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jaxson
Reviews
Hiding Out (1987)
so what ??? ...
if it's far-fetched and totally unbelievable??? so what that his own cousin doesn't recognise him! so what if andrew/maxwell would have set himself up for arrest in 37 states because of his relationship with a high school senior!!!! GO WITH IT!!!! IT'S CUTE!!!
max lives every adults' secret dream (or is it a nightmare?), even if it is to hide out from the mob! he goes back to high school, spouts the announcements we all wanted to be able to say via the principal's loudspeaker at night, dates the cutest girl in town (and saves her dad a bunch of money with some solid tax advice, to boot), runs for class president ... he even has a classic "discussion" with a right-wing biddie-of-a-teacher (come on, you know you had one just like her) over her assertion that richard nixon was "a great man who was betrayed by his countrymen."
if there's nothing good on the first-run shelf at the video store, rent this one for some good entertainment. i mean, does every movie have to be totally believable to be good? if so.
jeff
The Patriot (2000)
one comment
others have given lots of opinions regarding this movies' merits or lack thereof.
i have one comment to make.
i'm glad i watched this movie at home, by myself. i can't imagine what a public spectacle i would have been, a 47 year old, 270 pound former middle linebacker, crying his eyes out 2 or 3 times over the course of 164 minutes.
jeff
Rules of Engagement (2000)
worth the cost of a rental ...
especially if you're either a samuel l. jackson fan (which i happen to be in a major way) or a fan of tommy lee jones.
i agree with some of the other reviewers ... there are a number of holes in the flick, but not enough to take away from its overall entertainment value, especially if you're a "fan" as i mentioned above.
this was a typically great performance by jackson, although there was one outburst of his in the courtroom that was just a bit too similar to his "negotiator" character ... but again, not enough to take away from his overall performance (look at the job he does when jones comes to visit him and has to let himself in the door ... he pulled that scene off brilliantly). and jones closing argument alone was worth the price of the rental in my book.
jones has some other brilliant moments in his visit to yemen ... shows some very good emotion. in fact, if you're expecting a repeat of his "sam gerard" character a la "the fugitive" and "u.s. marshalls" (as i was), you'll be pleasantly surprised by the range of emotion he shows.
there were a couple of scenes that had me going back and forth ... i mean, at one point, i was totally behind jackson, at another point i was seriously questioning whether he acted correctly, and then i was back in his court (no pun intended). this type of involvement is what makes a movie enjoyable to me.
on the whole, i felt all the characters were very believable, although some (like kingsley's wimpy ambassador-diplomat role and bruce greenwood's evil nsa director) were pretty stereotypical. guy pearce does a very good job as prosecutor (i have to watch "l.a. confidential" again to remember him in that) ... i'd hate to have him prosecuting me. blair underwood also has a very very nice, but small supporting role.
there was a couple of "over the top" scenes ... was it really necessary to have that fistfight?????? i mean, puhleeease!!!! and jackson's distorted flashback didn't do anything for me.
i have to say i was disappointed in the closing comments that come up on the screen at the end of the movie. please understand, i feel i should be vague, because i don't want to reveal anything ... but the closing comments left me feeling "incomplete" ... they brought to mind questions like "well, how did that happen? based on what?" but it wasn't enough though, to take away from my overall enjoyment of this flick.
overall, i give jackson and jones each a "9" rating for individual performance and the movie a "7". i hope i didn't steer you wrong.
jeff
Witness (1985)
great plot ... great action ... this is what a movie should be!
you can't go wrong watching witness! this is one of the best conceived ever! by now, i think everyone knows the basic plot. i think the only thing i want to add is that this movie has one of the sexiest "fully-dressed" scenes i've every watched - the one between mcginnis and ford in the barn dancing to an old tune!
kelly mcginnis is at her best in this movie! shows how truly sexy a woman can be!
North Dallas Forty (1979)
one of the top 5 football films of all time!
and probably my favorite one! written by pete gent, a former dallas cowboy in the 60's, it gives a great look inside the mentality of professional football ... especially in dallas during the landry years. i enjoyed this film because i played ball at the college level in the early 70's, and i feel it's the most realistic portrayal of the emotional seesaw that a football player goes through.
the film shows what happens in a society where professional athletes are idolized, and the things they can get away with ... but at a cost! it portrays how the professional athlete must constantly look for new ways to achieve a "high", whether on the field, with drugs, sexually, or just by "cutting loose". the problem is that each high gives way to when you either make a mistake on the field, or come down from the "off-the-field" high.
if you were a football fan in the 60's-70's, you can just see the dallas cowboys in this film! mac davis does a wonderful characterization of don merideth, and g.d. spradlin's coach just reeks of tom landry. and nolte does a magnificent job in one of his earliest works.
please, take some time and watch this film. the videotape version is obviously much better than the tv version ... you lose a lot of the reality otherwise. please, if the first-run shelf is empty, take the time to check out this film. you won't be disappointed.
The Distinguished Gentleman (1992)
should be required viewing of every American
i found myself laughing nervously at this movie. not that it isn't absolutely hilarious (it is). it's just that the movie hits too close to the concerns i feel when i view the "comedy" that goes on every day in washington!
if it weren't for the blatantly funny lines and over-the-top portrayal by murphy, i think this could be classified as a "black comedy". to me, it's almost as scary as "seven days in may". instead of a military takeover of the government, it's been taken over by people who have the money to buy congressional votes! the scary part is that it's already happened!
i think that "the distinguished gentleman" should be required viewing of every american that is of voting age! maybe it would mobilize us to become more vocal when it comes to capturing back our representatives' attention!