The Object of My Affection |
October Sky |
Octopussy |
The Odd Couple 2 |
Office Space |
Old School |
On Her Majesty's Secret Service |
On the Line |
187 |
102 Dalmatians |
One Tough Cop |
The Opposite of Sex |
Orgazmo |
The Other Sister
The Object of My Affection (1998)
(R)
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A gay man takes a woman up on her offer to let him stay at her apartment when his boyfriend breaks up with him. She falls in love with him, but she's already "in love" with another man as well. The rest of the plot is the characters trying to work out their lives around the people they meet and the relationships they start. I think this movie is really good. The script is good, and the characters are really believable. The situations are down to earth and haven't been done this well very often, adding to the dramatics of the story. Overall, very good.
Links:
Radio Free's Review
October Sky (1999)
(PG)
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A movie that tries hard to be inspirational and tug at your heart stings and does a fairly good job. The story is about a boy who is inspired by the launch of the Sputnik satellite and who tries to build a rocket for a science fair, even though some people, including his dad, are pulling for him to do other things with his life. The film is a little predictable, but is also well acted and directed. Over all, a good film to help you remember that anything's possible.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Roger Ebert's Review
Film.com's Review
Octopussy (1983)
(PG)
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A lot of people I know are divided on Octopussy. True, this is one of the most action-packed films in the James Bond series, but it is also one of the most ridiculous in terms of story. Roger Moore (in his sixth 007 outing) turns in a less-than-engaging performance, but he's only part of the problem. Octopussy is plagued by a convoluted plot that I won't even try to explain. But for hardcore Bond fans, there are plenty of exotic locales, hair-raising stunts, and cheesy one-liners to keep this film from being a absolute flop.
Links:
007.com
The Odd Couple 2 (1998)
(PG-13)
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Oscar and Felix meet again 30 years after the first movie. Felix moved to Florida to get away from Oscar, and they're getting together again for the first time in 17 years to make a trip to their children's wedding (Felix's son is marrying Oscar's daughter). The movie moves slower than I would have liked, but does have some very funny moments. The acting is great, and the story is a good continuation from the original.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Office Space (1999)
(R)
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Written and directed by the brains behind the TV shows Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill, this film tries to get laughs about work in the 90's. It succeeds, but not quiet often enough. The film has a good plot to build jokes off of, but there weren't quite enough of them to keep me entertained trough the movie. The acting and directing were good, and the jokes that were there were fairly funny. They just needed to add more of them.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Roger Ebert's Review
Film.com's Review
Old School (2003)
(R)
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Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, and Will Ferrell play three men who discover that married life isn't as cool as advertised. So, logically, they start a fraternity near the local college to put the fun back in their lives. Most of the fraternity members don't even go to the school. But who cares? What matters is that they throw huge parties, get wasted, destroy campus property, and have nude wrestling matches in K-Y Jelly. Viewing this film requires no brain activity whatsoever, and, admittedly, several scenes are quite humorous (Will Ferrell steals practically every scene he's in). But the story that supposedly links all the funny parts together is too flimsy for words; I found myself falling asleep while waiting for the hijinks to start up again. On the whole, a very sloppy effort that is just barely watchable.
Links:
Roger Ebert's Review
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
(PG)
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Video Pick of the Week
(6/8/03 - 6/14/03)
When Sean Connery announced he was through playing James Bond, the producers chose model George Lazenby as his successor. This turned out to be Lazenby's only appearance as 007, and mainstream audiences are quite content to skip over it. But hardcore Bond fans will tell you that OHMSS is one of the best entries in the series - and they have a strong case. This film has a great story line, a catchy score, plenty of action, and a great supporting cast featuring Diana Rigg (TV's The Avengers) and Telly Savalas (TV's Kojak). The one sticking point is Lazenby. He definitely looks believable as 007, but he just can't match the charisma and wit of Connery. Even so, this is a unique and entertaining spy film in its own right.
Links:
The OHMSS Website
007.com
On the Line (2001)
(PG)
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When I walked into the theatre, I wanted to hide. I wondered what would happen if someone I knew actually saw me buy a ticket to the movie I was about to subject myself to. There I was, a grown man, about to buy a ticket to a “kid” movie while there was a perfectly good new horror film and a movie about a friendly alien learning the joys of life playing in the same theatre. I was suffering from a sudden attack of not being in a serious mood, however, and wanted to see something that would qualify as fluff, just to forget about life and school for a few hours. So, while no one was looking, I bought a ticket to “On the Line.”
The most obvious thing about this movie to anyone who’s listened to the radio in the past several years is that several of the voices from the band ‘NSync came out from behind their choreography to star in this film. The plot centered on Lance Bass’ quest to find a girl he talked to on the L Train in Chicago. As he had in so many situations before, after he realized he liked the girl, he chocked, unable to bring himself to ask for her phone number. He spends the rest of the movie plastering the city with signs, trying to get her to call him. Naturally, everything in his life falls apart because of what he’s doing, but just when he’s about to hit bottom, it all works out.
This would not have been my choice of light-hearted comedy to send my time watching, but with this in mind, I was surprised by the amount of time I spent laughing. Sometimes I was honestly laughing with the movie, but more often I just couldn’t believe what I was watching. The plot was one of the most contrived stories I have ever seen, so much so I wonder how they thought this was the script that would help launch Bass’ acting career. The acting was actually better than I was expecting, but the actors would still be chased out of the Kodak Theatre if they attempt to show up for the Oscars next March. The key to the times I laughed with the movie was using some proven comic actors in key parts, particularly Dave Foley and Jerry Stiller as Bass’ coworkers. First time film writers Eric Aronson and Paul Stanton provided the rest of the laughs with the most reliably inconceivable script since “Josie and the Pussycats.”
This is one of the few movies where you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into before you even sit down in the theatre. With the price of admission, you get the opportunity to see two ‘NSync members on the big screen, complete with bad jokes, a silly plot, and a few supporting actors that try hard to make the trip one that is worth taking. If this is what want to spend your time and money on, than this movie is for you. If not, may I recommend the horror film or the friendly alien?
Links:
Official Studio Site
Roger Ebert's Review
187 (1997)
(R)
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This was just a bad script choice. The acting was good, the direction was a little bland, but the script was just too boring and too enthusiastically negative. There was nothing that got my attention throughout the entire movie, but I still managed to leave the movie feeling like dirt.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Cinema 1's 187 Page
102 Dalmatians (2000)
(G)
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In this sequel to the live action 101 Dalmatians, Glenn Close returns as Cruella De Vil who has been trained to be nice to animals. She, of course, soon gets back to her old self again, and continues her quest for the prefect fur coat, this time with a fashion designer played by Gérard Depardieu. The movie is fairly entertaining in a family movie way. It is very cute, but doesn't entirely dumb itself down for kids. The acting is very good, and the pace of the direction and the amount of plot development the movie has manages to keep it mildly interesting for people who can stand this type of movie.
Links:
Official Studio Site
Film.com's Review
Roger Ebert's Review
One Tough Cop (1998)
(R)
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A cop tries to balance his job and his friendship with a leader of organized crime, while keeping his name clean. He also tries to solve a serious crime, which the police department is trying to keep him off of. The film is a gritty look at a struggle of a police officer to do what is right, even when the future is uncertain. The film feels very real, but didn't quite manage to draw me into the story. Over all, well made, but a little dry for my tastes.
Links:
Official Studio Site
The Opposite of Sex (1998)
(R)
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A well written and acted movie, this was better then I was expecting. Christina Ricci plays a 16-year-old who doesn't really care who she steps on as long as she's getting what she wants and having a good time. The story revolves around the characters she affects, including her half brother (a gay teacher), a woman who tries to look after him (Lisa Kudrow), a sheriff from town (Lyle Lovett), and her half brother's boyfriend. The story was well written, always seeming to pull itself together right before it falls apart. The characters are interesting and real, and the acting is really good. Worth watching if you enjoy this style of movie.
Links:
Cinema 1's Opposite of Sex Page
USA Today's Review
Orgazmo (1998)
(NC-17)
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A Mormon takes a part in a porn movie because he needs the money. When the movie becomes a hit, he has to keep his wife from finding out he made it, while making the sequel. The movie has a few funny moments, but they rely too heavily on the same jokes for the whole movie. After the first couple of times, the jokes lose their effect and the movie isn't able to find very many more to use. Over all, a good idea, but it needed a few more original jokes in the second half to really keep it interesting.
Links:
Official Studio Site
The Other Sister (1999)
(PG-13)
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A mentally challenged young woman falls in love and must learn how the world works while trying to pull away from an over protective mother. The movie has some good moments, but was a little too cute for me some times. I was never able to get really interested in the story, but it did create a good person to get behind and root for to get what she wants out of life. The ideas for the film were original, but not quite intriguing enough to really make me interested in the story.
Links:
Official Studio Site
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