[6] Kenneth Branagh directs and stars in this somewhat faithful adaptation of Shelley’s spectacular novel. While it hits most of the plot points, it doesn’t quite capture the essence of Shelley’s work — that if you tinker irresponsibly with nature (or play God), you’ll reap the whirlwind. This could have been achieved if Branagh gave a more believable performance. He and Helena Bonham Carter are …
[8] A murdered man comes back from the dead to exact revenge on the people who killed him and his fiancee. The Crow is a dark visual delight featuring a charismatic performance from the late Brandon Lee as the title character. (Lee died in an on-set accident before the film was completed.) Stories of revenge always risk a boring second act where we’re forced to watch …
[5] An odd and perhaps ill-fitting choice of material for director Mike Nichols (The Graduate). Jack Nicholson and Michelle Pfeiffer give decent performances, but James Spader leaves a greater impression as a backstabbing protege. Wolf focuses more on the psychological effects of becoming a werewolf and skimps on the visceral thrills. I have a problem with the way Nicholson reacts to his transformation — he …
[8] The Disney Animation Studios took Shakespeare’s Hamlet and transplanted it to the African savanna with an all-animal cast. Buoyed by a hit soundtrack, lush visuals, memorable characters, and a daring blend of intense drama and whacky humor, the film became the critical and financial climax of the late ’80s/early ’90s Disney renaissance. For me, the truly exceptional elements of the film are the music, …
[4] Brendan Fraser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler star as wannabe rock gods who take a small radio station in L.A. hostage until they play their demo over the airwaves. As serendipity permits, news of the siege hits the public and starts enough of a sensation that the guys become bonafide celebrities… and yes, they get their record contract. There are absolutely no surprises in …
[8] Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) stars as an unwitting mail room clerk thrust into the office of CEO at a mythical uber-corporation when the board members decide to send the company’s stocks into a nose dive. But the board, headed by a coolly evil Paul Newman, doesn’t count on their newly anointed dim-wit to invent the next materialistic rage — the hula hoop. Under …
[10] I doubt Tim Burton will ever make a finer film. Armed with a powerhouse screenplay by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (The People vs Larry Flynt), Burton turns the biography of Hollywood’s most infamously bad director into a poignant and hilarious film about never giving up… no matter how much you might suck. The film is admittedly white-washed, concentrating and embellishing upon Ed Wood’s …
[9] The story covers a lot of ground and time, but its the characters that I find most intriguing in Neil Jordan’s adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel. Lestat, Luis, and young Claudia are vampires, but take away their fangs and coffins, and you have a surrogate family steeped in homoerotic and incestuous desire. The movie is best when the family is together, a little less …
[10] A breath of cinematic fresh air that magically dignifies exploitation and elevates dialgoue to an art form. Writer/director Quentin Tarantino (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill) assembles a stellar cast highlighted by the return of John Travolta, previously languishing in talking baby movie exile. In the chaptered non-linear screenplay, he’s paired with Samuel L. Jackson playing two hit men who wax philosophic between jobs. Bruce Willis …
[9] According to IMDb, this is the most well-liked movie of all time. And true enough, I’ve never met a person who did not like it. A film about two convicts passing the time behind prison walls could have been an insufferable downer, but there’s a mystery behind Tim Robbins’ main character, Andy, that keeps you deeply engrossed in Stephen King’s story. Andy selflessly inspires …
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