The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
The summer movie season has kicked off and the movie that ended up being the first out of the chute is most typical of summer film fare. It’s big, loud and chock-full of special effects and stupid characters. Granted, no one goes to the summer action films to be educated.Continue Reading
The Fifth Element (1997)
The Fifth Element recently opened to rather boffo box-office. I assume that the re-release of the Star Wars trilogy hasn’t quite whet the sci-fi appetites of the movie-going public. Personally, I think that’s a good thing especially if it means that more movies like The Fifth Element are waiting in the wings. It is byContinue Reading
Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
Whew! Having heard reviewers sing its praises and watching Nicolas Cage receive the Best Actor Academy Award in 1996 for this performance was not enough to prepare me for the experience of watching Leaving Las Vegas. The only word that I can use to describe the experience is “haunting.” BenContinue Reading
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
If ever a movie has deserved a better advertising campaign, it’s Austin Powers. The trailers for this movie, which I first saw before The Empire Strikes Back three months ago, made a man sitting next to me gasp, “That looks absolutely horrible!” He was right! The trailer made this movieContinue Reading
Fargo (1996)
The Coen Brothers are responsible for some of the weirdest movies to come down the pike in Hollywood history. Movies like Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink and Miller’s Crossing are examples of their sheer, odd genius. Fargo is their best and most coherent work to date. To give tooContinue Reading
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)
Have you ever wondered what all of those high school friends you haven’t seen for years have gone off and done with themselves? Would you be particularly surprised if one of them had become a professional killer? Well, in Grosse Pointe Blank, that’s what Martin Q. Blank (John Cusack) has done.Continue Reading
Chasing Amy (1997)
Kevin Smith, responsible for Clerks and Mallrats, is back with the third installment of his “New Jersey Trilogy.” After getting spectacular reviews for Clerks, most critics, including me, panned the disappointing Mallrats for being too juvenile and too quick to go for cheap laughs. Smith apparently took the criticism toContinue Reading