igj-2 Reviews

A Few Good Men (1992)

Shouting, and more shouting

[27 October 1998]

While mostly enjoyable, Rob Reiner's idea of good direction appears to have been "Pump up the volume." To express emotion, any emotion, Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson shout. That's great acting? Not in my book - that's a great example of over-acting. The plot isn't predictable because it isn't given the luxury of even that: about mid-way through the film, Tom Cruise's character outlines on a chalkboard how the rest of the movie will go. Then, the plot follows Cruise's outline to the letter. No suspense there. Not the great film that the Oscar nominations might lead one to believe, rather a reasonably fun trifle. (And the actors who don't shout, particularly Kevin Bacon and Kevin Pollack, are excellent.)

Mimic (1997)

Not as bad all that

[6/10 · 22 September 1998]

While no masterpiece, this film has more moments than everyone else gives it credit for. The creature effects are amusing and choosing insects to creep people out is clearly a good choice (look at how many people have phobias about bugs). Not great, but a decent enough bump-in-the-dark diversion.

Nowhere to Hide (1987)

It's not all that...

[3/10 · 19 August 1998]

I read a few different reviews praising this movie as the thinking-persons action movie with a strong female hero. It did have a strong woman in the leading role, but it also had atrociously bad writing and a believability factor of zero. Stick to Ripley or even Geena Davis in The Long Kiss Goodnight to see women kicking butt with the best of them.