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Reviews
The Counterfeit Traitor (1962)
Holden is Great
Last night I saw Executive Suite with William Holden and Fredrich March. I expected it to be a great movie and it was. Tonight I noticed AMC is playing another Holden movie entitled Counterfeit Traitor. I watched it and it turned out to be grippy and suspenseful and Holden was great. I have seen great films with Holden including Picnic, Bridge on the River Kwai and Sunset Boulevard. This was supposed to be one of his inferior work, but I actually liked it better than some of his better known films. It's too bad that at the end of his career he made movies such as Omen II and Ashtani. In any case, he was fabulous here and I am looking forward to see other films with him.
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Well done despite the flaws
I can't believe Roger Ebert gave this film */1/2 star. What is he thinking? His main problem was that the film does not provide historical background. For instance, he wonders why the film doesn't explain why were they Japanese in China. First of all this is a movie, not a researched paper with footnotes. Second, believe me there are people out there who know some history. I think the attack itself was very well staged and that's the part of the film that really works. On the other hand, I believe the romance could have been handled better. The magical romantic scenes of Titanic were missing here. Perhaps a more dramatic twist, such as the death of Affleck, would have made the film more powerful. I must say I enjoyed the relationship between the two freinds. That was a love story by itself. I like Kate Beckinsale as the nurse and Josh Hartnett as Danny. Affleck was ok, but a better actor, such as Jim Cavaziel or Wes Bentley, would have served the film better. Finally, Jon Voight was great as FDR. I was impressed by him the most. He has truelly develped from a star to a great character actor. He should be nominated for best supporting actor. Overall in a year that so far has brought us movies like Hannibal, this was a satisfying film. It was not Titanic, but it was good enough.
The Mummy Returns (2001)
the worst
This movie deserves to be called one of the worst films of 2001 along with Hannibal. I can't believe it made 70 million during the weekend. That shows that the general audiences are not sophisticated enough. This movie has almost no plot and no logic. The worst part is the acting. Brendan Fraser is simply not a leading man and certainly not an action hero. He should stick with movies lick Bedazzeld. Finally, the ladies who claim Frazer is beautiful should serioulsly go and have their minds examined. He is the most unappealing movie star I have ever seen, next to Kianu Reeves of course.
On Golden Pond (2001)
Great Remake
There is so much talk about the poor ratings this movies received that its good qualities have been largely ignored. It should be a great pleasure and honor for the public to have Mr. Plummer perform live on TV. He is one of the only great actors left from the generation of theater actors that included Jason Robards and George C Scott. Of course, the public is as always ignorant and most people prefer to watch trashy programs such as the survivor. In this movie, both Plummer and Andrews were superb as was Glenne Headly. In this era of trashy movies and low life so called actors such as Tom Green, David Spade, and Adam Sandler, who all should be working together in a Burger Joint instead of making films, it's refreshing to have such a good play performed live on TV. Plummer is a true treasure in this movie as he was in the last year's film the Insider and in American Tragedy. We hope to see more of him in the future.
Gladiator (2000)
A message for Russell Crowe.
Ridley Scott's career is strange. He made the great Duelists and the Alien in the 1970's. Blade Runner and Legend were mixed bags. Black Rain was good and Thelma and Louise was great. Then he immediately made the boring 1492.
This year he made a comeback with the Gladiator, which was good, and Hannibal which was awful. The casting of Russell Crowe, the battle scenes, the supporting cast including the late Oliver Reed, were great. I couldn't picture Pheonix as a Roman and I have preferred to see Jude Law. A lot of people don't realize this is essentially a remake of the old 1964 film the Fall of the Roman Empire which flopped and ended the era of big spectacular epics which had started in 1949 with Samson and Delila.
Overall I would give this film 3 and 1/2 stars and I would classify it as a decent effort. But it definitely was not the best film of 2000.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Not Perfect, but good.
I don't why this film is getting so much bad publicity and why is everyone so hard on Jake Lloyd? He did good if not great. That's the way kids act. Some people have suggested Haley Joel Osmond would make a better Anakin. Well maybe. But it would be a different kind of character. Had he played the part, most people would say, "oh yeah, you could see his dark side". But i don't think Anakin is meant to be dark in Phantom Menace. The whole point is that he was a good hearted noble kid and i think Lloyd managed to project that image. I did not like the inclusion of C3PO in this movie. I don't buy the fact that Anakin built him. I would have introduced later or not at all until EpisodeIV just like Han and Chewie. On the other hand, I liked the inclusion of R2D2. If you watch EpisodeIV when the droids fall on Tatoine, you could tell R2D2 is familar with the place but 3P0 is not. I have heard that crap about the droids having their memories erased, but it sounds too corny for me. I loved the effects and everything and i think the film has the best Jedi Duel so far. I think all three of them did good. Ewan McGregor was really into it.
Snow Falling on Cedars (1999)
One of the Greatest Movies Ever Made
I have never felt more sorry for a film. Despite the bad reviews and lack of box office, this film is worthy of Oscars. This movie is an offer you can't refuse. It had the best cinematography, great story, great acting, great direction, etc. Max Won Sydow is great as the lawyer and so are other actors such as Sam Shepard, James Rebhorn, and even Ethan Hawke do a good job. I hope the academy does not ignore this film when it comes to the awards. But I am afraid this film will suffer the fate of Citizen Kane and will be discovered long after its release.