SSand

IMDb member since December 1999
    Lifetime Total
    10+
    IMDb Member
    24 years

Reviews

Just Write
(1997)

Inspiring film w/great characters and romance!
I was fortunate enough to catch "Just Write," on Starz last night and was greatly pleased (and surprised) with this film. I found all of the main characters to be very likable and also found the writing to be stellar, at worst. The film has inspired me to the extent that I just ordered three screenwriting books off of Amazon.com! When a movie has the power to make a person feel something strong or inspire them to the point that they will do something about their inspiration, then it must be a great film, and "Just Write," is!

Braveheart
(1995)

Greatest film EVER...on all accounts!!!
Braveheart is a film that has everything. From romance to action, to adventure to purely amazing drama, it has it all. This 3-hour-epic is brilliantly acted and directed by Mel Gibson. It is based on the actual events of how Scotland overcame English rule to achieve it's own independence with the strong leadership of William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson). It is also a great `David vs. Goliath' story that really happened!

Also helping achieve #1 status in my book, is the great score composed by James Horner. He gives the film a great feel in every moment and it really adds to this picture.

Braveheart also contains what is in my opinion the greatest film segment in movie history. The segment, which takes place almost at the very end of the film, is about 3 and a half minutes long and is marvelously done by Mel Gibson. The cut-aways that Gibson uses during this segment, combined with his great acting, and arguably the best score ever composed by James Horner, really makes this an incredible 210 seconds. Mel Gibson continually amazed me with his direction and brilliant acting throughout the movie (especially the well constructed battle scenes).

I look forward to seeing more films that are directed by him in the future, and HIGHLY recommend that anyone who hasn't seen this film to do so. Some have complained at the speed which Braveheart starts, and I fully understand this minor complaint, but I feel the first 20-25 minutes that people normally complain about is vital to setting up William Wallace's character, as well as the entire film. The fact that Mel Gibson (who won best director and Braveheart did win best picture) was overlooked for an Oscar nomination is beyond me.

The Last Broadcast
(1998)

Disappointing...do scary movies still exist?
I rented this movie based on the fact that the Blair Witch Project supposedly stole the idea for their movie from this one. Like the Blair Witch Project I was very disappointed with the film. The ending was the only real plus. It was totally unexpected and threw me for a loop. The BWP did a much better job creating a "real" atmosphere. What was with those generic microphones at the podiums of the supposed "real" news conferences from law enforcement authorities? They were far from convincing. I give this film a C (the ending saves it from a D).

A Cool, Dry Place
(1998)

A great dramatic-romance w/outstanding acting!
Another Vince Vaughn film, another great Vince Vaughn film. Man, this guy can do it all (drama-Return To Paradise...romance-A Cool, Dry Place...comedy-Swingers...horror-Psycho...suspense-Clay Pigeons)! Not only can does he *play* all of the parts well, but he actually *becomes* the part. He's an AMAZING actor to watch (easily one of the top 3 actors in the business today)! On to the film...I though this was a great dramatic-romance with great performances all around. Of course Vaughn leads the way, but Joey Lauren Adams and Monica Potter also deliver stellar performances. The father-son relationship between Vince Vaughn and "Calvin," was intense at times and also on many occasions touching (greatly mirroring real life). I highly recommend that anyone who enjoys a good drama (w/romance too) check out this "sleeper," film.

My only "knock," on the film would be the horrible use of music (during many scenes, the music and/or score didn't seem to fit what was happening on screen) and the sub-par score. With that "knock," aside, it's a great film and earns an "A-" from me!

Meet Joe Black
(1998)

Surprisingly touching film w/great acting!
Going into the theater to watch this film I was expecting two things. The first was that I'd be there for quite awhile (it's nearly 3 hours long). The second thing I was expecting to see, were two great actors show why they are among the best in Hollywood today (Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins). I firmly believe that Brad Pitt is the best actor in films today (he often gets too little credit for his acting abilities due to his sex appeal and that's unfortunate). As far as the length of the film is concerned.yea, it is long for a non-epic type of film, but I was amazed by how quickly the 178 minutes seem to go by.

One of the best things about MJB is the way the film develops it's characters. Director Martin Brest does something in MJB that too few films do today.he makes you actually care about what happens to the characters you see on the screen. Some people may find many of the early "setup scenes" to be boring and useless. I, on the other hand, feel that those scenes are the one's that really bring us into Joe Black (Pitt) and William Parrish's (Hopkins) world. To end without mentioning Claire Forlani would be a crime. She does a wonderful job as Susan Parrish (Hopkins daughter) and I look forward to seeing her in more films in the very near future.

MJB is an outstanding film that is filled with some amazing dialogue. In addition to that it is: a great romantic film, a surprisingly funny film at times, and most importantly it is the most touching film that I have seen since "Titanic" (I fully admit that I may feel this way due to the fact that I have a daughter to call my own. Having a daughter enables me to relate to the father-daughter scenes, which are incredibly done by Hopkins, Forlani, and Martin Brest). Grade: A

Mr. Show with Bob and David
(1995)

Everybody on here is right!
This is the funniest show on television...maybe EVER! Bob & David are AWESOME! Every week I look forward to seeing how they are going to top what I just saw the previous week! I thank HBO for recognizing how great these two guys are at making a lot of us laugh! Thanks HBO and thank you Bob & David!

8MM
(1999)

Surprisingly dull for what it had to work with!
As you probably already know, 8MM is a film that deals with the shocking and disturbing reality of a VERY hard-core pornographic underworld. The premise finds Nicolas Cage's character (Tom Welles) searching for the creators of a "snuff" film to discover whether or not the film is indeed authentic. This sounded like an incredible original story line and something Joel Schumacher couldn't go wrong with. Unfortunately that isn't the case. Not only that, but somehow 8MM is seemingly dull for more than half of the film. It seems to drag through scenes with only an occasional shock of pornography or violence thrown in-between to try to satisfy viewers. The surprising lack of suspense (or even action, which I'm not normally a fan of) make the 124 minute running time seem much longer than it really is. Was there anything good in 8MM...sure. Nicolas Cage is always great to watch and also we learn something about a world that really exists, in which most of us know nothing about (nor do we want to). That being said, seeing a documentary on this or a well-crafted news package would've suited me just as well. My strong recommendation to you is to wait for the video...maybe! Grade: C-

I would've LOVED to see what David Fincher (director of: Seven and the Game) could've done with this, but maybe it was more of the writing at fault than the directing!

To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
(1996)

Surprisingly touching film with a great script!
I can vaguely recall when this movie was released nationwide in 1996. The title struck me as odd and aside from the fact that I wanted to see/hear how James Horner would conduct another exceptional score, I had no desire to see the film. After recently viewing To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, I am disappointed that I didn't see it in the theater. Peter Gallagher, Claire Daines, and Bruce Altman all deliver marvelous performances. Michelle Pfieffer was a nice surprise (she's always "nice") as she plays her part to perfection! One of the best things about this film is the fact that you're not sure whether or not what you are seeing is real or whether it's just what's in David's (Gallagher) mind. Whichever way you believe, it's an amazingly touching film and at times it's even powerful. Great dialogue, great directing, and a great score from Horner (again), make this a truly GREAT film!

Hope Floats
(1998)

The main problem was the character development (or lack thereof)!
An observation I had while watching this sub-par movie is that "Hope Floats" is VERY similar to the romantic comedy "Something To Talk About" (starring Julia Roberts & Dennis Quaid). Both films leading actress have a cheating husband. Both of those actresses leave their husband to go live with their mother. Both actresses resist involvement with another man (i.e. Connick Jr.) while being on a date with him, and finally, both films are set in Texas. I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing the writer of "Hope Floats" watched "Something To Talk About," shortly before he started to write this "masterpiece." It's too bad that he couldn't have at least equaled the quality of that film, because it was MUCH better!

Bastard Out of Carolina
(1996)

Amazingly powerful and enraging!
Never before can I recall a film making me as angry as I was while watching this tragic movie. If you don't already believe that all child abusers should have to suffer through horrible pain and/or death, then watch this film!

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