Change Your Image
RocktBoy
Reviews
The Jesse Ventura Story (1999)
If this movie was meant to help Jesse's image... it failed!
I have no idea what the motive for making this movie was, but the actor that played the role of Jesse was so melodramatic I could not help but laugh at him. I was forced to watch Predator to renew my faith in him not being a sissy.
I don't doubt that Ventura thought about 'political' issues before he was elected... don't we all? So let's not slam dunk it down our throat. Jesse talks to wrestlers about unions, and health plans, leading me to believe Jesse cares about workers. He goes hunting with his dad and we learn he cares about the environment. Give me a break. Give us some credit.
Pleasantville (1998)
Truman show with a pulse
While this movie presented things that are unpleasant (pre-marital sex, adultery, prejudice against people different than you), The large unpleasantness was living outside one's mode of behavior, if only for a little while.
The only thing this had in common with the Truman show was the presence of Television (therefore, why don't we compare it to the Cable Guy?) Truman Show was such a surface level film, making it so popular with the common folk, I reckon.
Don't misunderstand, I thought those "unpleasant" things were inappropriate, but it forced me to examine the quality of life of the initial setting.
In contrast, the displaced kids learned to re-orient themselves as well.....
Sure it wasn't a family film. But it did make me think.
The Truman Show (1998)
Had potential
Would have been a decent film if they took a little more time introducing us to the situation before Truman started to notice things. They seemed rushed to get to the end.
What Dreams May Come (1998)
Eye candy, but .....
While we often assume that Robin Williams will move towards the more saccharine, no nonsense movies such as Good Will Hunting or Dead Poets Society, or simple humor and boisterous characters such as Toys, Jumanji, etc, we have seen him pull off a more difficult drama film before. The film Being Human truly showed his dramatic range, while the linear plot and repetitive "surprises" in What Dreams May Come cheated him of a repeat performance.
Like Twister, Dragonheart, Toy Story, and Tron, I was more impressed by the work of the post-production than I was of the material they had to work with
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
The most honest movie about war
So often a movie will glamorize the act of armed conflict. Making it sexy, or romantic. Case in point would be Starship Troopers. We watched people die constantly, and we, the audience, hardly noticed or cared.
Spielberg did it right. I am a soldier in an Army town, and the movie theater was silent, silent because what we saw wasn't glamorous. It was honest, and the truth was very blunt. We were forced to watch people die, people panic, and people that actually behaved like real people.
We saw a compelling view of the mettle required to be a leader in combat. Hanks undertook the role of a Captain as the Army would like its officers to be. He was focused on his Mission and his Commander's intent. He had to lead those that weren't motivated, and he even had to be human and deal with his own shortcomings.
This movie inspires patriotism, but it defines war as a sobering test of a soldier's true character, and dedication. It is not for the timid. However Schindler's List showed Spielberg's talent for honest perspective