Reviews

A weak script will get you every time. And this movie doesn't even qualify as a good special effects flick. The funny parts were few and far between and a great idea and a great cast are wasted. It is ready-made for a sequel, however. There may be hope yet.

Don't bother with this movie. We've all seen it a hundred times before. In fact, in Robert Altman's "The Player", Hollywood's lack of originality is exemplified by a film starring Bruce Willis and Julia Roberts where a man saves his love from the gas chamber at the last possible second. I would rather see that movie than "True Crime". Every cliche in the book is trotted out. The ending is obvious three minutes into the film. And Clint continues to gross us out by trying to portray a romantic lead who attracts younger women. In real life, its believable. He's mega-rich and famous. Here it's just pathetic. Decent acting is completely wasted here.

This film is another in a long line of "feel good" European films that get released in the states with much studio hype (usually by Miramax), charm the socks off of people, and win lots of awards (think Il Postino and the Full Monty). That's a shame. This film is so simple minded that its almost an insult. I mean, its good for what it is, but Best Foreign Film? Best Actor? Are you kidding me? Whoopi Goldberg winning the Best Supporting Actress award for Ghost has always been my pick for worst Oscar winner. Not any more.

I had been looking to view a copy of Shoah ever since Siskel and Ebert reviewed it in 1985. I finally found a copy (5 tapes) at my local video store. It was pretty much what I expected, but I have some problems with it. Did the director ever hear of editing? In a 9 and a half hour documentary, do we really need static shots of where concentration camps used to be that last minutes with no voiceover or anything? In my opinion, this film should have run no longer than 4 to 5 hours. As gripping as the material is, it started to seem like a chore to get through the whole thing.

I saw a trailer for this movie last night and feel compelled to comment on it. In short, the trailer makes this film look like a sweet, quirky, romantic comedy. It isn't. Janeane Garafalo plays a suicidal loner who tricks a guy into keeping her company the night before she is going to off herself. Not exactly Notting Hill. While there were some laughs, this movie is very serious and depressing. If you like Garafalo, give it a shot. If you're looking for a light hearted romp, look elsewhere.

This is a promising debut for the writer/director. Its pretty uneven but the performances were great. Especially by two of my favorite actors, Steve Zahn and Paul Giammati. Either of these guys could become the Steve Bucsemi of the next decade. I'm interested to see this guys next film. I just hope the script is tighter.

All 69 people who gave this "movie" 10 points should be forced to watch nothing but Demi Moore movies for the rest of their lives. This is easily on my list of worst 10 ever. A total embarrassment. Drama is easy. Comedy is hard. This movie proves it.

When will Steven Spielberg learn to trust his own talent as a filmmaker? Why has he managed to ruin the endings of his two best films? The "stones on the grave" scene at the end of Schindler's List and the "Ryan as old man" scene at the beginning AND end of Saving Private Ryan were gratuitous and totally unecessary. It's like he said, "OK. I've made a three hour movie showing in explicit detail how awful racial hatred and/or was is. But, just in case there's one idiot in that theatre that has missed the point, I'll end it with a sappy ending to make sure everybody's crying." This is the Penny Marshall influence on Spielberg's directing.

Without the unecessary scenes, Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan may both have merited 10's in my book. With the scenes, they are a 9 and an 8, respectively. Steven, bubby, just tell your story. Leave the moralizing and tear-jerking to lesser filmmakers. Give the audience a little credit.

It is now officially time for new directors to stop trying to out-Tarantino Tarantino. This movie has absolutely nothing to say and no reason to exist. Some decent actors (and some bad ones) are completely wasted.

I know a lot of people were turned off by this film's subject matter and racier moments, but they missed out on the best film of 1997. A great script presented with great acting performances. (Burt Reynolds gives the performance of his life. Robin Williams has Burt's Oscar on his mantle.) A tremendous character study in the vein of Robert Altman. Great music too.

One of the more disturbing movie experiences I've ever had. This film is shot in a documentary style giving all of the murder and mayhem a very realistic quality. Not for the faint of heart, but I thought it was great.