Old Movies

Old Movies

This is just a log file where I put my opinion on. Also, it will give a an idea of how slow movies are released here.

Also, dates mentioned here are day-month-year. Some people, Americans pops to my mind, like to do it month-day-year. Why, God, why ? First the small then the big, or the other way around. You don't say it's 12:34:05 with the meaning of hours:seconds:minutes ? Do you ? I rest my case.

Grades are from 1 to 10. 10 is hard to get, and I probably won't ever go below a 5 either. Above a 8 is a must-see. 8 to 7 depends on your interest. 7 or lower, probably wouldn't be wise to go see it. For a more overall view, Green stands for must-see, no matter what, Yellow is a maybe if you like some aspects of the film, and Red is definitely avoid seeing.

What I've seen:

25-08-00: Keeping the Faith - A fine start showing promise, but let down by a slow second half, with lengthy dialogue and fading excitement.7.
24-08-00: Romeo Must Die - Kinda silly story, but the action and the bit of humor keeps it going. The dialogue are fluid but mostly pointless, and the over-abundant hardcore hiphop tracks functioning as the score only works on your nerves. First time director (his previous achievements are in cinematography) Bartkowiak clearly lacks the skills of the established Hong Kong trained directors, and it shows clearly on screen. The martial arts scenes are nothing but standard short shot by shot edited pieces that neither show any style nor grace that usually depicted Jet Li's marvelous moves in his previous movies. If that's the way Jet Li's future is going to be, I'd rather have him back in low budget Hong Kong styled movies.7-.
22-08-00: Downloaded movie (release: early, quality: Bad, format: 400 MB Telesync, status: deleted) - Coyote Ugly - Fast paced story, covering a wide variety of themes in a relatively short time. Changing the pace after a while, it ends in a sweet feel-good-happy-ending type of movie. Finally Jerry Bruckheimer is involved in a drama again, and I hope he gets a hang on it, and sharpens his skills in that area.7.
21-08-00: Downloaded movie (release: early, quality: Bad, format: 400 MB Telesync, status: deleted) - Space Cowboys - Nice story, but it's not overly exciting, and there are a few cliches in it. Some funny bits are mixed in (the old guys are obviously having fun, but that doesn't make a movie, although it sometimes helps), as well as some drama (which doesn't always hit the mark). If you're not feeling too sleepy, you might just enjoy it.6½.
20-08-00: Downloaded movie (release: very late, quality: Very Good, format: 650 MB DivX DVD rip, status: saved) - The Tai Chi Master (DVD Title: Twin Warrior) - Martial arts movie set in the early days of China, using the classic themes of peasants and rebels, evil army and emperors, loyalty, deceit and backstabbing. Mixes with a tiny bit of humor and drama, this makes a fine combined whole to watch.7½.
17-08-00: Gone in 60 Seconds - In case you keep wondering where the hell the story did go, it's actually the title that reveals it. But nonetheless, if you can turn your brains off for nearly two hours, it's actually not so bad. Still, it's a shame that the Jerry Bruckheimer is definitely showing his magic touch is fading (after such jewels as Crimson Tide and the Rock, it seems like centuries ago).7-.
13-08-00: Downloaded movie (release: very late, quality: Good, format: 538 MB DivX DVD rip, status: burned) - The Enforcer - Still from his ol' Hong Kong movie time, this award winning movie is a good actioner with some drama. Although some cliches are obvious and the forced drama scenes aren't to be praised, there are some magnificent fight scenes to adore. While Jet Li continues to crack bones and do other elastic body moves, some acrobatics are obvious string-aided. It doesn't spoil the fun too much though.7½.
13-08-00: Downloaded movie (release: late, quality: Very good, format: 670 MB DivX DVD rip, status: deleted) - Bringing out the Dead - Slow movie which mr. Scorsese tries to level with some wacky camera moves. Filled with even more wacky characters it's the only thing keeping you awake if you didn't fall asleep during the first minutes of this movie. Good setup, but boringly displayed.6-.
12-08-00: Downloaded movie (release: tiny bit early, quality: Mildly bad, format: 380 MB ASF screener, status: deleted) - Pitch Black - Obviously a low budget movie, it uses unexperienced actors, in a very very unimaginitive plot. While the character development starts halfway through the movie, it might be too late. Under no circumstance go see this movie if it's not for therapeutic sessions, to treat sleeping disorders, as prescribed by a doctor.4+.
10-08-00: Stir of Echoes - Probably best described as "The Sixth Sense" lil' bro, this one doesn't quite cut the mustard like its big bro did. It doesn't have the marvelous style of directing and storytelling. Also having a more obvious storyline, it's easier to predict what's going to happen (only second half of the movie though). Starting threads that never closes is another weakness, resulting in an just above average scary thriller. Of course, proven time and again, Kevin Bacon is quite able to carry any movie, no matter what, and adding another few links to keep him the most connected moviestar in the world (click here for the link to the Oracle of Bacon).7½.
06-08-00: Scary Movie - Boasting not as much spoofs as it was subtlely hinting (only the Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer series for the thread throughout the movie), you still have to have seen as much movies as I have to fully get all the jokes. Also, besides the obvious spoofs, exaggeration, this is a movie/not a movie joke, and other sillinesses, they are often focussed on sex. Nothing new and smart is to be experienced here. So, if you are in a giggly mood, by all means, go see it, you'll have a blast. If not, you're served with a laugh salvo only once in a while.7+.
03-08-00: Dogma - Obviously a comedy targeting the Catholic Church (or belief, in its entirety), this is not a comedy for the fainthearted who even have the slightest grain of faith and belief harboured deep inside. Sharp dialogue and interesting twists and turns are switched back and forth with the nastiest and filthiest kind of humor. The wicked ideas behind the story, and all the loopholes are either good braincandy or to be shoved away in an instant. Either way, it's interesting for some length of period. Even though it's a fast paced comedy, in manages to get a bit more serious and dramatic from time to time, which can be seen as a good point.8-.
29-07-00: The Patriot - Starting the movie with drama dipped with lots of melancholy accompanied by a dramatic overture by Star Wars fame John Williams, might seem a small mistake, but if it continues throughout the movie, it's a damn stupid move. Enhancing emotion can make a drama work better, but exaggerating it too much and too many times just doesn't work. Then there's the cat and mouse game that keeps returning, making you feel like you're living through this movies four times, or even more. The Emmerich/Devlin duo are known for quite entertaining movies, but with this budget, they tried a bit too hard in the wrong direction. Hence, this is not a movie to recommened, but it's not to be trashed either. It's slightly entertaining, if you're willing to sit through the almost 3 hours of running time.6½.
20-07-00: Me, Myself and Irene - Mostly, it's exactly what you can expect from Jim Carrey and his arsenal of wacky moves and weird faces. Racing from joke to joke, there's room for multiple threads in the story, with some really rushed, ,and not worked out well, towards the end. While boasting "Something about Mary" proportions and outrageousness (same creative team), in the end, it's just a nice sweet little flick.7½.
19-07-00: Downloaded movie (release: same, quality: Medium to Good, format: 540 MB DivX DVD rip, status: deleted) - Sleepy Hollow - What starts off as a mystery turns into a myth and back into a mystery. Having the feel of a theatre play, and the usual ancient British accent all around, it might not suit everyone. Though there are some good elements in the movie (the mix of horror, comedy, and mystery), in the end, it feels like the usual standard movie with nothing special to make it stand out.7.
18-07-00: Downloaded movie (release: same, quality: Very good, format: 700 MB DivX DVD rip, status: deleted) - Stigmata - While the essence of the movie is interesting on itself, the rest (production, story, dialogue, character interaction) is utterly lousy and boring. Trying to give it an arty kinda twist, it only gets on your nerves. The numerous slowmotion scenes of a drop of water dripping in a cup or bath of water is done so many times, it makes you wonder if the director has been teached anything else in art school. All in all, a movie to steer clear of.4.
11-07-00: Downloaded movie (release: very early, quality: Bad, format: 160 + 140 MB DivX telesync, status: deleted - Road Trip - Starting off like a homemade movie, the story and pace picks up the latter half, and has some pretty funny moments and some subtle jokes. A strange style, but still entertaining.7.
09-07-00: Mission Impossible 2 - This time not suffering from an overly complicated story (instead, it's quite simple, to be honest), it makes it a bit more enjoyable. Directed by action specialist John Woo, it's not hard to guess this is true eye-candy. Not losing sight on other aspects, like drama, humor, character interaction and such, he proves to be a pretty allround director as well (he already proven that in Face/Off, by the way). Although the characters themselves are pretty shallow and not explored at all, the interaction keeps the train going. With the biggest budget John Woo ever had to play with, it shows on screen, with action woven subtly into the storyline, and some martial arts directed so perfectly that even slow motion shows his craftmenship well (or the other way around {:) ). Of course, most fast paced action sequences are chair gluing as usual.8½.
01-07-00: Downloaded movie (release: very early, quality: Bad, format: 198 +190 MB ASF telesync, status: deleted) - American Psycho - No matter how you twist or turn this, seeing a psycho work his way through the movie (like there aren't enough in real life already) is really boring. It is utterly tiresome to sit through the whole movie seeing a character you don't care for/about. Worse still, all the stiff acting make it worse.3.
01-07-00: Downloaded movie (release: very late, quality: Medium, format: 180 +160 MB ASF VCD rip, status: saved, waiting to be burned on CD) - Fist of Legends - One of the later Hong Kong Jet Li movies. Pretty the standard Chinese themes mingled with some serious subjects. If you can forgive the usual noticeable lip-synching, this movie is pretty entertaining, as Jet Li's (multiple fighting styles in this movie!) are quite breathtaking.8.
01-07-00: Downloaded movie (release: earlier, quality: Mildy bad, format: 200 + 260 MB ASF telesync, status: deleted) - Mystery Men - A comedy with some nice moments, but nothing more than that. With so many whacky characters, it's not hard to hate a few so quickly, hence irritating you a considerable amount of time. This movie gives you the typical "It's an indy movie, I like big budget boxoffice smasher better" feeling, which usually applies to all indies, 'cept a few. This one is not among the few.6.
01-07-00: Downloaded movie (release: same, quality: Medium to bad, format: 190 + 180 MB ASF DVD rip, status: deleted) - American Pie - What seems to be a videoclipped style movie at first glance, will slowly turn itself into a mediocre laughtrack (for the targeted audience, that is, the teenagers) backed with some morals and a tiny bit of drama.7.
01-07-00: Downloaded movie (release: earlier, quality: Very good, format: 680 MB DivX DVD rip, status: deleted) - Galaxy Quest - Typical Star Trek only jokes are apparent in the first few moments, and it's followed by some highly predictable storylines and jokes. While it has something, it also lacks something. Also, the characters are so shallow. Only the nice SFX keep it a bit together.6+.
22-06-00: Shanghai Noon - Like most Jackie Chan movies, it has a weak story. Along with the usual cheesy predictable main story though, comes also the usual funny bits and nice choreographed fight scenes. Obviously enjoying a bigger budget, the direction goes to the wider bigger shots mingled with some well written comedy. If you can forgive the usual cheesiness, this movie will be very enjoyable, though it won't reach the heights of his previous big Hollywood hit "Rush Hour".8-.
17-06-00: Duece Bigalow: Male Gigalow - With a cheesy title like this, you might expect a just as cheesy movie, but this one has a story and script slightly above the average slapstick. Add all the average standard ingredients, and you have yourself a slightly above average movie.7½.
15-06-00: Final Destination - There are only a few things to say about this movie. First, simple but smart screenplay. Second, standard but effective and subtle directing. Third, nice premise make this movie interesting. All combined gives a total that differs from the latest batch of Scream clones where you just wait for somebody you don't care about to get killed, and when the moment is there, you're not even the slightest bit surprised. Conclusion ? Go see this movie.8+.
08-06-00: The Ninth Gate - A somewhat weird thriller. With no pretention, the building suspense will keep you focussed, and the predictability and somewhat stiff dialogue is clouded by the unfolding storyline. Even the plotholes, and the ever growing of new unanswered questions isn't that noticeable. Not to mention the so-so performance (with only Frank Langella shining as "bad guy") can deter this strange movie's style. Only the marching circus happy kinda score is unfitting for this thriller. If you don't want a standard thriller, this is the movie to see.8.
25-05-00: The Whole Nine Yards - A fair comedy, with a fairly good story. Although Matthew Perry does his usual "Friends" character Chandler routine, and the other characters (Bruce Willis) doing the same routine stuff, it's still good for mild entertainment.7.
18-05-00: Gladiator - A drama filmed in true epic proportions. A well written screenplay keeps this drama exciting and fresh. With all the necessary elements, drama, intrigue, action, entwined in this epically told story, it's easy to be dragged slowly into this movie, even though most of us, if not all of us, have no emotional or any other reference point with the many facets of this story. That's of course thanks to the usual multi-Oscar (prediction) rock solid performance by Russell Crowe. Relative new-comer Joaquin Phoenix keeps up pretty good, and shows us some really mean bad guy stuff. The musical score will also not let you down, and really adds to the atmosphere. And last but not least, finishing off this whole, is the capable direction of Ridley Scott. Words can not even begin to describe the big budget scenes shot with gracious camera movements, so all I can say is, are you a warrior enough to see this movie yourself ? 8½.
29-04-00: Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai - One of those few artistic actioners that come by every so often. Although a bit long winded, with a not so complicated story, this one sets itself apart from a normal action movie by letting you think a bit, throughout and after the movie. Most of it (Japanese and other philosophical wise excerpts from a book) will leave you wondering, what the hell does it mean ? But I guess that's why I'm not a Samurai.8-.
21-04-00: Mission to Mars - A long stretched movie with very little content. Clearly a movie that only shows us what's possible with special effects these days. It has a quirky screenplay and the overall dialogue is crappy. Filled with stupid scenes cut and paste together (with a totally unnecessary "character setup" opening the movie, which only sets up cliche-only characters, and only indicates how boring the rest can be), it shows no talent on the director's side. More indication on the director's sloppy work are the overall performances of the various actors, with only one or two actually delivering their parts above average. Bring your checklist with cliche story outlines for special effects based movies, so that you have at least something else to do than just wait for some on screen action.6.
12-04-00: The Hurricane - A long stretched movie (actually because the true story is also a long long story), that shows many facets of the man in question. Probably trying to stick to the truth as much as possible, the whole movie has a subdued atmosphere, so don't expect any good and surprising twist and turns. As a whole, it's a moving drama that mostly depends on the well written dialogue and the exploration of the inner thoughts of the Hurricane himself.7½.
06-04-00: The Insider - What seems like a straight story about some dull tabacco company law suit, is actually a full and packed drama with great suspense and other elements mixed in. A great cast makes this excellent drama even better. Michael Mann knows his characters and his actors. Add to that a great well-written screenplay (also by Mann), some nice editing, and a fitting diverse score, and you have yourself a load of Oscar nominations.8½.
30-03-00: Being John Malkovich - Having a fresh and new idea is nice, but this story outline doesn't feel natural, and hence, doesn't quite hit the mark. Nice and funny now and then, but it doesn't do anything, it doesn't make you feel anything. It's very strange, but that's just not enough.7-.
27-03-00: Magnolia - What seems to be a chaotic and fragmented movie at first will become one of the strangest experience you've seen this year. The story builds up slowly into a perfect spiderweb, where every single character takes its place. The characters are fully explored and all well-acted. An excellent musical score supporting the atmosphere make the 3 hours (plus 8 minutes) well spent - it moves, it confronts, it touches, it makes you think. Add to that some moving soundtracks, making this a well-featured movie in every way. Whether you like it or not, at the end, you're gonna have to admit that this is one helluva fine piece of storytelling.8+.
23-03-00: The Talented Mr. Ripley - (Spoiler alert, do not read on if you plan on seeing this movie. I know, it's an exception on my spoiler free reviews, but this movie was so bad, I'd have nothing else to say). Well, sit through the whole movie, and you've finally experienced the true meaning of BOREDOM. Better titled "The Not So Talented Mr. Boring", this movie shows its roots, that being based on a novel. The basic rules on how to write a thriller novel are obvious, and hence, very irritating, as you've paid to see a movie, not a boring theatre-play. For instance, a character pops up around every 20 minutes, be it in a marketplace in the middle of Italy or a boat in the middle of the Pacific, somehow, they encounter each other "unexpectedly", now I tell ya, how coincidental is that ? Or what about that ALL the American males in Italy meet and know each other, and on top of that, they are ALL gay, now I tell ya, how coincidental is that ? After a slow setup, comes an even more stretched out movie, filled with predictable plot twists to keep a boring movie going. A sudden (open) end comes as a big welcome, though it doesn't make me appriciate this movie more, it's even less. Go see the movie, explain me why the stiff Jude Law and his always a bit the same kinda performance deserves a Oscar nomination, and I might just reward you with a 1000 dollar check, though I doubt anyone will give me a sound explanation.4-.
14-03-00: Boys Don't Cry - Based on a true story, this teaches a few things. 1. Reality sometimes really sucks. 2. These kinda tragic real life movies don't make good entertainment, even though the movie itself is good. 3. There are lotsa psychos running around. While you may think Hilary Swank steals the show and keeps it all for herself (she does steal the show though), it's a true ensemble cast, with every single character well-acted and portrayed in a realistic way, and hence, well-deserved Golden Globes and Oscar nominations.8+.
10-03-00: Three Kings - Strange, but an enjoyable movie. The weird style of shooting and storytelling, together with a not so obvious story (though the movie starts with a simple outline, moving to the real more complicated and controversial political story, ending with a somewhat simple conclusion), makes it a chaotic whole. Using extremes of all kinds (graphic violence, harsh humor), it keeps your attention up (and the speedy dialogue helps too), and moves your emotions from one side to the other side. Though the message of this movie might not be exactly clear (there's too much happening for that), it's as I said, strange but enjoyable.8-.
27-02-00: The Bone Collector - Nice movie with the usual superb performance of Denzel Washington. While the story lacks a bit in a few departments, the characters are well writiten. The ending of course, is a bit cliche too.7½.
19-02-00: Toy Story 2 - While this movie starts off feeling a little bit bland, it soon will turn out to be in the same superb league as the original Toy Story, with the same well written story filled with inventive (toy) jokes and high speed action sequences. Shifting the previous more human themes, this one really stands out because of the well thought out themes from a toys' point of view. Of course, finishing off the movie is a funny blooper reel, the current (and hopefully future) trademark of Pixar Animation Studio.8½.
09-02-00: South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut - Surprisingly good movie, where simple crude animation meets top-notch special effects. Almost like a regular South Park TV episode, but then with a much much better story outline, filled with tightly written storylines. Also, more singing, but unlike a boring musical, this one has sharp lyrics and good music, while still resembling the usual musical sound. Not to forget is the moral of the story, and Kenny's death (or is he ?) finishes off a great movie. The only big difference from the TV series is the controversy. This one is more daring and takes it one, if not two, steps further than anyone ever dared to imagine.9.
28-01-00: Double Jeopardy - A mediocre action thriller. Only the pace of the story will keep you from being bored. It has all the usual expected "unexpectednesses" in it, and hence a predictable ending that's been done in so many movies before. And don't if your hobby is looking for plotholes (like me), this movie doesn't really have a mindbending plot, and hence also doesn't have plotholes.7.
27-01-00: American Beauty - Strange mix of dark comedy and drama. With good written characters, all with their own view on life clearly depicted. The sick families trying to pretend like they're normal is also good portrayed, nicely revealing a story, with a somewhat abrupt, chaotic and unclear ending (maybe it was supposed to be that way, maybe it was not, who know? 8-.
20-01-00: Lake Placid - A nice horror-comedy, with exactly the right balance of the two genres. It doesn't have the depth, balance and superior writing of an average episode of Ally McBeal or The Practice (David E. Kelley's TV shows), but it's still enjoyable all the way.8-.
13-01-00: The Sixth Sense - No in-depth analysis from me this time. After you've seen this movie, you'll be doing a lot of thinking yourself, you can trust me on that one. So all there's left to say is that this is one of those once-a-year kinda movie, with solid acting performances depicting full characters, gripping story, engaging dialogue, great fitting music (veteran James Newton Howard) and all the other cinematic techniques that result in this outstanding movie, making almost every single scene a memorable one.9.
17-12-99: Bowfinger - A not so funny movie that lacks depth and compelling story. This unengaging movie is obvious a satire, but I never thought they could be that boring. Without any sharpness or hilarity, you'll only get served weak, cheezy and repeating jokes. In the end, you'll be left with no memorable scenes at all.6.
09-12-99: End of Days - A movie that could've been so much more than what it is now. At first, it seems an overwhelming movie, with all that opera choire background score keeping the suspense high. But after a while, it wears off. Thinking about it makes you realize the emptiness of the characters, the simple story, predictable plotline, and even predictable dialogue (with Gabriel Byrne's God speech matching almost perfectly Al Pacino's speech in "The Devil's Advocate"). Finishing it off is a disappointing ending. Don't go for the story, the acting or even special effects. Just go for the brainless kind of entertainment.7½.
06-12-99: The World is Not Enough - Another formula based James Bond movie, but this time leaning a bit more to character interaction than action. It also seems to dive a bit deeper into the characters' emotion which gives the whole movie another mood than the usual Bond movie. Though there are some rushed (action) scenes, and a somewhat abrupt ending, it still has the power to make you sit at the edge of your seat throughout the movie.8.
25-11-99: Blue Streak - Another fast-paced comedy which sacrifices a sensible storyline for the sake of comedy (not always hitting the right spot). Basically a Martin Lawrence one man show where the other one dimensional characters don't have a chance to match Martin's wit, who uses his usual screaming (literally) fast dialogue and manners (which may cause irritation with some people).7½.
18-11-99: Micky Blue Eyes - A comedy that's leaning a bit on the predictible side with no laugh-out-loud hilarious scenes nor any heartwarming scenes, but still a bit entertaining anyway, if you take the mob stereotype thing for granted, and also take Hugh Grant's usual stammering unsure character for granted.7.
11-11-99: The General's Daughter - An engaging who-dunnit thriller with an intricate story. The search for the past, and bits of flashbacks make most of the movie. The failed character development and interaction isn't bothering at all, since you've got your mind mainly on the story.8-.
08-11-99: Random Hearts - One of the slowest movie made in a long while. Coupled with emotions and feelings the audience can't identify with, the uneventfulness and the certain predictibility (since the story is so thin, there isn't much to predict), this makes it a movie not for the fast bored people.6½.
04-11-99: Fight Club - One of the strangest movie made in a long while. The movies goes through a whole range of phases, and has some strange storytelling techniques. Like that's not enough already, you'll get some weird special effects and camera techniques to add to the already utterly strange movie. Towards the end you'll get a more than unexpected surprise to add to the confusion, making you think the whole movie through again, and thinking about holes in the plot (or is it intended that way). All in all, this movie gets an "A" for originality, but it's made so it wouldn't fit in any genre, and the strangeness and confusion may cause you either to like it a lot, or be totally disgusted by it (I'll go for the middle path).7½.
28-10-99: Deep Blue Sea - A very decent action-horror flick, with those old fashioned live action sequences, where for once the computer generated special effects don't overpower the whole movie (but of course, in these times, you can't live without them either). There are quite some empty dialogues, a failed try at building a story, but that's to be expected in most standard action movies.7½.
25-10-99: The Astronaut's Wife - A not too scary thriller (everything was explained pretty clearly in the trailer already, which is a pretty reliable and good sign to filter out bad movies, but I had to see it anyway), which is written and directed very badly. It floats between very boring and just below mildly entertaining (standard scare methods using the ubiquitous the-bad-guy-is-everywhere-especially-when-you-least-expect-it, which of course doesn't work after 2 or 3 tries, but they continue to use it anyway).5½.
15-10-99: Big Daddy - This fast paced comedy movie a nice developing story, with not too slick dialogue, but still making a very entertaining movie overall. Nice weirdo characters hanging around too.8-.
14-10-99: The Haunting - This re-make got some nice visuals and special effects, the story is simple, the acting is okay, and there are some scary moments, though it could have been much more scarier.7.
11-10-99: The Blair Witch Project - Although a new concept of filming, producing and telling a story, this concept was way overhyped (starting on the internet, later spreading to other media, and mouth-to-mouth), hence causing a considerably disappointment for the ones expecting much of it. Also, after the first half, it starts getting repetitive, and that with a thin story to begin with. The simple methods to produce some scare value are really low budget standard style, so you won't find any entertaining in that area either. Coupled with an ending that's predictable (though it was the scariest bit, if you can call it scary in the first place), this movie really doesn't live up to its hype.6½.
07-10-99: The 13th Warrior - This movie sadly isn't written very well, because it has a nice, albeit shallow, synopsis, and could've been so much more. One of the few movies that is driven by a mysterious mythical feeling. Also, while it feels like an big epic movie, it also gives you the local fairy tale feeling. This movie also doesn't explain a thing, nor does it have a history of any of the characters. The storytelling is like, this is it and that's all you get, and no reason or explanation is given. Besides lacking that, the action movie go-er doesn't have much going either, as the scenes are directed in a dark chaotic way, so you can't really enjoy it.7-.
30-09-99: Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - Another installment of Lucas' big epic Star Wars series, which follows the previous format almost exactly (the way of directing, storytelling, etc). With the current technology, Lucas put almost all of his money to include these big scenes consisting of almost only computer generated figures and background, trying to amaze us, but with all that SFX overload, it's not hard to believe it's the "simple" sword fights that steal the show. Other things that prohibited this movie to excel the previous trilogy are the artificial feel and look some of the big SFX scenes had, the terrible accent most aliens had (some may even find it offensive), the stiff dialogue and the lack of real story, characters and character interaction. Of course, during a fast-paced action flick as big as this one, there's enough to keep your attention on the screen.8½.
27-09-99: The Corruptor - A weak movie, the uninventive directing, the standard story, the stiff dialogue and emotionless acting result in a very uninspiring movie.6.
23-09-99: Go - The movie starts of with a slow but building pace, and initially is about nothing. It's only after some minutes before you finally see something happening, and right after that you get hit by confusion. The story has just split (yes, literally). And the movie keeps on splitting, and it's only then you'll see funny and exciting things happening. The confusion ultimately was all justified, because towards the ending all pieces that got split, slowly emerge into one finely crafted movie.8.
09-09-99: Runaway Bride - This movie starts off good, has a good build-up and has a full story and good character depth. A very well directed movie that moves along at the right pace, although the end part may feel a little bit rushed. The interaction, the nice fluid dialogues and good character development all result in a funny tangible movie that feels natural.8.
07-09-99: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me - Like Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, this is another funny and silly movie. It seems this one has a better grip on the characters and storyline, though it's still not very much. Not to worry though, since it totally doesn't interfere with the entertainment value, you'll be too busy laughing to miss those things. Though the emotional character development of Austin himself doesn't always show very well, it's a nice try anyway, giving the whole movie a bit of an extra body, extra depth (and make Austin even more likeable). And like the occasional really funny movies, you'll have to sit ALL the way through the end credit rolls to have some more laughs.8-.
02-09-99: The Rage: Carrie 2 - A total rip-off that can't match the original eerie and scary "Carrie". Of course, it copies the formula for making copies (taking at least one original actor/actress from the first movie, no matter how insignificant that part was, then making it all happen again, about 20 years later), and on top of that, it follows exactly the same storyline of the original horror flick, although the storytelling has degraded with the years. I think seeing "Carrie" twice will be even better than seeing both movies.5½.
02-09-99: Eyes Wide Shut - Stanley Kubrick's much overhyped last piece of work, also known for his controversy. But what I saw was a very long stretched movie, almost slow motion like filmed. And it wasn't even directed in an excited way, so one can only wonder why it took over a year to film it. Filled with simple close-ups cut into each other, you can clearly see the parts that were filmed far and far apart (look at the hair for that). Now to the story part, which makes the secrecy of the plot part easy to understand, because, quite frankly, there wasn't much to spoil in the first place. The first 1,5 hour (!!!) has nothing happening, then the last part doesn't even have anything to with the first part ! Of course, it isn't that empty, it has several "What the ... ???" moments, not just things that don't make sense, but really things that makes you wonder why it's there. So, all in all, don't go see it on a day when your head is clear, you won't appreciate all the confusion this whole movie creates spoiling your day. Also, the repetetive piano pinging that's supposed to be the score of this movie, doesn't help to make the 2 hours 40 minutes feel anyshorter. At the end, you feel like you've spend the whole night there.6.
27-08-99: Life - A simple subdued story, directed in a subdued manner. Also, instead of those laughing-out-loud jokes, they try it with fast dialogue, with those common friend-enemy-luvya-hateya kinda dynamics, but this also is a bit subdued. Also a bit of drama is tried, which kinda fails (especially in the first half of the movie), because the emotions somehow don't spark and leaves you feeling nothing (not because of the acting, it's the story and direction). All in all, a lot of cliche and almost nothing original.7.
Early submitted review by Freek: 24-08-99: The Blair Witch Project - This movie has the potential to keep you from walking on deserted streets after dark period. The way in which the movie is shot, in the all but too familiar (thus very common to the viewer) 'home video style', forces you to concentrate on what's happening instead of how, this effect adding considerably to the 'fright potential' of this movie. Notice the severe continuity glitch in Heather's appearance during the final part of the film.9.
23-08-99: The Thomas Crown Affair - This movie is mildly entertaining in the beginning and in the end. The middle part is filled with meaningless babbling, unfathomable irrational behaviour and boring events. Besides being kind of a "Entrapment" (earlier this year) rip-off, the ending is rushed too. On top of the overall boredom, Bill Conti (music) crushes his name with this score, where he replaces the usual upbeat drums in tense exciting moments with a choire of hand claps ! And this all the way to the point where it gets irritating, when you'll finally blow up when he uses it again towards the ending.6½.
16-08-99: Analyze This - Funny crime-comedy. It moves along with a nice pace with witty smart and fast dialogue, sometimes leaning a bit towards predictibility and repeating. There are no eye-opening performances either, Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro pull their usual performances, and Lisa Kudrow can't shake off her Phoebe character from "Friends" very well. Overall, you'll leave the theatre with a smile on your face.7½.
09-08-99: Instinct - A tiny concept, with high predictibility rate. Though you sometimes get a deep dive into the two (Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding Jr.) character's psyche, most of it doesn't make sense. Or it's too hard to understand. So, they're trying to give the characters depth, but it's not shown outside the talking scenes. They're also trying to highlight several topics, with most of those failing badly, or just being plainly uninteresting and boring.Furthermore, the whole movie is filled with stereotyped characters. All in all, nice try, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.6.
04-08-99: Wild Wild West - A thin storied, kinda hollow movie, with all the standard chase-the-bad-guy shots, and with all the continuity sloppiness where the hero and bad guy can do anything (jump from one point to another in an instance, get a horse in the middle of the desert etc etc). It also suffered from what appears budget cutting shots (obvious blue screen scenes, uninspired predictable camera angles and shots). Besides the totally unexplored characters, it had some nice moments (good CGI of the big spider), some neat gadgets, and some good humor (though some jokes on blacks (and white) went nowhere at all).7+.
19-07-99: The Mummy - Like previous summer blockbusters, this movie tries to sell things big, instead of using style. So, the characters don't have any personality, but are reduced to the typical running object. The bad guy is just an ugly son-of-a-bitch, and the punchlines comes from anyone who feels like saying it. Continuity isn't a big issue here either. As for the SFX, it's big, there are some nice scenes, but it isn't too radically new.7.
24-06-99: eXistenZ - This movie starts off like a bad video movie, with forced and stiff dialogue. Scenes jump from one to the next and are glued together like an amateuristic first time movie or something. Slowly you're gonna see a pattern, but it's a pattern you won't like. The game-in-game-in-game-etc driven story will soon get you the "i-don't-care(-anymore)" feeling, and after that, you're probably gonna fall asleep. While people think David Cronenberg is an inventive, controversial movie maker, I've seen nothing of that.6.
17-06-99: The Matrix - This movie has almost every element in it to make it a superb totally top movie. It has an engaging, mind-boggling story, with multiple phases, resulting in a big complete satisfying whole. It has well written dialogue, nice special effect, some cool martial arts stuff, stylish sets, great fitting music, so that every scene makes your heart bounce. Of course, this movie will leave you with some questions, but it works well that way.9+.
10-06-99: EDtv - Of course, even the most ignorant won't escape the fact that this movie is very similar to the earlier "The Truman Show", but that's entirely not the case ('cept for the camera). This movie focuses on a whole different area, and has a totally other feeling to it. After a fresh start, it kinda dulls in in the middle, but picks up speed again towards the end, producing a very satisfiable whole, but not a top movie. What stops it from being truly special is the forced story turns, noticably mixed with the more natural ones, and the small unexplainable gaps in the story and the characters' actions.7.
10-06-99: The Waterboy - It's a wonder this was a 100+ million dollar blockbuster, because, this movies has a thin story, it's utterly predictable, filled with stereotyped characters, and Adam Sandler's "I'm a moran with hidden talents" performance has been done so many times already, and it's an irritating one at that. Throughout the movie, you will laugh twice or thrice, at most, IF you are in a laughing mood.5.
28-05-99: Letters from a Killer - While it may start off promising, everything collapses withing the first minutes. Chaotic and incoherent screenplay, filled with illogical, unexplainable strange behaviours from EVERY single character. In the end they thought it wasn't even necessary to explain all the stupid things they've come up with (only to serve as bait for throwing off the audience, but ending up annoying the audience instead).6.
21-05-99: Entrapment - Starting as a bit of a mystery, the story remains like this, using every standard trick to keep the excitement up (and some nice plot turns), but besides that, the on-screen chemistry between Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta-Jones is plain average but acceptable.7½.
20-05-99: Who Am I ? - Opening with a promising start (looking like it may actually have a good story), it's all traded in for the usual big shots and fast paced action, leaving logic, reasoning and continuity behind, but that doesn't hurt the entertainment level too much. A bit chaotic but still excitingly directed. Again, what you can expect from Jackie Chan, amazing stunts that make you think it's a miracle he's still alive, let alone walk on two feet and legs. A closer look at all the scenes shows many improvised sequences (a car chase from a South-African desert to downtown Rotterdam to a busy market) and a not too strict screenplay, but again, this doesn't hurt the entertainment value at all. Amazingly fast and sophisticated martial arts fight sequences combined with the funny bits and witty jokes makes this movie entertaining, story or no story.8.
12-05-99: American History X - A very very good movie with solid acting (definitely worth the Academy nomination for Edward Norton, and a miracle why he didn't get it). It's basically the usual racial issue movie, from dark and gritty to downright scary, but also with style (very good narration from several pointsof view). While there are some things that don't quite fit and leaves you wondering, it doesn't take the focus off the film and keeps its tense atmosphere throughout its run. (take a peak in here: The First American History X Page. It has the original screenplay of the movie, it's has small differences with the movie, so read it after you've seen the movie).8½.
07-05-99: True Crime - A thin story, that's got some extra story line and characters, in an attempt to fill it up with depth, but actually create a sense of unfocused and chaotic storytelling, which is extra visible because of Clint Eastwood's standard and not exciting way of directing.6½.
06-05-99: A Civil Action - Based on a true story, this is a full story with body and depth. We see a fierce battle in court, and we see not just two sides, we get to see all sides of the story, each one of them pulling a bit on your sympathy and doubt. Good characters, and development. Wonderful acting.8.
22-04-99: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer - This sequel is, of course, as one could predict, a rip-off of a rip-off, and is even worse than the first I Know What You Did Last Summer. Even more use of the standard scary surprise moments and hence no second isn't filled with scary hallucinations, nightmares, and of course the appearing-out-of-nowhere-disappearing-into-nowhere-doing-the-impossible-murderer. With so many forced impossible "scary" moments, the effect will wear off pretty fast, and all you have left to do is to contemplate how stupid you were, and how stupid the story is, of course, since almost no pieces of the puzzle fit, though the writers intended it should fit. Trust me, I won't fall for the next I Still Know What I've Should've Known What You Did Last Summer as a followup of the Summer Before That.5½.
15-04-99: Bride of Chucky - Probably not the last sequal, this makes a somewhat more lighthearted movie then the previous dark, Chucky-chases-victim horror. Also, not everything evolves around Chucky, and the other characters are handled fine, though not too deep. Chucky's back with his many one-liners of course, but that's about as far as the fun goes.7½.
08-04-99: Arlington Road - With a somewhat shocking start and a dynamic musical score, one certainly is gonna expect a dramatic high speed thriller. But this movie tries the somewhat slow approach, and tries to create tension with many too forced moments/confrontations. Also, the many impossible/unexpected sneak-up-from-behind moments are tending to make this whole story unbelievable, while the end suggest one of the many possibilities happening in the real world. Just too many unbelievable things happen in this I'm-a-very-serious-movie. And also, the movie leaves more questions then answers.7.
01-04-99: Holy Man - This comedy starts of slow, and moves along with no highs and no lows. It has a predictable story, and it has too forced dialogue to make it focus on the main topics. While it's somewhat meagre on the comedy side, it also tries a bit of drama and morale (doin' the right thing), but that also doesn't quite hit it off.7.
26-03-99: 8MM - A bold attempt to make a dark movie like Seven, but it misses the spot somehow. Story starts in a very slow pace, and the speed doesn't pick up throughout the movie. The solid acting and directing can't help the dull atmosphere. Oh yeah, almost forgot, this movie has really really strange music (it's not helping the movie).7.
25-03-99: The Faculty - Again, one can't help but notice the same sloppy eye for detail, the indiscrepencies, the illogical actions, just to fit the all-round story. There isn't much of a secret from the beginning onward either. But the nice way of directing (Robert Rodriguez) keeps it interesting, and overall with the humor, the good consistent characters established already in at the beginning, makes this movie quite amusing.8.
18-03-99: Rush Hour - Oh so standard kidnapping, "I work alone, I don't need a partner. Well, here's one for you anyway. I don't like you already" partnership kinda movie, but with the focus on the fast paced action, and hilarious fast dialogue, without the usual slow gaps, which make it a great movie in the whole. Like the movie wasn't funny enough, the typical Jackie Chan trademark of the blooper reel is shown at the end of the movie, as usual.8½.
04-03-99: Payback - A darkish crime comedy mimicing an old 70-ies movie (story, music, blue-ish lens/filter). Movie moves along a slow pace with shallow not so easy understandable characters.7.
25-02-99: Very Bad Things - A very bad movie. It tries to be a drama, thriller, comedy and horror movie at the same time, and that just doesn't work, not by a long shot. What's left is a choatic mess with only one or two laughs throughout the movie.5½.
19-02-99: A Simple Plan - This is a smart intelligent thriller/drama. Just like it says, it starts of as a simple plan, and as the story slowly continues, we get to know the characters better and better. The only bad thing is, this movie shows that 4.4 million bucks isn't everything, or even worse, it's more like a hell. Don't expect to be smiling or feeling good after seeing this movie.8.
18-02-99: You've Got Mail - As this theme has been done several times, this film offers nothing new. On screen, the chemistry between the two characters (Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan) is there, but the story and dialogue seem a bit off. Some nice moments but nothing more than that.7.
11-02-99: A Bug's Life - One can't help to notice the dozens of similarities with this movie and the previously released Antz. So, I'll just compare them with each other too. Only a few quick looks will reveal both natures, with A Bug's Life targeted more to the younger audience and Antz radiating more maturity and realism. A Bug's Life therefore has bright radiant colors (for one, blue/purple antz, yah, right) and childish round reflective shiny objects, whereas Antz has the brown and and the life like dark colors. While both movies have some inventive graphic effects, for the graphics in overall, A Bug's Life will win the biggest audience and most computer nerds, as the texture and bumping maps are sharper and more detailed. And a mixed feeling is left for "the everything is reflective" thing. All in all, I enjoyed Antz more (smarter), as a whole, but both movies are enjoyable. Stay in your seat for a surprise in the middle of the end credits (which I actually thought was the best part of the movie).8.
04-02-99: Star Trek: Insurrection - Another blockbuster Star Trek movie, where director Jonathan Frakes continues to show his dynamic style of directing, and how to do it the big way. The story moves along with a nice pace, filled with marvelous and spectacular special effects and humor. Because of the big cast, we see, again, not much of the all the characters, and there doesn't seem to be enough time to handle things in detail. Because of the villains somewhat limited threat, this movie doesn't seem big, like the previous Borg threat, and might seem like a let-down compared to First Contact. But this movie has enough body to break the "uneven Star Trek movies suck" curse.8½.
22-01-99: The Siege - Very standard directed movie (it's a political action-thriller, or a thrilling political action, or a ... never mind), but it has some tense moments. This multi-(small)-threaded story doesn't always hit the right spot, and Annette Bening's character is just too weird (she's with FBI then the CIA then a spy and then with the army, then friends, not friends, friends, not friends, etc).7.
08-01-99: Enemy of the State - Very well directed movie (add one more to Tony Scott's long list of good action-thrillers), and a very good soundtrack adding to the already tense atmosphere. This movie will nail you down your seat, while the paranoia can work slowly into your brain.9-.
07-01-99: Antz - Very funny movie with breathtaking computer animations (perfect art direction, set design, lighting, shadow, reflection, physics, facial movements, etc.). Good voice acting. In short, these tiny tiny ants make a big big adventure.8½.
04-01-99: The Prince of Egypt - Utterly simple story, being a reworked part of the Book of Edoxus (The Bible, dooh), but visually stunning from the very beginning till the end. The most advanced and amazing animation, like no animated movie before. Besides Mozes, most character are shallow, and while the story skips parts, it still feels like slow storytelling.8-.
23-12-98: The Mask of Zorro - Simple predictable story, but spectacularly filmed, with loads of old-fashioned stunts and action. Fast directed action sequences with loads of seperate shots creating a somewhat chaotic, cheap feeling. Dialogue (a simple story told in 2+ hours) and humor are well featured.8.
22-12-98: A Perfect Murder - A very capable remake (a very loose one that is, of Hitchcock's "Dial M for Murder"), which drips with lies, deceit and treachery from the very beginning of the movie. Loads of plot twists and turns where the winning cards switch from hand to hand. Well directed with good suspense, although the characters lack depth.8.
04-12-98: Mulan - Movie with all elements well mixed (humor, story, visuals), that moves along at a nice pace. Though the story seems flat and it's filled with stereotyped characters, the movie as a whole is good. 8.
20-11-98: There's Something About Mary - Nice comedy romance with some nice twists in the story. Some hilarious sick jokes, and some subtle and less subtle jokes.8.
19-11-98: Snake Eyes - Well directed movie with a well told story. It's nice to see a not so clean hero figure once in a while. Good performance by Nicolas Cage and Gary Sinise.7½.
05-11-98: The Negotiator - Good story, well written dialogue and interaction. Though there are many points where you wonder "why ?" and "what ?" the performance by no less than 2 Oscar winning actors, and the tense atmosphere, leading to a lot of tense moments won't let you wonder long enough to notice.8½.
30-10-98: The Truman Show - An intriguing movie that drags you in slowly. Well thought-out story.8½.
29-10-98: Blade - One of the few action movies to get raving reviews everywhere, and well deserved, I might add. This movie has good scenario, good sfx, good music, dark and gripping story, and most definitely style, making this movie one of a kind. And I didn't even mention the slick and well directed action, and sharp choreography/martial arts.9.
15-10-98: Dr. Dolittle - Tiny storyline, fairly predictable, and not really hysterical. But it's a fine comedy nonetheless.7½.
12-10-98: Out of Sight - Strange movie that doesn't fit in any catagory. Also strangely directed, with past, present, and other past woven into each other. Surprising cameo appearance in the movie too (one very familiar with Elmore Leonard's novel-to-movie-conversions, hmm, actually, this is a trick-comment).7½.
08-10-98: Halloween H20 - This movie adds nothing new to the latest horror genre (why should it ? It's always the same, B. Weinstein/H. Weinstein/K. Williamson, producing it).7.
01-10-98: Godzilla - Simple story, highly predictable, superb effects (but also some not so superb). It's a big big movie, just what you'd expect from an Emmerich/Devlin movie.8.
04-09-98: The Avengers - Lousy script, lousy story, lousy dialogue, lousy screenplay, stiff acting (or they just want to show us how stiff English people are, how insulting {:) ). A few nice SFX. If you view this movie as a serious action movie, you'll laugh out loudly, if you view this movie as an action comedy, you won't laugh. Either way, it's wrong.6.
21-08-98: Species II - Besides being highly predictable, this movie doesn't have a story. Some horror moments, but most SFX are done in the dark (hey, that species was beautiful eh ? what species, it was totally dark ?). Not really an enjoyable film.5.
20-08-98: Six Days, Seven Nights - The usual story where two people get stuck on an island. This story runs along with a fast pace, but nothing is really above the average.7½.
13-08-98: The Big Hit - Funny action comedy, fast and funny dialogue, not too sharp though. Not a brain teaser, just fun.That John Woo producing this is a bit obvious, due to the nice and original action sequences, but still keeping it low budget.7½.
07-08-98: Lethal Weapon 4 - Very entertaining movie with fast and funny dialogue, inventive action sequences and breathtaking martial arts (Jet Li). Remains the question, when is Roger (Danny Glover) gonna retire, since he was only a few days away from it last movie.9.
31-07-98: Wild Things - A bit of a slow movie with so many plot twists it will make your head turn. Don't think it all over, coz it will only makes things worse.7.
24-07-98: The X-files - This movie will give you just exactly what you would expect for the TV series in all aspects (directing, story, plot). There are some nice SFX, but it's just too standard to think of it as a movie.7½.
17-07-98: Primary Colors - We see a governor's campaign running for President, and we see all the troubles they have to go through. Pretty boring. The deeper meaning of the story and characters escape me (then again, a lot of things escape me).6½.
16-07-98: City of Angels - Nice concept with deep thoughts about God, angels, death, and stuff. Some nice photography (angels on the high buildings), but that's about it. It is a fairly thin plot, stretched too long, and somehow this whole movie seems to miss the spot. Too bad.7.
10-07-98: The Wedding Singer - Very funny movie, of course, with quite a few clichés, but that doesn't bother this well-balanced romantic comedy. Roles fit Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler perfectly. And the songs featured in the movie are very well written.8.
09-07-98: Armageddon - Very predictable and sometimes inconsistent story. Story, dialogue and characters lack depth. So, forget about moving drama. This movie is huge in other ways though. The action sequences are superb (and sometimes too much, too erratic). SFX are quite well done, with pyrotechnics and computer animation beautifully mixed. The photography and set design are well worth to look at too.8.
29-06-98: Breakdown - Nice action-thriller, not a very intricate story, but very capably directed.8.
26-06-98: Lost in Space - Wonderful cast in a not so wonderful script (besides the title, the story was lost in space too, I guess). But the SFX are definitely special. 'Cept for the space-monkey (too cartoon-like). Despite the lack of story, the fast paced action and SFX will keep your attention on the screen.8.
19-06-98: Playing God - Bad direction, bad script, bad characters.6.
04-06-98: Red Corner - Old theme (innocent man fighting a lost case with a charming lawyer by his side), but good acting and good suspense.8.
02-06-98: The Replacement Killers - Extremely thin story, but loads of bloody action. Not very well directed though.7.
28-05-98: Spawn - Enjoyed it, no good acting, not a damn good story, average humor, hmm, then it must've been the SFX, only go see it if you only go for the SFX, some standard issue, some beautiful stuff.8.
22-05-98: Jackie Brown - Nice crimecomedy movie. Story is a bit slow, and not very exciting. Just some funny parts.7½.
20-05-98: Deep Impact - While it may seem a SFX spectacularly kinda movie, you're only half right. This movie is a perfect mix of awesome SFX and good suspense and drama. The story itself isn't that hard to figure out of course, but that's not the point. It's about the story behind the people. Family, hope, life, death, sacrifice. This is all accomplished by one helluva cast. This is a MUST-SEE movie, whichafter you will be left with a deep imp... (heh, you thought I was going to say impact, weren't you ? Well, I'm not _THAT_ predictable.)...ression.9.
15-05-98: U.S. Marshals - Nice exciting directed movie. Good fun, not the best though, just fun.8.
11-05-98: In & Out - Although it was 30 C degrees outside, I thought it would be a good idea to see this movie. You know, it was the only place with air-co that I could find so fast. Movie is funny, nice characters. A bit predictable.7½.
01-05-98: Mercury Rising - Thin storyline. And the whole thing doesn't seem to fit. Standard good guy - bad guy characters.7½.
24-04-98: Wag the Dog - Predictable story is a bit thin.7½.
16-04-98: Desperate Measures - Bad directed movie can't keep any attention. Predictable and characters are pretty uninteresting.6½.
09-04-98: Sphere - After a promising start, they begin shifting essential storylines, and shifting focus on different topics. Characters aren't really interesting as is the same with story.7.
02-04-98: Scream 2 - Extremely unbelievable and impossible things happen in this movie. Again, self-mockery is the magic word here, and that can grow tiresome. Conclusion of the story isn't really original and the murderer isn't convincing. Nice roles for Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox.7½.
13-03-98: The Jackal - A bit of a thin story, but the characters are deep. Predictable and no suspense in this movie.7½.
09-03-98: I Know what you did Last Summer - Just a series of highly improbable and unbelievable events. Many predictable things and too many scenes are made to bring the viewer on the wrong track, which makes it very predictable again. Open ending suggests either a very dumb story or an even worse sequel.6.
06-03-98: Kiss the Girls - This thriller will not stand out in the other thrillers, in spite of the good acting.7½.
20-02-98: The Postman - Nice full story. Very dramatically directed, but still nice. Very moving score by James Newton Howard.8½.
19-02-98: Mortal Kombat II: Annihilation - A bit of the same like Mortal Kombat, but then worse.6½.
18-02-98: Event Horizon - Bad, predictable and unoriginal story.6½.
13-02-98: Flubber - Simple predictable storyline. Some nice moments, but there are mainly visual jokes and that gets monotonous. SFX are nice.7½.
12-02-98: As Good as it Gets - Fine acting, fine story and fine build up of the story and characters.8.
02-02-98: G.I. Jane - Moderate movie, quite predictable. Political storyline isn't intriguing either.7.
26-01-98: Switchback - Thin storyline with nice suspense. Funny start (Danny Glover's character). Movie doesn't have a lot of depth.8.
15-01-98: Starship Troopers - 1998 - Story sux, but the magnificent SFX make up for everything.

Even Older Movies (only the good ones)

Tomorrow Never Dies - 1997 - Very exciting movie, awesome stunts and action. The opening credits sequence is very refreshing.
Alien 4: Resurrection - 1997 - Exciting, beautifully made movie. Story is nicer and more fun that the previous Alien movies. SFX are great.
Air Force One - 1997 - Good action-thriller. Nice music from Jerry Goldsmith.
Copland - 1997 - Very nice drama, good acting, nice deep characters.
The Lost World - 1997 - Only the SFX and Jeff Golblum are nice in this sad sad movie.
Face/Off - 1997 - Damn good solid movie. Very nice acting, and has the best action scenes in it too.
Batman and Robin - 1997 - Only the SFX are worth watching. The dialogues are downright pathetic and the story is too forced.
Men in Black - 1997 - Damn nice comedy. Very funny.
Scream - 1997 - High paced movie that's a sort of a parody of horror movies. Can be tiresome at some moments.
Speed 2: Cruise Control - 1997 - Only action scenes are nice. Nice SFX.
Con Air - 1997 - High paced action movie. Lacks the chemistry they had in "The Rock". Characters aren't developed well, and the storyline ain't all that.
Liar Liar - 1997 - Laughter will follow in a nice fast pace. Nice plot, many funny scenes.
Dante's Peak - 1997 - Starts of as a drama, ends up with loads of nice SFX. Good acting.
First Strike - 1997 - Exactly what you'd expect from a Jackie Chan movie. Thin storyline, good fighting scenes, and loads of humor.
Star Trek: First Contact - 1997 - Very exciting movie with very good music from Jerry Goldsmith. Suspense, action and humor are nicely balanced.
Dragonheart - 1997 - Starts a bit chaotic. Drama fails in this movie. The fast pace makes this a movie hard to follow, and the characters are hard to understand. Nice music from Randy Edelman.
Courage under Fire - 1997 - Starts of slow, but the suspense grows with the minute. Nice drama. Good acting.
Ransom - 1997 - Good thriller, fast directed, but still misses that one finishing touch.
Daylight - 1996 - High pace action movie with a touch of drama. Very nice SFX.
Jingle all the Way - 1996 - Predictable story, though it's still funny to watch.
The Long Kiss Goodnight - 1996 - Samual L. Jackson is very funny in this fast action flic.
Fled - 1996 - Movie is nice, mainly because of Laurence Fishburne, the scenes with blood in it are quite good.
Sleepers - 1996 - Good acting, shallow characters. The many plotlines may be confusing sometimes.
The Nutty Professor - 1996 - Eddie Murphy is doing well in this movie. Some very funny scenes and a bit of drama.
Independence Day- 1996 - Action, SFX, humor and American patriotism all mixed together make a hit.
Crying Freeman - 1996 - Very thin storyline but action/fighting scenes are very nice.
Multiplicity - 1996 - Nothing spectacular, but nice anyway.
A Time to Kill - 1996 - Good decent story with fabulous acting.
Twister - 1996 - Awesome SFX. Good acting and good music from Marc Mancina.
Mission: Impossible - 1996 - Story is complicated and has a lot of twists, SFX are awesome.
From Dusk till Dawn - 1996 - Thin story but some moments are hilarious.
The Rock - 1996 - There's absolutely chemistry between Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery, which makes this the movie of the year. Action, acting, story and music are all above standard.
Primal Fear - 1996 - Great characters. Nice convincing story.
Executive Decision - 1996 - Good action movie, with non-stop suspense. Great music from Jerry Goldsmith.
Lord of Illusions - 1996 - Very exciting movie with moments that will give you a heart attack. SFX are nice.
Twelve Monkeys - 1996 - SF with strange twists in the story. Brad Pitt is pretty convincing playing a lunatic. But so is Bruce Willis.
Broken Arrow - 1996 - John Travolta is great as the bad guy. John Woo directed it, so we don't need to discuss the action bit of this movie.
Toy Story - 1996 - Damn funny, great SFX.
Forrest Gump - 1996 - Nice comedy with drama. Nicely directed.
Heat - 1996 - Good story, fabulous acting.
Dangerous Minds - 1996 - Great drama. Great acting.
Goldeneye - 1995 - A decent James Bond movie.
Desperado - 1995 - Action with a touch of romance.
Seven - 1995 - Thriller that really thrills
The Net - 1995 - Good suspense.
Assassins - 1995 - Nice movie. Good acting.
Species - 1995 - Good movie with nice SFX.
Mortal Kombat - 1995 - Nice fighting scenes, nice SFX.
Waterworld - 1995 - Thin story and predictable but great suspense and very spectacular.
Judge Dredd - 1995 - Nice action movie with great sets and good music.
Crimson Tide - 1995 - Great acting, the suspense it very good in this movie. Also the music is very good.
Die Hard with a Vengeance - 1995 - One of the best movies I've ever seen. Bruce Willis and Samual L. Jackson are great together, action is great, pace is good, and humor to get you on the floor.
Demon Knight - 1995 - Good horror, too bad there's not much humor.
Outbreak - 1995 - This will get you stuck in your chair for the full 2+ hours. The best when it comes to action, acting, script.
The Mask - 1995 - Start of slowly, but it gets better along the way.
Stargate - 1995 - Nice SF, good action, good acting.
Star Trek: Generation - 1995 - Good transition-movie (TOS gives the torch to the TNG). Many ppl don't agree with me on this one.
Dumb and Dumber - 1995 - One of the few comedies where you lie on the floor laughing out loudly.
Just Cause - 1995 - Very exciting story that's nice and deep.