Can't Hardly Wait |
Cast Away |
Catch Me If You Can |
The Cell |
Charlie's Angels |
Chasing Liberty |
Chicken Run |
The Cider House Rules |
City of Angels |
The City of Lost Children |
A Civil Action |
Clay Pigeons |
Clue |
Collateral Damage |
Contact |
The Contender |
The Corruptor |
The Count of Monte Cristo |
Coyote Ugly |
Crash |
Crazy in Alabama |
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon |
Cruel Intentions |
The Cure
Can't Hardly Wait (1998)
(PG-13)
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This is a movie that tries to do for the 90's what Sixteen Candles did for the 80's and Grease did for the 70's, and pulls it off and then some. The characters are believable, the jokes are funny, and the emotion seems real. I came into this movie thinking I was getting just a good stupid comedy, and was surprised by how it actually had some emotion behind it. I will worn you, though, that it is probably better seeing this with a group of friends than alone. The movie is set almost entirely at a party at someone's house all the seniors go to after they graduate from high school, and the things that happen to the people there. It has it's fair share of funny sex and alcohol jokes, but also has characters I actually cared about. It is a little preachy, but, over all, this movie is very funny and really fun. (Trivia note to impress friends with: I heard a lot of people asking who the guy playing William (the nerd who gets drunk) is, because they remember him from somewhere. His name is Charlie Korsmo and he played The Kid in Dick Tracy and was in What About Bob? and Hook, his most recent movie which came out in 1991.)
Links:
Official Studio Site
Radio Free's Review
Roger Ebert's Review
Cast Away (2000)
(PG-13)
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Tom Hanks is a big shot Federal Express delivery man who gets stranded on an island in the middle of the Pacific when the plane he's on crashes. The movie spends most of the time showing the ways he deals with the challenges while he adjusts to living on the island. The movie took its time moving the story along, focusing mostly on getting across to the audience the feelings and experiences the main character is going though. It is well made and fairly interesting. However, I would have liked if they had moved the plot slightly faster and added one or two more subplots on the island, and the ending felt as if he slipped through the cracks a little too easily.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Film.com's Review
Roger Ebert's Review
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
(PG-13)
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Inspired by the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a young con man who leads the FBI on a wild goose chase in the 1960s. Posing as a Pan Am co-pilot, a doctor, and an assistant attorney general, Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) cashes more than $2.5 million in phony checks. Tom Hanks plays Carl Hanratty, the nerdy FBI agent who relentlessly pursues him. This film is far better than I thought it would be; it proves to me that Hollywood can still make light, fun movies that aren't overwhelmingly stupid. Steven Spielberg does a fine job capturing the look of the 60s, paying homage to films like "Goldfinger" and "Bullitt". DiCaprio and Hanks have great fun with their roles; Christopher Walken is terrific as Frank Abagnale Sr.
Links:
Roger Ebert's Review
The Cell (2000)
(R)
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Jennifer Lopez plays a woman who can use a new machine to enter the minds of others, which she uses to help people who couldn't otherwise communicate with people. When a killer is rendered unconscious after kidnapping a woman, he is brought to Lopez with the hope that she can find out where the kidnap victim is before the victim dies. The movie has a fairly different style than the typical movie by creating a fairly hallucinogenic world inside peoples' minds that may be real, or may simply be the work of drugs affecting the brain of the person who believes they are in someone else's mind. The movie handles the material fairly well, creating an interesting but fairly disturbing movie.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Gemma Files' Film.com Review
Ernest Hardy's Film.com Review
Roger Ebert's Review
Charlie's Angels (2000)
(PG-13)
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The Angels get called into action to save the owner of a computer programming business, who has been kidnapped, and find his new program, which was stolen, before it can be used by the bad guys to invade people's privacy. A fun movie that crosses the idea of the original series with the look of recent computer-aided martial arts movies like The Matrix. It's mostly just eye candy - buildings blowing up, lots of fights, women in tight clothes, ect. - but does it well and has fun with it.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Moira Macdonald's Film.com Review
Robert Horton's Film.com Review
Roger Ebert's Review
Chasing Liberty (2004)
(PG-13)
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The United States president's daughter tries to get away from her over-protected life and find her freedom. She runs away with a man she doesn't know, who was hired by her father to protect her, and ends up falling in love. This movie is very cute and mildly sappy, and yet manages to have fun with it's material. It's very easy to want to like this movie in spite of all of it's unbelievably, and for those who can muster up some of their teenage romanticism, it's a decent ride. Just don't think too hard or expect to be overly impressed.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Review
Roger Ebert's Review
Chicken Run (2000)
(G)
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A group of chickens try to escape from a farm where they are to be killed and put in pies. A claymation animated movie from the people who make Wallace and Gromit, it tends to go for silly comedy, which adds to the fun. The movie is fairly entertaining, and the voice cast, including Mel Gibson, is very good.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Official UK Site
Film.com's Review
The Cider House Rules (1999)
(PG-13)
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A young man tries to comprehend life while at an orphanage, assisting a doctor who provides illegal abortions to people who ask for them. He then goes with a couple with an uncle who can give him a job picking apples, and for the first time he gets to see life outside the orphanage. The movie has some good moments that attempt to convey the idea that sometimes you have to break the rules, but never explains why everyone is so eager to break them or deals with the consequences that can arise. They seem to be trying to make a point without being willing to take the risk to go as far as they want to go. Overall, some good acting and directing, but the plot works out much too easily.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Film.com's Review
Roger Ebert's Review
City of Angels (1998)
(PG-13)
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A touchy feelly film about an angel who escorts people to the afterlife. He falls in love with a human female, and lets her see him. She falls in love with him, and the two of them share many of their emotions with each other. The movie tries to play on how and what people feel while they're alive, and does remarkably well for a movie. The characters are well done, and the acting is good. The film was just a little too generic, rendering it a little predictable to be a great character driven movie (who really cares about these people when they know well ahead of time what's going to happen next), but overall the movie was good.
Official Studio Site
Cinema 1's City of Angels Page
Radio Free's Review
The City of Lost Children (1995)
(R)
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A strong-man tries to find the child he's taking care of with the help of a young girl. The movie is very well made, but focuses primarily on the visual aspects of the movie. It does what ever looks the best. This does make for an interesting movie, though, especially on the big screen. The story is very twisted, and seems like something out of someone's dream. The acting and directing is great for the style of movie it it. Only recommended for people who like movies with little basis in reality, but people who do will love it.
Links:
Rough Cut's Review
Roger Ebert's Review
A Civil Action (1998)
(PG-13)
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John Travolta plays a lawyer who takes the case of the families of eight children who may have been killed by contaminants in their city's drinking water. He continues to work the case, even when it's costing his firm everything it has. The movie shows how the American legal system can be self-defeating to people, even when they have a valid case that should be addressed. The movie was laking the suspense of the typical movie legal battle, but the acting and story were compelling enough to keep my interest. A little overly dramatic, but it does a good job of driving home its point.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Film.com's Review
Clay Pigeons (1998)
(R)
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A man tries to cover up some murders he'd be blamed for, even though he didn't do them. The movie doesn't have a lot happening visually, but depends on the characters to move the story. The characters are mildly entertaining, and the twists make the movie interesting, but it was a little slow for me. Had they put in a couple more twists, it would have been really good.
Clue (1985)
(PG)
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A good comedy based on the board game. All of the characters are invited to a party in a mansion, and find out that the guest named "Mr. Body" is the one who has been blackmailing them. He, of course, gets killed, and the characters try to figure out who did it. The movie is a good parody of whodunits, and has some great one-liners.
Links:
The (UN) Official Webpage
Collateral Damage (2002)
(R)
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When I go to an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, the last thing I expect is a plot. Every so often, however, a movie surprises me, and Collateral Damage was one of those cases. Not that the idea of having a plot was completely foreign, with Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Under Siege) directing.
The movie started with Schwarzenegger’s wife and child being killed by the bomb of a terrorist. When he can’t get the government to do anything, Arnold takes matters into his own hand. At this point, I expected the usual sting of fistfights and bad puns, but they took the film a different route. In order to get revenge, Arnold must find the terrorist called “The Wolf,” and just getting to The Wolf’s camp in Colombia takes half the movie, without much in the way of fighting. Instead, the film focuses on the measures Arnold takes to get into Colombia, and then the way he travels discretely to find a way to get into The Wolf’s camp. The ending winds up with a twist that, although not as cleaver as I would have liked, still helps to make the plot more interesting than most action movies out now.
There are several supporting actors in this movie you can always bank on giving good performances, including Elias Koteas, John Leguizamo, and John Turturro, and Leguizamo especially stands out by throwing in a little comic relief in the middle of the movie. Davis’ directing isn’t as focused as it was in The Fugitive, and the script isn’t as creative. However, the film is good enough to be presentable entertainment. Although not for everyone, I’d recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys action movies with more than just enough plot to get by.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Roger Ebert's Review
Contact (1997)
(PG)
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A thought provoking movie about a group of scientists who intercept a message from an intelligent life in outer space. Once they finally learn how to understand the message, they start finding new problems. The movie seemed a little long to me, but that gives you time to think about whats happening while they try to make contact with the aliens.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Movie King's Contact Page
The Contender (2000)
(R)
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The president of the United States has to choose a new vice president, and decides to bring in the first woman to fill the position. A member of the senate, which has confirmation power over the president's choice, begins to dig up information on a questionable sexual issue from the woman's past, attempting to keep her from being confirmed. A very intelligent look at what makes good leadership and how the media can be used for the cause of one politician, whether deservingly or not.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Robert Horton's Film.com Review
Tom Keogh's FIlm.com Review
Roger Ebert's Review
The Corruptor (1999)
(R)
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A policeman learns that his new partner has ties to a gang, and is forced into the investigation against him. For most of the movie, all you get is long periods of gunfire followed by long periods of people sitting around talking with each other. The film tends to drag, never really getting very exciting or suspenseful, and never gives enough reason to care what happen is happening to the main characters. Overall, a fairly disappointing and almost boring action film.
Links:
Official Studio Site
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
(PG-13)
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American cinema has come up against what I think is a major problem. A some point it began taking itself too seriously. Maybe it began when when the Oscars became a big event outside the movie industry. Or maybe it happened after the big names in the business realized that they could use their star power to try to make a difference in the world while they padded their wallets. However, after watching too many movies that try too hard to overwhelm the audience or throw support behind someone's cause, it's nice to know that there are still people in Hollywood who know how to have a good time.
This was evident in the recent adaptation of "The Count of Monty Cristo," an enjoyable ride of a movie that seems as much inspired by the movie serials of the past as by modern productions. The plot centers around Edmund Dantes, who is thrown in prison to protect a secret after being turned in as a traitor by his best friend. After escaping prison many years later, he plans an elaborate trap to get revenge on the men who put him in prison. This leads to several fights and a somewhat soap operaish twist involving Dantes' love interest.
The film does use several tricks common to recent movies, including speeding up the film during fight scenes. However, it was the lack of pressing social issues that most impressed me. Unlike many recent films, this movie simply told the story and allowed you to decide what was important to learn from having seen it. Director Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) gave the movie a good pace and a believable context, and the actors were believable enough to allow me to get lost in their lives for a few hours. Overall, this movie is worth the trip to the theatre.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Roger Ebert's Review
Coyote Ugly (2000)
(PG-13)
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A young woman leaves home for New York to become a songwriter, and gets a job serving drinks and entertaining the crowd at a bar. She then meets Mr. Right as she tries to piece together her new life. The movie is very predictable, but is made and acted well enough that fans of watching young woman dance on bars will most likely enjoy it.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Robert Horton's Film.com Review
Tom Keogh's Film.com Review
Roger Ebert's Review
Crash (1997)
(NC-17 or R, depending on which edit you see)
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This is a boring movie about sex and car crashes, thrown together with little entertainment value. I heard a little hype about how the director wasn't able to find an American distributor for this movie for a long time, and the only thing I don't understand is how he finally did. I had a free pass to this movie, and I still wanted my money back.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Crazy in Alabama (1999)
(PG-13)
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A boy unwittingly gets involved with the civil rights movement in the sixties while his mom tries to make it big in Hollywood while carrying her dead husband's head in a hatbox. The film tries a little too hard to show how people sometimes have to go a little crazy to find themselves, and never really makes it's point. The actors do what they can with the material, and the more rational parts of the film come off fairly well, but when the movie starts getting a little weird, it losses what edge it has and becomes boring. The story never really gave the characters enough of a foothold on reality to believe them, so they came off a little two dimensional. Overall, a good effort, but still in need of work.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Film.com's Review
Roger Ebert's Review
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
(PG-13)
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A women steals a sword and starts a feud between two families, while trying to decide whether to marry a man she doesn't love or run away with a man she does. The fights are filmed to be very visually impressive, and succeed. The characters fly through the air during fights, and although it's fairly obvious from the way they move that wires were used to pull them up, you can't tell. Overall, the plot is good enough to keep me interested, and the fights are fun to watch.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Radio Free's Review
Peter Brunette's Film.com Review
Gemma Files' Film.com Review
Roger Ebert's Review
Cruel Intentions (1999)
(R)
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While basically a teenage sexual farce, at least this movie tries to send the message of sexual responsibilty to those who watch it. The plot has a set of very attractive step-siblings placing a bet with each other, stating that if the guy could get the new girl in town, who has sworn to stay a vergin untill she's maried, to have sex with him, then he could have his way with his step-sister. If he loses, she gets his (very expensive) car. The movie is very good for what it is, and does have a fairly original ending for this kind of film, but don't go expecting much more than a younger generation's slick sexual movie done right.
Links:
Dark Horizon's Page
The Cure (1995)
(PG-13)
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Two boys start a friendship even though one of them has been outcast by the people around them for having AIDS. The two of them start a quest to find a cure for his AIDS, which teaches them a lot about life. The characters are done well and the acting is good. The movie as a whole is a little bland, but it's still interesting. An acceptable, almost good movie that tries just a little too hard to be a public service announcement.
Links:
The Joseph Mazzello Fan Club's The Cure Page
Roger Ebert's Review
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