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Sanjuro
(1962) |
8 /10 |
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Sequel to
Yojimbo
has mercenary Sanjuro in new town, aiding group of inexperienced
Samurai. Injected with humor and well choreographed swordplay but truly
excels during extremely potent face-off climax that ends in a shocking
(!) explosion of violence.
[Japanese, 96min,
PG-13] |
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Saving Silverman
(2001) |
3 /10 |
|
Stupid, stupid, STUPID
movie! An utter mess despite talented comedic actors and some scattered funny
moments. Neil Diamond is major focus in story and seems to be enjoying himself
in borderline embarrassing cameo.
If not for the
sugar-high antics of Jack Black it would be nearly unwatchable (he also teachers
the valuable lesson that when eating nachos and melted cheese, ALL the chips
stuck to one you took are yours). Deep stuff.
[English, 96min,
R] |
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Say Anything...
(1989) |
8
/10 |
|
Solid 80's
teen romance flick that gives good perspectives on relationships and
an accurate depiction of high school life. Jon Cusack is strong in his
quirky role, but John Mahoney is standout with his emotionally complex
character.
[English,
100min, PG-13] |
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Schizopolis
(1996) |
2
/10 |
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Handful of interesting ideas/moments in a tub of crap. Completely
aimless attempt at a "movie" that would be dismissed as
pretentious creative vomit without Soderbergh's
name stamped on it.
[English, 96min, NR] |
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Sea of Love
(1989) |
5 /10 |
|
Basic Instinct,
minus the explicit sex, gratuitous violence, clever story line, and
ambiguous ending: everything that made it a good, steamy thriller. Sleazy,
white trashin’ Barkin is NO Sharon Stone, but Pacino is fresh as
self-conscious veteran cop on tail of personal ad reading serial killer.
Places far too much weight on relationship angle, nearly discarding murder
mystery plot until laughable Scooby Doo grade resolution. Titular
song is used superfluously.
[English,
112min, R] |
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The Searchers (1956) |
5 /10 |
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Overrated Western
has John Wayne as thoroughly unsympathetic ex-Confederate solider on obsessive
5 year search for his Indian abducted niece. Authenticity of time period is
marred by dated conventions (eg: brown-faced white actor as Comanche Chief),
and misguided humor, making more serious plot elements unfold
unconvincingly. Hunter and rest of supporting cast are decent, but
deliberately paced premise pushes patience too far. [English,
119min, NR] |
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Seconds (1966) |
8.5 /10 |
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Highly innovative 1966 film with hyper active cinematography
(predating
Requiem For a Dream's
attatcho-cam by over 30 years) and creepy twisted sci-fi plot, exceptionally disturbing
for it's time, but no less potent today. A movie that truly pushed the
boundaries of cinema, even if it took decades to earn the proper
respect.
[English,
100min, R] |
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Secretary
(2002) |
6 /10 |
|
Quirky
flipside to
The Piano Teacher as a lawyer and his newly hired secretary develop a
sadomasochistic affair; certainly not the average romantic setup. Faulters
often, as delicate subject matter doesn't quite work with semi-comical tone.
Worth seeing for the acting of Maggie Gyllenhall who shows an exceptional range
of emotion and James Spader who is intensely bizarre.
[English,
104min, R] |
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Session 9 (2001) |
7 /10 |
|
Revs and
revs without ever shifting into drive. Premise is great, as asbestos
removers clean out old insane asylum but discovered taped patient
sessions are a lot of hot air and creepy atmosphere is achieved almost
entirely by lighting and location rather than by plot motivation.
[English,
100min, R] |
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Sex and Lucía (2002) |
8 /10 |
|
Struggling writer with a past meets bold woman admirer as he writes
latest novel. Serpentine plot weaves through chronology, increasingly
blurring boundaries of author's fiction while focusing on their
sexually charged relationship (highly explicit!). Though at times
mildly confusing, this complex puzzle of interlocking characters comes
into powerful clarity by end, giving much to think about. [Spanish,
128min, R] |
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Shadow of a Doubt (1943) |
7 /10 |
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Evil comes
to small Norman Rockwell-esk town in this early Hitchcock thriller.
Joseph Cotten exudes a menacing charm as deceitful Uncle Charlie who
may be withholding a horrible secret from his favorite niece. While
overly melodramatic staples of era date and dilute certain elements of
story, examination of youth's social naivety and ambiguous nature of
morals is certainly compelling. Highlight of substance and tension is
Cotten's late night "little girl" speech, built with searing, timeless
dialogue.
[English,
108min, PG] |
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Signs
(2002) |
7.5 /10 |
|
M. Night desperately wants to be the new Hitchcock, and even with some
superb Hitchockian scares, he's got a ways to go. Premise closely
resembles The Birds and Night of the Living Dead as worldwide
catastrophe is merely hinted at while focus remains on small group;
unfortunately, suspense is sacrificed too often for drama. Ultimate message
is biggest flaw, as sci-fi elements are rendered irrelevant. Shymalan has a gift for creating movie magic, but The Sixth Sense is
still his best film.
[English,
106min, PG-13] |
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The Silence of the Lambs
(1991) |
8.5 /10 |
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Imitated countless
times but never matched, this is a rare case of superior acting and
directing in a genre normally lacking it. Anthony Hopkin’s creates one of modern cinemas
most notorious villains in Hannibal Lector, with a performance light years
ahead of watered down version he portrays in the sequels. Jodie Foster shows
how effective reaction shots can be during their intense plexi-glass divided
interpl8min, R] |
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S1m0ne
(2002) |
5 /10 |
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Misfired attempt to satirize overblown Hollywood actors and the public
that adores them. Features one of the most aggravatingly unrealistic
computer programs I have ever seen in a movie! Pacino is unimpressive
in a role that could have been played by...well, a digital actor.
[English,
117min, PG-13] |
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Sixteen Candles
(1984) |
7 /10 |
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Hughes' debut only hints at his teen genre potential with a very
simple plot that strays into absurdity on occasion but overall yields
an entertaining watch. Anthony Michael Hall easily stands out as "The
Geek."
[English,
92min, PG] |
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Slackers
(2002) |
7 /10 |
|
A surprise; trite plot is lifted by refreshing stylistic choices and
overall quirkiness. Jason Schwartzman is absolutely nuts in his scene
stealing role (film has potential for cult status).
[English,
86min, R] |
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Sleepaway Camp
(1983) |
6 /10 |
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Friday the 13th
meets The Crying Game...seriously. Standard slasher movie premise: kids
get murdered at a summer camp with tragic past. Elevated slightly by
creatively restrained deaths, main characters with some substance,
surprising self-referential humor, and ultra-bizarre performance from
Desiree Gould. Then comes the instant cult status twist ending, with
possibly the most disturbing image to ever end a movie. [English,
88min, R] |
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Solaris
(2002) |
6 /10 |
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While it's best moments evoke a
chilling unease and otherworldly wonder Kubrick would be proud of, end result is
convoluted attempt at merging sci-fi, thriller, romance, and character study.
Features some of Clooney's best dramatic work to date, sure to be overlooked by
general public. Most other highlights are technical, including 2001
inspired camerawork and haunting score, although Jeremy Davies matches Walken-level
show stopping strangeness.
[English,
99min, PG-13] |
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Spider-Man
(2002) |
6.5 /10 |
|
Fun summer movie but ultimately disappointing. Too much is left
unexplained (ex: where the suit comes from, the random powers of Green
Goblin's pumpkins, Spidey's sporadic superhuman strength). Dialogue is often
weak and plot (a rip off of Superman) rushes to a big climax with an
underdeveloped villain; movie works best when Parker is first dealing
with new abilities.
[English,
121min, PG-13] |
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Spirited Away
(2002) |
8 /10 |
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Wildly imaginative adventure
reminiscent of Alice In Wonderland, overflowing with a vivid cast of
characters and creatures no where to be found in American animation. Starts
swiftly, as young girl Chihiro is trapped in world of spirits, separated
from her parents, and forced to work for eventual freedom. While her obstacle
filled journey contains many exciting, wondrous moments, the sheer length is
slightly overwhelming.
[Japanese,
125min, PG] |
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Spy Game
(2001) |
5 /10 |
|
Don't ask me
what happened during this movie because I have no
idea
(granted I wasn't in the best viewing mindset). All I know is that the camera
moved
around
fast a lot and I was frequently reminded of the time via freeze frame.
Tony Scott's last film before perfecting his patented "chaos vision." [English,
126min, R] |
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Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost
Dreams
(2002) |
6 /10 |
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Mostly uninspired sequel burnt by muddled plot and overblown special
FX, although island creatures are nice throw back to stop-motion days.
Antonio Banderas' charisma steals show during limited screen time.
Steve Buscemi, however, is wasted in a glorified cameo.
[English,
100min, PG] |
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Star Trek
(2009) |
7.5 /10 |
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Opening with
a rousing, unexpectedly poignant space battle, J.J. Abrams
pseudo-prequel effortlessly entertains during its first act, while
events concentrate on a young James Kirk and assembling of
Enterprise’s familiar crew. Then an ancient Leonard Nimoy enters and
pace suffers under weight of overly-expository time travel storyline
en route to rushed finale. Still, the top-notch spectacle and
uniformly strong cast (Chris Pine perhaps best embodying role) leave
reason to anticipate future adventures.
[English,
127min, PG-13] |
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Star Wars: Episode II
(2002) |
6.5 /10 |
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Huge improvement over Ep.
1, with a number of memorable & exciting action sequences making for
an entertaining summer movie. Bad dialogue, however, severely limits some
key performances that not even the best actors could make convincing;
McGregor, Jackson, and Yoda (!) are true standouts.
[English,
142min, PG] |
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Stir Crazy (1980) |
7.5 /10 |
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Shows
it's age, but Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder have such natural, manic
comic chemistry that laughs are generated frequently in the face of a
basic plot and uninspired direction from screen legend Sidney Poitier.
Majority of film takes place in prison, after starring duo are wrongly
accused of bank robbery, leading to hilarious scenes as when both have
an emotional breakdown or the many times Wilder's completely naive
character walks head first into trouble.
[English,
108min, R] |
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Storytelling
(2001) |
5 /10 |
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Big let down for Todd Solandz
after excellent Happiness, with highlight a surprise extra-edgy performance
from
Selma Blair (the sex scene is a shocker). Story is divided in two parts, first of which is most
intriguing but gets skimped on screen time. The remaining half,
surrounding a documentary filmmaker and a dysfunctional family, meanders through what could have been an interesting premise.
[English,
87min, R] |
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The Stunt Man
(1980) |
6.5 /10 |
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Bizarre
meshing of fantasy and reality has God-like Hollywood director using
fugitive of law as replacement stuntman for wild WW II movie. O’Toole
commands screen with eccentric presence, setting up often puzzlingly
implausible obstacles of danger for Railsback (outstanding in final
monologue). Though decent moments of black comedy, boundaries of
fiction are never fully revealed, leading to frustration as absurdity
mounts.
[English,
131min, R] |
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Super Troopers
(2001) |
2.5 /10 |
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Insanely stupid movie featuring the worst police force in the history
of film (surpassing Police Academy by a long shot).
Occasionally amusing but this is entertainment at it's basement floor lowest.
[English,
100min, R] |
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Surveillance (2009) |
6.5 /10 |
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Jennifer
Lynch’s first feature in 15 years revels in depravity with a sense of
twisted pleasure her father would appreciate. Bill Pullman (recalling
his oddball detective from Zero Effect) and a quietly sexy
Julia Ormond are FBI agents investigating a mysterious bloodbath
outside a middle-of-nowhere town. Makes sizeable mistake tipping
whodunit card too early but triumphs in a 30 min flashback that ramps
dread to near unbearable levels. Stumbles in attempts to inject
horrific moments with dark comedy.
[English,
97min, R] |
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Syriana (2005) |
8 /10 |
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No, a degree
in rocket science is NOT needed to understand complexities of this
engrossing exploration of global oil business - just some patience.
Anchored by a sad and understated George Clooney as long-time
CIA operative who discovers his patriotic work has devastating
ulterior motives. An intricate dissection of world wide corruption
where money is prioritized far higher than human life, or nearly
everything else. Most intriguing is the very credible argument that it
is all necessary for our way of life to exist.
[English,
126min, R] |
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