polsci/sentiment-polarity-dataset-v2.0 huggingface dataset:
there is a scene early in soul food , george tillman's comedy-drama about a large african-american family and the ordeals they go through during a crisis , that caught me completely off guard . 
during a wedding , the groom is flirting with some tramp , and in an attempt to to prevent a scene , his mother in law , played by irma p . hall , comes to the rescue . 
the way in which she does this makes me think irma p . hall is one of the greatest actresses around right now . 
however , this is just one magical moment in a movie filled with them . 
vanessa williams , vivica fox , and nia long star as three sisters who have each gone their own way in life . 
williams is teri , a successful lawyer , who is frustrated by her husband miles attempts at a music career . 
fox is maxine , the strongest of the sisters , which can be confirmed by the stability of her marriage and the wisdom of her son ahmad , who narrates the film . 
long is bird , a hairdresser who is the last of the three to get married . 
her husband lem is an intense passionate individual whose temper gets the best of him sometime but never stops loving . 
at the center of everything is irma p . hall , as big mama jo . 
every sunday , the family gathers together for dinner at mama jo's house . 
there is lots of conversation , lots of laughs , and the occasional controversy . 
mama jo presides over the family like all mothers should . 
she is stern and disciplined , but also caring and forgiving . 
everything is going fine , until a tragedy befalls mama jo . 
all of a sudden , a chain reaction of events begin to destroy the family . 
it gets so bad , sunday dinner is even cancelled . 
without mama jo's guidance , there is noone to keep the family together , which frustrates ahmad . 
miles and maxine's marriage begins to fall apart , as he focuses on his music and flirts with the troublesome faith . 
lem's temper gets the best of him when his convict past starts to catch up to him . 
and teri tries to prevent maxine's efforts to sell mama jo's house . 
the third act of the film deals with ahmad's attempts to patch things up . 
he decides to take over where mama jo left off , and tries to get the family back together for one more sunday dinner . 
the acting by everyone in the ensemble is outstanding , with special notices to irma p . hall and brandon hammond . 
hall gives a performance that deserves to be recognized by the academy . 
her mama jo is one of the most memorable characters i have ever encountered in a movie . 
brandon hammond is an actor with a bright future . 
he is wise enough not to play cutesy and shows an admirable range and depth , and speaks the final lines of the movie on the perfect note . 
tillman obviously based this movie on his own memories of growing up . 
every scene in the movie is purposeful and convincing ( except maybe an odd flashback sequence ) . 
the dialogue is beleiveable and funny . 
and then there's the food . 
tillman gives us several close ups of the soul food , and it indeed looks very tasty . 
i can see why sunday dinners became such a tradition for this family . 
soul food is one of the most purely entertaining movies of the year .
originally launched in 1978 , this popular film was re-introduced in 1998 to a whole new generation of moviegoers . 
based on the mighty successful musical from broadway , grease was followed in 1980 with the less stellar grease 2 ( 6 . 5/10 ) , 
starring a young michelle pheiffer in one of her first feature film roles . 
plot : high-school musical set in the 1950's showcasing the relationship between the cool danny zuko of the t-birds ( travolta ) and the innocent and pure sandy olsen ( newton-john ) from australia . 
the film follows the couple and their vivacious friends during their last year at rydell high through song , dance and humour . 
critique : fun-loving , energetic and innocent look back at times much simpler . 
this movie effectively juggles a thin romantic story line and the overall experience of the 1950's , with a superb soundtrack and some great dance numbers . 
admittedly , i am somewhat biased in this opinion , since this film blasts me into my past as a rebellious youth ( grease was one of schmoe's first big-screen experiences , and every other scene sends me reeling into the times of my elaborate grease bubble-gum card collection ) , and the lesser responsibilities that i possessed at that time . 
but apart from the nostalgic vibe , i was still extremely impressed by this film , as it continued to amuse me , despite my previous dozen or so viewings . 
this film took john travolta from a dim-witted " sweathog " on tv's welcome back kotter , and transformed him into a movie-star of spectacular proportions ( saturday night fever ( 7 . 5/10 ) in 1979 confirmed that sudden popularity ) . 
unfortunately for the rest of the cast , his popularity was not terribly contagious , despite their effective showings in this classic movie . 
on the down side , some of the absolute innocence in this film might bore or turn people off ( like when sandy sings about " drinking lemonade " and " staying out until 10 " with danny in " summer nights " ) , and the plot isn't exactly the most elaborate story-line ever created , but despite these small reservations , this movie carries enough great music and high energy to keep anyone amused through its rapid 110 minute running time ( and believe me . . . i 
am not a fan of the musicals ! ! ) . 
make sure to look for a young lorenzo lamas in the static role of the brainless football player , as well as the national bandstand dance contest as one of the film's absolute highlights . 
and don't forget to buy the popular soundtrack afterwards , so that you could listen to its peppy tunes whenever you're feeling a little blue . 
little known facts : henry winkler , of tv's happy days' fonzie fame , turned down the part of danny zuko because he did not want to be typecast for the rest of his career . 
both travolta and conaway were smitten by newton-john during the filming of this picture . 
conaway eventually bowed out of the woo-fest , and married newton-john's sister a year later ( divorced after five years ) .
one of the best movies i've ever seen . 
i'd heard extremely good things about this movie , and though the previews didn't really intrigue that much , it was a movie i'd been anticipating for a few months now . 
for some reason i'm not sure of - this movie was not that big a sucess over in the u . s . it was a definite hit with the critics , but didn't exactly set any box office records . 
after viewing this incredibly well directed , written and acted movie , i can't help but wonder - why ? 
the strength of this film is it's gritty realism . 
the main characters are all human with individual flaws , no stereo-type hollywood heroes . 
you may not agree with many of their actions in the movie or their approach to life , but that is what makes it so real . 
i had expected this movie to be more of a drama than a thriller , but i was mistaken . 
even the interrogation scenes moved at such a pace so that it felt just as thrilling as any car chase . 
and the ending . . . . . . whoa . 
i've never seen a movie in my life where everyone in it acts brilliantly . 
the three male leads - guy pearce , kevin spacey and russell crowe are all just terrific . 
the 'best actor' oscar talk surrounding this film should have netted one of them a statue , but there is one problem there . 
how could they have chosen between these three actors ? 
there is no way i could look at this film and say one of them was better than the other two . 
it's impossible . 
kim bassinger's performance is also a revelation . 
i'd never been a big fan of hers before and always thought she was , well . . . what's the word - a twinky ? 
that impression has changed , as she complemented crowe and pearce perfectly . 
the depth to the story and characters is truly astounding . 
no cardboard characters here . 
the plot is full of twists and turns and some very clever sequences . 
pearce's interogation of three seperate suspects is nothing short of brilliant . 
i really can't fault this movie at all . 
i was so glad to see fellow australian's pearce and crowe star in such a breathtaking movie . 
i had been very familiar with russell crowe beforehand from his many australian films , but had not seen much of guy pearce . 
i intend to change this next time i visit the video store : )
i've always been told that there are two things in life that are unavoidable - death and taxes . 
oddly , i've never given much thought to either of the two . 
maybe if i did , at least i'd stop getting collection notices from uncle sam . 
yes , let me make a resolution to devote myself to better record keeping , hold on to all my receipts , and to do what it takes to have the satisfaction that my returns are mistake-free and will keep me from incurring penalties . 
it seems that the issue of death may not be so different , at least envisioned here in this film . 
as this tender love story goes , if you do good things and have a clear conscience when you die , you ascend to a place of great peace and beauty . 
the dreams , wishes , and fantasies that you had when you were alive come true . 
for those who die with a burdened soul , however , they wind up in that other place . 
chris and annie ( a winsome robin williams and a radiant annabella sciorra ) seem like the perfect couple that deserve all that heaven has to offer . 
their love for each other is strong and their bond is undeniable . 
but tragic events eventually tear apart the fabric of annie's happiness . 
and when chris dies after a terrible car accident , she commits suicide - a tortured soul who blames herself . 
despair is perhaps the greatest sin , and she will wallow in her guilt throughout eternity . 
chris , on the other hand , has made it to heaven , and upon learning of annie's fate , he journeys to hell to find her and to try to free her from her nightmare . 
this film brims with imagination , containing a lush imagery that shows the arcadia that is heaven and the bitterness and frightfulness that is hell . 
it seems that heaven and hell could very well be a product of our fantasies or nightmares . 
it's shape and look is as infinite as our imagination . 
as chris explores his new fantastic world and discovers things both amazing and wondrous , he also begins to learn more about himself . 
certain questions baffle him at first . 
why does his home in heaven ooze with paint ? 
what is the significance of the asian stewardess ? 
why does he have an all-too-willing guide ( cuba gooding , jr . ) to help him find annie ? 
but as he slowly begins to realize the answers , it makes him stronger and gives him a greater chance to save annie . 
 " dreams " is both visually and tellingly beautiful . 
alas , i have one regret . 
the movie did well to gather more and more emotional speed , but the denouement was curiously unsatisfying . 
it seemed as if it was racing to some kind of great finish , but its intensity seemed to wane in its final moments . 
however , your eyes will still well up with tears and you'll find lots to savor . 
the storytelling is purposeful and well constructed . 
the journey is imaginative . 
and i was surprised by how much i enjoyed this film .
director : penelope spheeris ( decline of western civilization ii - the : metal years , dudes , & suburbia ) 
cast : mike myers ( wayne campbell ) , dana carvey ( garth algar ) , : rob lowe ( benjamin oliver ) , tia carrere ( cassandra ) 
summary : wayne and garth have a public access show called " wayne's : world . " 
the show is a underground hit , until benjamin : oliver comes onto the scene . 
benjamin wants to turn the : show into a big hit nationwide , possibly destroying the : essence of " wayne's world " in the process . 
[expectations - medium] 
long review =========== 
i must admit being a bit reluctant going into this film . 
i didn't believe that they ( mike myers and dana carvey ) could hold it up for an hour and a half , i figured that perhaps the first half-hour would be great , and the rest would be " fluff . " 
however , i was really surprised about how well they were able to keep the laughs going for the virtually the whole film , with the exception of the ending . 
 ( which i won't discuss for obvious reasons , but it's not * that * bad . ) 
story : the plot was quite thin , but it really wasn't that noticeable , because of the rapid-fire jokes that myers wrote in . 
alot of the jokes are very similar to hot shots ! , in being very " parodyish . " 
 ( okay , bad term . ) 
extremely witty throughout , although ( as in hot shots ) it got a bit repetitive in the middle . 
acting : as in many comedies , the acting isn't really * that * important . 
however , myers turns in a good performance as wayne , playing the character perfectly , ( although i still liked him better back on much music , in a more " canadian " type of mode . ) 
carvey is okay as garth , but he lacks the spark myers puts into wayne . 
tia carrere is mediocre as cassandra , playing it very stilted . 
lowe is fine as ben oliver , but is nothing to write home about . 
without a doubt , this movie is mike myers all the way . 
direction : spheeris is a classic " music " movie director , making dudes , and decline of western civilization ii -- the metal years . 
 ( she also directed the boys next door , which is different , to say the least . ) 
she is very capable , knows how direct a comedy , the correct camera movements it instill laughs , etc . one of the better jobs i can remember for a comedy . 
overall : i would suggest to anyone that likes snl's skits to go see this film in the theatres . 
however , my personal opinion , as in most comedies , is that they work just as well on video . 
you definately have to be fan of music , and all forms of media in general to enjoy this film . 
without a doubt , this is the best comedy so far this year . 
it'll make tons 'o' dough for everyone involved . 
let's just hope they make a thousand sequels . 
[sorry , i had to get the lame joke in . . . 
forgive me . ]
this sometimes-tedious and often-moving documentary charts the life and times of anne frank , the young diarist and most-famous victim of adolph hitler . 
writer/director/producer jon blair has collected a staggering amount of historical material on both anne and the frank family . 
we meet miep gies , one of the family's protectors who is still alive . 
she recounts how she found the diary in the days after the germans captured the franks . 
we watch otto frank , anne's father and surviving family member , in interview footage filmed before his death . 
blair successfully combines these clips , footage , and other historical records to recount exactly what happened during that terrible period of european history . 
as narrated by kenneth branagh and with diary excepts read by glenn close , anne frank remembered retells more than just anne's story . 
we meet and learn about the * many * friends , family members , and acquaintances whose lives were touched by this young woman and her writings . 
winner of the last year's academy award for best documentary .
in `enemy at the gates' , jude law is a gifted russian sniper made hero by a political officer named danilov ( joseph fiennes ) who uses him in a propaganda newspaper to raise the hopes of the soldiers and people of stalingrad . 
it's world war ii , and the russian-german standoff in town could determine the outcome of things for the motherland . 
law's vassili is the russian's top pawn to victory . 
lots of war stuff happens . 
an older , german version of jude's character played by ed harris shows up halfway into the proceedings . 
he's equally talented , and the two men play a cat and mouse game trying to kill each other . 
they constantly switch roles , as the war fades far into the background . 
the cast also includes the terrific rachel weisz as a love interest for both vassili and danilov 
the set-up is decent , and so are the production values . 
boasting a wide range of grimy locales , greasy hair , and tattered costumes , the art direction prospers . 
the actors , however , suffer the problem matt damon had in `saving private ryan' . 
either their eyes , teeth , skin , or a combination of other features looked too white and clean . 
with dirt and blood all around , the blinding teeth or bright eyes of these actors divert attention from the action . 
that said , the players are mostly good in their roles , although i don't think ed harris was really trying . 
maybe he realized his role struck a difficult chord in one-notedom . 
while the film is technically about snipers , there are far too many predictable sniping scenes . 
director jean-jacques annaud expects us to view each tense situation with jude and some cohort in a tight spot as edgy and exciting , but after about the sixth time , in which we realize that jude is not going to die , it's relatively pointless . 
we get that he's talented , okay , let's move on . 
that's the problem with `enemy at the gates' ; it just doesn't know when to stop . 
witness the wasted seventeen minutes that could have been spent elsewhere . 
reestablishing his title as the most beautiful ( and often talented ) man on film , jude law carries the movie . 
without him , this costly production would have gone into the ground . 
the story and acting are of good quality , but there's never a sense of authenticity or reality . 
something about this war movie is undeniably modern , and it loses its feeling . 
strange enough , the screenplay is based on the true story of a real russian sniper .
kirk douglas is one of those rare american actors who can say more with a simple glance than most can say with pages of dialogue . 
all he has to do is look at someone with a raised eyebrow , and you instantly know what he's thinking . 
 " detective story " features one of kirk douglas's finest performances . 
he stars as a new york detective that has his whole world fall apart in one night . 
the film is based on a play , and this is quite evident , as most of the movie takes place in the one-room flat that the detective's work in . 
the film opens with the douglas character getting ready to go home to his wife , but through a series of events , he never quite makes it there . 
the bulk of the movie follows the case of a man named schneider , a surgeon who routinely performs abortions with a high fatality rate . 
however , this schneider character has a connection in the past of douglas's wife ; a connection douglas himself is not aware of . 
many secrets are revealed in the last half hour of this film . 
secrets i would not dream of giving away . 
with a name like " detective story " , one would assume the film would resemble an episode of " nypd blue " , but it doesn't quite work out that way . 
however , we do see douglas at work on a few other cases throughout the running time . 
lee grant ( virtually unrecognizable ) plays a meek jewish woman arrested for shoplifting . 
her scenes with bendix , another detective , provide the movie with a few laughs . 
the performances all around are fantastic . 
douglas may be the leader of this ensemble , but he's not the center of attention all the time . 
we get to catch a glimpse into other cases and other detectives working on those cases . 
which brings me back to douglas . 
he has a really emotional scene towards the end of the picture that really makes you feel for him . 
we can see that this is a man who has spent his whole life trying to eliminate crime , but has finally realized that what he's really done is gotten back at his criminal father . 
how he handles coming to terms with this is something really worth seeing . 
kirk douglas is the kind of actor we don't seem to see to much of these days : he's a tough guy , but the human elements are never hidden too deeply underneath that gruff exterior .
i had lost all faith in pg-13 movies that are intended for teenagers and adults . 
the last dozen or so that i have seen have all felt incomplete , as if the most crucial scene was deleted in order to obtain a more lucrative rating . 
however , after seeing the creative frequency last week and now the exciting u-571 , my bias is beginning to go away . 
both films are as innocuous for younger viewers as they are intellectual for older viewers . 
even better , i didn't think either one of these films would be any good from first instincts . 
everyone loves surprises . 
u-571 looked like another action film using an actual war as an excuse to shoot torpedoes and bullets . 
this may be true , but the action is so extraordinary that it is clear director/co-writer jonathan mostow completed his ultimate goal ; to blow the audience's socks off . 
set during the early stages of world war 2 when the united states struggled to break the codes of the technologically advanced german u-boats , u-571 follows a small crew of american men who swipe the typewriter necessary to solve the enigma from an enemy ship . 
there's only one problem : the american ship they came from and hoped to return to has been shot down stranding the men on a german submarine known as ( you guessed it ) u-571 . 
it is now up to the mostly young and inexperienced sailors , led by an interim captain named tyler ( matthew mcconaughey ) , to return the typewriter to america without getting sunk by far superior german ships . 
the film starts off very slowly with a somewhat weak opening action sequence and another uneventful half an hour to introduce several of the sailors ( most of whom die when the mission goes awry or just inexplicably disappear ) . 
once the crew gets on the u-boat , the movie shifts to another level and never leaves this high energy level until the ending credits roll down . 
as soon as the action starts , it does not stop and luckily , because it is so exciting , i didn't want it to stop . 
this is not a movie for those wanting to avoid loud noises , from the wonderful , heart-pounding score to the constant yelling of panicking men , make sure you see this at a theater with surround-sound ? otherwise , do not see it all . 
the best parts of u-571 are when tyler is forced to make impromptu decisions on how to escape seemingly impossible situations . 
throughout the movie , several morals or characters are introduced to make tyler's job as stressful as possible . 
germans gun down their own men , tyler's mentor captain dahlgren warns him that a captain has to be prepared to sacrifice even the most beloved soldiers for a victory , another sailor ( erik palladino ) threatens mutiny . 
all of these examples , and several others , increase the chaotic atmosphere and the importance of tyler's every move . 
they also make u-571 one of the most exhilarating movies i have seen in a while .
bruce willis stars as malcolm , an award winning child psychologist who discovers one night that one of his former patients is still suffering from inner demons . 
the now grown man breaks into his apartment while he and his wife ( olivia williams from rushmore ) are celebrating his award , shoots malcolm in the stomach , then takes his own life . 
almost nine months later , malcolm discovers cole ( haley joel osment , in a brilliant performance ) , another young man afflicted with the same turmoil as his former patient . 
he takes on the child's case in the hope of redeeming himself for botching up the previous one , alienating his wife in the process . 
he soon discovers that they boy can see and speak to the dead , and his life becomes forever turned upside down . 
although the first hour is very slow , the sixth sense turns out to be a very powerful and moving film . 
i was expecting this film to be mercury rising 2 , but was astonished to discover an extremely well plotted out little thriller with an outstandingly satisfying ending . 
you'll find yourself mentally retracing your steps through the film to see if you actually saw what you think you did once the credits roll . 
i must give m . night shyamalan a lot of credit for a brilliantly written screenplay . 
the cast should also be given a lot of credit for making the movie as solid as it is . 
a lesser cast could have made this film a joke . 
bruce willis portrays his character perfectly , balancing his need to help cole and his agony over his strained relationship with his wife skillfully . 
haley joel osment shines as nine year old cole , showing patience in his character that few young actors these days can pull off . 
toni collette , looking markedly different from her pathetic character in muriel's wedding , gives a strong performance as cole's mother , who is trying to cope with both her son's " illness " and the passing of her mother . 
finally , olivia williams deftly portrays a woman having to struggle with a husband who's not around and flirtations with a co-worker that could lead to a begrudgingly accepted end . 
it's a shame that they show cole's abilities in the trailer , because the movie takes close to forty minutes to get around to doing the same , so we already know what's going on before most of the rest of the cast does . 
in retrospect though , the forty minute set-up is essential to enjoying the end of the film , so i have fewer complaints now then i did while i was watching the film . 
i'm glad that the run of teen-styled horror films has passed and filmmakers are starting to make more adult fare . 
films like this , the similarly themed stir of echoes , and countless others to be released later in the year should make for a pretty entertaining close to 1999 . 
[pg-13]
hollywood has a . 750 
batting average with elmore leonard adaptations . 
last year's touch was ill-conceived and just plain odd but get shorty , jackie brown and now out of sight all were highly entertaining movies . 
steven soderburgh , master of sex , lies and videotape , now adds crime to his repertoire in this tale of bank robbery , prison , double-crossing , uncut diamonds and , oh yeah , true love . 
george clooney is the protagonist , a risky choice after such duds as batman and robin and the peacemaker , but for once i didn't want to slap the taste out of his mouth . 
he plays his role in out of sight as the suave cary grant-type perfected in hitchcock movies , the kind of guy to whom crime is just a profession like any other . 
nowhere present is clooney's usual ain't-i-sexy sneer -- there's just enough leftover lightheartedness to fit in with the leonard style . 
clooney is definitely a perfect successor to john travolta in get shorty . 
clooney plays a man who's robbed about 200 banks without ever using a gun . 
in the opening scene , he walks into one bank and robs it not only with ease but with charm . 
of course , he gets caught , so it's not all good . 
it's while doing time in a florida prison that clooney learns of one rich inmate's ( albert brooks in a frightful bald wig ) collection of diamonds in detroit . 
clooney and cohort ving rhames plan the score , while protection artist and fight promoter don cheadle begins rival plans . 
meanwhile , there's jennifer lopez . 
unintentionally funny in selena and intentionally funny in anaconda , she's finally graduated to a worthy role as the u . s . marshal who happens to be driving up to the jail on the night clooney escapes . 
rhames is waiting to give him a ride in a stolen car , and lopez makes it a threesome , her hostage ass locked in a trunk with clooney . 
he's covered in dirt and has a gun to her neck , and it's a little cramped in there , but they manage to make a love connection anyway , probably because it's a movie . 
the relationship between clooney and lopez is at the heart of the movie , and one of the details that elevates it beyond your normal noir-ish crime story . 
the leonard movies are more obsessed with dialogue than crime , and this is no exception . 
although they're not really germane to the plot , lopez's relationship with her father ( dennis farina of get shorty ) , rhames' relationship with his christian sister ( you could call her sister christian ) and a pop-in cameo by michael keaton all lend extra class to a movie already full of it . 
out of sight spans at least three years but has a non-linear structure , focusing on the jailbreak / brooks score and flashing back to earlier times . 
this is a movie with a brain , as smooth and calculated as the clooney and lopez characters themselves . 
the entire cast does the material justice -- clooney and lopez coming into their own , and rhames and cheadle cementing their positions as two of my favorites . 
here's hoping future leonard adaptations continue to carry the torch . 
serving america for almost 1/20th of a century !
the last steve martin film i saw , the spanish prisoner , was a very different approach for the comic actor . 
as a millionaire leading a massive conspiracy in order to rob " a process " from a clueless businessman , martin's character did it all for money . 
in his most recent movie , bowfinger , martin plays yet another con man except this time he does it to succeed in the film industry . 
he wants to direct a successful picture that will force people to remember his name , that will make him more popular at the parties , and , most importantly , that will cause fed ex to deliver important business packages to his front door . 
playing the title role , martin is once again the good guy ; the one we cheer for to complete his low budget action movie . 
this con man is very likeable for some reason , even though he is doing the same exact thing as the malicious jimmy del from the spanish prisoner . 
maybe the message is that , in hollywood , to win over the trust and friendship of others , you have to be a little evil . 
bowfinger is a very clever comedy with great performances from its two stars . 
martin , who also wrote the screenplay , is perfect as a jerk with a conscience and eddie murphy does his best " peter sellers " in two different , but equally hilarious , roles ; one as a big time move star and the other as his nerdy , burger king employee brother . 
the story follows aging and failing director/producer bobby bowfinger as he makes one last attempt to become a respected member of his field by creating a b-action movie called chubby rain . 
in order to attract actors and crew members , bowfinger promises them that hot shot actor kit ramsey will star in the movie . 
the only problem is that kit refuses to be in it . 
but this won't stop the aggressive bowfinger . 
he is so determined to complete his film that he decides to put kit in it without even telling him . 
he has his actors approach kit on the streets of los angeles in character with a hidden camera filming the footage . 
will bowfinger be able to make his film ? 
or will kit ramsey discover what exactly is going on ? 
bowfinger is a very cartoon-like movie that pokes fun at hollywood and its famous residents while simultaneously holding a very solid story line . 
the only area where the film really lacks is the cameo department . 
this is the kind of movie that cameos are all about , it is always funny to see actors/directors/producers making fun of themselves or co-workers especially in a playful movie such as this . 
besides the very repetitive and superflous ending , bowfinger is a joy to watch . 
if you take a movie like this seriously then you will never enjoy it . 
if you accept the incredulous plot and the extreme caricatures of real entertainment figures , the movie is great fun .
whenever studio executives try to combine the successful formula of two blockbuster films , the end result is always a mess of a script , acting , directing , and generally a waste of time for any audience with an average iq above 40 . 
the latest movie morass from hollywood , the crew , appeared equally destined to fail , a strange combination of grumpy old men and goodfellas tossed together with the likes of richard dreyfuss and burt reynolds helming the ship . 
the scary thing is that it's actually entertaining and a breath of fresh air in this otherwise stale month . 
the crew works for several reasons . 
the clever script is reminiscent of an old billy wilder movie , following four " past their prime " wiseguys from jersey who now live in the raj mahal apartment house in miami beach . 
the wiseguys find themselves being evicted from their " golden paradise " by greedy landlords bent on raising rents for new beach bunnies and boys looking for beachfront property . 
the four mobsters , bobby bartellemeo ( richard dreyfuss ) , joey " bats " pistella ( burt reynolds ) , mike " the brick " donatelli ( dan hedaya ) , and tony " mouth " donato ( seymour cassel ) decide to hatch a scheme to plant there a dead body heisted from the morgue in order to drive out the new tenants and keep their home . 
this " simple plan " suddenly goes screwy , of course , and the boys become involved with a stripper named ferris ( jennifer tilly ) who wants her stepmother killed , a paranoid latin drug lord who's convinced a mysterious rival is out to get him , and a rat with its tail on fire . 
the crew works as a strong comedic vehicle driven by a great ensemble cast of talented character actors and subtle leading men . 
instead of concentrating on bobby's search for his daughter , the film gives equal screen time to all four wiseguys , balancing the production . 
the acting talents of such screen veterans as dan hedaya , seymour cassel , and the great , great burt reynolds are brought out by each character's uniqueness and synergy within the wiseguy circle . 
a strong supporting cast including jeremy piven as a philandering boyfriend/cop/partner and miguel sandoval as the paranoid drug lord provide the most laughs . 
the film was produced by barry sonnenfeld and carries a hint get shorty with its energetic camera work by michael dinner , emmy award-winning director of the wonder years . 
the quick script written by barry fanaro , screenwriter of kingpin , is carried by plenty of subtly dry humor and wit . 
the crew is a prime example of how simple and dry-witted a comedy can get these days . 
the great thing is that this comedy does not need to be punctuated by bodily fluids , phallus symbols in the head , or grandmothers giving head in a spa . 
in the steady flow of " extreme " comedy these days flowing from hollywood like a broken water main , it's the elder statesmen like dreyfuss , reynolds , and hedaya that can carry a comic arc with only a few weapons of choice - a decent script and good acting .
along his carreer , mel gibson has collected several successes , not only from an economic point of view but also from an artistic point of view . 
for all that , i think no one could guess the skills and abilities now disclosed in braveheart . 
the australian actor decided to produce and direct a film about sir william wallace , a popular scotch hero of the 13th century , where he would also perform the principal role . 
accepting so huge challenge , mel gibson run the risk of stain all his work of years , with a suppoosed failure , just to see recognized , by everyone , all his potentialities and , that way , to consolidate his position in hollywood . 
it was , definitely , an enormous risk but i'm sure mel knew exactly well what he was going to face . 
braveheart is , in fact , a magnificent and magisterial film . 
for three hours we are completely absorbed by the narrative's rhyitm which never gives place to a single moment of monotony or uninterest . 
the william wallace's story is the story of so many others brave liberty's defenders who fought and gave the life for that essential value , along the centuries . 
seeing himself and his people victims of injustices and violent repression , william wallace dares to face the powerful edward i , king of england , in a war by the autonomy of scotland . 
as the victories succeed the number of fighters with wallace goes growing up . 
his courage and inteligence are admired by everyone , including the princess isabelle of wales , wife of edward's son . 
however , william wallace was also surrounded by enemies and some of them were closer than he thought . 
braveheart may not be an historically corrected movie but the nature of its message make us think about the importance that we give to liberty , nowadays . 
mel gibson directs with a lot of brilliancy a brilliant cast . 
patrick mcgoohan has a very nice performance as edward i , the king longshank . 
the scene when he waits for the death and loses his voice is really good . 
sophie marceau , as princess isabelle , has along the movie no more than fifteen minutes of performance but mel gibson gave to those minutes such a very special treatment that princess isabelle soon becomes one of the major characters in braveheart . 
i also liked the performances of angus macfadyen , as robert the bruce , and , of course , mel gibson , as william wallace . 
however , i think this time the mel gibson's work as director was much better than his work as actor . 
the excellent music composed by james horner is another thing that helps braveheart to be the success that it really is . 
when we join that music to the beautiful scotch landscapes , view by the camera of john toll , then we realize all the beauty of this film . 
braveheart is , in my opinion , one of the best movies of 1995 ! 
i've heard some people saying that mel gibson is gonna be a new david lean . 
for now , let's see if braveheart equalizes the 6 oscars of lawrence of arabia . 
it won't be easy ! 
it's gonna be one more challenge for mel gibson .
capsule : bleak and point-blank -- just the way it should be . 
makes its case with cold-blooded precision and intelligence . 
 " serial killer chic " is a relatively new entry to the cultural vocabulary , and one of the more stomach-turning ones . 
i've never found someone automatically admirable or even interesting because they killed creatively or in great numbers , and because of that i had apprehensions about seeing henry . 
i wasn't sure i wanted to see the story of multiple murderer henry lee lucas portrayed as some kind of nihilistic hero/antihero . 
thankfully , that's not the way henry works . 
the director , john mcnaughton , took a small budget and a gallery of actor friends and created a chilling and intelligent piece of work . 
it doesn't provide cheap-jack explanations for henry's behavior : it shows him up for what he is , an unrepentant and un-idolizable man who killed when the mood struck him . 
at the film's opening , henry's friend ottis toole has a sister , who comes by to stay while she tries to find work in chicago . 
in a viciously riveting scene , he admits matter-of-factly to having murdered his own mother , and she covers his hand with hers . 
they are damned together from that moment on . 
henry and ottis eventually begin to kill for fun . 
the movie is especially good at showing how they seem to have drifted casually into it : there's a scene where the two go to buy a new tv . 
the pawnbroker they talk to goads henry with ugly words , and henry responds by stabbing the man to death with a soldering iron . 
no preface -- it smashes into us as suddenly as it does the broker . 
in a scene which many damned the movie for , unseen , they steal a video camera and film the murder of a whole household , playing it back over and over again for their own enjoyment . 
the movie itself , however , does not glorify the killings , but shows instead that henry feels no joy at his work , only irritation . 
henry succeeds thanks to excellent writing and direction as well as acting . 
michael rooker is credible as henry from the first frame , just standing there , and the rest of the cast works by being unaffected and casual as well . 
the producers had originally comissioned a slasher film from mcnaughton , but he decided to give them something more memorable , and consequently the film nearly didn't see release . 
the film does not glorify or justify -- it just shows us , with unflinching coldness , what henry was . 
i'm hard pressed to see how anyone can see this and consider henry any kind of " victim " or " hero " . 
then again , probably , so would henry .
" the fighting sullivans " contains a major plot development in the last ten minutes that every movie guide has seen fit to give away . 
there was no dramatic tension for me while watching the film , as i knew exactly what was going to happen . 
and that's the worst thing that can happen before viewing a movie . 
because of this , i will tread lightly so i don't ruin it for anyone reading this review , and it would be very advisable to avoid all other material regarding this film until after you have seen it . 
 " the fighting sullivans " revolves around a family that consists of a mother , father , sister , and five brothers . 
the brothers are very close , despite the occasional disagreement . 
they are inseperable , and never stray from one another . 
their friendship and loyalty is the foundation of this picture . 
the first half of the movie follows the brothers as young children , and their various adventures . 
when four of them get into a fight with some local boys , the youngest sullivan , who is inside a church at the time , comes running out to assist , but not before properly exiting the chapel . 
if i'm being awfully vague about details , it's because what i have told you is essentially the first hour and a half . 
all i can say is go watch this film , because it is a fine portrait of a family that sticks together , through the good and the bad . 
and after you see the movie , you will understand why this review has been written the way it has .
time bandits , from director terry gilliam , is a very different fantasy action/adventure movie about a group of time-traveling dwarves , led by randall ( david rappaport ) , who have stolen a map of the universe . 
this map contains time hole , that , if exploited , enable the men to travel back and forth through time . 
the supreme being of the universe ( ralph richardson ) is the former employer of these treasure-seeking bandits , and he wishes desperately to regain the map . . 
during the travels , he appears as a ghostly face , demanding that they return the map that they have stolen . 
but , according to randall , they are just " borrowing " it . 
kevin , a young boy who seems quite bored with his life , is unexpectedly brought into the schemes of the little men when they appear in his room , which has a portal for time traveling . 
he joins up with the men and becomes part of their gang , following them on their robberies . 
their first victim is napoleon ( ian holm ) , whom they rob during a battle that he is commanding . 
from here , the group travels to the middle ages , meeting up with robin hood himself . 
eventually , kevin is separated from the group and travels to an egyptian time where he is taken in by king agamemnon , played by sean connery . 
kevin accidentally saved the king's life , and the king wishes to have kevin as his son . 
but the group of bandits find kevin and transport onto the deck of the titanic . 
meanwhile , the evil genius ( david warner ) is watching the group from fortress of ultimate darkness , attempting to find a way in order to bring the men , and the map , to him . 
when randall learns of the fortress of ultimate darkness , which supposedly contains " the most fabulous object in the world " , the dollar signs seemingly appear on his eyes , as he is convinced that they must travel there . 
once inside the fortress of ultimate darkness , it is unclear as to if any of the men will make it out alive . 
time bandits is a fantastically made film that caters to the imagination of anyone . 
with a terrific soundtrack , courtesy of george harrison , whom also was an executive producer , time bandits is sure to be a very surrealistic , time-traveling adventure with unforgettable characters that is sure to entertain anyone . 
terry gilliam , however , does not utilize that greatly his trademark ability in moviemaking during this film , although this does not affect the film that greatly . 
and finally , if you liked labyrinth , you'll love time bandits .
charlie sheen stars as zane , a radio astronomer who listens for sounds from other lifeforms . 
when he finally gets one , his boss destroys the tape and fires him . 
naturally , zane is not ready to give up , and he comes up with an ingenious way to do this himself . 
he is aided by a young neighborhood kid and they discover that the sound is coming from mexico . 
so zane goes down there to investigate , and runs into a lady studying why the temperature of the earth has dangerously risen so suddenly . 
zane is having marital problems at the time , and an offer by her to spend the night with him is very tempting . 
hearing charlie sheen deliver the line , " i guess there is something to be said for celibacy " is the funniest thing i have ever heard in a movie since matthew broderick discussed asexual reproduction in wargames . 
this is just the setup , and i don't want to give too much away , because a large part of the movies fun is the surprises . 
charlie sheen , who has had a rocky career as of late , is in top form here . 
he is funny , serious , and determined to accomplish his goal . 
sheen's absolutely terrific performance is another big plus to this movie . 
the story is ingeniously devised by twohy , who also wrote and directed the equally clever cable movie grand tour : disaster in time . 
the films major flaw is a very slow pace , and not much happens in the earlygoings . 
viewers may be growing restless for a while , but trust me if you stick around and keep your head in it , you will have a good time .