Reviews

What is the Matrix? A top-notch, balls to the wall, ingenious, visually expansive and stunning, exquisitely crafted hard sci-fi film that also happens to be exceptionally well made and very entertaining. Questions about Keanu's acting chops aside, The Matrix is jammed with effects, well-choreographed fight sequences, and some amazing acrobatics by Reeves, Fishburne, and Moss. The plot is full of holes, naturally, and the dialogue is typically lowbrow and terrible but who really cares? This is cerebral popcorn at its most highly developed, a plate of eye candy lovingly delivered with gasoline eyedrops.

I liked it.

Keanu plays Neo, a computer nerd whose life is turned upside down when he is brought into the bizarre world of Trinity (Moss) and Morpheus (Fishburne). He jumps into a classic mind-trip and has to sort out his situation. While it would be very uncool to tell you what the Matrix is, understanding that virtual worlds are involved helps immensely. Essentially, Keanu and crew can bend their reality in one of the worlds but find themselves being chased by computer-generated agents intent on keeping the secret of the Matrix intact in the other.

The power exhibited by the three main characters (Keanu, Lawrence, and Carrie-Ann) is explosive and awe-inspiring. The trio of actors did most of their own stunts and the results are striking. They trained for seven months with martial arts experts and it absolutely pays off. With the addition of some dead time cinematography and film speed tweakage, the fight scenes are nothing short of beautiful.

In fact, just about every inch of this flick could be framed and put on a wall.

The film does have a few faults though. You've got to decide whether the lack of a well-constructed plot and sometimes silly dialogue will bother you. Like Blade, this flick definitely chooses style over substance. Still, it is light years ahead of some of Hollywood's normal drivel. There are frequent moments when you start to poke holes in the plot but the filmmakers quickly remedy that situation with another fight or effects scene. While the film literally drips with Hong Kong-style wire acrobatics, it also has the lovely all-encompassing darkness of Dark City.

At the pub last night discussing this film with Gaz and Chen, we started rattling off other action films that were nearly perfect: Die Hard, the first Lethal Weapon, and much of Face/Off. While The Matrix is far from perfect, it is certainly one of the more memorable flicks to come down the action transom in years.

THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER WAR LIKE WWII. And though Hollywood has done everything in its power to glamorize full-scale combat, Saving Private Ryan is an important reminder that war is not glamorous, noble nor pleasant in any way. In Ryan, Steven Spielberg delivers some of the most terrifying battle scenes ever committed to film, and in the process, uncovers the lingering bits of humanity found in the hearts of all men, even soldiers in the midst of an all out invasion.

Most of the action in Ryantakes place on the battle field

the brutality of war Saving Private Ryan is a story of mutilation. Soldier's bodies are torn in half, exploded, gutted, sliced, stabbed, dismembered, and generally desecrated in every way imaginable. And for their trouble, the lucky ones receive a quick-and-dirty burial in a mass shallow grave. It's this reality that Spielberg embraces, never giving the viewer anything less than a close-up and graphic look at the carnage. But unlike slasher or Hong Kong action movies, Saving Private Ryan was not made to impress the viewer with its creative violence. The graphic violence is meant to scare the living hell out of the audience, and give some kind of explanation for the surviving characters' state of mind.

With war comes suffering for all, not just the soldiers

technical mastery Despite the horrors of war depicted in the movie, even the most squeamish of viewers will find it difficult, if not impossible, to tear their eyes away from the screen during the disturbingly intense battle scenes. From the hand-held camera work (complete with occasional dropped frames for that classic WWII stock footage look), to the devastating visual effects of bombs exploding, bodies being torn to hell and, most of all, bullets flying everywhere, Saving Private Ryan is a thing of absolute wonder. And yet the visual effects pale in comparison to the sound effects which are thick and powerful, and do more to bring the audience into the world of the movie than anything actually on the screen.

The opening scene beach invasion is the most intense battle of the entire movie what about ryan? Beyond the amazing effects, sets and spot-on performances from Sizemore, Burns, Davies and Pepper, Saving Private Ryan fails to deliver the knockout punch in some aspects of the story. Yes, Private Ryan is the last remaining brother of the Ryan family, and, of course it will be difficult to find one foot soldier in the middle of a war, but that's about all you get. Tom Hanks, as solid as his performance is, never quite takes his character where it wants to go, and Matt Damon's character proves practically meaningless, making it difficult to justify the loss suffered trying to save him.

so does it work? Saving Private Ryan will leave your nerves absolutely frazzled and give you plenty to think about on the subject of humanity. And though, there are a few disappointments along the way, the negatives are few and the strengths are many and impressive.

Austin Powers is one of those movies that has become MORE popular as time wears on. Austin's slang has worked its way into the lexicon and everything from the redhot video to the Austin Powers Penis Enlarger is on sale and raking in meeeeeelions. When news of a sequel hit the streets, fans freaked. It's safe to say that AP2 is rivaled only by The Phantom Menace as 1999's must see.

The wait is over.

The second-most anticipated movie of 1999 finally comes to theaters. We're ecstatic to report that AP is a friggin' laugh riot, as Myers and crew have strung together another brilliant collection of one-liners and over the top, sometimes horribly disgusting, sight gags. The follow-up to 1997's video hit has Austin heading back to the 60s to track down his mojo, stolen by one of Dr. Evil's comically evil hapless henchmen. What's mojo? A multi-colored, stringy looking mess that makes Austin irresistible to the ladies. But the plot isn't so important. This is the Austin you know and love, only this time he's even more raw and hardcore.

It's clear that Myers was given a much larger budget to bring his vision to the screen after the runaway success of Austin Powers on video. The sets in Spy are much more vibrant and huge, the effects (yes, effects) are top-notch, and the pacing is completely nonstop. I had a perma-grin stuck on my face through the whole thing and will need to see it again just because the audience drowned out some lines with laughter.

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty Spy picks up with Austin taking a trip in a time machine back to the smashing 60s where, as we all know, he is a sexual dynamo. The time travel bits can get confusing, but as Basil Exposition of British Intelligence says, "Just sit back and enjoy yourself." Back in the 60s, Austin quickly draws the attention of his nemesis Dr. Evil. The hilarity begins as a patchwork parade of moronic henchmen attempt to wipe out Austin.

Still, the best reason to shell out your cash is that AP2 is clearly Dr. Evil's movie. If he's your favorite, you're in luck. Most important, we see him get some.

The film does lean a bit too heavily on gags from the first flick and some of the "Yeah, baby" schtick grows old fast. (When your Mammy starts saying "Yeah, baby," it's clearly tired, right?) Still, fans of the original will feel right at home with the budget destructo devices, the horrid teeth, and the clumsy bumblings of Austin himself. In a summer full of high concepts and big budget, AP2 is just the ticket.

No, it won't corrupt your sensibilities. It won't turn your sons into testosterone-fuelled, brass-knuckled thugs. It won't make your daughters pine for a Marla makeover, that ''abuse me please'' look personified by Helena Bonham Carter as she ping-pongs between the pasty office-dweeb hero (Edward Norton) and his ''out of the id'' confrere Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt).

What Fight Club WILL do is cause you to marvel at Norton's performance -- the flesh hanging on the barbed wire that is the plot -- gasp at director David Fincher's hellacious filmmaking technique, scratch your head as the movie disappears down its own rabbit hole in the final 20 minutes, and, with any justice, make you want to seek out Chuck Palahniuk's novel.

The most bashed movie of 1999 (by prim guardians of the Left and Right) as well as the most lionized (by starry-eyed angry young men), ''Fight Club'' is neither that bad nor that rockin'. Certainly, it touches a frazzled raw nerve ending among audiences growing up in a brand-name world that fills them with disgust. Just as certainly, it mines cheap shock out of Holocaust ''humor'' and a no-hope posturing that is, finally, as hollowly trendy as any Gap ad. Rent it for its style, and for the second-best plot twist of 1999, and savor the pieces.

So much is being written about the battles between New Line Cinema and Director Tony Kaye over his debut feature film that hardly anything is being said about the film itself. That's too bad because American History X, despite a few hiccups, is an intense, tautly written, and beautifully lensed trumpet song heralding the arrival of a formidable new talent.

Danny (Furlong) is an impressionable youth who greatly admires and looks up to his brother Derek (Norton). Trouble is, Derek is the leader of an organized skinhead group. One evening, Derek goes on a rage and murders two black men. Three years later, on the day of Derek's release from prison, Danny turns in a book report on Mein Kampf and lands in the principal Sweeney's (Brooks) office. As punishment, Sweeney demands Danny rewrite the paper tracing his brother's path to murder. Told partially in flashback American History X, grapples with serious issues of hatred, racism, and whether or not such deep-seated resentment can be turned back.

Kaye directed commercials for Volvo, Volkswagen, and Nike (not to mention Soul Asylum's award-winning "Runaway Train" video) and much of the film features commercial-like moments: long lingering camera sweeps, plenty of slo-mo, light bursts, and inspired camera angles. Kaye manages to capture some memorable images. Still, despite this, at some points it gets a little tedious. Some of the emotional impact is washed away from certain scenes simply because the camera just won't stand still.

Another wonderful surprise is the crispness of the black and white footage Kaye shot. Like Pleasantville, after extended periods of black and white, when color does reappear, it seems all the more vibrant.

Maybe Kaye's version would have addressed this but the picture does have its share of problems. Will working in a prison laundry alongside a chummy black guy really change such deep-rooted hatred and fear in Derek? Wouldn't the skinheads attack Derek after his release from prison and beating of the white supremacist leader? Did his mother have to be sick? Couldn't we have seen a little more struggle from Danny trying to ditch his extremist ways other than just crying on his brother's shoulder? Did we really need to see another prison rape scene?

Despite a mixed bag of problematic moments and inspired genuis, American History X is worth your time if for no other reason than to check out Norton and Furlong's taut performances. Norton never looked so menacing, nor showed such a proclivity toward evil doing. Avery Brooks, Fairuza Balk, and a surprisingly effective Beverly D'Angelo also turned in some nice (if uneven) performances.

It's unfortunate that Kaye feels like he was unable to complete American History X. Much of the film feels great but there are moments of stumbling about. Perhaps Kaye would've fixed those. Or, maybe not. In any case, the ultimate message is diluted because of the inconsistencies. This is one of those tricky flicks you'll either love or hate and that is part of its charm.

Let's say you're out walking in the woods and you find a bag full of money. Would you keep it?

That's the catalyst for the acclaimed new dark comedic thriller from director Sam Raimi. Best known for his stunning visual work on earlier films like Darkman and Evil Dead 2, (and co-writing The Hudsucker Proxy) Raimi tones down his special effects here to tell a tale of greed, deceipt, and crime among three men.

Set in a small, desolate Midwestern town, the three central figures are Hank Mitchell (Paxton), his older brother Jacob (Thornton), and Jacob's drinking buddy, Lou (Briscoe). Although Hank and Jacob are brothers, their only similarity seems to be their last name, as the homely Jacob shares much more in common with the his best friend, Lou.

Hank is the only one who has a job, and is considered an upstanding member of the community, while both Jacob and Lou are perceived to be dimwitted losers that can't hold down a job. All three men have lived in the same no-name town for their entire lives, and it's apparent that they're running out of time to make any kind of life change.

An opportunity for change presents itself one day when the three stumble upon a small plane that has crashed deep in the woods. Inside, they find only a dead pilot and a duffel bag containing over four million dollars. While the unemployed Jacob and Lou have no qualms about keeping the money, Hank raises some serious concerns. They finally agree on a plan to keep the money, but with specific conditions. When the plan starts falling apart, and the greediness and mistrust take over, A Simple Plan becomes a joy to watch, as each character becomes more suspicious of the others.

Without spoiling too much, it should be noted that this is a story of more than just three men. Hank's very pregnant wife, Sarah (Fonda) gets a juicy role as the strategist who calls the shots from the hospital room, and an FBI agent (Cole) adds more tension when he comes snooping around.

The ensemble cast deliver memorable performances throughout, but it's Billy Bob Thornton as the misfit older brother who steals the show. Under a pair of hideous glasses and a disturbing wig, Thornton mangages to capture each nuance of his character perfectly. Look for him to be nominated again come Oscar time.

A Simple Plan will inevitably draw some comparisons to that other amateur-criminals-in-the-snow film, Fargo, and yes, it's Fargo-esque, but don't hold that against it. I mean, it's not as though it's a shot-by-shot remake. That would just be ridiculous...

Why can´t Dolph Lundgren ever choose a good film-role. Why must he pick roles like these. In this film he and (another B-Movie star) Brandon Lee plays two cops, fighting against the Yakuza. I can tell you the whole story-line right now, it goes something like this: Lundgren and Lee have a conversation and then they go and beat someone up. Lundgren and Lee have a conversation and then they go and beat someone up. Lundgren and Lee have a conversation and then they go and beat someone up. Why do they keep making these movies?

Well isn´t this just great? A whole movie based on special-effects. This movie originates from a comic-book and this really shows. While watching the movie I caught myself thinking: Where´s all the fun stuff that my friends told me about, where are all the great scenes and fun jokes? The only reason to see this movie is Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz, who´re both superb in this film.

The Star Wars movies, to me, are a phenomenon. Not because they´re good films, but ´cause they are the films that´s still earning an awful lot of money, even though they are over 20 yeras old! I´ve never understood the greatness in these films, they are decent films but I don´t think that they should be on the top 250 list. Star Wars, has a boring story line, and the special-effects aren´t much too cheer over neither. I think Star Wars has a lot of uninteresting characters and a very predictable ending as well. This has got to be the most overestimated film of all time.