Cousin Bette (1998)

Cousin Bette (1998)

[6] Jessica Lange and Elisabeth Shue star in this darkly comedic period piece about a bitter seamstress (Lange) who plots to ruin the lives of her late sister's husband and daughter after they refuse to accept her into their wealthy…
Grand Canyon (1991)

Grand Canyon (1991)

[8] This ensemble drama from Big Chill director Lawrence Kasdan is perhaps the most metaphor-laden movie I've ever seen. The screenplay (cowritten by Kasdan and his wife, Meg) gets pretentious and overreaching at times, but a well-meaning message and a…
Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

[8] Disney goes Broadway in the first animated motion picture ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar (in the days before they rolled out a separate category for the medium). This version of the classic fairy tale is fueled by…
The Godfather Part III (1990)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

[7] While I enjoy parts two and three, I have the same general problem with both of them. Why do they exist? The first film tells a complete story, but part two (with its shuffling of prelude and epilogue) plays…
Splendor (1999)

Splendor (1999)

[5] A young woman (Kathleen Robertson) starts dating two different men, a writer and a drummer (Johnathon Schaech and Matt Keeslar), and can't give one up, so she invites them to be a threesome. And it works until she falls…
Fear (1996)

Fear (1996)

[7] Mark Wahlberg and Reese Witherspoon headline this taut, engaging thriller from screenwriter Christopher Crowe (Last of the Mohicans) and director James Foley (After Dark My Sweet, Glengarry Glen Ross). Witherspoon plays a high schooler who falls head over heels…
School Ties (1992)

School Ties (1992)

[6] In this period piece set in 1950s New England, Brendan Fraser stars as a high school quarterback who gets recruited to a prestigious preparatory school where he must hide the fact that he's Jewish. School Ties feels desperate to cash in…
Pet Sematary Two (1992)

Pet Sematary Two (1992)

[4] Mary Lambert returns to direct the sloppy, uneven sequel about new characters who discover the burial ground with resurrection powers from the first film. She's working with a solid cast that includes uber-baddie Clancy Brown (Highlander, Carnivale), Anthony Edwards,…
Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)

Cast a Deadly Spell (1991)

[6] This made-for-cable fantasy/noir yarn features Fred Ward as a private detective searching for a book of spells in an alternate 1940s Hollywood where monsters and magic are part of everyday life. Think Who Framed Roger Rabbit with magic instead of…
Matinee (1992)

Matinee (1992)

[7] John Goodman stars as a schlock filmmaker previewing his latest atomic horror flick during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The script by Charlie Haas draws clunky parallels between the real life threat of nuclear destruction and the…