Reviews
Godzilla (1998)
Surprisingly Good
I like this film. Broderick is one of my fave actors and he is charming here. Jean Reno is excellent. Maria Patillo does a nice job; she makes me like a character written as whiny and manipulative. Most female movie roles are saints or witches. This falls in the middle and I think audiences were thrown by this independent, yet insecure late bloomer of a girlfriend. As For Godzilla, he was awesome. I like his physical appearance and his very fast footwork running around the skyscrapers. He showed some intelligence during these chases. This is great because the original Toho Godzilla was dumb as a rock in all those old movies. The special effects are truly wonderful. I like the recruitment of the "worm guy" and his scientific expertise, as played by Broderick, seemed real. The Mayor Ebert character was overdone. He was deliberately annoying, but even New Yorkers wouldn't tolerate that level of buffoonishness. When all the baby Godzillas start to chase our heroes, this is too reminiscent of Jurassic Park. On the other hand, when Broderick and Reno first discover how many eggs there are,and they begin hatching in front of them, this is truly terrifying. It's one of the best sequences in the film. I consider this film to be very underrated. There are three interesting characters, great F/X and action scenes and some humorous moments from Hank Azaria. I had a really good time watching this movie. I give it eight out of ten stars.
Godzilla (1998)
Surprisingly Good
I like this film. Broderick is one of my fave actors and he is charming here. Jean Reno is excellent. Maria Patillo does a nice job; she makes me like a character written as whiny and manipulative. Most female movie roles are saints or witches. This falls in the middle and I think audiences were thrown by this independent, yet insecure late bloomer of a girlfriend. As For Godzilla, he was awesome. I like his physical appearance and his very fast footwork running around the skyscrapers. He showed some intelligence during these chases. This is great because the original Toho Godzilla was dumb as a rock in all those old movies. The special effects are truly wonderful. I like the recruitment of the "worm guy" and his scientific expertise, as played by Broderick, seemed real. The Mayor Ebert character was overdone. He was deliberately annoying, but even New Yorkers wouldn't tolerate that level of buffoonishness. When all the baby Godzillas start to chase our heroes, this is too reminiscent of Jurassic Park. On the other hand, when Broderick and Reno first discover how many eggs there are,and they begin hatching in front of them, this is truly terrifying. It's one of the best sequences in the film. I consider this film to be very underrated. There are three interesting characters, great F/X and action scenes and some humorous moments from Hank Azaria. I had a really good time watching this movie. I give it eight out of ten stars.
Armageddon (1998)
Ugh!!
Wretched! Infantile! Atrocious! My jaw dropped because this was so bad. I have enjoyed most Willis films, I'm not immune to Liv's charms and Billy Bob is a good actor. Despite these positive elements, this film is a complete failure. I had to stop the videotape because the story was laughable and the characters lame. I can't believe Michael Bay also directed The Rock, one of my favorite action films. The main annoyance of this movie is the poor, seemingly non-existent editing. There might be a good movie here somewhere, but if so, it is buried in a 2 hour and 30 minute montage of effects, clichés and poorly conceived characters. This movie is pure drivel, lacking any sincerity or conviction. It's the end of the world, but I don't feel any urgency or genuine emotion until it's far too late in the proceedings. This one's a total whiff! Or maybe a weak grounder to second base. It's one of the worst movies of the 90's, especially considering the huge budget behind this project.
Armageddon (1998)
Ugh!!
Wretched! Infantile! Atrocious! My jaw dropped because this was so bad. I have enjoyed most Willis films, I'm not immune to Liv's charms and Billy Bob is a good actor. Despite these positive elements, this film is a complete failure. I had to stop the videotape because the story was laughable and the characters lame. I can't believe Michael Bay also directed The Rock, one of my favorite action films. The main annoyance of this movie is the poor, seemingly non-existent editing. There might be a good movie here somewhere, but if so, it is buried in a 2 hour and 30 minute montage of effects, clichés and poorly conceived characters. This movie is pure drivel, lacking any sincerity or conviction. It's the end of the world, but I don't feel any urgency or genuine emotion until it's far too late in the proceedings. This one's a total whiff! Or maybe a weak grounder to second base. It's one of the worst movies of the 90's, especially considering the huge budget behind this project.
Killing Time (1998)
Tongue-in-cheek Action/Adventure
The strongest character in this film is a woman. The director makes this obvious from the beginning and I find this to be an appealing, even sexy, notion. Those who are threatened by this concept are doomed to dislike, or hate, this picture. This is not an overtly feminist tract. In fact, there is a droll sense of humor permeating the dialogue in the film. Bryant's four discount assassins are amusing in their arguments with one another and their near total obliviousness to the danger of their assignment. They would be inept killers in any circumstance, but especially here where they perceive a woman to be easy pickings. Kendra Torgan is very sexy as the Italian mercenary who dispatches her enemies with gusto. Her attempt to learn English via audiotape while assassins infiltrate her suite is amusing and enhances her stature as a superior, cold-blooded assassin. Kendra's final confrontation with the sinister archvillain along a descending escalator is well played as the English instructional tapes subtly make the difference between life or death. This movie was very funny, with some excellent shootouts and a very sexy woman. What more could a guy want? Despite a few lulls, to simulate the waiting a contract killer often does, this was well worth my time. I give it 9 out of 10 stars.
Face/Off (1997)
A Masterpiece
A phenomenal film. It sets a new standard for action films. Very emotional, raw and superb acting. A classic.
A Perfect Murder (1998)
A Perfect Nap
Inept knock-off of Hitchcock's Dial M For Murder. A truly awful script. I felt pity for all the actors. How did these two (Douglas and Paltrow) ever get married? Love never entered the picture. They don't even like each other.Gwyneth's character is a multilingual genius in some scenes, but is easily duped by a two-bit con artist (Mortenson) and somehow got herself trapped in a hollow facade of a marriage to Steven (Douglas). Which is it? Is she smart or incredibly naive? The answer is whatever is convenient for the next page of the script.Steven's foolhardy plan to murder his wife is obviously doomed to failure.The painter/con artist knows right away he can take the 100,000 and run, but he knows he won't have to earn the remaining 400,000. He can just hire someone to commit the murder for him. For the younger viewers, I hope they don't think Hitchcock's movies were worse than this, just because they're not recently made. Rent any Hitchcock film and you won't be disappointed. I can't say the same for this turkey. A bad script, with no suspense. I can't give it more than a 3 (out of ten stars).
Starship Troopers (1997)
Premium Science Fiction
Sort of a cross between Star Wars and Gattaca, only with giant-size arachnids instead of imperial stormtroopers. Remember Luke's "parents" killed in the original Star Wars? Well, Verhoeven pays homage to that scene and others, but presents the clichés in such an innovative fashion that I found myself worried about the fates of the four primary characters. The high school antics and all the Neal Patrick Harris appearances are clearly played for laughs.The movie is really about two pairs of lovers (shades of Archie comics), but who really belongs with whom? This is the subplot between all the war campaigns against the bugs. It seems that Dizzy (my favorite) will win over our hero with her loyalty, spunk and dedication. Verhoeven, however, is having fun when he lets Rico fall instead for the voluptuous Denise Richards. Yes, size matters! The would-be lovers of Rico and Carmen eventually suffer very violent demises.
Woven into the structure of the film are small tributes to such films as An Officer and a Gentleman, Braveheart and Aliens. It's a tour de force film from Verhoeven, with satire, sarcasm, philosophy (i.e., fascism), relentless action and eye-popping CGI mixed together. The incredible FX include the hordes of bugs and the realistic gore, especially the decapitations and severed limbs (perhaps inspired by Braveheart).
All in all, a wonderful treat from Verhoeven. It can be enjoyed as a serious story or as a profoundly ironic film. In either case, it is a journey not to be missed. I give it 9 out of 10 stars.
That Thing You Do! (1996)
Peppy Song, Sad Movie
Painful to watch at times; the goofiness of some of the band members is nearly unbearable. The creative leader of the band suddenly becomes a selfish twit near the end of the film. He inexplicably dumps the girl (Liv Tyler) he had always adored. She quickly falls for another band member and they live happily ever after. Of course, the band members have already parted permanently, not just as collaborators, but also as friends. The idea is they were never friends at all, but just fell together for the purpose of forming a band. Very sad. The movie is totally unwatchable when Hanks or Tyler are not on screen. The other characters are not fleshed out, perhaps deliberately, and are just boring. The title song, very ingratiating at first, gradually becomes annoying after many playings. This is intentional because the musicians themselves tire of playing it constantly and want to move onto something else. This film could have used some comedy. The dramatic moments felt heavy-handed and, despite the considerable charisma of Hanks and Tyler, the light comedy potential was never exploited.