Larry H's Movie Reviews for 1999
Index of Movies:
Any Given Sunday | The Talented Mr. Ripley | Man on the Moon | The Bicentennial Man | Anna and the King | The Green Mile | Sleepy Hollow | End of Days | Toy Story 2 | The World Is Not Enough | The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc | The Insider | Being John Malkovich | The Bone Collector | Music of the Heart | Happy, Texas | Random Hearts | Superstar | Double Jeopardy | American Beauty | For Love of the Game | The Thomas Crown Affair | The Astronaut's Wife | The Muse | Bowfinger | The Sixth Sense | Deep Blue Sea | The Blair Witch Project | Runaway Bride | Lake Placid | Eyes Wide Shut | The Red Violin | Arlington Road | Wild Wild West | Tarzan | An Ideal Husband | Summer Of Sam | Big Daddy | The General's Daughter | Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me | Instinct | Tea With Mussolini | Cookie's Fortune | Notting Hill | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace | The Mummy | Entrapment | Life | The Matrix | The Out of Towners | EDtv | True Crimes | October Sky | 8MM | Payback | Analyze This | Affliction | Life Is Beautiful | Rushmore | Little Voice | The Thin Red Line | A Simple Plan | Shakespeare In Love | A Civil Action
The grading system99 - the highest grade ever given ("To Kill A Mockingbird") there has never been a 100 yet
95 - the highest grade available on first viewing
69 - means the movie was so bad that I want my money back
65 - is even lower than 69, but is the lowest available grade
W - after a numerical grade means that I could not stand to finish the movie and "walked" out
S - after a numerical grade means that I went to sleep during the movie due to lack of interest
God Bomb Theory - kicks in when I start praying for God to send down a bomb to blow up the characters and/or the scene so I can leave the theater and get on with my life.
I don't normally go to a movie on a Monday evening, but you know how it is during the holidays so I took a shot at Oliver Stone's new movie about life in the NFL starring Al Pacino as a Vince Lombardi wannabe Head Coach. This film about professional football does for the big screen what "Coach" does for TV. Not much, huh? This was the silliest movie with serious talent that I've seen in a long time. Actually, Coach Tony D'Amato (Pacino)had the leadership and savvy of Asst. Coach Luther Vandamme (Jerry Van Dyke) rather than the really talented Coach Hayden Fox (Craig T. Nelson). Correction: make that Dobber rather than Luther. If you have not seen TV's "Coach" don't you dare consider seeing this latest version of Oliver's Twist. 2 Hours 43 Minutes of slow-mo closeups and hip-hop music. Gulp.
If, however, what you really want to see is locker room nudity (frontal) and cheerleader's privates, then this is the movie for you. Cameran Diaz (fox) is the daughter of the legendary dead team owner and she is now calling the shots and that includes going into the locker room after games and shaking hands with players who are wearing only a smile. There is the proverbial quarterback controversy about who the coach should choose as a starter: the aging Cap (Dennis Quaid) or the young stud Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx). The team orthopedic surgeon (James Woods) is involved in some bogus diagnoses that affects players availability, but I did not really follow that aspect of the story because it was so boring.
The crowd at this movie was dissin' this movie (walking around and talking) and I was pretty excited when I realized their interest was fading because I was feeling so smug and on the verge of walking. I stayed a little longer than my initial conscience dictated just so I could "walk" before the big playoff game and the conclusion which had become completely meaningless to me. I wanted the crowd to know that Larry H. was leaving at a time when Mr. Stone surely must have thought that the big finish was about to unfold. I considered standing up in Theatre #13 at AMC and encouraging the crowd of about 85 to march out with me. I considered it; I did not do it. But, man, that would have been a hoot! Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 70W. Larry H.
This Mr. Ripley is not a rip-off. Director/Screenwriter Anthony Minghella ("The English Patient") has given us a very complicated 'psycho-thriller' (Hollywood speak, not mine) that weaves a web of deception, murder, and love while steering Matt Damon (Tom Ripley) on an oscar course. Its about time for one of the Christmas movies to pan out. The beginning of the movie was slow and I was near panic for fear that yet a fourth movie in a row for Larry H. was about to crash and burn. But noooooo - yea of little faith, Minghella was just setting me up for the fall and the tightening of the noose when at about the halfway point I realized how artfully I had been duped into crossing over the line and aligning with murder and evil. That's Hitchkockian. (Speaking of Hitch, I suppose Ms. Paltrow plays the required blond.)
Ben Affleck, who? Matt Damon has taken a giant leap in establishing himself as a big-time actor that can carry a movie and make other actors look good. Damon plays the nerdy Tom Ripley in the late 1950's who is asked by a wealthy shipbuilder to go to Italy and convince his son/Dickie (Jude Law) to come home to New York. Dickie is a playboy who is playing with Gwyneth Paltrow/Marge. Ripley is a piano player and men's room attendant but he is very "talented." When asked by Dickie about his talent, Tom actually gives an honest answer "...I forge people's signature...tell lies... and impersonate other people." That's pretty much what the nerd turn playboy/lover/thief/ and other stuff that will remain a secret does once in Rome, Venice, and other pretty Italian ports of call for the idle rich.
All of you people will not enjoy this movie, but I think its a masterpiece. My emotions were triggered, twisted, tested, and turned at will by the clever screenplay, editing, and acting. I still am not sure who I liked and disliked in this movie. What an accomplishment by a director! The distinctive and strong character/name of Tom Ripley might become a a part of our language not unlike Judas. Numerous nominations are in store for this jewel. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 93. Larry H.
I am angry. This was suppose to be one of the big five and get an oscar nomination. I nominate it for an outstanding autobiography of a fringe comedian ("I am not a comedian, I am a performer") that would best be shown on A&E. This movie truly tells the story of Andy Kaufman as I already knew it. I learned very little new information about the person. I sorta liked Kaufman's comedy when it was happening on SNL, Taxi, and wrestling women. Sorta like a I look at a car wreck when I pass by. Ok, some of Kaufman's routines were pretty funny, but a revelation of his whole life and repertoire of acts reminded me that here was a pitiful soul who did not take the time for deep, meaningful psycho-therapy in lieu of shocking audiences and meanness.
Successful movies are about love and passion. This Kaufman lacked both. He was a sad, pathetic "performer" that was unhappy and misunderstood because....I don't know because this film did not enlighten me. I saw Danny DeVito (Producer/Actor) talk about this movie at length last night on an interview with Charlie Rose on PBS and I trusted Danny, if you can't trust Louie DePalma, who can you trust? Today, I want to grab Danny by his little ears and shake him and say, "...Danny, my man, what focus group did you and your boy Milos Forman (Director) use before you released this on us? Do you think maybe you were just too close to your bud, Andy, to make this movie? And another thing, Danny, Judd Hirsh, Merilu Henner, Christopher Lloyd, and Bobby are too darn old to bring them back 15+ years later and expect them to be believable as "Taxi" characters. That was sad, Danny, you shouldn't oughta done it."
I was one of the first 50 folks to buy a ticket at Cinemark (10:15 am Dec 22). How do you know all this stuff, Larry H.? When the ticket clerk gave me back my change she also gave me a CD of "Man on the Moon" soundtrack by REM because she said "...the first 50 people to buy a ticket get a free promotional CD." I thought it was my lucky day. I almost threw it in the garbage can on the way out of the theatre, but I was gutless. I'll fix that - I just threw the unopened CD in the wastebasket under my desk. Kaufman would like that.
The acting by Jim Carrey as Andy Kaufman was excellent, but who cares. The supporting roles of Kaufman's business manager (George Shapiro) played my DeVito, partner (Bob Zmuda) by Paul Giamatti, and girlfriend Lynne by Courtney Love were all very adequate. Most revealing dialogue between Kaufman and Lynne: "...you don't even know who I really am...." and she says "... there is no real you." And Kaufman whimpers "...oh yeah, I forgot." Is that pitiful or what? We knew Kaufman was jerking us when he was faking his neck injuries and wrestling women, but what else about him do we need to know? I guess only Danny DeVito knows and he ain't tellin'. We must all be strong and persevere for surely the great movies are on the holiday horizon. If they aren't, I am going to start crying and raise a stink. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 78. Larry H.
1:00 pm Theatre #16 Loew's December 17, 1999. I arrived at the theatre a little early because I only traveled from Theatre #2 ("Anna and the King"). I had already eaten my popcorn and Dr. Pepper so I just quietly sat in my seat and listen to the little kids, who were also in the theatre early, chatter excitedly about anything and everything. Pretty interesting stuff. The "crowd" was dominated by kids under age 13.
Robin Williams stars as an android a la CP3O that is delivered to a family in suburbia that has purchased him. The story takes place "...in the not too distant future." The droid/robot endears himself to the family of four and develops human characteristics of caring, curiosity, and courage. Whoopee! I find myself dozing off. ZZZZZZ. But alas, I realize that I am about to walk two movies in thirty minutes, so I desperately try to be strong and hold on until the end. I couldn't make it. Perhaps I left before the movie really got good. I doubt it and I don't care. Rock 'n Roll.
65 SW. Larry H.
The popcorn was very good. But the pushy British broad (Jodie Foster) meets King of My-am (aka Siam/Thailand) was a bust. The movie is pretty but the story qualifies for the earliest initiation of the God Bomb Theory ever known to man. Boooorrrriiingggg.
Supposedly this film is based on the 1862 diaries (The King and I) of Anna Leonowens in her quest to bring the West to the East and educate the King's eldest son. I think the widow Leonowens stretched the truth in her diary because any king worth his salt would have sent this Western know-it-all packin'. And this king knew a thing or two about women - he had 43 concubines for pity's sake; and ten of them were pregnant when Leonowens showed up. And another thing, don't ever trust anyone named "Leonowens."
I knew that I was leaving early from this movie when the young sons of Anna and the King got into a fight on the first day of school and I was hoping that they would beat the crap out of each other. The little snotty nose brats. At about minute 25, I loaded up and walked.
But all is not lost. At about 12:40 pm I went to "Guest Services" at Loew's where my rep as a moviegoer is appropriately respected, and casually announced to the manager and the assistant manager that Anna and the King was not good and "...what theatre is the 1:00 pm showing of 'The Bicentennial Man?'... theatre #16...thank you." Rock 'n Roll.
69 W. Larry H.
I got up this morning already pumped to see this movie in hopes that it would be one of the biggies of the Christmas season. About 125 other folks had the same idea when they showed up at Tinseltown for the 11:00 am premier. I was the sixth car to arrive on the south side of Tinseltown's giant parking lot. Told you I was pumped. The next 30-40 days (mid Dec-Jan) historically is the season for the nomination-worthy film releases. Get ready. This movie is a masterpiece. Adapted from a book by Stephen King, writer and director Frank Darabont has earned himself a seat at the big show March '00.
And Tom Hanks is the Michael Jordan of the big screen. His performance is so powerful that he makes all around him play to a higher level. The entire cast turned in splendid performances. Perhaps five characters in this movie could receive my vote for best supporting actor which means that none of them might make it. Those worth mentioning are: David Morse ("St. Elsewhere"), Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwell, Sam Rockwell, Graham Greene, Doug Hutchison, Bonnie Hunt, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton, and Gary "Lt. Dan" Sinise.
1935 Louisiana death row. Prison guards wear full uniforms and ties and carry pistols and black jacks and they are not timid about using them. Paul Edgecomb (Hanks) is the head guard at Cold Mountain Prison E Block. This death row has lime colored tile, hence "The Green Mile." The small area where Edgecomb and the other guards must maintain order and the spirits of the condemned is the primary stage for the story. The character development is massive and effective. This is a time of the Great Depression and the electric chair ("Old Sparky') is still the top choice for execution. And the audience is not spared any details of death by electrocution which is administered by our five prison guards.
Those waiting for their turn in the chair are: Billy the Kid - a psychopath, Del - the Frenchman that befriends a mouse, and Paul Coffey - a giant of a man with mythical powers. Much love, death, forgiveness, revenge, redemption, violence, more death, hatred, gentleness, healing, blood, life, and atonement occur, but "...what happens on 'the mile' stays on the mile."
Hanks has done it again. Does he choose great scripts or make them great? Frank Darabont also directed "The Shawshank Redemption" which makes him the King of Prison Movies of the 90's. This movie will gross $20+ million during its opening weekend. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 95. Larry H.
I sat on the top row in theatre #15 at Loew's in order to regain my equilibrium.
Johnny Depp is Ichabod Crane. This Washington Irving character has one of the most memorable literary names of all time. So what's in a name? The female lead character is named Katrina Van Tassel. And the Headless Horseman who cuts off folk's heads is a pretty cool name itself. Speaking of cool, David Letterman said that Johnny Depp is the "...coolest guy that ever appeared..." on his late night show. However, the color of Johnny's skin has not changed since "Edward Scissorhand."
Sleepy Hollow is a small town in 18th Century New York and they were plagued by a Headless Horseman that is decapitating some of the locals. Constable Crane is sent to the sleepy town that is perpetually eerie and devoid of sunlight to solve the mystery. I didn't care if Mr. Horseman cut off all their heads. I was glad that I was sitting on the top row because there was a lot of blood splatter.
There was enough symbolism is the story to confound a high school English teacher. Oh boy. For example, Ichabod bravely fought the Headless Horseman then routinely fainted from pure fright. My kinda guy. The God Bomb Theory almost kicked in, but I decided that I did not want God to blow them up rather to let them each receive the sword under the chin. Bring on the Christmas-time movie releases so we can get on with the major competition for Academy Awards. You have not seen the 1999 Best Picture yet so don't give up hope. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 75. Larry H.
Arnold vs. The Devil
And the winner is...? Arnold Schwarzenegger (Jericho Cane) is an ex-cop with suicidal tendencies, a side-kick in Kevin Pollack, a perpetual three-day growth and hangover, and a Glock 9 millimeter. Arnold has lots of cool guns and gives new meaning to "backup" gun(s). One must be fully armed if one fights the Devil (Gabriel Byrne).
The devil has plans to take over the body of a human at the end of the millennium and "mate" with The Chosen One (Robin Tunney) at 11:00 pm on December 31, 1999, thus bearing him a devil son and ending existence as we know it. Seems simple enough. The Pope and other Catholics get wind of this plan and attempt to "protect" the twenty year old Chosen One, but they have no guns and do not know her name or whereabouts. But Arnold has both, and he is willing to kick some devil butt if necessary.
The action is nonstop and predictable. Plenty of blood and violence and some repulsive stuff. That devil gave me the creeps. The whole movie caused me to feel a bit uneasy and the blood sucking baby scene affected my early popcorn intake. Special effects are good just like all movies these days. Lots of fire. Go figure - a devil movie with fire - what will they come up with next?
I am glad that Arnold is Back and that his ticker is all better. We need Arnold to make these action movies. Rock 'n Roll
Grade 85. Larry H.
Its Saturday and the show starts at 4:00 pm so I had to leave the competitive pistol match shortly after I shot my last stage. A man's got to have his priorities straight. I swung by the house to pick up the boy (Eric H.) because he was pretty amped up to see TS2 as well as his old man. I intentionally arrived at AMC five minutes early so we would get a good seat. NOT. The crowd was awesome. We tried sitting in the upper section where the normal folks sit rather than the lower section which is for losers. Tough cookies. We could not find a seat so Eric H. suggested that we sit down front. And he meant front, as in front row. Being the adventurous sort and wanting to please the little tike, I said "sure! as a matter of fact let's just sit smack dab in the middle of the front row... that'll show 'em that they can't push us around.?" I literally sat in the absolute middle of the front row. Man, those screens are big. And wide. And loud. My whiplash is worse!
Disney and Pixar ( Apple's Steve Job) have got this animation thing figured out. Its a great show with wonderful voices from Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, George Constanza's mother, and Cheers' Cliff. Music is splendid punctuated by Robert Goulet's "You've Got a Friend in Me." Buz and the other toys must save Woody the Cowboy who is stolen by a character that looks and acts like Newman from "Seinfeld" which is no coincident since Wayne Knight is the villainous voice.
I do not recommend sitting in the front row unless one is very limber and tolerant. I am neither. Therefore, unfortunately, my movie experience was tainted and a meaningful grade can not be rendered. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade NR. Larry H.
A good Bond flick. The opening scene (15 minutes) showcases bombs, babes, bullets, boats, and bridges. And the rest of the story centers on bombs and babes... and oil and plutonium. And bullets...really fine pistols and machine guns. The stage is Europe and Asia Pierce Brosnan has become the modern standard bearer for James Bond and I am ok with that. I am not going to say we look alike, but we do have similar sunglasses.
The other bond characters are: Elecktra King (fox/villian), Christmas Jones (fox/tight sports bra/short shorts/nuclear scientist), Renard (terrorist), "M" female head of MI6 (British Secret Intelligence). Need I say more?
Renard has a bullet in his brain that the Brits deposited there during a previous misunderstanding and as a result of this mishap he can not feel any pain, "...but he will get stronger each day until he dies." This movie is part of the British Full Employment Act beginning with the obligatory role by Judi Dench as "M" and the Monty Brothers - Robert Carlyle and John Cleese from The Full Monty and Monty Python.
This Bond will shoot you with multiple rounds and kill you even if you are beautiful and at point blank range. A spy's gotta do what a spy's gotta do. And Brosnan does it well. The projector malfunctioned and the house lights went up with less than ten minutes remaining, but I do not think it was a conspiracy. Each of us got a free pass that read "We are reel sorry." This Friday-10:40 am crowd did not get unruly during the outage. One must tread lightly with a bunch of folks that are in a movie theatre mid-morning. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 88. Larry H.
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
If you like medieval (1420-1431) epic (141 min.) movies about a conquering peasant woman who knows the business end of a sword, then this movie is for you. England is having its way with France and young Joan (model Milla Jovovich) hears voices and sees visions that she interprets to mean that God wants her to lead the French armies against its enemies, but only after she has taken time out to find a catholic priest so she can have confession before battle. At first, the French soldiers are not too keen on following the lead of a "girl" but she inspires a few battle victories and the war rages on. She does not condone cursing during battle, however. Gotta have some discipline. "No cussing" is difficult for a brown, snaggled toothed soldier who is accustomed to hand to hand combat.
Joan deeply believes in her calling by God to be a "Messenger" and shares her revelations with the king to be John Malkovich, the Dauphin. As royalty goes, the Dauphin and then as King Charles, is foppish and ultimately unsupportive of Joan's ongoing mission to liberate France. It does not help Joan's cause that the King's mother in law is the very mouthy and influential Faye Dunaway who rises to an oscar caliber performance. Malkovich is skilled as always as the king, even though he is still "Being John Malkovich." Dustin Hoffman has a small part as The Conscience of Joan and his booming voice is unmistakable. Hoffman is Hoffman.
The battle scenes are spectacular. And heads will roll - literally. And arms and feet, too. Director Luc Besson does not spare the faint of heart. Blood rules. This is a pretty movie. Cinematography is outstanding. Music is foreboding and fun when needed. Costumes are a sure bet for nomination consideration.
Joan has many hair changes, but its the heresy charges that finally catch up to this gallant gal of God. Her final stake is fiery. Forgive me. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 90. Larry H.
Nap time. I got so sleepy during the first segment of this 168 minute film, that I knew it was time to leave when the "Insider" was losing his house and his wife was crying because the mean 'ole tobacco company was doing him wrong and all I could think about was "can I make it a little longer?" without snoring. I felt I could not so I did the honorable thing and left with about two hours to go. Yikes. I left the theatre to go shopping at Oshman's for some socks with the intention of returning to Loew's to catch a substitute flick, but I was so groggy from my experience that I could not shake it so I had to come back to the office. As I prepare this "review" the movie is still going. Please note that I got eight hours sleep last night. A bad movie just knocks me out!
The stars in this movie are Al Pacino as a CBS producer, Russell Crowe as the insider of a big tobacco company that wants to tell his story but is afraid, and Christopher Plummer as Mike Wallace of CBS. And the story is about...I do not give a rat's foot. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 65 SW. Larry H.
Please see http://www.larryharrison.com for SW rating
Here's the short version of my Sunday. I went to Bailey's Gun Range this morning with my newly discovered video camera because my pistol is getting a tune-up so I was in a hurry to get to the 12:30 pm show time at River Oaks Plaza, which is the only place to see this movie and its inside the loop and a long way from Sugar Land so I might have been driving a tad fast and unfocused when a caution light unexpectedly turned red and shortly thereafter a HPD patrol car was behind me at the next light with only a blue light blinking instead of the traditional red/blue/white alternating etc., when it dawned on me that maybe I ought to pull over and see what's up. Well, I quickly got out of my car and walked back to the HPD officer's car who by the way did not exit his vehicle during the entire incident and he appeared to be a bit peeved. I squat down with hands on knees and license in hand and semi-boldly say "hello, Officer" which I thought was a good opening line. He was not smiling. He explained that he was going somewhere when I entered his intersection. We had some serious small talk and he told me to be careful. I said "Yes, sir, Officer" which I thought was a good closing line. Whew! During the conversation I quietly, yet firmly, explained to the Officer that his emergency lights were flashing blue only in the front and red and blue in the back. He was not interested. I'm glad he had somewhere important to go.
"Being John Malkovich" is a unique screenplay. That means there has never been one like it. The simple aspect of the plot is that for a fee of $200 a person can enter a secret portal which allows that person to spend 15 minutes in the brain (you can also see out) of an unsuspecting John Malkovich the actor. At the end of the 15 minutes experience, the person is ejected from Malkovich's brain/being and deposited rather crudely in a ditch on the New Jersey Turnpike. This trip is experienced by many. However, the complicated aspect of this movie involves yet another level of "forbidden love" that takes sexuality, passion, and commitment to a new realm. The "lovers" are Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) his wife Lottie (Cameron Diaz) Maxine the coworker (Catherine Keener) my personal favorite, and John Malkovich himself.
The acting is superb and the writing is clever and funny. In a R+ kinda way. Writer Charlie Kaufman and Director Spike Jonze clearly had a hazy existence in the 70's and are just now getting around to putting their thoughts on paper and the big screen. Craig and Maxine work on the 7 1/2 floor of a building which means the ceilings of the entire office complex are only five feet high. Therefore, everyone walks around stooped over. I expected Leslie Nielsen to pop out any minute. The only way to get off at the 7 1/2 floor is to stop the elevator suddenly after the 7th floor then use a crowbar to pry the door open. I'm laughing just thinking about it. This story moves freely between black humor, slapstick, and serious relationship confrontation. Its a must see for movie freaks and video only when the kids are sleep for most. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 89. Larry H.
Katy Mills Mall. Heard it was the biggest mall in the world. Just opened October 28th so I figured I better go check it out. Thirty minute trip. As I first entered the outside door of the Bass Pro Store, I looked up and it read: "Welcome to Fishermen, Hunters, and other Liars." Gotta love a place with that attitude. The 20 AMC theatre are in "Neighborhood Number 1" which is in the rear of the mall. There are seven "neighborhoods." Its big and nice. The AMC theatres are attached to the mall so there is ample room to eat and roam around in and near the theatre. The mega theatres recently constructed seem to be across the parking lot a ways from the main mall. I like this setup. Update: ate popcorn with butter, hot dog, and medium drink without incident; thanks for the hints from last week!
Denzel Washington plays a NYPD cop/forensic expert named Lincoln Rhyme who is paralyzed because of an on-the-job injury. He has written twelve books on forensics and is such a guru on the subject that when a brutal, flesh-cutting serial killer strikes, the department seeks Rhyme's help and sets up shop in his home so it will be easy for him to bark orders and stay in the center of the action even though he can only work his giant computer screen by moving the joy stick with his mouth. He chooses young Officer Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie) to be his eyes on the scene and she reluctantly accepts the task even though she admires his work. She is a cop fox. In the movie, sometimes she points her gun with her left hand and sometimes with her right hand. What's up with that?
This movie is suspenseful and well acted in the spirit of "Silence of the Lambs," "Seven," and "Copy Cat." All have savage serial killers and two of them, and now three, have the mystical hero handicapped: prison/armor/straight jacket, phobia, and quadriplegic. The killer leaves taunting clues and we and the hero must solve the case. The cop fox represents us in this movie. The sounds and camera angles are notable. Queen Latifah as Rhyme's full time nurse and Married With Children's Ed O'Neill as a good cop added credibility to the story. If you did not see any of the other three movies mentioned because you thought they might be too gory or scary, skip this one. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 87. Larry H.
I will get to the review in a minute, but I have developed a problem on my Friday afternoon movie going and I am not sure what to do about. My favorite snack for a movie if I've had lunch and/or a big breakfast is medium drink, small popcorn (not medium for only 25 cents more) with lots of butter and salt. The popcorn is messy. Recently, I have been eating the popcorn with my right hand (non dominant) and then realizing that my right is not as adroit as my left, and switching to my left for a better flow. Now both hands have butter on them! Not pretty. I need to make a commitment and stick with it. Always keep napkins handy no matter the choice. Will keep you informed on this interesting subject.
Meryl Streep as Roberta Guaspari is the star in this based-on-truth story about a white violin teacher in East Harlem who resorts to teaching because she is desperate for a job since hubby ran off with another woman and left her with two young boys. Much of the feel and emotion of the movie is about family and divorce and heart ache. The other theme is the dedication of a teacher and the difference she can make in young lives in spite of some bad odds.
This is not just another teacher-makes-good movie because Meryl the Great is in it. She is a Hall of Famer. She's Da Man. When you see this movie, and you will, note Ms. Streep's many hair styles and color and her breathing. What you talkin' bout "breathing," Larry H? Gotta see it to understand. But she takes deep breaths and sighs with style. When she looks down rather than in the eye of the other character, her sneaky vulnerability is overpowering. Her smile and nervous giggles are legendary.
Great cast: Angela Bassett as the school principal, Cloris Leachman as Streep's mom, and Aidan Quinn as the boyfriend. The myriad of kids in the movie are well cast and directed by Wes Craven with soulful dialogue provided by Pamela Gray.
By the numbers:
95 - percent chance that Streep will get a nomination
40 - percent chance that she will win the big enchilada
30 - folks in the noon showing with a wide cross section
2 - buttery handsThis a feel-good movie that tugs on your ....well ... the "Music of the Heart" and does not have any violence, blood, guns, cussing, or nudity. Skit scat how 'bout that? Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 92. Larry H.
Tinseltown is the place to be if you want to see "Happy, Texas" because Loew's and AMC chose not to include it as one of their current movies. Big mistake. HT is big funny and very clever. I would not have chosen HT as my Friday movie, but I bumped into John M. on Thursday and he recommended it with a certain confidence that people use in their voice when they are trying to tell somebody "...if you know what's good for you...". Ole John is not given to idle chat so I decided to take his nod and give it a whirl. Glad I did.
I started laughing real loud and boisterously while still eating my "Alamo Hot Dog" and fries and never stopped. (Tinseltown wins the food contest) The story line goes something like this: well... there was these two convicts who escaped from prison and steal a RV from two other guys and the convicts end up in Happy, Texas, (in the west- somewhere near Ft. Davis) and are mistaken for the two guys that owned the RV because the townspeople of Happy are expecting two guys to come to town to coach some of the town's little darling girls in the finer points of winning a beauty contest. Got it? Oh yeah, the two expected beauty contest experts are gay so our hapless convicts must play the part to its fullest if they are going to lay low for a while until the manhunt simmers.
One of the convicts is named Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. I'm dying if I'm lying. He looks and acts like a WWW Jr. if you know what I mean. Just a tad goofy. The other con is tall and handsome even though he is in the pen for murder. The townspeople try to be kind to these two "gay" guys because they really want to increase their chances of one their little darlings winning the contest and making it all the way to the big contest in Dallas. The girls' teacher explains that she is ok with these two even though they are "hooooomo sexual." The local bank is owned by a pickup-driving, long-legged, long haired, blue jean wearing blond with dreamy eyes named Jo. The sheriff is played by the only big name of the group - William H. Macy. He is wonderful as is the entire cast. The teacher, Mrs Schafer, is Illeana Douglas who some of you might recognize as one of George Constanza's co-worker girlfriends with the carrot orange skin.
Greatest line by an escape convict masquerading as gay who really wants to share his true masculinity with the local fox when he is discovered standing near her home: "There is a fine line between stalking and being attentive."
There is much love in this movie. Much spoof and silliness and the writers of Ed Stone, Mark Illsley (also directed), and Phil Reeves get my early vote for Best Original Screeplay. Our boys have their eyes on the teacher and banker and sheriff at all times in their various sexual roles. And the bank. I liked every character. There are no bad guys and we all laugh and slap our knee and say "...man, ain't that a hoot!" Not bad duty for a Friday afternoon. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 90. Larry H.
Sometimes I pick my Friday afternoon flick by default. "Fight Club?" nah, it can beat it out of town - what a crock of a movie premise - beat up your friends rather than get therapy or other help - not gonna get Larry H's money on that one. "The Limey?" yeah right, like I'm gonna watch some bloke do....whatever. "The Story of Us?" - been married 18 years - I know the story. So, I decided to take the safe route and see H. Ford and Kristen Scott Thomas in a Sydney Pollack movie. Surely that group of old pros will not take big chances and challenge me. I was right. Except, I found the costume of Ford quite interesting: wranglers, polo shirt, sport coat, non descript shoes, small earring in right ear, and hair (graying) sticking up like a linebacker that has just taken off his helmet. Hmmm.
Ford is a D.C. internal affairs cop and Thomas is congresswoman from New Hampshire. No stretches there. Their respective spouse are having an affair and were secretly (lying) flying to Miami when darn the luck their commercial flight crashed into the bay. And now the cat's out of the bag and Ford (Dutch Van Den Broeck) and Congresswoman Kay Chandler are fatefully thrown together to grieve and recover. And look into each other's eyes. I was not buying the union of ole Dutch and Kay. Did not believe it and did not want it to happen. This movie was adapted from a novel so I guess that's the way it went in the book, so Pollack was stuck with that theme. I liked the characters of Dutch and Kay, I just did not want them to ....
The first part of the movie was emotionally powerful. The reality of sudden death by an airplane crash is very dramatic and sad. Then, pile on some shock and broken (random) hearts and I was deeply touched by the aftermath and revelations told through the character development of Dutch and Kay. But just don't push me too far. They did. I tried to play along, but I felt better when a scene did not include the two of them together. I realize that we now have a new twist of the proverbial "forbidden love" theme that will from now on be called "grief stricken/pay back love". Whew! Now, that's some complicated love. Was I vindicated in the end? Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 86. Larry H.
I have an admission. I have owned a Mary Katherine "Superstar" T-shirt for over a year and have been wearing it a lot this week around the house in anticipation of this movie. I was not disappointed today. I have been a "Saturday Night Live" freak for twenty five years and the skits about Mary Katherine Gallagher at St. Monica's Catholic High School starring Molly Shannon are some of my favorites. If you hear that this movie is nothing more than a long SNL sketch then I suggest that your retort can best be expressed in a Mary Katherinesque monologue taken from "...a made for TV movie" when MKG said "...I am rubber and you are glue and whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you." MKG shared this wisdom with her classmates when they made caddy remarks including references of "...Lesbo, Skidmarks, ... and Loser." Cruel group of teenagers. Please note that some of the "teenagers" at this high school are a little long in the tooth not the least of which is Molly Shannon.
Mary Katherine just wants a kiss from Sky Corrigan (Will Ferrell) but he seems to like the ditzy blond (Evian played by Elaine Hendrix) that ridicules the bespectacled MK. That's right - Evian - and in a fit of anger MK tells Evian to "...go drink herself." MK's plan to gain the affections of Sky center upon becoming a Superstar like the many movie stars she admires while working as the rewind girl at the local video store.
If you do not conjure up a mental picture of MK's large yet sensible underwear when you hear her name, then perhaps you should not attend this movie. But if you are feeling adventurous and need a shot of silliness then this flick is for you. St. Monica's, in an attempt to raise money and awareness for Venereal Disease, sponsors a talent show. Those Catholics never miss a trick. First prize is a trip to Hollywood and bit part in a movie that has "good moral values." MK figures that winning will certainly vault her to super stardom and into the heart of Sky Corrigan.
MK is the side of us that is terribly insecure and scared mixed with our deep desire to reach for the stars and kick some butt. Shannon understands the underdog. The priest tells her that she is "special" so she is placed in Special Ed. The characters in the Special Ed class are worth the price of admission. MK believes in the power of prayer and calls upon God often to help her with her plans and goes to confession every couple days. She has a good heart and wants to do the right thing but is willing to jump out front and show her underwear if that's what it takes to be a "Superstar." Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 88. Larry H. Go Astros!
Judd & Jones. Movie good. Gotta go. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 88. Larry H.
Note: Going deer hunting with brothers Vernon H. and David H.
Multiple nominations. This is Hollywood's type of movie and it will win big. The awards and nominations will be deserving. Nominations for acting - 4; Directing; Original Screenplay; and Best Picture. To name a few. Don't bet the farm on these predictions, but this is the first movie I've seen this year that smells like a Academy winner.
"American Beauty" will mean different things to different people. Its a "thinking" movie. No harm in that. If its done well, and this one is. What is the "beauty" in this story. You decide. "There is beauty behind things."
Suburbia, America. Suburbanites who live on Robin Hill Trail and are whacked out of their minds or maybe they are like you or at least your crazy neighbors and/or friends. We could never admit to such forbidden love. Sex, drugs, murder, teenage rebellion, Nazi's, homosexuality, bigotry, music, affairs, fantasies, ....you know... the 90's! Ouch. Much laughter and sadness. This is not a feel good movie. Its only for adults and you probably should take a friend so you can unwind and debrief after the flick. A lot of information.
The cast and writing is superb. Kevin Spacey plays Lester Barnham who is 42 "...and will be dead before age 43..." who is in a dead-end marriage to Annette Bening (Carolyn) who is a "phony" real estate broker who has visions of grandeur. Their teenage daughter is Thora Birch (Jane) and is "ordinary ...and ugly" and falls for the weirdo next door. He videos her surreptitiously because he (Wes Bentley as Ricky) thinks she is interesting. Jane has a foxy friend (Mena Suvari as Angela) who has eyes for Jane's father and vice versa. Ricky's father is Chris Cooper as Colonel Fitts, US Marine Corp (Ret.) who has a Nazi keepsake among his gun collection. This is just the tip of the American Suburban iceberg.
So where is the beauty? Director Sam Mendes and writer Alan Ball dole out the story in chunks of complex human emotions while making the characters intriguing and risky without bluntness. Who are some of these actors? Hang on, you will see the lesser knowns many times in the future because they can cut it. I am a big fan of Kevin Spacey so I tend to think he will be nominated every time I see him in a movie, but he is boss in this one. Bening, Birch, and Bentley turned in memorable performances and should get serious consideration for a nomination. And Cooper, too. I want to see this movie again, soon. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 93. Larry H.
Friday September 17th and finally we have a big winner: a movie that is very well done and a big box office hit. There was an audience of about 50-60 at noon in theatre #18 at Loew's. $150-175 million domestic. The audience was predominately women, but with a cross section of folks. They clapped, laughed, and cried... a lot. I was not hooked by this movie until most of the opening credits had run. Several times during the show, I thought to myself that if I am this emotional at this early stage of the story, how will I ever make it to the end.
Kevin I Love To Star In Baseball Movies Costner (3X) has thrown a strike right down the middle with some heat as he plays the over-the-hill pitcher Billy Chapel. Billy was drafted at the tender age of 18 and has been with the Detroit Tigers for 19 seasons and his throwing arm is at the end of the road. Does Billy know it yet or will he admit it? The movie is about the last day of the season and Billy is tapped to pitch against the Yankees who are involved in a pennant race. The Tigers are playing only for pride.
Shortly before the game starts, the owner comes to Billy's hotel room at the Waldorf in NYC and emotionally tells him that the team has been sold and the new owners want to trade him to the Giants. The owner asks if Billy will retire rather than get traded. Billy is not sure because he is frantically waiting for his girlfriend Jane (Kelly Preston) to call. During the meeting with the owner he rushes out to find Jane in Central Park who then tearfully tells him that she is taking a great job in London and that she is leaving that day. She says "...goodbye...you don't need me...you have that ball, and the diamond, and you are perfect for it...you can win or lose the games without me." Billy is not happy.
Billy shows up an hour late to Yankee stadium. He insists that his regular catcher Gus be allowed to catch this game against the decision of the manager. Gus loves Billy. Billy loves the game, but does he love Jane? Gus calls Billy Chapel by the nickname of "Chappie" which was the nickname of my maternal Grandmother Chapman. Tough movie. The rest of the movie is framed during the nine innings of the game with flashbacks and character development.
There is something in this movie for everybody. Baseball fans, romantics, young and old. The genuine flavor of the "game" will become legendary. We are treated to Billy talking (not voice over) on the mound to himself, to the batters, and to God. The sounds and editing are spectacular. The respect and reverence of baseball exhibited by Billy is a thing of beauty. I got goose bumps early, but I did not cry until the eighth inning. I had recurring thoughts of Nolan Ryan. Costner's Billy even pulled up on his right sleeve the way Nolan did when he would challenge the hitters and then circle the mound in between fastballs while preparing for the kill. By the seventh inning, the tension was pretty darn high: not one Yankee had made it to first base. Vin Scully the announcer reminisces about the 1957 perfect game by Yankee pitcher Don Larsen. I can see Yogi jumping into the arms of Larsen; I realize that I am dead meat in this movie and I just hope the ending will not be too hard on me.
Kudos to director Sam Raimi. Costner and Preston are outstanding. The only reason this movie will not get multiple nominations is because its not the Academy's kind of movie. But it is Larry H's kind of movie. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 93. Larry H.
The is a do over of the original. Some updating and changes. But the show is still about the suave, rich Thomas Crown (Pierce Brosnan) who has an "affair" with the insurance investigator Catherine Banning (Rene Russo) and we have to decide if its true love or prey caught in the spider's web. Crown likes to own paintings even if he has to steal a $100-million Monet from the wall of a museum. The insurers do not like to payoff for theft so they hire the sexy and wily Banning. She will do "anything" to recover the painting even if she has to jump in the sack and jet around the world enjoying the fruits of Crown's riches all the while falling in love and/or trying to snare him and recover the painting.
This is very much a love story that works. When Russo was crying at the end of the movie because she was broken-hearted, I was sad, too, and wanted a happy ending. I liked every character in this movie. The good guys and the bad guys; tricked ya, there are no good guys and bad guys. Now that's a fun movie when I get to like and relate to all characters. One of my favorite actors is Denis Leary who plays a smart, sympathetic NYPD Detective who has frumpy hair. I been knowing Denis since he was a chain-smoking freak on a loser cable late-night talk show.
I went to this movie today even though its been showing for several weeks ($57 million) because I could not see "Stigmata" because I am not spiritually fit to attend. And a lot of you people have said good things about TTCA. You were right. Editing and camerawork were outstanding. Director John McTiernan ("Die Hard") juggled cat burglaries, company mergers, and the sale of expensive art within seconds of each other when first introducing us to Thomas Crown. And the pace continued. Bill Conti's music is worthy of a CD.
Russo and Brosnan are hot and about my age. That's cool. Recently, I started combing my hair straight back and I'm tall and slender, and in this movie Brosnan, who is also tall and thin, had a similar do. And my wife is sexy and wily. Art imitating life yet again. What a country! Rock 'n Roll
Grade 91. Larry H. For additional photographic comparison between Larry H. and Pierce B. Please see web page http://www.larryharrison.com
Johnny Depp is the astronaut and Charlize Theron is the wife. Spencer and Jillian Armacost. Spencer and his partner are on a routine space walk making repairs when "...we lost contact with them for two minutes....something happened out there... and we don't know what it was... but the two astronauts will not talk about it" with their wives or anyone else. When the two get back to earth they are not the same.
Went to see this movie because it started at Tinseltown at 11:00 am and I needed an early show time because I am on my way to Lufkin, TX, to compete in the Texas Open pistol match. Agassi and I are both busy this weekend competing in Opens.
Massive stroke-death, suicide, pregnancies, NASA fires the one guy that may have figured out what happened during those two minutes, personalities turn ugly, things get weird. The wife is the hero and must solve the mystery and save herself and her unborn twins who are conceived by Spencer "after" he gets back to earth.
Depp may be the closest thing we have to James Dean. I am not sure. That's such a lofty accolade that I will have to ponder further. Theron is just a fine specimen of a human. Both turned in excellent performance in an uneventful film One might say that the movie was slow because the character development was so complicated. Yeah, that's another way to say the show was not fun. Too intense and too sad. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 79. Larry H. see web page for movie archives
http://www.LarryHarrison.com
I have not been to Loew's since the "emergency" that abruptly ended my "Bowfinger" experience. "The Muse" is co-written and directed by Albert Brooks who is also the star as Steven Phillips, the no-longer-can-cut-it screenwriter whose career has careened. Steven is desperate enough to seek advice from his friend Jeff Bridges who turns him onto a muse. A muse is one of nine daughters of Zeus (the original not someone from Hollywood) who inspires others to function at their maximum while creating such things as screenplays and music. The initial twenty minutes of the film that develops the Brooks character as the semi-successful family man with a few Hollywood connections that have dried up because he " has lost his edge" is the best part of the movie. My favorite scene is with Steven Wright. Yeah, that's the comedian that talks real slow, bald headed with long hair on the side, and makes quirky observations about life. Well, anyway, Wright plays Stan Spielberg, Steven Spielberg's cousin. Can you imagine Wright and Brooks trying to out underplay the other one? The combined blood pressure of these two in real life is 96/47. I'm laughing now.
But, things get a little less exciting and interesting when Brooks hooks up with Sharon Stone The Muse. I don't like Sharon Stone; in real life, she turned in her guns to be PC. She's stupid and I hate her. This is why I do not get too involved with these people's private lives - it messes me up as a moviegoer. But Andie MacDowell plays Brooks' wife Laura and I am sweet on her. Its her hair and teeth. Laura needs a muse, too. Cookies.
This muse requires lots of gifts and pampering, but she has a history of delivering the goods, so Brooks/Steven runs errands, buys food and gifts for her, and sleeps in his garage while she gets to sleep in his bed. Well, isn't that special. Brooks is also a whiner.
New trend in Hollywood: make a movie that makes fun of Hollywood which is the hometown of Brooks and Steve Martin/Bowfinger. I am working on a script about Sugar Land. I already have a muse, thank you very much. These types of screenwriters are called "social satirist." That's what I want to be when I grow up.
Brooks is brilliant. His films are not. At times during the movie, I laughed loud and long. But the movie was not entertaining. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 79. Larry H.
Note: after today's movie I approached the young assistant manager of Loew's who had an earring in each ear and we had a probing exchange: Two weeks ago I was here for "Bowfinger;" why were we evacuated?
There was a problem.
What was the problem?
There was a problem upstairs.
What kind of problem upstairs?
The lights went out.
Thanks. ( I smell a conspiracy and a cover-up. )
Today is Friday August the 13th and the opening day of Steve Martin's "Bowfinger." Martin wrote and stars in the movie and it does not take long to recognize that his patented over-the-edge satirical comedy is the order of the day. Big funny with lots of laughs and gags. Eddie Murphy plays two parts: Kit Ramsey the big time paranoid movie star and his geeky brother Jiff who wears big glasses and braces. Steve plays a bogus, fraudulent director that puts together a scam to make a movie that has been written by his accountant, "Afram," who also is a part-time receptionist. Everyone on Martin's Bobby Bowfinger team is either a wannabe but never has been a movie actor or an illegal alien. Speaking of aliens, the story of the Bowfinger movie that he is making involves space aliens invading earth in drops of rain hence the title "Chubby Rain". Bowfinger has been saving his money $1.00 per week ( not a misprint) since he was 12 years old because he always wanted to make a movie and amassed $2,184.00. Bowfinger is confident that is enough to at least get started.
The script is very clever and witty but is just one gag after another. I laughed often and hard, but its a stupid movie. Its got the mentality of a "Saturday Night Live" sketch which is ok with me. Heather I Show Up In A Lot Of Movies Lately Graham is her cute self with the sexual mores of an alley cat or an actress that literally got off the bus and inquires openly "...where do I go to become an actress?" She is a patient girl because she gave herself a week to land a movie. She almost did not get to audition for Mr. Bowfinger because there was an audition charge of $25.00 cash and alas she only had checks. Get the picture? She got the part and the companionship of most of the folks working on the movie.
I did not see the end of this movie. No, I did not go to sleep or walk out. About three fourths through the movie, the screen went dark and so did the auditorium. Theatre #17 at Loew's. I mean pitch dark. Not even the red "Exit" signs were lit. Within seconds the house lights came on and we all (26 brave souls) just sat there quietly and after a few minutes a few folks got up and walked out apparently with every intention of returning when the problem was fixed. Within five minutes the "white" emergency lights came on and a pre-recorded message stated "...there has been an emergency in the theatre and you are asked to take the nearest exit..." There was an ever so slight pause of bewilderment by the crowd and then an interesting thing happened. The teenagers began running hard and strong down the stairs without any sideward glances or slowing to access the situation. I immediately got out of my seat, but took caution to stay out of the way of the bolting teenagers and to make sure that I was not exiting into the trouble. Theatre #17 is on the end so I left by those glass doors that are on the opposite end from the concession stand and theatre offices. I immediately went to my Jeep to further evaluate the situation and to insure that my chosen method of self defense was loaded and available. As the crowd left the main doors of the theatre, I could detect caution and disgust but no panic. I asked a lady that came out the center doors that had obviously exited by the theatre offices if "they" had said what the problem was. She said "No." I left. I will get my rain check another day. This world is too crazy for me to have hung around in the parking lot to find out the problem. Someone else can tell me how the movie ends. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 86. Larry H.
August 12, 1999. Had to see this flick because it was getting good "street reviews" which means I heard good things about it from you people. Bruce Willis is Dr. Malcolm Crowe, an award winning child psychologist, who loses an former patient to suicide in the opening scene. To make matters worse and to enhance the mystery of the movie, the gunshot- suicide takes place in Dr. Crowe's home. Do not miss the opening scenes.
Dr. Crowe takes on a new patient; a young boy (Cole played by Haley Joel Osment) that has a "secret" that he can not tell anyone not even his mother. After gaining the boy's trust, he tells Dr. Crowe that he sees "dead people...everywhere...all the time." Cole calls them ghosts. This is the main story line and I am not telling you too much because these quotes are part of the trailers shown on TV. The relationships between Dr. Crowe and the boy and the boy and his mother (Toni Collette) are the soul of the movie. All three turned in above average performances. Come to find out, Willis can act without being in a car chase or in a hostage crisis. He was quiet and thoughtful.
The first part of the movie was difficult for me because the boy was so scared and sad about his plight which he could not understand that I was uneasy and disinterested. However, the last portion of the movie is very compelling and suspenseful and the plot finally comes together with surprises and revelations. Good flick. Rock 'n Roll
Grade 87. Larry H.
Here's the short version. It could have been titled "Jurassic Jaws" with a big slice of "Poseidon Adventure." A drug company's research made three sharks "... smarter" than your average mako shark. And they do not like humans; actually like to stalk and eat them. Aquatica is the name of the offshore research facility that is located in the deep blue sea and the sharks have gotten smart enough to want to escape, and they don't mind wrecking the place and killing folks to accomplish their goal. Good action and special affects. Samuel L. Jackson is good, as usual, as the CEO of the drug company and he goes to the facility for a firsthand tour and wouldn't you know it - a big storm hits and all heck breaks loose. Sounds and surprises kept me on the edge of my seat. The action never lets up. Don't get me wrong; this film has no redeeming social value, but its fun. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 87. Larry H.
August 2, 1999. I stopped off at AMC on the way home to catch this new movie about three young filmmakers that apparently had videoed their own untimely demise. I was going on the info received from the media and print ads that billed the story as "...October 1994, Burkittsville, Maryland, 3 film students who disappear in the Black Hills of Maryland while in search of the Blair Witch. ... A year later their footage was found." What an absolute stupendous hype for a movie.
The audience is suppose to believe that the entire film/documentary is shot by these three charming and borderline goofy college students without much training or experience camping and surviving in the woods yet have undertaken this trek to find and document the local myth about the "Blair Witch."
The threesome begin innocently with some local interviews and a last night party before they leave their car beside the road and load up their backpacks and head into the woods with a map and a compass. Thus begins the ultimate in character development. Fear is their biggest motivator. Things go badly in those spooky ole woods.
There was a pretty good size crowd for a Monday afternoon. This is the type of film that your friends will be asking if you've seen it because they will want to talk about it. The story lends itself to much interpretation and speculation. There was no sleeping during this movie; it moves rapidly and I never lost interest. And at times, I was scared.
The three actors - Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard play themselves and are very convincing as themselves as bickering friends that lose their basic trust of each not unlike Humphrey Bogart and the boys did in "Treasure of Sierra Madre." But for different reasons. These actors will be heard from more in the near future as the "myth" of this movie continues to grow.
The filming is done by the actors with hand-held cameras and in constant motion like a bad home movie. The video footage is "perfectly imperfect." The camera angles are such that one is suppose to believe that unskilled filmmakers are in charge when in fact Director Daniel Myrick has artfully used the camera to enhance the suspense and mystery by letting the viewer see only that which is needed and no more. This movie has cult possibilities, that is to say that audiences will flock to this movie and travel with these folks into the Black Hill forest and enjoy the frightening trip and keep coming back for more.
Rock 'n Roll.Grade 85. Larry H.
I saw this movie on Friday, but I did not follow my usual schedule of seeing a flick around noon time on Fridays and then going back to the office to finish the day's work and write my review. Well, the last couple weeks my day job has been messing me up. I had to be in Federal Court Friday morning which is in downtown Houston and then meet my gunsmith Claudio S. at the range at 2:00 pm. Tight schedule. So I agreed, against my better judgment, to meet Monique H. at AMC for the 4:30 opening day showing of "Runaway Bride" starring Julia "Big Lips and That Ain't All" Roberts. I don't like the rest room sinks at AMC. Not enough room under the "sprinkler" to vigorously wash one's hands, but they have nice carpet. Please note that I do not have reserved parking at AMC and that's a bummer.
Anyway, I never want to miss a chance to go to the movies with the wife so off we go with about 250-300 of our closest friends. Big crowd. Had to sit in a chair that had gum on the armrest. You might say I had developed a 'tude before the opening credits had begun. I tried, but I was asleep within 15 minutes. I awoke somewhat refreshed and tried to persuade Monique H. to slip out with me and go to IHOP and suck down some pancakes. But she would not budge and we were sitting in the middle of the row, so I watch a little more of the show and then went back to sleep. I did not see the last series of scenes, so I had to ask if Julia finally got married after bolting from the altar 3 or 4 times.
Richard Gere plays a New York reporter who needs a nice human interest story so he goes to Julia's hometown where she is infamous for being a "runaway bride." They meet and yada, yada, yada.... The story is dumb as a board. This movie is what dumb wants to be when it grows up. Silly, sappy, and sorry. And stinky.
Director Garry Marshall is good but he is not magic. The talented cast of Joan Cusack, Rita Wilson, Paul Dooley, and Hector Elizondo was wasted. Roberts and Gere, however, can pack the theatres. This big crowd loved the movie; laugh and cried in all the right places. Some of the laughter woke me up. Example of humor: Gere realizes that Julia's hometown is idyllic and backwards so he refers to one of the local ladies as "Aunt Bea." Some of the crowd sat quietly in their seats after the movie was over and reverently watched the credits. Sugar Land Saps! Rock 'n Roll
Grade 65 SW. Larry H.
It's the best reptile movie ever made. I had a date with Monique H. to this movie and it went real well; she was scared off and on throughout the story and so she tightly held the arm of big strong Larry H. for protection from the mean 'ole crocodile. I was scared, too, but I could not let on because I was playing the role of he-man movie critic and wife protector. The comparison to "Jaws" is obvious which is exactly my point - that croc will flip your boat, pull down a helicopter, eat a cow, and come onto land and eat you or merely bite you in half. The setting is Maine. What's a croc doing in Maine? That's part of the mystery and ongoing humor.
Speaking of humor, this movie has a wonderful blend of Jaws-like fear and darn funny one-liners with just the right amount of sarcasm and wit. These days any production company can create a believable mechanical shark, dinosaur, or crocodile, but they can't create these delightful characters: Bill Pullman as the slow talking hair hanging in his face Maine Fish and Game guy - Jack Wells.. Bridget Fonda as the New York paleontologist who hates mosquitoes and ticks and outside "bathrooms" also with hair hanging in her face and has an eye for Jack - Kelly Scott. Oliver Platt as the rich guy who specializes in crocodile mythology (bet you never heard of that one) and likes to swim with the little devils and pilots his own helicopter - Hector Cyr. Brendan Gleeson as the "fat" sheriff who wants to shoot the croc with his big gun and blow him up real good and then put a boot up side the head of Hector. Hector irritates the sheriff and they say things to each other that the rest of us only wish we could say to someone we don't like but are too nice. Makes for big funny. I was laughing even though I was worried that the big croc would eat someone. Howling. Laughter that causes slight embarrassment.
Not to forget Betty White as the eccentric "widow" who is the only person that lives on the lake and has inside info about the situation but refuses to tell, but will tell the sheriff and game guy to take a hike and some other choice words that are intended to be outrageous coming from the sweet Mrs. Bickerman.
I realize that humorous horror movies have developed their own genre, but this movie cooks. So big props to writer David E. Kelley.
This was the most fun I've had at the movies in a long time. Rock 'n Roll
Grade 92. Larry H.
Note: 92 is the highest rating for the first viewing of a reptile movie
Stanley Kubrick makes the bizarre believable. Nudity? Nicole Kidman is down to her shoes within seconds of the opening credits. Sexual fantasies and follies are rampant. Tom Cruise is on a trek to understand his marriage and his sexuality. He is confused and stupid. Nicole and Tom are pretty people and must be adventurous to hook up with Kubrick. The movie is about 165 minutes long and has many plots and subplots developing so that Kubrick can play with your mind and demonstrate is genius or goofiness depending on one's perspective. The use of a single note played on a piano to emphasize mystery was a new technique for me.
I saw this film Friday but am writing the review Monday morning because of construction in the Law Office of Larry H. We're back online now.
This movie provided too much information for me to make comparisons and establish a criteria for a grade. Clockwork Orange? I don't get it. "Eyes Wide Shut" is not a movie for most folks. It further defines a Kubrickian masterpiece. It is a masterpiece if delving into the human experience deeper than any movie you've seen lately is your definition of "masterpiece." Sydney Pollack as a rich weirdo was spectacular. Rock 'n Roll
Grade NR. Larry H.
Its Sunday afternoon and I had to go to Tinseltown (not showing at Loews or AMC) off the beltway to see this film that was recommended by two of my musician-type friends. I was a bit suspect because you know how those artsie people are. Besides, all I know about music is a product of Elvis or the Beatles. You might say that I am musically challenged. But not to worry. This movie does not require talent. The talent is on the screen.
The story begins in Carmona, Italy, when a craftsman builds a violin to honor his wife who dies in childbirth. Bad start for the folks that come in contact with this masterpiece over the next 300 years. The movie begins in present day Montreal at an auction that includes the now famous Red Violin. Its famous because it is a marriage of "...science and beauty." The story then flashes back regularly to reveal the history of the violin and why some of the bidders are at the auction and are willing to pay millions of dollars to own such a work of art.
The violin seems to breed love and passion for the instrument itself and among its many owners. Some insignificant and others are prodigies and virtuosos. During the 300 year "journey" we travel with the violin from Italy to Vienna to Shanghai with stops in each of the centuries not to mention the grand music venues of Europe and the Cultural Revolution of Chairman Mao. The story line is fresh and suspenseful and joyfully unpredictable.
The movie is also a "masterpiece" and should be awarded for its costume and set design. This is a pretty movie. I think the editing was fantastic; however, I am never too sure about that. The acting is good and once again my man SLJ (Samuel L. Jackson) shines even though his part is small. There are no big lead roles in this film; its about the violin and its 300 year life so there is room for many lead roles. That's part of the fun. Director and Co-writer Francios Girard has made an excellent movie; not bad for a Euro. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 91. Larry H.
Saturday @ 1:05 pm July 10, 1999, at AMC theatre #21. Big crowd. I think the size of the crowd is due in part to the probable success of "Arlington Road" and its Saturday afternoon when the masses go to the movies. Friday midday crowds are different. I was having a bad hair day so I had to wear an Astros cap to cover up my do. Before I left the house, Eric H. suggested that I not remove the cap even after the movie started. I followed that advice and sat in the back of the front section so as not to disturb folks that might have to inadvertently sit behind a tall dude with a cap and wild hair.
This crowd was the target audience for this movie. Arlington Road is representative of Anytown, USA. New 'burbs. Like First Colony of Fort Bend County where I live or thousands of other such neighborhoods throughout America. That's the point. What happens in this movie and the characters that one gets to know up close and personal could be living next door to you. Could be good - could be bad. Please tell us some details, Larry H. Can't email breath. The story is the movie.
Ok, I can tell a little. Jeff Bridges plays a Professor of History at George Washington University whose wife use to work as an agent for the FBI, but she was killed in a botched raid not unlike the results at Ruby Ridge. Tim Robbins is a structural engineer with a peculiar past. These two live across the street from each other and their sons become best pals. Joan Cusack is married to Robbins. All three play their parts in a workman-like manner. The director allows the plot and clues to develop and dominate. The show builds in intensity and suspense with enough character development to evoke support and empathy for all characters - good and bad - all the while I was not totally sure who was good and truly bad. Writing is excellent.
I have read that some (if not many) of the scenes of this movie were shot in the Houston area even though it is set in the Washington DC area. Let me know if you recognize landmarks or your neighbor's house in any of the scenes.
At the end of the movie, the crowd briefly sat in stunned silence. Get ready for a memorable ending. This was 117 minutes well spent. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 89. Larry H.
"Wild Wild West" has gone south. This movie is a takeoff of the 1960's TV series. Its a sci-fi fantasy western. Now there's an oxymoron. Stars are Will Smith as Jim West and Kevin Kline as Artemus Gordon. One still wears tight pants and the other is goofy. One of the bad guys is named General Blood Bath McGrath. Ain't that a knee slapper.
Eric H. and I went to see this movie Monday July 5th at Loew's. The crowd was pretty large so it's still doing well at the box-office. Which means there is still hope for you and me as film makers. This movie started off a little below mediocre and was able to maintain that level for at least the first 45 minutes. I do not know about the next hour because Eric H. and I hooked 'em. I told the boy "they can get our $9.00, but they can't make us stay...." Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 65 W. Larry H.
Now I know why "Tarzan" is such a hit. Its a fantastic animation. Disney has hit a home run. This version of the ape man grabbed me in the opening scene and never let go. Within minutes of the shows beginning I was experiencing goose pimples because I was feeling sadness, fear, and joy in a rush of emotions. This combination of emotions occurred repeatedly during the movie and so did the chills and thrills.
A baby is "adopted" by a mother gorilla and reared as a member of the "family" despite the protestations of the family leader Kerchak, a silverback gorilla of heroic proportions. The baby is named Tarzan (voice of Tony Goldwyn). The mother's name is Kala (voice by Glenn Close) and she exhibits the love and protection of her "baby" that only mothers can provide. Good thing for Tarzan because there are no other humans in this African jungle so his mother and the other family members teach him to survive the best way they know how - walking bent over using their "knuckles" as front feet and climbing trees and swinging from stuff. Tarzan grows up thinking that he is just an odd gorilla. This animated version of the tale of Tarzan has the luxury of telling the story during Tarzan's youth as well as when he meets Jane (Minnie Driver) and other good and evil humans.
This movie is about love, courage, family, joy, death, curiosity, fear, and survival. And music. Phil Collins songs will ensure that he needs to rent a tux and a limo next March because one or more of his wonderful songs will be nominated for best song. " 'You'll Be In My Heart'...no matter what anybody says...now and forever..." Collins' other songs help tell the story: "Trashing the Camp" "Two Worlds" "Strangers Like Me" and "Son of Man."
The animation is beautiful and the script is witty and compassionate with excitement and nonstop action. I don't know nothin 'bout no animation but I think this was near flawless. Other characters are named Terk, Tantor, Sabor, and the evil Clayton. I saw this movie at 11:40 am on a Saturday and the kids were laughing and giggling at all the right places and very quiet and scared when Tarzan and the gorillas were threatened. Take a kid to this flick if you can. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 92. Larry H.
Good cast. Rupert Everett, Minnie Driver, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett. Bad script. Set in England 1895. That should have been the tip-off - England 1895 - the British are calling each other My Lord and My Lady and wondering who is sleeping with who while we John Wayne types are trying to win the West. Boorrrring. Their idea of an ideal husband was a senseless sap suitor who hangs around the mansion and has the Butler Phipps bring him coffee and the paper. Hey, that sounds pretty good after all. Oh well, this movie is a dud.
This was my second movie on Friday July 2nd and I let Monique H. attend with me. We met at AMC. I only went to sleep once. I would have walked but Monique H. would not leave even though I offered to buy her some tacos at Cafe Adobe. She's tough.
New grading rule: if a man would have walked out but his mate refuses to cooperate, then the grade must have "W" added even though there was no early exit.
Rock 'n Roll
Grade 69 SW. Larry H.
The "Summer of Sam" is a story about New York City, the Bronx in particular, during the summer of 1977. We use to call these shows Period Pieces. Don't hear that term anymore, not sure why. I've heard much discussion and read reviews about this movie that try to explain what the show is really about. Its title is accurate. A movie about folks and society during 1977 when David "Son of Sam" Berkowitz was murdering and terrorizing the NYC communities.
The movie reminded me that some of us should be glad we made it out of the 70's and that maybe the 90's aren't so bad. The core characters are Vinny (John Leguizamo) the Travolta wannabe hairdresser who is married to Dionna (Mira I am tall and have a great body and don't mind sharing it with the audience Sorvino). These two have a volatile and sexually challenging relationship. Other lead characters are Ritchie (Adrien Brody) who use to be a neighborhood palooka macho Italian boy that grew up to be a punk rocker with spiked hair and confused sexual orientation and Ruby (Jennifer Esposito) who has slept with most of the young men in the hood but tries to settle down with Ritchie.
The city is bordering on paranoia because of the multiple murders by the Son of Sam and even start accusing each other of being the real murderer. The cops are unable to capture Sam so they seek help from the neighborhood godfather played by Ben Gazarra. Then the unusual heat of 104 degrees makes a city that lacks Houston's A/C very cranky and ready to riot and loot when a electrical blackout gives them the opportunity. Fires, destruction, and millions of dollars of losses. Meanwhile, our two couples continue to cuss, have sex, fight, do drugs, drink, smoke while they eat, and generally have the relationship skills of a lizard. The good news of the summer of '77 was that the Bronx Bombers, the New York Yankees, won the World Series that year and Reggie hit three home runs in one game. The ever mindful sports enthusiast Spike Lee makes sure that the Yankees are part of his 1977 mix. Lee has his writer/director thumbprint all over this story with in-your-face reality and complicated characters in a city environment. Bad news: I did not care what happened to the characters.
This movie is rated R, but it probably should be "R+" because the F word is used about 150 times and there is probably 25 sexual scenes. It will be a box office flop. I was 27 the summer of '77 and I do not want to go back thanks to this movie reminder. Rock 'n Roll
Grade 79. Larry H.
Once again I was on my way home around 5:00 pm on a Wednesday, minding my own business, when I stopped off to check out the #1 box office hit "Big Daddy." Went to AMC since that theatre is on my normal route. As soon as I sat down, some teenager began "kicking" my chair. Thought I was going to have to "doe pop" the boy, but I took a deep breath and moved down a couple of seats. It was a small theatre, but there were only 15-18 folks in attendance. Then shortly before the movie started, a little girl and her dad came on my row and sat right next to me. Nobody sits next to Larry H. So I had to move yet again. This kind of thing would not happen at Loew's.
Adam Sandler is "Big Daddy." The problem is that Sandlers's character acts like he is six years old per his own dad and he even describes himself as having a "bad patch in his life" because the University of Syracuse is 0-3. Big Daddy is a law school graduate but works in a toll booth - one day a week. And sleeps until late morning most days.
Then he inherits a five year old boy through a snafu in the social services of New York and before you can say "kids should not raise kids" Big Daddy is acting sorta like a father and a playmate at the same time. His actions and lack of care for the boy is borderline child abuse and I did not laugh as much as the other folks in the theatre. Until the story line set its hook in me and I realized that I was laughing and crying during the closing courtroom scene. This flick tricked me. I'm glad I saw it, but its no big whoop. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 85. Larry H.
June 18, 1999. Back at Loew's and parking by the light pole. All's right with the world. All is not right with the general's daughter. The general is 3 Star Army General Joe Campbell (James Cromwell) and his daughter is Captain Elisabeth Campbell. The general is about to retire and is a possible candidate for Vice President and wants to end his career with dignity, but unfortunately his daughter is brutalized and murdered on post/Fort MacCallum, Georgia. Enter Warrant Officer Paul Brenner (John Travolta) as a top dog investigator from the Criminal Investigation Division. The dreaded CID for you military types.
Brenner is a combination of wit, intelligence, arrogance, and sarcasm, wrapped in a Columbo rumpled suit. His side kick is Warrant Officer Sarah Sunhill. Now there's a name. Sunhill is played by Madeleine I am wearing tight pants even when inappropriate but the mean ole director made me Stowe. The others in this first rate group of characters is Clarence "Mod Squad" Williams III, Timothy Hutton, and James Too Tense Woods. We can only have one general, so Williams, Hutton, and Woods are lowly bird colonels.
Seems that the general's daughter works for Psy-Ops (Psychological Operations) for the Army and has a kinky and sordid sexual past which is a key part of the mystery. Most revealed in flashbacks because she is murdered early in the story. Abuse of women in the military is a theme throughout. When Travolta is questioning Woods - their exchanges are wonderful - Woods explains that "...when you find out what's worse than rape, then you'll have your answer." This show has some very sad and mean brutality. Did the director push too far? This film is rated R because it deserves to be rated R. No kids please!
Trovolta's investigation is thwarted by Army types because there is "...a right way, a wrong way, and the Army way." The Army's way is to sweep a rape and murder under the rug and let's get back to our military stuff and save our careers - quickly. Travolta being the hero investigator does not march to that drummer and there is trouble. "Who is a suspect? Everyone." Some of you will guess the ending, but not all of you. There is mystery and intrigue. The movie moves fast and held my attention and affected me emotionally from start to finish. I fully understood the characters and cared about them; the hallmark of any good movie. This is will be #1 at the box office come Monday morning. The audience of 75 folks sat through 116 minutes of "The General's Daughter" at a noontime feature and most of them sat quietly in their seats as the credits rolled at the close of the movie. That type of crowd reaction is a dead giveaway of their appreciation of what they just experienced.
There is an unusual amount of facial sweat in the movie. Not as much as Cool Hand Luke sweat, but a lot. The music is funky. I did not know how to describe the sound track so I listened to some of it on the official web site at generalsdaughter.com. "Funky" is the best I could come up with, but the web site describes it as "...music which enhances the drama...contains trance re-mixes of 1930's and 40's Library of Congress field recordings....these striking spirituals originally recorded in southern cotton fields and state penitentiaries, haunt the listener long after the film's conclusion." I'm haunted. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 90. Larry H.
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Yeah, Baby. Austin Powers is the brainchild of Mike Myers. Myers of Saturday Night Live and Wayne's World fame has returned with his battle against Dr. Evil who is a baldheaded Mike Myers with a jagged scar extending the length of the right side of his face. Dr Evil wants to steal Austin Powers' mojo this time and is willing to blow up Washington DC etc to carry out his plan. If you have to ask what is someone's "mojo" then you probably should not go to this movie. And if you did not go to the first AP movie, then pass on this one, too.
Larry H. and Monique H. met at Loew's for the 11:15 show time. Monique H. likes slap "schtick." That helps if you are married to Larry H. Anyway, we laughed a lot, especially in the beginning. Then it got a little old. Monique is allowed to sit by me at the flicks, but she is not allowed to talk or ask questions. She does not always follow these simple rules.
What does "Shag Me" mean? Let me put this delicately: his sidekick spy girlfriend is named Felicity Shagwell. And he drives a Shaguar. And the 60's colors and his clothes are sometimes referred to as "shagadelic!"
AP and Dr. Evil and his entourage travel freely between 1999 and 1969 via a time tunnel. One of AP's girls is named Ivana Humpalot. Strong sexual implication without sex scenes is the order of the day. "Oh, behave!" Rob Lowe (1969) plays a young #2 (Dr Evil's right-hand man with a patch over is right eye) with the voice of Robert Wagner (1999).
The hit of the show is Mini-Me, a two foot version of Dr. Evil, played by Verne Troyer. The two of them dress alike and have matching scars and bald heads. Very cute. Myers plays a third character - Fat Bastard. FB is so fat that you will not recognize Myers because he is hidden beneath piles of make-up fat. Estimated weight: 400 lbs. FB does many disgusting things and makes sounds and emits smells from most of his orifices. Even if you are a 48 year old macho, virile hunk, one must allow his "12 year old inner child" to be released in order to fully participate in this movie. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 82. Larry H.
"Instinct" stinks and my instincts do not stink.
Grade 74. Larry H.
Memorial Day '99. Had to go to Tinseltown to see this one because its not in broad release yet. Britain meets Italy. Florence, Italy, 1935. Pre World War II. The first world war is still referred to as the "The War to end all Wars." We are introduced to a gaggle of British women that are the core of this movie: Lady Hester (Maggie Smith) the widow of the Italian Ambassador, the kind hearted Mary (Joan Plowright), and Judi You Can't Have A British Flick Without Me In The 90's Dench and a few other British broads. And then there's the American contingent of Cher and Lily Tomlin as a rich vamp and the other as a pants-wearing excavator. Guess which one Cher is.
The "Tea" is for the Brits and the "Mussolini" is the ole Fascist Benito. Lady Hester actually has tea with Benito in 1935 so she thinks everything will be peachy when WWII starts even though she and the other Brit Ladies live in Italy because she is a lady, the former ambassador's widow, and she had tea with Mussolini for pity's sake. However, things go awry for the ladies and cohorts around December 7, 1941. They become "enemy aliens" and are taken into custody. Having the ladies in custody proves to be a handful for the local Italian soldiers. But Lady Hester does not despair because she had tea with Mussolini for pity sake. Things get worse and Cher and Lily are in trouble, too. The trials and tribulations of the ladies were ... I don't really care; I'm fed up with their whining now that I think about it. Get a life and get out of Italy there's a war about to take place.
The costumes were outstanding. A nomination is a cinch. The ensemble of characters are memorable, but director Franco Zeffirelli lost me a little mid-way and I never recovered. I cared about the group, but not the way I should have. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 84. Larry H.
Its Sunday May 30th and Monique H. and I just dropped off Eric H. at Jones Hall so he could sing with the Houston Symphony on the occasion of the last weekend under the direction of Maestro Christof Eshenbach. Being as cultured as we are, we figured we would go to the Angelika Theatre which is a pretty cool 8-Theatre deal on the other side of Jones Plaza. We actually were downtown four days in a row for Eric's performances and attended the symphony Friday night. That Maestro is happening!
"Cookie's Fortune" is perhaps the best movie I've seen this year. Unfortunately, its a 1998 movie and; therefore, I think it was robbed because it did not get any nominations. The setting is present-day small-town Mississippi and Cookie is the pipe smoking widowed matriarch played beautifully by Patricia Neal. She has a loving and spiritual kinship relationship with her buddy Willis (Charles Dutton). Willis is black and Cookie is white. Race plays a part. Cookie dies and all heck breaks loose. Willis is accused of murder and the plot thickens. Director Robert Altman saves his surprises so stay vigilant.
The ensemble of characters are wonderful. Glenn Close plays the local Church Lady who is also Cookie's niece. Emma (Julianne Moore) is Cookie's grandniece and the wayward fox who ain't scared to take a hit of whiskey or to fool around with the Sheriff's deputy while she is "staying" in jail. She also has a part-time job cleaning and delivering catfish.
Ned Beatty plays his best part since he was on the receiving end of a game of pig in the '70's. Beatty is a deputy who plays scrabble with Willis and Willis' attorney in Willis' cell while defending Willis to others by declaring his innocence without doubt because "I fished with him".. end of discussion. Gotta like a man that knows stuff while forensic experts are confused by the evidence.
This movie is a combination of "Northern Exposure," "Andy Griffith," "Hannah and Her Sisters" and the movie "In the Heat of the Night." Folks, that's quite a combo. It may be a sleeper, but its a great flick. Thanks to John H. for recommending this movie. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 92. Larry H.
It's Memorial Weekend Friday and I was not too fired up to go to the show, but I went anyway because that's what I do on Fridays. I did not get "my" parking space at Loew's, but I did not get depressed and went immediately to the ticket counter and realized that school is out in these here parts and the kids and crowd were abounding. I love a crowd. As I step up to the counter, I realized that the assistant manager is selling tickets because of the size of the crowd and the General Manager is standing behind him with a watchful eye. I pull out my money to pay for the ticket and the Asst. Mgr. whispers "This one's on the house." Feeling rather important, I step around the counter and nod to the Manager and say thanks. I certainly think its fair that Loews pay for my ticket once every 200 trips to the theatre. Its great being Larry H.; the benefits are overwhelming.
"Notting Hill" is a love story. Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. If you can't buy into this concept, don't go. The film does not stray from the theme of lowly bookstore boy meets world famous actress girl and the power of love is fleeting, cruel, and complicated. The story works and this movie will be a big hit of "Sleepless in Seattle" proportions. The crowd was big for a 1:10 pm show time and was chock full of dreamy eyed young teenagers and middle aged women. If you boys need a little jump start to the ole romance, take her to see this flick. Guarantee it.
Hugh Aw Shucks I've Got A Lot Of Hair And So What If I've Been A Tad Indiscreet In My Private Life Grant is ideal for the boy (William Thacker) and Julia Big Lips And That Ain't All Roberts (Anna Scott) is perfect for the Princess Charming actress who has the compassion and depth to maybe fall in love with the bloke that owns a travel book store in a London village called Notting Hill. I said "travel book" store owner. You can't get any lower in the social pecking order.
After an initial encounter with the actress, the travel-book store boy explains to a friend that he feels like "... I've had a shot of love heroin and I can't ever have it again...." Don't it make you want to cry. Will they ever get together? What with her flying in and out of London and making movies and him living with Spike the flat mate who is a cross between Maynard G. Crebbs, Gomer, Shirley McClain, and Donald Sutherland. Spike (Rhys Ifan) is a memorable character. The story and characters are charming. The support cast is superb. Very British. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 91. Larry H.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
We have a winner! This is Episode I and the original "Star Wars" is now known as Episode IV - hence the term "prequel." All previous reviews of Episode I have been misleading. This film is simple, spectacular, and let's see... a word that starts with "S" that describes it....I know.....Star Wars. Folks, this is a 1999 version of George Lucas' Star Wars. It will never replace Star Wars/Episode IV in your heart, but it is a well done Lucas Industrial Light and Magic showcase.
Lucas presents the audience with an amazing amount of information, action, and memorable characters: Qui-Gon (Liam Neeson) - master Jedi Knight, Anakin "Darth Vader" Skywalker (9 yr old Jake Lloyd) - who has "...a special balance... knows things before they happen... and is the chosen one." Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) - ruler of the small planet Naboo who has crossed swords (light sabers) with the Trade Federation who employs a really nasty fellow by the name of Darth Maul. Mr. Maul has horns. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) is back as a young man and is an apprentice to Qui-Gon. Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO, Jabba the Hutt, and the new court jester Jar Jar Binks. And Mace Windu (SLJ Samuel L. Jackson) as a member of the Jedi Council and right hand man to Yoda.
Why does Anakin turn to the Dark Side? Too much fear...hmmm? Who does Anakin marry and therefore become the mother of Luke "Trust the Force" Skywalker and Princess Leia? Lucas will reveal the rest of the plot in Episodes II and III. That Lucas knows how to turn a buck. A billion bucks!
The plot will sound familiar to Americans. Seems there is a problem involving taxes, trade negotiations gone awry, bureaucratic turmoil, an out-of-control Senate, and a fight for power - the Trade Federation v. Naboo. Sounds like a job for a Jedi Knight. I want to be a Jedi Knight when I grow up and I want a Light Saber now while I am still being trained.
At 10:00 am May 19th at Loew's theatres, the crowd was about 175 (not sold out) and was appreciative of the show with outbursts of cheers and clapping. Trusts your instincts and go see this episode. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 90. Larry H.
Note: The original Star Wars has a grade of 98.
May 7th and the opening of "The Mummy." Needed an early show time so I had to go to Tinseltown. They usually start showing movies about 20-30 minutes before Loew's and over an hour before my AMC. When I arrived in the theatre (one of the big ones) I was shocked at how big the crowd was. This was a 11:30 am showing and there were hundreds of people already seated. I had a hard time finding a seat without anyone in the seat on either side of me. After I sat down I realized I had sat down in front of a lady holding a toddler. That boy could snore! What's up with this giant crowd?
"The Mummy" is a cross between an Indiana Jones adventure with the spoof atmosphere of an Abbott and Costello flick. This mummy is named Imhotep ('em ho tep) and was mummified in about 1250 B.C. because he was the High Priest and broke one of the rules of the Pharaoh. The rule was "Don't touch the Pharaoh's mistress..." And Imhotep did more than just touch her. So the Pharaoh cut out Imhotep's tongue and those of his fellow priests and put them in the mummy coffin to become part of the un-dead and/or the Living Dead. These mummy's carried some bad curses if disturbed.
Then about 1926, along comes our heroes Rick O'Connell (Brendan Fraser) and Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) and her brother (John Hannah) who are competing with some other stupid Americans who are hunting for treasure. The writer and director Stephen Sommers does not care a wit about proper mummy etiquette, only about being silly and funny in a B movie kinda way. However, this is a beautifully designed high budget movie unlike the B movies some of us loved as kids.
Rick carries two revolvers in shoulder holsters most of the movie. And he ain't scared to shoot them 20-30 times per event. Also carries a shotgun and a 1911 style semi-automatic when necessary. He is also very skilled at sword fighting and killing mummies and saving the "damsel in distress."
Evelyn is a librarian that specializes in Egyptian mythology and the like so she explains stuff to us as we go along on this hunt for gold and mummies in the Sahara Desert near Cairo, Egypt. Imhotep, according to Mummy Lore, can become un un-dead if he kills living folks and sucks them. I did not really follow how that worked, but its not important. Just know that one should not let a mummy get his face or mouth too close to one's person. I did not care who got killed or sucked. Some good laughs and cute takes on a mummy, but I am part of the living and was not impressed. Good video fodder. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 78. Larry H.
Note: T minus twelve days until "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace." The opening of this movie will be bigger than any other in the history of movies. I will be there on May 19th. I am prepared to sleep on concrete if necessary, but if I don't get a ticket, somebody's going down. I already have a poster of Anakin/Darth Vader.
April 30, 1999. I am in a hurry to write this review because I am on my way to the range to participate in an outdoor sport. I sat on the very top row (stadium seating) in Theatre #17 at Loew's. I kinda like looking down on things. A small popcorn was $3.47 at Loew's. Not good.
"Entrapment" stars Sean Connery as Mac the infamous thief that's "at least 60" with white hair/piece and full beard and the female lead Gin (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who is a 25 year old fox. The story begins 14 days before the Millennium and crescendo's aimlessly toward the big event of December 31, 1999, for reasons we are not sure of until near the end of the flick. Gin is trying to catch Mac who is trying to catch his breath while trying to keep up with a woman that is the same age as his youngest grandchild in real life. But, hey - he's still James Bond so I cut him some slack. Actually, this movie is a combo of "Mission Impossible," James Bond, and "To Catch a Thief." The audience watches Mac and Gin prepare for the big heist by testing their gadgets and gizmos and not really knowing how things will work during the robbery, but we know they know what they are doing so we just dumbly sit there waiting for the plan to evolve.
The characters are charming and I was pulling for them to get away with thievery. What does that say about Larry H.? Who are you kidding? You people also pull for the bad/good guy. That's part of the fun. Being bad can be good in fantasy land, and that's why I go to the flicks. If I want reality, I can just .... well you know.
Mac lives is a castle. Theft of art (i.e. Rembrandt) as a profession has been very, very good to him. Gin works for an insurance company that pays off when stuff is stolen. "Darn, I wish we could catch 'ole Mac." "I know, lets send a woman after him."
Mac says "...there can only be trust between thieves when there is nothing personal between them..." Corollary: then don't run around with a fox you big dope. Vince "Marcellus" Rhames plays Thibideaux. Gotta like that. Cross/double cross/triple cross/ and who's on first. Pay attention and see if you can figure out who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 86. Larry H.
April 16th. AMC - First Colony Sugar Land. I got to park by a light pole, but AMC ain't Loew's. I don't think that the folks at AMC know who I am. I went to AMC because I needed a 1:30 pm start time.
Eddie Murphy as pickpocket Ray Gibson and Martin Lawrence as bank teller Claude Banks are our hapless stars in this prison movie about "Life." This story is another example that Scott Peck got it right when he wrote is oft quoted opening line of "The Road Less Traveled" - Life is difficult! Ray and Claude are down on their luck young men in their 20's in Harlem circa 1932. They get crossways with the local thug, Spanky Johnson, and in exchange for mercy for their sins, the young wannabe cool dudes are allowed to take a quick trip to Mississippi to bring back to New York some of the South's finest bootleg booze. Problems arise when Ray and Claude get into the White South and are framed for a murder and immediately get life sentences. Off to prison life before you can say "...hey you x*/x*! ... I'm innocent.... Nobody cares.
Prison is Camp 8. Not unlike the confines that housed Cool Hand Luke. Ray is even beaten to a pulp a la George Kennedy kicking Paul Newman. But the Cool Hand Luke references stop there. This movie is about using silly humor and wit to cope with the cruelty and injustice of the harshness of our heroes' plight. Maybe its not so different from Luke after all? The boys had to stay in the "hole" for a week or more when they tried to escape just like Luke. All the prisoners were black in this movie. Luke had only white inmates. The evolution of race in the US was clearly a theme that developed over the 65 years of the story.
Ray and Claude have a love-hate relationship similar to Felix and Oscar. They talk tough, but you know they really care about each other. And they are dedicated to escaping from prison no matter how long it takes. (Just like Luke) The story opens at the graveside of Ray and Claude in 1997 and the rest is a flashback as told by one of the inmates that had known them since they first showed up in 1932.
I liked Ray and Claude a lot. I was pulling for them. Even to the point that the movie made me nervous and edgy because I wanted things to fall into place. Not gonna happen. Each time I was convinced that this flick had a possibility of greatness, it would slide back to mediocrity. Death, old age, outrage, frustration, segregation, meanness, and happiness were all part of the mix. Eddie and Martin are cool dudes. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 85. Larry H.
April 9, 1999. Its springtime in Texas and its only 90 degrees. That's why I try to maintain my skills in an indoor sport like movie going. Loew's Theatres are air conditioned and I bought candy by the pound before the movie. You oughta try it. I got four different kinds of candy for only $2.00. "The Matrix" starts off fast and introduces its special effects early which caused me to suck down my hot dog and candy a tad too rapidly. Sometimes I get too excited in these situations, but I just remind myself that its just an indoor sport and remember to breathe.
What the heck is a matrix? Or should we ask, "What is THE Matrix?" We spend most of the movie learning about the matrix and its players: Laurence Fishburne is the leader as Morpheus (bald headed and shades), Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity is the lady in black leather who can kick your butt with a vertical leap of ten feet, and Keanu Reeves is Neo the computer nerd that is a beginner in his quest to combat The Matrix. Neo is trained by Morpheus because these rebels are convinced that Neo, who is no longer a nerd, is the One who will save the world from the bad guys/The Matrix.. The bad guys look like they work for the same agency that employed Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith in "Men In Black" without the humor. Same black suits and sunglasses. These bad guys have energy that has been tapped from regular humans. These bad guys are a result of too much AI (Artificial Intelligence) created by the human race and things have gone awry. Hence, The Matrix.
Global destruction, kung fu, leaping tall buildings in a single bounce, stopping and/or dodging bullets at point blank range, betrayal, torture, rebellion, love, resurrection of the phone booth to its rightful importance, computer power, guns, and more guns, memorable shoot-outs, wonderful sound effects and editing, and special effects worthy of a nomination.
The Matrix is ... like love, nobody can tell you if you are in love, you just know it. Some of the dialogue is weak, but this sci-fi action will appeal to a lot of folks and will be a complete turn-off to others. If you go see this flick, do not leave until its over. Big finish. Travel at you own risk. Rock 'n Roll
Grade 82. Larry H.
"Well excuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me." I know that's an old Steve Martin line from the 70's, but I had to resurrect it to give you just a bit of the excitement of the movie. The original "Out of Towners" starred Jack Lemon and Sandy Dennis; the 1970 screenplay was by Neil Simon and was a modest hit. Sometimes remakes are challenging; that's not true. Remakes are always challenging and this new group failed miserably. Same story - a Ohio couple visits New York and bad things happen. Coping skills low. What a shame! That's so 70's.
How does one goof up a movie that is adapted from a Neil Simon screenplay and stars a comedic legend in Steve Martin and the perky and talented Goldie Hawn? Dunno, but if you want to see an example, go see this lame excuse for a movie. It breaks my heart to waste these assets.
We are in the Slow Spring Syndrome. What's that, Larry H.? That's when the dreadful reality of the springtime movies routinely disappoints the viewing public at a time when they desperately need a movie fix even though the Academy Awards hype is over and its not Memorial Day yet. Happens every year. Please be patient. The summer will bring new and better movies, but we will predictably go through our annual dry spell. We must be strong and persevere or go see "The MOD Squad" and/or buy lots of popcorn.
You ask, "But, Larry H., surely this time 'round the Out of Town couple had fresh encounters and one can leave the theatre in at least a better mood?" No and I don't know. I left after fifty-five minutes. I tried to be strong, but I could not hold out. Good Friday, bad movie. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 69 W. Larry H.
The weather is beautiful. And "EDtv" is as dumb as a board. The highlight of the movie: Loew's was handing out a pack of dentyne gum to us customers and we left the theatre.
Things that I learned at the the movies on 3-26-99 by Larry H:
- Opie is not perfect
- Man can not live on popcorn alone
- Matthew and Woody look too much alike to be in the same movie
- Kissing your brother's girlfriend is a sticky wicket
- Great casts can not save a story that is as dumb as a board
- A board is very dumb
- A brief nap in the middle of a movie is underrated
- Rock 'n Roll
Grade 72 S. Larry H.
March 19, 1999, and I am in a hurry because I am on my way to shoot in a big match in San Antonio. It's a charity match for the benefit of "Make A Wish" foundation. What a country! So on the way out of town, I stopped off at AMC in First Colony to see Clint's new "True Crimes" which opens today. I do not want to name drop, but Clint and I have been buds since the late 60's and I think every Spaghetti Western he ever made is a piece of art. "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" is one of the all time great movies. I have the CD.
Clint Eastwood is Steve Everett. Everett is an alcoholic, womanizer, newspaper reporter kicked out of New York, sorry excuse for a father, smokes camels in the non-smoking office, works for the " The Oakland Tribune" who explains to a woman (wife of his editor) that we are not in love "...we are just two people swimming in the passion of life." And Everett is the hero in this story. The other half of the equation is Frank Beacham who is about to get "juiced" at midnight as the movie begins for murdering a white woman who is six months pregnant. Beacham (Isaiah Washington) is black and the two witnesses who fingered him are white.
Everett is suppose to go to the prison and just interview Beacham for a fluff article for the Oakland paper, but he gets a "hunch" about the possible innocence of Beacham who is relatively calm about his impending execution because he deeply believes that Jesus Christ is his Lord and Savior. Beacham has a long rap sheet but has found the Lord and had turned his life around when the murder occurs; he has a loving wife and an adorable daughter who visit him in the prison within hours of the midnight appointment with death and their "good-byes" will rip your heart out. Meanwhile, Clint is running 'round town trying to solve the murder and save Beacham and beat the clock. Throughout the movie, Director and Producer Eastwood keeps us informed of the exact time so we will know how much time is left until midnight. .
Eastwood has a scene with his shirt off. His body looks like he is 40. His face looks like he's 62. His neck looks like he's 82. And his hair looks like he is suffering from early Don King Disease. But this is a classic Eastwood-directed movie. Slow and methodical with wonderful character development. The key to any good movie. I did not want Beacham to die and wanted Everett to stay sober long enough to solve the mystery. However, I do not want Everett to come to my backyard barbecue because he is uncouth, unrepentant, and unsavory. But he's got some good qualities, too. Now that's good character development. Great cast. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 89. Larry H.
Its Saturday afternoon March 13th and Larry H has arisen from his nap, so he gathers up all the other little H's (wife and boy) and heads to the picture show to see a film that is acceptable to the entire fam. "October Sky" successfully grabs one's heart strings in the opening scenes and never lets go. I only teared up three times. Near the end of the movie, a lady behind us at Loew's was blowing her nose so loudly that she was disturbing those of us that had maintained some self control and were only quietly sobbing.
A true story by one of NASA's boys that grew up in a mining town in West Virginia circa 1950's. That boy was Homer H. Hickam, Jr. (Jake Gyllenhaal) who had the right combination of innocence and bravado to attempt his dream of building rockets. He got the bug when he first saw the Soviets send up Sputnik on October 4, 1957, hence the October Sky. Homer and three other classmates built rockets that went boom and bust many times before they really.... well best not say. Homer represented the group at the big science fair with an outside shot at winning first place and getting a scholarship, but.... best not say. Their big supporter was the boys' science teacher who stood by them when others doubted and she contracted lymphatic cancer and she....
This movie is about Homer growing up and living in a coal town that is owned by the Olga Coal Company and being raised by a loving, hard headed father John Hickam (Chris Cooper - Sheriff July Johnson in "Lonesome Dove"). Cooper's character as the company man/dad was the most complicated and caustic, yet tender and heroic. Quite a feat for an actor, and for his performance Cooper is my early favorite for 1999 Best Supporting Actor. All I can say about the sound track is ... Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 90. Larry H.
What a piece of trash. I left Tinseltown knowing that I could make the 1:15 showing of "8 MM" at Loew's with time to spare and get a dog. The dog was good and the movie was a big disappointment. I like Nicolas Cage. This is a suspense movie involving the possible death of a young woman in a porn flick. So Cage's character has to watch a lot of these porn films to figure out the case. I am not talking about skin flicks, I'm talking about men hacking women with knives. Not. I'm out of here. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 65 W. Larry H.
A flick that starts at 10:55 am has a different dynamic than a movie that starts midday or later. That's a hour before lunch. What does a person eat at the theatre at such an unusual time? I started pondering this compelling question whilst still in the parking lot at Tinseltown. Too early for a dog. So, I buy my ticket for $4.00 (not that rip-off price of $4.50 at Loew's) and proceed to the concession stand in search of just the right food and beverage for "brunch" when lo and behold, I notice the lady in front of me has an interesting combination that she's purchased. I asked the sales person, "hey, what's that she's got?... and the the sales person splained to me that "its called a Movie Snack and comes with a little pile of popcorn in one corner of the open paper box for carrying stuff and a small drink in the circular holder and a miniature Kit Kat bar for $2.75." "Shazaam!" I say. "Give me one of those." It doesn't get any better than this. I love America.
Mel Gibson plays a guy that has come back from sure death to seek revenge against the folks that shot him and cheated him out of his share of the robbery money. Its an ongoing gag that he only wants his $70,000 and not the oft referred to $130,000 that was paid to "The Outfit". These particular bad guys prefer "The Outfit" rather than the more demeaning "Syndicate." Cheesy thugs would have been my preference. Anyway, Porter, that's Mel, recovers from two bullets in the back and starts terrorizing The Outfit and every one connected to it by execution style murder, car fires, and bombs. All in a day's work of an honest thief just trying to do the right thing and get his rightful booty.
Porter was shot in the back twice between the shoulder blades with a Smith & Wesson 686 .357 Mag. and he still healed up with only scars the size of .32 caliber. The Hollywood types really think they can fool us with an obvious bogus shooting. On the other hand, Porter carried a 44 Magnum that he bought in a pawn shop. And his main nemesis sported a Berretta 92 FS. There were few Sigs and machine guns for good measure.
The movie was set in the early 70's. I could tell because all the men wore really disgusting ties and in the background of one scene, I heard the radio announcer Howard Cosell calling one of Mohammed Ali's fights. Can't get anything passed Larry H. Porter has no first name. Kinda like Cher and Kramer. Movie was suppose to be a '30s era film noir enmeshed in a '70s background. Heroin, detectives staring up at tall buildings to decipher clues, big black cadillacs with fender wings, ornate decorations and huge office murals to indicate wealth and power.
The God Bomb Theory did not kick in, but it was a close call. However, God/Porter did blow up several of the characters so maybe it did kick in and I just did not realize it. James Coburn is a member of upper management of The Outfit and Kris Kristofferson was Mr. Big. I'm just glad Kris is alive. The boy played pretty hard in the '60s and '70s. For that matter Coburn threw back a couple himself. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 78. Larry H.
It started well this fine March afternoon; I got my parking spot at Loew's. But then the bad news - ticket prices for afternoons went up from $4.00 to $4.50. Bummer. That's a 12 1/2 % increase in the cost of doing business.
I was excited about this movie for two reasons: 1) I am always excited about going to the movies 2) the movie had Bobby De Niro and Billy Crystal. I would not call him "Bobby" if I were you until you've been around for awhile. I bumped into a couple of movie freaks at the theatre - Debbie and Jerome L. Nice people and they claim to enjoy being on this email list. She goes to the movie more than I do and I resemble it. I've got 4 or 5 women on the Larry H. email list that are real movie freaks and you know who you are. Going to the movies is my favorite inside sport. Out of doors is overrated.
We digress. Funny movie. De Niro is a Mafioso who has some "family issues" that he can not resolve on his own. His "conflicts" have gotten to the point that he cries easily, has panic attacks, and has increased difficulty in killing people. Not good for a Wiseguy tough guy. So he enlists/forces little Billy Crystal the psychiatrist to help him reluctantly work through these problems so the other tough guys won't sense that he has gone soft. Billy's Dr. Ben Sobel does the best he can under the circumstance (occasional gun at head) to help the Godfather Paul Vitti regain his bravado. Its a laugh a minute. I laughed at every stupid and clever line on cue per the plan of Director Harold Ramis. Crystal was the Executive Producer. That little Billy can make a buck. It will be a big hit. Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe on "Friends") did herself proud as Crystal's fiancée/wife.
This film is a Character Piece and all the characters were perfect for their parts. Its easy when you're good. And De Niro and Crystal are great and will not let you down if you see this mindless movie.
By the Numbers:
0 - Redeeming social value
2 - Weddings (almost)
12 - Killings (11 by guns and 1 fall from the 7th floor)
4 - Godfathers
1 - Guy named "Jelly"
67 - Laughs by Larry H.
Rock 'n RollGrade 89. Larry H.
The "Affliction" on this Sunday afternoon is me for having to sit through a really boring movie with uninteresting characters. We all know that I went to see this flick because Nick Nolte as Wade Whitehouse has been nominated for Best Actor. I gotta see Nick do a nomination performance! So, I was miffed last Friday afternoon because I had obligated myself to help build shooting props for the pistol match on Saturday and would not be able to catch my movie in the pm. What a dud!
Nolte was better in "48 Hours." In "Affliction" Nolte plays an alcoholic cop in a small town in upper New Hampshire and is confronted with a possible murder which he attempts to solve. I admit that Nolte turned in a skilled performance this time, but geez the story was about how an alcoholic's disease infects his family and friends. The problem was that I did not care a wit about his family and friends. I have not had a movie that rated the "God Bomb Theory" in a while, but this piece of crap qualified. For those of you new to the list, the GBT goes something like this: toward the latter part of a movie I find myself praying for God to send down a bomb and blow up everyone and everything so the show will end and I can get on with my life.
James Coburn was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor as Nolte's alcoholic father. Acting was ok, but the story and surrounding events completely sapped my ability to enjoy their performances so I think the Academy made a mistake. Maybe the sun got in their eyes. There are some other things I kinda want to include in this review, but its not worth the effort. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 69. Larry H.
February 12, 1999, and I am committed to seeing "Life Is Beautiful" even though I figure that since this is a foreign language (Italian) film and it garnered a handful of Oscar nominations including Best Picture (as well as Best Foreign Language Film) that the accolades were a result of the snobbish, out-of-touch Hollywood types picking a foreign film because it was the 90's kind-of-thing to do. You know those Academy people are stupid sometimes. Once upon a time, I tried to be one of those "stupids" by calling the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences in LA and inquired about my possible membership. A very nice Associate Director of membership asked, "...well, Mr. H., what connection do you have with the movie industry?" And I replied that I attended Loew's and AMC often. I think I heard a muffled snicker on the other end of the phone line, but she gently explained to me that such an effort, although honorable, did not qualify for membership in the Academy. I retorted with "....say, can I have a couple of tickets to the next awards ceremony?" I think the answer was "NO!"
The members of the Academy are not always stupid. This film is a masterpiece. It is set in 1939 Italy in an atmosphere of anti-Semitism and fascism. Robert Benigni's name is all over this picture: co-writer, director, and star. Never heard of him. But it will be a while before I forget him. I began watching this show with a sense of duty because I am Larry H. and I must see all of the films that are nominated for Best Picture and I had not seen this one, so I went to see it with a chip on my shoulder and was real bummed out when I was reminded that it truly was a "foreign language" film - subtitles and all. I don't do subtitles; too distracting - why can't these people speaka da English? Look, I am from Bay City and we don't like foreigners because they are not from around here. I dutifully read the subtitles as fast as I could so I could get back to the action. It took some getting use to, but I got pretty good at it. Especially when the film had totally won me over and I was hanging on every word.
Our hero Guido (Benigni) has the looks of a cute Barney Fife and the child-like humor of Hawkeye Pierce. He lives in Arezzo, Italy and works as a waiter. But mostly he just goofs around and enjoys life and laughing. And falling madly in love with Dora (Nicoletta Braschi) who he calls his "Princess." I'm talking powerful sweep-you-off-your-feet-love. Romance. Guido and Dora get married and have a son Joshua (Giogio Cantarini). The character development of Guido and Dora and their affection for one another dominates the first forty five minutes of the film and I liked them a lot. Just about the time I am hooked and deeply care about the characters, the dreaded Nazi train comes to deport Guido and Joshua because they are Jews. But not Dora. She goes to the train depot to discover that Guido and young Joshua (maybe age 4) are on the train. She tries to explain to the German commander that there must be a mistake. No mistake. Then Dora begs the German to stop the train to let her on the train that is surely headed to a concentration camp. She is put on one of the "cattle cars" and her quest to be with her family intensifies. The train arrives at the camp in the mountains and Guido immediately begins his humorous ruse to convince Joshua that its just a game in order to shield him from the horrors that are about to take place. And the usual cruelty and death is very much a part of this story, but in a way that serves as a backdrop for the most sincere, complete fatherly love of a son and wife seemingly possible. Guido's love will be legendary. As I think about the scenes of Guido holding young Joshua's hand, I cry.
Most of the story in the concentration camp is about the struggle to survive by Guido and Joshua and Guido's make-believe stories and wit to protect his beloved son. The children of the camp and old women are routinely sent to the showers and gassed. There is no cursing, no sex, and very little blood. This movie is about love and the human spirit. The ending is spectacular. I was overwhelmed with emotions and had waves of goose bumps. The final five minutes are magnificent!
This movie won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival which usually does not mean much to me. I'm paying more attention from now on. I must allow some time to pass before I make my final decision, but Roberto Benigni might be my first choice for Best Actor, Best Director, Best Screenplay (adapted) and the film Best Picture. Rock 'n Roll.
Grade 94. Larry H.
February 5th, 1999, and we have yet another 1998 movie. What's up with that? And its opening on a limited basis. Not showing in Sugar Land's 42 theatre market. Timing is everything, huh. This movie stars Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Olivia Williams, and Martin. Who the heck is Martin? Martin attends school at Kincaid in Houston where the film was primarily shot and won a non-speaking part and got paid $2,000.00 for his two day gig...and Martin tours the world with Eric H. as a member of the Fort Bend Boys Choir. Even though most of the Rushmore Academy scenes were shot at Houston's St. John school in River Oaks, Director Wes Anderson needed Kincaid talent, too. Thus, Fort Bend County's Martin makes his screen debut. Eric H. is very excited about such a fete. Perhaps the boy needs an agent named Larry H.
This movie is about forbidden love. I keep telling you people to stay away from such love in your private lives because you will get hurt, but Hollywood (oops, I mean Houston) repeats the theme and this is just another angle: fifteen year old sophomore at exclusive private school falls for shapely first grade teacher who falls for rich married man. The dreaded "tri"-angle. Schwartzman plays Max Fischer who dominates the school like the local bookie running scams and deals that the other students barely understand, but energetically follow him in spite of Max's apparent nerdiness. Max is the "worst student at Rushmore" but he is president and founder of almost every extracurricular activity on campus from fencing to beekeeping. Why not fall in love with the local first grade teacher (Olivia Williams) and enlist the services of the big millionaire alumnus (Murray's Herman Blume) to guide the relationship in the right direction. That darn Mr. Blume then falls in love with the teacher. Two men in love with the same chick causes friction even though there is over a thirty year difference in their ages because they are "...both children."
Schwartzman has his mother's thick, black hair. His mum is none other than Talia "Adrian" Shire. He also has the classic good looks of Tom Cruise and the physical stature of Dustin Hoffman ... maybe 5' 3". Even though Schwartzman wears horn rimmed glasses throughout the movie, his looks cannot be hidden and we will see him many times in t