polsci/sentiment-polarity-dataset-v2.0 huggingface dataset:
the film starts out with a creepy opening sequence to which has the now classic and creepy score by writer/director/producer john carpenter who in my mind is a brilliant director , he really is . 
he wrote this film , he directed this film , he produced this film and he made the excessively creepy score to this film . 
i think he is and always will be famous for this classic which after 21 years has not lost it's popularity or it's ability to scare the wits out of people . 
i think i have seen 'halloween' over 100 times and each time i find something new and brilliant , and each time i am scared even though i know what is going to happen . 
i own three different versions of the film : a vhs regular version that came with a limited edition 20th anniversary t-shirt , a boxed edition vhs in a hardcover case digitally re-mastered with the original theatrical widescreen presentation , in a nifty plastic picture decorated box with a numbered snow-globe . 
in other words i am completely and utterly obsessed with the film . 
it has changed horror movies forever and spawned six sequels with only 2 , 4 , and 7 being truly good . 
it also spawned several cheap imitations of the film that were offensive in some ways to a true halloween fan . 
since i heard about halloween being released on dvd in a limited edition of 30 , 000 copies , i knew i had to buy one no matter what ! 
i did and man to me it's the best dvd ever manufactured with the brilliance of the film . 
no words can describe the dvd . 
in 'halloween' michael myers is a evil person whom killed his sister in cold blood 16 years ago in 1963 . 
now in 1978 grown up and in a mental hospital michael myers escapes to go back to his hometown of haddonfield , illinois , followed by his past doctor sam loomis . 
the person michael is targeting is laurie strode who is played by jamie lee curtis in her film debut . 
why is he stalking her ? 
check out halloween ii it explains it all . 
on this unholy night on october 31 , 1978 laurie strode and her two friends are going to have the time of their lives , which is trying to stay alive . 
the whole film is filled with terrifying moments most coming from just seeing michael myers walk . 
nick castle who played the shape in the first movie did an incredible job , and no other person in any other halloween flick can do what he did . 
what john carpenter did in 1978 is made a ground-breaking new film , with scares , wit , and style . 
the movie is flawless if not perfect . 
no other movie or sequel has lived up to this one , and in my opinion never will . 
'halloween' will be like 'psycho' and still be extremely popular even almost 40 years later . 
i just hope someday 'halloween' will be released in a new dolby soundtrack with the 4 extra scenes on the dvd edition . 
'halloween' isn't just another slice-and-dice horror flick , it's an intelligent , horrifying and best film experience ever made . 
see 'halloween' and be scared . . . . then 
watch it again ! 
reviewed by brandon herring october 7 , 1999 .
ingredients : little orphan boy , rural grandparents , mountains , native american lore 
synopsis : in this loving film portrayal of an idyllic and pivotal time that a young boy spends with grandpa and grandma , the self recollections of an unseen narrator focus on his world view as a tennessee orphan boy learning of his heritage through his grandparents . 
the setting is after the first world war , during the great depression years . 
a nine-year-old orphan named little tree ( joseph ashton ) is taken in and taught the wondrous ways of the woods by his caucasian moonshiner grandpa ( james cromwell ) and his native american grandma ( tantoo cardinal ) in the wilderness of the mountains of tennessee . 
here little tree learns an almost magical appreciation for nature and farm life - - and experiences beautiful and wondrous things such as the sunrise . 
everything is miraculous to a child . 
but it all comes crashing down for the boy when the u . s . government forcibly takes custody away from grandpa and grandma , and forces little tree to attend the notched gap boarding school , a kind of internment camp where multiracial cherokee kids are indoctrinated to dress , pray , speak , and think like white people or face solitary confinement and corporeal punishment . 
through his childhood experiences , little tree learns lessons about love , race , life , death , people , nature , and folk wisdom . 
opinion : this excellent , excellent family movie . 
it is one of those priceless screen gems that nobody knows about because it's not highly advertised . 
you won't find any formula schlock , cutesy characters , canned spirituality , sequel teasers or commercial tie ins , but you will find the education of little tree to be a refreshing , impeccably acted , original , wonderful , and touching film . 
take the whole family and bring a box of tissues for the tearjerkers . 
this one's as good as old yeller .
capsule : the world will come to an end at midnight . 
everyone knows it and must make a final peace with the last hours of their lives . 
this is an intelligent science fiction film with no special effects , just personalities and ideas . 
 , high +2 ( -4 to +4 ) 
- it is the last night of the planet and several different people are reacting each in their own way to the end . 
the film covers 6 pm to midnight . 
the main character is patrick played by david mckellan who also wrote and directed . 
- reminiscent of on the beach . 
but much more so of a story richard matheson wrote , " the last day . " 
 ( p . s . 
on rereading the 1953 matheson , this film is almost a loose adaptation of that story . 
the similarities may be mere coincidence , but they are numerous and they are very striking . ) 
- us release may be problematical . 
the title is lackluster and non-memorable , though very appropriate when you know about the film . 
also provincial americans may not care about the end of the world coming to toronto . 
they probably would feel it would not affect them . 
perhaps a pbs release would be possible . 
- patrick's family has declared it christmas and are hurt that the ( adult ) children will not spend the whole evening with them . 
- grocery stores mostly looted . 
it seems though that one of everything is left . 
- some people continue business as usual , some want sex , some react with religion , some riot . 
some people are in total denial . 
- much comedy , much drama . 
- very canadian cast . 
- it does not get dark . 
it is just always daytime . 
- radio playing " last night i didn't get to sleep at all . " 
how appropriate . 
- david cronenberg as a kind of bland functionary manager at the gas company . 
genvieve bujold as french teacher visiting former student . 
- science fiction film with no special effects , cost about two million dollars . 
- the person you have been thrown together with by chance becomes the most important person to you for the rest of your life . 
- why would it be so precisely at midnight ? 
what about other time zones ? 
what is the nature of what is destroying the world ?
the rich man's wife is one of those movies like final analysis or body double , where the story and characters are so one-dimensional and contrived that you know you shouldn't be enjoying yourself . 
but somehow , the movie just tries so hard that you begin to forgive it and get into the swing of things . 
not that it's bad , it's just that it's been done before ; and better , in my opinion . 
i realize that this is going to sound pretty bizarre , but it's probably the best analogy that i can come up with right now ; you know how when you see a spider or something in your toilet , striving helplessly to get out , and instead of just flushing him , you end up kind of rooting for the little guy ? 
that's basically how i felt about this movie . 
i mean , it's not very good , but it's not completely bad either . 
the wife of the title is josie potenza ( played nicely by halle berry ) . 
she is married to tony ( christopher mcdonald . . . you 
know , the guy who looks like joe piscapo ) , a really stressed-out businessman who drinks way to much and doesn't give josie the attention she deserves ( * cough , cough * ) . 
thus , she is driven into the arms of another man , jake golden ( clive owen ) . 
near the beginning of the film , josie decides to try and work things out with tony by dumping jake and going on a vacation to a remote cabin in the woods . 
once there , however , tony has to leave almost immediately due to business details ( i'm still not quite sure what line of work he's in ) . 
making the best of her situation , josie stays there and begins making the rounds at the local bars . 
one night , she meets a stranger named cole ( peter greene , finally getting a meaty role ) . 
they have dinner together , and eventually , both josie and the audience start to realize that cole is homicidal . 
after learning that she is not happily married , cole offers to " take care " of the problem . 
managing to escape from the psychotic maniac , josie returns home and starts a reconciliation with her estranged and very wealthy husband . 
but then one night , cole shows up . . . 
and here is where the fun begins . 
from this point on , it's going to be a no-holds- barred cliche-fest , ripping off every movie from strangers on a train to the usual suspects . 
this is why most critics panned this movie when it first came out . 
and for the most part , they're right ; the rich man's wife has nary one original bone in it's body . 
but who cares ? 
if you're looking for good ol' dumb suspense movie , you can't do much better than this . 
and if you suspense buffs aren't already sold , it has a killer of an ending too .
i can sum up first strike in one word : awesome . 
never in my life have i seen an actor as insanely dedicated as jackie chan . 
for the simple reason that he has performed his own stunts in his every movie he's ever appeared in , he should be awarded greatly . 
the same tom and jerry formula that was used to make chan's rumble in the bronx and supercop so entertaining can be found here as well . 
however , first strike was probably the most exciting out of the three , for the simple reason that practice makes perfect . 
his last two movies were almost like practice and this one was great . 
like rumble , this film is about the mafia , the former kgb . 
now chan must do battle in the freezing arctic temperatures of the ukraine against a group of very large bad men . 
the trailer for the film sums it up quite well . 
first strike is action-packed , but the fight scenes are so fast and furious , they almost have a witty , italian-like humor to them . 
jackie chan is a regular comedian . 
well , he's no eddie murphy , but he can really crack you up . 
for example , he is hanging off a roof and he humorously taunts his foes to come and get him , as he claims to be the korean 007 ( that's secret agent james bond ) . 
even the plot to this film improved above the others , as a sort-of twisted nuclear-weapon smuggling deal is botched and jackie takes the blame . 
but never fear , as the chinese mafia aids him in uncovering the truth behind the incident . 
with some of the most high-flying stunts and side-splitting comedy , first strike is a sure-fire hit that's guaranteed to draw some major , world-wide attention . 
 ,
as a devout atheist and an avowed believer in aliens , i have some idea of how ellie aroway ( jodie foster ) feels . 
but because my reasons for not partaking in religion are different than hers , i can't say that i do exactly . 
her reason is that she needs solid proof : there is no proof that god existed , so therefor she does not believe . 
ellie also believes in aliens , and has spent most of her life trying to prove they exist . 
how can she say she doesn't believe in god because of the lack of proof , and then say she believes in aliens , which are gereally less believed in than god without sounding like a hypocrite ? 
that's the catch-22 . 
when aliens from the star vega fax her some plans for a device to transport someone to them ( okay , well , they didn't really * fax * them . . . ) 
ellie wants to be the one to go , but because of her atheism she is denied the position . 
how dumb is that ? 
she discovers the transmitions , then she isn't allowed to go . 
well , because of a bomb and a psychopath ( jake busey ) , she * does * end up going , but not in the way that we would've thought . 
contact is based on a novel by carl sagan , who died during the filmmaking . 
it is the best alien movie since close encounters of the 3rd kind , and will end up being the best film of the year . 
its views of science and religion will no doubt aggrivate some , but will stimulate more . 
i'm glad at least one movie of the '90s can portray aliens in a psitive light , rather than a bunch of slimey beasts who will eat your insides and then put on your body .
on april 12th , 1912 , the most astonishing shipwreck in the history of the world occurred . 
on that fateful night , the titanic sunk . 
now , more than 50 years later , a film has been made . 
and what a film that is . 
james cameron's newest movie is a landmark in storytelling , emotion , and special effects . 
it starts in the present , where bill paxton and his band of scientists explore the depths of the ship's wreckage . 
exploring an old chest , paxton comes across a nude drawing of a young woman . 
the drawing is televised and the woman ( gloria stuart ) whose portrait the painting is of comes forward and slowly but surely , the ship's story is told . 
leonardo dicaprio stars as jack dawson , a young man with a sketch book , a heart of gold , an intelligent mind , and not much else . he wins his ticket aboard titanic in a poker game , and is the perfect match for rose dewitt bukater ( kate winslett ) . 
she grows to love jack , but seems unable to escape the slimy clutches of her arranged fiance' , cal hockley ( billy zane ) . 
the film takes its time , and by doing so , makes us care about its characters , and shows us the full aspects of human emotion . 
the leads shine ; there is no bad performance ; in fact , these do not seems like performances at all , but genuine people , trapped on the doomed vessel , facing certain death . 
watching this film , i was amazed at how vivid and real these situations feel : the time rose and jack spend together at a third-class-party ; the naivety that jack feels when he skecthes rose nude ; the terror felt by all onboard , as certain doom turns people into both cowards and heroes . 
this , the most expensive movie ever made , $200 million , is destined to make its profit back , and then some . 
it also has more emotion and warmth than any other film this year . . even this decade . 
it is also yet another first : the first $200 million dollar romance , and every critic in this country will agree that it was indeed , money extremely . . very 
 . . well 
spent .
that thing you do ! , from first-time film director tom hanks , is an enjoyable tale about a fictional band , the wonders , that goes from a garage band to the band with the fastest selling album in the country . 
but , the question arrises , will the seduction of fame and fortune corrupt the band and lead them to become just another one-hit wonder , or will they stick together and become the next teen sensations ? 
the " oneders " , as they are originally known , have their first gig at a very small-time contest . 
jimmy , the lead singer , has written a catchy song and intends to play it at the contest . 
but , a short time before the contest begins , the current drummer becomes injured and a replacement is needed . 
enter guy patterson , skilled musician who currently works at his father's appliance store and is looking to break free from the restricting clutches that bind him . 
he seems to fit in well , until the group takes the stage . 
when they begin to play , guy's beat is much too fast and the pace is way off for the intended song . 
it looks as though the group is doomed to failure . 
but , the " new " song is a hit ! 
this leads to another gig , and soon enough , the group has an agent . 
he doesn't do too much for them , but they do get their song played on the radio . 
eventually , mr . white of playtone records approaches the group , and he informs them that they want to release a record . 
before you can say " billboard " , the band is now renamed " the wonders " and the members are speeding their way to fame . 
the gigs are getting better , their fame is increasing , and they have the fastest selling album in playtone records history . 
the band is invited to appear in a feature film , and , they then fly out to hollywood to appear on television . 
after the appearance on television , things start to fall apart . 
two of the members of the band pretty much disappear , and things are not working out well between jimmy and guy . 
will the band work it out , or will they split up and go on their own separate journeys towards success ? 
that thing you do ! , complete with a nifty original song that actually sounded authentic , is a fun and enjoyable movie that , although it doesn't become clear if it wants to be a comedy , drama , or romance , is a well-made look into the world of music . 
tom hanks' directorial debut was a good one and should lead to more work for him .
synopsis : an attractive mute makeup artist , working on an ultra-cheesy slasher movie in moscow , witnesses the production of a brutal snuff film and is subsequently chased by really bad russians . 
meanwhile , the artist's sister and boyfriend clumsily try to save her . 
comments : mute witness came as a surprise to me the first time i watched it . 
drawn by the clever artwork on the video box , i rented the film expecting a complete turkey . 
mute witness , however , was original , offbeat , and well-made . 
it's one of those cool little finds that no one seems to know about . 
i've subsequently found it at most video rental places i visit , and it may be seen , on occasion , on the independent film channel . 
the first hour of mute witness is extremely tense , as billy , the quite believable mute heroine , sees members of the russian mob brutally kill a prostitute while filming an illegal snuff film . 
the rest of the film takes good advantage of billy's vulnerable position as a mute foreigner in moscow being pursued by powerful criminal figures . 
to throw a curveball into the fray , billy's sister karen and her filmmaking beau become bizarre figures of comic relief to offset several violent sequences in what are some genuinely funny scenes . 
a disappointingly trite ending and occasional comic blunders are the only two things which mar this otherwise suspenseful film . 
look for alec guinness ( obi-wan kenobi from the first star wars trilogy ) in a small role as the evil reaper . 
definately check this movie out ; although , as a word of warning , it does contain several scenes of rather grisly violence which certainly aren't for the squeamish .
the grandfather of italian horror the late mario bava has credits in nearly 100 films and tv movies produced in italy between 1939 and his death in the early 80's . 
more practiced as a cinematographer than a director , bava nonetheless sat in the director's chair for beyond the door ii , the project which turned out to be his last full-length feature film . 
alongside the appalling zombie schlock of hacks like lucio fulci , beyond the door ii is simply a revelation . 
in his day bava was considered by most to be no great filmmaker , yet here he fashioned one of the finest italian horror movies of the 1970's . 
 ( note that the film has no connection with the 1975 exorcist-rip off behind the door , but for some unexplained reason was given this related title for release in the usa and australia . ) 
this story focuses on dora , a women set upon by a malevolent spirit that channels itself through her young son marco . 
the film opens with dora , her son and second husband bruno returning to a house by the sea that was the scene of her first husband's suicide and her subsequent trauma 7 years earlier . 
they hope to put the past behind them , but as small accidents start to befall dora - usually while bruno is away on business - she starts to suspect that marco ( played with uncanny ability by 8 year old david colin jr . ) is somehow involved in the strange goings on . 
to reveal any more of the story would be unfair . 
suffice to say that this artfully paced study of a woman suffering a nervous breakdown offers an intriguing plot , loads of atmosphere and solid acting , though the dialogue is somewhat weakened by the dubbing into english . 
bava coaches a surprisingly good performance from the usually wooden daria nicolodi , wife of famed italian horror director dario argento . 
her character is invested with sufficient depth to allow the audience real empathy with dora's troubled soul . 
the music by italian ensemble libra is also effective , mixing odd-sounding 70's rock with classic gothic piano sequences . 
and there is at least one moment - brilliantly engineered by bava - that is guaranteed to lift you ten feet out of your chair . 
yet for italian horror , the bloodletting here is surprisingly minimal . 
lamberto bava and francesco barbieri's script is more concerned with deeper , psychological terrors , with themes of guilt and suffering , with the notion that what we sow will shall - somewhere , somehow - eventually reap . 
scholars of the genre take note : beyond the door ii is stylish , chilling , and essential .
'lake placid' is definately not your typical creature attacking people movie , ok so maybe it is , but this one is enjoyable , and clever . 
actually it comes off more of a comedy than a horror film . 
well the ending is kinda scary , but in most horror/comedies they are . 
i will admit that 'lake placid' isn't an oscar worthy film , but it does come off as an inventive movie that is original and funny . 
bridget fonda plays a palentologist who after finding out her boyfriend is cheating , is forced to go to lake placid and investigate a tooth , after a man is bit in half . 
she gets there but really doesn't understand why she is there . 
bill pullman plays a man also investigating what happened , along with the sherriff and a rich croc obsessed man , they go out and find what is going on . 
what they find though isn't great . 
a huge and i mean huge crocodile is living in lake placid , over 150 years old , he has migrated here for who knows why . 
they have to fight against the croc and try to trap him so they can study him and see where he came from . 
betty white plays a woman who lives on the shores of lake placid , and well you'll have to see the movie to find out . 
her character is very funny and foul-mouthed , which is surprising to hear betty spew words and phrases that are pretty bad , but funny . 
to me the movie came off as a spoof of jaws . 
with the opening sequence , and some others , it is not original and is . 
when you watch this movie , you definately notice the smartness and cleverness of it . 
david e . kelly who is the mastermind of the practice and ally mcbeal , writes this movie with ease and surprisingly does a great job . 
the characters have smartmouths , two foul , and some great one-liners . 
but believe me , don't take 'lake placid' too seriously or you won't like it . 
but it is a movie that can be enjoyed as a fun 'popcorn' type movie . 
but i guess it rates above the 'popcorn' rating . 
sit back , watch the movie , laugh , scream , and whatever you want . 
even though the movie is r , and i put violence and gore . 
there's really not that much gore , but what there is might seem kinda gross to some . 
'lake placid' is a smart , clever , funny , and scary movie that i enjoyed and i think you will too .
a lot of times a three-star film will be my favorite . 
they're usually the kind of movie i can watch most often too . 
they're usually not too deep , allowing for semi-brainless relaxation , and at the same time , not too dumb . 
men in black is a four-star three-star film . 
 ( hope you could follow that one ) 
men in black doesn't wait to get to the fun . 
just minutes into the film we are introduced to agent kay ( tommy lee jones ) , introduced to an alien , and introduced to the the awesome memory-diminishing tool that all mib agents use . 
after all , you can't have alien witnesses running around with that kind of knowledge can you ? 
men in black is , of course , the organization which " moniters all extra-terrestrial activity on earth " . 
nypd officer james edwards ( will smith ) , is on a routine foot chase when suddenly the no-good punk he's chasing starts leaping up buildings and blinking more than one pair of eyes . 
the alien delivers the simple message that the world is going to end , and with that , dives off of a roof . 
naturally nobody believes his story . 
 . 
 . 
nobody that is , except for the top secret organization that not even the government is aware of . 
edwards then meets agent kay , the man who never seems to crack a smile , and is introduced to the mib . 
edwards winds up joining the team and is stripped of anything that can point back to him ( birth certificate , drivers license , and even the literal removal of his fingerprints ) . 
james edwards no longer exists . 
meet agent jay . 
agent kay takes the rookie jay under his wing as they go about " regular " duties . 
eventually a far more treacherous event comes into play . 
a " bug " has landed on earth and is going to wipe out mankind if these two don't ( or can't ) stop it . 
the plot isn't exactly clear , but we know it has to do with a galaxy as big as a jewel or marble being sought after on earth , and that is crucial that the mib find it before the " bug " does . 
barry sonnenfeld , who also did the addams family films , directs this nicely . 
it's fun , it's funny , it's action-packed . 
a nice summer blockbuster as it rightfully turned out to be . 
this is one of those movies that is just " fun " and can't really be summed up any nicer or clearer . 
will smith and tommy lee jones both do great jobs and both are a blast to watch . 
definitely one of the best films of the the summer of '97 , men in black comes highly recommeded from me !
" desperate measures " was something i was excited about seeing back when it was originally scheduled to be released : summer '97 . 
for some reason , it was delayed until hollywood's traditional dumping ground : january . 
now that it's out , i see no real reason for that delay , as it's a simple yet highly entertaining film . 
michael keaton stars as a maniacial murderer who's bone marrow can save the life of the dying son of a san francisco police detective ( garcia ) . 
keaton agrees to the transplant , only so he can attempt escape . 
he succeeds , in a plan that of course could only work in the movies . 
the police force is now trying to kill keaton , while garcia is working against them trying to keep keaton alive in order to save his son . 
the film definately has it's flaws . 
the plot is strictly tv movie of the week fare , but the acting and direction certainly boost it far above that status . 
also , after keaton's escape , garcia's captain barks at him " how many men have to die to save your kid's life ? " 
which the film treats as such an evil and insignificant remark . 
the thing is , it's a vaild point . 
how many people have to be needlessly crippled , burned , and killed just to save this one child ? 
what's the greater good here ? 
many lives or one life ? 
if movies really had guts nowadays , i would have loved to have seen this movie come down to a final choice for garcia's character . 
place him in a situation where he knows that he has to kill keaton because keaton is about to kill someone else . 
alas , movies these days generally have no such ambition to pull the audience's strings in ways which might make the uncomfortable . 
despite a few silly moments ( and one or two really stupid ones ) , the good things about " desperate measures " outnumber the bad . 
the main highlight would be keaton's performance . 
the character could have easily been an overacting , scene chewing freak , but keaton underplays it nicely . 
he's not as menacing as he was in " pacific heights " or even as menacing as he was in " batman " ( yes kids , batman used to be a dark character ) , but you certainly get the idea that he's evil . 
even the final scene of the film , which normally i would just hate , seems strangely appropriate for this film . 
so much so that i didn't mind it in the slightest . 
and another bonus : the film takes place in san francisco , which usually means a car chase on those hills that you've seen a billion times before . 
and for a moment , it looked as though it was about to happen . 
but it doesn't , and that's creative . 
[r]
a wonderful little movie that is really interested in its characters and in its theme . 
the scene of " second best " is laid in wales . 
james ( chris cleary miles ) is a 10-year-old boy who must live in a home because his father ( keith allen ) is in prison and his mother committed suicide . 
james is a mentally unbalanced child . 
he can't forget what happened in the past , and he dreams of living a happy life with his beloved father . 
in the home he feels sadly and lonely . 
one day , a social worker ( alan cumming ) tells him of a person who wants to adopt him . 
this person is graham holt ( william hurt ) . 
graham manages a post office and shop in a village . 
he is a single and hasn't any real friends . 
his mother is dead , and his father is ill and will die . 
graham feels that he has been a disappointment to his parents . 
there has never been real love between his parents and him . 
graham's monotonous life would get a new sense if he could adopt james . 
but graham has not only to convince the institutions , but must also win the love of james . 
james and graham have to open theirselves . 
they must get to know each other and learn to understand and trust the other person . 
james and graham aid each other to cope with their problems . 
but will their relationship really have a future ? 
 " second best " is based on a novel by david cook who also wrote the screenplay . 
the film was directed by chris menges who had made his directing debut with the very good anti-apartheid drama " a world apart " ( 1987/88 ) . 
and maybe , " second best " is even a greater picture . 
this precise , richly detailed , sensitively and convincingly directed study about a special adoption treats its theme with great seriousness . 
the breathtakingly intense film shows the necessity of human contact and communication . 
william hurt delivers an outstanding performance as graham holt . 
and chris cleary miles is remarkably convincing in the role of the boy . 
the supporting cast is also fine ( especially jane horrocks as debbie , a social worker who is charged to examine graham's living circumstances ) . 
 " second best " is an underestimated masterpiece . 
it's a pity that films like this one are made so seldom . 
i eagerly await menges' next directorial work , " the lost son " , which will star daniel auteuil .
this is a good year if you want plenty of sci-fi on your multiplex . 
>from the comedies mars attacks and men in black , to luc besson's powerful the fifth element , and to this , sci-fi/horror that is event horizon . 
 ( more is on the way with contact and alien : ressurection being released later this year . ) 
the story is thus : in 2040 an explorer ship called the event horizon tests out a newly invented gravity drive . 
a device that enables a craft to travel anywhere in the universe , instantaneously . 
this is achieved by creating a gateway , infact , a black hole , between the craft and it's required destination . 
in this case , from near neptune to proxima prime . 
however , when the event horizon attempts this , it dissappears , without trace , leaving two searches for it fruitless . 
seven years later , it reappears , transmitting a distress signal and this is where the film starts . 
a search and rescue ship is sent out to investigate . 
the team is led by laurence fishburne , and joining them is sam neill who plays the scientist that invented the gravity drive . 
as the team search the event horizon , they find no trace of the crew but plenty of blood lying around . 
not a good sign . . . 
to make matters worse , as they search the ship , they find themselves being subjected to a series of illusions based on their own individual inner secrets and worse , some very bloody events start to occur as they slowly piece together the events that transpired on the ship seven years ago . 
it soon becomes apparent that , wherever the ship went , it bought something back with it . 
something very , very evil . . . 
the first thing you'll notice in this film is it's incredible visual effects . 
they really are eye popping , with some great models to boot . 
the acting is quite good , with some occasional witty moments . 
sam neill does a good job as the scientist that increasingly becomes more and more disturbed as the search continues , but a tip of the hat goes to laurence fishburne who leads the team , in a cool , calm , take no nonense manner . 
it is his acting skills that help hold this film together . 
the idea behind event horizon is certainly a good one . 
it starts off incredibly well , but the middle section becomes quite confused and sometimes muddled , leaving the viewer unsure on just what the reasons are behind some of the bloody and bizarre events that occur . 
however , the closing 20 minutes of the film more than make up for this , producing one the most nail biting ( or in my case , straw of my drink biting ! ) 
climaxes i've recently witnessed . 
overall , event horizon is a smart film indeed . 
it's very enjoyable and has some amazing visuals . 
but be warned , the horror scenes , despite being very brief are very , very , gory . 
not for the squemish !
scarface , a remake of the 1932 film of the same name , is a very gripping and , as far as i know , a true-to-life story of how power and violence lead to corruption . 
al pacino , as tony montana ( for whom the movie is named ) , also provides a brilliant performance as a cuban refugee who comes to america with less than nothing and becomes one of the most highly respected and feared drug lords in miami . 
oliver stone also penned the screenplay in one of his earlier writing roles . 
the film begins by disclosing the story of now fidel castro ordered thousands of cubans to set sail and head for the coasts of the united states . 
many of these cubans had criminal records , such as tony montana , a cocky , fast-talking man who has the look of crime . 
nearly right after his arrival in miami , tony is thrust into the gangster life when he participates in a cocaine buy that goes awry . 
along with his friend and partner , manolo ( steven bauer ) , tony rises in the gangster ranks when he forms a friendship with frank lopez ( robert loggia ) , a high-roller in the organized crime field . 
tony also begins to fall in love with elvira ( michelle pfeiffer ) , who at the time was frank's lover . 
of course , sooner or later in this industry , betrayal and corruption amount into a force greater than anything else , and tony is one of the ones who fall victim to this force . 
this is not before he becomes one of the most respected , and often feared , men in miami . 
tony gets to the point where he cannot trust anyone , and everyone he knows basically feels the same way towards him . 
no one can trust him , and basically , no one does . 
scarface , although incredibly violent , is one of the best crime films of its time and stands out as another great performance for al pacino . 
although he did not receive any recognition from the academy for his performance , it truly is a very good one . 
in fact , his accent and facial movements alone are enough in my mind to win at least a nomination ( although he did get a golden globe nomination ) . 
another element that stands out when someone mentions this film is the profanity . 
a figure tagged to the film boasts that the word " fuck " and it's uses are uttered 206 times throughout the film , which is apparently a record . 
the thing is , the vulgarity fits rather well with the movie . 
as odd as it sounds , it's true . 
in the end , scarface is a very powerful film that hits home hard .
if you're the type of person who goes on the submarine ride every time you visit disneyland , you're going to love the hunt for red october . 
you'll also love the film if you enjoy cat and mouse military tactics , or if you're a sean connery or alec baldwin fan , or if you admired director john mctiernan's earlier films , die hard and predator . 
in fact , the only people likely to be disappointed with the hunt for red october are those who have read the book , since films almost never live up to the novels which inspired them . 
the hunt for red october is an epic thriller , adapted from tom clancy's best selling novel . 
set in an era before glasnost , the movie revolves around a top-secret soviet submarine , called the red october . 
the nuclear sub has a revolutionary propulsion system , which makes the vessel silent and allows it to escape sonar detection . 
the red october embarks on its maiden voyage under the command of captain marko ramius , played by sean connery . 
ramius has strict orders just to test the submarine , but he has other ideas . 
he takes the sub and its crew and disappears into the atlantic ocean . 
is he planning to start world war iii ? 
cia analyst jack ryan doesn't think so ; he's convinced that ramius plans to defect to the u . s . ryan , played by alec baldwin , is given three days to prove his theory and find the missing sub . 
the characters in the hunt for red october are paper thin , but the performances , thankfully , are rock solid . 
baldwin and connery anchor the film with their customary vigor . 
sam neil gives a sturdy performance as connery's somber first officer . 
it's ironic to see neil and connery playing russians , since they are both best known for their roles as british agents , connery as james bond and neil as reilly , " ace of spies . " 
the large cast also includes scott glenn , james earl jones , tim curry , and joss ackland , plus richard jordan as the smooth u . s . national security adviser . 
the special effects are remarkable , but more than anything , the hunt for red october is distinguished by its water-tight plot . 
screenwriters larry ferguson and donald stewart have gracefully navigated red october through a story line full of twists and turns . 
they keep us involved in the action by unveiling plot strands at just the right moment . 
the movie doesn't get as sweaty or breathless as die hard , because it would rather tell a good story than hit you over the head with non-stop action . 
the finale is rousing and suspenseful , but essentially , the hunt for red october is a superior potboiler .
the ring is probably one of the creepiest movies i've seen in years . 
but then again , i've always had this phobia of asian born horror films . 
i remember when i was a kid i was scared as hell with those green faced , long-haired floating ghosts donning their white gownseuuugh . 
the ring really brings back those memories and its grips me long after the movie has ended . 
unlike the horror films coming from the west , i'm pretty much used to the gore and visual effects , so much so , they become rather bland nowadays . 
there's really no scary movie from the west for a long time . 
if you have something in mind , please tell me . 
this japanese flick is supposed to be based upon stories written by `the stephen king of japan' , which is also ( i heard ) televised over the air in japan . 
the film revolves around a mysterious videotape which will bring death for sure to the person who watches it , one week prior to viewing . 
a journalist and her husband , stupid enough , tests the so call `urban legend' and ends up having a week before she meets her doom . 
she and her husband then goes on a search for the origin of the videocassette , to get to the root of the whole curse with the hopes of freeing themselves . 
the ring plays on the senses like no other horror film today . 
visual subtlety , minimal music and an intriguing plot puts the audience within an aura of suspense throughout the entire film . 
very well done indeed , especially for a film that does not have a single trace of violence and gore . 
now , thats something budding horror film-maker wannabes should consider looking into . 
just an idea of how visually powerful the film is , it is in japanese and subtitled in chinese ; both of which , i can't understand at all ( ok , i had a friend who gave me a gist prior to watching , but he revealed very little ! ) . 
the twists in the plot , leading to an unforgettable climax ( will definitely leave an impression on the audience ) will have you at the edge of your seat .
" rebel without a cause " is such an important film in american history because it is a true analysis of youth in america that everyone of all ages can relate to . 
everyone feels that they are different in some way , that they don't belong in some places and " rebel without a cause " successfully shows on screen these universal emotions . 
no matter what generation you belong to , these feelings are present . 
this is why james dean is admired by america , because in this film he represents us all and his actions are actions that we would also execute . 
in our minds , we just try to do the right thing just like dean's jim stark does . 
not only does " rebel without a cause " display these universal emotions for all to relate to but it also shows that america has suffered a uniqe pattern in its social structure . 
each generation looks at its past generation without a strong connection . 
this is because times change and in response people change . 
no matter how popular you were once , as your generation grows older , newer breeds look at you in a different light . 
this is why stark and his friends never could form a strong relationship with their parents . 
even if their parents insisted that they were also rebellious and troublesome in the past , the teens could not believe this . 
in one humorous scene , stark , his girlfriend judy ( natalie wood ) , and his pal plato ( sal mineo ) pretend they are adults . 
they use upper class british accents and in their conversations they make it out to appear that kids are no good and should be ignored . 
this scene shows that what was once cool in a past generation is the complete opposite in another . 
speaking on behalf of my generation , i feel that dean has lost a lot of his coolness from our perspective as the years have grown by . 
the only ones who seem to still lionize him are those members of his generation . same 
goes for brando , redford , even deniro . 
i can only imagine how vaguely matt damon , ben affleck , and brad pitt will be viewed at the mid point of the twenty first century . 
will dean even be remembered when these newcomers are forgotten ? 
any film that sparks this kind of thought is certainly a milestone in american film . 
even if " rebel without a cause " has some ridiculous scenes ( the game of chicken - did people really act this way ? ) , an unbelievable conclusion ( how did everyone end up at the abandoned mansion at the end ? ) , and a silly romance ( wood declares her love for dean after talking to him for a couple hours ) it still is a fabulous film . 
the acting is so believable that it is no wonder that dean was considered the epitome of cool . 
now , however , the coolness is fading . . .
a costume drama set in the 1500s , england , elizabeth is a lush , romantic , political masterpiece about the upset over the crossing of a protestant queen from a respected catholic one . 
when the court and country are a whole after the passing of the queens , the royal family , so to speak , are upset that a protestant should be crowened , and not another catholic , plus , the new queen , elizabeth i ( cate blanchette ) , was the bastard baby of the previous queen mary's father . 
the persecution over catholics and protestants isn't the only majority in elizabeth . 
elizabeth i must face the decision to give up personal pleasures , and her lover ( joseph fiennes of shakespeare in love ) , in order to rule , successfully , the country , which she did for 40 more years . 
both elizabeth and shakespeare in love are set in the elizabethian era , and both feature a queen elizabeth i ( judi dench plays her in love ) , or course . 
yet , i found elizabeth more stimulating and involving than love , not just because elizabeth features a great deal more of elizabeth i , but because i found blanchette a more powerful , hypnotic sense for the role . 
elizabeth , also featuring geoffrey rush and richard attenborough , is my pick for the best picture of 1998 award . 
it's a dynamic , important , breathtaking film of loyalty , power , greed , and trust . 
shakespeare would die for the book rights .
a sci fi/comedy starring jack nicholson , pierce brosnan , annette benning , glenn close , martin short and other stars . 
a warner bros picture 
the martians have landed in this hillarous tim burton movie . 
before entering the cinema , i was initially a little bit nervous about what this film would be like . 
many people were saying that this film was silly rubbish , and there was no point to it all . 
how wrong they were . 
i left this film feeling much happier than i was before i entered the cinema . 
the story is about martians attacking earth . 
using ray guns ( hooray ! ) 
they generally cause havoc around the u . s and other countries . 
nicholson plays the president who must try to stop invasion , and also taking advice from his loopy officials . 
but , basically , its a load of set pieces showing the martians destroying earth . 
the way people are killed by the ray guns is great , they is a hillarous ( and mildly disturbing scene ) involving a martian lady , a mad general who just wants to nuke the aliens away , ( and ends up getting squashed by an aliens foot ) and a gory finale involving lots of alien heads exploding . 
but , most of all , this film is fun . 
the martians are full of character , the performances are spot on , and the all star cast help make the film more enjoyable . 
the film is a million times better then the dire independance day , and is a real tribute to the tacky '50s invasion movies . 
they are is a great score by danny elfman , and lots of laughs . 
this has to be the best invasion i've seen for a long time .