I consider myself a pretty serious film lover. I like art house films and I like films that take on serious subjects in meaningful ways. But I also like FUN films. And brother, is this movie a lot of fun! I usually can't stand David Arquette, but in this movie he is actually tolerable. He cuts down on the cheese factor and plays it fairly straight, and that was a great relief to me. This has a great campy feel to it. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and allows us to be in on the fun. It's not a classic, it's not going to win any awards, and I guess it's not doing boffo box office, either. But if anybody asks me to recommend a fun summer movie, this is at the top of my list.
Reviews
6 Reviews
K-19: The Widowmaker
(2002)
Harrison Ford in a completely different role
22 July 2002
I like this movie a lot, and not just because Harrison Ford is my favorite actor of all time. Well, maybe that has a LITTLE something to do with it. But if so, it's only the fact that it marks quite a change from the types of roles he usually chooses. We expect to see him as the self-assured, never-wrong All-American Hero and here we see him as the cocky, overbearing commander of a RUSSIAN nuclear submarine. What's crazy is that he pulls it off. The accent may not be the most believable in the world, but it's not embarrassing, either. And the performance is one of his best, I think. The torment behind the eyes ... wow. He really gets across that this guy is torn between doing his duty and doing what's best for his men. Liam Neeson lends fabulous support as his second-in-command, and for the most part the entire cast does an excellent job. I guess this is having a hard time finding its niche in the marketplace, because it's not a mindless summer action film. It's still worth a look, though.
Road to Perdition
(2002)
Not a perfect movie, but a really good one
22 July 2002
This movie caught me by surprise because I thought I knew what to expect going in, and I was dead wrong. Sam Mendes has done it again, in that he has taken on a well-worn genre and put his own magic touch on it. The best thing about the movie is Tom Hanks, although Tyler Hoechlin and Paul Newman bring incredible performances to the table, too. Jude Law is okay in this role, but I found his character and the whole part of the plot revolving around him to be the weakest parts of the movie. I just didn't buy it the way I bought practically everything else about this really good movie. With that said, the scene between Law and Hanks in the diner is easily one of the most emotionally intense moments in movies I've seen in a long time. That bead of sweat should get an Oscar. I haven't read the source material, though I'm a big comic book fan. I'm eager to find the graphic novel and read it after seeing the film.
Reign of Fire
(2002)
This is, simply put, an AWESOME movie!
22 July 2002
From the looks of it, this movie is crashing and burning at the box office - and I really don't understand that at all. This is one of the best movies I've seen all year, and I've seen most of the ones out there! I guess it depends on your taste, of course, but I love good action movies and I really love character studies and this is what Reign Of Fire is really all about. The dragons are, obviously, the catalyst for what's going on, but the real meat of the picture is Christian Bale's performance as the passive armageddon survivor intent on keeping his "community" safe at all costs. He's challenged on all sides; members of his own "family" question the wisdom of his decision to lay low and avoid confrontations with the fire-breathers, and the newcomers led by McConaughey try to rally Bale's followers to his own cause - to take on the dragons. This conflict, and seeing how it plays out, was what captured my imagination about this film. The fact that the special effects were incredible and that the action scenes rocked were just icing on the cake! AWESOME movie!
Men in Black II
(2002)
Nowhere near as good as the original
22 July 2002
It's hard to be really disappointed in this movie. I mean, it tries so hard to please. It's short (VERY short) and there's nothing about it that is really horrible. To be sure, the performances are good. The dog is funny. The aliens are freaky. It's everything we'd expect from the team that brought us the original Men In Black, right? Well, no. Not exactly. There's nothing new about this movie. Nothing that expands the world set up in the first movie. It doesn't go off in any new directions. It's basically just a rehashing of the original. Like I said, it's hard to NOT like a movie that features Tommy Lee and Will doing what they do best. But by the same token, it's really hard to LOVE this movie, either.
Casablanca
(1942)
The best movie ever made
22 July 2002
I discovered this movie about 15 years ago. I'm 33-years-old and had never really been one to go back and watch old black-and-white movies. The first movie I ever really remember going to see at the theater was Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was in love with the movies from then on. Oh, sure, I'd gone to the drive-in in rural Alabama and had seen various movies. But I had been too young and immature to really appreciate them for what they were. But when my uncle took me to see Raiders, I was hooked. For years, I considered Spielberg's masterpiece to be the best movie ever made. But then I happened to get hold of a VHS copy of Casablanca and checked it out. WOW! Moviemaking had been redefined for me. This movie has it all. Bogart is such an incredible presence. I think Harrison Ford is our modern-day answer to Bogart. The story is so straight-forward and so cool ... the backstory about the romance in Paris is great, perfectly handled. The one-liners are unforgettable, and the songs are enchanting. This is the whole package, alright. Perfect movie.
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