BigDog-18 Reviews

The Green Mile (1999)

The book is brought to life

[20 December 1999]

I have generally been dissapointed in film adaptations of novels, particularly Stephen King's works. The Green Mile is the best adaptation of not only a Stephen King book but of any book I've read. The acting is superb and once again Tom Hanks brings an honesty and vulnerability to the character of Paul Edgecomb. The real standout however is Doug Hutchinson as Percy Wetmore. Percy is the catalyst for much of the film and the acting by Hutchinson is Oscar worthy for sure. All the supporting actors are excellent as is Michael Clark Duncan as John Coffy. Even though the film is over 3 hours long the movie glides and moves through a myriad of emotions and topics such as retribution and redemption. I never once thought it was overly long. There is one very intense (and graphic) scene involving an execution that is not for the squeemish however the film has lot's of great humor and a story that is beautifully told. Go see this movie!!

Montana (1998)

Interesting!

[13 December 1999]

I came across this movie in the video store and was surprised by the cast. Stanley Tucci, Kyra Sedgewick, Robbie Coltrane in a gangster film? What I experienced was a very funny and interesting film with great performances by Tucci and Sedgewick. I thought the double-cross, mistaken assumptions of some of the characters made for a great plotline and the violence wasn't as bad as some films I've seen. Interesting to see a woman in what is generally a male role and the dialogue was juicy! Great movie. If you liked this then I also recommend Judas Kiss.

Judas Kiss (1998)

A Sleeper!

[8/10 · 6 December 1999]

Loved this movie!! Great acting by Carla Gugino. Interesting story about a kidnapping that goes horribly wrong (don't they all?). Some surprising twists and turns in the film and the plot was easy to follow without being so convoluted as to be totally incomprehensible. It was a totally unexpected delight. More "Quentin-ish" than most films try to be.

The Man in the Iron Mask (I) (1998)

A confusing mess

[26 November 1999]

I am amazed that for all the talent that went in to this film, very little of it shows up on screen. Where do I start?, the inconsistency of the accents, the over-the-top acting by John Malkovitch (why is he yelling all the time), the poorly written script (with dialogue so stilted and corny it makes "The Ten Commnandments" sound like Shakespere). The only thing that was good about this film was the set design and costuming. Jeremy Irons is the better of the Four Musketeers and Leonardo DiCaprio is simply too much of a Gen X'r to play the role of Louie/Phillipe. This is one muddled mess that should have stayed in the dungeon with the mask on.

The Matrix (1999)

I'm in the minority

[4/10 · 12 November 1999]

I saw this film after hearing much hoopla and hype surrounding it's special effects. Always a fan of good Sci-Fi and well done special effects as well as a coherent plot and strong characters, I laid down my $. My first comment is that the special effects were outstanding. Extremly well done and (as opposed to some other films) an intricate part of the story. What was lacking was a coherent plot and strong characters. I was dissapointed that more explanation of the "Matrix" and it's reason for being were not explained in more detail. The movie is very dark and depressing. The scenes of Neo in some type of fetal-hybernation state with the tubes coming out of him were downright disturbing. Most of the actors give pretty standard performances and as usual, Keanu Reeves continues to underwhelm me with his "Whoa" style of acting. Quite frankly, I left the theater feeling uneasy and eager to see a bird, a green tree, people laughing, anything that would erase the depressing state the film put me in. Other films have moved me emotionally (Saving Private Ryan was gut wrenching to watch) but most always seem to end on a positive note or at least have me contemplating something positive. The Matrix had me grasping for the Zoloft. Action/Sci-Fi films need to get beyond their attempt at "eye-candy" entertainment and start providing something more substantial to leave us with. Thank goodness, George Lucas figured this out over 20 years ago with Star Wars.

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

Better than it seems

[8 November 1999]

I watched this film again the other night (I bought it when it first came out on video) and am still impressed by how much it entertains me. Yes- the plot has huge holes in it. Yes- the action has us believe that a whole force of bad guys can't shoot for s**t and Yes- it has some contrived and cliche'd moments. But hey, what Arnold Schwartzenegger/Sly Stallone/Bruce Willis action film doesn't? What they don't have is Geena Davis, who brings the vulnerabilities and sensities of a woman to a role that would have simply been portrayed as another "man with gun-shoots and kills" character as played by a man. Geena Davis does a great job of being funny, confident, tough, weak and a whole myriad of emotions to this role. Samuel Jackson is also great and I found the chemistry to be a good one. This is a great action movie and has some fantastic stunts in it. I always enjoy watching this film and would recommend it to everyone. One of my favorite scenes by the way is when Brian Cox is telling Gladys to curb her dog's "eating habits". It's a hoot!!

Goodfellas (1990)

Worth seeing again

[19 October 1999]

I watched this again recently and was amazed at much better it is when not compared to the Godfather. Joe Pesci creates an unforgettable character in Tommy - both horrifying and funny. Ray Liotta does his best work since "Something Wild" and more than holds his own against Robert DeNiro. Look for some excellent supporting work from Lorraine Bracco, Debi Mazar and Paul Sorvino. The running narration (normally overused and worthless i.e. "Bladerunner") works here because it feels like Henry is talking to us casually, like we're sitting at the same bar and he's unfolding this story. The soundtrack is excellent. My only complaint is the length. I felt that the whole ending could have been shortened by 20 minutes or so. There is a long sequence of events regarding Henry that are totally uneccessary. Watch this with some red wine and a Hot Italian hoagie dripping with sauce. Bravissimo!

The Godfather Part III (1990)

No Comparison

[5 October 1999]

I recently watched all three Godfather films again in sequence and was surprised at how bad GF III is when closely compared to the other two fims. There are characters in the film whose presence is never made clear (i.e. George Hamilton, Brigette Fonda and Don Novello - Father Guido Sarducci??) The major characters bear little resemblance to themselves from the previous films. Connie Corleone is now a major supporter of Michael even though she knows he had her husband killed? Michael now has a change of heart and tries to go "legit" even though he so eagerly immersed himself into the power and control of the Corleone family. And Kay continues to "hang around" even though she dreads Michael and all that he stands for. Why?? The movie drags on in parts and never really gains it's true identity untill the end of the film during the opera scene. Not even Winona Ryder who was scheduled to be cast in the part of Mary could have helped. It only serves to give us an appetite for the earlier two films. Both of which I consider masterpieces.

The Mummy (1999)

A new franchise?

[8/10 · 30 September 1999]

I loved this film! It had humor, action, excellent special effects, and a great story line. I especially like the character of Rick O'Connell played by Brendan Frasier. I felt he could continue with this character as an Indiana Jones type franchise. I think the next logical step would be to redo the tired and wornout Wolfman genre. There have been a lot of "Werewolf" movies but not a successful remake of the original with Lon Chaney Jr. I bought this movie on VHS and still got a kick out of it. Loved Beni's line where he said "I loved the whole wall of sand trick..B***tard!"

Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)

What's with the leeches?

[4/10 · 29 September 1999]

I saw this film last night on video. It's a movie that I keep passing up and passing by each time I go to the video store and I finally decided to watch it. Not as terrible as others have said but definitely not a great film or as good as Speed was. The whole relationship between Annie and Jason Patric's character was never fleshed out and the original relationship with Jack (Keanu) was dismissed almost entirely. Willem Defoe did a lousy job as a criminal mastermind. Why didn't he leave the ship when he had the chance? Did he just stick around to make sure his leeches were ok? The plot was contrived, the characters were cartoonish but the special effects and some of the action sequences were good. I had to admit this but I actually missed Keanu Reeves this time. (Did I just say that?) I'd use your free bonus rental from Blockbuster for this one but not sure I'd shell out the $2 to actually rent it.