liam neeson stars as jean valjean .
as a young man , valjean stole some bread to satisfy his hunger . . .
and he was sentenced to 19 years of hard labor for his crimes .
prison hardened him , and on his release he seems doomed to a life of crime and squalor .
however , an unexpected act of compassion changes his outlook on life , and he vows to become a better man .
however , he runs up against one man who does n't believe in reform .
inspector javert ( geoffrey rush ) is an obsessive law abider .
he has no tolerance for anyone who breaks the rules , even with benign intentions .
he once served as a guard at the labor camp where valjean served , and after valjean breaks his parole , javert devotes himself to bringing him to justice .
two women also get caught up in the struggle .
fantine ( uma thurman ) is an unwed mother suffocating in an unforgiving society .
her daughter , cosette ( mimi newman , and later , claire danes ) , is her life , yet she can not afford to raise her .
instead , cosette is sent to live with a cruel foster family which extorts money from fantine , and forces cosette into a life little better than a slave .
director bille august manages to create a faithful adaptation of victor hugo 's novel , which , though omitting some of the political undertones , remains true to the overall story and tone of the book .
hopefully you wo n't , as some clueless members of the audience did , wonder where all the songs went .
the movie manages to be completely engrossing without the andrew lloyd webber flourishes .
the experience is bolstered by strong performances throughout , though neeson and rush deservedly take center stage with their core roles .
neeson
in particular deserves kudos for his portrayal of a man trying to do good , but continually haunted by his past .
the supporting cast is also extraordinary .
the only actor who dims in comparison is hans matheson , playing the revolutionary , marius .
the film slightly loses its luster during his brief love affair , but it is transitory , and truly only distracting when contrasted with the rest of the film .
the novel les misirables is , by any account , an epic , both in its scope and in its length .
while it would be nearly impossible to cram everything from its pages into a two hour movie ,
this latest attempt does an admirable job at the translation .
it , too , is an epic . . .
and one worth seeing .
Output: P
the party is one of those classic slapstick comedies that will leave you , at times , cracking up .
the film takes place , for the most part , in real - time during an exclusive evening party that is attended only by the biggest names in hollywood .
hrundi v .
bakshi , played very well by peter sellers , is a struggling actor who just came to america from his homeland , india .
hrundi tries out his acting talents , but it seems that he just is n't cut out for the job .
on the set of his current film that he stars in , hrundi seems to make everything go for the worse .
during the filming of this movie set in the 1800 's , hrundi manages to annoy the director ( herbert ellis ) in any way he can . this includes a pitiful acting job in many scenes , wearing an underwater watch in one scene , and accidentally detonating a massive set .
many of the hollywood producers and big names want hrundi out of the business forever .
and when the director makes a personal phone call to mr .
clutterbuck ( j . edward mckinley )
pleading for hrundi 's ejection from hollywood , everything is pretty much over for hrundi .
clutterbuck writes his name down on a piece of paper to insure that hrundi will never again work in hollywood .
but when this piece of paper turns out to be the guest list for clutterbuck 's exclusive party , hrundi is invited , and certain chaos is bound to occur .
of course , as predicted , hrundi causes lots of trouble .
each scene in which hrundi encounters a situation , usually one that he ca n't handle , is almost always very humorous .
and each scene with hrundi and the drunken waiter , who is alone hilarious
, adds to the comedy in a great way .
the party can be compared to many other films of it 's type , specifically the trio of naked gun movies and the airplane movies , but the party is a delightful movie that incorporates very well played out comedy into believable situations .
it also includes a number of memorable scenes
( can anyone say " birdy num - num " ? ) .
if you 're in the mood for fun and enjoyable slapstick comedy , check out the party .
it 's not going to be one of your all - time favorites , but if you enjoy this type of humor , you 'll enjoy the party .
Output: P
edward zwick 's " the siege " raises more questions than it can convincingly answer or even clearly articulate .
its subject is the rising threat of terrorism in american cities .
denzel washington is anthony " hub " hubbard , who runs the fbi 's anti - terrorism task force in new york .
his investigation into arab terrorist cells intensifies when suicide bombers take out a busload of people .
hub focuses on a mysterious cia operative ( annette bening ) , whose goes by both " elise " and " sharon .
"
as the terrorist attacks continue and the body count rises , the question of martial law is raised .
enter general devereaux ( bruce willis ) , who opposes martial law at first but who , as soon as the president decides to send in the army , begins herding arab immigrants into a prison camp and attacking every link that hub uncovers in the terrorist chain .
hub listens as devereaux tortures and murders a suspect .
the future zwick and screenwriter lawrence wright offer is all too possible .
what would happen , they ask , if terrorism became as much a fact of daily life in new york as it is in cities like beirut and belfast ?
what would happen to our civil liberties if soldiers patrol our streets with machine guns ?
these questions " the siege
" answers in realistic detail .
it implies tougher ones , though : what can be done to combat terrorism without sacrificing justice and freedom ? if we encourage terrorism abroad ( from bening 's character we discover that the cia trained the bombers ) , will it inevitably come back to us ?
" siege " avoids the tougher questions by endowing its hero , hub , with a uncompromising sense of clear right and wrong .
this comforting fantasy of sir galahad confronting the evils of the modern world is an escape from the thought - provoking issues the movie raises .
still , zwick deserves credit for at least addressing the issue with as much realism as he does where so many movies ( willis ' " die hard " series , for example ) offer only a comic - book view on terrorism .
Output: P
a movie that 's been as highly built up as the truman show , with reviews boasting , " the film of the decade !
"
and " a breakthrough !
" can only be leading up to letdown .
that 's no doubt -- it seems any movie with critical acclaim makes you think you 're going in for the ride of your life , that you 'll end up changed on the other side , and you come out of the theater going , " eh . . .
*
that 's
* what all the fuss was about ?
"
so , naturally , the truman show was building up to what was going to be a dissapointment .
and i convinced myself , as i nestled into my uncomfortable movie theater chair , actually to try not to enjoy it .
let me tell you , that is an impossibilty .
the truman show is truly " the film of the decade " and " a breakthrough " and more .
and you will come out changed on the other side .
such a movie comes around only once in a lifetime , where you find yourself feeling everything that the character is feeling , and this , friends , is it .
jim carrey shows that he does n't need to talk out of his butt to entertain us ; that he can be as dramatic as any of hollywood 's leading men .
the film has a difficult premise to tackle , trying to set us up thirty years into the " truman show 's " run , but tackle it it does , and perfectly .
with flashbacks actually being flashbacks on the television show , you get the sense that you are viewing a * real * prime - time hit .
and the way the camera constantly takes the forms it would in the " real " truman show is clever and well - done .
people , rejoice !
this is the first oscar - worthy film of not only this year , but of the last five years .
not since " schindler 's list " has a movie captured human spirit and true despair so well
.
this is a classic in the making , and ( to borrow a line from esquire 's review ) it stars jim carrey .
nothing in his career to date and nothing he can do in the future will ever be able to top his role as truman burbank ; mark my word .
for , as i said , this is the movie of a lifetime and the role is of the same calibre .
forget special - effect ladden summer fodder .
drop your romantic comedies in the trash .
toss your thrillers and teen flicks on the pile .
you need nothing more than " the truman show " to carry you through the summer , or for that matter , the year .
oh !
and in case i do n't see you , good afternoon , good evening , and goodnight .
Output: P
go 's is a gloriously slick hip machine .
director liman ( who also photographed go ) and screenwriter august celebrate the drug / rave scene in l .
a .
, preferring to take ( comedic ) snapshots of troubled youth rather than critique them .
after more than ninety minutes of pill - popping , tantric sex , car chases , and attempted murder , go even has a happy ending .
this is the sort of film that gives members of the dove foundation splitting headaches ; as go wound down , i anticipated an anti - pill - popping - casual - tantric - sex - car - chase - attempted - murder sermon that ( blessedly ) did n't arrive .
a la tarantino 's pulp fiction , go is comprised of three separate but related stories .
the basics are as follows :
ronna ( polley ) is a bitter grocery store clerk facing eviction who turns to drug dealing for extra dough .
her co - worker , simon ( the improbably named askew ) , is a clubber from britain ecstatic about his first trip to vegas .
zack ( mohr ) and adam ( wolf ) are soap opera stars escaping a career - threatening conviction by assisting a peculiar cop ( fichtner ) in a drug bust .
perhaps because the innovative structure of tarantino 's non - linear masterwork is by now old hat , the id - fueled go delighted me but rarely surprised me ( with the exception of that mind - reading cat ! ) ; pulp fiction zigzagged down roads unforeseen , but we see go 's wheels turning from its first flash frame to the last .
torontonian polley ( of the sweet hereafter ) refused to do publicity for this picture on the basis that she was " not pleased with " her turn as the ill - fated cashier .
in go , she delivers , hands - down , her best performance to date .
here 's an ( overrated ) actress who agreed to appear on the poster , but not support her team at the junket or in interviews ; this sort of arrogance is commonplace for ms .
polley , as anyone who has read of her political agenda in the canadian press will tell you .
if she does n't want to be the ingenue of the moment , she should have said " no , " not go .
but i digress .
go is a fun film , so chipperly depraved one ca n't help but turn off his moral judgment for its duration and enjoy the ride .
in that sense , it 's a departure from liman 's last film , swingers , which at least lectured against self - absorption in the form of vince vaughan 's trent and his subtle comeuppance in the story 's clever epilogue ( which has been aped by mcdonald 's for their latest commercial ) .
i wish i cared more about go 's characters : like the techno music they listen to , the bands of anarchists on display here are at once absorbing and vacuous .
when the lights came up and stung my eyes , it was difficult to recall what about it entertained me . yet
entertain me it did
.
go is light and frothy , featuring compelling if not endearing work by polley , timothy olyphant ( scream 2 ) , and especially fichtner , whose homoerotic behavior is milked for effective laughs .
fichtner is a character actor best known for playing backstabbers ( in heat , armageddon , and others ) ; his previously untapped comic abilities shine in go .
unlike much of the film , fichtner is unpredictable .
Output: P
life is beautiful is a rare treat : a lighthearted comedy that tackles a very serious subject without committing the sins of being disrespectful , or , even worse , humorless .
it combines a charming romance with a dash of farce , stirs in a little poignancy , and ends up a very enjoyable movie .
it 's an italian film , but do n't let that discourage you .
subtitle - phobes will be missing a wonderful experience .
life is beautiful opens as a sweet romantic comedy , with the clownish , but good natured guido ( roberto benigni ) arriving in a rustic italian town to work as a waiter for his uncle .
the year is 1939 , and guido literally stumbles into the girl of his dreams , dora ( nicoletta braschi ) .
their romance seems to be picture perfect , with only one stumbling block : she 's already engaged to another man .
can guido overcome the odds and win his girl ?
what do you think ?
however , five years later , things have taken a turn for the worse in italy .
the fascists have stepped up their race initiatives , which is bad news for the jewish guido and his new son giosue ( giorgio cantarini ) , who are rounded up and shipped off to a concentration camp . unable to protect his boy in any other way , guido attempts to shield his young son from the horrors of the labor camp .
he pretends that everything is all an elaborate game , with points awarded for such tasks as hiding , being brave and being very very quiet .
as you can tell from the description , life is beautiful
has two very different tones , but manages to excel at both of them .
as a romantic comedy , it is sweet and funny .
as a bittersweet tale of hope amid despair , it is touching .
roberto benigni 's work here has been compared with some of the best of chaplin 's , and it is easy to see why .
he is able to run the gamut of comic expression , from slapstick to farce , with a warm - hearted feeling that celebrates his downtrodden hero 's " triumph of the underdog " spirit .
life is beautiful treads a thin line when it turns its attentions to the holocaust .
however , it is able to successfully navigate the minefield , without demeaning the gravity of the horrors involved , nor without losing its humorous edge that allows you to smile through the tears .
with life is beautiful , benigni has created a triumphant , but bittersweet comedy .
it 's quite simply one of the most enjoyable times
i 've had at the movies this year .
Output: P
kolya is one of the richest films i 've seen in some time .
zdenek sverak plays a confirmed old bachelor ( who 's likely to remain so ) , who finds his life as a czech cellist increasingly impacted by the five - year old boy that he 's taking care of .
though it ends rather abruptly--
and i 'm whining , 'cause i wanted to spend more time with these characters--
the acting , writing , and production values are as high as , if not higher than , comparable american dramas .
this father - and - son delight-- sverak also wrote the script , while his son , jan , directed-- won a golden globe for best foreign language film and , a couple days after i saw it , walked away an oscar . in czech and russian , with english subtitles .
Output: P
anna and the king strides onto the screen in full regalia , wearing a brilliant suit of sumptuous landscapes , deep , vibrant colors and an epic storyline .
it 's true beauty comes from it 's subtle ruminations on the politics of power , whether it 's between governments , or the interplay between a man and a woman .
anna ( jodie foster ) is a widowed british schoolteacher with a touch of wanderlust trying to grasp her quicksilver feelings concerning the recent death of her husband .
with son in tow , she takes the employ of king mongkut ( chow yun - fat ) to tutor his son in the english language .
mongkut sees the strength of the british and correctly surmises that his country 's future lies in opening itself up to the ways of the western world .
anna function is to help provide that link .
the core of the film , of course , deals with the blossoming love between anna and mongkut as it attempts to germinate in the unfriendly soil of a shifting political climate .
foster plays anna with equal parts clenched jaw and wide - eyed wonder .
she is assertive , yet , respectful of the king as she initially tries to impose her western sensibilities upon him .
it is one of foster 's strongest performances since silence of the lambs in a role she could not have played earlier in her career .
she brings a mature self- awareness and determination that might not have come across from a younger foster .
it 's a joy to watch her cagily bargain for her own measure of influence within the realm of mongkut 's monarchy .
when she makes her entrance into a politically charged banquet mid - film , she exudes a hypnotic beauty that is deepened by her textured performance .
chow - yun fat 's king mongkut is every measure of foster 's anna , perhaps even more so .
this is the chow yun - fat that hong kong cinema has been in love with for nearly twenty years .
he is imposing , yet vulnerable , playful , but stern .
it is an impressively assured and nuanced performance .
precious time is stolen from the movie 's 155 minutes running time by an unengaging subplot involving one the king 's concubines ( bai ling ) and her love of a commoner .
it strikes with the subtlety of siam 's fabled white elephant as it stomps through the leisurely paced story .
some may be put off by the action filled climax of the movie .
although a bit inconsistent in tone from the rest of the film , it fits within the established subplot of a perceived siege by neighboring burma , a country backed by the british .
anna and the king transcends being a predictable , traditional love story by avoiding mawkishness .
it shows a seduction of intelligence .
ever mindful of each other 's positions , anna and king mongkut negotiate a maze of social customs , conflicting world views and lost loved ones to connect on a level that ultimately proves deeply satisfying , if not achingly bittersweet .
Output: P
while screen adaptations of john irving 's novels have been disappointingly uneven , the films have all shared one particular strength : key casting . who can forget john lithgow as roberta muldoon , the transsexual quarterback of " the world according to garp , " or nastassja kinski as susie the bear in " the hotel new hampshire " ?
a lot of good casting decisions have gone into the making of " the cider house rules , " an adaptation of irving 's poetic 1994 novel about a restless young man called homer wells .
among those sound judgments was the decision to have the splendid tobey maguire assume the pivotal role ; the decision to cast michael caine as his mentor and father figure , dr .
wilbur larch , the ether - addicted head obstetrician of the st .
cloud 's orphanage , maine ; and the decision to offer jane alexander and kathy baker supporting roles as his head nurses .
then there are the brethren who populate the apple orchard where homer wells finds himself shortly after leaving st .
cloud 's , including delroy lindo , oscar ?
-worthy as the foreman of the migrant work detail that drifts up and down the coast as the seasons take them .
there 's kate nelligan as the matriarch of the cider house , and charlize theron as candy , the lovely , lonely wife of a wwii bomber pilot ( paul rudd ) sent away on a mission overseas leaving candy to set lobster traps with homer wells , a man who 's never seen the ocean before let alone a lobster .
am i forgetting anyone ?
yes .
kieran culkin and paz de la huerta as dissolute orphanage residents who make you sit up and take notice every time they 're on the screen .
but with " the cider house rules , " the good people decisions do n't end with the cast .
irving has written his own screenplay in order to get it right this time ( last year 's " simon birch , " loosely based on his " a prayer for owen meaney , " was a big - screen example of irving handled sub - standardly ) ; the author appears fleetingly as a stationmaster here .
rachel portman , a composer of such sweet and lyrical tenderness , provides a score that 's absolutely right for the project -- sweet , lyrical , and tender .
there 's impressive new england photography by oliver stapleton too .
last but by no means least is " my life as a dog " director lasse hallstr ?
m , who shows enormous skill in pulling this collective together and helping bring irving 's marvelously touching story to life .
for the many beloved who pass away in " the cider house rules , " it 's an extraordinarily life - affirming story .
and now , thanks to these talented individuals , it 's an extraordinarily life - affirming film .
Output: P
the " italian hitchcock " and acknowledged master of the giallo murder - mystery dario argento again offers us a fascinating turn on the formula in pheneomena .
this time the twist comes in the form of jennifer corvino ( jennifer connelly ) , a bright teenager with gift for telepathically communicating with insects .
sent to a girls boarding school in switzerland , she soon learns of a series of bizarre disappearances and at least one murder that has the school 's population terrified .
a chance meeting with a brilliant entomologist ( donald pleasance ) leads the two of them to team up and solve the mystery with the aid of her remarkable gift .
phenomena is an imaginative , original thriller .
writer / director argento creates several sequences of surreal , haunting beauty here , including a masterfully shot sleepwalking episode and a striking scene when a swarm of flying insects descends on the school at jennifer 's beckoning .
the plot takes some wonderfully bizarre turns and the killer 's identity is genuinely shocking and surprising .
the director took a big gamble with a soundtrack that mixes elements as diverse as heavy metal band iron maiden , ex - rolling stone bill wyman , and argento 's favourite gothic / electronic outfit goblin .
but
it gels surprisingly well .
the film 's opening music reccurs several times , an eerie and evocative score that perfectly sets the overall tone .
argento fans beware : the film was released outside europe in a terribly butchered form re - titled as creepers .
this deleted nearly half an hour of footage , mainly of key dialogue scenes .
Output: P
what is freedom ?
how does one determine who is free ?
in 1839 , those questions were more difficult to answer then they are now .
yet , the mistakes of our forefathers must be examined in order to rectify current situations .
that is , in essence , what steven spielberg 's gripping drama " amistad " is about .
through its various dramas , spielberg presents a case about a group of africans , who , after being seized from their home , were forced onto a ship and sent to the united states aboard " la amistad " .
on their way there , the slaves , led by cinque ( djimon hounsou ) , rebelled , killing off part of the crew .
however , the ship was still directed towards the united states , where the africans were brought to trial under murder .
in the court , various factions claim ownership of the slaves , and therefore try to seize them away .
the united states government , led by president martin van buren ( nigel hawthorne ) , and secretary of state secretary forsyth ( david paymer ) , try to ship the africans to spain , where an 11 year old isabella ii ( anna paquin ) wants them back .
the two spaniards who own " la amistad " want the slaves for themselves .
the american ship that found the slaves also wants them .
in the midst of this are two abolitionists ( stellan skaarsgard and morgan freeman ) , who want the slaves to be free .
they enlist the help of lawyer matthew mcconaughey , who tries to free them .
through various legal proceedings , the case appears before the supreme court , where it is argued by ex - president john quincy adams ( anthony hopkins ) .
the film itself is a visual wonder .
spielberg favorite janusz kaminski sets the film in a dark , somber mood when appropriate , and a visual setting when appropriate as well .
at times , the film is very slow , and very methodical .
however , spielberg is not at his finest here , because the courtroom scenes have a tendency to lag .
the film is , in essence , a courtroom drama , one whose events are oversimplified .
the characterization is also weak , displaying weaknesses in building up characters such as the lawyer baldwin ( mcconaughey ) , and especially morgan freeman 's abolitionist .
but spielberg 's finest work in the film , the opening scene , a scene of cinque 's family , and the brutal voyage of the slaves to america
, is altogether stunning .
it is this emotional force that carries the film .
mcconaughey is superb
as the lawyer defending the africans , hopkins is sensational as the old adams , freeman is outstanding when used ( spielberg vastly under uses his supreme talents ) , and the rest of the cast is stellar .
the movie , however , belongs to hounsou .
his emotional intensity is brilliant .
spielberg manages to make even the slowest scenes sparkle with focus on hounsou , and the film 's extraordinary power is simply captivating .
the film is flawed , for most of the supporting characters are merely cardboard .
but that does n't matter .
the story is a gripping
one , and one of extreme importance . kudos to spielberg for finding it , finding the right men for the job , and letting the audience listen to the words of cinque . a good job all around .
Output: P
your friends and neighbors is a rather bizarre film about 6 people , who hop in and out of bed with each other .
written and directed by neil labute , who 's first film , " in the company of men " was simply marvelous ,
disappoints a bit here with this one .
the story involves two couples ( ben stiller & catherine keener and aaron eckhart & amy brenneman ) , an artist assistant ( nastassja kinski ) , and an egotistical women abuser ( jason patric ) .
the character 's names are not apparent and are not mentioned in the entire movie .
each of the characters has their own sexual style and they do n't seem to " merge " together well .
so the group experiments behind their respective partners back .
there are some hysterical scenes , one involves jason patric , aaron eckhart , and ben stiller 's characters .
they are all in a sauna , talking about their best " lay " , when jason patric 's character makes a surprising confession .
the whole scene is hilarious and exceptionally well written and acted .
the enjoyed this movie , although it seemed a tad lengthy ( even though it only runs 99 min . ) .
the film 's cast is exceptional with oscar caliber performances by catherine keener , aaron eckhart , and jason patric .
i would not recommend this film , to people who are offended by conversations that are very sexually explicit .
it did seem to offend people , more than half of the people in the theater left during the film .
although your friends and neighbors does n't have the power of labute 's earlier film it still manages to be somewhat entertaining and funny , while maintaining a melancholy philosophy on human relationships .
Output: P
i love this movie , and i 've just seen for the umptenth time .
unfortunately , it is also completly unknown and very few have seen it .
it 's my mission in life to spread the word : see this movie ! fred , george , doug and howie are reaching middleage .
three of them have a wife , kids and a house in the suburb with a mortgage to pay .
only fred is still a bachelor .
together they take the local train every morning to work in town .
on one of their organized thursday evenings at a bar , fred tells them of his boss and the arrangements he has made to keep a mistress .
he has gotten an apartment in downtown where he can meet her but has told his wife that he needs the apartment to spend the night after staff meetings every thursday night . since they always split everything four ways , they decide that they should get an apartment with a young woman as well , kathy .
however , kathy is n't completly honest to them .
in fact , she is a sociology student writing a thesis about the sex life of the suburban male .
with these four species she believes that she will make a very good paper .
ok , have one thing clear though .
the romantic rendezvous ' between kathy and each of the men are completly innocent .
the script stays above the waist - or to be precise , above the neck .
noboyd claims that kathy is their mistress
, the four guys call her their ' companion ' .
the censorship board here in sweden considered it to be suitable only for people above 15 years , but that only shows how long ago 1962 was .
small children could watch this without being corrupted .
kim novak is as lovely as always in this movie , even if she seems to be a bit too old for a student .
james garner is the playboy just like in many other movies .
i liked howard morris the best as howard the accountant who has to diet to support his wife .
tony randall is funny as always
.
1962 was more than 35 years ago .
how many accountants , copywriters or investment bankers can today afford to live in a house in the suburb with a lot of kids and a wife who does not work ?
this is the white middle class , i ca n't remember that i saw any blacks on the commuter train they use .
these are the people who can count on their kids to live an even better life than themselves .
perhaps this should also be a subject for a thesis in movie sociology ?
Output: P
quiz show , an almost perfectly accurate true story , is based upon the events of the popular television show of the mid-50 's , " twenty - one " .
on this trivial game show , contestants were placed in isolation booths and then answered questions corresponding to a category of their choice , on which they wagered an amount of points on .
the game went on until a player reached twenty one points on felt they had earned enough points to win .
but , after ratings began to fall when players were struggling to break the zero mark , the producers decided to fix the game by giving the answers to a contestant before the game began .
quiz show illustrates the true stories of two particular contestants , herbie stempel and charles van doren .
stempel ( john turturro ) , a former g .
i .
and your jewish man raising a family .
stempel has been the reigning champion on " twenty - one " for many weeks and has accumulated thousands of dollars .
in his mind , he is the best thing on television and the people love him .
although , in the mind of the show 's producers , herbie stempel is getting old .
dan enright ( david paymer ) , in particular , feels that the people are tired of seeing a " jewish guy from queens with bad teeth " and that the kids need someone better to look up to .
therefore , they need to find another contestant whom would be a worthy role model and the people will look up to and cheer to win .
someone who can defeat stempel , even if they have to resort to cheating .
enter charles van doren ( ralph fiennes ) , a well - educated professor from a widely recognized family .
van doren had decided to try out for the game show " tic tac dough " because his friends thought he would be good at that sort of thing .
but when albert freedman ( hank azaria ) , enright 's assistant , spots van doren , the two decide that they have found their soon - to - be - ruler of the " twenty - one " kingdom .
van doren is not too keen on the idea of receiving the answers ahead of time , so enright tells stempel that he is going to give the wrong answer , on purpose , in order to lose the game .
after stempel loses the " throne " to van doren , he starts to feel cheated ( which he should ) .
meanwhile , on his own , dick goodwin ( rob morrow ) , a harvard law graduate , has decided to start an investigation on " twenty - one " to try and find out if there have been any wrongdoings .
his investigation yields shocking results and leads to a trial for enright and the others involved .
quiz show is an extremely well done movie , and robert redford 's direction is especially superb
.
the performances turned in by john turturro , ralph fiennes , and rob morrow are very good , although it seems that turturro stands out more than any .
quiz show is also very precise when it comes to explicating the true events that inspired the film .
definitely a film you should not miss .
Output: P
is jimmy stewart the greatest actor of all - time ?
it 's quite possible .
his career spanned over 40 years , and he acted in more movies than most actors ever could .
yet , when he is talked about in the media , he is generally thought of as an actor who played one type of role : the nice guy .
and that 's really a shame .
"
the naked spur " features jimmy stewart in a role completely different than what people would expect from him .
it 's a western , which stewart specialized in around this period , and it casts him as a desperate man out to collect a bounty on a man who used to be his friend .
before he finds that man , though , he runs into two men who agree to help him , thinking he is a sheriff .
when the criminal is eventually caught , the two men discover stewart 's secret , and decide they want a piece of the action too .
the rest of the film is a suspenseful journey in which each man suspects the other constantly .
also featured is the woman travelling with the criminal , well played by janet leigh .
we 're never too sure who 's side
she 's really on until the end .
leigh is an actress probably best known for her role as the " shower lady " from " psycho " , and that 's unfair .
she gives a strong performance as a woman who is pulled between these two men .
stewart gives a performance unlike anything i 've ever seen from him .
he usually keeps cool no matter what occurs , but here , he gets downright hysterical at times .
i think perhaps he took this role to prove to the public that he was more than just a " nice guy " .
his performance borders on psychotic at times , but
i loved watching every second of it .
it 's roles like this one that make me admire him as much as i do .
he was an actor unafraid to take chances , and even ruin his public image .
Output: P
almost a full decade before steven spielberg 's saving private ryan asked whether a film could be both " anti war " and " pro - soldier " , john irvin 's hamburger hill proved it could .
lost in the inundation of critical acclaim that greeted oliver stone 's platoon , this excellent film was dismissed as " too militaristic " .
it 's hard to understand exactly why --- unless irvin , in assembling his motley collection of young men who for predictable ( and often naive ) reasons " chose to show up " for the vietnam debacle , ---has refused to present us with the stone killer , drug - stoked psycho and ruthless opportunist who have become to vietnam war epics what " the polack , the hillbilly and the kid from brooklyn " became to wwii movies .
hamburger hill , based on a true story , is not an easy film to watch .
there is a scene that will have graying anti - war activists squirming in their seats , or moved to genuine tears .
and the climactic final assault on the " hill " in question is visually confusing .
gristly realities are presented in brief flashes , as if the brain dared not acknowledged what it had encountered .
and in the mud and smoke officer and enlistee , veteran and " newbie " , black soldier and white , become almost indistinguishable from each other , as they do in the chaos of actual combat .
the acting throughout is solid with an absolutely stellar performance rendered by courtney b . vance as doc -- in a role that will have many flatly disbelieving that this is same actor they cheered as " seaman jones " in mctiernan 's red october .
if you 've seen private ryan , you owe it to yourself to see hamburger hill -- if only to determine that the all the valour and horror of spielberg 's vision was as present in the ashau valley as it was at omaha beach .
Output: P