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Reviews
Veil (1990)
Really Bad, Not worth watching for free
My goodness. Apparently this thing was chopped together simply for some fast cash. The idea behind it is that a director is interviewing these ladies apparently because they want to learn how to strip, and he can teach them. The thing is, half the interviews are done in a modern setting, and the other half were obviously filmed a long, long time ago (IE: mid 70's). Film stock changes (gets much fuzzier, washed out colors) hair styles suddenly go back in time, the women dress far worse, and the directors voice suddenly changes. Obviously they are just two films from different movies with the same premise and edited it together. It doesn't even make sense, which by and of itself in adult films isn't horrible, but there is no real good action either. There are some 'real' scenes slipped in there, but they are quite subpar. I didn't pay anything to watch, and it was bad.
Tuesdays with Morrie (1999)
Quite disappointing
Unfortunetly, I found Tuesdays with Morrie to be quite disappointing. I live in Michigan, where Mitch Albom is quite a force in all medias, so the hype surrounding the movie was quite large. However, the movie itself was so weak I was looking for other things to occupy my time while it was on. The Mitch Albom character is not clearly defined, we know he is a writer, and has a girlfriend, not much else. Morrie, played by Jack Lemmon had a lot of potential but it seemed wasted. Many of the Morrie-isms that he spouts sound like the babbling of someone that is unconcious. Lots of grand sounding ideas like "Without love, we all die" and "Don't die alone", I mean really. Morrie comes off sounding like that one sappy person in your family that everyone tries to ignore when you get together. Other quality highlights: The horrible overacting of the boy that plays young Morrie ("Oh, he's got a huge smile, he must be happy" or "He's crying, he must not be happy" is the range displayed) and the very humorous method for making Morrie 20 years younger (think Jack Lemmon with Steve Wonder style hair extensions).
The legions of Oprah followers, most without minds of their own, will find it to be a great touching tale. Just try to go into it with an open mind, and you'll see how rank it is. (2 out of 10)
Grumpier Old Men (1995)
Funny, but at the wrong time
It's a bad sign when the credits of a film are funnier than the film itself (especially when said film is billed as a comedy). Grumpier Old Men suffers from this condition. If you sit through the film, be sure to treat yourself to the credits, which contains some of the funniest outtakes I have ever heard. The film itself isn't perticularly bad or good. More of the same from the first. The relationships aren't really explored, it's just more kooky hijinks from some old guys.
Belly (1998)
Not a bad film overall
I have put a lot of thought into this one since I viewed it a few hours ago. Overall, it was not as entertaining as New Jack City, but I wouldn't consider that in itself a failure, since I really love New Jack City. What I thought made N.J.C. work so well was it's depicition of the gangster "family" that Nino Brown (Wesley Snipes) was attempting to form and keep together. Belly takes a different approach to look at a similar situation.
In the beginnning on the film we are introduced to the main characters whom we learn are small time felons that quickly enter the big time with some murders at a club. Instead of focusing on these characters and developing a character to be the leader of the gang and focusing on the gangs rise to power, we are instead almost immediately bounced from character to character. Each character's part relies on the previous, but the result is not cohesive. As a result, there is no real main character in the film, which can sometimes work but in this case does not.
I don't understand the criticisms on this film glorifying violence. As with many modern-day gangster films, we have the intelligent gangster trying to break free from the oppression of his gang, and the ending tries to send a clear message. No more violence.
I really appreciated the beginning sequence and was pretty excited at that point. There is some great use of the camera and the "black light" effect in the club reminded me of a modern, ghetto Milk Bar from A Clockwork Orange. Not bad for a first try from Hype Williams.
Pizza Runners (1996)
A Great Independent Film - fun for all
As my colleagues before me have stated, Pizza Runners is a great film that everyone can successfully relate to. It involves all the drama that people suffer through during their late teen early 20 years, and adds a lot of comedy and pizza shop antics on the ride through. If you ever get a chance, I hope you view this film. I wish the producers all the luck and hope to see many projects from them in the future!