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Reviews
Showgirls (1995)
Stupid but Fun!
My god, this was a horrible film. And I mean bad in every sense of the word. And that's what makes it so damn entertaining.
The Doom Generation (1995)
Oh For God's Sake...
...I mark out for alternative cinema as much as the next guy. Rushmore and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels are on my 1999 "Must See" list. But god, this movie was dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.
I rented it 'cause I wanted to see Rose McGowan do something other than be Marylin Manson's girlfriend. What I got was a total waste of time. Don't get sucked in to anything you hear about this movie being an anthem for a generation, or whatever, this movie sucked. And sucked BIG TIME. Seriously, don't even bother.
Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999)
Creative License Gone Amuk
Take the movie for what it is, and it's dumber and less dramatic than a typical episode of Melrose Place. Compare it to the real story that it's based on (The rise and subsequent rivalry of Apple Computer's Steve Jobs and Microsoft's Bill Gates), and you have a movie with very little that is based in reality.
Want to know the real story? Go find and rent the fantastic PBS mini-series "Triumph of the Nerds." It is a six-hour documentary that is ten times more engrossing than this lame excuse for a drama.
Trekkies (1997)
An Enjoyable and Affectionate Portrait
I attended a screening of "Trekkies" with the pre-conceived notion that this was going to be a film that spent eighty minutes poking fun at those die-hard Star Trek fans that always seem to be a bit on the strange end. The film certainly starts off that way, particularly when it details the story of the Whitewater Juror who attended every court session in her Federation Uniform, complete with communicator and phaser.
Certainly, those extreme types always exist in every segment of our society, but fortunately "Trekkies" takes a higher road and paints an affectionate portrait of those individuals who celebrate Gene Roddenberry's series, as well as the three others that follow. Most interesting are the anecdotes told by many of the cast members, describing the fan letters they receive explaining how Star Trek has changed their lives for the better (one of the best is Nichelle Nichol's story of how one modern-day superstar was inspired by her ground-breaking performance in the original "Trek").
"Trekkies" is a very enjoyable glimpse into what has become a national, albeit worldwide, phenomenon. You will laugh out loud at the extremes some of these super-fans will take their passions, but more so, understand and delight in how "Star Trek" has brought so many diverse individuals together, and inspire many to pursue great ambitions.
Scared Straight! (1978)
Extremely Powerful Stuff
This is the kind of frank, brutal, and explicit commentary that you simply cannot find in a "prison" movie. The interaction between the "Lifers" (inmates who have been committed to life sentences, and perform an outreach service to children at risk) and the potentially felonious kids is extremely powerful. After watching, you have to wonder why there isn't a program like this in every city in every state in every country. Forget about any fictional account of prison life that you've ever seen - Scared Straight is the real deal, and one you won't soon forget.