Big O-7

OK, so it is not a great film. What horror film, other than PSYCHO, would you really call great? There are two reasons for this film getting a 7 rating. First off, the casting agents were kind enough to cast Diora Baird. She is gorgeous and has tons of charisma.

Second, this film has style and atmosphere to spare. The folks at production company PLATINUM DUNES have yet to make a film that is not entertaining to watch, and all of their films have managed to enhance their movies by really getting the style, atmosphere, and pacing exactly right.

Kudos to all involved, and I can't wait for your next offering!

This is the best film ever put out by one of the Wayans brothers. If you can't laugh out loud at this film, then I feel sorry for you, for you must be missing a lot in life. Keenan and his brothers have never been as on target as they are here, complete with Bernie Casey, Antonio Fargas, Isaac Hayes, Steve James, John Vernon and Jim Brown all contributing side-splitting send-ups of their own images!

Let me be the first to say that I really wanted this movie to be great. Antonie Fuqua, Bruce Willis, Eammon Walker, Monica Bellucci and the rest of the cast really deserve for this film to succeed. Unfortunately, the film fails them in way too many ways to give it a good review. I agree with those who say that the film tackles interesting topics. I agree with those that say that the film is a technically competent film. But aside from a few histrionics by the ENTIRE cast (you'll know which scene I am referring to), the film makes no attempt to develop ANY of the characters beyond "plot funtions". And there are too many gaps in logic for this film to even begin to make sense. For a discussion topic, I ask you this:

What, exactly, was the point of saving the Monica Bellucci character?

Anyone with an answer for me gets a cookie!

I laughed for a good 60 to 70 minutes during this film. It starts right at the beginning and really does not let up. Critics are really funny about this film ... they seem to take shots at the movie because it's not some stuffy MIRAMAX-let's-buy-us-an-Oscar-type film, yet they all admit that they laughed?!?

It's a film can not be a comedy for the sake of being a comedy. Films that make an audience laugh this much should be hailed and not pilloried.

Matthew Perry + Elizabeth Hurley + Cedric The Entertainer + Vincent Pastore + Bruce Campbell = this dreck? This is one of the few times that I agree with the critics in that Mr. Perry (who looks like he was having some personal problems at the time of the filming) and Elizabeth Hurley simply do not show enough chemistry to save this sludge. As usual, the cast is game, but the writing and directing is simply not there. So, what gives the movie the 1 star? Hurley's outfits, for sure and Cedric The Entertainer, and the always sublime Bruce Campbell.

SAVE YOUR MONEY and wait for tv!

PS - Want to see Ms. Hurley? Watch ANYTHING else!

Great cast (kudos to Ed Norton and Barry Pepper) + great score + great director + great writing = GREAT MOVIE! The movie has been criticised for being "slow". So what? It has great writing, great music, great acting, and a great director at the top of his game.

This is one of the worst movies ever made. A previous reviewer says that this "could have been much better" ... I couldn't have agreed more! This movie would have been better had it never been made. Please stay away from this film.

Possible spoilers.

This film is truly amazing. Why? you ask. Well, because most movie franchises manage to keep getting better, but not this franchise. It's amazing because each sequel actually gets WORSE. The funniest (and I use "funniest" loosely here) moments belong not to Mike Meyers, but to Tom Cruise, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Seth Green. If not for them, this film would not even come close to warranting a chuckle.

I, like many, thought this movie would suck. I was convinced by one of my best friends to go and get the movie, and guess what ... we are no longer friends! Just Kidding!!! This movie has some sequences that had me rolling in the aisles with laughter. And, to boot, you will never look at a eclaire the same way again!

You would think this movie would be silly. And guess what? It is! Not only is it silly, but it celebrates its silliness! Is it funny? Yes, unless you have the sour demeanor of Ebenezer Scrooge! Go rent it, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Ok. Let's be honest here. Neither director Michael Bay nor uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer have ever been labeled as subtle. Nor have they ever been known for script. They are known for concept. They are known for action. They are known for special effects. And that, ultimately, is what PEARL HARBOR delivers.

I will agree that the film takes a while to get started, and ultimately we in the audience have to suffer through as many bad lines as bullets fired by Dorie Miller (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). But the film is nowhere near as bad as the critics made it out. It is not the root of all evil. There is far worse dreck out there occupying space on a video store shelf. The fact is that once the movie does get going and the and the Japanese attack, the films visuals simply soar. Some of the sequences are amazing. And this is where the heart of the film lies. Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer have created a visual spectacle at the expense of story and character (neither Ben Affleck nor Josh Hartnett are good enough actors to elevate what little material they have been given here).

Is there some written rule that all summer movies have to disapppoint? The only thing this film really has going for it is a morbid curiosity involving a nuclear blast on American soil. In the wake of September 11, I can certainly appreciate that. In New York City, I can certainly appreciate that. But when that morbid curiosity is all the suspense that the film has going for it, then I have to vote thumbs down on the film. Understand, I went to this film really wanting to like it. But the nuclear blast happens about half way through the film, and after, there is absolutely no suspense. YOU know that Jack Ryan is ultimately going to save the world. So, what does this film have? Well, first of all, we have Morgan Freeman turning in yet another faxed in performance, which, by this time, is to be expected (Do I really need to keep paying him to do the same thing over, and over, and over, and over, and over again? One is hard pressed to remember the days of DRIVING MISS DAISY, GLORY, and LEAN ON ME ... when he actually acted!). I dare say he has not done one even remotely interesting performance since SEVEN. Next, we have Liev Schreiber - stepping in for Willem DaFoe who originally played the same part in the vastly superior CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER. Mr. Schreiber, however, seems to be playing a character - not a viewpoint like the rest of the cast. Then we have the rest of the cast - a who's who of top notch character actors. We have Bruce McGill, Ron Rifkin, and James Cromwell. All they get to do is present various (sometimes utterly inane) viewpoints as the President and his cabinet. Does anyone really care about them? No, unless you want their scenes cut to shorten your time in the theater. And finally, in a role originated by Alec Baldwin and fleshed out by Harrison Ford, we have Ben Affleck. Ben is an affable guy. I usually like him. But do I really need HIM to tell me how dire a situation a nuclear bomb in downtown Baltimore is? No, and neither does any member of the audience. Lastly, the plot. Well, I'm not going to spoil it for you, but the any sentence in this review is longer than a sentence needed to explain this particular plot. And as said above, once the bomb goes off, there is no suspense, and no reason to stay in the theater. A three year old can figure out how this plot is going to unflod having seen only the first five minutes of the film. My advice? Stay away. This film is more lethal than Ground Zero!

Is this really all that $130 million buys these days? This was junk. The special effects don't even look good. The writing? I beg of you, Mr. Lucas, please PLEASE let someone else write the next installment. And as for originality, could the movie have ripped off THE FIFTH ELEMENT any more (and done it worse?)? -- I sure hope they forked over some serious cash to Luc Besson, because they are HIS creatures (minus the robots that were borrowed from AI).

A year before this film came out, the movie going public punished a film by Steven Spielberg called AI. People just didn't go to see a film about a robot boy trying to become human. I guess people would rather opt for "entertainment" such as ATTACK OF THE CLONES or THE SCORPION KING, films where there is an abhorrent lack of original thought. And sure, George Lucas has come out saying that measuring anything against the original three films of the STAR WARS series is unfair because of how good they really are. What does that say? That now we should be happy enough to settle for something less than great? That we should be happy forking over $10 so that some centillionaire out in CA can play with digital images and completely forego any script? Well, Mr. Lucas, your plan would work if not for your friend Mr. Spielberg. Unlike Mr. Lucas, Mr. Spielberg seems to find new and exciting ways to challenge himself and his audience -- and if one were to go by AIs box office performance, one would say that he is, unfortunately, losing the fight. To paraphrase "You are what you watch." Keep paying Mr. Lucas for utter crap like this and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to keep feeding it to you.

Ever since I saw the SUBWAY episode of HOMICIDE, I have wondered why one did not see more of Vincent D'Onofrio on tv. It has been said that Mr. D'Onofrio is very very picky with his assignments and did not want to take on series tv, much less a cop show. It has been said that he especially did not want to play another angry, overly dramatic cop. That said, he signed on to this, the third LAW & ORDER spin-off. And that - seeing more of Mr. D'Onofrio on tv - is a good thing. However, this show is not. It simply does not stand up to either the original LAW & ORDER nor SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT. There are much better, stonger cop shows out there in syndication ... NYPD Blue, HOMICIDE, 2 LAW & ORDER shows. Go with them instead. To choose this over them would constitute criminal intent. Sorry Mr. D'Onofrio, a valiant effort but it simply does not cut it.

... and F you ABC for being so stupid so as to pull the plug on this show. You let NYPD Blue keep on airing when anyone with a quarter brain will tell you that that cop show is out of ammo a long time ago. Maybe this is some warped competition in which ABC brass says "Gee, if NBC can pull the plug on a classic like HOMICIDE, then we should show them and F up the same by pulling the plug on our own cop classic, THE JOB." Well ... a big middle finger to you for being so stupid. To Mr. Leary, DreamWorks, and all the visionaries involved I can only say that it was a pleasure to join you for your (too short) visit and I can only hope that you combine talents again soon ... for someone that can see you for the talent that you are. I will miss you.

I actually had a very hard time giving this film a bad rating. I am one of Gwyneth's biggest fans and she is pretty good in this film. I also think that Jack Black does have some charisma. But the fact is that this film is in the Farrelly Brothers tradition. That is to say that this film really is not funny. I thought DUMB AND DUMBER was great, KINGPIN certainly has its moments, and ME MYSELF & IRENE made me laugh a few times. But latter fare - THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, OUTSIDE PROVIDENCE, and SAT IT ISN'T SO - really did not hit the spot. Sure, it may be easy to say that I was somewhat offended by the jokes in this particular outing. Fact is, fat jokes don't necessarily offend me ... they only offend me when I've paid $10 and they are so not funny that even Jason Alexander can't make them work. Now, the reason that I had a hard time really slamming this ham in the ratings is that I thought that I could see the Farrelly brothers aiming at something here, something that they miss. I know that this is a "message" comedy, but when you pick as the butt of your jokes a kind hearted, bruised person who also has a potentially fatal condition that they have almost no control over, well then you have to be better film makers than the Farrellys to make it work. John Hughes made a similar and far, far better film called PLANES TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES about two people who need to see past each others physical conditions to see the real people inside. Another thing that works against the film is that you can see the cast really struggle to make this thing funny, and that just adds to the pain of sitting in the audience -- you end up begging the cast not to cash the checks they got for this failure. The film is simply not funny enough nor sweet enough to work (a teaming of Jack, Gwyneth, Jason, and self-help guru Tony Robbins simply deserves better).I suggest that you buy the soundtrack to Shallow Hal (because it's pretty good) and rent PLANES TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES instead. You'll thank me.

NBC should thank their lucky stars that executive producer David Letterman lets them air this after what they did to him. In return for giving NBC 10 years of classic late night programming and then being denied The Tonight Show, Mr. Letterman - proving ever the gentleman - gives NBC one of the best shows ever put on tv. There is no profanity on ED, there are no torrid sex scenes, and the characters have to take responsibility for their actions. Sure, they're a little eccentric, but aren't we all? Who wouldn't want to own a bowling alley (and kiss Julie Bowen)? I sincerely hope that this show doesn't suffer the same fates as SPORTS NIGHT and THE JOB. The show is already up there with NORTHERN EXPOSURE and HOMICIDE and other all-time greats.

I agree with most of these reviews. I think you have a talented cast - Chi McBride, Anthony Heald etc - that are put in to some really, really strange situations. What is going on right now with a kid locking his mom in the basement? Absurd to say the least. The sad thing is that real high school life would make for great television without any help from David E. Kelley. Perhaps we should ask Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson to focus on a high school. High school dramas do not need sex and violence pressed upon them for sex and violence are already part of the recipie. Mr. Kelley I beg of you to ease up on the outlandish situations that you put this cast through when all you really need to do is simply let high school tell the stories. And to all of you out there that said that no drama needs some sort of climactic thing every 15 minutes ... I am right there with you!

This would be standard middle-brow entertainment were it not for three factors that I'll discuss in a little bit. The concept, that women can be as deft "players" of the field as men, is certainly not new to most. It may be new to A level films, and it probably is new to director/producer Mark Brown, the creator of HOW TO BE A PLAYER. But it is not a concept new to almost any B level direct-to-video thriller, anything on Cinemax after 11pm, or to any newspaper. Women have almost always been better players (see Anna Nicole Smith, Leona Helmsley, that maid that married the Johnson & Johnson fortune, and almost all of the guests on either Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, or Ricki Lake). But, this movie does have an easy going pace and sound track that combine to make it as smooth as a ride in Shante's convertible Jaguar. What makes the film stay slightly above average is the presence of the three lead thespians. First of all, let it be said that Anthony Anderson does in fact walk away with this film. He simply owns every second that he is on screen (including the out takes at the end). His natural and easy manner combined with impeccable comic timing simply makes him the de facto owner of the material, the screen, and the film as a whole. Next, Morris Chestnut, whether given a lot or a little (like here) to do simply comes off as likable. And in the main role, few actresses - good looking or not - could carry off the part that Vivica A. Fox plays. The film would not be believable were it not for this particular actresses commanding presence and astonishing good looks. She, like her character, is someone who has worked her looks and her intelligence to get exactly what she wants out of life, and she is not afraid to show it. So, if you go in not expecting too much, you will come out pleasantly surprised. A 7 out of 10.

Let's face it. There are very few good things about this movie. The song with Busta Rhymes and the ones done by Jimmy Jam are good. Most of Mariah's wardrobe accentuates her curves nicely. Mariah can sing the part, and her acting isn't all bad (though there is probably no reason to start writing any acceptance speeches yet). Everything else is crap. Director Vondie Curtis Hall should get back to acting. He can't even make the club scenes go smooth. Face it, you would probably be better off buying a poster of Ms. Carey (heck, you can probably get that and one of her CDs used for less than the $10 you'd have to plunk down in Manhattan to see this debacle). I give this film 1 star because I feel that Mariah deserves better than this.

This is NOT a movie about suicide. If it is, that is simply the very uppermost layer of this textured and finely crafted movie. What the movie seems to really be about is the perception the young boys have of the women. The "suicides" are not so much real suicides as they are representative of the shattering of pristine and goddess-like images the girls that the little boys have. The boys do not actually 'see' these girls, they see the goddess-like images that they impose on the girls. Therefore, as one of the girls really gets 'real', there is a 'virgin suicide'. The fact that a woman could direct this, and get so in step with the male psyche, is simply astounding to me.

It is nice to see movies that deal with the African-American experience outside of gangsters and violence. However, this movie fails to take off and manifest itself as a really good coming of age story. The leads are well cast and do good in their parts, but the script and the way it is handled is pedestrian at best. 6/10.

The painful aspect of watching this remake of a Buster Keaton classic is that you can actually see where it misses all that it tries so hard to hit. Chris O'Donnell and the rest of the cast somehow manage to come out relatively unscathed from this unfunny mishap of a movie. The major problem with the film? It tries to combine aspects of AMERICAN PIE and WHEN HARRY MET SALLY-type films. What it does not realize is how perfectly AMERICAN PIE walked the thin line that it laid out for itself. THE BACHELOR tries to combine both films and in weaving between the two, misses everything completely. It was simply painful to watch Chris O'Donnell and company try to stretch the film to hit the marks that it so clearly misses. Stay away from this bachelor!

It is a small pleasure to sit back and watch these 'legendary' pimps try to justify their existence. And to think that they actually have an awards ceremony a la I'M GONNA' GIT' YOU SUCKA's "Pimp of The Year" sequence. Treat yourself, your friends, your family, or girlfriend to this unique movie experience.

I had the opportunity to see this historic achievement in film while it was playing at a near-by IMAX screen. This film is as close as I EVER care to get to that mountain of death. The filmmakers have captured images that are unlike anything ever imagined before. And while most of the story is already well known (through best sellers THE CLIMB and INTO THIN AIR) the film still manages to keep you on the edge of your seat (and on the edge of a crevice). What else could one want? An IMAX movie on how this camera crew shot this film. Prepared to be astounded and blown away!