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MattTheRaven
Reviews
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
Mixed bag.
I have yet to see part two, OR read any of the books, so that should probably be kept in mind as you read this review. I mainly focus on the acting: The older actors/actresses were grand as ever: Richard Harris (as Headmaster Dumbledore) and Maggie Smith (as Headmistress McGonagall)stand out, though Robbie Coltrane, Fiona Shaw and Alan Rickman (who is enjoyable in nearly every role he's played) do excellent jobs as well. The weak point is the children, most notably the main character, Harry Potter. Daniel Radcliffe seems unable to adequately portray emotions - he seems surprised at a few instances, but that's about the extent of it. I read that Haley Joel Osment was at one point put up as a possible Potter, and though that would've changed the largely British cast makeup, it certainly would've lead to a vastly superior acting job.
Antitrust (2001)
Surprisingly decent.
Seeing as how none of the actors are "seasoned actors" - with Tim Robbins the exception, and how the ads made it look like a really cheesy 'thriller,' I wasn't expecting much. So, I was happily surprised. It wasn't GREAT by any stretch of the imagination, don't get me wrong - a lot of suspense/thriller cliches were used - but there were a couple of ACTUALLY SUSPENSEFUL MOMENTS. And, to be honest, I adore Rachel Leigh Cooke, no matter her acting faults. [I gave it a 7.]
America's Sweethearts (2001)
I went into the movie not expecting to like it...
but emerged pleasantly surprised. A movie by a giant studio making fun of Hollywood obviously will get credibility, but the pokes at stardom and movie-making amuse nonetheless. I will say that I've yet to see a bad John Cusack movie [save Serendipity], and Christopher Walken is always welcome as far as I'm concerned. I generally dislike Julia Roberts, but her character worked well enough in the film. [Note: I'm writing this review approx. a year-and-a-half after seeing the movie, so please forgive the fact that I'm not any more specific...]
Aladdin (1992)
If not for Robin Williams...
This movie woulda rated, maybe, a 7. The music is fun and the other character actors are decent enough, but William's ad-libs and characteristically manic nature make this movie so much more enjoyable - I consider it my favorite Disney movie - than it would've been otherwise. [Though, in reference to The Return of Jafar, Dan Castenella was horrible as the Genie, and Gilbert Gottfried's Iago shown through as the comic star.]
Airplane! (1980)
What is it about Leslie Nielsen and great spoofs?
[Granted, he's been in some stinkers too...] Anyway, I consider this to be THE Spoof by which all other spoofs should be measured. The deadpan/straight-faced deliveries of Nielsen, Peter Graves, and Robert Stack [all actors with histories of serious films] alone make this movie worth watching.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000)
Mostly throwaway...
I rated it a 4. There's one line [sadly, it's included in the Trivia section] that made me crack up, and, yes, bumped my rating up three points. Otherwise, it's rather painful to watch, particularly so when compared to the cartoon it was based on [which, granted, also used cheesy humor, but somehow it worked in that context].
Bread and Roses (2000)
Obviously Pro-Labor (nothing wrong with that...). Incredibly natural acting.
This, in turns English or Spanish, film has a very strong pro-labor (or as the director would spell it, pro-labour) sentiment, but I applaud that, and hell, anti-labor corporations many times ARE as bad as the men shown in this film...
Getting off my soapbox, and focusing on the story and acting: The story worked well enough as it was, even though there were a lot of laughs and mischief at the hands of Sam (Adrien Brody, the main male character, and the one who convinces the janitors to unionize) that very likely would never have been possible in real life... And though the dramatic scenes not directly related to labor sometimes seemed a little forced, as in: "Oh, c'mon, like THIS would happen TOO.", the acting, especially that of the main female character, Maya (Pilar Padilla), was some of the most NATURAL acting I have ever witnessed in a film.
I caught this movie at FilmFestDC, and if it ever comes out on video, or comes to your city as part of a film festival, I highly recommend it.
Cecil B. Demented (2000)
The opening credits were hilarious, but it really went downhill from there.
I really wanted to love this movie, and there were things here and there that I really enjoyed (the tattoos on the "Sprockets" - Cecil's henchpeople - of their favorite directors, the aforementioned credits [if you see the movie, you MUST pay attention to the opening credits], the insults directed at mainstream cinema, etc...), but as a whole, I was disappointed. The worst thing about this movie is that it almost made me wanna see some cheesy mainstream flick to get the really bad movie stink off...
I mean, I guess to some extent the movie was supposed to be bad... But it wasn't a good bad, it was just BAD. And the few good scenes made the rest of the movie seem even worse.
If you wanna see a non-mainstream movie, go see one of the movies by the directors that are tattooed on the henchpeople - the one name that sticks with me is Pedro Almodovar. Can't go wrong with any of his stuff.
But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
I wish I could've liked it more...
I think this movie had great potential (though, granted, the organizations that try to "straighten out" gays and lesbians are a fairly easy target...), and there were some scenes that made me smile, laugh, or cry, but overall, this was a letdown. Natasha Lyonne, who I thought did a great job in "Slums of Beverly Hills," makes the falling in love believable, but not the confusion she suffers at the beginning. (And her "I'm a homosexual" sobbing was some of the most fake crying I've ever seen.) Clea Duvall, on the other hand, did the bitter, sarcastic one who slowly opens up, but she did it very well.
I couldn't tell what kind of movie this wanted to be... At times it was a farce, at times a drama... It just couldn't seem to make up its mind and stick to one genre. And for a movie that was supposed to be pro-gay, the gay males (except for that of "handyman" Rock) were painfully stereotypical (i.e., "flaming"). If you're willing to sit through a rather so-so movie for touching (pun both intended and not intended) scenes between Duvall and Lyonne, then be my guest. I certainly wouldn't watch it again, though.