Who would have thought John Lithgow would make such a great Don Quixote? He and the rest of the cast of this TV version are simply amazing. One of the best all-around jobs of acting by a cast I've seen in any movie. Plus, its the #2 selling story of all time after the Bible- can only get 1 better than that. All that said, there are some flaws in this TV version that are rather annoying. The most annoying of which is the "Ride off to the Sun" scene. I thought the way it was produced was completely wrong. And while the movie in general had good effects, that part's effects stunk. Also, the movie moves very slow at times. I gave it a 6/10, but without that one major mistake it would probably be about an 8.
Reviews
5 Reviews
High Fidelity
(2000)
Description of Love
21 April 2000
I thought this movie was very good. While not perfect, the acting was good and I thought the film offered one of the best descriptions of love that I've seen in recent times. Definitely worth watching for that simple fact. I gave it a 7/10.
American Psycho
(2000)
First MST3K Worthy Movie of 2000
12 April 2000
Plainly put, this movie was horrible. The attempt to satirize the greed of the 80's was neither original or well done. What's lacking in this movie? Basically everything, but here's a quick outline:
Plot- Obviously the directors found no need for a plot to be included in this movie.
Acting- Bale will win an award for this one, I do agree. But saying it will be an Oscar is absurd. The only award he's going to win for this is a Razzie (Worst job of acting for the Year). Also, the movie as whole (assuming no other movie can equal it this year) should do at the Razzie's what American Beauty and Matrix combined did at the Oscar's. The casting and acting for the other characters was horrible, but then again they weren't given much to work with.
Comedy- The only thing they semi-succeeded with was comedy in the movie, but not for the reasons they hoped. While we were supposed to laugh at the depraved nature of the greedy man of the 80's, I instead found myself and the other 300 in the theater that didn't leave half way through (which about 100 did) laughing at how stupid the things he did were (beyond psychotic) and how useless many of the sex scenes, dialogue, etc. were.
Ending- Like plot, the directors found having an ending unnecessary. I stayed in the theater (prescreen for University students) because I figured it would have a decent ending that might make me think and make the movie bearable. Wishful thinking.
In summary, don't waste your money or your time on this movie in the regular or dollar theaters. Once it gets past those in a month, don't rent it either. Don't even watch it for free on HBO... your time has to be worth more than that. Watch the cartoon network or dumbo or something. The only time this movie might be worth watching is once the producers of Mystery Science Theater 3000 get their hands on it and make fun of it (see the worst 100 movies on IMDb for examples of how MST3K can make bad movies bearable). However, this movie is so grotesque at points, they probably can't show it on cable. It's the Devil's Advocate with more useless sex and absolutely no plot.
Plot- Obviously the directors found no need for a plot to be included in this movie.
Acting- Bale will win an award for this one, I do agree. But saying it will be an Oscar is absurd. The only award he's going to win for this is a Razzie (Worst job of acting for the Year). Also, the movie as whole (assuming no other movie can equal it this year) should do at the Razzie's what American Beauty and Matrix combined did at the Oscar's. The casting and acting for the other characters was horrible, but then again they weren't given much to work with.
Comedy- The only thing they semi-succeeded with was comedy in the movie, but not for the reasons they hoped. While we were supposed to laugh at the depraved nature of the greedy man of the 80's, I instead found myself and the other 300 in the theater that didn't leave half way through (which about 100 did) laughing at how stupid the things he did were (beyond psychotic) and how useless many of the sex scenes, dialogue, etc. were.
Ending- Like plot, the directors found having an ending unnecessary. I stayed in the theater (prescreen for University students) because I figured it would have a decent ending that might make me think and make the movie bearable. Wishful thinking.
In summary, don't waste your money or your time on this movie in the regular or dollar theaters. Once it gets past those in a month, don't rent it either. Don't even watch it for free on HBO... your time has to be worth more than that. Watch the cartoon network or dumbo or something. The only time this movie might be worth watching is once the producers of Mystery Science Theater 3000 get their hands on it and make fun of it (see the worst 100 movies on IMDb for examples of how MST3K can make bad movies bearable). However, this movie is so grotesque at points, they probably can't show it on cable. It's the Devil's Advocate with more useless sex and absolutely no plot.
The Game
(1997)
Intense Movie that keeps your mind on its toes
14 January 2000
I watched this movie because it was recommended for people who liked Sixth Sense. Although it is not Sixth Sense in my mind, I still rated it a 10 because it was fabulous. It keeps you thinking the whole way through and has more twists that you can count... just how I like it. The acting could use a little improvement, but all around it is a great movie.
The Devil's Advocate
(1997)
Good, but for VERY mature audiences only
13 January 2000
I did not like this movie. However, it does a very good job of making its point about temptation. Whether or not that point could have been made without all of the violence and especially nudity is debatable. My main complaint is that there was absolutely no mention of the heavy nudity in reviews or basically anywhere else. Kids aren't supposed to make it in to R movies without parents. Some R movies I could live with some kids seeing because some kids are mature enough to handle it. However, with this movie, I have never seen a kid under 17 (including myself) that was mature enough for this movie. That's why I classify this movie as NC-17 and am surprised (although that rating would have been a death sentence for the movie) that the nudity isn't even mentioned anywhere.
That aside, the story of this movie (if you can handle the 'distractions') is pretty powerful and I would recommend it to mature people. Please don't show it to your kids, though.
That aside, the story of this movie (if you can handle the 'distractions') is pretty powerful and I would recommend it to mature people. Please don't show it to your kids, though.
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