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Reviews
Go (1999)
Good but not the Breakfast Club
There are obvious comparisons being made of Go to the Breakfast Club or other movies of teen rebellion and ultimate ascension into "adulthood." They even hint at this in the movie. But Go isn't the Breakfast Club.
GO is a good movie written and directed in an interesting, fast paced style. It's got everything from sex between 2 girls and a guy, to grand theft auto, from attempted murder to dealing drugs, from homosexual relationships to "Amway-like" sales people. What it doesn't have however is a theme or much of a point. I am not saying this movie isn't good. It just isn't great.
Waking Ned (1998)
Good, but could have been much better
I didn't know what to expect going into this and I came out of the theater getting something different than what I thought I would. For starters I thought Ned Devine would be a main character.
I liked this movie, I wish I could have liked more of it, however; it should have been another 30 minutes long, at least, in order to develop the relationships between the people in the small town more fully. I really think it could have been great rather than just touching. Or it may just have been longer and not add that much more. At any rate, we'll never know it.
Ian Bannen and Fionnula Flanagan are great as the O'Sheas. Most of the other performances are good too, none rise to be mentioned, however. Great music and beautiful scenery give you another reason to see this movie; to go along with the main reason: its an endearing story of 2 friends, 2 lovers, 1 wife, 1 boy, 47 other townsfolk and some pigs.
Rushmore (1998)
Instant Classic
Rushmore should become a cult classic, but is good enough to inspire something in the masses as well. A very well-casted, well-written and superbly acted story that is different from anything I have seen.
Jason Schwartzman is great as the main character, determined to stay at his private school, Rushmore, forever; that is until he meets the woman of his dreams, Ms. Cross (Olivia Williams). Bill Murray is classic, though not like he was in Stripes; more like he was in Kingpin.
I just saw this movie again and have to say that the music selections are so great. I am buying the soundtrack for sure. I would recommend this movie to anyone (but not young children). It is unique and refreshing.
Analyze This (1999)
A good movie for its type.
Billy Crystal was actually funny. I was more amazed by this then by De Niro's humorous performance. I'm not a big fan of Crystal you might say, but in Analyze This he is damn funny.
I always have trouble with my rating system for movies like this one because it really was a funny movie, just not really "my kind" of funny movie. I don't know how to describe it any better than that. So I gave it a 3.5 because I think that is being true to the viewers of this site. (and to me) Anything higher and the rating starts to represent some abstract concept of merit that I can't maintain.
A good movie for its type. I laughed most of the way through it.
What Dreams May Come (1998)
beautiful ... to look at
I wish I had seen this in the theater ... or at least on widescreen DVD. Alas, I rented it on VHS and had to settle for the "pan and scan" version. It was noticeable too. There is some really great special effects in this movie and some of it is breath taking or could be if I didn't know I wasn't seeing all of it or didn't get reminded of this fact every time the camera pans to the other side of the screen.
But visual affects and beauty aside, this movie could stand on the concepts it depicts and twists it offers. I cannot say that I agree with everything in What Dreams May Come, but I can say that I liked the way they tried to illustrate their vision. There was some real creativity and freshness that was infused into this rather well-traveled theme. Although I have seen other movies that claim to show the afterlife, none have done quite as good of job describing without oversimplification or extensive detail. Matheson and Bass really try to let the viewer determine what they are seeing ... to paint their own picture, if you will.
I am starting to feel like a Robin Williams fan, despite myself. He has just had so many good roles: (are they the same? some are) Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets Society, Good Morning Vietnam, etc. I will probably even see Patch Adams one of these days despite my better judgment.
Bottle Rocket (1996)
They brought you Rushmore. See this movie.
Based upon a 13-minute short done by Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson in 1994, Bottle Rocket is a funny and creative movie. I was prompted to see it after seeing Rushmore (twice) and a friend of mine highly recommending it.
Bottle Rocket didn't disappoint, but I think I might have disappointed it. You see, some of the humor is so subtle that you can easily miss it as I feel I may have. I caught enough of it however to know that Anderson and Wilson have put together quite a funny production.
Owen Wilson is so damned funny in his portrayal of Dignan, a slightly off-kilter kid with bigger aspirations to a life of crime. James Caan is very good as well, in his small but essential part as the neighborhood crime "boss".
This film never takes itself too seriously and that is why it is so good. I hope to see it again in a couple weeks. And it has a good soundtrack to boot.
Enemy of the State (1998)
The paranoid citizen genre is not dead after all. Just different.
The paranoid citizen genre (is it really a genre?) is not dead after all. Just different. Movies in the category usually involve many more psychological thrills and intrigue. Enemy of the State delivers in a 90's sort of way... non stop action. After the first 10 minutes you better hope you don't have to get up to go to the bathroom, because this film doesn't stop until the credits roll.
Will Smith is good as lawyer turned enemy of the state, Robert Clayton Dean, and Gene Hackman as Brill, an ex-NSA agent and current paranoid citizen #1, gives a solid performance as always (upcoming Love Boat: The Movie a possible exception). Jon Voight plays a great dirty politician (is there another type these days?).
Well thought and put together into a tightly woven story that leaves sparse little time to develop characters, or even add dialog. You get your money's worth, but don't expect to think too much. That is all taken care of by the film makers. This is as much a commentary on the audiences today and their willingness to be "wowed" by a fast pace and special effects as it is a view of the production companies willingness to go with what is proven to make money and not to take too many chances. Don't get me wrong though. This was a good movie and I enjoyed it.