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Reviews
Varsity Blues (1999)
Gave me some serious flashbacks of High School
The pep rally near the beginning of the movie where the quarterback gives the little speach gave me such a high school flashback, I was almost trippin. lol. I grew up in a small southern town where the high school football team was just the be all, end all. (Altho my high school was not nearly as severe about it as the one in V Blues). All that aside, I really did enjoy this movie. I think James Van Der Beek did a really good job as the conflicted young protagonist. The supporting cast was really good too (although I feel like they should have spent more time developing the supporting characters such as Tweeter, Billy Bob, etc). But anyway, I still thought it was a good movie and gave a much more realistic portrait of high school life than most "teenage" movies do. :)
Bronson
The X Files (1998)
Very good movie, even tho I have never seen TV show
I had never watched the X Files before in my life and really knew nothing about the show, but I had heard the movie was very good and did not hinge on you having to be a fan to "get" it, so I decided to check it out. I must say for the first hour or so I was very impressed. The chemistry between Duchovny and Anderson was wonderful. The acting was excellent (especially Anderson's). The suspense was excellent and the movie gave u just enough conspiracy twists and turns to keep you excited. However, once the movie got into Antarctica it just seemed kinda over the top. The movie was really great, but I wasn't too impressed with the ending. I may check out the TV show now. :)
The Newton Boys (1998)
A fine film, but not Linklater's best.
This is one of those movies that the first time I watched it, I was kinda like "ah, it's ok" but then improved drastically with a second viewing. (Dirty Dancing is another one I can think of) Linklater is quite possibly my favorite director, and "Before Sunrise" and "Dazed and Confused" are two of my favorite movies of all time. I really enjoyed this movie the 2nd time I watched it, but it still isn't in the realm of "Before" or "Dazed". The 4 male leads are charming, but I was most affected by Hawke (whose character should have had more screen time) and Ulrich (I was surprised how well he acted in this movie, and also how young he appeared). I liked McConaughey in this movie, but felt his character monopolized the movie, and the time should have been spent more equally among the brothers. The movie is good if you like the 4 male leads, and the best part of the movie to me was the credits, which had clips of interviews of 2 of the real Newton Boys. :)
A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
Quite an interesting ride
I was hesitant to see this movie due to the fact it got bad reviews from Entertainment Weekly (my movie Bible) and the fact that all my friends said it sucked. But eventually, my admiration for both Diaz and especially McGregor won out. (Plus the fact it came on HBO one night when I was bored) :P While highly implausible and lacking direction, I still found it quite a fun movie. (Altho Lindo and Hunter could have been used for SO much more than what they were) Diaz and McGregor had a very easy chemistry and the scene after coming out of the robbed bank made me laugh out loud (a hard thing to make me do). These 2 are gonna make it big if I had to guess and this movie is definitely one to catch if you are in the mood for a silly implausible romantic comedy. :)
Little Voice (1998)
Jane Horrocks is brilliant
This movie stands out for me on the basis of Jane Horrocks performance alone. Not only is her ability to vocalize like Judy Garland or Marilyn Monroe outstanding, but her acting ability is terrific also. The scene where she first meets Ewan McGregor's character crackles with chemistry. (McGregor is an excellent actor as well, but I feel like he should have been given more screen time in this movie) I found their relationship a very touching one, not the type you usually see in movies and very refreshing. The scene where LV has her big concert is wonderful as well. Brenda Blethyn made me laff out loud a few times, and Caine did a good job as well, but for me the movie was almost all about Horrocks. More movies should be made in this way where the focus is on the characters and story as opposed to "Eye Candy" i.e, anything starring Bruce Willis after 1994. :)
Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996)
Odd/Disturbing picture of Marilyn
I must say that this movie was very interesting, and more than a little disturbing. My knowledge of Marilyn info is not that expansive, but I thought the movie glossed over/fibbed/forgot about some important stuff in her life and chose to focus on the drugs/abuse/breakdown side of her personality. I adore both Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino, but neither were very convincing as Marilyn in my humble opinion. (Altho Mira had her voice down pat) The movie was entertaining, but I felt it painted Marilyn more as "deranged over the edge Marilyn" than "gifted star with problems Marilyn".
Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
Excellent adaptation of Christie
One of the few truly entertaining murder mystery movies. Excellent performances from the excellent cast. (Bergman is exquisite to watch, every scene she is in, your eye is drawn to her). A very fine adaptation of a very fine book. (How rare that is)
B
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Intense portrayal of love, sex, and truth in deep south
This is by far one of the most intense and well acted movies I have seen. Taylor, Ives, and Newman give EXCELLENT performances, but Newman's is definitely the stand-out. Very provocative movie for 1958, especially with the homosexual undertone between Brick and Skipper. A must see!