MOVIE REVIEW - Eight Men Out (1988)

Nicely done movie about the 1919 World Series scandal. Interesting characters, great setting (I love baseball).

MOVIE REVIEW - Renaissance Man (1994)

I know Penny Marshall's movies are often sappy feel-good movies (Big, League of Their Own), but they're usually Good - sometimes Great (Awakenings, Big). This was just bland, predictable, nothing much to watch. DeVito isn't much of a lead actor.

MOVIE REVIEW - Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)

This movie did not need to be made. Not hideous, just lame. Was Sally Field's character a foe? Certainly not a committed one. Reese's charm factor was too over-the-top this time. I liked the original pretty well, but this one was too preachy, too exaggerated, just not very enjoyable.

MOVIE REVIEW - Eulogy (2004)

Starring my Mumford friend Zooey, this was a quirky, mostly delightful dark comedy about family dysfunction. Set around the patriarch's funeral, this bunch of misfits revel in teir dislike of each other. Debra Winger was hysterical as the pent up housewife. Ray Romano's fictional twin boys were SO bad but fun to watch. This film didn't quite rise to the hysterical, or to the seering dark comedy heights of Fargo, but it's definitely worth a watch.

MOVIE REVIEW - Hostage (2005)

Nothing classic here, but I enjoyed it. Bruce back in action was a good thing to see. This is no Die Hard (how could it be?), but I think he made a good transition into "Action for the Older Man". Plenty of edge-of-seat moments. Cool house. A couple of cool deaths. A couple of lame deaths. Some plot points with way-too-big holes, and several plot points left completely dangling. But all in all, enjoyable.

MOVIE REVIEW - Two Much (1995)

I watched this solely because I'm catching up on Joan Cusack movies. Melanie and Antonio - YUCK. They just can't make movies (Working Girl the exception). Really lame plot, really bad execution. With the huge exception of Joan - she was STELLAR, extremely funny as usually.

MOVIE REVIEW - Postman, The (1997)

I heard such bad things about this movie. And yes, it was bad, but in all the good ways. A Postman is the hero who brings positive morale back to a post-apocalyptic America. Yep, a Postman. Did you hear me? A Postman saves the day, just because he's a Postman. Wow, so far-reaching, but somehow a little bit endearing. I'm shocked that I liked it - must've been the 3am viewing. And Costner singing with Amy during the credits? Geesh, he is horrible. But somehow still fun.

MOVIE REVIEW - Rainmaker, The (1997)

Decent Grisham film. Mostly enjoyable, with Damon as an amateur lawyer trying to beat the insurance company big guns. Mary Kay Place did a nice job as the poor defendant mom. Mostly though, while enjoyable, it's forgettable.

MOVIE REVIEW - Thin Red Line, The (1998)

Hated it. Really hated it. Three hours long, this is some artsy director's conceit. Over half the movie consists of long shots of troops (with many famous actors) walking slowly through fields and mountains, with slow music playing, and on rare occasion, we hear one of the guys talking in his head, slowly. Very slowly. Talking about depressing things, fear, regret, but always slowly. When the action began (about an hour and a half into this borefest), you just didn't care about Anybody in the movie - so the struggle had no depth. I'm amazed that so many big name actors were willing to jump into this marathon movie for 2 minutes screen time each, just to get to die slowly, or to get to say two lines to the troops, or to get to wax philisophical in their head about war, slowly, while walking through a battlefield, slowly. So slowly.

MOVIE REVIEW - Say Anything (1989)

Great teen angst movie. Falling in love for the first time. Dreams. Hurts. Betrayal. Tears. All in the good name of growing up. Well done.

MOVIE REVIEW - Almost Famous (2000)

I'm not a fan of the Rock & Roll scene, not a fan of promiscuity or drugs. But this movie, while walking through the Sex/Drug/Rock&Roll landscape, is actually a movie about growing up, about subtle intimacy, about longing. The relationship between William and Penny Lane, between William and Russell, between William and his mom - all were distant on the surface, yet with an underlying appreciation and need for the other - surprisingly profound. I loved PSHoffman's line: "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Frances walked a brilliant and difficult line, splendidly as always. I'm stunned, but Kate deserved her Oscar nod. Nicely done by all..

MOVIE REVIEW - Looney Tunes: Back In Action (2003)

Much of this movie was lame, but there were moments that just made me smile really big and reminisce about these "friends" of my childhood. I loved the scene in the restaurant, where all the side cartoon characters were having meals together (Sam Sheepdog and Ralph Wolf, etc.) and displaying traits of their typical cartoons, but while eating civilized together - how cool. Could've been better, but still a nice ride.

MOVIE REVIEW - Married To The Mob (1988)

Just didn't have it for me. Maybe I needed Michelle to stay her usual blonde self.

MOVIE REVIEW - Courage Under Fire (1996)

Good puzzle, trying to figure out whose side of the story is true. Emotional depth, good acting by all, glad Meg was reduced to a flashback role - helped minimize her annoyance. Denzel was terrific, as always.