Posted on
07.02.98 by Widge @ 9:20 pm 
Written by: J.J. Abrams, Tony Gilroy, Jonathan Hensleigh, & Shane Salerno, based on a story by Jonathan Hensleigh & Robert Roy Pool, with additional writing by Paul Attanasio, Ann Biderman, Scott Rosenberg, & Robert Towne My Advice: Don't miss it. Michael Bay does it again and producer Jerry Bruckheimer is pretty much forgiven for his part in making Con Air a reality. That's right, it's the first big-ass plastic mindless destructorama flick I've seen this summer to actually make good on its promise and thrill. But be forewarned--you're entering Jerry Bruckheimer's world, a world that gives physicists in our world ulcers and headaches. We'll tell them to bugger off in a minute. First, the synoptic thing: A rock the size of Texas is headed towards Earth (played by itself) and will wipe out everything including politicians, movie critics, and other forms of bacteria. There's only one thing to do--drill a hole in the sucker, plant a nuke in it, and blow it to hell. Or wherever space rocks go after they die when they've been bad and menaced whole planets. And I know what you're thinking, true believers--you already reviewed this movie, Widge, and were disappointed! Ah, not this movie but its bastard cousin. More on that to come. Anyway, the head of NASA (Thornton) calls on the best deep driller in the world (Willis) to save all creation. Nuff said. Categorized as: Movies and Reviews
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Posted on
05.22.98 by Widge @ 4:47 pm 
Directed by Terry Gilliam My Advice: Don't Miss It. How odd that the first film I've designated with "Don't Miss It" this year and the first film rife with Oscar-worthy stuff I've seen this year probably won't get a single nod. Hollywood's funny/stupid that way. Let me go ahead and say up front that some people probably shouldn't see this film, despite my "Don't Miss It" verdict. Those are the people who didn't like the book, people who have no idea what Thompson or the book is like, and people who think that any film that has drugs in it condones illegal drugs. It's a film that will give a strong reaction: love or hate, seldom an in-between. That having been said, this film is a trip--no pun intended. Categorized as: Movies and Reviews
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Posted on
05.20.98 by Widge @ 7:04 pm 
Written by: Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich, based on the character owned by the Toho Company My Advice: Wait for MST3K It seemed like the match made in heaven, right? D&E, the men behind ID4, take on the king of all monsters in a cage match where the cage is Manhattan, yes? What could possibly go wrong? You name it. What need is there for a synopsis, really--I mean it is a Godzilla flick, right? Well, I won't spoil anything that the newspapers and other reviewers haven't by telling you that the G-Man is a G-It and can lay eggs and proceeds to do so. So you got Godzilla Babies coming to the Saturday Morning LineupTM anyday now. Let's talk about the cast, all great talent--at least in other films they've done. Broderick must have figured he was in cash cow, um, cash lizard heaven, because his performance lacked any redeeming qualities. Instead he seemed to revert to Ferris, forgetting that he's proven his worth with films like Glory. Jean Reno is the only one to leave this flick without egg on his face, doing such a great tough guy (complete with Elvis impersonation) that Warner Bros. has him in the Batsuit for the next chapter of that particular franchise. Maria Pitillo's character is so pitifully helpless and annoying that I was praying for her to die ten minutes after meeting her. Hank Azaria does fairly well with his New York cameraman bit, but it's almost a one-note for this guy. Harry Shearer's sleazy newsman is delightfully bad, but hey, he wants to sleep with Pitillo's character so I wanted him to die too. Categorized as: Movies and Reviews
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Posted on
05.09.98 by Widge @ 1:20 am 
Written by: Bruce Joel Rubin & Michael Tolkin My Advice: Matinee. Still waiting for a film to satisfy the way you thought it ought to have? Yeah, me too. This was my number one film to look forward to this year, but alas. Synopsis: Big rock heading toward earth. Death. Destruction. Dogs and cats, etc. So let's talk about what the film does have going for it. First and foremost, it has Bruce Joel Rubin, the man who brought us Jacob's Ladder, a Needcoffee.com classic. It's he and Tolkin that are responsible for pushing this over the top and making it a slightly above average film. It's the concept more than anything else--the idea of humanity trying to deal with its own extinction, and the choices that must be made, sometimes in a matter of seconds, that decide the fate of sometimes just a family, sometimes millions of people. Unfortunately, I smell cutting and rewrites that crippled what could have been a great film. Categorized as: Movies and Reviews
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Posted on
04.25.98 by Widge @ 3:58 am 
Written & Directed by: James Toback My Advice: Wait for MST3K This proves that even at 84 minutes, a feature film can be too long. The premise is the film's title, except that the first two characters didn't know about each other prior to the film's start, since they were sharing said guy. What starts off looking like a very interesting piece where you get a small number of actors in an enclosed place and let them act their asses off (for proper reference see Closet Land, see Mindwalk) turns into an episode of The Real World. If Toback wants to have really great actors improvising emotional situations, somebody show him Secrets & Lies. A word about Downey--if the boy could ever get his personal shit together, he'd be the actor of his generation. He's a Needcoffee favorite but sometimes I just wanna strangle him. Enough of that. When he's alone (accusing himself in a mirror or talking to his agent) we get a great performance from him. However, once the two women come into the scene it's over. Then it's all screaming matches, thrownaway lines, the whole bit. Categorized as: Movies and Reviews
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